I am so freaking happy the Cats lost last night. I can't fully express my joy, seriously. This entry may jump around a bit and I apologize but it makes me so giddy for the Cats to lose and all the freaking crap-talking to finally cease. The day after a huge Wildcats loss is unlike any other day, it has so may things going on. Everyone is in such a crappy mood, no one is talking. The people who ARE talking are talking about how crappy their team played and how they "could have won any other day" and all the other nonsense that pretty much any fanbase does, but it is so much sweeter when a Cat fan is in that mood, and I'll lay out a few reasons and examples of why.Since Calipari was hired, the very day he was hired, all that I've heard UK fans talk about is how "Number 8" is coming this year, it's a lock. "Final 4 bound! Go ahead and just ship the trophy to Lexington and have the tournament for the 2nd place team!" All season long we've heard how no one can stop "Blue Jesus" John Wall, Demarcus "Boogie" Cousins, Patterson, Bledsoe, Larry, Curly, Moe and the rest of the gang. Coach Cal is a God and no one can stop him! All season I've said that Cal's teams always choke out before winning a title, always have. It's nice to see that happen yet again. I personally don't have a problem with Coach Cal. I've always thought he was a bit shady, but seemed like an interesting character. It is hilarious for me to see things like this that have been said just a year ago by UK fans and to see how they deify him now. A good example is this article written by a UK fan on Matt Jones and his Cal takes. I'm sure they've all been seen by now, but I thought it was worth putting in here also.
Every single round of the NCAA tournament I've heard about every Big East team that has gone down and how the SEC is a true power in basketball, never mind that the Tennessee team that all UK fans hate but were cheering on had just gotten to their first Elite 8 in school history. Every round it was, "The SEC has this many teams and the Big East has this many left, hahaha they suck. Overrated." Well guess what? The Big East has a team in the Final freaking Four and everyone associated with an SEC team is sitting at home, weeping and holding each other, talking about how they came "so close" to glory. Granted, I actually like Bruce Pearl and think that he is a talented coach and definitely an entertaining person in general.
Most importantly, I can't stand to hear the Big Blue Nation talk about what a "great run" they had. According to EVERY SINGLE WILDCAT FAN I KNOW, and Elite 8 is "garbage." Every time UL has made it to the elite 8 the last couple years, and people aren't on suicide watch, the UK faithful have jumped on talking about how an Elite 8 is trash, and celebrating one or being content with that is some sort of heresy. They talk about that is the "difference" between being a UK fan and a UL fan, "we don't celebrate Elite 8's." Give me a freaking break.
One poster on this very site has even posted on here that, "And now on to the Elite Eight, somewhere the Cats haven't been since 2005. Just the fact that they made it there is just as good as a national championship according to Louisville's standards." So no, you can't be happy about being there, at least, not according to yourself, BoogieWoogie. Pitino is "garbage" and "washed up" for making it to only one final 4 and 2 other Elite 8's (back to back mind you--a pretty respectable feat for anyone outside of Lexington), but Cal making it there is cause for a parade.
According to yet another UK fan friend I have, "Pitino wasn't hired for Elite 8's." Well you know what? Neither was Cal. Every day I hear about how Pitino is garbage for making it to Elite 8's and how any good coach can get to a Final 4. So I will be expecting to see mass letters swarming the UK Athletic Department office on Monday morning calling for Calipari to be fired. He should be getting them that "guaranteed" 8th title that was promised the day he set foot in Lexington.
I'm not listening to any UK fan who talks about what a great run they had. Every time I hear that I'm just going to quote the things that I've been told in the past when I congratulated the Cards on a decent post season run.
The hard truth is that it is VERY special anytime anyone makes a Final 4 run, no matter the coach, players or program. I think that the Cat fans should now have a more realistic understanding of what it really means to make a Final 4. Even the favorites have trouble getting there, it is a tremendous honor and takes not only a great deal of skill, but a bit of luck as well.
You are a tool
ReplyDeleteBoogiewoogie may have guaranteed things, but Cal didn't guarantee anything. Since his hire, he's said it will take time - he made the Elite 8 in one year - given time, final fours and/or championships are probable.
