Kansas Getting Drilled at Oklahoma St.

[KCKUKFan]

College basketball sucks this season.

Some people enjoy this sort of January Madness, but I just think it's an indicator that the sport is borderline garbage this year.

And everybody is jumping on the Oklahoma train... I don't really get it. They're a fine team and Hield is a great player, but they're equivalent to Virginia last year. Be great all regular season and then flame out in the sweet 16/elite 8. When was the last time a team like Oklahoma made the final four, let alone won the title?

[Joneslab]

I think it's down. Not sure that it necessarily sucks. Still think there are three to five very solid teams.

One painful thing is that last year's UK team would probably run through this field in the tournament. No Dukes or Wisconsins out there. Not even close.

But it's going to make the NCAA Tournament pretty interesting. Could easily see somebody crazy winning it all.

And we've seen this before in the sport. Happens whenever there's a mass departure of talent and the recruiting class is soft. Last year's recruiting class was one of the flattest that I've seen. Simmons is extraordinary but behind him you have tiers and tiers of average players who are currently scuffling.

[KCKUKFan]

I enjoy seasons where there are three to four GREAT teams, followed by ten or so very good teams, followed by hordes of "just okay" teams.

This year it seems that even the best teams are "just okay" in comparison to the stronger seasons.

North Carolina seems to be the best built to win the title this year, but beyond them I'm just not seeing anything that impresses me. Which still gives me some sort of hope that Kentucky can turn it on in March and make a run. We've obviously seen mediocre Cal teams do it before, I'm just afraid that this particular squad has the sort of problems that can't be fixed by a "tweak."

[Lighthouse]

College basketball sucks this season.

Why would any basketball fan make this statement. College basketball is way way better than the NBA, even if more teams are competitive. Maybe the over-powering teams, like last year, are missing but that just makes more games exciting because the outcome is in question until the clock shows 00. If you want to see exciting competition, go to a D2 game in your area. Not many 7 footers, but the competition is there. The conference tournaments are going to be interesting this year, and the NCAA may be the best in years, except maybe for Kentucky fans.

[Joneslab]

The problem with the NBA is that its regular season is so meaningless. 82 games makes for situations where most of these teams can sit their entire starting lineups for games at a time when they get deep into the season. And you can watch on a given night and not see much intensity at all until the last few minutes.

But NBA basketball during the playoffs is incredible. It's played as such a higher level than the college game that it's hard to wrap your mind around it. When the stakes are high those guys absolutely get after it. Watching John Wall last year in the playoffs was just...there are now words for some of the things he was doing.

I much prefer the college game simply because basketball, when it has that intensity, is great at any level. I like high school ball for this reason.

But the NBA gets a bad rap sometimes. When those freaks want to play, it's darn entertaining.

[J.Jennings]

Honestly, this Kansas loss just goes to show that perhaps we aren't as bad as we think and kids are subject to have a off night. Perhaps i personally need to lighten the load and let this season run it's course before i start forming a line to jump off into the Ohio River from a downtown bridge in Louisville??

Oh well, i just need to remember that with young Calipari teams it takes time. There are years when Cal has sure shot elite NBA talent on the team and other years where guys are NBA bound, but no necessarily future stars of the NBA. This is one of those years where the team is going to struggle in order to learn moving foward....

STILL LIKE MY TEAM REGARDLESS.....

[KCKUKFan]

Why would any basketball fan make this statement. College basketball is way way better than the NBA, even if more teams are competitive. Maybe the over-powering teams, like last year, are missing but that just makes more games exciting because the outcome is in question until the clock shows 00. If you want to see exciting competition, go to a D2 game in your area. Not many 7 footers, but the competition is there. The conference tournaments are going to be interesting this year, and the NCAA may be the best in years, except maybe for Kentucky fans.

A lot of it has to do with the Kentucky-Or-Bust Apathy.

Like many UK fans, when the Cats are slogging, it's easy to check out. Add that to the ho-hum attitude towards college basketball by just about everybody this year.

It might just be me, but it seems like NOBODY is very enthused about the season this year. There have been less articles, less media coverage, etc. etc. Maybe it's just a hangover from last year's wild ride.

