John Calipari is looking for answers and a healthy roster to avoid feeling like he did during Wednesday's loss to Florida. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Former LSU coach Dale Brown has always respected the University of Kentucky basketball program and even in retirement continues to follow UK and coach John Calipari, a man he considers a friend.
“I have watched three or four games and it always seems to be somebody different who stars for them,” said Brown Thursday on WPBK-FM. “Last night (in the overtime loss to Florida) they let the other team keep hanging around. Florida was well-coached and just wouldn’t go away.
“Kentucky just did not have an inside game last night. They also did not look like as talented a team as Kentucky has had over the years. You never know what could still happen. We went from an 11 seed to the Final Four one year, the lowest seed ever to do that. I still think Kentucky will be a tough tournament out.”
Two things jumped out at me. One, Kentucky fans can only hope that Brown is right about Calipari getting the team ready for a postseason surge that has been missing for too long.
Two, Brown didn’t think UK looked as talented as many UK teams he had seen. With the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, one of the best scorers in the SEC, and as many as seven players projected as potential picks in next year’s draft, that is a bit alarming. Brown has no bias and no reason to be anything but blunt and honest like he always has and maybe everyone has overestimated UK’s talent pool.
With Tennessee coming to Lexington Saturday night, it’s a must-win if UK wants to contend for the SEC title and maybe even avoid a 10-loss season.
Before the year started, 10 losses seemed impossible. It did two weeks ago when UK climbed to No. 6 in the rankings and had the nation’s best-scoring offense. Then the Cats got humbled at South Carolina and lost at home to Florida — not exactly two teams picked to be national title contenders.
Kentucky is now 15-5 overall and 5-3 in SEC play. Alabama overcame a 20-point deficit to win at Georgia Wednesday and is now 7-1 to lead the SEC. South Carolina and Auburn are both 6-2. Tennessee is 502 while Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Florida are all 5-3. A loss to Tennessee would be UK’s third home loss — remember that stinker against UNC-Wilmington — and would be a fourth SEC loss.
Considering UK still has to play at Auburn and Tennessee and should be an underdog in both games, that could be eight losses if the Cats fall against the Vols on Saturday. UK also has to go to Mississippi State, a team it beat in Rupp, but the Bulldogs have wins over Auburn and Tennessee in Starkville. UK also hosts Alabama later this month along with Arkansas. The Cats also have road games at LSU and Vanderbilt.
Freshmen D.J. Wagner and Justin Edwards didn’t play against Florida because of injuries. Calipari said after Wednesday’s loss he didn’t know if they would be able to play against the Vols or not.
“We have got no choice. They are coming in. They’re really good. They’re really veteran. They have got a couple really — guys that can just break you down and score,” Calipari said. “(Coach) Rick does a great job.
“We have got stuff to work on. I haven’t lost any faith in this team. I believe in the team. We just have to get healthy and have a full roster.”
19 Responses
Cal has never done so little with so much talent!
if this team loses 10 games, it will be cal’s worst coaching job. He needs to concentrate at least 80% on defense. Joe Hall used to have the managers use dummies to toughen up his players. might be an option with this team. Cal’s time as a coach may be coming to a close, great recruiter, but not a game coach.
If we don’t stop negative people like you from badmouthing the coach and/or players, it will start to affect our recruiting.!! Stop it!!
10 losses are coming to Kentucky more than likely. Could also be coming for several other powerhouses. SEC is tough!
10 losses today is not like it was a few years ago. With NIL and the Transfer Portal college basketball teams are much more balanced than ever before. Small schools with several experienced players can pick up a talented player that can make all the difference in their team. There are 40 to 50 teams out there can beat just about anybody on a given night.
This UK just needs some big improvements on defense and they will be fine. However, it is still questionable as to whether or not this team has the ability and desire to be great on defense. Wagner, Edwards, Reeves, Mitchell, and Dillingham all have the body build to be exceptional on defense, but do they have the desire??? Ugo is most of the way there, so I didn’t mention him.
Some pretty astute and accurate observations from Mr. Brown. I am a little surprised that no one has wanted to critique the game that Tre didn’t have. His mind and heart were not in that game, and I hope he got that out of his system. If we lose to UT it will not be too early to turn out the lights.
