Tim Brando on LEACH report...

[ukcat27]

said this is very tough spot for us...Thinks Providence has two really bulky guys that will give us fits...says Hopkins will be playing with a chip....put it this way...listening to him I am not encouraged

 

[SkyPrince1]

PU would not have made the tourney if they were in the SEC.
Barely missed being in Dayton.

 

[UKAlum07]

PU would not have made the tourney if they were in the SEC.
Barely missed being in Dayton.

And we've lost to teams worse than Providence, so what's your point?

Obviously we can, and should win, but no question it won't be easy (unless we we shoot lights out) and we can certainly lose.

 

[Pulaski Cat Fan_rivals377587]

I wouldn't be overly confident if Fredrick Douglas was the first round opponent.

 

[bookerfan66]

They have had their own issues and have not played well lately.

 

[Montana81]

PU would not have made the tourney if they were in the SEC.
Barely missed being in Dayton.

This. They really fell apart in the last half of the season. They did beat uconn and marquette in the early part of the conference schedule but both of those teams were struggling at the time.

Providence went 7-8 over the last 15 games of the season and only 1 of those wins came against a tourney team and that was Creighton.

I’m not saying they can’t beat us. I’m just expecting the good version of UK for at least a game and i think that will be too much for this providence team.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Meh. Either we come out locked in or we go home. Simple as that.

 

[SaltyCat22]

He’s probably right but…screw that dude, he’s still butt-hurt about Nessler getting the big chair at CBS. He probably plays with dildos stamped with PAC 12 and Big East logos in the shower.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Honestly I'm shocked that Providence made it over Vandy. Normally they take the team with the hot roll down the stretch vs the one that built a resume and then coasted downhill.

 

[Jazzycat]

I do wish I had more confidence in UK’s coaching staff to adequately prepare these guys for Providence. Unfortunately, we have witnessed too many games that showed no strategy to counter whatever offensive or defensive schemes that an opponent throws at UK. Calipari better have those three point shooters practicing because PU will clog the middle and force Kentucky to win from the outside…

 

[BlueBomb]

I've decided to just assume we will lose. That way if we win, I can be pleasantly surprised. Easier that way.

 

[KMKAT]

I'm just glad it wasn't St. Peters or that team in Pittsburgh that is called Bobby something.

 

[TankedCat]

do you have confidence we can beat a top #40 team at a neutral site?

I haven't checked the stats but I'm guessing we are close to .500 for the season on this.

a long damn way from being the Kentucky program fans know.

 

[jack8291]

They’re like #190 in adjusted tempo. They like to roll slow . An average Seton Hall team beat them by 25 using pace to their advantage. A bad St John’s team beat them last month . They lose games that are faster pace and have a lot of possessions back and forth , because they don’t guard well…they’re like 110 in defensive efficiency..they guard worse than us . They win when dictating tempo , running offense ( they’re good with offensive efficiency) and keeping it in the 60’s

 

[kyjeff1]

Providence lost 4 of their last 5 and one of them was an 80-52 loss to Seton Hall.

Unless they have 2 or 3 lightning quick guards that hit threes at a high rate, I don't think they have the ingredients. Well, they shouldn't beat us, lets put it that way.

If they play a bigger front line, instead of a guard oriented offense, I like our chances. We have faired pretty well against teams that are built like them.

Sounds like they're Tennessee without the stout defense.

 

[kyjeff1]

They’re like #190 in adjusted tempo. They like to roll slow . An average Seton Hall team beat them by 25 using pace to their advantage. A bad St John’s team beat them last month . They lose games that are faster pace and have a lot of possessions back and forth , because they don’t guard well…they’re like 110 in defensive efficiency..they guard worse than us . They win when dictating tempo , running offense ( they’re good with offensive efficiency) and keeping it in the 60’s

If only we had a coach that dictated the tempo of the game.

 

[TheJuddDome]

said this is very tough spot for us...Thinks Providence has two really bulky guys that will give us fits...says Hopkins will be playing with a chip....put it this way...listening to him I am not encouraged

Brando would like nothing more than for us to lose.

 

[RalphDaltonFan]

Cooley is contemplating leaving Providence for Georgetown. He's apparently one of their top 2 choices with Penn State coach being the other. So they have been distracted. Two things are going to be talked about regarding Providence and both are 100% true. Kentucky doesn't warrant any confidence in terms of talking them up because nobody knows what the hell to expect from them any given game. You can get an inspired effort against Arkansas on the road or a great performance against Auburn, then turn around and lose to Vanderbilt twice in a week. South Carolina and Georgia losses or the gutty win at Tennessee?

