Richmond @ Kentucky Game Thread.

[KCKUKFan]

I really liked that team last year and think they pretty much maxed out. But they would've needed some help to actually win six games in the tournament. They didn't have that kind of roster.

Of the last few years really the 2019 team with Herro and Washington was the team that was built the best to actually win the whole thing. The other teams post 2015 would've needed a lot of breaks.

The reason is obvious: guys who were staying early in Cal's tenure are leaving. Now what's happening is he has to basically reinvent the team every season, whereas in the beginning of his run he had those returners who could get him through the learning curve.

We basically lose the whole roster every season and have to rebuild it back. Teams like that don't come out looking like juggernauts in November. They're going to have to learn how to play with each other.

The Monk Bam Fox team was built to win it. Second best team in the field, who had the misfortune of playing the best team in the E8.

This team will miss a lot of the early Cal "growth" because of the weird schedule and cancelled games/practices. One of the reasons I've decided just to sit back and accept what happens this year. Everybody is playing on a curve, frankly.

[Dwight Schrute]

This team has issues that may or may not get fixed (it’s the 2nd game, chill the eff out).

But if you’re talking like the program is in shambles, you might want to take a deep breath and not be such an idiot.

[Joneslab]

The Monk Bam Fox team was built to win it. Second best team in the field, who had the misfortune of playing the best team in the E8.

Yes. I couldn't remember what year that one was off-hand but that team was definitely capable. May have won it if Arkansas could've held on and beaten North Carolina.

Crazzed is wild as we all know but if you want to make a more measured point about Kentucky's program not being where it was when Cal first got here, you'd probably have an argument.

If you think about the teams after 2015, those two teams (2017 and 2019) were the only two that were close to the early teams...and both those teams went out in the Elite 8, which lined up with their seed.

So, yeah, I actually agree there's been some slippage for many reasons we've been over. So what crazzed is saying has some merit, just not in the way he says it.

[KCKUKFan]

Yes. I couldn't remember what year that one was off-hand but that team was definitely capable. May have won it if Arkansas could've held on and beaten North Carolina.

Crazzed is wild as we all know but if you want to make a more measured point about Kentucky's program not being where it was when Cal first got here, you'd probably have an argument.

If you think about the teams after 2015, those two teams (2017 and 2019) were the only two that were close to the early teams...and both those teams went out in the Elite 8, which lined up with their seed.

So, yeah, I actually agree there's been some slippage for many reasons we've been over. So what crazzed is saying has some merit, just not in the way he says it.

This.

Slippage, sure. But we were at such a ridiculous height that slippage still has us in the upper echelon of college basketball.

People who complain about the state of the program are goofballs.

[Lighthouse]

This is a laughable take.

Richmond was out-rebounded by 24, shot 28% from three, 43% overall, and made only 11 FTs. They did nothing perfect. This was a complete and utter failure by UK.

this UK team cannot shoot at all and until Cal can land the elite basketball players and not just elite athletes UK won’t go to another Final Four.

Right on time.

[Jload]

Askew doesn’t appear to have the quickness needed to be an elite college point guard, not sure how much better that gets during season, and again I really would like to understand what offense we run. Richmond runs an offense and you can see what they are trying to do even when it doesn’t work. Saw Gonzaga play 2 times this week, they run an offense. What is UK’s offense, what are we trying to do, the last few years I haven’t seen a coherent system of play, it is why in my opinion so many of Cals teams have shooting problems.

[Lighthouse]

I thought we ran some offensive plays against Morehead and got decent shots. Today I thought we ran no plays and seemed to just drive and take off balance shots. Nearly every player looked selfish when they had the ball which resulted in only 5 assists and very few decent shots.

[KCKUKFan]

Askew doesn’t appear to have the quickness needed to be an elite college point guard, not sure how much better that gets during season, and again I really would like to understand what offense we run. Richmond runs an offense and you can see what they are trying to do even when it doesn’t work. Saw Gonzaga play 2 times this week, they run an offense. What is UK’s offense, what are we trying to do, the last few years I haven’t seen a coherent system of play, it is why in my opinion so many of Cals teams have shooting problems.