Double digit loss seasons have never been acceptable at Kentucky, but unfortunately, many in BBN seem resigned to the thinking that it is now. Are we so afraid that Billy Clyde is going to come back again that we will put up with Calipari forever? The reason Calipari doesn’t compete for titles anymore is the way he recruits. He goes after these entitled prima donnas who only use their year of college as a stepping stone to the NBA and couldn’t care less about winning on the collegiate level. NIL makes it even worse. We ran Tubby off for being 10 Loss Tubby. We need a coach who will recruit from Kentucky and its border states and find kids who have good fundamentals, a desire to play for UK, and are coachable. Look at what Lamont Paris has done at South Carolina. He doesn’t have any 5 star NBA wannabes but his team is winning. BBN is tired of the OAD, so go after a different kind of kid who will play here for 4 years and build TEAMS again instead of all of these one on one losers. Reed Sheppard is that kind of kid, so is Travis Perry, but Calipari doesn’t want to build a team around that kind of player. Calipari has been here 14 years with only one national title to show for it. We don’t even win the SEC anymore. The Calipari way doesn’t work and will never work. It’s time for him to move on and let BBN find a COACH who will do it the right way. Sheppard and Perry are 2 solid building blocks for building a TEAM. Thiero would probably stay another 2 years. If Onyenso wants a pro career, he would stay at least one more year if not 2 and develop his offensive game. Find a bruiser who will play defense and rebound and you would have a pretty good TEAM. This will never happen as long as Calipari is here.
5 losses already, and 3 of last 6 games are losses. The quality of play is in decline.
Two more losses in the post season are probable, and finishing the final 11 games with 2 or fewer losses is the only way to avoid double digit losses.
This is not UK basketball. It is a redefining of what fans conclude will be acceptable for the program. Double digit losses are now OK for some, and the question that swirls around this program now that should never be a factor, Will UK get into the BIG DANCE in March.
How sad that this once great program has sunk to these lows.
Calipari is responsible for this.
Only CAL could do so little with a team with this much talent and depth, and an offense that has proven more than capable of scoring alot of points–they don’t have to be world-beaters–but It makes no sense for a team that can score like this one to have already lost the games they have. That means there is a severe imbalance on the other side of the ball, and with the coaching aspect of the defense, and the team overall in general. So many people have mentioned how the college game has changed–thats true, it had–and therein lies UK’s problem: CAL’s system of "I can throw 5 OAD’s out on the floor and let them get the job done, and then alot of the in-game coaching stuff won’t matter" doesn’t work anymore in this new era of college bball. It’s not 2010, 2012, 2015 anymore…….that system and philosophy may have worked better then, but it was a different game back then. Actually, coaching in today’s game is probably more important and more of a factor than it has been in about 20 years. And it’s also true about the SEC being tougher and more competitively balanced than 10, 15 years ago, which further adds to the point. Back then, the conference was more top-heavy with KY, FLA, and TN some years. U have a new generation of coaches in the game now within the last 5 to 8 years that have definitely been a factor in some of these unfathomable losses we have seen during that time, especially the tournament losses. Like someone else said, we can’t even expect to win the SEC or the SEC tournament anymore. The last few years we have said the lack of talent had alot to do with the backslide, which it did. But CAL brought in the talent this year, so what has happened is it has exposed his lack of in-game coaching even more. U can’t expect the kids to do it all, as I said, nobody is going to be world-beaters, so coach up your team! Coach them to play and win for KY, for the name on the front of the jersey. Remember, CAL’s best teams at KY were all great defensive teams. And remember every national championship team at KY has had a kid from KY on it who played an important role on the team for winning that championship. IDC what anybody else says: That means something. And the reason people want CAL gone is this: it goes beyond all the in-game stuff we could talk about, the defense, etc…….its about somebody wanting the KY job to COACH KY BBALL–not prepare kids for the NBA draft. And not sacrifice the success of the TEAM during the season to do what’s best for JUNE! and someone who won’t lie to the fans about things like injuries that aren’t even injuries all because they are protecting someone’s draft stock. I know there is a lot of outside noise now that goes on with all that, esp now that u have NIL, but CAL only keeps all that noise stirred up and keeps it going. Instead of telling the kids the truth and coaching them to b better bball players, he protects and encourages those fragile, primma donna egos, and makes it easy for them instead of telling them the hard truth. Basically, it’s an NBA minor league farm system where each game is an exhibition on who is going to end up having the highest draft stock, and UK’s success as a team, wins and losses, be damned–thats an incidental that is caught in the process. Each game is a charade this so-called coach goes thru and every press conf is a charade. There is no other situation in college bball like this one. It has definitely been great to see the talent that was brought in this year, and it has definitely been a major upgrade, and I had even tried to give CAL the benefit of the doubt for one more year when I saw the upgrades with the recruiting–but over halfway thru the season, u can still see so many of the same issues, but more so u can see all the games the man behind the curtain plays with the players, the team, and the fans. THATS what fans are over, and why they want him gone. For all the CAL lovers out there, just remember for as long as he is here, it’s always going to be about JUNE first instead of MARCH, and it’s always going to be about NBA draft prospects first over UK team success and ensuring COACHING SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM. the REAL KY–the KY BBALL PROGRAM that the true blue-blood fans know has been gutted, and the man roaming the sidelines is the one who did it.
