Moneyball it is, Pope’s BLUEprint software

BigBluefoot

All-American
Jul 4, 2025
1,576
6,345
113
I have a better idea. Fire Pope. Hire a physical trainer an X & O assistant coach which only teaches the team to run about 40 different sets flawlessly. Then have an AI scout teams, decide line ups, and make play calls in real time as the game progresses and make recruiting decisions.
First AI coach in sports.
 

Johnnie Africa

All-Conference
Feb 27, 2003
812
2,603
93
It’s amazing how awful this hire is and it’s more amazing that there are some still thinking, this might work!!

Imagine that. Look at him, look at recruiting, look at history. Imagine looking at all that and thinking, “maybe he will become something he hasn’t been on 12 years”. It’s shocking.

I mean honestly after UNC opened up a nationwide search and with all their resources they ended up with basketball bill bellichek and with our JMI fiasco I’m really hoping Pope works out but I’ll be shocked if he does.
 
Jul 30, 2024
5,898
11,355
113
I have a better idea. Fire Pope. Hire a physical trainer an X & O assistant coach which only teaches the team to run about 40 different sets flawlessly. Then have an AI scout teams, decide line ups, and make play calls in real time as the game progresses and make recruiting decisions.
First AI coach in sports.
AI isn’t very smart when it comes to niche content like college basketball unfortunately. Take it from a guy who would know. Even asking for the 2007 Kentucky Wildcats roster, for example, can lead to some hilarious results.
 
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Cowtown Cat

Heisman
Aug 23, 2015
24,040
54,574
100
All those guys had success and/or were assistants under successful coaches BEFORE using analytics.

All of those artists might be using the same kind of brush, but if one of them has never painted anything before then the painting is going to look like $#!+.
Lmao yall are killing Pope for using analytics and have been for two damn years. You can gaslight all you want. That’s the truth.
 

theBlues

All-Conference
Oct 18, 2025
1,398
3,127
113
To me this is a big duh. Of course you want value for your dollars; I'd assume everybody is trying to find guys that are better than their last year's stats. If we had it we could spend $50mil for a likely championship but nobody would respect it if we won and we'd be a forever joke if we didn't win.
 

Pygmy Sasquatch

All-American
Mar 27, 2009
9,325
9,654
113
He will be the voice of reason in a world full of sanity for Pope during a turbulent April.

Confused What The GIF
 

UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
1,783
3,105
113
It’s amazing how awful this hire is and it’s more amazing that there are some still thinking, this might work!!

Imagine that. Look at him, look at recruiting, look at history. Imagine looking at all that and thinking, “maybe he will become something he hasn’t been on 12 years”. It’s shocking.
No one could have predicted it being this bad.

The guy does nothing well as a coach.

I still think he’s trying to get fired.

It’s just not possible to be this bad at everything when you’re a basketball lifer.
 
Jul 30, 2024
5,898
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Yeah in a way it does. People aren’t complaining about pope using analytics, they complain because he seems to rely way too heavily on analytics unlike the coaches you listed.
Yay analytics 🤢
Posts like this are what I’m talking about. And yes, many people on this site over the past several months have been blaming analytics for our failures. I’m simply pointing out that blaming analytics is not appropriate. Every coach that most of you would beg for LOVE analytics. Most of them, like Oats, use it even more heavily than Pope.
 
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TotheMoon88

Senior
Apr 12, 2024
569
776
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Posts like this are what I’m talking about. And yes, many people on this site over the past several months have been blaming analytics for our failures. I’m simply pointing out that blaming analytics is not appropriate. Every coach that most of you would beg for LOVE analytics. Most of them, like Oats, use it even more heavily than Pope.
You’re right blaming the person applying the analytics is more appropriate
 
Jul 30, 2024
5,898
11,355
113
You’re right blaming the person applying the analytics is more appropriate
I think we agree.

Clarifying statement:
Blaming the coach for how he managed the team = sensible

Blaming a tool that every coach who succeeded more than our coach this season utilized = not sensible
 
Last edited:

CNJ1966

Senior
Dec 12, 2019
390
656
81
It’s amazing how awful this hire is and it’s more amazing that there are some still thinking, this might work!!

