FYI QUAD 1 WINS

[South jones]

The Cats have 5 quad 1 wins. Thats more than Ala, Fla, N Car, UofL Zags, Arky,
I think only 8 teams in college BB have more.

[WeWant9]

I believe most of our remaining games are Quad 1, too.

[TrueblueCATfan]

and 2 are on the Road

[blueheretic]

That's good enough to help them get to the NCAA Tournament.

Cool deal.

Fortunately, Kentucky Basketball doesn't yearn to just get into the tournament.

As is, they'll get a low seed and get ousted in the 2nd round or Sweet Sixteen.

That's simply not the goal.

I'm not celebrating tournament invites.

Once fans start celebrating invites to the tournament and treating that as a goal, Kentucky is finished as a program. That's the road to mediocrity.

[Simple_Man]

Go Cats

[Simple_Man]

The Cats have 6 quad 1 games left according to this.
Remaining Key Quad 1 Matchups (Based on Jan/Feb 2026 Projections):

• vs. Tennessee: On3 projections (Feb 7)
• at Auburn: On3 projections (Feb 21)
• vs. Florida: On3 projections (Mar 7)
• at Florida:
• at Texas A&M: On3 projections (Mar 3)
• vs. Vanderbilt: On3 projections (Feb 28)

[Simple_Man]

Cats have 6 quad 1 games left,two against Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas A&m, Vanderbilt.

[Pete Hogwallop]

But I thought Pope was a disaster (wish I could add the rolling eyes emoji)?

[blueheretic]

But I thought Pope was a disaster (wish I could add the rolling eyes emoji)?

THE GOLD STANDARD!!!

Not quite a disaster. Wedged right in there between the majestic eras of Eddie and Billy Clyde. Right there in the sweet spot between the alcohol addled, scandal ridden collapse of Sutton and the absurdity of the bourbon and Dr. Pepper driven Gillispie disaster.

• Adolph Rupp (1930–1972): 82%
• Rick Pitino (1989–1997): 81%
• John Calipari (2009–2024): 77%
• Tubby Smith (1997–2007): 76%.
• Joe B. Hall (1972–1985): 75%
• Eddie Sutton (1985–1989): 69.0%
• Mark Pope (2024-2026) 67%
• Billy Gillispie (2007–2009): 60%

?

Where's the DOH! emoji when you need it.

[bucsrule8872]

That's good enough to help them get to the NCAA Tournament.

Cool deal.

Fortunately, Kentucky Basketball doesn't yearn to just get into the tournament.

As is, they'll get a low seed and get ousted in the 2nd round or Sweet Sixteen.

That's simply not the goal.

I'm not celebrating tournament invites.

Once fans start celebrating invites to the tournament and treating that as a goal, Kentucky is finished as a program. That's the road to mediocrity.

Agreed.

And I’ll add that we don’t yearn to have three of our best players injured either.

In other words, being snake bitten the way we have the last two years has played a part in lowering expectations.

While Pope has got to step it up, he does have a valid excuse, it’s just that at UK, no excuse is a valid excuse. You win the race even if you have to crawl to the finish line, even if both legs are broken, you should have recruited a third and fourth leg. That’s how it works here.

We settle for nothing but championships around here, and no excuses if you don’t win it all.

That is what is so great about BBN. It is also our curse.

I am trying to be patient and give Pope time, though.

But it’s hard, when nothing short of a championship will
do.

But he says he knows the assignment, so we will see if he can get it done.

If not, next man up.

[Pobilly]

As far as injured players go, UK is in a league of their own for the past several years now. Some is the players signed with issues (JQ, Vanderbilt and others), some is luck of the draw (which I do not believe).

I think in the process of free agency of college basketball, there has to be an added medical approval by the medical staff of each school. Probably would have stopped the whole Lowe as PG1 thing this year making the freshman that we lost to other school our PG1 or a different priority of a portal PG1. We are talking 2 years of Pope picking a PG that has shoulder issues. I am sure (with lowe) it would have been found before the signing.

Pope has to do better in his choices of portal players, cannot be just bad luck. He is taking the easy road, I try player A, player A has a tough agent and is trying to get his guys paid, so I move on to player B and so forth. It is a grown up job and this thing of saying UK is not for everybody excuse has got to stop.

He has 1 more chance for me. If Mitch is here he has 3 more chances, unless the right people start to put on the pressure.

[blueheretic]

In other words, being snake bitten the way we have the last two years has played a part in lowering expectations.

"I know he's a good general, but is he lucky?"

As pertinent a question now as it was when Napoleon first asked.

But it’s hard, when nothing short of a championship will do.

I disagree with this.

Nothing short of a Championship CONTENDER will do is a more true statement.

Pope isn't even close after spending millions in NIL. Supposedly the largest NIL fund in college sports. That is unacceptable.

How much time does Pope get? When does the "countdown" begin? After year two? Three? Four? A DECADE?

For me, it starts as soon as the coach, any coach, sets foot on campus. Pope gets no "grace" for being a member of the '96 team.

Year 1 was understandable. He had to throw it together. Year 2 should have been an improvement. Not establishment of a status quo.

Year 2 thus far is meh to the Nth degree. Between injuries, lack of consistency in coaching and play. Mounting losses. Losing in the SEC. Losses at home. More injuries. A winning percentage (67.2) that is extremely low. Inability to close on recruits.

I see a pattern emerging and it's not a good pattern. It's a pattern of mediocrity. Pope is turning Kentucky into a mediocre program instead of Kentucky turning Pope into a winning coach.

How long do we give him to change that pattern before we cut bait?

Do we wait until he's just a sober Billy Clyde?

[blueheretic]

I think in the process of free agency of college basketball, there has to be an added medical approval by the medical staff of each school. Probably would have stopped the whole Lowe as PG1 thing this year making the freshman that we lost to other school our PG1 or a different priority of a portal PG1. We are talking 2 years of Pope picking a PG that has shoulder issues. I am sure (with lowe) it would have been found before the signing.

Indeed

[Pobilly]

Net Rankings has UK 4-6 in quad 1 wins. Not horrid but not great either. If we had beaten UNC at home or won just one other big game it would have made a ton of difference.

We have one of the toughest remaining schedules, if it plays out like our season so far of the 6 or so remaining Q1 games we will go 3-3 or 2-4. It will probably keep us about where we are now a 6 or 7 seeded team and 4 to 8 in the SEC.