BBN seem deflated!

DraftCat

Heisman
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Nov 5, 2011
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the sandlot lifeguard GIF
 

sefus12

Heisman
Dec 22, 2007
7,091
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The mood throughout out the state is disheartening. No one is pumped up about the tournament at all! The direction of the program is not in a good place.
I’m pretty dang excited about the tourney, but I did respond to you so you got the attention you seeking.

Win-win, I guess?
 
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kyhankypanky

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I’m just saying our program was in worse shape at that time.
Perhaps, but it had potential energy, if you think of it that way. A new coach was on the way and we knew it! Now, there is no such a change looming, and the fear is that mediocre Pope will be here for at least a few more years.
 
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Jul 30, 2024
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I’ll be honest OP…this season hasn’t been good enough for genuine optimism about the postseason. I will say though we have a chance in some of these games and I’m still excited. Can we lose the first game? Absolutely we can. Can we win the first and upset Iowa St? Absolutely we can. Sadness about the program is entirely justified but this site specifically has nurtured and fostered only the most pessimistic and antagonistic aspects of our circumstances. Matt Jones said it best on the radio show today — there’s nothing to be lost by simply allowing yourself to hope for a magical run. If we don’t, it’ll be over by the end of the weekend and we move onto the next step. Treat yourself to a moment of joy this postseason, none of us are promised to see another March Madness. God bless, BBN!
 

Wildcat_in_DC

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Nov 25, 2025
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13 losses on the year. 5 by double digits, handful of massive blowouts. lost 6 of 10. trailed by double digits in like 12 games this year. #7 seed in the NCAAT. zero future hope. santa clara is basically a pick'em game.

not sure where you expect uk fans to get some bravado....the "we are kentucky" stuff runs contrary to a full season of performance.
 

FitchandMurray29

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Dec 11, 2021
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Perhaps, but it had potential energy, if you think of it that way. A new coach was on the way and we knew it! Now, there is no such a change looming, and the fear is that mediocre Pope will be here for at least a few more years.
I’m with Woodrow on this one. Either Pope gets it right this offseason/26-27 season or he’s fired a year from now. The negativity will be too rampant to overcome for Pope if we aren’t legit good.
 

Wildcat_in_DC

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I’m with Woodrow on this one. Either Pope gets it right this offseason/26-27 season or he’s fired a year from now. The negativity will be too rampant to overcome for Pope if we aren’t legit good.
i dont know if he will get fired a year from now if the results are similar to what we have experienced this year. but i do know that the fan base will be checked out. whether the new AD is quick to react is a question mark.
 

CatBlueBlood

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Feb 18, 2026
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Kentucky fans have fallen into a malaise with good reason. We are going to lose 15 games this year and there is no reason to believe that things are going to get better anytime soon. The leadership trifecta of Eli, Mitch, and Pope, does not portend well for our beloved basketball program.
 

true-blue1

Heisman
May 15, 2007
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I’m pretty dang excited about the tourney, but I did respond to you so you got the attention you seeking.

Win-win, I guess?
I’m not seeking attention at all. I just made a thread. I am around a lot of people through out the state and the overall mood is disheartening and I feel the same way!
 
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Woodrow24

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Dec 21, 2015
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I’ll be honest OP…this season hasn’t been good enough for genuine optimism about the postseason. I will say though we have a chance in some of these games and I’m still excited. Can we lose the first game? Absolutely we can. Can we win the first and upset Iowa St? Absolutely we can. Sadness about the program is entirely justified but this site specifically has nurtured and fostered only the most pessimistic and antagonistic aspects of our circumstances. Matt Jones said it best on the radio show today — there’s nothing to be lost by simply allowing yourself to hope for a magical run. If we don’t, it’ll be over by the end of the weekend and we move onto the next step. Treat yourself to a moment of joy this postseason, none of us are promised to see another March Madness. God bless, BBN!
This team is so unpredictable, who knows which one will show up? Like you said they could lose first round or they could upset a few teams. Playing in a tough conference should help them be prepared for this. I think they beat Santa Clara but lose in the second round to Iowa State.
 
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This team is so unpredictable, who knows which one will show up? Like you said they could lose first round or they could upset a few teams. Playing in a tough conference should help them be prepared for this. I think they beat Santa Clara but lose in the second round to Iowa State.
Absolutely the more likely scenario for sure.
 
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FatCatMan

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I’m with Woodrow on this one. Either Pope gets it right this offseason/26-27 season or he’s fired a year from now. The negativity will be too rampant to overcome for Pope if we aren’t legit good.
Kentucky fans are going to be in a foul mood this offseason/next year. If I were Pope I’d be too chickenshit to stick around, but $5 mil is hard to turn away. He’s gotta be pitch-perfect this offseason. No whiffs on top portal players. And preferably some staff additions and changes.
 

Cats_2010

Heisman
Jan 8, 2010
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I’m pretty excited myself. I mean I didn’t have much hope but after hearing pope say they were going to play better how does that not getting everybody buying in!! 🤷‍♂️
 

Hunting9

Junior
Oct 30, 2025
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I’m pretty excited myself. I mean I didn’t have much hope but after hearing pope say they were going to play better how does that not getting everybody buying in!! 🤷‍♂️
Pretty much this ^. Anything and everything Pope says is off the charts stupidity. He talks like a crazy person and he acts like one too. Hell, I just watched the first half of the SMU / Miami OH game and Miami would be waaay up on us if we were their opponent thus far. At least our fan base seems to know Pope has to go but I think we’ll keep him too long. Very sad.
 
