Calipari finalizing deal with Arkansas

[Neue Regel]

Good question, but I think Ollie had turned it into a dumpster fire once he ran through Calhoun’ s players

Kevin Ollie is the sole reason why you have to closely scrutinize any statistic that references how many head coaches have won a title at one program. Compare a crap Coach like that who gets gold in one tournament and leaves in disgrace compared to someone like Vic Bubas who Coached at Duke from 1959-1969. Had the 3rd most victories in college basketball that decade, went to Three Final Fours, one title game. (1964) won 4 ACC Championships and 4 RS back when you had to win one in order to go to the tournament. Had an undefeated ACC season and another where they lost just once in the league. Numerous AA’s. Really pioneered recruiting back then.

"Vic taught us all how to recruit, we had been starting on prospects in the fall of their senior years while Vic was working on them their junior year. For a while, all of us were trying to catch up with him." -Dean Smith

If anyone tells me a Kevin Ollie trumps Vic Bubas, I call bullshit! Vic Bubas is in the College Basketball Hall of Fame for a reason.

 

[PixelDevil]

Best of luck to
Coach Calamari

 

[Friction.]

This is crazy to watch as an outsider. To be as objective as possible, Calipari gave them a chance every year...granted his game prep was weak but he always gave them at least a chance with his OAD philosophy and generally good defense. I'm probably in the minority but a low pressure job like Arky makes him real dangerous. I would not be surprised if he makes a lot of noise over there depending on how he builds his staff.

All that said, there is just way too much pressure to coach at UK. There's no way they are patient enough to have the building blocks of what someone like a Hurley has done (remember we beat the s**t out of Rhode Island in the round of 32 a few years back?). I think Oats and Drew would get killed from the pressure eventually. The only two coaches that could survive there would be Hurley obviously and I'd say Pearl...only because their personalities can buy them time and they can contend with the fanbase/boosters.

At the end of the day, only 4 hang a banner each year. They'll run a guy out if he doesn't hit the F4 at least every three years....and that is insanely hard to do in today's climate (Hurley currently the exception).

 

[Jjallen]

I would be more surprised if hurley took uk job than if I woke up and my head was sewn to the carpet.

 

[Mr.Scary13]

But since 96 UConn has 5 or 6 titles to Uk’s 3. Since integration UConn has won as many, prob one more after tonight. If Hurley and Oats both turn them down, no one else really jumps off the page. They could have another Gillespie type on their hands.

UCONN has failed to reach the tournament 7 times in that 25 year span. Take away the titles and you can say average. They've been flat out lucky winning it when they get the chance.

 

[KDSTONE]

UCONN has failed to reach the tournament 7 times in that 25 year span. Take away the titles and you can say average. They've been flat out lucky winning it when they get the chance.

Yeh they haven’t paid their dues like Duke or Unc has: 17 Ff to win 5, 18 to win 6 iirc for the Holes. There something a little flukish about it but 5 or 6 titles in 25 years is elite regardless of what they do the other years. If you’re naming the best program of the past 25 years and UConn has six titles and Duke and Unc have three each, I’d take the six titles but hopefully after tonight they’ll be stuck on five.

 

[Neue Regel]

UCONN has failed to reach the tournament 7 times in that 25 year span. Take away the titles and you can say average. They've been flat out lucky winning it when they get the chance.

I agree. It tends to be feast or famine with them. National media though gives them a total pass when they have famine. (No way Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc would get that kind of pass for seven missed NCAA tournaments in the field of 64(8) era. )

 

[christophero]

They got lucky winning 5 titles?

 

[Neue Regel]

They got lucky winning 5 titles?

I didn’t say that, but certainly one was a weaker team (2011) (double digit losses) and the other had an inexperienced coach.

There have been a few articles that examined common metrics amongst National Champs. I posted about this a few weeks ago as there was one that I saw that looked at a 15 year period. And of all the champions in that 15 year period that shared so many common metrics you look for, there were two total outliers from the other 13. Both UConn teams from 2011 and 2014.