ReplyDeleteWhat he has shown is that Kentucky will be in the mix every season (1 for 1).
But since you bring up Pitino. Pitino managed to make the NIT his first season after an equally crappy Denny Crum led Cardinal team. It took him 4 seasons to make the Final Four, a feat he hasn't accomplished since.
I never guaranteed anything. I said the team had the talent to go all the way. The only thing I guaranteed in this tournament was that The Cats would beat Cornell, that was it.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Cal/Pitino comparrison: MM hit the nail on the head. It took Pitino a while to get the Cards to the Elite Eight and the Final Four. What did he do the next year? NIT. I doubt that the Cats will be in the NIT next year.
It took Pitino 7 years to get a championship at UK. He is on year 11 at UofL and he hasn't gotten one. You can't tell me you are happy about that.
That being said: Cal has been at UK for one year and got to an Elite Eight after they were in the NIT just last year. Do we celebrate Elite Eights? Hell no. But we are celebrating the fact that we are taking strides in the right direction. Louisivlle has been stagnant for years and actually regressed this past year. Pitino is washed up and he has other things other than basketball that will be taking up a great deal of his time this summer. You can't tell me that recruitng will be priority #1 with an impediing trial. Is he the one on trial? No, but his integrity is.
UK will have another big time recruiting class to look forward to. Enes Kanter and Stacey Poole have already committed. Knight will follow soon as well as CJ Leslie. UofL has one guy in the top 50. I would love it if Wall,Cousins, Patterson or Bledsoe would stay but thats not reality. Good luck to them. I am happy for them and am thankful that they spent their time with Kentucky. UofL has mediocre talent coming back and mediocre talent coming in. And dont even start talking about 2011, thats a year away.
There is a lot of pressure when you are rooting for a team that people actually expect to win. I guess if you pull for team people expect to lose, you wouldn't understand.
ReplyDeleteSo one week ago elite eights were garbage, but now it depends on the circumstances of the team. I think that going from an NIT one year to an elite eight the next is actually pretty impressive. I also think going to back to back elite eights is something to be proud of. It isn't 6 final fours in 12 years impressive (Izzo and Mich. State) but it is still good. I guess there will always be a reason to discredit Pitino and UofL to some people. And I rooted for a team that people expected to win last year. I personally didn't feel any pressure but I'm sure last year's UofL team did.
ReplyDeleteElite 8s are garbage. I don't think anyone will be hanging a banner for UKs run to the Elite 8.
ReplyDeleteUK fans may be content right now but that's because the team got better. If we stall at Elite 8s, I truly wouldn't expect Cal to be in an 11th season with Kentucky.
Cardinals only expect Rick Pitino sex scandals and if he can get some NCAA bids - its just overachiving. The bar is set a bit lower in Louisville.
One of those 6 Final Fours yielded a Championship at Michigan State. Very Impressive. UofL on the other hand has not gotten one. Is Pitino getting paid those big bucks to go to Elite Eights, go to NIT's or go out the first round of the tournament? (something that he has done only once in his career:at UofL) The expectations were sky high when Pitino became the coach at UofL and imo he hasn't lived up to them.
ReplyDeleteNow, back to what I said before. Do we celbrate Elite Eights? Hell no. If by year 11 Cal has not had a championship team or gone to multiple Final Fours then he hasn't earned his money and change may be in order. He has been at UK one year and took a team from the gutter to a team that was competing for a championship. It might take him 5 or 6 years to win one but I think he will be there. Will NITs be in the picture? I surely hope they are not. Nobody would be happy with an NIT team and again, he is not being paid all of that money to go to NITs. Cal knows that and I doubt it will ever happen. Is it impossible? No. Teams have down years but when those down years add up then there is a problem.
You guys are right. Being one of the best 8 teams out of 300 plus is garbage. And if UofL fans can only expect Pitino sex scandals (which there has been one of) then I guess UK fans need to get prepared for something else of Calipari's getting vacated (that's happened twice).
ReplyDeleteAnd by your all's logic, why hasn't UK been to a final four in 11 years?
