Kentucky 57, LSU 68:  Postmortem

Luckily, at UK our bottom is a 20-win season and a high, maybe #1 seed, in the NIT.

As much as it sucks to not make the tournament, we have to put this into perspective with the rest on Div. 1. Most teams would be happy if the season we had were their best in 5 years, the fact that it is our worst says a lot.

We will come out of this season learning a great deal of lessons, and how the coach responds next year will speak to how much he does at this program. He has not had a great season, but neither have the majority of his players. Some of that is on BCG, but not all of it.

Have faith, this ship is going to turn around soon, and we will relish the success even more knowing the struggles that we have had.

Mix and stir very well.

And you have a nice 25 to 30 W cocktail (maybe).

Well, I missed much of the game due to traveling, but saw the last 13:00 minutes. UK needs to find some 3 point shooting, Meeks can not be the only go to guy. Miller has made some big steps in the last month. Playing in the NIT will be goof for him, as his game will continue to develop. I think he is a legitimate offensive threat next year. With Patterson coming back, I think Meeks will join him. Add the new guys, lots of seniors, and some maturity, and I really do feel this team can be great next year. A solid PG would be nice, does not need to be a big scorer, but take care of the ball and set up others playres. Also, we need a PG who can score in transition. So many times, Porter gets a push in transition, only to bring it out, a more athletic PG will be able to push the ball set guy up, and score some. I hope UK plays well in the NIT to get a little momentum for next year. I do think things will turn around.

Lane

• Thornton was just terrific. It didn’t matter who was on him – he hit every kind of shot imaginable. Fadeaways, guys in his face, putbacks falling backwards – he hit them all.

• LSU did a much better job of slapping the ball away when guys tried to drive to the basket. That’s how they got their scoring going in the first half.

• Lots of silly decisions by everybody today – even Patterson. I’m amazed UK only had 15 turnovers. It would have been more, but they were the beneficiaries of a lot of lucky bounces in the second half.

• I mentioned in Ken’s game preview that it would be important for UK to not allow LSU to go off on threes, and for most of the game they did so. That flurry of 3’s late in the second half was what ultimately buried the Cats, IMO.

• Going player-by-player the FTs don’t look as bad as the overall percentage would suggest. Galloway and Harris were a combined 0-4 which is not surprising, but everybody else basically shot their season average (Patterson was 7-9, 77.8 %, Stevenson 3-4, 75 %, Meeks and Miller were each 2-2).

• Temple did a fantastic job guarding Meeks, but Jodie has been off on his 3pt shot. In his last 5 games Meeks is 6-32 on threes for 18.75%. The trend started with the regular season game against LSU. Is it possible that Temple got into his head so much in that game that it affected the rest of the season?

1974 team was 13-13. 1975 was 26-5.

Lots of other examples. Most recently:
2002 team was 22-10. 2003 team was 32-4.

2 things I will be looking for during the NIT game(s):

1) The development of the younger players – particularly Miller. I think the NIT is a great opportunity for some of these guys to take a significant step forward heading into next year.

2) The chance to get some more wins to pad the lead over North Carolina (ok, that one is only semi-serious).

Hey, anyone know the chances of UK landing PG Eric Bledsoe??

Lane

was thought to be down to UK, Florida and UAB. But in an interview he said there are other schools still in the mix. Who knows?

BCG has taken a lot of heat for this season’s blunders, but if you really look at what he has too look at it is not his fault. Yes, he does make some weird substitutions and all of the other stuff. For example, many people hate Porter. Who else does BG really have. Liggins and Galoway are like chickens with their heads cut off. Today in the game, Galloway turned the ball over on fastbreaks atleast threedifferent times. He had no where to go, he just was out of controll. KG is a decent rebounder and defensive player, but not a point guard. Liggins has so many attitude problems and his ability to grasp everything a point guard needs to is very very challenging for him. He has a lot of work to do this summer. Porter is the best point guard on this team right now. That is a fact. We have to live with that, atleast for a few nit games anyway. Porter tries hard and he has a big heart, but he is just not athletic enough to put UK where it needs to be. I hope that new kid ( Valerino) mispelled, coming next season is as good as everyone says he is. BG will have a really decent team next year if they stay, pp,jm. Those reporters today need to quit spreading the fire. They said that Miller might not be coming back next year. First I’ve heard of that. They need to focus on the game and leave speculation alone. It will be hard to watch uk mens team play in the Coliseum. I btter stop writing because that thought just pissed me off.