I actually thought last year's team ran some really good stuff and was disciplined when it came to getting what they wanted.

[KCKUKFan]

Askew doesn’t appear to have the quickness needed to be an elite college point guard, not sure how much better that gets during season, and again I really would like to understand what offense we run. Richmond runs an offense and you can see what they are trying to do even when it doesn’t work. Saw Gonzaga play 2 times this week, they run an offense. What is UK’s offense, what are we trying to do, the last few years I haven’t seen a coherent system of play, it is why in my opinion so many of Cals teams have shooting problems.

It helps to have super speed as a point guard obviously, but it's not necessary. Askew just doesn't look ready right now, especially defensively. It's not surprising, considering he was supposed to be playing his senior year of high school right now.

Cal might want to put the ball in Mintz' hands and bring Askew along slowly.

[Dwight Schrute]

I actually thought last year's team ran some really good stuff and was disciplined when it came to getting what they wanted.

Yep, by January they were a really good team but lacked the killer instinct and defensive intensity.

I don't know what this year holds - getting started a month later and not having the cupcakes could spell trouble for us. Every team from here on out is a team that can beat us, and that could be trouble.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Can't say Im not surprised....that's what happens when you have a bunch of new guys with no experience

They will be just fine

[lilproUK98]

I really liked that team last year and think they pretty much maxed out. But they would've needed some help to actually win six games in the tournament. They didn't have that kind of roster.

Of the last few years really the 2019 team with Herro and Washington was the team that was built the best to actually win the whole thing. The other teams post 2015 would've needed a lot of breaks.

The reason is obvious: guys who were staying early in Cal's tenure are leaving. Now what's happening is he has to basically reinvent the team every season, whereas in the beginning of his run he had those returners who could get him through the learning curve.

We basically lose the whole roster every season and have to rebuild it back. Teams like that don't come out looking like juggernauts in November. They're going to have to learn how to play with each other.

Fox Monk and Bam basically lost in the defacto Championship Game to UNC, on a last second shot. They were the best in the last 5 yrs IMO. Elite talent and some experience.

[KCKUKFan]

I've said it in other threads, but this schedule will be a completely different sort of challenge.

Typically, Cal teams have a month's worth of cupcakes to eat on and a lot of time to practice and come along. This year we'll see cancelled games, cancelled practices, players in and out, and a schedule lacking the usual cupcakes. While Notre Dame, UCLA, and Georgia Tech haven't had great starts, they're also not Mid Southern Idaho State, either.

So much of what Cal relies on is time for his young teams to learn, grow and gel as the season progresses, and because of the obvious obstacles to hurdle, I'm afraid we won't get that.

[Joneslab]

Askew doesn’t appear to have the quickness needed to be an elite college point guard, not sure how much better that gets during season, and again I really would like to understand what offense we run. Richmond runs an offense and you can see what they are trying to do even when it doesn’t work. Saw Gonzaga play 2 times this week, they run an offense. What is UK’s offense, what are we trying to do, the last few years I haven’t seen a coherent system of play, it is why in my opinion so many of Cals teams have shooting problems.

I was impressed with Askew's end to end speed. He can really run laterally. I'm not sure he has that quickness you see from elite point guards, but I see a player in him. He's got a great body for this game and he plays very hard. He's one of those guys I'd love to say, "Man, I can't wait until next year," but of course at UK you never know if there will be a next year.

As for our offense, no, we have no offense yet. We were running sets. We went to the "horns" set quite a few times to try and put the ball in Sarr's or Boston's/Clarke's hands. We were running some dribble-drive stuff, or at least the basics of it. But it was pretty much quick-hitters to try and put guys in position to make a play. There didn't look to be an actual offense yet but rather a series of very basic reads.

[Joneslab]

Fox Monk and Bam basically lost in the defacto Championship Game to UNC, on a last second shot. They were the best in the last 5 yrs IMO. Elite talent and some experience.

Yeah, totally agree. As I said above I forgot to add them in to the last five years for some reason.

Coronavirus makes everything feel like it happened two decades ago.