Wow no game thread for a UK Basketball game

[Ratt]

I will say it again - this team will lose 8 to 10 games. I'm sticking to that.

1.) Cal has got to recruit better - there is no reason there should be 5 walk-on guys sitting on the bench.
2.) Hagans - Didn't like him last season. Don't like him even more this season. He's just another one of the few UK players that I don't care for. As he gets a ton of steals and usually plays defense, he has no offensive game and they are relying on him to be a scoring - not going to happen. AND to his D - It's good but it's not as good as people want to think. He gets roasted often and last season toward the end of the year, he was getting embarrassed. Anyone remember the Auburn game. He couldn't guard anyone. Funny listening to the announcers roast him. Thought he look bad again tonight. Not a fan.
3.) Maxey - I like the kid but the crazy talk needs to slow down. He's not a super star. He's a young kid that takes way too many shots and often takes terrible shots.
4.) Richards - I still don't think he's good but at least he's playing with energy and is doing better.
5.) Team defense - pretty poor tonight for the most part.
6.) Johnny and Sestina - both are very slow on defense but I would like to see Juzang play a tad more.
7.) Whitney - no offense but I'm liking his game. Get's a little lost on the floor at times as do all of them.

Overall - a win is a win. It's early and Cal has his work cut out for him.

[Westtncat]

Cant really base it off one game thread but I suspect the feelings I have about UK basketball are creeping into other people as well. Hard to get to know a bunch that will be gone so soon. I honestly have lost track of UK players in the Cal era. It could be because I'm getting old too.

[Lighthouse]

I think one of the problems with this team is minimal practice players. Usually there are 10 good players that challenge each other and that makes them better. This team, because of injuries, has walk-on's and the baseball pitcher to compete against.

[Joneslab]

I'm trying to not get online during games this year because my wife doesn't like it. She likes us both sitting on the couch shouting at the TV screen at the same time. She says it's lucky but all it seems to do is screw with my blood pressure.

But speaking to the general point in the OP: there's definitely a lot of apathy about this UK team so far. That's what happens when you lose to mid-majors.

If you run a program like Cal does, you better be really good or else fans will turn. You can't have the one-and-done thing going and not have true one-and dones, and in many ways that's what's happening for Kentucky right now.

Last year's team got it together and won a lot of people over at the end, but last year's roster was much different. This roster frankly has a lot of holes and it's going to take some high-level coaching to patch them. I'm not sure Cal can do it.

[J.Jennings]

I'm trying to not get online during games this year because my wife doesn't like it. She likes us both sitting on the couch shouting at the TV screen at the same time. She says it's lucky but all it seems to do is screw with my blood pressure.

But speaking to the general point in the OP: there's definitely a lot of apathy about this UK team so far. That's what happens when you lose to mid-majors.

If you run a program like Cal does, you better be really good or else fans will turn. You can't have the one-and-done thing going and not have true one-and dones, and in many ways that's what's happening for Kentucky right now.

Last year's team got it together and won a lot of people over at the end, but last year's roster was much different. This roster frankly has a lot of holes and it's going to take some high-level coaching to patch them. I'm not sure Cal can do it.

To be honest, actually thinking about not posting or getting on social media while the game is in progress myself.

[Lighthouse]

The game was not a good one to post about unless one wanted to complain.

[85 Fly]

Meanwhile while we struggle to score, J. Barker is scoring points for Arizona. .

I was watching Pac 12 last week and J Baker popped up; I didn't realize he transferred to P 12. Right now he's getting about 5/10min. Those freshmen (Naje, Green, Manion) are getting the bulk of the time and doing the bulk of the scoring.

Side note- What's the latest on the Kentucky kid Allen?

[J.Jennings]

I was watching Pac 12 last week and J Baker popped up; I didn't realize he transferred to P 12. Right now he's getting about 5/10min. Those freshmen (Naje, Green, Manion) are getting the bulk of the time and doing the bulk of the scoring.

Think he scored like 16 the other day..

[Joneslab]

Baker's averaging about 15 minutes a game but it looks like he's been pretty efficient. Averaging about 9 points a game.

God knows we could use him. If you can get a shot up that hits the rim occasionally you'll get some run on this team.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jemarl-bakerjr-1.html

[J.Jennings]

Baker's averaging about 15 minutes a game but it looks like he's been pretty efficient. Averaging about 9 points a game.

God knows we could use him. If you can get a shot up that hits the rim occasionally you'll get some run on this team.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...bakerjr-1.html

Am i the only one who feels if he had played for another school he would have came back and not transferred? We basically have a coach telling our vets i am going to recruit over you and trust a young freshman over you, that's bad business...

[Joneslab]

Am i the only one who feels if he had played for another school he would have came back and not transferred? We basically have a coach telling our vets i am going to recruit over you and trust a young freshman over you, that's bad business...

Probably so but it's impossible to know what was going on behind the scenes.

I will say that Baker got his chance late in the year last season and did pretty well with it. Had that excellent game in the NCAA Tournament.

You can't fault Cal for going out and trying to get maximum talent. If that runs off the veterans then that might not be on Cal. Could be the player simply wants a better situation for him. This is happening all across college basketball and many basketball writers have written about the weird phenomenon of players transferring all over America. So it's certainly not limited to UK although it has to be said Kentucky's had a hellish time keeping anybody past their sophomore year.

IIRC Baker wanted to be closer to home.

[Dwight Schrute]

Cal recruited over and ran off his own son! You think he gives two spits about Jemarl Baker?!

/s

[J.Jennings]

Cal recruited over and ran off his own son! You think he gives two spits about Jemarl Baker?!

/s

True that, savage. Problem is sometimes the players he brings in are not as good or worse than the players he ran off, he's all about what if and potential hoping it clicks in 5 months, scary if you think about it.

[Jload]

There is no excuse for having that many scholarships unclaimed. If Cal wants to run a one and done system he needs to recruit people actually good enough to play in league after a year He doesn’t have ANYBODY on a his team that is good enough and that’s a problem. That he is alienating Thousands of fans throughout the Commonwealth with his “transient ball” is also an issue I and many of my friends actually like the regular season. I remember a time when fans dared to expect U.K. to play good basketball at times other than the first 2 weeks of March.

[Joneslab]

The bad thing about being apathetic about Kentucky is that it makes me feel apathetic about college basketball generally. And I hate that.

The only time that's happened to me in the Cal era was during the 2013 season, but I admit I've felt it a little this year. Michigan St. got me pretty pumped obviously but really I've been hesitant about this team from when they were assembled. It's odd that everything--the two exhibitions, the other regular season games--has been bad except Michigan St. That's really weird.

It helps that my son's high school basketball season just started so God knows I'm going to get enough b'ball in my life this year. But it's not the same when the Cats are mediocre. It's a real bummer and makes me just not want to turn on the TV at all during the week to watch other games. When UK is powerful I watch virtually every night. There are times college basketball is the only thing I watch on TV during the winter months.