What Do You Think About The Schedule This Season?

[shadow force]

It should be a very challenging schedule with the potential for some big match ups in the Battle 4 Atlantis along with games against Purdue, IU, and Uk.

Battle 4 Atlantis Tourney
Purdue- ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Uk
IU (Indianapolis)

ACC Conference Schedule

 

[Cue Card]

It's a very good schedule IMO with a good balance of cupcakes and strong competition to help the team grow as the season unfolds. I'm excited to see how this team develops. I really think we're going to have a solid basketball team with L1C4 on full display.

 

[Kratz]

I hate cupcakes, but understand that a few of them are necessary. However, I would like to see the cupcakes be in state schools like EKU, Murray, Morehead, etc. At least keep that money in state and help out the local guys. I have zero interest in Grand Canyon College.

The bad thing about cupcakes is that they really are a no win situation. You win by 30, well, that's what you were supposed to do. You get caught in a tight win and it's the lead story on sportscenter. You lose and you hear about it for a few years at a minimum.

 

[ThroughBlue]

I hate cupcakes, but understand that a few of them are necessary. However, I would like to see the cupcakes be in state schools like EKU, Murray, Morehead, etc. At least keep that money in state and help out the local guys. I have zero interest in Grand Canyon College.

The bad thing about cupcakes is that they really are a no win situation. You win by 30, well, that's what you were supposed to do. You get caught in a tight win and it's the lead story on sportscenter. You lose and you hear about it for a few years at a minimum.

I would like to see us do the same thing. I feel like the "paid wins" should at least benefit the smaller school's athletic departments. There are a few schools in our state that would fit that mold

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Besides UK, what's UL's biggest home game pre-acc?

 

[Kratz]

Besides UK, what's UL's biggest home game pre-acc?

Non conference it doesn't get any bigger than UK. Simple as that. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of UK fans would say the same thing about UofL.

There is a difference in comparison though: UofL gets plenty of tough opponents with in conference play. Face it, the ACC is loaded. UK doesn't get the same with the SEC. Once conference play starts, UK is lucky to have 1-2 games versus a ranked opponent. UofL is probably playing at least one ranked opponent every week in conference play.

It's not UK's fault. UK does their part to be good, however the rest of the conference doesn't seem to care. So UK has to build their SOS with more good opponents in non conference games.

 

[SoulSr]

Non conference it doesn't get any bigger than UK. Simple as that. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of UK fans would say the same thing about UofL.

There is a difference in comparison though: UofL gets plenty of tough opponents with in conference play. Face it, the ACC is loaded. UK doesn't get the same with the SEC. Once conference play starts, UK is lucky to have 1-2 games versus a ranked opponent. UofL is probably playing at least one ranked opponent every week in conference play.

It's not UK's fault. UK does their part to be good, however the rest of the conference doesn't seem to care. So UK has to build their SOS with more good opponents in non conference games.

Just like Denny did when we were in the Metro.

 

[Kratz]

Just like Denny did when we were in the Metro.

Exactly..........

 

[zipp]

...It's not UK's fault. UK does their part to be good, however the rest of the conference doesn't seem to care. So UK has to build their SOS with more good opponents in non conference games.

In the bigger picture, I disagree. LPT plays in the SEC by choice, and it's always been first and foremost a football conference. So slapd!cks have at least some responsibility for how bad their conference schedule is.

They may not have a choice anymore as their options to move conferences are probably as limited as they've ever been. And financially now, they'd take a hit moving anywhere but the Big Ten. But to simply say that their $hit schedule is not their fault is untrue.

And U of L doesn't need LPT on its schedule nearly as much as they need us. Our schedule is strong without them. UNC just said they will consider dropping the slapd!cks, so we're more important to them than perhaps we have ever been. Perfect opportunity to drop their sorry a$$es as well.

"Elite program", my a$$...

 

[Kratz]

Once again your hatred shows bias in history. The SEC has had times where it was a worthy basketball conference. Never on par with the ACC or the old BE, but definitely respectable. UK's been in the SEC damn near since the thing started. At one time UK was very competitive in football there as well.

Over the years it has drifted to a purely football dominated conference, while UK has chosen to put all their marbles into basketball and let football slide into the crapper.

So yeah, it's not UK's fault that the league they've been in for over 50 years drifted away from basketball. UK did it's part to stay good.

As someone else said, UofL was the same way in the Metro. There was UofL, Memphis State, and occasionally UC would have a good team. Was it UofL's fault that the Metro sucked (and collapsed)?

Denny simply made up for it by playing a monster OOC schedule. 6 Final 4's and 2 Titles shows that the option works in a weak conference.

 

[Cue Card]

Hard to disagree Kratz. It's a winning formula for sure. Hopefully the Cardinals can use basically that same formula in Football and start winning some national championships. Baseball too for that matter.