I will always be able to watch basketball. It doesn't matter who's playing, or what level. I love the sport and always will. But that doesn't change the fact that this has been one of the most mediocre regular seasons I can remember in forever. There have been a lot of "upsets" this year because the quality on the court is weak. A lot of that has to do with the huge talent dump to the NBA from last year and a lot of it has to do with the weak 15 class. Next year will be better, I'm sure.

And, finally, don't dog on the NBA. It takes a horrible rap, and it's unfair. Sure, a lot of the regular season games are meaningless because there are so many of them, but when those dudes turn it on, they can make the game look like art. Watching Golden State absolutely dismantle Cleveland this weekend was beautiful to watch. You simply cannot see that on the college level, no matter how good the team might be.

[Joneslab]

It might just be me, but it seems like NOBODY is very enthused about the season this year.

I am.

Didn't think we would be as average as we are, but I'm as engaged as I always am. I rotate my entire winter around UK basketball.

When the team is bad there's a different feel...but when the team is good there's a different feel too. A lot of pressure last year.

I've seen people say of last year's team that they didn't really get into it because watching us beat everybody to death wasn't that fun.

This thing is what it is: a diversion from real life. There are times I'm pumped beyond belief about the team (the tourney run two years ago), but generally I look forward to every game and watch every single second of every one while I scream myself hoarse from the couch.

Will be that way until I die. Can't imagine it any other way.

[GOCAT15]

I am.

Didn't think we would be as average as we are, but I'm as engaged as I always am. I rotate my entire winter around UK basketball.

When the team is bad there's a different feel...but when the team is good there's a different feel too. A lot of pressure last year.

I've seen people say of last year's team that they didn't really get into it because watching us beat everybody to death wasn't that fun.

This thing is what it is: a diversion from real life. There are times I'm pumped beyond belief about the team (the tourney run two years ago), but generally I look forward to every game and watch every single second of every one while I scream myself hoarse from the couch.

Will be that way until I die. Can't imagine it any other way.

Right there with you, I look forward to every game and over analyze the current and previous years.....why couldn't we have last years team this year that would just roll through everyone, would it have been different last year it Ulis played 30 minutes a game. How does Uconn just have our number? What if so and so didn't leave for the D-league last year? Why isn't Skal the next coming of Davis that we were all told he'd be?

But still I watch every game, in hopes that we figure it out and be the team that we are capable of, and to 100% honest, if we play our best, which we have seen small glimpses of, for a full 35-40 minutes we can beat any team right now. Will we be able to do that before this season is over, only time will tell.

[KCKUKFan]

This thing is what it is: a diversion from real life. There are times I'm pumped beyond belief about the team (the tourney run two years ago), but generally I look forward to every game and watch every single second of every one while I scream myself hoarse from the couch.

Will be that way until I die. Can't imagine it any other way.

Don't get me wrong. I will, too.

But something just feels... different this year. Not just with regards to Kentucky, but the college year as a whole.

It's obviously just me.

[justford]

I don't see the hunger or desire to win from most of our players which I believe can lead to fans not being as engaged.

[Joneslab]

I don't see the hunger or desire to win from most of our players which I believe can lead to fans not being as engaged.

I just don't think they're that good.

People talked about Teague and the Harrisons not having desire too. Terrence Jones got that a lot. Prince even got some of it.

Those players won a ton.

I think what we're seeing for the most part are issues with fundamentals and skill and just overall talent. There are some effort things--notably with Skal--but I don't think that's what plagues this team. The roster just isn't built that well, which usually happens when you try to assemble a team in one summer after so many go to the NBA.

[Blue Heaven]

Kansas getting pummeled will have no effect our game with them. It's Kentucky going to the Phog. That place will be jacked up and am really not looking forward to watching that game. They are supremely better than us. But this has been a crazy year thus far. 16 Top 25 teams lost last week. A glimmer of hope I suppose.

[Matt Dillon]

I would rather they hadn't lost those two games.

[Joneslab]

I would rather they hadn't lost those two games.

They have to go to Iowa St. before our game. They might drop another one before they get to us.

I'm much more concerned that we take care of business in the conference and just play well at Kansas. The NCAA Tournament isn't played on the road in one of the more hostile environments in college basketball. Asking any UK team of my lifetime to walk into the Phog in January and pull out a win would be a tall order.