ReplyDeleteUK hasn't been to a Final Four in 11 years and we have had 2 coaches fired. RP still is sleazing around Louisville and fans still back him even though he really hasn't done all that much.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that a lot of UofL fans are more concerned with UK losing than getting a championship of their own. Isn't it a little annoying that Pitino did much better as the coach at UK that as the coach at UofL? What do you think accounts for that?
Pitino was a better recruiter and coach while at UK. I don't think he is washed up, I just don't think he is as good as he used to be. I think Pitino coached great teams the past two seasons. We had a talented team that got beat by a better UNC team two years ago in the elite eight. Last year I think we had one of the best teams in the country. We lost in the elite eight to a well coached Izzo team. Pitino hasn't lived up to some people's standards at UofL but I don't see how anyone can say he has done a bad job. "It seems to me that a lot of UofL fans are more concerned with UK losing than getting a championship of their own" is funny coming from you. You are the uber UofL hater. And the last time we didn't back a coach and called for his firing (Kragthorpe) UofL fans got blasted for being fickle and unsupportive. It seems like a lose-lose situation to me.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand the firing of Kragthorpe and I never described UofL as fickle for doing it. Unsupportive: Yes because Pappa John's was empty all year long. UK has had sucky football teams and basketball teams (last year) in the past but the stadium and the arena are always full. You can hate the coach but still support the team.
ReplyDeleteI am not the uber Louisville hater as I have described in my WVU post there are certain instances that I would actually cheer for them. I would be reluctant to do so but I would do it none the less.
It just seems to me that a great deal of Louisville fans have stake in Kentucky losing. I just didn't understand all of the cheering for WVU like they were cheering for their own team. Most UofL fans, I would think, should hate WVU equally as much as they hate UK. Again, I think Louisville fans take pride equally in UK losign as their own team winning.
I'm not a Pitino fan, but let me see if I can understand your logic...
ReplyDeletePitino is washed up (or underperforming or whateveter) because in 11 years at UL, all he has to show for it is a Final Four and two Elite Eights. This after going to consecutive championship games (and winning one) at UK.
Calipari, on the other hand, has never officially been to a Final Four. Even if you overlook the fact that he was forced to vacate two Final Four trips for "charges not directly involving Calipari even though they magically occurred at two separate schools Calipari coached", he's never won a championship.
So what does that make Calipari to you, a never-was?
Part of the point of this post Streble, was that to actually achieve a Final 4 is a feat in and of itself. This year Kentucky was (in a huge amount of peoples' eyes) far and away the best team in the Tourney. After Kansas lost and UK absolutely demolished Wake, even you said in a text, "i'm talking sh*t now, best team left." It was THEIR tourney to lose, and they did just that. Exactly like UL did against Mich State last year.
ReplyDeleteWas Mich. state a more athletic or talented team than UL last year? Most would say no. Was WVU more athletic or talented than UK THIS year? Pretty much everyone says no. UK fans found it absolutely atrocious and a HUGE choke that UL didn't even achieve a F4 last year, while doing the same thing this year. And when we congratulated our team and said we had a pretty good season, we "celebrated like it was the national championship" according to some.
All I was pointing out was that according to the standards that YOU set, you should be totally disgusted and up in arms.
What do you mean standards I set? Again, all I said was they had the talent to do it. As for standards: UofL fans have some of the lowest standards. Why would you be content with your team or your coach? Speaking of up in arms, if I was a UofL fan and Pitino was my coach I would be ready to fire him and kick him out the door. Louisville had the EXACT team they did from the previous year and finished in the same spot.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is that UK was in the NIT last year. Louisville was coming off an Elite Eight from the year before and finished in the exact same spot. So, tell me, what exactly was Rick Pitino hired to do? Go win the NCAA's or just have a good showing every once in a while because that seems that is all that he does.
As for Cal, it was his first year as the coach. A first year coach taking a team from the depths of the NCAA t a contender is a great start. If they have good talent next year and finish worse than an Elite Eight then I will be highly upset.
Tubby won a national championship for you in his first year. but you all didn't seem to happy with that a few years later.
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