Cal asks UK fans to vote out a rivalry game in the future

#1
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SportsFreak

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#1
Per coachcal.com:

"As we get into the heart of our schedule and as our staff recruits and plans for the future, there is something I wanted to address with the Big Blue Nation. There are some things that are being thrown at us that, as a program, we really have to take a hard look at it.

The main one is scheduling.

You may ask, “What do I mean about that?” Well, when you start adding two league games, which has been proposed, AND you’re playing in the Champions Classic AND you’re playing in the SEC/Big East Challenge AND you have other games that are big-time events for us to play in, you’re putting your program at risk.

What I mean by that is this program is too important to over-schedule based on the roster turnover that I believe will continue to happen. You cannot put this program at risk, not with our turnover and roster. You CANNOT over-schedule and put yourself in that position.

With that being said, here is where I want the help of the Big Blue Nation. If we had to – and this doesn’t mean we have to at this point because we still have 16 league games – but if we had to drop one series and there were no other options, who would it be? Would it be North Carolina, Indiana or Louisville?

I want to know where the Big Blue Nation would fall on this. If we were faced with making this decision – and this is for the Big Blue Nation only! – who would we postpone or eliminate?

Decisions are not easy. UNC is top five every year and Tom Crean will have Indiana there in short order. Louisville is always strong and in state. What’s best for our program? What helps up maintain the gold standard?!?!

This will be an interesting dialogue. I know who I would vote for."



Here is the link to the page where he asks UK fans to vote. He is not saying this is inevitable, but in the event that it does have to happen, he wants to give the fans a chance to see their top rivalries stay intact.

Scheduling scenario for the Big Blue Nation - CoachCal.com
 
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#3
#3
I have a hard time with the concept of "over-scheduling" in college basketball because games don't mean the same thing they do in football, for example.

Does it really kill Kentucky if they lose one of those three games, or all three of them even?
 
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#4
#4
Cal wants to boost his record up so he can pass Coach K. He also wants to win 30+ games a year so he can basically get any and every big recruit he wants. Lame of him to do this at UK. He did the same at Memphis with the Louisville rivalry. I bet the rivalry he wants to end is Louisville. He can't stand Pitino and knows that series could cost him KY recruits.
 
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#5
#5
Seems like the logical choice would be UNC. I'm no UK basketball expert, but aren't the Louisville and Indiana rivalries older? Not to mention if he's worried about losing, I would think the chances of losing to UNC is greater than the other 2.
 
#6
#6
Sith Vol said:
Pu$$y
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This.

Calipari is absolutely pathetic for that.

Look at Pat Summitt's schedule.

I didn't know it was possible for UK to over-schedule in men's basketball.

I'll be nice on one point. It's cool that he's putting it to the fans; it's just very weak that he's going to pansy-up the non-conference slate.
 
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#7
#7
ukvols said:
This.

Calipari is absolutely pathetic for that.

Look at Pat Summitt's schedule.

I didn't know it was possible for UK to over-schedule in men's basketball.

I'll be nice on one point. It's cool that he's putting it to the fans; it's just very weak that he's going to pansy-up the non-conference slate.
Click to expand...

Seriously?
 
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#9
#9
I would bet he wants to get rid of UNC. He knows his teams aren't nearly as strong in Nov/Dec as they are in march.
 
#10
#10
Cal tried something similar at Memphis, saying he didn't want to play Ole Miss, Tennessee, or any other local teams since it didn't necessarily help in making Memphis a "national program" (although lower-tier local teams like Arkansas State, UALR, and SE Missouri somehow managed to find their way onto the schedule).

But he doesn't have that problem at Kentucky. And this isn't like BCS-era football where you can have too tough a schedule. The committee has been punishing teams who avoid non-conference heavyweights (see 21-win Alabama last year), vs. those who simply lose to them. 19-14 Tennessee and 19-14 Michigan State both played brutal schedules, and both made the field last year.
 
#11
#11
Big Slick said:
Cal tried something similar at Memphis, saying he didn't want to play Ole Miss, Tennessee, or any other local teams since it didn't necessarily help in making Memphis a "national program" (although lower-tier local teams like Arkansas State, UALR, and SE Missouri somehow managed to find their way onto the schedule).

But he doesn't have that problem at Kentucky. And this isn't like BCS-era football where you can have too tough a schedule. The committee has been punishing teams who avoid non-conference heavyweights (see 21-win Alabama last year), vs. those who simply lose to them. 19-14 Tennessee and 19-14 Michigan State both played brutal schedules, and both made the field last year.
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Well said. Hell, UK went to the final four last year with 9 losses. It's all about what you can do in the SEC, assuming you don't fall on your face in the pre-conference schedule. 12-4 in the SEC puts you in the tourney year in year out, most often. The only thing he gets out of this (which I know he covets) is #1 seeds in the tourney, with 2 and 3 loss seasons.
 
#13
#13
We've beaten the hell out of Indiana umpteen times out of umpteen plus 1, pretty much owned Louisville. He's not wussing out on those.

The series with UNC is a fairly recent concoction that has been on-again off-again over the last 30 years. I don't really consider it to be a rivalry.
 
