Before tonight, the worst I had ever seen UK play in person was 89-75 L to Northwestern in Dec 75.

Tonight was worse.

I missed the first part of his comments, but he did get asked about holding Meeks on the bench. He gave multiple answers. First he said Meeks was not getting it done (guarding, rebounding), then he said Meeks was playing as well as anyone except PPat, and finally he said that when he took Jodie out, the game was pretty much over. He also said (in so many words, and respectfully) that it was not the right question. The right question was “why are Perry and Josh and AJ not playing?” He said he was “sick and tired” of those players not helping.
It may or may not be related, but he also mentioned talking to Pat about coming out and Pat not wanting to come out. Said he told Pat “you don’t deserve this” or something like that.

You know, its really frustrating as a fan to watch a team play without heart and integrity. Im sorry , but its not really that hard to take care of the basketball. 20+ turnovers is unacceptable. lazy top of the key passing, blind passing, careless dribbling and failing to produce any offense. A lot of this is fundamentals, and I have a hard time accepting that this is the same program that we had 10 years ago. This can only lead to team dissention. Its not healthy for a group of young men to have a loss like this and NOT get better from it. I hope Billy Boy has them ready for this weekend, because we’re fixing to miss the NIT as well.

Pump…….fake!!! Ding Ding Ding!! That fan who said that gets a gold star!! Good lord, fundamentals speak proportions here!! Whatever happened to players being aware of their surroundings? 16 blocks? Im sorry, we need to seriously get some aggression and play a little more intense. It was embarrassing

Why do you like Gillispie? just wondering

, but I dont see any improvement in the last month or so. He does not adapt well to situations (example switching up the d player substituions, or media). Next year the same excuses are going to be used .. no point guard or maybe If Jodie or Patrick (or both) are gone will add to the available list of excuses for keeping BCG around.

This game was tough, it was the Tennessee game in reverse. These kind of games happen. Lack of a solid point guard was the big difference tonight, which led to turnovers. Also, the block shots were amazing. I have never seen a team block so many shots and avoid fouls.

USC had one of those nights when everything went right, just like UK had one of those games on Saturday against Tenn.

If UK fires BG no coach will want to come to UK. If BG is fired Meeks and Patterson are gone for sure. Orton, Hood, and GJ can get out of their LOI. So, a new coach will come with very minimal talent. So you are looking at 4 years to build the program back, but wait UK fans and the University won’t wait that long, and the cycle continues.

BG is a good coach and a good recruiter, but he needs his guys. Patterson was one of his guys, high motor, high character, great player. Miller I think will be the same, but needs time to progress. Liggins is just now figuring it out (some freshman take all of year one to get better). I think Orton will be a solid double figure scorer next year and good rebounder. Patterson will be even better next year, and Meeks will too (as I suspect he will work on his ballhandeling skills over the next year). Miller will be better, Hood is solid, and we add competition and depth at the point guard spot. All this only happens if BG stays.

Lets get some persecptive. Texas has tons of talent and has underachieved all year (minus their win of an OU team without Griffin). I hate to think what would be happening if that was at UK. Duke and NC have lost games they should not have lost, with all that talent. Florida was suppose to make the turn this year, but that has not happened, they have struggled big time, and the list goes on.

I preach patience. BG lost 2 senior guards from last year, plus another point guard. If we had those guys this year, Wow, but we don’t so we rely on Porter who should not be playing DIV-I b-ball (BG did not recruit this guy) and Harris who is only adequate (again not recruited by BG. Stevenson continues to underachieve (again not BG’s recruit). Meeks is awesom (give Tubby some credit for finding Meeks). Anyway I digress. My opinion you must give BG enough time to at least field a startign line-up made of his recruits and that will not happen until next year (or even one more year after that). We have talent coming, but we must be patient, if not, things will only get worse and no coach in his righ mind will want to come to UK.

Lane

I like that he called out players, they don’t appear to be motivated easily, so BG decided to put it out there. Good teams learn from mistakes and loses, so lets see what happens on Saturday.

Lane

They got the wake-up call they needed. You either play hard and poised and hustle or you will get embarassed. We have pleny of talent, we just need to get our heads in the game and play like we’ve got nothing to lose. We can still make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. And it is going to start off by beating LSU.

Go cats!

You make some GREAT points! I agree everything you just said. I’ve just never seen a coach be soo stubborn with his defensive strategy and substitution patterns. I will wait another year but BCG has given me no reason to like him this far.

being a player and working for the same plan that failed in the first battle.. you know that has to get frustrating.

