Cal.. this one is on you

[theblueblazer]

There are various things you can point to as to why we lost... rebounding, going after loose balls, screens, bad calls but when it comes right down to it, its on Cal.

Up 4 with about 5 to go and you start a stall, come on! We had them on their heels and we stand for 25 sec on each possession and let them catch their breathe and with about 6-7 sec left on shot clock we drive and shoot 3 air balls in a row, inexcusable!

 

[Vossler22]

 

[yoshukai]

I agree with the OP .

 

[dbem1]

Originally posted by theblueblazer:
There are various things you can point to as to why we lost... rebounding, going after loose balls, screens, bad calls but when it comes right down to it, its on Cal.

Up 4 with about 5 to go and you start a stall, come on! We had them on their heels and we stand for 25 sec on each possession and let them catch their breathe and with about 6-7 sec left on shot clock we drive and shoot 3 air balls in a row, inexcusable!

Yes. Cal shot those air balls. By the way on two there were fouls not called. If they go in or the fouls are called we are declaring what a brilliant strategy. You have to execute at the end and we missed those makeable shots. Again two of them should have been "and ones".

Also the time clock violation hurt. But let us not forget the first half basket when the Wisconsin player clearly touched the ball before he re-established position. Huge play that gets lost because of when it happened.
This post was edited on 4/5 12:20 AM by dbem1

 

[theblueblazer]

Come on.. seriously... bad calls... there were bad calls on both sides. Lyles should have been called flagrant but wasn't. The air balls were shot by someone other then Cal, true, but they were bad shots cause we didn't run our offense instead we stood for nearly the whole shot clock then had no choice but drive and throw one up.

 

[Graves51]

reminded me so much of last year. driving and throwing up prayers!

 

[dbem1]

Originally posted by theblueblazer:

Come on.. seriously... bad calls... there were bad calls on both sides. Lyles should have been called flagrant but wasn't. The air balls were shot by someone other then Cal, true, but they were bad shots cause we didn't run our offense instead we stood for nearly the whole shot clock then had no choice but drive and throw one up.

Where on my post do you see the words "bad calls". Missed calls happen and you should fight through them. But the timing of these non calls were vital. That can not be denied.

 

[mrhotdice]

We chocked no matter what the outcome. We ran no plays in the last 5 minutes.

 

[The Skxawng]

WTFE OP I guess you our next coach since you smarter than Cal. Get over yourself thinking you got all the answer after the fact. We all experts from the couch.

 

[fla.cat]

Originally posted by MrHotDice:
We chocked no matter what the outcome. We ran no plays in the last 5 minutes.

Totally correct...with three time outs and a media timeout...we stopped for no organized play, and perhaps a little pep talk.

 

[dbem1]

Originally posted by fla.cat:

Originally posted by MrHotDice:
We chocked no matter what the outcome. We ran no plays in the last 5 minutes.

Totally correct...with three time outs and a media timeout...we stopped for no organized play, and perhaps a little pep talk.

Yes. A time out would have helped.

 

[hoopsdave]

This and the fact that we do no game planning defensively. The switching on every screen killed us tonight. And of course we have no other options to go to.
We never change anything as the game progresses.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[FOWLER267]

The dribble drive pretty much depends on a player driving to the basket with the thought that it's better to draw a foul and take your chances at the FT line than to shoot a three. That works well if fouls are being called. Wisky was pretty good at not fouling a few times and we did get lucky on a few calls as well. I sorta think Cal was trying that stratedgy with the thought of getting into the bonus shots before the closing minutes so that trading fouls would not kill us in the moment.

Didn't work out this game but it worked quite well in many of the other 38. Perfection is the goal but there is no shame and little blame to go around for sticking with what has worked the last 38 times in a row.

GO CATS!

I expect us to be even better next season!

 

[Seckatz]

I agree totally . When teams have problems on defense the coach is supposed to adjust . Cal says he doesn't worry about other teams only his. Dose any other coach in any sport think like this? I am not sure if they do. Coaches have to game plan.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Originally posted by The Skxawng:

WTFE OP I guess you our next coach since you smarter than Cal. Get over yourself thinking you got all the answer after the fact. We all experts from the couch.

