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Paul Finebaum Says Kentucky “Must” Make the Sweet 16, Talks What an Early Exit Would Mean for the Program

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2 years ago

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© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Make no question about it, there is a lot of pressure on John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats heading into this postseason. After a 9-16 season in 2021 and a first-round upset last season, Wildcat fans are growing impatient with the lack of NCAA Tournament success and the national media can feel the unrest.

SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum spoke on this earlier this week, explaining that Kentucky needs to r. “I don’t think there’s a specific end date for Kentucky… this isn’t you have to get to the championship game, you have to get to the Final Four but you better look good in the tournament,” Finebaum said.

“You better not lose in the first or second round. You have to get out of that first weekend. For Kentucky Basketball the fact that I’m saying get to the Sweet 16 is the absolute must thing, it just shows you far this program has fallen, if they’re out of this thing by the end of the weekend, it’s a bad sign.”

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This season was considered a “revenge-like” season for the Wildcats, bringing back some key returnees and adding two five-star freshmen and some talented transfers. Given the mixture of talent and experience, Kentucky was ranked fourth in the preseason rankings. Just a few weeks in, it was clear that something was off, which led to the culmination of a loss to a very bad South Carolina team at home.

Since then, Kentucky regrouped and found something, battling their way to a 6 seed in the tournament, despite injuries. Yet, as we learned last season the tournament is the beacon for success at Kentucky making this one of the most important postseasons in UK basketball history and the John Calipari era.

“Looking good” is a reasonable request, but this team has been plagued with inconsistencies and it has been hard to get a true read on them. As John Calipari said after the SEC Tournament loss to Vanderbilt, “We’ve shown who we are. We can beat anybody. But I hate to tell you, we can get beat by anybody.”

One thing is for sure, Kentucky has shown they play better with their backs against the wall and they are taking that mantra into the NCAA Tournament. When Jacob Toppin was asked if he was “pissed off” about what happened last season, he provided a fiery response.

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“Yeah 100 percent, we have a chip on our shoulder. The guys that were here last year, we’ve engraved that into the newer guys. Everyone’s in a great mindset to show what we can do tomorrow.”

This is a very strong statement by Finebaum, someone who has been critical of Kentucky in the past. However, his quote may reveal some truth.

To say Kentucky has fallen off as a program is just not true, but to say we must get to a Sweet 16, there may be some truth in there. There’s a lot of pressure on Kentucky this weekend that’s for sure. They will have to come out loose and play like they have nothing to lose.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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6 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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