Will Kentucky Beast St. Johns?

Will UK Win on Saturday?

  • Yes

    Votes: 42 37.2%
  • No

    Votes: 71 62.8%

  • Total voters
    113

Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
44,212
93,786
113
Both teams will be desperate. Pitino's guys haven't started off playing well this season.

I'm more concerned about that road game against Alabama to start the SEC. That said, our shooting is still awful and St. John's has athletes, unlike Indiana. I think they beat us by a very narrow margin, and Pope goes into the New Year at 8-5.
 

RunninRichie

Heisman
Sep 5, 2019
27,541
65,025
113
We looked awful in the 1st half of the IU game. They just aren't an atheltic team. And we imposed our will on them in the 2nd half. St Johns has athletes. Pitino is 100x the coach Devries is as well. I don't think we win this game.
 

FireWentOut

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
506
2,058
93
St. Johns took Bama and Iowa St. to the wire, so they can play. I just hope our guys show up with the same energy they had in the second half against IU cause you know Pitino wants this win.
 

I’m The Village Idiot

All-Conference
Jul 30, 2024
2,990
4,971
113
I still see a team struggling with confidence. I know St. John’s has struggled too, but until we show we can make shots in a big game, my doubt-o-meter remains very high.

Also, a self-sabotaging jinx must be avoided at all costs:

St. John’s 76
Kentucky 69
 

Cats4321

Senior
Nov 18, 2025
148
445
63
I've only watched St. John's one game this year. Based on what little I watched and their scores, it looks like they are a significantly better team than Indiana... but that's not really saying much. It's a game we really need to win. I'm going with Kentucky in a close one.
 

UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
698
1,109
93
Pitino is a master at preparation.

Pope can’t spell preparation.

A player must play hard to play for Pitino.

Playing hard is an option for Pope.

Barring a miracle shooting day by the Cats we can’t win this game.
 

sk73

All-Conference
Feb 16, 2013
3,079
3,106
113
Although St. Johns is limited offensively, as are we, I think the SJ defense will prove to be too much for us. Hope I am wrong. SJ by 6 to 12 points.
 
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I’m The Village Idiot

All-Conference
Jul 30, 2024
2,990
4,971
113
Pope can’t spell preparation.
Well, Kelvin Sampson disagrees and I bet you Jon Scheyer disagrees as well. We can acknowledge the coaching has sucked this year without overstating Pope’s deficiencies, making it out as though he doesn’t know what to do with a clipboard lol
 
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UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
698
1,109
93
Well, Kelvin Sampson disagrees and I bet you Jon Scheyer disagrees as well. We can acknowledge the coaching has sucked this year without overstating Pope’s deficiencies, making it out as though he doesn’t know what to with a clipboard lol
What team did you see us come out prepared to plaY?

And I doubt those coaches would say that Pope is good at preparing if you caught them not using coachspeak.
 

Drogon

Senior
Mar 14, 2017
536
747
93
Yes

Without Mo D it would have almost certainly been an L and it might not have been close. Him staying out of foul trouble is of utmost importance.
 
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I’m The Village Idiot

All-Conference
Jul 30, 2024
2,990
4,971
113
What team did you see us come out prepared to plaY?

And I doubt those coaches would say that Pope is good at preparing if you caught them not using coachspeak.
This year I don’t think it’s been great. Sometimes it takes time to figure out how to utilize your parts. Wouldn’t you say last year we showed good preparation before the injury bug? We had no business beating some of the teams we did and those games deserve credit just like the flops deserve blame. I don’t understand the cherry-picking where we choose one type of outcome and just fully run with it, ignoring the rest. Both can be true: Pope has chops as a game planner but it also has been ugly and abysmal this season. It’s ok to acknowledge both —- maybe it won’t get the likes and high fives on here but at least you will know you called it down the middle.
 
Dec 12, 2023
728
794
93
One weakness we hopefully will be able to exploit is St. John’s doesn’t have a true point guard.
...and they don't shoot the ball well..so far. But their defense can carry them. Unless we are shooting lights out, I look for a rock fight. We've gotta rebound and handle their pressure. This would be a great game to have JQ healthy but if he can play at all, I think his presence in the paint will be huge in this game. Pope will have had a full week and yes, he's making progress with this team. This game is big but still not as big as beating Alabama and I think we can push bama around inside and match up better with them but we gotta hit some shots to have a chance. To much pressure on our defense and bigs if we can't shoot well enough to keep them from packing the lane. Because they will hit shots against anybody.
 

HICATFAN

All-American
Aug 15, 2001
8,615
7,427
113
Possible JQ to play a little…he and MO together with a real PG….could make it interesting….