OP is correct...Cal is NOT perfect and HE did lose this game tonight with the strategy he employed...Wisky was on their heels and by killing the clock he allowed them to compose themselves and the stupid strategy gave them hope(Wisconsin)...

 

[omnivos]

Originally posted by theblueblazer:
There are various things you can point to as to why we lost... rebounding, going after loose balls, screens, bad calls but when it comes right down to it, its on Cal.

Up 4 with about 5 to go and you start a stall, come on! We had them on their heels and we stand for 25 sec on each possession and let them catch their breathe and with about 6-7 sec left on shot clock we drive and shoot 3 air balls in a row, inexcusable!

Here are three letter. can you figure them out? H.O.F.

 

[devilpuppet]

Some of you fair weather fans don't diserve Cal. Short memories.

 

[ZZBlueComet]

John Wooden didn't spend a lot of time scouting other teams, that's where Cal gets this - but that has nothing to do with in-game adjustments. Bottom line is we had the momentum, then we took the air out of the ball, ran no sets and started our drives to the basket with the shot clock winding down - had 3 straight shot-clock violations.

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

Cal was terrible today.

I honestly dont blame one player for the game, they were simply put in bad positions.

 

[ZaytovenCat]

I agree Cal was horrible down the stretch. What pissed me off the most is that after first possession with a shot clock violation, of which we got three chances from Karl's offensive rebounds, Cal didn't call timeout and put Ulis in for Andrew. He should have done that after the second shot clock violation at the very latest. Ulis wouldn't have stood around like Andrew did.

What got us here is also what ended our season, the Harrison's. The twins ran the clock down each possession dribbling around burning clock only to throw up airballs. Last year I would have hated them for it but this year I can't. They've done so much the last two years that you pretty much have to be at peace with whatever they do.

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

Originally posted by devilpuppet:
Some of you fair weather fans don't diserve Cal. Short memories.

Next best thing to watching UK win the title? Yep, watching Duke lose it. Can't wait, you bums have had a cake walk until tomorrow nite....
Wisconsin is going to embarrass you in front of millions...
Enjoy...

 

[ukfit]

Did you read where Cal did not show them any film on the Badgers?
I think this was critical. How could the Cats imagine Kiminski and Deckers athleticism without actually watching how they operated? You can talk all day how these guys are superlative but to actually see how quick they were and how good they could shoot and drive actually would give them a good estimate how hard UK would have to HUSTLE.

This was a bad mistake for Cal.
Also-

They could not drive inside and apparently they quit shooting the J. Huh?
Ulis can hit the 3. But he rarely took the shot.
Johnson still apparently cant inside without walking. He needs to stay and work on that. especially not dribbling in the lane before he goes up for the shot. Towns has got it down but as you saw last night Kiminsky slapped the ball away and fouled at the waning seconds. Had we gone for the 3 instead, I believe we would have won. It was a smart foul by Kiminski.

 

[Burly]

Cal rode the shoulders of his favorite player & got burned. After every game like clock work he would always start a press conference with wild praise for Andrew sometimes warranted sometimes not.

Andrew is not a good 2pt shooter especially inside the lane .. He is decent from the elbow, 3 & getting to rim. He never got any of those 3 options and waited so late the refs would not bail him out. He had the same bad 3 possessions last year late against Wisconsin but his brother bailed him out.

Ulis should have been running point with twins on wings Lyle's & KAT. WCS was worthless on offense.

 

[katman55]

You called it OP.

 

[65pacecar]

Two Killers on Cals part. Starting the second half with Harrisons on bench allowed Wisc. To build a quick 8 point lead that we had to dig out of. Second was the horrible stall ball and trying to throw up a prayerat the end of the clock with a 4 point lead and 5 minutes to play. We couldn't rebound all nightso counting on the put back wasn't going to work on a miss.

Also WCS taki g a vacation day last night didn't help, he has shown very little effort the last two games, played great against WVU but then nothing except a few plays hereand there. Like he decided to go pro after the Sweet 16 then relaxed.

 

[Rolf Russman]

Yep. 38 wins. One loss. All on Cal.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

I am thrilled we have Cal, because he gets the best players and we have a chance every year to win a title.