The other aspect and more tied into anything you'll hear from National Media (remember Brando works for FOX and they have Big East) is that Cooley is a media ***** amongst coaches. He'll share inside dirt with all of them and they go out of their way to talk him up due to that alone. The way the media behaves in terms of news in general is a joke, but it's not beneath CBB people to follow suit. Known that Joey "Brackets" Lunardi offers his services to schools in how to schedule in return for a fee and him pushing for them on TV to get in. (seriously some teams/programs pay this guy). Goodman gets a ton of info from Cooley. Announcers ask about league dirt and coaching move dirt to him. He's always been one of those "Anonymous" coaches who is quoted on how to play a team or gives his thoughts. Guy loves to run the yapper.

Providence can beat Kentucky. If Kentucky is invested in the game, they should win. Everyone's issue is predicting when/if a game is worthy of this program being invested, from coach on down to the players. I feel better when basketball is being discussed. When Calipari starts yapping about things that have nothing to do with the opponent is when you expect the clunkers.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

The two things that I don’t like about the matchup: efficient offensive team and they play 3 guards. The 3 guards thing was a sneaky issue against Vandy. Toppin/Livingston struggled defensively in that game due to not being quick enough to guard or rotate on smaller guards. Might see more Fredrick/Wheeler to try to help with this if they can go.

 

[wccat]

There is also the possibility that Hopkins comes out with something to prove and tries to do too much.

 

[dc513]

I do wish I had more confidence in UK’s coaching staff to adequately prepare these guys for Providence. Unfortunately, we have witnessed too many games that showed no strategy to counter whatever offensive or defensive schemes that an opponent throws at UK. Calipari better have those three point shooters practicing because PU will clog the middle and force Kentucky to win from the outside…

This my worry also.

 

[NKYWildcat]

The concern about this game isn't about Providence. They're a middling Big East team that fell off in February and really never recovered, save one game vs Creighton.

The concern is about which Kentucky team shows up. The one who showed up on the last three Saturdays of the regular season (Tenn, Auburn, Arkansas), or the one who couldn't guard a chair if it had a Vanderbilt jersey draped on the back of it?

 

[Trinity45]

PU would not have made the tourney if they were in the SEC.
Barely missed being in Dayton.

Yet, we have lost to teams that had losing records, so this game is not a given. If Cal doesn't have them bring their A game, this will be another one and done.

 

[Cats_2010]

They’re like #190 in adjusted tempo. They like to roll slow . An average Seton Hall team beat them by 25 using pace to their advantage. A bad St John’s team beat them last month . They lose games that are faster pace and have a lot of possessions back and forth , because they don’t guard well…they’re like 110 in defensive efficiency..they guard worse than us . They win when dictating tempo , running offense ( they’re good with offensive efficiency) and keeping it in the 60’s

Not sure there is a coach that loves a good rock fight more than Cal so providence will definitely get to dictate the tempo as do all of our other opponents.

 

[sk73]

Brando has a good voice for basketball and he is knowledgeable. But choosing between Nessler and Brando is an easy choice.

 

[-BBH-]

Brando is Big East homer. All the pressure is on Bryce.

 

[VaxxedObamaCat]

Every game is losable for this team. So this is simply just 'house money' at this point. Can't be any worse than last year.

 

[Jazzycat]

RalphAlton, you make some salient points about Kentucky. They control their own destiny and if they are indeed invested in winning a game - coaches, players, staff - they will win. My concern is that Calipari has lost his passion for striving for excellence and that the players are feeding off of that especially given the NBA draft coming up and all the NIL money that they are making. I sincerely hope that I am wrong and they come out with an effort to win.

For example, I have not heard anyone from KY - either player or coach - say anything about their goals for the team (ie..winning the SEC or NC) in a very long time. This used to be a standard for Ky teams but, I have not heard this in many years. As a teacher, the first thing I learned was that the students rise to the level of the expectation.
If the coach is merely a facilitator and not an instructor, the students have nothing to work towards except their own individual goals, which do not always benefit the team concept.

I am no bb coach, but it appears to me that Calipari has evolved into a maintainer and a guide for individual pursuits versus a coach interested in developing a team into a winning unit. Just once, I would love to see some motivation, preparation and coaching from this staff instead of the tired, archaic play that has resulted in another mediocre season. Jmo

 

[kyjeff1]

Cooley is contemplating leaving Providence for Georgetown. He's apparently one of their top 2 choices with Penn State coach being the other. So they have been distracted. Two things are going to be talked about regarding Providence and both are 100% true. Kentucky doesn't warrant any confidence in terms of talking them up because nobody knows what the hell to expect from them any given game. You can get an inspired effort against Arkansas on the road or a great performance against Auburn, then turn around and lose to Vanderbilt twice in a week. South Carolina and Georgia losses or the gutty win at Tennessee?