I know the “conventional wisdom” says JQ won’t play…but CP might use his presence (even for a short
period of time) to be a real boost to the team…

Just my $.02

AlohaCat
 

TortElvisII

Heisman
May 7, 2010
51,585
96,739
66
rudolph the red nosed reindeer christmas GIF
 

WallMash

All-Conference
Oct 30, 2009
4,485
2,719
103
This game is a big curiosity for me. Pope won against his first non-cupcake by letting a fast and athletic group win the game for him, I truly hope he learned after 11 games that we aren't a 3 point shooting BYU. He has to realize he's got a defense first, downhill, athletic, rebounding team. But if he starts the same slow team agains St. John as first half of Indiana, it will show that Pope can't learn, and won't win.
 

UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
698
1,109
93
This year I don’t think it’s been great. Sometimes it takes time to figure out how to utilize your parts. Wouldn’t you say last year we showed good preparation before the injury bug? We had no business beating some of the teams we did and those games deserve credit just like the flops deserve blame. I don’t understand the cherry-picking where we choose one type of outcome and just fully run with it, ignoring the rest. Both can be true: Pope has chops as a game planner but it also has been ugly and abysmal this season. It’s ok to acknowledge both —- maybe it won’t get the likes and high fives on here but at least you will know you called it down the middle.
No. I didn’t think so last season either. But I thought it was that cobbled together roster.

The big games we won we had to come from behind last season.

And most were early before opponents knew what to expect from UK.

We gave away games at Vandy and Texas.

We got our asses kicked at Ole Miss. We got our asses kicked in Rupp by Ark and Auburn.

We absolutely quit in the SEC quarters against Alabama.

All last season. Who knew last season was going to be Pope’s high water mark?

Just look at this team. You know basketball. What player has gotten better playing for Pope?

We got embarrassed in MSG and Bridgestone. Not just beat. Embarrassed.

It would have been better to forfeit those games than to pretend to play.

Louisville kicked our asses. Not start to finish. We actually played decent for about 5 minutes. Once they realized we couldn’t guard them and didn’t care they stepped on the gas.

Against IU we should have come out like wounded Cats with our backs to the wall.

Boo’ed off the court in Nashville with a cupcake in between. Instead we came out like pussycats and got boo’ed in Rupp.

We salvaged the game in the second half thankfully.

But it only masked the obvious for 20 minutes.

Our only hope Saturday is too keep it close and hope Pitino does his folding act in the final minutes.
 

I’m The Village Idiot

All-Conference
Jul 30, 2024
2,990
4,971
113
No. I didn’t think so last season either. But I thought it was that cobbled together roster.

The big games we won we had to come from behind last season.

And most were early before opponents knew what to expect from UK.

We gave away games at Vandy and Texas.

We got our asses kicked at Ole Miss. We got our asses kicked in Rupp by Ark and Auburn.

We absolutely quit in the SEC quarters against Alabama.

All last season. Who knew last season was going to be Pope’s high water mark?

Just look at this team. You know basketball. What player has gotten better playing for Pope?

We got embarrassed in MSG and Bridgestone. Not just beat. Embarrassed.

It would have been better to forfeit those games than to pretend to play.

Louisville kicked our asses. Not start to finish. We actually played decent for about 5 minutes. Once they realized we couldn’t guard them and didn’t care they stepped on the gas.

Against IU we should have come out like wounded Cats with our backs to the wall.

Boo’ed off the court in Nashville with a cupcake in between. Instead we came out like pussycats and got boo’ed in Rupp.

We salvaged the game in the second half thankfully.

But it only masked the obvious for 20 minutes.

Our only hope Saturday is too keep it close and hope Pitino does his folding act in the final minutes.
I’m just gonna agree to disagree. I disagree with so much of what you said that I don’t even think it’s worth arguing over. I’m beginning to learn there are very few people on here who try to hold any kind of consistent methodology anyway. I could probably find that you picked us to lose the Duke, Gonzaga or Tennessee games last year, showing we outperformed your expectations. I could probably find you picked us to finish worse than a 3 seed prior to last season. But what’s the point? You’ll just move the goalposts and neither of us will learn anything. So I’ll leave it there. Agree to disagree.
 
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UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
698
1,109
93
I’m just gonna agree to disagree. I disagree with so much of what you said that I don’t even think it’s worth arguing over. I’m beginning to learn there are very few people on here who try to hold any kind of consistent methodology anyway. I could probably find that you picked us to lose the Duke, Gonzaga or Tennessee games last year, showing we outperformed your expectations. I could probably find you picked us to finish worse than a 3 seed prior to last season. But what’s the point? You’ll just move the goalposts and neither of us will learn anything. So I’ll leave it there. Agree to disagree.
I’ve never moved anything or rooted against UK at anytime.

I loved Pope the player and was glad he was hired. I thought he would kill it here.

It’s just painfully obvious that he is not up to the task.

I watched the team quit up close in Bridgestone last March.

If you don’t think UK was embarrassed this year in MSG and Bridgestone then you are right to not try to argue it.