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Wally Hall is a veteran columnist for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette who covers both Arkansas basketball and football.
He’s been a fixture in the Southeastern Conference for years and is known and respected by league coaches.
Hall was blunt about Kentucky basketball in his coverage of Arkansas’ 88-73 victory over the Cats in Rupp Arena Tuesday.
I thought you might enjoy a few observations from an Arkansas writer about the game — and UK’s issues. Here you go:
— “Arkansas dominated Kentucky in the second half and strolled out of famed Rupp Arena with a resounding 88-73 win, but those are not the once feared Wildcats, and there is one reason.
“John Calipari.”
Hall even wondered if Calipari had lost some of his “drive” based on his postgame comments about how bad UK’s rim protection was.
— “This is a team, with three senior starters, that has played 24 games this season and their rim protection was awful because it isn’t being taught or practiced.”
Ouch. Truth can hurt.
— “Not sure if Coach Cal didn’t watch film of Arkansas, but he played a man-to-man defense for most of the game, and the Razorbacks thanked him by shooting 62.7% from the floor. Most, if not all, of Arkansas’ losses have come against teams which played a zone defense.”
So maybe Bruiser Flint was off after the game when he said UK players didn’t follow the scouting report. Maybe UK just had the wrong scouting report.
— “The Wildcats on Tuesday were the puppets, and the Razorbacks were the puppeteers.”
Did you ever think a respected college basketball columnist would write that about UK — and be right?
— “(Arkansas coach) Eric Musselman was outworking Calipari and out-coaching the man who won the national championship in 2012 but has been back to the Final Four only once since and that was nine years ago.”
Facts are facts.
— “Kentucky was favored by 4 1/2 points and lost by 15. That is not Wildcat basketball. The old Kentucky doesn’t lose three home SEC games, but the light seems to have dimmed, the attitude mellowed and the heat has been turned down.”
And my guess is that probably sums up the national perception of Kentucky basketball after all that has happened the last three seasons.
17 Responses
We haven’t watched UK basketball since Calipari knelt and allowed his players to. Very disrespectful to the USA. He lost my respect and his own!
But here you are talking about them, years later. You’re probably a "closet watcher."
Boo boo! Stfu.
Well, DUH.
Been back twice but other than that truth hurts
I agree with most of what was written, but I can’t blame it all on Cal. He does deserve most of the blame, but something else is wrong and I am not sure what it might be.
it is just a mess Ben
It has always been about what Calipari has done to this program.
I am shocked that more people don’t recognize and demand the changes necessary to restore this program.
In my opinion, Calipari is not able to do that. However, for me, the program is the first priority, and if Calipari can bring the program back, more power him.
Barnhart’s primary concern ought to be this program, not John Calipari, and if he has avoided this issue, shame on him, and he must go.
Program is trending down. No doubt about that
I agree with the columnist and have said that for last 3 years but Ky fans do not listen to me!
And it is not pretty today
Time For Barnhart & Calipari To Both Leave
Five of the top seven players on the team are transfers. None of the five were 5 star recruits. Oscar and Wheeler were 4 stars, Poppin and Frederick were 3 stars and Reeves was unrated. The other two, Wallace and Livingston are freshmen. Cal is no longer a 5 star coach. No team can win with that lack of talent.
Apparently, Dr. Calipouto has decided to let our program crash and burn. The result will be us being the new Louisville next year. How can people entrusted with the responsibility to look after our program and the interests of the University of Kentucky be so callous in their disregard for what is happpening? Is it complacency or incompetence? One and done is the ultimate cancer of our decay. Kids only think about themselves now and NIL has only made it worse. It’s time to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch with leadership that will bring back what once was Kentucky basketball.
Get over the kneeling. Respect people who stand up for their beliefs. Better than the Capital riots from your side of the fence. Geez girl
What about the current ill-legitimate President in bed with the CCP and his son’s lap top from hell from your side? She is right, Calipari lost many in the BBN for the flag kneeling. Especially those of us who have given some sweat and blood to defend it. If one don’t like the good ole USA, think they have been mistreated, than there are planes and boats leaving for another country every single day. Go try one. Real Americans can stand up for their beliefs and still stand up for the flag. Calipari was wrong and so was his team.
Cal, is a salesman, not a basketball coach, and now that all schools are paying their players not just Kentucky and few others the playing field has evened. Cal’s coaching tree Is abysmal – us Louisville fans are finding that out first hand. Kenny Payne needs to go back and sit down next to Bruiser Flynt on UK bench. He is another Cal flunky that can’t coach.