 

[pisgah101]

I’m 18-0 in youth league basketball so I might put in for the job


On a serious note if I’m UK I get Pitino sounds crazy but stable the ship, win a ship, retire and be “the guy to hang around” like K/Roy. I don’t think they’ll do it but I would

Secondly I would go after pearl- with Kentucky connections he wins a ship

Outside of that Oats makes sense

I bet anything they run at Hurley and I think he’d be tempted.

 

[KDSTONE]

They got lucky winning 5 titles?

I think what rankles some of the Blue Blood programs is this:
Kansas: 4 titles, 16 FF
Duke: 5 titles, 17 Ff
Unc:6 titles, 18 Ff
UCLA: 11 titles, 19 FF
Uk: 8 and 17

The only team with a similar % is IU five out of eight. Lucky is not the word Id use but stress free. They haven’t been through 94 99 or 04. Or even a loss like unc to Villanova in 16

 

[Neue Regel]

I think what rankles some of the Blue Blood programs is this:
Kansas: 4 titles, 16 FF
Duke: 5 titles, 17 Ff
Unc:6 titles, 18 Ff
UCLA: 11 titles, 19 FF
Uk: 8 and 17

The only team with a similar % is IU five out of eight. Lucky is not the word Id use but stress free. They haven’t been through 94 99 or 04. Or even a loss like unc to Villanova in 16

Yep.. they’ve had it too easy, certainly once they get there. And as much as the Heels loved the Final Four outcomes of 1999 and 2004, if you’re a chapel hill fan reading this just think, it took seven total Final Fours for UConn to achieve what it took the Tar Heels to achieve in 21 Final Four trips. Just sayin…

(I realize they still have to actually win it tonight. I’m working really hard on this reverse jinx thing. So everyone get out of my way lol 😜😂🤣)

 

[Mr.Scary13]

I’m 18-0 in youth league basketball so I might put in for the job


On a serious note if I’m UK I get Pitino sounds crazy but stable the ship, win a ship, retire and be “the guy to hang around” like K/Roy. I don’t think they’ll do it but I would

Secondly I would go after pearl- with Kentucky connections he wins a ship

Outside of that Oats makes sense

I bet anything they run at Hurley and I think he’d be tempted.

Pearl would win more than Hurley at Ky IMO

 

[pisgah101]

Pearl would win more than Hurley at Ky IMO

Totally agree

 

[The_Only_Blue]

Looks like Oats is out of the running

 

[christophero]

Kenny Payne?

 

[pisgah101]

Kenny Payne?

With Nolan.. dream duo

 

[Quavarius]

Watching uk implode from the inside has been a sight to see. They were soooo cocky in 2010 and couldn’t wait for K to retire so Cal would run college basketball. My how have times changed. Duke looks more stable even after K and uk is replacing its Hall of Fame coach who decided to leave because of the pressure.

 

[JimboSlice00]

Watching uk implode from the inside has been a sight to see. They were soooo cocky in 2010 and couldn’t wait for K to retire so Cal would run college basketball. My how have times changed. Duke looks more stable even after K and uk is replacing its Hall of Fame coach who decided to leave because of the pressure.

Terrible fan base. I know we all cannot stand the holes fan base, but Kentuckys fans are by far the worst the sport has to offer.

 

[Liftee]

Looks like Scott Drew might be a candidate. He is better than Kentucky deserves. A decent man and a great coach.

 

[pisgah101]

Looks like Scott Drew might be a candidate. He is better than Kentucky deserves. A decent man and a great coach.

Yep he’s a real good guy not sure how he fits there hope he has super thick skin

 

[Neue Regel]

Terrible fan base. I know we all cannot stand the holes fan base, but Kentuckys fans are by far the worst the sport has to offer.