#14
#14
Brian McCat said:
We've beaten the hell out of Indiana umpteen times out of umpteen plus 1, pretty much owned Louisville. He's not wussing out on those.

The series with UNC is a fairly recent concoction that has been on-again off-again over the last 30 years. I don't really consider it to be a rivalry.
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Neither do I. In terms of rivalry, the IU and UL games are much more traditional rivals. However, if we hypothetically "had" to give one up, I think it should be the Indiana game. Putting emotional ties and the past aside for a moment, the UNC game is better for the program, IMO. Personally, I think it's ridiculous to give up any of them. Tom Izzo has never backed away from a tough schedule, I see no reason why we should.
 
#16
#16
Looking over their schedule this season, I'd say they could probably drop the Lamar game and no one would miss it.
 
#18
#18
Hardwood_fanatic said:
No offense my friend, but you couldn't be more wrong about the IU game. It hasn't been much of a "rivalry" lately, but the ties to this game go back a long way.
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Maybe so. UK fans that I know have never mentioned Indiana and rivalry in the same breath. Same with UNC.

I'm betting if you ask 10 UK fans who their rivals are they'll say:

1. Louisville
2. Tennessee
3. Gingivitis
 
#19
#19
MemphisCanes said:
Maybe so. UK fans that I know have never mentioned Indiana and rivalry in the same breath. Same with UNC.

I'm betting if you ask 10 UK fans who their rivals are they'll say:

1. Louisville
2. Tennessee
3. Gingivitis
Click to expand...

Gingivitis isn't so bad here, everyone has their teeth pulled early enough that it offsets the figures. Each UK fan has their list of rivals, Dook usually always makes the list on some folks as well. Tennessee is on peoples list during the last game, but honestly UT wasn't on UK's radar during the previous 100 years. Maybe you break them down like this:

Present Day Rivalry top 3

1) Louisville
2) Tennessee
3) Duke or UNC (maybe florida)

All time historic Rivalry top 3

1) Louisville
2) Indiana
3) Pick One

Maybe you don't remember the days where the UK/IU game was played in neutral sites (RCA Dome and Freedom Hall). The arena was split 50/50 right down halfcourt, blue on one side and red on the other. Awesome rivalry before it switched to Home/Home and UK started drumming the hell out of IU the last 10 years.
 
#20
#20
LawVol13 said:
Seriously?
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Yeah, Pat Summitt's schedule.

She plays the most brutal non-conference schedule in all of basketball every year, on top of playing in the SEC.
I don't see how the fact that she coaches women's basketball prevents this from being a good comparison.

Summitt and Calipari both coach supremely talented teams that are always highly ranked. It's not quite an apples to apples comparison, but the philosophies can be compared.
 
#21
#21
Sith Vol said:
Cal wants to boost his record up so he can pass Coach K. He also wants to win 30+ games a year so he can basically get any and every big recruit he wants. Lame of him to do this at UK. He did the same at Memphis with the Louisville rivalry. I bet the rivalry he wants to end is Louisville. He can't stand Pitino and knows that series could cost him KY recruits.
Click to expand...

He also ruined the football rivalry with Ole Miss, because he did not want to play Ole Miss in basketball. Also tried to ruin the UT rivalry. And he would not play Arkansas.
 
#22
#22
What a disgrace. He is not a Kentucky man and he has no Kentucky pride. He has the best talent in the country and he wants an easy schedule. One thing I always loved about Pearl is that Tennessee did not duck anybody. Tennessee would play anybody, anywhere, anytime.
 
#23
#23
Hardwood_fanatic said:
Gingivitis isn't so bad here, everyone has their teeth pulled early enough that it offsets the figures. Each UK fan has their list of rivals, Dook usually always makes the list on some folks as well. Tennessee is on peoples list during the last game, but honestly UT wasn't on UK's radar during the previous 100 years. Maybe you break them down like this:

Present Day Rivalry top 3

1) Louisville
2) Tennessee
3) Duke or UNC (maybe florida)

All time historic Rivalry top 3

1) Louisville
2) Indiana
3) Pick One

Maybe you don't remember the days where the UK/IU game was played in neutral sites (RCA Dome and Freedom Hall). The arena was split 50/50 right down halfcourt, blue on one side and red on the other. Awesome rivalry before it switched to Home/Home and UK started drumming the hell out of IU the last 10 years.
Click to expand...

Not to mention the High School basketball rivalry between the two states, sending their best against each other every year.
 
#24
#24
LibertyVol said:
What a disgrace. He is not a Kentucky man and he has no Kentucky pride. He has the best talent in the country and he wants an easy schedule. One thing I always loved about Pearl is that Tennessee did not duck anybody. Tennessee would play anybody, anywhere, anytime.
Click to expand...

Yep, even Oakland...
 
#25
#25
pa136761 said:
Yep, even Oakland...
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True; on the road as well. Tennessee has consistently played the toughest schedule in the nation the last few years. I would be embarrassed if Martin came out and said he wanted to drop a game because the schedule is just too hard. My God. This is Kentucky. The number one basketball program in the land.

I was embarrassed when Dooley did it in football.
 
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