Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
It Was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times
If you are a person who appreciates the broader themes behind sporting events, Saturday was a fascinating day of basketball to watch in the state of Kentucky. After seeing two diametrically opposite performances by the Commonwealth’s two main team, it became clear that Kentucky and Louisville are two programs headed in opposite directions…and quickly. At noon, Kentucky showcased its best offensive game of the season by winning in front of a hostile crowd in Bloomington. Then at four pm, the Louisville Cardinals suffered their second straight home loss against a non-BCS conference team for only the second time in school history by falling to Western Carolina. Kentucky is now the nation’s “hot” program, with ESPN following it and its star player John Wall on a near daily basis. Louisville is struggling (once again) for an early season identity and is (to put it kindly) sluggish in its recruiting for the future.
However what is fascinating is that this reality could not have been predicted by anyone at this time last year. In fact, the unbelievable reversal of fortunes of Kentucky and Louisville in the last nine months is almost unprecedented. Dont believe me? Take a look at where each program stood going into conference tournament week (March 10-13) just last season:
LOUISVILLE:
— Heading to the NCAA Tournament as the #1 overall seed and co-favorite to win it all with North Carolina.
— Two players on the team heralded as likely lottery picks
— The #1 ranked Freshman in America coming off a decent season and likely to return the next year.
— Commitment from Jeremy Tyler, one of the top 5 players in the Class of 2011 and considered to be the stone cold lock leader for another 2011 5 star, Marquis Teague
— A coach heralded by one national college basketball writer as a “college legend, now fully back on his game.”
KENTUCKY:
— Headed towards its first season without an NCAA Tournament bid since 1991
— Coming off two seasons with three of the worst ten home losses in UK history
— Coached by an individual under fire, without the support of his players or the administration and no easy ending in sight.
— An ok 2010 recruiting class, but a lineup of future players likely to come to the program that are not believed to be of Kentucky caliber.
— An apathetic, disgrunted and divided fanbase.
Thats where we were just nine months ago. Now look at all the amazing developments of the past nine months:
— Pitino loses to Michigan State badly, denying the team of the Final Four
— Kentucky fires Gillispie
— Kentucky hires Calipari
— Kentucky gets commitments from John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, etc and produces one of the all-time great recruiting classes.
— Karen Sypher arrives on the scene and Pitino-gate begins on the national level.
— Jeremy Tyler goes to Europe, Teague doesnt commit and UL takes recruiting leaps on non-UL caliber players
— Kentucky becomes the story of college basketball early in the year.
— Samuels gets worse and UL loses to bad teams early
Thus in nine months, the two programs reverse direction in an unprecedented manner and in the process, dramatically reshape the balance of power in the Commonwealth. As a UK fan, it was difficult to look up nine months ago and see anything but turmoil ahead. The possibility of another year of Gillispie, the likelihood of player turnover and a divided fanbase meant that a two-year dip in performance during the final Tubby years had fallen to a two-year below average run in the Clyde years and had the potential to fall to a drop off of the planet in the following years. Then Clyde left, Cal came and the Cats reached the heights in which they now occupy….back on the tip of the tongues of the college basketball world, with the most marketable and cool player in the game and on the precipice of starting a run at the top that could last for a decade.
While at the same time, a UL fan has gone from the potential of a national championship nine months ago to a shaky future for a program with no clear direction. How will the team this season turn the ship around with shaky leadership from their best players and below-standard talent down the bench? Will their coach get through the Sypher trial without any more public relations issues and no long-term effect on recruiting? Will the team be able to get the players it needs to compete nationally with its current roster and a well-below-average class coming in 2010? Pitino is certainly a great coach and has had a potential Hall of Fame career…but does he still have the magic to compete with the younger and hotter name on the scene just 70 miles down the road? Nine months ago those questions werent even fathomed…now they are real.
All of this is not to say that the fortunes could not be reversed again. A great recruit here, a bad injury there could change the path of both programs yet again. But it is almost unfathomable to believe the movement of these two programs in such a short time. I remember walking away last year from the Louisville-UK game in Freedom Hall and thinking to myself, “we almost got lucky and won right there…I wonder when our next chance will come the way things are headed.” Now nine months later, the Cats will be significant favorites to not only beat UL, but contend for prizes on a much greater level. As we look back at the three game UNC-UCONN-Indiana run, it bears remembering what Calipari said about these games…”they will tell us where we are.” Well we have won all three and it is clear that “where we are” is in another stratosphere from where we were nine months ago. Our friends decked in Red likely agree…but probably arent as happy about their change as we.
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December 13th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Losing to WKU (again) next weekend could make it even worse for the Cards. I’m not sure how many recruits (especially in-state) would want to attend a program that was gaining the perception of being 3rd in the state of Kentucky.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I live in Louisville. My friends here don’t even want to get out of bed on January 2nd. They are a pitiful bunch right now.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Best post in a long time.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Btw… I’m taking the high road, although very difficult to do, and not kicking them while they’re down. It pisses them off even more and they have no way of coming back at me.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Pitino looks great. Tales from the Crypt great.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
For christ sake Ricky, hit a tanning bed or something!!
