Vicky Graff Photo
As I was trying to process either how bad Kentucky was or how good Arkansas was — or maybe a combination of both — two things jumped out at me on the UK Radio Network postgame coverage.
Arkansas whipped UK 88-73 as the Cats could not handle the bright lights at home any better this time than they did when they lost to Kansas .
But look at what Flint told Tom Leach when Leach asked him about upcoming road games at Georgia and Mississippi State.
“Guys got to pay attention to our details. Not sure that was the case today,” said Flint. “We don’t really turn the ball over. Have not done that all year and did today. It was live ball turnovers. They are a team that feeds off that and fuels their offense and that got them going.”
So a veteran team that has had a disappointing season in one of its biggest games of the season did not pay attention to details in the scouting report? Unbelievable and inexcusable.
But I also wondered why after coach John Calipari spent just a few minutes with Leach talking about the need to give Arkansas credit and why he did not play Daimion Collins more even though Oscar Tshiebwe was struggling AGAIN, why didn’t Calipari finish the show he’s obviously paid to do.
What kind of message does it send to UK fans — and maybe UK players — that the coach just bails out after another Rupp Arena loss.
Don’t tell me it was getting close to midnight. Who cares? Fans who came to the game were still on their way home — well maybe the ones who left early when it was obvious UK did not have the fight to win were home or close to home.
But for $9 million per year, do the radio show and show some of the fight he wants his team to show because the Cats clearly did not have enough of that against a more talented, more physical team that probably also paid better attention to the scouting report than UK did.
14 Responses
John has lost his passion for the game! It is time for him to retire or move on. Unfortunately, he has to make that decision due to the stupid lifetime contract. next year will tell if John still has what it takes or is too old. Championship or Bust!!
How can Cal expect his team to play under control, when he can’t control his own emotion’s and then bails on the post-game show? Time has passed Cal by and next year will confirm or exonerate him.
Bruiser Flint is full of it. This was not a matter of not paying attention to details; this was a bonafide asswhooping. They believed they were the better team and were determined to prove it. With such a close first half, the difference being Calipari’s technical, it makes me wonder what Coach is saying to the team at halftime. We came out very tentative, almost scared at the start of the second half. Again, what is going on in the locker room at halftime? Frederick was a no score again; if he is hurt or just not ready to play, then play Thiero. Teams are figuring out how to stop Oscar. If Oscar is doubled, then someone else is open. When Oscar gets frustrated, play Damion or Lance. The better teams have figured out how to contain Oscar; Calipari has not figured out how to counter this. Winning the SEC season is out of the question now. Can Calipari refocus himself and his team to go to war and win the SEC tourney? The next 3 games should provide that answer. My Spidey sense says an early round NIT loss is in the cards again.
Repeat of the lesson delivered by Nate Oats’ Alabama last month.
Turn Around? Really? This team enjoyed one great performance, beating Tennessee in Knoxville.
All teams have 1 or 2 great performances every year. But all teams also have 1 or 2 pitiful performances every year.
The measure of a team is its average level of performance over the course of time, and this team has never been a high level performer by that measure.
As I have been saying since December, this team is a first weekend exit if it does not end up in the Not In Tournament group
Turn Arounds and Dreams require a touch with reality.
I’m most confused on his explanation of not playing Collins. He wants to get Oscar going? Oscar has been around long enough now that the coach shouldn’t need to "get him going." Also, when you’re a bubble team, you might want to try to win each game, regardless of who needs to get going and who doesn’t. Benching Collins for most of the second half was the nail in the coffin for me. Maybe benching Oscar and making him earn his minutes is what will get him going, but if you don’t win a few of the next games, there’s not going to be anywhere for anyone to go. We all want Oscar and everyone else on this team to get right, but again, when every game really matters now, you need to play the guys who are playing well.
Preach it TheCali4niaKid. I am with you
1. Been saying sinc Bahamas. Collins is the best possible star this season and yet he hasn’t playes 10 minutes all season. Yesterday Oscar did his usual swotch on pic n roll and left his big man wide open for easy score or layups.
2. Cats play one sty;e force nall into Oscar je gets swarmed trying to score instead of kicing back out fast. if he is doubled tripled one would think some one is open. GO FIGURE
3..If a big man is blocking your drives stop driving into THE trees n getting stuffed. even Oscar refused to kick ball back out after getting embarrassed with getting blocked and another turn over.
4. For cripes sake Cal play Collins and some one when the guys on court are not doing good. Can not believe Collins after great first half never got in game 2nd half.
UNEXCUSABLE CAL. his stats were better than O . in 8 minutes . If Oscar is struggling take him out for a few and play the guy who is clicking
NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
Larry, I know the numbers make eyes blur in almost everyone, but here are some facts.
UK’s current adjusted net efficiency through last night’s game is 0.17 points per possession.
Arkansas’ current adjusted net efficiency through last night’s game is 0.20 points per possession
The final four participants over the last 20 tournaments have primarily come from the teams having the top 6 adjusted net efficiencies prior to the tournament, and a top 6 team has NEVER lost a game in the final four or championship game to a competitor that is not a top 6 team.
The lowest current adjusted net efficiency of this year’s top 6 teams currently stands at 0.28 ppp, and there are two teams with current ANE values over 0.3 ppp, Houston (0.34 ppp) and Tennessee (0.33 ppp).
Of course Arkansas has played better basketball this year than UK has played but that does not make Arkansas a monster of the midway. This Arkansas team is currently ranked #23, which is probably not good enough to survive the first weekend of play.
This loss, by 15 points to this Arkansas team at Rupp arena is this team’s 3rd worst performance of the season behind the South Carolina debacle and the loss at Alabama.
Calipari is responsible for this mess. This destruction to our program would never happen on Joe Hall’s watch. It would never happen on Pitino’s watch. And, while I was not a huge Tubby Smith fan as you know, this debacle would not have happened on his watch. I dare say it probably would not have happened on Eddie Sutton’s watch either, but we will never know.
Mitch Barnhart is the architect of this life time contract. It is time that Mitch Barnhart find a solution to this mess or resign so someone else can.
The bottom line, Barnhart probably must go before Calipari will go unless Barnhart can convince Calipari to resign from his head coaching duties and take on that administrative position that he has been promised for the rest of his life.
This is not the first time Calipari has dodged the post game interview after an embarrassing loss. It won’t be the last. That is his way of avoiding tough questions, questions for which he has no answers.
Thanks Professor but he gets no tough questions on radio show.
when has he ever gotten tough questions?
If he did he wouldn’t know how to answer it, just like his coaching ability.. I heard he made his post game program on Tom Leach short last night. Kinda walk out.
79 Are you finally realizing what a fraud this coach actually is?
Looking forward to spring and summer sports! Hey does UK have a bowling team that might be competing, I need to redirect my bad feelings about Cal. When he took that knee in Florida it was over for me.
That’s alright everyone.
Cal will be in the NBA green room again in June, and that is all that matters to this fraud.
So long as he gets to be in the bright lights on NBA draft night, the UK program is damned, and he does not care.
Well.. I don’t know about you guys, but I blame the leaky roof in the practice facility and the players dorm rooms.
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