Whats up, Nightsweats? You gonna go absolutely berzerk with your politics before the thread gets deleted like you did the other day??? Stick to faking your disappearance.
Big Blue Madness
- Thread starter Lameguy
- Start date
It might seem lame and boring but UofL won't even have one they are too embarrassed. Indiana has like 1,000 people, Arkansas was like 30% full.
-Bring back campouts
-Introduce the women but nothing else, have to shorten it.
-light 5v5 scrimmage and 3pt contest.
-Bring back campouts
-Introduce the women but nothing else, have to shorten it.
-light 5v5 scrimmage and 3pt contest.
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When you speak of “ weak AF “ you’re technically talking about our roster
And that my friend, is the lack of interest right now ..
Alex Wilkins may be my favorite player this year. Feel like we have a special one, if he has the work ethic sky is the limit for this guy.
Has to get better or just drop it. Iwas there and it was pretty boring and I've been to many Madness nights before. Arena wasn't ever filled and many people, I mean large amounts, left early leaving huge gaps in the arena. We even left before it was completely over as it was really dragging and had already been going 2 1/2 hours. Least interesting Madness night I've attended.
I had no idea Wilkins was a finalist for Freshman of the year (top 25) it isn't entriely impossible that this guy could be a lottery pick.
Yea I think the campouts would help build the excitement, especially with the students.
Then it has to be shortened. Sorry ladies.
And lastly 5v5 scrimmage (I think elite freshmen recruits also help with BBM excitement seeing them for the first time, like John Wall.)
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No one else really cares about basketball like UK fans do so its gonna be the best...even when its clearly stale.
As someone who has attended Madness since '95, not consecutively but throughout all coaching tenures since, I have some thoughts about last night. Overall, my honest take is it's time to re-boot the whole experience.
Let me be direct: that was the least amount of energy in the building for a Madness, by far, and that includes the final Tubby years and year 2 for Billy G.
Nobody around us stood for anything except KAT's appearance and the t-shirt toss. Embarrassing level of apathy.
Gold standard has rusted over and the property is covered in weeds and broken fence posts. This program is a shell of what it once was in terms of enthusiasm, energy, innovation, and fan experience.
I would re-brand the entire Madness event into a family-centric event with a focus on kids who are too naive to know what this has become lately. They'll always love the putt from baseline to baseline, the t-shirt toss, the cheerleaders, and a few stale, over-used videos with the same music we've heard for a decade plus by now.
Pope didn't even give a speech. He was too focused on his new image - "drip" as the kids say. In year one, he narrated practice drills, talked about his team, and was on the mic a lot.
This year the mic didn't work 50% of the time, the loud speakers crackled during the videos, and the intros were stuck in slow motion. It was all disorganized, choppy, awkward silence throughout ...
I was stunned to see the entire section behind the stage curtained off from floor to ceiling. Never seen that before at Madness. So when we say "sell-out" let's factor in 20% of Rupp was behind a black curtain. And the row behind us in Section 214 was almost completely empty. LOTS of empty seats.
If not for the father/son experience and memories, this would have been my list. But my son is too young to know how terrible and sad this event truly was.
I don't think any students were there. In the past, they'd have a big section in front of the stage to keep the energy up and high-five the players.
I think the women actually had MORE time because they ran long. Awful.
Do better, UK.
Let me be direct: that was the least amount of energy in the building for a Madness, by far, and that includes the final Tubby years and year 2 for Billy G.
Nobody around us stood for anything except KAT's appearance and the t-shirt toss. Embarrassing level of apathy.
Gold standard has rusted over and the property is covered in weeds and broken fence posts. This program is a shell of what it once was in terms of enthusiasm, energy, innovation, and fan experience.
I would re-brand the entire Madness event into a family-centric event with a focus on kids who are too naive to know what this has become lately. They'll always love the putt from baseline to baseline, the t-shirt toss, the cheerleaders, and a few stale, over-used videos with the same music we've heard for a decade plus by now.
Pope didn't even give a speech. He was too focused on his new image - "drip" as the kids say. In year one, he narrated practice drills, talked about his team, and was on the mic a lot.
This year the mic didn't work 50% of the time, the loud speakers crackled during the videos, and the intros were stuck in slow motion. It was all disorganized, choppy, awkward silence throughout ...
I was stunned to see the entire section behind the stage curtained off from floor to ceiling. Never seen that before at Madness. So when we say "sell-out" let's factor in 20% of Rupp was behind a black curtain. And the row behind us in Section 214 was almost completely empty. LOTS of empty seats.
If not for the father/son experience and memories, this would have been my list. But my son is too young to know how terrible and sad this event truly was.
I don't think any students were there. In the past, they'd have a big section in front of the stage to keep the energy up and high-five the players.
I think the women actually had MORE time because they ran long. Awful.
Do better, UK.