That said, Cal isn't perfect. His style and approach relies on top talent to win. Cal coaching the talent that MSU gets would not fair well. As mentioned, he does not expose his players to much game film or detailed game prep, relying on his team focusing on their own game. That can work, but it is also risky. Also, he is similar to some other coaches in eschewing time outs in crunch time.

But he's by far the best recruiter, and he has an amazing ability to get top players to come together as a team and work hard. It's a mixed bag, which isn't for everyone. There are definitely flaws, which can be focused on by some critics, but they often ignore his strengths while doing so. For UK fans, you either have to buy in and accept him as he is, and live through these heartbreaks, or you can call for his head. I think the latter camp is much smaller though.

 

[trinity45_rivals378029]

Originally posted by dbem1:

Originally posted by theblueblazer:
There are various things you can point to as to why we lost... rebounding, going after loose balls, screens, bad calls but when it comes right down to it, its on Cal.

Up 4 with about 5 to go and you start a stall, come on! We had them on their heels and we stand for 25 sec on each possession and let them catch their breathe and with about 6-7 sec left on shot clock we drive and shoot 3 air balls in a row, inexcusable!

Yes. Cal shot those air balls. By the way on two there were fouls not called. If they go in or the fouls are called we are declaring what a brilliant strategy. You have to execute at the end and we missed those makeable shots. Again two of them should have been "and ones".

Also the time clock violation hurt. But let us not forget the first half basket when the Wisconsin player clearly touched the ball before he re-established position. Huge play that gets lost because of when it happened.

This post was edited on 4/5 12:20 AM by dbem1

I agree the stall tactic backfired, by running the shot clock down to low it forces the Cat's into bad shots, but it also gave the Badgers a breather, they got to rest since they were not having to play D thru the entire shot clock for 4 possessions.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Originally posted by rolaid:
Cal rode the shoulders of his favorite player & got burned. After every game like clock work he would always start a press conference with wild praise for Andrew sometimes warranted sometimes not.

Andrew is not a good 2pt shooter especially inside the lane .. He is decent from the elbow, 3 & getting to rim. He never got any of those 3 options and waited so late the refs would not bail him out. He had the same bad 3 possessions last year late against Wisconsin but his brother bailed him out.

Ulis should have been running point with twins on wings Lyle's & KAT. WCS was worthless on offense.

The Harrisons were awesome in the first half. He's started Ulis in the second half every game of the season, so why change that up? Ulis probably should have played more. I think there are certainly other things that were more causative than that aspect.

 

[dnabbott25]

You are a MORON OP !!!!!!!
Cal was yelling to attack, I rewound it 4 times this morning. He was screaming attack!!
They were trying to get it to Karl but he wasn't open. That's all. Let it go, we had some very bad calls against us, 1 was undeniable and inexcusable but Wisconsin took advantage of it. We just lost. That's it. Its not on anyone.

That's all

I hope you get a ban for a week.

 

[Blue Decade]

Originally posted by theblueblazer:
There are various things you can point to as to why we lost... rebounding, going after loose balls, screens, bad calls but when it comes right down to it, its on Cal.

Up 4 with about 5 to go and you start a stall, come on! We had them on their heels and we stand for 25 sec on each possession and let them catch their breathe and with about 6-7 sec left on shot clock we drive and shoot 3 air balls in a row, inexcusable!

This is pure BS, and it has to be answered. Calipari has already addressed it. He was trying to get the ball down to KAT on the low post, not trying to stall. There are some things that Calipari can't say in public. He can't say that the officials let Kaminsky push and shove KAT in the back repeatedly without calling anything. He can't say that his own 1st team All American WCS does not like physical games, and played a clunker last night when they needed him the most. What you have forgotten is that Calipari took a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores, made them great, got them past Poythress' injury, and coached them to 38 straight wins. NO OTHER COLLEGE TEAM HAS EVER DONE THAT BEFORE. You don't win 38 games without a few close calls. They came up a little short last night. Deal with it.

 

[gabbizon]

Blame Cal all you want but where was the All American.
The last 12 minutes he was inactive. Look scared to death.
I blame Cal for not playing Booker more late. They were covering Towns and
All American was in concrete.