I’ve always liked Big Blue Nation. Have Interacted with them on their board for 21 years now and have always been treated well as they know I have no agenda and just enjoy the occasional hoops talk and chiming in on things. In fact, I can remember that before their board became a rivals board It had another host and when they lost a game you could not get on that board. (lol) It could not handle the traffic. But if they won the game, you could always get on. That was the Tubby era. (This was around late 2002 and it wasn’t all that long after that they joined rivals.)

I’ve always loved the fact that they have such a passion for the same sport that I do. Screw Football, they bleed Hoops. 🏀❤️🙌🏻 I appreciate that. They are such a large base that things get more magnified than with other bases.. The relationship between Kentucky basketball and the fans of that State is a cultural thing. It’s a unique thing that no other base in basketball really has that. Yes there may be a ton of Carolina fans, But they’re lazier fans compared to Kentucky fans. Few teams fans, travel like BBN does..Yea they’re tough, magnified by both the passion and sheer size of the fan base. That’s an awesome job to be the Kentucky basketball Coach but yet it’s a very very tough job.

Not just any coach can handle that job. It requires someone with success, full confidence in themselves, an even tempered personality so they can navigate the fanbase respectfully (call in shows, etc) Pitino and Cal were spot on hires for them with their combo of success/ego/slickness. Gillespie was a disaster, but no school is immune to a bad hire. And sometimes even if you hire a great coach, it can end up a disaster. (Eddie Sutton)

The one Coach I would like to say a little more on is Tubby Smith because I want to defend him. Tubby Smith is a damn good Coach and look at his 10 year run there. A National Title, five SEC first place finishes (including undefeated in the SEC in 2003) five SEC Tournament Titles! a 76% winning percentage. It’s true he did not get back to the final four after the Title year of 1998 but he had elite 8 seasons in 1999, 2003, 2005. Sweet 16’s in 2001, 2002. Round of 32 in 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2007.. So he never had a first round tournament loss and never missed the tournament but obviously they weren’t gonna be happy with the second round losses.(Our fans wouldn’t be happy either but we gave K slack when he had stumbles after all that success) It happens in this Russian roulette tournament.

You look at the overall picture of 263-83 (76%) and 120-40 in SEC (75%). Tubby did a very good job in Lexington and is a fine man. Also, the other argument against him during that time from a lot of fans was recruiting. They didn’t feel he got enough of the stud players. But what’s the argument that they’re making now? same argument as Duke fans! which is you need more than stud freshmen players lol

 

[christophero]

I stopped posting on RR, at least the basketball threads. I was not treated well there.

 

[Neue Regel]

I stopped posting on RR, at least the basketball threads. I was not treated well there.

Oh they can be very tough no doubt. And you have to pick and choose your battles on what you wanna post about and establish a rapport if you can.. You can’t get into responding to every slight against your team. They hate Duke so you have to expect that and just scroll over some things unless you just see something that you absolutely must respond to.

But these last two decades I’ve had many good conversations over there and I’ve been treated well. I can’t remember more than maybe two or three fans wanting to heckle me a little bit. And when they do I’ve ignored it and carried on. It’s a helluva board to read and the moderators over there do a great job. I can guarantee you they probably have to censor more Kentucky fans than non-Kentucky fans lol. They probably deserve some combat pay because there’s just so many fans.

 

[christophero]

I didn't even mention Duke, commented on a transfer and was told to STFU and go back to the Puke board.
So I did. I really don't need their approval.

 

[bleudevils2015]

H

Terrible fan base. I know we all cannot stand the holes fan base, but Kentuckys fans are by far the worst the sport has to offer.

Big disagree. Lived/worked in Lexington for 5 years, UK fans certainly don't like Duke, but they’re passionate and for the most part are genuinely knowledgeable about ball.

And I was never treated any worse because I was a Duke fan. The only shit I ever got for being a Duke fan came from a Louisville fan, right before we beat their ass in 2015.

UNC fans though? They want to talk down to you because you’re a Duke fan. Just hateful about it lol.

In my experience UNC fans are the single worst group of fans, regardless of sport.