Let us focus on the future. Uk is in the running for 3 of the 4 players still left in the 2010 class that are ranked in the top 10. We already have the 6th ranked player. Patience.

Lane

Our offense was just so unproductive today. Coach needs to come up with better plays. Our guys need to learn how to set better screens and stay more active withs cuts and we have to learn how to control the games tempo better. The list goes on and on. Nothing a good point guard could not fix really fast.

We could 30 games next year easy, if our recruits are as good as they seem to be. You just never know though until they play some games for UK. Miller is starting to do a lot better. I think he will be awsome next year.

Anybody have info on this guy. Is the hype around this guy letimate??

Lane

I’ve heard about this guy and to be honest, UK getting him scares the hell out of me. I’m not sure he will be much an upgrade from Michael Porter honestly. Word is UK has offered him a scholarship. I hope BCG knows what he is doing with that situation.

That is scary

That may be all he has though, he looks like MP twin

I think it would be hard on a point guard at UK with that last nake if he was not great.

He is not listed on Rivals as a UK prospect, but that does not mean much, I guess.

Lane

Listen, If BG did offer this kid, then that tells me we are in trouble when it comes to that position. I thought we had a good pg coming in next year already.

I think the problem started with KY’s downhill slide when CM Newton went by his heart and not his head when he hired TS. As Al McGuire said, KY doesn’t recruit, they invite. I feel TS relied on that and didn’t bother working as hard as he should. After 10 years of approaching mediocracy, TS read the tea leaves and found gentlier pastures. With the recruiting momentum going against us, it was probably too much to ask to stem that downward force in a short time. Maybe BCG has the ability over time to accomplish that huge task or maybe he, or anyone else, would be unable to reverse the tide. I think it is time to for all fans to provide their full support towards the effort to bring KY BB back to where we all want. Remember, a team needs its fans the most when they are down.

What was MP recruited for? I know you are not going to say a shooting guard. Listen, Porter is a good Kid but way out of his league. He would be ok at Morehead, or even smaller school. T.S. was confused if he thought MP was going to be a great shooting guard.

“Very smooth with the basketball, Vilarino also has the basketball IQ to make the plays needed to run a team. He has a nice blend of scoring and passing to his game, but his shot does have room for improvement. Long for 6-foot, he has an intriguing upside to his game. As he gets stronger, he will improve as a half court defender.”

This is a little blurp on GJ from rivals.com

I think, even though I was very skeptical at first, BCG will be here for a while. I think next year will answer everyones question. I honestly think he means well. He is just so introverted he has turned himself inside out three times already this year. BG I think can get us where we need to go. We just need to give him time. As far as MP goes, I said earlier that he is a great kid and he is the best pg we have right now. I also said he has a big heart. I’m just saying the future of UK should not ride on MP. He was recruited with Meeks and Jasper. That is a good point. It is funny how things end up. I think MP gives it 110% when he is on the floor. He is just out of his league when it comes to any position on the court for UK. He has made some threes, but if you take 100 you are sure to make some.

My disappointment in today’s loss was rather low-grade, sort of like one of those nagging headaches that you recognize from earlier instances and realize that it will soon fade. Fact is expecting anything other than a loss would have been an exercise in denial: UK lost to a more talented, more experienced and at least as equally well coached team. Mark it down: With LSU’s access to talent — especially local talent — and with Trent Johnson at the helm the Tigers will be a force in SEC for the next several years.

The day was not without significant dispiriting news however: UK is reported to have offered a scholarship to a junior college point guard — and a person of pallor as well. It doesn’t require basketball genius to understand that a lack of an elite-type player at the 1 contributed mightily to UK’s problem this season and in the past several seasons. And to once again — see Kevin Galloway — to be relegated to the juco ranks for leadership plainly demonstrates how far UK has declined in the annual race for talent. Though I remain a supporter of Coach Gillispie, his somewhat desperate attempts to fill gaping talent holes bespeaks of his misunderstanding of the status of UK vis a vis the elite programs. How many juco point guards does one find on the rosters of bluebloods UNC, Duke, UCLA, KU, or even Memphis, UConn, for that matter? My fervent hope is that GJ and KC will be the long term solution to a long existent problem but the inking of another juco point guard is likely to result — history being a ready example — in another squandered scholarship.

i agree

What is the deal with Tucker?? I have not info on him, being from Kansas.

Lane

Looks like Miss State is going to beat USC.

