UK Not Listed in CBS Sports “Top 25 (And One)”
Featuring 100% less Lexington.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. With UK football presented with an inordinately high level of excitement to start the offseason, basketball has suffered more than it has over the last three years. Coincidence? Yeah, probably. Worrisome? Not quite yet.
After averaging little more than 50 points over the last two games, and snapping the nation’s longest home win streak against an unranked team, our Wildcats are no longer listed in CBS Sports’ “Top 25 (And One).”
Jeff Goodman and Gary Parrish rank Duke, who “spent November stacking wins against Ohio State, Louisville, Minnesota, Kentucky, and VCU,” ahead of Indiana for the top spot. Michigan, Syracuse, and Louisville rounded out their top five, with Florida and Mizzou in the top ten at #6 and #8, respectively.
What can this lead us to expect from other ranking services? The national polls, which have yet to be updated, may be similarly bereft of the Cats. No other ranked team has three losses, which will likely push Kentucky (and UCLA) out of the top 25.
How are the players handling it? A few have deleted their Twitter accounts, either to avoid heckling “fans” (and I use that term loosely), or to focus more on work and less on distractions. Either way, it’s obvious that the record is speaking to the players as much as it is to those on couches.
Other players, meanwhile, have openly responded to the hardship:
Tough times don’t last but tough people do..
– Nerlens Noel (@NerlensNoel3) December 2, 2012
That’s the right attitude to have right now, and hopefully the players will be rewarded for whatever hard work they’ll be putting in this week, and going forward. But this week might be a first for the John Calipari tenure, who still had the rough-looking, Brandon-Knight-led 2011 squad ranked at #22 after falling to 17-7 while struggling on the road.
There is still a ton of time to get back in the Top 25 should they fall out of it, and with Samford and Portland on tap this week that looks likely.
So while it’s okay to be a little disappointed when the official rankings come out, don’t be surprised. This is your heads up. It’s probably going to happen.
52 Comments for UK Not Listed in CBS Sports “Top 25 (And One)”
You don’t have to treat UK fans like children and “prepare” them for what the new polls might bring. Steveie Wonder could tell you this is not a top 25 team.
Figured this team out over the weekend. It’s Bogans / Prince all over again. If you recall Prince was much better and Bogans was more ballyhooed coming out of highschool. They never played together both jacking shots and hurting the team. Fast forward to this year, Poythress / Goodwin. It’s clear to me Poythress is the clear better player and should be the go to guy. Goodwin is Bogans jacking up shots and trying to keep the light on him and hurting the team. Real sad situation for the team and Poythress as you saw how it fared for the Tubby squads, they never got the big game accomplished due to not being a “team”.
No big deal the 2011 squad had similar issues early and made a run to The Final 4. Besides, we are a football school now.
We are just really not good rite now, and by that I mean we suck. I feel like 5 years ago when he who we do not mention was head ball coach smh makes me wanna cry. But we will be ok by the end of the year….. I hope.
Yawn. I’ll care come March. Team has a lot of time to practice and come together.
3. I don’t think so.
4. We definitely are not that good right now, but do you remember those BCG teams? They were beyond awful. They couldn’t even throw or catch a pass. This team’s problems are different and fixable with more work and game experience.
I expected up to be ranked 26-30 after last week’s results. We are what we are.
I am scared of Florida. Why can’t we play Temple?
“us” not “up”.
Teague shoulda stayed. Think if we had him runnin the point. Whole different ballgame. I mean his brother is already in the pros so he’s already set. Welp off to the D League boys.
Lets see where the Cats finish.Right now “Top Ten” rankings are meaningless.And I’m sure Cal is more concerned about his team s play than a top ten ranking.
I think that it would be good for UK to get out of the top 25. They were ranked so high at the start of the season that just added pressure. I agree that Duke needs to be ahead of Indiana also I think that Louisville is a top 25 team, but need to be lower than where they are. Coach Cal knows what he is doing he has scheduled the way he did to prepare this team for March. This team will get back into the top 25 this year and I think if they can toughen up and hit their shots that they can be contenders in the National Scene and make another run for the Final Four. Go CATS!