Imagine that. Look at him, look at recruiting, look at history. Imagine looking at all that and thinking, “maybe he will become something he hasn’t been on 12 years”. It’s shocking.
Look Morg, you are probably right now…but let me ask you one question…were you saying the same stuff in May of 2024? How about After the Duke win in Nov 2024?
 

LadyCaytIL

Heisman
Oct 28, 2012
32,699
34,033
113
Yeah Scrooge McDuck money my GD A$$. you can feel free to moneyball the role players, thats brilliant, but having your best players being chosen for being under valued is lunacy. we are effed
 
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BlueSince92

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
10,491
2,862
230
Posts like this are what I’m talking about. And yes, many people on this site over the past several months have been blaming analytics for our failures. I’m simply pointing out that blaming analytics is not appropriate. Every coach that most of you would beg for LOVE analytics. Most of them, like Oats, use it even more heavily than Pope.
Informing strategy with analytics is great. Building strategy with the type of analytics they chose did not work and led Pope in unfortunate directions this past season. With unfortunate results. He has not really been doing what those more successful coaches have been doing with those types of data. Chasing the kind of hugely context-dependent numbers down rabbit holes now that he seems to be doing instead of going harder after the quality player he’s always known he needed (because he always made them his top priorities, just never landed them by and large) will not serve Pope well now.
 

UKWildcats1987

Heisman
Sep 9, 2021
19,695
34,362
113
Look Morg, you are probably right now…but let me ask you one question…were you saying the same stuff in May of 2024? How about After the Duke win in Nov 2024?

No one thought it was a good hire.

The Duke win was a fluky win. Getting down double digits u may luck out and win a few but not Manu.
 
Jul 30, 2024
5,898
11,355
113
Informing strategy with analytics is great. Building strategy with the type of analytics they chose did not work and led Pope in unfortunate directions this past season. With unfortunate results. He has not really been doing what those more successful coaches have been doing with those types of data. Chasing the kind of hugely context-dependent numbers down rabbit holes now that he seems to be doing instead of going harder after the quality player he’s always known he needed (because he always made them his top priorities, just never landed them by and large) will not serve Pope well now.
We don’t know what he’s doing day to day for the most part. I definitely disagree with the substitution patterns and I don’t know what led him to his conclusions on that.

So I agree with much of what you’re saying — certainly implementation of the resources needs to be better. But analytics are not at fault for misapplication or incorrect inferences — the inferrer is. We have some people who are asking for Kentucky to be the gold standard of the sport, while also asking us to stop using the resources that can help us return there.
 

Loucatfan30

Senior
Apr 11, 2024
841
992
87
Man, mark pope had this amazing war chest last year, where he could pick and choose who he wanted with regards to pay, and landed with MoD and BG as his starting 4 and 5 😂
That's the problem is you couldn't pick and choose who he wanted. He still had to convince them to join him when the players are free to go anywhere they like. We had the right money wrong person trying to convince people to join us.
 
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BlueSince92

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
10,491
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We don’t know what he’s doing day to day for the most part. I definitely disagree with the substitution patterns and I don’t know what led him to his conclusions on that.

So I agree with much of what you’re saying — certainly implementation of the resources needs to be better. But analytics are not at fault for misapplication or incorrect inferences — the inferrer is. We have some people who are asking for Kentucky to be the gold standard of the sport, while also asking us to stop using the resources that can help us return there.
I can agree with some of that but I”d put it differently. The data are not at fault for misinterpretations. But analytics is a question of how you arrange the data and plug them into calculations. If you don’t understand all the relevant layers of context correctly you can easily be in a hole before you make what you think are any inferences. Also I think generally analytics in sports is viewed as both crunching the numbers and drawing inferences from your results. But I do think we largely disagree despite semantics. I’m just pissed Pope seems to be working so hard to crack the problem of how to sniff out the best diamonds in the rough when his biggest problem has been bringing home the cut gems he’s so very often correctly identified as what would have most helped his team. And it’s not an uncharitable frustration. I’ve been behind Pope for the most part since he got here and now he’s largely dug himself a hole of his own making. This coming season I want to be cheering for him to climb out of it. I want to do that but, even though you’re right we’re not seeing a whole lot right now——man what little we do see looks a whole lot like the guy is still digging.
 

sefus12

Heisman
Dec 22, 2007
7,099
18,906
103
I've said it in other threads, but it fits here too. RR is one giant circle jerk of misery filled with a bunch of emotional teenage girls after a break up.

