What I am most looking forward to this season: Just being relevant again and being respected on the national stage again.
- Thread starter UncleAdolph
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While we have been down by UK standards in the last 12 years we have finished in the top 20 nine times , six times in the top ten, and have appeared in the top ten at some point in every season. I think suggesting we have been irrelevant is overblown.
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Not irrelevant if we are Tennessee...we are irrelevant by our own Kentucky standard. But I understand there's a ton of people like yourself that don't uphold that standard. Clap for Poop one more time. 9th seeds baby
We at least have a legit shot now.
Will be rooting with all that is in me for them to deliver.
If we don't, then I'm sure appropriate decisions will be made, but I'm not going to worry about that yet.
I’m rooting really hard for Pope to succeed, and I think this roster has real potential, but this team has to gel and Pope has to coach it to its fullest capabilities. Last season blew a big hole through my confidence in Pope, so I’m taking a wait-and-see approach. But I am hungry for a successful season.
The faster the season gets here the faster we can hire a real coach. Excited as ever knowing this is make or break for Pope. So other way he succeeds or the next man gets a chance.
We will never be a hot commodity as long as Pope is coach. Call me a troll and terrible person all you want for stating the obvious. Nobody has to be farting rainbows all day just because Kentucky is their team. Some people actually are disgusted with the state of the program and have a right to be just like many have a right to fart rainbow dust about being 9th seeds in the SEC tournament.
We will never be a hot commodity as long as Pope is coach. Call me a troll and terrible person all you want for stating the obvious. Nobody has to be farting rainbows all day just because Kentucky is their team. Some people actually are disgusted with the state of the program and have a right to be just like many have a right to fart rainbow dust about being 9th seeds in the SEC tournament.
What’s our absolute minimum acceptable result? Sweet 16 and single digit losses (including post season)?
^Please do not feed this troll anymore^
It doesn't matter how cleverly or thoroughly you burn him he gets off on it.
Since you replied twice to the same post I will also....if you really didn't like me and had me on ignore you wouldn't see what I said or care to click your little button that shows you what I say.
Just keep me on ignore and don't worry about me ol Paul. Once again...just post some Kentucky stuff and quit focusing on me pusc boy
Don't feed me. You're literally the only one not able to be normal currently. While simultaneously feeding the (troll) just come back to the Kentucky side of it Pauly boy
First reasonable opinion I’ve read on here in a long time
I agree I mean no one is happy with 9 seeds. But you’re leaving out a pretty important part of the argument.
The SEC is the best it’s ever been. We went from sending like three schools to the tournament to 14 just a couple years ago.
if we go back ten years. To 2016. We can see that ranked SEC opponents by season end are dramatically reduced. We go from 2 teams in the entire sec ranked to 8-10 teams ranked nationally
now of course the argument that is valid is that Kentucky should have been able to keep up with the trend and with our resources we should still be more competitive but if you’re expecting dominance like there used to be that’s just not going to happen. With NIL and sec schools investing HEAVILY in their basketball programs, the dominance of back in the day is just simply gone. And if that’s what you’re expecting, you’re going to be disappointed for a very long time.
The SEC is the best it's ever been....so let's keep a mediocre coach?
I'm not being a dick towards you. And that's not a question directed at you. I respect your reply. But seriously that's all the more reason Pope needs to be fired.
SEC is going up while we are doing things to go backwards.
Well no, I will agree that I do not think pope is the man for the job. My reply should not imply that I am defending pope. But I’m not going to waste my energy calling for him to be fired when there is zero chance of that happening this upcoming season. Now if he doesn’t make it happen this season I’ll be more than happy to spend that energy.
my main point is that sec is different now. And soon we could see 9 seeds win the conference. We could see tournament champions with 10 loss conference records. I mean Calipari won the tournament with an 8 loss conference record. The years of domination are over. Doesn’t matter what coach we get. I’d like a new coach though don’t get me wrong.
That's fair and I didn't take what you said like you were defending him which is why I said not directed at you but to all the guys that do spend that energy defending Pope.
Nobody has to spend energy calling for him to be fired but they also don't have to spend energy trying to push this give Pope a chance narrative .
He's had two seasons. About to have his third. How many chances does BBN want? But like the one guy says earlier...the games have to be played. And they will be. And we'll be mediocre again.
We have a good team and I think Pope done a a great job.
It’s gonna be a tough season and I hope we can make a run.
It’s gonna be a tough season and I hope we can make a run.
Also Florida just went 16-2 in conference play. That's pretty dominant imo. No reason Kentucky can't do the same.
I think Stein will get us there eventually but it will take some time…I’m right there with you!
That would at least make us relevant again.
Just keep lowering the bar and we will be relevant with 20 losses and 15th place in the SEC.While we have been down by UK standards in the last 12 years we have finished in the top 20 nine times , six times in the top ten, and have appeared in the top ten at some point in every season. I think suggesting we have been irrelevant is overblown.
Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Index | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
Check out the Kentucky Wildcats College Basketball History, Stats, Records, Polls, Leaders and More College Basketball Stats at Sports-Reference.com
While we have been down by UK standards in the last 12 years we have finished in the top 20 nine times , six times in the top ten, and have appeared in the top ten at some point in every season. I think suggesting we have been irrelevant is overblown.
Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Index | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
Check out the Kentucky Wildcats College Basketball History, Stats, Records, Polls, Leaders and More College Basketball Stats at Sports-Reference.com
Anything short of #9 and it's safe to say the season is a disappointed. Only a few times in history have we had a team this loaded. I think we're capable of going wire to wire. People writing is off do so at their own risk. The Pope Revenge Tour '27
Wasn’t looking forward to this next season until we got a great shooter. Thinking this has potential to surpass Pope year 1. Loved the flow of the game with that team. Hoping this is better and we don’t meet TN in the tournament
Well, I'm disgusted by your avatar. So there!
