NCAA Tournament Thread

[Catsrock]

I'm thinking that wasn't real.

You just messing with my happiness now! Today was supposed to be fun. Leave me alone 😜

[40bill]

Just a poor thought on what players may recommit if Cal were to leave, does it really make any difference IF they stay due to Cal and we have the same results we've been having?

[DA#23]

Like when Cal was hired, the next coach should have the opportunity to start with as fresh a slate as he deems appropriate. If he wants to recruit players already here or already committed, his choice. If he wants to go a different direction, again it should be his choice.

[Joneslab]

I'm sure any coach would want the players we have coming in. I mean unless he's an idiot. The players aren't the problem.

The main thing is that these players come here for a reason. And it isn't because they want to stay at Kentucky and get to know the beauty of Lexington for a few years. The sales pitch is simple and blunt and we all know it.

So the new coach will already be at odds with these players and why they chose UK, assuming he doesn't think getting to the NBA after one year is the most important thing in existence. And almost no coach does with the exception of ours.

[KCKUKFan]

The good thing about the transfer portal being the way it is is that there's no reason we should have to suffer a 5-25 debacle next season, granted we make the right hire.

[KCKUKFan]

Well, at the very least it suggests he didn't just ride off into the sunset to be around his family. A la Roy Williams.

That would be a cush job compared to coaching...but it would also be demanding in the sense that you have to be gone most every weekend for CBS, and then out of pocket in March. That's not a man who just wanted to chill in Philly.

Also, from the way he talked about Reed Sheppard in our broadcasts you know the dude would love coaching Reed. He also recruited Wagner and Edwards, fwiw.

I'm not saying any of that will matter, but I'd be lying if I said it hadn't occurred to me as more of a possibility than I thought it was immediately after he left Villanova.

Will, are you high?

I am high. Considerably so. And even I know Jay Wright isn't coming here.

[Joneslab]

Will, are you high?

I am high. Considerably so. And even I know Jay Wright isn't coming here.

I don't know who's coming here. Just saying, it's a call you could make. Whereas when he left Villanova the whole thing was, "He's a northeast guy! He'll never leave the northeast!"

Which is all to say: fans have no friggin' clue what they're talking about with these guys. They just say stuff.

[KCKUKFan]

I don't know who's coming here. Just saying, it's a call you could make. Whereas when he left Villanova the whole thing was, "He's a northeast guy! He'll never leave the northeast!"

Which is all to say: fans have no friggin' clue what they're talking about with these guys. They just say stuff.

I mean, he is a northeast guy.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Arizona moving on after beating Dayton

[Joneslab]

I mean, he is a northeast guy.

So was, and is, Rick Pitino.

My overall point was simply about his retirement. If a guy is working then he's not out to pasture. I mean it's obvious based on how good he is on TV why they threw money at him, so maybe he wants to be an Al McGuire type. But some of those guys do end up back in coaching. There have been several over the years.

[DA#23]

I'm sure any coach would want the players we have coming in. I mean unless he's an idiot. The players aren't the problem.

The main thing is that these players come here for a reason. And it isn't because they want to stay at Kentucky and get to know the beauty of Lexington for a few years. The sales pitch is simple and blunt and we all know it.

So the new coach will already be at odds with these players and why they chose UK, assuming he doesn't think getting to the NBA after one year is the most important thing in existence. And almost no coach does with the exception of ours.

That’s why I think it might not be exactly cut and dry.

Oh yeah, and some coaches recruit to a style of play. The recruits and/or the new coach might not see it as a good fit.

[Joneslab]

That’s why I think it might not be exactly cut and dry.

Oh yeah, and some coaches recruit to a style of play. The recruits and/or the new coach might not see it as a good fit.

Maybe...but I don't know if the next coach will even be able to choose. He's likely gonna be in scramble mode as he tries to work the portal.

Also, the new coach will probably be able to bring a couple with him. Nate Oats is interesting for instance because he has two top 25 players lined up.

Anybody worth his salt is going to try and keep the white whale, the most important one by far, and that's Sheppard. I'd imagine Jeff and Stacy would be the first call a coach would make after he accepted the job.

[DA#23]

Yeah, I think so as well. It will be interesting to see what happens now that The Decision seems looming.

Just a few days ago Bradshaw was rumored to be hitting the TP but I don’t think it’s actually happened.

[Joneslab]

I suspect Monday there'll be a reckoning. Think we'll see at least a couple make their decisions. Usually Kentucky staggers them to give every player their own day, but with Cal's situation in limbo we might just see social media announcements.

What to be looking for is a statement from Cal. If we see him go on one of those Twitter things where he talks about how much he loved the team and how disappointed he is, then that's a bad sign because it means he's likely been given another year to set things right. If we get radio silence from Cal as the players start to come out with statements I think that could mean he's gone.

[justafan]

Of course one possibility is that players are reading the signs and will wait to announce transfers until Cal’s status this week is determined. If UK and Cal parts ways, they could wait for the new coach to be announced 🤷‍♂️