An NIT championship and 25-13 would go a long way towards a successful 2010 and 11.

Just as that “forgotten” NIT title in 1976 paved the way for success in 1977 and Glory in 1978.

Ok here we go again. UK fans are spoiled and expect too much. We heard it when Tubby left. We drove him away. It’s our fault. We will pay for it. I guess it would be better if we just sat around and be happy with what we have. Especially today,on selection Sunday when we have to wait for the NIT selection show. Yeah,just be happy. I don’t think the 90’s “spoiled” us. If that’s the case ,our parents and grandparents were spoiled in the 40’s and 50’s. Yeah,I guess I am just “one of those UK fans”. I expect a Final Four every year. I ran Tubby out of town and now I’m working on Billy Clyde. In reality,I’m not. I wear UK blue and I bleed it too. My family room is covered from floor to ceiling in UK posters and prints. There is a UK flag flying outside,still. I thought all those Tubby bashers would one day get what they asked for and maybe get a worse coach. And it’s possible that’s what happened. You may not agree with Clay’s article today in the Hearld and posted on here,but there is a lot of truth in it. As a fan I expect the coach to represent UK proudly on the court and off. And by saying it wasn’t on “the job discription” is a slap in the face to me as a UK fan. Sorry Billy Clyde,but that’s part of your job,like it or not. And of course so is winning games which you haven’t done too well at either. Sorry,but 8-8 in a very weak SEC with two of the best players not only in the SEC but in the country doesn’t cut it for me. If it’s enough for others,fine. I respect your opinion. But don’t tell me that by expecting more and wanting more I am spoiled. I want to be were North Carolina and Duke and Louisville are today. I don’t want to be waiting for a NIT bid. But that is the case and I say we MUST go and do well. I also say BG should come back and be allowed to get his players here. I agree with all of that. But don’t expect me to be happy if things continue to go south. Hopefully,things will work out and BG will win. And if he does,I will be the first to say “pass me the crow”.

Everything said is spot on. That is the most well written article I’ve read in quite some time. I’ve been screaming this for years now. I only wish I could’ve been so eloquent.

Quoting from Andrew Bacevich — which, by the way, can be a bit dicey considering how errant he was in his evaluation of Iraq — and Reinhold Niehbuhr in the same piece says much about ASoB and the level of its discourse. So I might as well add to the discussion a quote from peaceful Lake Woebegon and Garrison Keillor:

"It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut, they couldn’t hear the barbarians coming."

Rick Pitino had quite an insight to UKBB and the BBN when he described the program as, The Roman Empire of college basketball. For there are striking similarities — too many to delve into at this time — but especially the fall. And Keillor’s tongue-in-cheek comment is surprisingly relevant. Consider that following UK’s improbable run to its third consecutive Final Four, its second championship in 3 years, and a rather glory-filled decade it seemed to the cosseted BBN that the “empire” was eternal. Their — I’m tempted to say “our” but actually I was of a different mind — windows, if you will, were closed to the challenging barbaric changes visible on the horizon: Pitino-the-resurrector had departed taking with him the invaluable can-do, know-how-to-win attitude, new challengers with new leadership were rising, prospective soldiers of the empire were of a different nature and responding to new means of communication, historical and traditional focus was being supplanted by concentration on the instantaneous. Not recognizing the new challenges and new threats the BBN and its leaders — as empires nearly always do (see Persian, Byzantine, Greek, Roman, British, et al) — chose to stay with the tried and true, which quite often evolve into the tired and obsolete. And what of us citizens of the BBN, no longer BBE? Well we have to accept the painful but obvious fact that for the time being our place in the community of NCAA Division I basketball has been relegated to less than the status of superpower (empire). New leadership is in place and charged with the responsibility of status improvement.; and one must admit that the beginnings are less than auspicious. What responsibility lies with us citizens of BBN? Support where and when possible but more important vigilance that we not have windows once again closed to realities, to threats, to innovations, to new attitudes; and we recognize them publicly — with all the myriad means available — alert leadership.

Thus I don’t think the BBN can be charged with profligacy but rather complacency.

has nothing to do with entitlement. I had no big problem with Tubby’s 10 loss season in 2006-08 and in the early 2000’s. The thing I cannot stand about Gillispie is simple. Losing at Rupp. Lots of people like to point out that we should give Gillispie more time because Pitino had fewer wins (36) his first 2 seasons than Gillispie has (38). That is a deceptive observation made by Gillispie apologists. The SEC was a much, much better league then than it has been the past few seasons, we played a much harder non-conference schedule then, and we were on probation. Despite all these obstacles, only Pitino’s first season (14-14) was particularly bad; the next season he went 20-6, and Kentucky was ranked most of the year. More importantly, while Kentucky went 14-14 in 1989-90, there were only 2 home losses. One was to SE Louisiana in overtime in the final round of the UKIT, and the other was to Louisville; at the time ranked 8th in the nation. That same season, we beat ranked Alabama and LSU at home. The next year, we went 22-6 (still on probation, still much better than Gillispie’s second season), with one home loss, to #10 ranked north carolina. The next 5 seasons, Kentucky only lost 5 more home games. Tubby also lost only 18 home games in 10 seasons. Next to this, Gilispie’s 10 home losses in two seasons (including Gardner-webb, san diego, vmi, georgia on senior night) truly put Gillispie’s short career here in true perspective. Even in bad years, Tubby and Pitino never lost so much at home, where it really matters, and especially not to bad teams. It is very significant that the loss to Georgia on senior night was only the 7th in the long history of kentucky basketball. Do you honestly believe that this team, with Patterson and Meeks, is one of the seven worst teams in Kentucky history, or Georgia is one of the 7 best teams we have played on senior night?

Losing at home is, at its core, a symptom of mental weakness. And, while Gillispie might debate this, encouraging mental toughness is definitely part of the coach’s job description. Substitution patterns that have been described on this very site as “mind-games”, public criticism of players who were put in a position to fail, and benching players for the smallest errors (or for no reason apparent to outside observers) are not coaching traits that inspire mental toughness.

Add to this the complete lack of tact while dealing with the media. True, there were less complaints about Gillispie’s attitude while we were winning, but then again, winners are allowed to do what they want. It isn’t right, but it’s a fact of life. For example, my favorite tv show is House. Would Dr. House have a job if he was a mediocre doctor? Of course not; his sarcastic, deceptive, mean-spirited ways would have gotten him fired if it weren’t for his great talent. No matter how much he tried to justify his attitude by arguing his lack of manners is due to his total devotion to his work at the expense of everything else, he still wouldn’t have a chance. Treating Gillispie the same way he treats reporters is extremely fair, and his refusal to sign a contract is another sign of his awful attitude towards his job.

Lastly, next season, if Patterson and Meeks stay, we could have one of the most talented kentucky team since the 2003-04 squad that went undefeated in the SEC. With Orton Pilgrim, and Patterson, our frontcourt will probably one of the most dominant in the nation. Miller has a very high potential, and having Meeks and Hood makes us a legitimate 3-point threat. If Gillispie doesn’t do VERY well with this team (and clean up his act, and sign a contract), the discussion should be over, and he should be gone.

just wanted to add so much