December 13th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Great post, Matt; it really is amazing and awesome to see these changes so quickly. I have heard many a UL fan in dismay about how quickly we have risen and also wonder why Pitino still hasn’t gotten them where they want to be. I’ve heard quite a few call in to the Joe B. and Denny Show (yes, I listen every other day during my drive…sometimes feels like self-inflicted punishment) and the fans sure are worried about the state of things. Denny has to be realllllly careful about how to answer those concerns, haha.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
I don’t even think Sypher would throw a pity hump his way these days.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
All hail Kragthorpe!! Not only did his winning ways propel UL to the cellar in the Big East, his over-achieving has spread all the way over to the hardwood as well! Behind closed doors was he secretly a Big Blue Supporter?
December 13th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
HEY MATT
seems roy and UNC cant stand hecklers, http://live-blogs.fayobserver.com/accbasketball/December-2009/Roy-frea ks-out-over-heckler,-asks-everyone-else-to
http://www.wralsportsfan.com/unc/video/6605651/
December 13th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
6, hes from the new england, they all look like that
December 13th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Slick Rick looks like he’s aged 10 years in the past couple of months
December 14th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Gotta say living in louisville as a Catfan has taken 180 degree turn. Football was a very touchy subject witht the dirty birds and all they want to do is blame it on the coach blah blah blah. Now that they suck in bball they don’t wanna talk sports PERIOD….heck even their womens program has plummeted. Even in our darkest BCG days I never stopped wearing my Big Blue gear and NEVER did I stop supporting the guys on the court. Goes to show you what kind of fans the dirty birds really have. Can’t wait to do see the wall dance on the floor that started this whole pendellum swing. April 5, 2010 Caliparty!
December 14th, 2009 at 12:04 am
I saw that #10.
You should hear the UNC fans defending him.
“Roy had good reason to believe the fan was drunk.”
They’ll really stretch logic to the breaking point to try and maintain their ivory tower image.
Gosh Dern Roy ain’t what he’s cracked up to be.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Great post!! Good angle on the tale of two cities. Glad I’m in Lexington cheering for the cats!!!!!
December 14th, 2009 at 12:05 am
I watched Ricardo Ratliffe play today and was very impressed. He is at CFCC in Ocala Florida and someone several schools, UK included, are interested in. The 6-9 power forward led the team with 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. He looks strong and also rebounds very well. I’ll be interested in seeing how how he does stepping up to D1 no matter where he goes.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Psh! Not kicking them while they’re down?? You’re a better man than I am. Words can’t describe how much I’m loving their humiliation this year. Terrible, awful, classless fans. They deserve this every year.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Picking one of the potential “first loses” in the poll is like picking my favorite way to die. Can we add “we ain’t gonna lose” as one of the options?
December 14th, 2009 at 12:16 am
17. Maybe being a female helps. Although, trust me, I can hold my own in a verbal altercation with any Louisville fan.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:22 am
the yankees won the world series right? … i mean, i’m just sayin…
December 14th, 2009 at 12:28 am
RICKY! your Itaaaalian, so you tan well. Get some sun every now and then, otherwise, forget aboooout it.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:31 am
21 that wasnt funny.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:40 am
I can’t believe you would write this post and dwell on UofL’s recent troubles on the anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s capture.
-Ricky P
December 14th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Rick’s comments/excuses about the UL team remind me of Billy Clyde’s…when he said we needed more talent, that he needed to get busy recruiting, etc. He is insulting the players he recruited. If Slick Rick is half as good a coach as he (and others) believes he is, he shouldn’t have a problem with his current players. I can’t wait until January 2!
December 14th, 2009 at 1:28 am
I have a friend who goes to UofL and the only thing she could say after we beat UNC and UConn was that we should act like we’d been there before. It must suck to be a Card fan right about now.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:33 am
20) good point …… lets hope history repeats again
December 14th, 2009 at 4:56 am
18 is correct…that poll is nothing but a buzz kill. Who in the hell wants to pick our first loss? What’s the next poll going to be about…who is the next player to get injured?
Also: SUCK IT TREBECK! (And by Trebeck I mean UL and all it’s filthy fans)
December 14th, 2009 at 5:03 am
What we are indeed seeing with these two programs is a return to balance and order in the basketball universe, as well as a bit of kharmic retribution that is long overdue UL.
Dear Louisville: I sincerely wish upon you an even worse run of pain than the last 4-5 years of garbage we had to endure. You truley deserve it. And, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest the armpits of Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich.
GO CATS!!!
December 14th, 2009 at 6:39 am
ricky is a shell of his former self. looks like he aged 10 years in the last couple.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:40 am
The complete implosion of the UofL basketball program is another reason why I believe Ricky P will be retiring at the end of the year. He’ll probably say that the trial has been a distraction; that he needs to focus on his family; and that he doesn’t have the same energy as he did before. And then Jurich will announce he is hiring Billy D. as the next coach. I have said this since April and I firmly believe it now.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Billy D? Great! Excellence in the NIT is the standard I want for Louisville. Don’t forget about little Ricky down there in Gainesville. He needs a gig pretty soon.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:57 am
I know many UofL fans, and I can only agree with what has been stated so far. While there are some passionate fans among them, most of them are certainly what I would consider to be fair-weather fans. An even better example was in football. When the Cats were down, the stadium was still packed, but these past couple of years people were giving away tickets, literally!
