One hope left for KARMA in KY.  KY goes to the NIT and meets Minnesota for its last game.  Tubby's team whips us.  If we can't win this year, we might at least learn something.  Oh, and in case anyone hasn't figured it out, the real problem is Barnhart, not Tubby or Billy G.    

my fellow Kentuckians, please settle the hell down.  This is not Billy G's fault, this is tubby's.  There are two legitimate Division 1 players on this team and that's a result of years of terrible recruiting by Tubby.  That's why he left, he knew how bad it was going to be.  Want to see something that gets you excited?  Go check Daniel Orton on youtube.  He's a top notch recruit next year and the type of player Billy G gets.  Give him a break!  Stop embarrassing us, making yourselves look like dumb rednecks who have no patience or understanding.  Quit your crying and get ready for a much better year next year.

Please-do NOT include Tubby Smith in the coaching "greats" of UK.....he started this downward spiral!  The program has not been worthy of its legacy since Pitino left.  

Once an Aggie, always an Aggie... Gillespie has a home in College Station.

He's the reason I  have not watched that much big blue these past two seasons..... thanks Jodie & co.  for the effort... tubby could have made you guys a helluva team.

This year has been hard to accept but I agree we need to give Billy some more time.  In a couple of more years he will have used up all of his excuses.  Then we'll see.

I've lived in New Mexico for 15 yrs. but I still bleed UK Blue. It's hard to accept how the UK hoops program has tanked in the last few years. Don't know much about Billy G. but it cannot all be his fault. No way !!! Poor recruiting for several years is the problem.

MEMO TO UK FANS

A good portion of our fanbase just kills me. After 1 season where Billy had to work with Tubby's left-overs (unfortunately he still does)you guys expect to return to 'greatness'????

LOOK AT WHAT UK's BASKETBALL TEAM IS:

2 Stars- Meeks & Patterson
Bunch of role players- Porter, Harris, Stevenson, Stewart
Freshmen or 1st year guys- Liggins, Miller, Harrelson, Galloway
Walk-ons- Sloan, Delph, Krebs...
Bench fodder- Carter

WHAT CAN YOU SERIOUSLY EXPECT LOOKING AT THIS ROSTER???

How many of them simply are NOT 'UK material'? I can see 5 from that list that should have never been given a uniform.

Maybe the 5-0 start in SEC play spoiled you guys, despite all the "SEC is down this year" talk.

Maybe winning the tournament in Vegas got the ball rolling on our fans' expectations. Either way, look back at the roster and you'll see it was a false sense of security.

The bottom line is that WE ALL should have known that this would take more than a year to fix. Our team was LUCKY to get into the NCAAS last year. Going 12-4 last year in league play was all that made that happen. Heading into the tourney without Patterson ended in a very reasonably expected result.

FORGET THIS YEAR. With Pilgrim, Orton, Hood and even Villarino coming in next season, there are much brighter days ahead. Meeks & Patterson will be back. Neither one of them has established themselves as first rounders, especially the way they've played down the stretch.

Look at what we can see on the floor next season:

PG: Galloway/Villarino (Porter with limited minutes)
SG: Meeks
C: Orton
SF: Pilgrim
PF: Patterson

Key reserves: Miller, Stevenson, Hood, Harris, Stewart

Billy is getting bashed relentlessly despite all of the above and it's ridiculous. He leaves after this season and you're really going to see high profile coaches shy away from taking the job because they'll think they've got such a small window of time in which to succeed.

All you Billy bashers need to suck it up and look beyond this season. All the negativity right now is accomplishing NOTHING.

Stop your whining....it is especially unattractive this time of the season. Billy is a middle-aged alcoholic in a prolonged mid-life crisis!

Everyone in the entire basketball world except the pappy yokums in Kentucky know what a great coach Tubby is...

Yes, Yes, Yes, I hope and pray the Mildcats don't make the NCAA this season. They certainly don't deserve it.