Lane

why is it, exactly, that we are not getting elite point guards in here?

I grew up in Kentucky and we lived right in between Louisville and Lexington. I was 8 eight years old when UK hired a cocky, young coach from Providence to come down and try to clean up the mess that Eddie Sutton had left. Over the next 8 years, I spent dozens of memorable days and nights at Rupp watching the most powerful team in the NCAA dominate over the rest of the competition (7 home losses in 8 years, I believe). People like Mashburn, Ford, Delk and Rhodes defended the name of UK & Rupp.

Then, Tubby came to UK and mediocraty began creeping in. We have now seen ten years of mediocraty, evidenced by the fact that a win over UK at Rupp means nothing anymore. It used to be a team’s signature win and now other teams come in and win left and right (6 home losses this season).

I have been livng in Clearwater, FL for almost 3 years now. I have made the trip to Gainesville the last 3 years and sat with the other 18 UK fans and put up with the FL fans just to support the team that I love. I went over to Tampa today to support our team, but, as I sat there and watched things play out, I could not believe that this was the same program that I watched in Lexington as a kid. How did we go from that to this?

I had to get that off my chest…People down here just don’t understand

It’s easy to talk big about “inside sources” when you are sitting behind a computer.

I think it is disgraceful how the press and some uninformed Internet sites are feeding the anti-Gillispie frenzy.

Instant gratification does not build a program for long-term success. In the education realm, it takes 3 years for a new program to start seeing success. Gillispie is using strong educational decisions by teaching the players to think for themselves on the floor, instilling strong work ethic, and establishing team unity. It will be fun to watch the results.

Gillispie is on very thin ice to say the least. Barnhardt is between a rock and a hard place. OK, enough of the cliches. I believe that it is more likely than not that Billy will not return as UK’s coach next year. He is not going to change and Barnhardt is not going to risk his career at UK to find this out. The Board of Trustees and Todd have spoken and the heat is on, the axe will fall, etc., etc., etc. Personally, I will be very, very, very, very glad when that day comes.

I didn’t come on here yesterday at all. Thought I would allow myself some time to think things over. First of all,yesterday’s game was like so many this season. Very little defensive intensity and little on the boards as well. Confusion on offense and too many turnovers, some of which were unforced. Secondly,I think Billy G. will be back and given the opportunity to turn things around. But I think he needs to be told that he has to get things going in the right direction next year. This year was a major step backwards in terms of wins and BG’s popularity with the fans. I admire the optimism of many on here but I just think this guy is a bad fit and I don’t see him turning it around,especially if there are mass player defections. He may be a good recruiter,but he won’t be able to replace all of the ones who may leave. Plus that will mean a lot of pressure on those coming in. It’s just a bad situation if you ask me.

It seems reasonable that Barnhart will try to impose conditions when he and Gillispie have their meeting. If Gillispie really is as stubborn and reactive as he seems to be, he may just tell Barnhart what he can do with his conditions. I hope Barnhart has taken the precaution of thoroughly evaluating the records and qualities of potential replacements.

Whatever the outcome, the AD having to confront the coach about his behavior and job responsibilities is not a good position for our program to be in right now. Gillispie has not been a positive representative of the University of Kentucky these past two years, and it is hard to imagine him becoming (overnight) the gracious ambassador that Barnhart envisions.

Having to replace a coach after only two years — whatever the reason — is not good. It’s bad from a perception standpoint, and as a practical matter everybody (players, staff, fans) has to start from scratch. We would lose a good deal of whatever Gillispie has been able to build these past two years.

Some players may be upset and feel they want to leave the program, but when they check out their options they may find that UK is not such a bad place after all.

So let’s hope cool heads prevail all around.

With Gillispie and most players back, we could very well be returning 5 seniors, 2 juniors and a sophomore who have played together for a year and know what Gillispie wants. Even if one of our two stars leaves, we’d still have a veteran team. And this was a team that this year was just a few baskets short of 25 wins.

With some key improvements by each player and another year of maturity, we could win the SEC next year. If any of the recruits become reliable players, we could win a couple of NCAA tournament games.

That would give Gillispie another year to demonstrate with a new group of players that he can be the Kentucky coach we all want.

Would any other SEC team want Harrellson or Donald Williams?

Why just compare SOME not all UK players on the current roster?

Nor should they. That’s how bad it is. As bad as our 3-4-5 starters are, no one else on the bench who played well enough, consistently enough, to take their place.