December 14th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Yeah, that’s great and all but I just want a coach who says we’re undefeated! Am I right BTI?! That just grinds my gears! hahaha
December 14th, 2009 at 7:33 am
The two most recent posts over at the Filthy Card Chronicle are The All-Decade Louisville Football Team and I don’t wanna talk about it tonight. Now THAT’S funny!!!
December 14th, 2009 at 7:35 am
The amazing thing is that last year this time, we all knew we had UNC, UConn, and IU all at some point in this season, not ot necessarily back to back, but I was hoping for at best a 1-2 record and we are 3-0. As Cal likes to say are you kiddin me!!
December 14th, 2009 at 7:39 am
When we beat Louisville, I’ll be greatly relieved.
Until then, let’s practice harder than ever so we can achieve that moment.
Until then, all talk is sawdust.
December 14th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Pitino is not the same coach he was at Kentucky. He also recruits a different type of player than he did at UK. Louisivlle’s lineup always includes one or more hotdogs, not so when he was at Kentucky. This UL team does lack talent, no doubt about it. But so far, Pitino hasn’t got as much out of it as he should have. He constantly is making line-up changes and his refusal to play Samuels and Jennings together (and Jennings hardly at all) appears to be due to stubbornness on his part. His “coaching” does remind me of Gillispie’s in some ways.
December 14th, 2009 at 8:15 am
stay humble BBN……
December 14th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Awesome post, Matt. As I read it I imagined myself reading it during halftime of the MSU-U of L tournament game when a friend had just texted me that he thought we ere going to get Calipari. If I had sat down then and there are wrote a fantasy storyline I couldn’t possibly have scripted it any better for Big Blue Nation.
December 14th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Is he visiting Michael Jackson’s plastic surgeon? Just saying.
December 14th, 2009 at 8:52 am
#38
I respect your opinion, but I have to disagree just a little. Of course, we want our team to stay humble, but as fans, we don’t have to. Just think about this. Villanova has already lost, last night. If North Carolina can go to Texas and pull off a win on Saturday, then this time next week we’ll be right where we belong. That is at #2, right behind Kansas. We, as fans, have a right to think that way.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:03 am
17) I take the high road until after we play the Cards. Once a win is secured, then I talk smack. I know too many UL fans who although they want a successful season, can survive all year on winning just one game.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:06 am
41) Call me superstitious, but for me getting carried away is sort of like how the announcers say a player is shooting 89% free throws on the season and he’s perfect from the line today. As always, the player misses the next free throw!
December 14th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Can someone help me find a video of Sosa interview after the game Saturday? Did anyone else see where all he talked about was Kentucky?He said that all he hears when he leaves the dorm is about how good Kentucky is. It was on WDRB and I think WAVE, but I haven’t found a clip yet. Still searching.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:18 am
#43
It’s ok to think that way also, if you choose to. I’m just very optimistic. I don’t see anything wrong with either way of thinking. At times I’m also on the superstitious side also. I just love the passion and enthusiasm this team has played with. Especially PP and John Wall. I love how Wall is one of those players who REFUSES to lose.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Nice write up, Matt….
December 14th, 2009 at 9:23 am
One the UL game is over I’ll get very carried away until tourney time. We will hopefully be 15-0 and then only a conference schedule to think about with wins over all major rivals. Life will be sweet. Come March, we will be as unstoppable as any team in recent memory.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:38 am
All is right with the world….:-D
December 14th, 2009 at 9:50 am
[...] Kentucky Sports Radio is enjoying UK’s rise and Louisville’s demise: “While at the same time, a UL fan has gone from the potential of a national championship nine months ago to a shaky future for a program with no clear direction. How will the team this season turn the ship around with shaky leadership from their best players and below-standard talent down the bench? Will their coach get through the Sypher trial without any more public relations issues and no long-term effect on recruiting?” [...]
December 14th, 2009 at 10:11 am
WOW! Tricky Rick is looking old in that photo!
December 14th, 2009 at 10:16 am
It is truly a great day for the Commonwealth’s team…. I loved listening to Drew Weiner this morning and all the fans calling in and asking for Pitino’s head and wanting him to resign…. What a great day….
December 14th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I like the picture you posted. Calipari makes Pitino look 93 years old.
December 14th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I agree with #38..As optimistic as I am about this UK team, I will celebrate January 2nd after we hammer them.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Compare Pitino’s 1996 Kentucky team to the trash he’s putting on the floor today.
The drop off is dizzying.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I don’t know if anyone else saw this, but Ken Pomeroy has his predictions up for the rest of the season.
He has the Cats 25-6.
He has the Cards 14-17.
Pitino with a losing record?
December 14th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
[...] to Kentucky Sports Radio, which jumped me and ran with this kind of post yesterday. But I will not relent! The majority of [...]