Some of you folks need to find another hobby.
 

CNJ1966

Senior
Dec 12, 2019
390
656
81
Look man, I don’t think Pope will last beyond next year…but I’m just kinda sick and tired of hearing people say I KNEW ALL ALONG FROM THE MOMENT HE WAS HIRED AND MY OPINION NEVER CHANGED THAT HE WAS A BAD HIRE. It’s ********. Most people on here thought at some point that Pope was capable of getting it done.
 
Jul 30, 2024
5,898
11,355
113
I can agree with some of that but I”d put it differently. The data are not at fault for misinterpretations. But analytics is a question of how you arrange the data and plug them into calculations. If you don’t understand all the relevant layers of context correctly you can easily be in a hole before you make what you think are any inferences. Also I think generally analytics in sports is viewed as both crunching the numbers and drawing inferences from your results. But I do think we largely disagree despite semantics. I’m just pissed Pope seems to be working so hard to crack the problem of how to sniff out the best diamonds in the rough when his biggest problem has been bringing home the cut gems he’s so very often correctly identified as what would have most helped his team. And it’s not an uncharitable frustration. I’ve been behind Pope for the most part since he got here and now he’s largely dug himself a hole of his own making. This coming season I want to be cheering for him to climb out of it. I want to do that but, even though you’re right we’re not seeing a whole lot right now——man what little we do see looks a whole lot like the guy is still digging.
I read that twice and don’t understand the difference between what we are each saying. I can be extremely stupid at times so I’ll chalk it up to that.
 

BGCATFAN2012

All-American
Aug 19, 2020
3,766
5,300
113
Im starting to worry this kinda stuff will kill my desire for UK Basketball. Does anyone really have faith or believe we are on the right path and to buy a team every season hope it cooks while we struggle to get 20 wins. 30 win seasons is UK standard and Mark cant handle the task. Hell not for sure anyone can besides maybe Hurley and a very few others. Parks and Rec squad is what we will have. Hell we might have to hire Rick Barnes unless hes removed his name from consideration
 

AllBall

All-American
May 5, 2015
4,439
5,666
93
It’s amazing how awful this hire is and it’s more amazing that there are some still thinking, this might work!!

Imagine that. Look at him, look at recruiting, look at history. Imagine looking at all that and thinking, “maybe he will become something he hasn’t been on 12 years”. It’s shocking.
He was a big goof in 96 and still is. Big goofs don't resonate with recruits.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,969
81,074
113
My favorite part of Moneyball is how they don't mention Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Miguel Tejada, or Eric Chavez. That team had big stars to go along with the fringe pieces that got the attention in the book & movie.
What a freaking staff that was.
 
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*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,969
81,074
113
Exactly! They literally said in the Zona-Purdue EE game that Lloyd goes through analytics at halftime to direct his second half adjustments. You know, they very guy 95%+ on this board are clamoring for. You can’t make this stuff up. They’d ***** and moan over anything Pope does.
I don’t mind analytics I just question our staffs use of them. Especially first half stats as slow as we always start. Now second half adjustments are usually a strength, but we have got crushed a few times in games we were severely out-coached or manned.
 

JohnRambo82

Senior
Mar 25, 2026
458
719
88
I don’t mind analytics I just question our staffs use of them. Especially first half stats as slow as we always start. Now second half adjustments are usually a strength, but we have got crushed a few times in games we were severely out-coached or manned.
I wish that software would explain to our coach that he shouldn’t run off a guy like Alvin Brooks and keep Cody Fueger on staff. I like Pope but would love to know why he made a move like that. Run off a guy that has a national championship ring and brought in a 5 star player three years in a row for Baylor before he left and then gets run off here. I don’t get it. Major red flag that he couldn’t get those players here under pope too.
 
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May 30, 2008
559
724
93
The "Moneyball" approach can work. If you don't know the concept behind it, you should look it up. It's very interesting. The movie gave a good glimpse of how it works if you want to be entertained.

Whether or not Pope can be successful with it, I dont know.
Any college will go under if you pay a college player 7,000,000 a year. The alumni and PHD will revolt. It’s the lawyers who are greedy. I bet the agent that got 7,000,000 for som college pl@yer was the first to announce it. Greed to hell with education