 

[Neue Regel]

H

Big disagree. Lived/worked in Lexington for 5 years, UK fans certainly don't like Duke, but they’re passionate and for the most part are genuinely knowledgeable about ball.

And I was never treated any worse because I was a Duke fan. The only shit I ever got for being a Duke fan came from a Louisville fan, right before we beat their ass in 2015.

UNC fans though? They want to talk down to you because you’re a Duke fan. Just hateful about it lol.

In my experience UNC fans are the single worst group of fans, regardless of sport.

Carolina stays in circle the wagons mode. Their message boards are over moderated whether its Rivals or Inside Carolina. They are too thin-skinned. And to be fair, I think that Duke boards can be too heavy handed as well. DBR, TDD, etc. and Pack Pride, geez if you take a breath too loudly over there as a rival fan you’re banned and you’ll never have a clue as to why. But I know Wolfpack sports has had some tough years and I’m sure that makes a base much more sensitive.

Rupp Rafters has thicker skin and is not gestapo moderated, they do a good job trying to be fair and just being a fan of another school doesn’t get you banned. And like I said earlier, they probably have to censor more Kentucky fans than rival fans who visit.

I would like to see a little loosening of the reigns with Duke-Unc as I do think it’s kind of a shame as such big rivals that you don’t see a lot of fan exchanges on each other’s boards like you used to back in the old days. I know it’s a rivalry and everyone gets so sensitive, especially if one team does better in the tournament or one team beats the other team but I used to have good familiarity with a lot of Carolina posters and I just really don’t know any of them anymore. Whether it’s on rivals or at Inside Carolina. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Obviously nobody should put up with any crap. Flaming and just posting stupid nonsense should come with a warning/ban automatically but what happened to all the old-school general conversations?

 

[JimboSlice00]

H

Big disagree. Lived/worked in Lexington for 5 years, UK fans certainly don't like Duke, but they’re passionate and for the most part are genuinely knowledgeable about ball.

And I was never treated any worse because I was a Duke fan. The only shit I ever got for being a Duke fan came from a Louisville fan, right before we beat their ass in 2015.

UNC fans though? They want to talk down to you because you’re a Duke fan. Just hateful about it lol.

In my experience UNC fans are the single worst group of fans, regardless of sport.

In my experiences, Kentucky fans are the worst. It's all a matter of opinion. Spend 10 minutes out of your day in the cesspool that is RR.

 

[bleediteveryday30]

My experience hasn't been the best on THR or RR. But there's a Duke board out there that's pretty awful, too.

 

[christophero]

You can only hear Puke and Ratface so many times. They have no respect for Duke whatsoever and think we are a dirty program.

 

[The_Only_Blue]

One decommit

View embedded media

Another decommit. Wonder if they are going to follow Cal to Arkansas?

 

[christophero]

Hearing Mitchell may go to Ark. Cal may clean up in the portal.

 

[Neue Regel]

You can only hear Puke and Ratface so many times. They have no respect for Duke whatsoever and think we are a dirty program.

There’s no more disrespect over there than on any Carolina message board I’ve ever been on. The difference is there’s just more Kentucky fans posting than all the Duke and Carolina fans boards combined! Rat face is also a Carolina golden oldie that Inside Carolina denizens have used far more than other fans that I’ve ever seen. I’ve been posting on message boards since January 1997. AOL dial-up days lol. I’ve seen a few in my time. That term is so moth-eaten at this point I just scroll on by it if I do see it.

Besides, it’s Duke. It’s a cliche’ at this point to hate the Blue Devils. But it’s a pretty good sign of respect when you’re supposed to play a team and the matchup is still 8/9 months away and it’s already being talked about. Have seen numerous references to the KY/Duke game next season lol.

Anyone a survivor of Dave Chen’s chat n flame board (Tarheel Talk) from 99-02ish? You talk about the wild wild West of message boards. There was nothing quite like it. The format was you just scrolled and read the messages. You didn’t pull up individual threads. But it was absolutely hilarious at times, batS crazy at times but Duke fans were allowed to give it as good as they got it.