Thanks for taking time to share James. Obviously you are a passionate and long time fan
i am absolutely sick about that florida game loss. despite not having 2 players the offense was good again but of course they can’t defend the 3. why does cal continue to not try playing a zone number 1 and number 2 a hall of fame coach should know better and not allow florida to shoot a 3 at game end, why no foul. why can’t he get this through his thick head. we will continue losing because of horrible coaching and come tourney time we will underachieve once again, time to go cal.
The clock is ticking on this fraud, and he knows it.
There has been a gradual realization among the BBN that this guy has sold UK basketball out for the NBA dreamscape and annual draft night celebrations. However, my complaint meter has detected larger increases in those willing to speak/write the truth about this fraud in public with each passing year. The defenders, try as they may, cannot refute the facts about this fraud with anything beyond insults thrown at fans who are not content to allow the destruction of this once great basketball program.
The shift that is occurring during this season is undeniable.
He won’t be gone until he decides that he will be gone. Thank you Mitch Barnhart for a contract that UK cannot terminate or afford to terminate.
However, the erosion of the defender crowd will continue, and the Fraud will soon be overtaken by the criticism and negativity about his destruction of UK basketball
The clock is ticking.
I pray you’re right Professor.
I’m exhausted and feel hopeless from Cal Fatigue!
It’s honestly exhausting arguing with the Cal defenders. I just don’t understand their thinking of putting him above our once great program like he is GOD!
Champs, I think they are more afraid of getting another Billy Clyde than they love Calipari.
Barry, that’s the worrisome part of Barnhart making the next hire and he just got an extension through 2029.
I’m not sure how our basketball program does not turn into Indiana if we have to wait until 2030 so someone competent can make a new hire.
I don’t see Calipari staying here more than 2 or 3 more years. He has plenty of money and his ego won’t be able to take the dismal failure that is coming this year and next. When he bombs out with 2 more loaded teams, even the talking heads at ESPN will start talking about it and him.
Gillispie’s last team was 16-4 after 20 games and the administration pulled the plug on him mid-season. Thereafter, the season went into the tank.
How are this fraud’s results any better than Billy Clyde’s?
Kentucky can no longer win the SEC conference, nor the SEC Tournament. Forget about winning the NCAA, they don’t stand a chance. It’s not the players, it’s the coach. He should have been gone long before now. Which brings to question whether Mitch Barnhart should be there.
I grew up in Kentucky, and lived in Ohio for 18 years. They are passionate in Ohio about football. Two things must happen for a football coach at The Ohio State University to be successful. 1. Beat Michigan, 2. Contend for the national championship every year.
Kentucky fans are too easy on the basketball program. They are satisfied with mediocracy. Come on Kentucky fans; you can dictate the success of the basketball program. The coach wins or he leaves. Flood the airways, become more passionate about winning and demand success. For those that are old enough to remember, there was a coach in Green Bay, Vince Lombardi who said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
Kentucky Basketball needs to return from mediocrity to prominence. The fans who care about winning need to be a hell of a lot more vocal. Decide whether you want the same old thing, year after year, or whether you want to Dance!
Where are all of the Calipari lovers? Is 79 the only one who will show up anymore? Mr. Allen is right…it’s time for a change. The true Kentucky fans are the only ones who are calling for it!
Barnes bitchslapped Calipari…AGAIN! The fraud didn’t have the guts to do his postgame show tonight. This team is too soft and simply doesn’t have any desire to defend or rebound, but this is the caliber of players that Calipari recruits…all flash, no blue collar work ethic. These 5 star OAD losers don’t care about winning, just moving on the the NBA but the NBA doesn’t want any cissyboys. Why should BBN have to put up with a cissy coach any longer? How about it Calipari lovers? What do you have to say about the fraud now after losing 2 in 2 games in Rupp? South Carolina has replaced us for being an SEC contender. Enough is enough!
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