What percentage of the players on Kentucky's current roster was brought in by Gillispie?  Stop blaming Tubby.  How do you explain Tubby doing better at Minnesota with a less talented roster?  You people are ridiculous.  You got what you wanted.  He,he,he,he,he.  Good luck with LSU tomorrow...NOT!

I counter Steve's note about "once an Aggie, always an Aggie".....I think Billie G burned some bridges leaving Aggieland the way he did and I don't think he would be welcomed back under any circumstance...Let him burn in KY.

Since I moved into Lexington from elsewhere in the midwest about 3 weeks before Billy G did and have no significant appreciation of the situation under Tubby, I feel a *bit* more objective about this whole situation.  What watching the games and reading the reports has told me is that Billy G is concerned about something other than just winning games.  He plays mind games on GAME DAY with strange substitutions.  Billy G has a mindset where he feels like he has to punish or reward players with playing time, pep talks, sound bites, and who knows what else, not only during practices, but also during games.  If I remember correctly, it IS a coach's job to teach, not just the sport, but sometimes life.  However, once the game clock starts it should be Billy G's job to make sure the best players are on the court at the best times in order to win the game.  It IS all about winning (not so that cheating is okay, but you do everything you can and have to do to win a game the legitimate way).  Billy G has forgotten that.  95% of the time it is his job to teach whatever needs to be taught.  During the 5% of the time when he and the boys are on the hardwood, the teaching stops and the winning starts. Period.  Get your head in the game, Billy.

Coach Gillespie is not a teaching coach.  His "my way or no way attitude" is responsible for the Cats playing way below talent level.  With two potential NBA candidates, any reasonable minded coach could win in the SEC during this down year.  Losing at home to Gerogia is unacceptable.  A good coach takes what talent he is dealt whether Tudbby's or his recruits.  Billy G. refusal to play zone shows his lack of adapatibility to what talent he has.  He has worn his players down with and they can't guard the water bucket.  His head games and bashing of non-star players has killed thier spirit.  It's time to change.  Things aren't going to get better until KY gets a coach who can coach the team and get off the ego trip he seems to be on.  He said it after every loss.  IT'S HIS FAULT!

I have been a UK basketball fan since the early 1960's.  Even under Adolph Rupp some fans griped about UK not "winning it All" in march every year. Rupp was too old; Rupp did not relate to modern players, etc. etc.  But, Coach Rupp put teams on the court ready to play every game. If our boys got out played so be it....But...the opponent had to beat us ...we did not beat ourselves very many times and as the year progressed so did the team.

Not any more.  I liked Tubby, as a man and as game coach.  If he had any glaring fault it was his loyalty tro his staff.  He needed to clean house at least two years before 2006 and get talented recruiters with at least one in state Ky basketball recruiter to make sure another Chris Lofton  did not slip away.  
Billy G. makes the same mistakes repeatedly.  To Heck with his being rude to an ESPN talking head no matter how cute she is.  What BCG has failed to do is get his team to play hard every game.  I have seen the best second half since early January in the Ole Miss Sec Tourney opening game last night and a great defensive effort in the first half vs LSWHO today.  Play hard and try your best UK and the Big Blue Nation will love you and your coach even if you fall short.  Remember the "Remarkables"?  They were mediocre at best but they played their collective hearts out every game. The Big Blue nation loved them before their remarkable run in the NCAA!  Ricky P. got every once of effort and talent out of them and the fans still love him ...even though he is at U of L.    

It takes a lot of courage to write ones opinion about UK basketball.  Personally, all I can say for myself is that I am a UK fan and no matter what happens, I will be cheering for UK.  I get frustrated, throw punches that only connect with air, curse the TV and officals, and on an occassion blame the apparel that I was wearing on that particular day for the loss.  We all go through it and we all have an explanation!  Bottom line is, we are not the Coach!  I guess if I knew more than Mr. Smith or Mr. Gillispie I would more than likely be coaching in the NCAA!  Thankfully I have a couch, TV and good friends to share all with!  GO BIG BLUE!!

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