TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Cats sitting outside of NCAA Tournament projections

This is topic Cats sitting outside of NCAA Tournament projections in forum UK / NCAA Basketball at TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://www.thecatsdomain.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=038495

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 12-15-2020, 10:18 PM:

On Monday, ESPN college basketball insider Joe Lunardi put together another look at how the current 68-team NCAA Tournament could stand if the season ended today. One interesting thing stood out in his projections. The Kentucky Wildcats were listed as one of his first four teams out of the tournament.

The Wildcats have struggled this season and are amid a three-game losing streak. Kentucky is 1-4 overall and their losses have come to Richmond, Kansas, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. Early losses are acceptable against quality competition. The Wildcats have shown the ability to play tough opponents and that has contributed to the record.

There is still time to turn around their fortunes. But, the Wildcats are very young and it will take time for head coach John Calipari to get the talented freshmen and underclassmen to buy into the program.

According to Calipari, the Wildcats are dealing with immaturity and it is hurting the team on the hardwood. He admitted that the team must change their ways to see success on the court.

“They’re immature,” Calipari told reporters recently. “They think that’s normal because that’s how they did it when they were in AAU. They don’t know how to respond to coaching or being subbed. But they now know what is acceptable and what’s not. If you watch us and we’re immature then they’re not getting what we’re trying to do.”

This season, freshman Brandon Boston Jr. leads the team with 14.4 points per game. He is joined by fellow freshman Terrence Clarke (13.8 points) and Olivier Sarr (12.2 points) as the only players with double-digit season averages.

Link

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 12-16-2020, 12:08 AM:

quote:
There is still time to turn around their fortunes. But, the Wildcats are very young and it will take time

I must admit, it is starting to wear on me. The endless parade of kids, some of which are "reclassified" high school seniors, coming in thinking they are hot shots. The team struggles with fundamentals, looks disorganized, incompetent. Cal has learned to sprinkle in some transfers to provide some stability. Thank God for that! Just try to imagine this team without Sarr and Mintz!

Then, by February or March, most of them catch on, listen to Cal, and we end up a decent team, only to see almost all of them depart for the NBA. And then, the cycle repeats next year.

Over and over and over again.

This is not "fan focused" basketball. This is not "program building" basketball. This is "player first" basketball. And we wonder why these kids are spoiled brats once they get to the NBA?

Since when do university sports programs bend themselves into any shape to conform to 18-year old freshmen that have no intention of sticking around for even a sophomore season? How can we be fans of what is essentially an NBA prep program? "In this door young man. Now, pay attention for 5 months... then go claim your riches!"

Fans? Screw 'em! Championships? That is so 20th century! Developing young players into men? Heck no! We are developing NBA draft picks!

I am getting soured on all of this. It is more or less OK when the team plays well, but even our great teams don't inspire me with any confidence that they can run the gamut and win a championship. Not when there are solid, experienced, well coached teams out there that will take our talented youth and chew them up.

I wish the NBA Players Association would wise up and make these kids stay in school for 3 years. It would be good for them (no need to pay lottery-scale salaries to players that end up in the development league), and it certainly would be good for the college game.

Personally, I take almost ZERO pride in how many UK players are in the pros, or their cumulative salaries, or how many lottery picks we generate over time. I don't watch the NBA (especially not since they have said "screw America, we will kneel during the anthem, support Marxist BLM, and kowtow to communist China"), and even if I did, our players are scattered across all the teams.

Bring back college basketball, please. I miss it.

[ 12-16-2020, 12:12 AM: Message edited by: Tiptree ]

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 12-16-2020, 11:53 AM:

Aahhhhh wishful thinking, Tip. But I think we all know things aren't going to change as long as Cal is on campus.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 12-16-2020, 12:22 PM:

We shall see after this season. If we don't pull out of this crap ball by the end of the year and don't make the NCAA tourney Mitch may get a different thought. Or maybe not. But the problem is most of us are the old guys who still remember how it was when you got to know the players. Bring back the freshmen teams and make them ineligible until they are Sophs.

Posted by rlt4uk (Member # 3194) on 12-16-2020, 12:31 PM:

This may be wrong and I feel bad for thinking it, but I wouldn't mind if we didn't get any better this year and cal would retire. I'm over the one and done, can't stand it. Play for the name on the front of the Jersey not the back.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 12-16-2020, 12:51 PM:

In the last 8 games against Auburn we are 4-4 so we need a win bad!

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 12-16-2020, 01:00 PM:

I admit I’m tired of watching strangers play basketball year in and year out. Watching bad basketball being played by strangers takes it to another level.

I still watch every minute of every game but with less enthusiasm or so it seems. It may be age but I think this one and done crap has more to do with it.

I’m still a Cal supporter as I believe you recruit the best players you have a chance of signing. The one thing he does better than anyone else is recruit.

Maybe I need to look for another team sport to root for. Does UK have a Cornhole team?

Posted by Old Norm (Member # 1482) on 12-16-2020, 01:58 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by handycat:

Maybe I need to look for another team sport to root for. Does UK have a Cornhole team?

No. They all got to dook. At least the ones who meet my lifelong discription of "Cornhole".