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Wildcat_in_DC

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Nov 25, 2025
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I’m pretty excited myself. I mean I didn’t have much hope but after hearing pope say they were going to play better how does that not getting everybody buying in!! 🤷‍♂️
after 34 games you are what you are. if it was as easy as "well now we are going to play better".....then pope should be fired on the spot for not doing it 20 games ago.

but of course it isnt that easy and its just coach speak. the NCAAT is a way to "write a new chapter" but in a vast majority of cases the next chapter is basically the same as the previous one. hope isnt a strategy/plan. but its all we got so we blindly believe.
 

Cats_2010

Heisman
Jan 8, 2010
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after 34 games you are what you are. if it was as easy as "well now we are going to play better".....then pope should be fired on the spot for not doing it 20 games ago.

but of course it isnt that easy and its just coach speak. the NCAAT is a way to "write a new chapter" but in a vast majority of cases the next chapter is basically the same as the previous one. hope isnt a strategy/plan. but its all we got so we blindly believe.
My post was Hyperbole!!
 

paulcalhoun_rivals397471

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Aug 23, 2024
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Kentucky fans have fallen into a malaise with good reason. We are going to lose 15 games this year and there is no reason to believe that things are going to get better anytime soon. The leadership trifecta of Eli, Mitch, and Pope, does not portend well for our beloved basketball program.
It is literally impossible to lose 15 at this point.
 

MichaelGray

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Jan 13, 2026
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**** it, I'm pumped for Friday's game, cant wait to drink beer in a sports bar here in Louisville on Sunday & watch them beat that Iowa St ***.
 

FitchandMurray29

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Kentucky fans are going to be in a foul mood this offseason/next year. If I were Pope I’d be too chickenshit to stick around, but $5 mil is hard to turn away. He’s gotta be pitch-perfect this offseason. No whiffs on top portal players. And preferably some staff additions and changes.
I probably come across as a defender of Pope but I’m not. I hated the hire originally like everyone else.

My standard for this off-season is a stud PG(Lowe was between like 25-40 in portal rankings, think he needs to be in the cut above that. Think Silas/Dedan or above tier comparable in 2026 portal). With one more stud addition which could be Stokes or a top 15-20 ranked portal scorer. Then retain Moreno and at least 2 of Chandler, Kam, Hawthorne. Add some Pope system fits as role players(no Mo’s as an example).

I think we’re all in agreement on that being a successful offseason. We probably just disagree on how doable it is for the guy that gets dunked on for his whiffs.
 

CRZ4UK

All-American
Jun 6, 2008
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The mood throughout out the state is disheartening. No one is pumped up about the tournament at all! The direction of the program is not in a good place.
This can’t be correct. Our 25 year AD. Just got a 1.3 million dollar advising job because he’s done so well????
 

Woodrow24

Heisman
Dec 21, 2015
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I looked at the current recruiting class on espn and theirs just 3 guys left in the top 50. If UK doesn’t get stokes, the other guys don’t even have UK listed, so we won’t get a single top 50 guy in that recruiting class.
 

Reggie Noble

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SBKY

Senior
Jan 20, 2011
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What do you mean??!! We are a 7 seed and have a small chance to win at least our first game! Everyone here thinks we are having a great season and Pope deserves a lifetime contract. We had injuries remember??!!!!!
 
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ArcticChar

Junior
Mar 18, 2022
362
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Nothing to be pumped up about really. We weren't real good when pitino took over that first year in 1989 but man that was exciting because we knew the things to come.
 

champagnecat

Senior
Nov 28, 2025
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“I don’t care about March Madness anymore”
“I’m too old for basketball now”
“Anybody else not feel like watching this year?”
“Did anyone else not fill out a bracket”

This board turning into a bunch of lame zombies
 

ZaytovenCat

All-American
Apr 25, 2013
23,880
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We will be back on top again. Either pope figures things out or we find a new coach. Kentucky won’t stay down long.
I’m sure UCLA and Indiana said and felt they wouldn’t stay down long either. Truth is, we won’t go back to the top just because we are Kentucky. It’s going to take not only the right coach being hired, but the right AD, and UK/Eli doesn’t instill much confidence in me that they will do that.
 

ZaytovenCat

All-American
Apr 25, 2013
23,880
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Idk if it will make people feel any better but we were in a lot worse shape when BCG was here. The SEC was in bad shape as a whole his last season and we still didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament. That year the SEC only had 3 teams make it.
I actually feel we are about in the same spot as we were with BCG. You can actually say even worse of a spot now with Duke/UNC/Uconn gaining multiple titles on us and getting dangerously close in Dukes case. Not to mention everyone being able to pay players now has severely leveled things out. With our current trajectory and Dukes trajectory, we are on the edge of being passed up by them in titles. Not to mention the alltime wins lead is almost surely going to be lost to Kansas again.
 

ZaytovenCat

All-American
Apr 25, 2013
23,880
8,408
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I’ll be honest OP…this season hasn’t been good enough for genuine optimism about the postseason. I will say though we have a chance in some of these games and I’m still excited. Can we lose the first game? Absolutely we can. Can we win the first and upset Iowa St? Absolutely we can. Sadness about the program is entirely justified but this site specifically has nurtured and fostered only the most pessimistic and antagonistic aspects of our circumstances. Matt Jones said it best on the radio show today — there’s nothing to be lost by simply allowing yourself to hope for a magical run. If we don’t, it’ll be over by the end of the weekend and we move onto the next step. Treat yourself to a moment of joy this postseason, none of us are promised to see another March Madness. God bless, BBN!
I just can’t agree with Matt on that. If we had a legit chance at winning a title then I’d agree with letting yourself have hope but why in the world would you allow yourself to have hope when this team isn’t winning a title and likely gets bounced the first weekend? All that does is make it worse when we do lose.