Those that kick our players while they’re down should be ashamed! Most of them are still teenagers!
This team to me has always been a sweet 16 team. Elite 8 final four if they catch some breaks. No big deal. Cal will get them playing together, rotating on defense and playing with enthusiasm. no worries from this cat fan.
I feel that this team will get it together by conference play and start playing the ball we all know that they can. #getridofthebluehairsinrupp
I think it will be good for this young team to have to earn something. this may make them care more and put out a little more !
We need to run more, have more assists, and play Hood. The defense isn’t great yet, but we don’t score enough points to win.
17. Play Hood?? Your crazy
The hassling of players on Twitter is simply stupid and those who do it….well…
Everyone just needs to chill. These guys will have plenty of practice time over the holidays and time to grow. Those having expectations of this group being elite this early in the season were being unrealistic. Just be patient.
Wow! These so called prognosticators, AP, CBS, ESPN, etc. sure have shown their prowess concerning both football and basketball rankings this year. I think it is safe too state that these morons have not a clue when they (write)ha! about their particular sport!!
#15, how big was your K Fund donation check this year?
Thats right, play Hood. His shooting percent would have been higher than the teams. He can hit free throws. He is willing to make an assist.
22 – hahahaha. Play hood? You must be from the hills. You people always want the white ky boy to play even when they aren’t very good. Hood can’t dribble, shoot, defend, or pass. He is too scared to hang on to the ball. Get over the obsession with hood. He is what he is. An average at best player.
#15, does this mean that when you are a “bluehair” you will no longer love UK basketball or want to be able to get into Rupp? Remember this when you get older.
We just need to support our team through the good and the bad times.
17 & 22 – Nice try, Hood. Seriously though, now’s the time to play around with the lineup. Things aren’t working, and if nothing else, it’ll give the starters more motivation to keep their spots.
#12 I agree. didn’t cal set this schedule up to give these guys playing time against teams that are not that great? Smart move with this team and no one can tell me he didn’t know this before the season started. Cal (may) have thought they were some better but he knew they needed time to be a top ten team. I love my KY WILDCATS and thank god for COACH
Good pt guard play along with better shot selection from Goodwin will go a long way with this team. I think success hinges on the improvement of Harrow. These next four games should give him plenty of time to show he has it or he needs to sit down.
Hood would be helpful until some of our young guys can work up to average. And with more playing time Hood may look good.
why is my comment ‘awaiting moderation’?
The thing that surprised me the most watching the basketball game was some negative body language. Keep your heads up guys you will get it together soon.
Why doesn’t Coach just listen to me, the well-informed fan! The problem is OBVIOUSLY the line-up we’re using. I’m tellin ya’, if we woulda been startin’ Polson, Hood, Malone, Long, and Lanter since day one, we woulda been undefeated and on our way to a perfect season! LISTEN TO ME!!
The sky is falling! the sky is falling! Cal is a grown Karate Kid we will be alright at the end of the movie! Wax off, Wax on….. some things have to be taught and absorbed before improvement will be realized.
Why should everybody get playing time to see if they can work themselves into good players except Hood?
Ridiculous if we’re not ranked (albeit probably somewhere from 20 to 25). Those losses were to Duke, Baylor, and at Notre Dame? Who else has played that tough of a schedule? Just Duke, probably (and yes, it sucks, but based on performance so far Duke deserves to be #1 over IU). Yeah, Baylor’s unranked, but they’re not exactly Gardner-Webb either.
Maybe we’re not a national championship-caliber team (then again, we could be), but it’s too early to be freaking out.
UofL fans, be there on January 2nd when we whip Florida A&M in the Sugar Bowl!…….What? It’s Florida, not Florida A&M? Oh!
The KSR idiot board is alive and well.
Heckling of players?
What are they talking about? Have some stupid fans been heckling the players? If that’s the case they should be beaten!
Sometimes our crazy, unattached, un-educated and rowdy fanbase is our own worse enemy! We have Cal, everyone needs to calm down.
For the record, it is easy for me to put on a UL shirt and take a photo then make a twitter account as a UL fan. I would guess that some UL fans done the same exact thing, only posing as UK fans to heckle our players via twitter. They are our little brother, they have to do stupid things like that!