As unpopular as this might be, they really should have a separate event for the women's team. I wish them well and hope they win it all, but I don't think most people have enough interest in them to endure them at madness. I could also do without the cheerleaders and dance team. When those things take up the majority of madness, something is wrong. It should be focused on the men's basketball program. It was dull from start to finish. No coach introductions, other than Pope, no real focus on much of anything. It was good to see KAT and I like having former players there. I was excited for it to get started and disappointed (in madness) when it was done. I Iike the team and think they can be really good and am ready for basketball! As always...GO BIG BLUE!!!
I’m too old to go to Rupp Arena for anything, and the crowd enthusiasm, on TV at least, seemed less than usual. However, all you posters who are using this thread to once again disparage Pope and the team in general are redundant.
I agree. If were being honest, who cares about women's basketball.
Just a thought but college bball could be losing it's luster. The influx of foreigners to America is propelling other sports like soccer to a new level.
Nah, the viewership is all there. It all starts with the coach.
Cal, for better or worse, was an entertainer as much as he was a coach. We rode the guy out of town without doing a full 360 on all the things he provided, hyper fixated on 3 tourneys.
To be fair, it is peak corn picking season.
You clearly like half naked, sweaty older men @Johnny_Jeepers . Keep your homosexual visions to yourself. I don't swing that way.
I think Cal lost his Mojo. I'm not saying Pope is the answer but it was in the best interest of both parties for a split. The problem came in with Banrhart eliminating the best available alternatives like Pearl and Sean Miller because they didn't pass his virtue test.
Soccer is a wild theory.
My theory is this - in the portal era, it's just not as exciting picking off a bunch of old mercenaries from other programs at this point in the year. You know what they are, you've seen them on TV.
When you have a pack of new NBA possible freshmen that no one has seen in a college uni, it's a different experience. You're coming out to not only see the kid that may get UK it's next title, but the next NBA star.
Cal hasn't lost his mojo in terms of entertainment and bringing in the 5* with the most NBA potential. He'll have Fayetville rocking and rolling this year from a pure entertainment standpoint.
From a titles standpoint, he may have not been the answer. I don't think Fayetville cares. They have a lower bar that way.
I assume you were a student, pretty much mostly students if I remember correctly
I think the whole Cal lost his mojo is such a false narrative.
Everyone says post 15, he wasn't the same.
No what changed was the results. He just wasn't getting the results he got. In both 17 and 19 we were a poss away from Final Fours. The last three years here we had some very good teams as evident by the seeds we were given going into the tournament.
I don't think Cal ever lost that. It was just that it was going to be difficult to keep up the same pace he had 2010-20215. Three of those teams were among some of the greatest UK teams ever.
Everyone says post 15, he wasn't the same.
No what changed was the results. He just wasn't getting the results he got. In both 17 and 19 we were a poss away from Final Fours. The last three years here we had some very good teams as evident by the seeds we were given going into the tournament.
I don't think Cal ever lost that. It was just that it was going to be difficult to keep up the same pace he had 2010-20215. Three of those teams were among some of the greatest UK teams ever.
Also the women being in this is not the reason for the lack of excitement.
They've been in this along with the cheerleaders and dance team for as long as I can remember.
It's a direct result of Pope and the lack of excitement currently around the team.
Recruit better. Put a product on the court that could compete for a national title and see how excited fans become.
They've been in this along with the cheerleaders and dance team for as long as I can remember.
It's a direct result of Pope and the lack of excitement currently around the team.
Recruit better. Put a product on the court that could compete for a national title and see how excited fans become.
I was thinking this morning why is BBM not as great as it once was. I’ve seen people mention the women’s team, but I can remember them being apart of it since Tubby. Maybe no scrimmage? However, is a 5 minute running clock of threes and dunks going to make the night worthwhile? Could it be some pessimism around the program under Pope? Possibly, but I think the biggest reason is social media and technology. Before BBM was a time to see the new players. The only time you really heard about them was in preseason magazines and the newspaper. Now you constantly see every target UK is talking to for 3-4 years. If they commit instantly highlights and analysis comparing their game to other players. You can watch them play the entire summer on the EYBL circuit or their high school season most times. Before you only saw these guys if they played somewhere nearby and you could go watch. I’m not blaming this solely, but I think it’s why it’s not as special now as it was pre technology boom.
Asked some IU friends, they didn't even know about it b/c it was just an open practice or something. Nobody was willing to drive to it.
Don’t twist words. I said only 5 pages, of a thread I never saw, is weak. Go back 10,15,20 years and a site like this would have people complaining about 30 threads about our team and making the site locked up. That my friend is a weak state of the program (and college sports).When you speak of “ weak AF “ you’re technically talking about our roster
Hey man sorry I was short with you in the thread. There’s no excuse but dealing with a lot and was short fused. You always been cool with me.Lmao at moving the goal posts!
It scares me to look at Indiana because I can’t help but look at our own trajectory.
The problem is they make the fans essentially go through the same thing twice. Introductions, waiting, warmups, waiting, 3 pt contest, etc.
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