I personally don't think UK is either at the moment. Most outsiders saw the entire recruitment process as a hot mess and Milan being a backed in desperation get UK had to unload the brinks truck for, after a series of whiffs. I still see UK as a bit of a national laughing stock TBH.
Where top programs like Duke, UConn, Michigan surgically plucked their first choices clandestine, every whiff Pope made was highlighted for for weeks across media (in part due to the loco fanbase/BBN). I honestly don't think in this day and age the chaos BBN brings is seen as "passion" as much as it is delusion.
If Pope does something significant with this roster the narrative may change - would probably take an Elite 8. At least he didn't dump truck $$ for a kid like Quaintnance.
Where top programs like Duke, UConn, Michigan surgically plucked their first choices clandestine, every whiff Pope made was highlighted for for weeks across media (in part due to the loco fanbase/BBN). I honestly don't think in this day and age the chaos BBN brings is seen as "passion" as much as it is delusion.
If Pope does something significant with this roster the narrative may change - would probably take an Elite 8. At least he didn't dump truck $$ for a kid like Quaintnance.
Come on brother. Pope is the coach this year. Let’s give him and these young men a chance to play first. It’s possible everyone likes each other and they all love playing together. I know most are down from last year, and the last ten plus if we’re being honest, but we have air in our lungs and a heart beat, they may surprise us all and win a lot of Games this season. We have some good pieces and Mark has shown he can win some big close games, (his first season)! Anyway, I think we just need to make the most of it and hope for the best. Honestly, we could’ve done a lot worse than we did and I think they’re going to be tough to beat by the end of the season. I won’t blame everything on injuries, but man Mark has had some of the worst timed injuries of any top tier team, maybe this year is his best. If not then we’ll all be picking who we want on here I’m sure.
Also, you’re just as right to say you’re opinion on here as anyone, some probably don’t like the delivery, 
, but that doesn’t make you a troll. Not this week anyway, before that, hellll yeah you was trolling to be trolling. Hahaha. It’s all good though.
I’m not sure if I can say the amount of losses, or how far we make the tournament is my measuring stick for the season. I’m more wanting to see improvements during the season and games, (after halftime)! I want to see them playing their absolute hardest while they’re on the floor, diving for loose balls and just giving it all. I want to see them laughing and having fun, playing together and looking for each other when they get open. I want to see the bench going crazy and looking like they would die to be in the game, but also cheering for the guys on the floor. I want to see us rebound like Oscar did, just giving effort and it will happen. Defensively, same, give everything you have, every play and until you can’t give anymore. If I had to put a number on what I’d like us to be, I’d say 27-10 or something like that give or take. The Elite Eight would certainly be considered an improvement, but the tournament is just hard to advance with so many matchups that could go either way. As long as they look like they love playing the game, look like they’re giving everything they have and having fun, it’s a success in my book.
I really liked this post man. One thing though, as for the dominance being over,! With our history, resources and the right people in charge, we should 100% still be one of the top 1,2 or 3 in the SEC every year. We should always be around the top ten in the country as well. Kentucky isn’t just any other school. It’s the Basketball capital of the universe. I do agree everyone has gotten better, we should still get better to. You make a lot of great points here for sure. Good post bud. You’re right, it’s a different time but Kentucky needs to take back what is ours. That’s being the best of the best again. It’s coming. Thanks.
Who the hellll is this guy? lol. “ I respect your reply “. What the heck is going on around here.
. Let’s just hope we win big this season, he gets the #1 portal class and a top high school class and we start killing it and Mark Pope becomes a legend. I’m with you though, I want to get back to competing for championships. Kentucky should be the school kids think of when thinking about the best program in the world. AGAIN.!! I hope Mark is the guy, if not, we can see him at the reunion.Sybau. This team may be better than anything your program has ever put together, but it’s just another team here. It’s possible pope could have a break out year and surprise everyone and get to the final four, but I’m not holding my breath.
Oh how Kentucky basketball has fallen! A Sweet 16 is what we’re chasing to make us relevant again. Embarrassing!
I don't think anybody on here said we are chasing a sweet 16. But it is an acceptable outcome in some cases.
5 to 8 losses and no lower than a 4 seed also contend for the sec and tournament
A great job? What effing rubric u scoring on?
Chicken or egg, but I think what we all want at this point is to feel some prestige back. That in this time of NIL, UK is a destination and if you get an offer, you want to be there. That starts with a cycle of winning, sending kids to the NBA, getting the recruits you want.
You don't want to feel bilked on NIL, see a bunch of kids that look disengaged, backing into a tournament and barely getting by in the first round. Missing on every HS recruit, then missing on the bulk of high end portal recruits before backing into the one big ticket.
It still kinda feels like a reactive mistake of a roster rather than one with intention. Now we'll see if the players feel that in the upcoming season. Anything short of a S16 and you have to move on Pope.
You don't want to feel bilked on NIL, see a bunch of kids that look disengaged, backing into a tournament and barely getting by in the first round. Missing on every HS recruit, then missing on the bulk of high end portal recruits before backing into the one big ticket.
It still kinda feels like a reactive mistake of a roster rather than one with intention. Now we'll see if the players feel that in the upcoming season. Anything short of a S16 and you have to move on Pope.
Umm yes they did. If you can read then scroll up. And no a Sweet 16 is not acceptable after the past two years we’ve had under the new coach. Fans like you have morphed us into Indiana.