     Yet another team who, for what ever reason, had a career night against our beloved Wildcats. Yet another scenario where the other teams coach comes in with a game plan that is, especially by half time, obvious to everyone in the arena except the only person who matters in my opinion, BCG. Yet again going on the road with so much talent and unable to even keep the game close! Just when you think it could not possibly get any worse, now BCG is calling players out by name!
     I will not get on here and talk about how bad BCG’s coaching ability is or how bad we need to make a change because obviously there are still alot of people that are his fans. However, as optimistic as you want to be, whether 4 weeks ago or 2 years from now you will realize what alot of other people already know. This is the University of Kentucky, the greatest Mens College Basketball program in the world, half a** is not going to get it done. If you recruit ’ em, you better be able to coach’ em!
    What is killing us right now is every game is identical to any pick up game you can find on any basketball court. THERE IS NO PLAN! Like in a pick up game depending on several factors sometimes we look cohesive and fairly good, other times we look like five guys walked off the street who have never played together before. This is as bad a time in Kentucky basketball as I can remember, everyone screamed for Tubby’s head because he could not get it done in the tournament but at least he could get us there without losing 5 or 6 games we were HEAVILY favored in!
     For those who have said don’t call players out by name I say AMEN! Have some class and blame “those who are not giving the effort you are looking for” but don’t call them out by name. Punish them in practice in private, chap there John Y Brown hind parts. Heck, call Bob Knight up and ask him if you can borrow his poker. He’s not using it yet is he? But do it privately! For those of you who, and this is pointed at no one in particular though I’ ve heard it said many times, swear to cancel your big blue membership if we can Mr. Bill I say you would look better in Louisville red anyway.
     We have done this to ourselves. We saw BCG coaching at A&M with some talented kids and putting most of the responsibility on one guy (Law =Meeks) and thought, wow lets get him up here. As most of us knew coming in that type of system, you know recruit very talented kids throw them on the floor and hope they win, isn’t going to work. Yet I degress, some people are preaching CHANGE and some want to give him at least four years to screw things up I mean fix things. Who knows maybe I am wrong, not CHANGING and allowing four years has work in some situations……………like the economy. OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE!

We are now seeing the product of not getting more of the players more playing time earlier in the year. For whatever reason, Porter, Liggins,Meeks, Slone, Miller, Harris(injured), Stevenson, Stewart, Harrellson and Patterson(injured) have not gelled into a team. They do not talk to each other, set picks for each other, they do not defend as a unit (maybe a flaw of man-to-man), they do not/cannot position themselves to rebound. Carter and Williams, though scholarship players have not been played.

I know we do not have senior leadership and there is speculation that are best players could be gone next year, but the inconsistency of our play at this time of year, the inability to make clear and decisive decisions on the court and the unwillingness to risk failing has really hurt us. It should not be happening if the “team” concept had sunk in. Our guys simply do not understand their role on the team and how they are to help each other. It is unfortunate that the “almost seniors” after playing most of three years together under two different coaches do not understand each other’s shortfalls and cannot play as a team.

IMO, this “team” is currently not as good as it was at the beginning of the year. We have regressed and lost our MOJO! We lack or never developed the cheerleader/enforcer on the court to get things going. We don’t have an explosive gear or a predatory attitude to put an opponent away. WE SIMPLY REACT to the game as it unfolds. If we get ahead, our confidence rises, if we get behind WE DON’T ADJUST and fall further behind. Remember, this was the team that due to such a weak schedule was supposed to win 27-28 games. Obviously, we, as fans, had very unrealistic goals. Didn’t we.

IMO, Harrellson, Stewart, Liggins and Williams will not be back next year. Carter will graduate having never been used when we could have put our star at PF and asked Carter to play center and get more than ONE rebound. I understand the argument that Carter is not the best we have, but the best we have (Stevenson) has now declined to the point that he should not play ahead of either of our new incoming big men. In three years, Stevenson hasn’t been able or has not been willing to gain the strength to play an adequate PF or C position in the SEC. His body requires that he play SF, yet here again, he has not developed the skill set for that position.

I personally do not think the way we are currently playing will get us past the first round of the NCAA or NIT and our schedule proves it. Obviously trying HARDER will not work. Our players are giving their best every game. Their skills simply are not there.

I will miss the players that probably will be leaving. If they were my kids, I would find a place for them to play where they would learn and enjoy the game. For next year’’s seniors, you have earned a fine education and learned to deal with adversity. Not a bad lesson for life.

His comments offered an interesting perspective on the coaching aspects of this game.

BTW my nephew (in Lexington) told me I was on TV early in the 2nd half. I was wearing UK warm-up jersey, sitting in Row 8 behind USC bench.

PP is no doubt one of the hardest working players on the court. I am a huge fan! However, a little criticism….Why not a pump fake, or drop step? Why take it up immediately. Your scouting report says that. When teams breakdown KY they breakdown 2 players. Focus on there weaknesses(not many), so there game plan is pretty simple. However if the Div. II players, and the still green Freshman are on their game that night KY is hard to beat. Nothing against Galloway he is almost come into his own.

So many, many things on which to comment but I’m hoping Tru will convalesce from the doldrums and pen a Post Mortem. Is that likely?

He said UK misses Bradley and Jasper more than Crawford. He said Meeks replaces Joe C very well but no replaced the two PG from last year.

did Patterson work hard till the end – but just not adjust – ie pump fake. reminds me of miss state game last year in starkville – and to certain extent this year

PG/LG: Galloway clearly the best athlete and passer, poor shot, poorer FT shooter, but seasoned and mature. Should have started all season with Liggins off the bench.
SG/Wing: Meeks must work on turnovers to go to the next level. Porter Backup.
SF/Wing: Miller best offense defense is coming. Play him and get experience. Harris backup.
PF/ Post: Patterson needs weight and strength and more moves, especially midrange to three pointer. Harrellson backup who is too slow.
C/Post: Stevenson to physically week to play center. Good shot blocker, good runner, average rebounder, can’t dribble, and must play outside due his lack of strength. Harrellson is the back up. Makes more sense here.

Williams, Stewart are just not going to get in the game. With the exception of Meeks and Patterson and Miller most of these guys seem not in the game. Everyone is prone to turnovers. Meeks’ high number of points are reduced by his TO.

Sub in and out until you find those 5.

see my post above re Meeks sitting in the second half.

Any thoughts?