There’s one guy over on inside Carolina right now who used to post over at THT always claiming back then to have inside information about Duke players health and coaches health and apparently he worked at Duke. Someone had enough and felt that this guy was tiptoeing on HIPAA laws and somehow traced his damn IP down back then and yea he worked over there. Then there was some other Heels nut who they found out knew Mike Craig (long time Duke SI dept. employee who isn’t there anymore). And showed Mike Craig all the stuff he was spewing on THT.. 😅😂. DBR was talking about it even back then. Rat face is slapstick comedy compared to the crazy stuff that you used to see.

 

[KDSTONE]

I’ve always liked Big Blue Nation. Have Interacted with them on their board for 21 years now and have always been treated well as they know I have no agenda and just enjoy the occasional hoops talk and chiming in on things. In fact, I can remember that before their board became a rivals board It had another host and when they lost a game you could not get on that board. (lol) It could not handle the traffic. But if they won the game, you could always get on. That was the Tubby era. (This was around late 2002 and it wasn’t all that long after that they joined rivals.)

I’ve always loved the fact that they have such a passion for the same sport that I do. Screw Football, they bleed Hoops. 🏀❤️🙌🏻 I appreciate that. They are such a large base that things get more magnified than with other bases.. The relationship between Kentucky basketball and the fans of that State is a cultural thing. It’s a unique thing that no other base in basketball really has that. Yes there may be a ton of Carolina fans, But they’re lazier fans compared to Kentucky fans. Few teams fans, travel like BBN does..Yea they’re tough, magnified by both the passion and sheer size of the fan base. That’s an awesome job to be the Kentucky basketball Coach but yet it’s a very very tough job.

Not just any coach can handle that job. It requires someone with success, full confidence in themselves, an even tempered personality so they can navigate the fanbase respectfully (call in shows, etc) Pitino and Cal were spot on hires for them with their combo of success/ego/slickness. Gillespie was a disaster, but no school is immune to a bad hire. And sometimes even if you hire a great coach, it can end up a disaster. (Eddie Sutton)

The one Coach I would like to say a little more on is Tubby Smith because I want to defend him. Tubby Smith is a damn good Coach and look at his 10 year run there. A National Title, five SEC first place finishes (including undefeated in the SEC in 2003) five SEC Tournament Titles! a 76% winning percentage. It’s true he did not get back to the final four after the Title year of 1998 but he had elite 8 seasons in 1999, 2003, 2005. Sweet 16’s in 2001, 2002. Round of 32 in 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2007.. So he never had a first round tournament loss and never missed the tournament but obviously they weren’t gonna be happy with the second round losses.(Our fans wouldn’t be happy either but we gave K slack when he had stumbles after all that success) It happens in this Russian roulette tournament.

You look at the overall picture of 263-83 (76%) and 120-40 in SEC (75%). Tubby did a very good job in Lexington and is a fine man. Also, the other argument against him during that time from a lot of fans was recruiting. They didn’t feel he got enough of the stud players. But what’s the argument that they’re making now? same argument as Duke fans! which is you need more than stud freshmen players lol

I’ve met Coach Smith and his son Gg who played for him at UGA. 100% class his entire family.

 

[The_Only_Blue]

Another decommit. Wonder if they are going to follow Cal to Arkansas?

View embedded media

Third decommit

 

[christophero]

Kentucky better hire Drew fast

 

[Willcampbell]

Kentucky better hire Drew fast

Drew said, "No thanks." Next?

 

[The_Only_Blue]

Billy Donovan next?

 

[Neue Regel]

Drew said, "No thanks." Next?

Well, when you think about it. Would he do a good job? I say absolutely yes, but Baylor is a private religious institution and the Drew family is very religious and you can tell he tries to incorporate some of that with his program so from that perspective, Kentucky probably wouldn’t be a good fit for the Drew family. He’s been there 20 years for a reason, I’m sure he’s had plenty of job offers.

 

[JimboSlice00]

Kentucky going to hire Jackie Moon