The other aspect and more tied into anything you'll hear from National Media (remember Brando works for FOX and they have Big East) is that Cooley is a media ***** amongst coaches. He'll share inside dirt with all of them and they go out of their way to talk him up due to that alone. The way the media behaves in terms of news in general is a joke, but it's not beneath CBB people to follow suit. Known that Joey "Brackets" Lunardi offers his services to schools in how to schedule in return for a fee and him pushing for them on TV to get in. (seriously some teams/programs pay this guy). Goodman gets a ton of info from Cooley. Announcers ask about league dirt and coaching move dirt to him. He's always been one of those "Anonymous" coaches who is quoted on how to play a team or gives his thoughts. Guy loves to run the yapper.

Providence can beat Kentucky. If Kentucky is invested in the game, they should win. Everyone's issue is predicting when/if a game is worthy of this program being invested, from coach on down to the players. I feel better when basketball is being discussed. When Calipari starts yapping about things that have nothing to do with the opponent is when you expect the clunkers.

How do you feel about Ed Cooley as the HC at G-Town?

It’s so odd to see Syracuse and Georgetown looking for new coaches. I used to be a casual Cuse fan when I was a kid (Pearl Washington days), got a lot of family up there.

I would love to see Cuse and GT get back to what they once were. Heck, if Pitino gets the Saint Johns job, you could get that program back on track too.

 

[irishcat1965]

said this is very tough spot for us...Thinks Providence has two really bulky guys that will give us fits...says Hopkins will be playing with a chip....put it this way...listening to him I am not encouraged

You do realize he is a broadcaster for Big East basketball don’t you?

 

[kyjeff1]

The two things that I don’t like about the matchup: efficient offensive team and they play 3 guards. The 3 guards thing was a sneaky issue against Vandy. Toppin/Livingston struggled defensively in that game due to not being quick enough to guard or rotate on smaller guards. Might see more Fredrick/Wheeler to try to help with this if they can go.

The thing that gives me encouragement is the fact that Vandy has been on a tear. They have been hot, Providence is coming in on a bad, bad string of games. Vandy would never lose to Seton Hall by 25.
But, funny things happen in the tournament.

 

[kyjeff1]

You do realize he is a broadcaster for Big East basketball don’t you?

There us a lot of Big East bias. The CBS show with Pete Gillan and those guys was also loaded with a bunch of big east fans.
It was tough to watch.

 

[irishcat1965]

There us a lot of Big East bias. The CBS show with Pete Gillan and those guys was also loaded with a bunch of big east fans.
It was tough to watch.

Agreed. I mean I think Providence is a good team but come on. I listened to Brando on Leach and laughed. He made them seem like some juggernaut. They aren’t.

 

[cathouse_rivals216755]

They’re like #190 in adjusted tempo. They like to roll slow . An average Seton Hall team beat them by 25 using pace to their advantage. A bad St John’s team beat them last month . They lose games that are faster pace and have a lot of possessions back and forth , because they don’t guard well…they’re like 110 in defensive efficiency..they guard worse than us . They win when dictating tempo , running offense ( they’re good with offensive efficiency) and keeping it in the 60’s

Cal will try to out grind them in the half court.
Cal will show them how to run a slow offense.

 

[CELTICAT]

I actually trust this team with a week to prepare and get healthy, and I don’t think Providence matches up especially well with us.

It’s the Sunday game against KSU where we will be totally dumb and give up a million paint points.

 

[aceman509]

This game comes down to it being a bad matchup for us on a macro level.

Simply put we struggle against teams with great offenses and mediocre/below average defenses (Vandy, Missouri, Gonzaga), and play our best games against teams with elite defense and mediocre/below average offenses (Tennessee, Auburn)

Providence has a more efficient offense than both Alabama and Vandy and those games did not go well for us.

 

[W_Heisenberg]

I'm confused as to why anyone would have any confidence for any game we play, I get that we all want and hope for wins, but how could you possibly expect to win or even think there's a greater than 50/50 chance we win?

 

[DaDirtyLeb69]

Providence is a good team but a lot of media people will talk them up because Cooley is their boy, cbs sports network did, a lot are acting like providence are world beaters, can they beat Kentucky yes, but Kentucky can beat providence and probably should

 

[DaDirtyLeb69]

This game comes down to it being a bad matchup for us on a macro level.

Simply put we struggle against teams with great offenses and mediocre/below average defenses (Vandy, Missouri, Gonzaga), and play our best games against teams with elite defense and mediocre/below average offenses (Tennessee, Auburn)

Providence has a more efficient offense than both Alabama and Vandy and those games did not go well for us.

One thing about offensive efficiency number are that they can be skewed by a couple of games, I feel that is the case here, providence is good and will present problems but Kentucky presents problems for providence to

 

[FinnaGoHAM]

Brando would like nothing more than for us to lose.

Why?