UK at Bama game thread

[Jeffky62]

You can beat an outside shooting team. Hard in your face defense, run them off the 3 point line. Other teams have done it to a good shooting ky team.
Pope's perimeter defense is horrible or maybe it's the players unwillingness to put out the energy it takes. Im beginning to think it's a little of both.
At this juncture , I have doubts about the cats making the tourney.

Post of the week !! The lack of preparedness and effort in the first half too. Pope's teams are horrible in the first half . Pope needs to throw the damn stat and data sheet away. play the five that gives you the best chance to win . I hate spread sheet coaching

[TrueblueCATfan]

I had tickets to Derby Dinner today so I missed the game

Not sure I will even watch now

[TrueblueCATfan]

Meanwhile Arkansas beating Tennessee After beating Louisville just a week ago

[SportsFan]

Meanwhile Arkansas beating Tennessee After beating Louisville just a week ago

So?

Are you saying that you want John Calipari back?

[TrueblueCATfan]

So?

Are you saying that you want John Calipari back?

NOPE not at all...just making a statement

[Pobilly]

Pope post game, when asked about not playing Wiliams much after his 8 threes last game, said that they were working on a bigger line up today.

Horrible response. If this is the case then we have another coach (one i pulled for) using games as practice. You do not make changes and keep to those changes for a full game if it is not working. Bama without 3 players is what KSR Rapid reaction stated as well. I am just about out of rope with UK Pope being the coach. If he does not know how to play the guys he recruited by Jan 2026, he will never know how to play them. This is another poor throw away year for UK mens basketball. At least in February I will have Olympic curling to watch. lol

[TrueblueCATfan]

Pope post game, when asked about not playing Wiliams much after his 8 threes last game, said that they were working on a bigger line up today.

Horrible response. If this is the case then we have another coach (one i pulled for) using games as practice. You do not make changes and keep to those changes for a full game if it is not working. Bama without 3 players is what KSR Rapid reaction stated as well. I am just about out of rope with UK Pope being the coach. If he does not know how to play the guys he recruited by Jan 2026, he will never know how to play them. This is another poor throw away year for UK mens basketball. At least in February I will have Olympic curling to watch. lol

I agree...not a very good response at all...

[Catsrock]

I don’t care for the response either. A better response would have been “Kam got plenty of minutes for the production he was giving us. Apparently Bellarmine was an outlier for him. 5 points 1 rebound and poor defense in 16 minutes today.”

[KentuckyWild2020]

Noah Jelavic didn't play a minute.

Im convinced this dude just doesn't have a good feel on the sidelines.

Smart intelligent analytical doctor off the court, on the court lost.


Someone with some brass basketball needs to fire Mitch, eliminate JMI, fire Pope, find a prime time basketball coach.

Frank Vogel is my choice.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Noah Jelavic didn't play a minute.

Im convinced this dude just doesn't have a good feel on the sidelines.

Smart intelligent analytical doctor off the court, on the court lost.


Someone with some brass basketball needs to fire Mitch, eliminate JMI, fire Pope, find a prime time basketball coach.

Frank Vogel is my choice.

Mitch is retiring in July so he will not be fired

[Catsrock]

And the JMI contract was signed. JMI leadership needs to look at whether their model is working. Can’t see how they’d benefit from sinking the ship they’re riding.

[Pete Hogwallop]

And the JMI contract was signed. JMI leadership needs to look at whether their model is working. Can’t see how they’d benefit from sinking the ship they’re riding.

The JMI agreement has no affect on the product on the floor this year.

[westerncat]

Guys we are not going to win a lot of SEC games. This team is not a good shooting team and defense is not that great. They are playing soft and playing scared. This is not KENTUCKY BASKETBALL ! Anyone that knows basketball and have watched Bama knows they shoot a lot of 3's and make a lot of them. This team and the staff seem not to know that and was not ready to defend the 3 point line today. This lost is on the staff and the players. Another thing is UK should be attacking the basket more and drawing fouls. I have been watching UK for over 50 years and this team is SOFT! Johnson is not going to be a PG and needs to stay on the bench as he is not ready for SEC basketball. JMO

[KentuckyWild2020]

Mitch is retiring in July so he will not be fired

This is true..

I would hate to see the new AD can Pope and miss out on his stellar recruiting class he has coming in next year.

It's kind of funny, Pope leaves BYU and the Cougars program actually got better.

Pope has literally done nothing in his coaching career, finally a NCAA win last year.

Realistically, who's going to play for Pope?

Yeah he's a nice person but in the real world, that's not enough to commit to a unproven coach even if it is Kentucky. There will be plenty of suitors looking for a paycheck but the top talent is going elsewhere and still getting paid.

Bad situation. I know Pope loves Kentucky and puts his heart and soul in it but sometimes great basketball players still don't make the NBA, same situation here with Pope coaching at Kentucky, out of his league. He hasn't shown he's innovative enough to be the next up and coming Pitino, Donovan, Tarkanian, Oats, Pearl, Calipari, Hurley,Wright, list goes on and on...

[SportsFan]

Guys we are not going to win a lot of SEC games. This team is not a good shooting team and defense is not that great. They are playing soft and playing scared. This is not KENTUCKY BASKETBALL ! Anyone that knows basketball and have watched Bama knows they shoot a lot of 3's and make a lot of them. This team and the staff seem not to know that and was not ready to defend the 3 point line today. This lost is on the staff and the players. Another thing is UK should be attacking the basket more and drawing fouls. I have been watching UK for over 50 years and this team is SOFT! Johnson is not going to be a PG and needs to stay on the bench as he is not ready for SEC basketball. JMO

I agree.

The irony is everyone thought last year's team was soft, and "supposedly" some guys were brought in specifically to add toughness to try to remedy that situation. Apparently that hasn't worked.

I commented to a friend today that I look around the college hoops landscape, and it appears that Kentucky has become the destination for skinny long-braided haired guys with lots of tats. I wish they spent as much time in the gym working on their bodies and hitting the weights as much as they do the tattoo parlor and barbershop. I was watching Iowa State play last night and those guys looked like clean cut and chiseled young men...not stylish pretty boy teens. I know it's just "a look", but I think that carries over to attitude and effort. Those who look "too cool" usually play that way as well. I think it's supposed to showcase toughness and that they're "hardened", but it's really more of a smokescreen.