 

[Orange Soda King]

Cal wanted to attack and give it to Karl, but Wisconsin really cranked up the defense and/or he players didn't quite listen to him. Either way, Cal did not try to play stall ball.

 

[gabbizon]

A bunch of things happened that went against us
numerous times late.

 

[Blueworld_3.0]

Originally posted by Orange Soda King:
Cal wanted to attack and give it to Karl, but Wisconsin really cranked up the defense and/or he players didn't quite listen to him. Either way, Cal did not try to play stall ball.

Then why did we have three consecutive shot clock violations? Is KAT the only one allowed to get the ball? Nonsense!
Cal has done this before at the end of games. He tries to minimize the opponents possessions and rely on his defense. It cost him a Championship at Memphis vs. Kansas and very nearly hurt us in 2012. This time, his stall ball approach backfired. It's obvious to anyone who watched the game. Cal is unrivaled as a recruiter and he's good at developing players but, end of game situations aren't his strong suit.

 

[Kampus Korner_rivals164031]

Originally posted by theblueblazer:
There are various things you can point to as to why we lost... rebounding, going after loose balls, screens, bad calls but when it comes right down to it, its on Cal.

Up 4 with about 5 to go and you start a stall, come on! We had them on their heels and we stand for 25 sec on each possession and let them catch their breathe and with about 6-7 sec left on shot clock we drive and shoot 3 air balls in a row, inexcusable!

yawn

 

[Blue Decade]

Originally posted by Blueworld_3.0:

Originally posted by Orange Soda King:
Cal wanted to attack and give it to Karl, but Wisconsin really cranked up the defense and/or he players didn't quite listen to him. Either way, Cal did not try to play stall ball.

Then why did we have three consecutive shot clock violations? Is KAT the only one allowed to get the ball? Nonsense!
Cal has done this before at the end of games. He tries to minimize the opponents possessions and rely on his defense. It cost him a Championship at Memphis vs. Kansas and very nearly hurt us in 2012. This time, his stall ball approach backfired. It's obvious to anyone who watched the game. Cal is unrivaled as a recruiter and he's good at developing players but, end of game situations aren't his strong suit.

No it is not obvious. Calipari addressed this. He wanted the ball passed into the low post. That is how we beat ND and a number if other teams. You think that is stalling, which means you didn't understand what you were watching. Basketball is not played in a vacuum. Give some credit to the other team.

 

[Cats_2010]

Originally posted by Tyblue22:
You are a MORON OP !!!!!!!
Cal was yelling to attack, I rewound it 4 times this morning. He was screaming attack!!
They were trying to get it to Karl but he wasn't open. That's all. Let it go, we had some very bad calls against us, 1 was undeniable and inexcusable but Wisconsin took advantage of it. We just lost. That's it. Its not on anyone.

That's all

I hope you get a ban for a week.

BS, no way the players just stop running an offense. He was probably yelling attack to Andrew to drive hard toward the goal with 3 seconds to go on the shot clock. The decision to dribble 25-30 seconds off the clock with a four point lead was all his. Yet another boneheaded coaching decision of his cost the team a chance at a title. The man will never learn to get out of his own way. I don't give a crap what our record was this year. We had the most talented team and walk away empty again. Will be in the hunt more years than not but if he can't learn to adjust his coaching methods in crunch time we will continually come up short. You simply cannot have a team like this year and choke away a title but he did. Honestly could care less if he were to move on, having all the talent in the world doesn't mean squat if you can't rise up as a coach when it is needed most.

 

[3rex]

Gotta be the only current coach in college or the NBA who thinks it a good idea to run the shot clock down to nothing, i.e. hold the ball, with a 4 point lead & 4 minutes to play.

A bit tubbyesque.

This post was edited on 4/5 3:32 PM by 3rex

 

[Ghost_of_Rupp]

The loss was a mix of bad strategy (particularly the switching that isolated Booker on Kaminsky in the post) and bad execution (shot clock violations). Cal had a bad game -- that doesn't make him a bad coach as his record clearly demonstrates otherwise. Nor will I use last night's loss as an opportunity to buy into the tired, old notion that Cal can't coach. He had a bad game...it came at a bad time...he will nevertheless win more championships...and he is a great coach.