I didn’t think this team was top 10 for sure at the beginning of the season. But they should NOT have lost to Baylor. I’m a HUGE coach Cal fan and have been since his UMASS days. However, this is possibly the worst coached team since BillyG.
Very disappointed in the lack of offensive efficiency and the unforgivable repeat of defensive mistakes. Kyle has got to sit until he proves he’s not a complete liability on defense. Every team is now exploiting Kyle and he’s not showing any signs of improving. He doesn’t look like he’s accepting the challenge or he’s unable to accept it. The turnovers are a result of players not knowing the sets. PRACTICE MORE. Not just with coach, do it on your own players. Run the plays until you know what you’re doing. I know the NBA is down this year as far as good college recruits but saying Noel, Poythress, and Goodwin are one and done’s is a joke at this point.
Hopefully the guys are taking these losses personally and will use them to STEP UP(toughen up) AND PLAY BALL.
GO CATS!
Looks like this is a sweet 16 team at best. But even that will take a tremendous amount of work to get there.
I believe in Cal. He will get these boys playing like men by Christmas! Why? Because he is Coach Cal. He will start Hood who Cal is coaching up to be Dan Issel. We will kill the Cards. Why? Because of Coach! He’s a genius. He single handily saved Haiti. I see a Final Four team. If Cal gets his way it’s another National Championship. He should have coached our football team. Coach Cal. Coach Cal.
To those saying ‘PUT HOOD IN’
Give me a break.
When I see Hood being inserted in to the game, that tells me Cal is upset with someone playing stupid so he makes them sit and puts Hood in for them as the ultimate “you suck so bad right now, I’m going to play that guy.”(that guy is hood)
Coach Cal really knows how to hit these prima donnas where it hurts.
Put Hood In. He has played good this year in the few minutes he was allowed to play.
I support all of our players. I hope they are all treated fairly.
Think this thread may just have gotten John Hood a nickname. We can call him, the “white” flag. Because we are giving up when we put him in the game.
43 – hood would never be here if he wasn’t a ky boy. He is not a Cal player. If cal let him go, all the ignorant fan would be crying about how gret a player hood is and how stupid cal was to let him go. I don’t understand the infatuation that the country folk have with white players. It’s just like those saying how great a shooter hood is simply because he is white. Hood is a sub 30% 3 point shooter for his entire career and that is including high school. Hood is not a good player and you folks should accept that.
@23 Why does it always have to come to race/color? It has nothing to do with what color their skin is. I agree that Hood is not a great player but how can he be a worse shooter than anyone else on the team. Sometimes when your “star” players aren’t hitting shots, why not try a Hood or a Beckam? I don’t care what color or race these kids are, just find the ones that are willing to hustle, play hard, and hit some open shots! I am a UK fan and I love all the players, not just the black ones or the white ones. Go Cats!
I suspect trolls.
Let’s not sugar coat this loss. Baylor just lost at home to College of Charleston… we are not an NCAA Tournament team right now people.
If you will recall Hood was highly thought of when he first came in. And Cal has a reputation for making not just his star player better, but also other players (Jorts, Liggens, Miller, Polson). I know he was injured all last year but by this point it should be expect for Hood to contribute. So no it is not racist for any of us hilljacks to expect Hood to be a contributing player. It is racist for anyone to think he is a bumb who can’t play because he is a white.
Matt!
I just heard the Wiltjer, Mays and WCS had to delete their twitter because of heckiling fans!
I’m sure most of it was UL fans trolling as UK fans but you need to make a statement on the radio, this is ridiculous!
Any of the cats fans who are heckling the players on Twitter please stop, its ridiculous and flat out embarrassing!! The players are still teenagers for most part and win or loose they should get full support a nd backing from BBN, not harassment!!! Hell coach cal just brought UK the national title last year, chill out people and let him and his players do there thing, he will get it fixed! Twitter shit will cause future recruits to say hell no to come play here
Perhaps this is what we need. Reigning national champs gets you NADA a year later. You’ve got to start from the “bottom” now.