I can't completely disavow all of UofK's accomplishments while being in the SEC. As you've correctly pointed out, there have been some pretty good basketball teams over the years in the SEC not named UofK. Arkansas won a couple of titles. Florida has won a couple of titles too. LSU has been in the final four a few times, and I'm sure there have been others which I can't remember right now. UofK did their part to stay the biggest fish in a small pond so that's saying something. There is an argument to be made on HOW they stayed there, but that's not a road I want to travel down again. It's a tired stale argument and I just don't have the energy for it.

 

[zipp]

Once again your hatred shows bias in history. The SEC has had times where it was a worthy basketball conference. Never on par with the ACC or the old BE, but definitely respectable. UK's been in the SEC damn near since the thing started. At one time UK was very competitive in football there as well.

Over the years it has drifted to a purely football dominated conference, while UK has chosen to put all their marbles into basketball and let football slide into the crapper.

So yeah, it's not UK's fault that the league they've been in for over 50 years drifted away from basketball. UK did it's part to stay good.

As someone else said, UofL was the same way in the Metro. There was UofL, Memphis State, and occasionally UC would have a good team. Was it UofL's fault that the Metro sucked (and collapsed)?

Denny simply made up for it by playing a monster OOC schedule. 6 Final 4's and 2 Titles shows that the option works in a weak conference.

Nice try, but I don't need hate when the facts are on my side...

The SEC has never had another basketball program demonstrating sustained success. Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, Florida... They've all been basketball flash-in-the-pans because sustained success simply isn't a priority. They're esp. bad considering their resources, each of them their state's flagship school with SEC football money to invest. In the bigger picture, none of them really care.

And none of that is news. Any observer has witnessed the slow motion train wreck that is SEC basketball if they've had their eyes open. LPT just ignores it, or they actually like it. They'd rather dominate a $hit conference--"hell, we're a charter member", to your point--as if that was a big deal to anyone else.

I don't recall U of L trying to keep the Metro together because of our conference basketball heritage or because we were a founding member. That's small time thinking which is typical of the slapd!cks.

BTW, there are also plenty of LPT fans questioning their place in the SEC for these same reasons. And a lot more of them mask their true opinions talking about the money the SEC throws off, little of which they really earn. It's just convenient for slapd!cks to always rationalize where they are rather than trying to improve themselves. ...A song we've heard before.

"Elite program", my a$$...

 

[Kratz]

Nice try, but I don't need hate when the facts are on my side...

The SEC has never had another basketball program demonstrating sustained success. Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, Florida... They've all been basketball flash-in-the-pans because sustained success simply isn't a priority. They're esp. bad considering their resources, each of them their state's flagship school with SEC football money to invest. In the bigger picture, none of them really care.

And none of that is news. Any observer has witnessed the slow motion train wreck that is SEC basketball if they've had their eyes open. LPT just ignores it, or they actually like it. They'd rather dominate a $hit conference--"hell, we're a charter member", to your point--as if that was a big deal to anyone else.

I don't recall U of L trying to keep the Metro together because of our conference basketball heritage or because we were a founding member. That's small time thinking which is typical of the slapd!cks.

BTW, there are also plenty of LPT fans questioning their place in the SEC for these same reasons. And a lot more of them mask their true opinions talking about the money the SEC throws off, little of which they really earn. It's just convenient for slapd!cks to always rationalize where they are rather than trying to improve themselves. ...A song we've heard before.

"Elite program", my a$$...

They are investing in the future. The future is Football. Every year the football ratings and money goes up. Meanwhile, the Final 4 is now shown on TBS. The BE was probably the best basketball conference ever. Lack of football interest broke it up. Make no mistake, football holds all the money and power.

Everyone knows football is where the interest and the money is. In this basketball crazy state, Jurich began investing heavily in football. Look at how that investment has paid off.

Now look at UK. All resources go to basketball. State of the art everything. Footballs been pretty much ignored by Brainfart, which is why they're in the shape they are.

Back to the original point though, you can't blame a single team for what a conference is in any given sport. UofL was the best program in the country in the early and mid 80's. Four final 4s and 2 championships in 6 years. Did that make the Metro a great conference? Hell no, the Metro sucked outside of Memphis state and an occasionally good Cincinnati team.

UK and UT are only about 100 miles apart. Relatively same size schools in same size cities. Both land grant, state flag ship schools. Is it UK's fault that UT sucks in hoops? Is it UT's fault that UK sucks in football?

Each school and their fan base make a commitment to certain sports. UK chose hoops, UT chose football. Other than that, there's really no difference between the schools.

We're lucky in that we have an athletic department and fan base committed to both. Our only problem was conference stability. That problem has now been taken care of. We have top notch coaches and facilities in both sports, plus affiliation with a solid conference.

 

[Kratz]

Hard to disagree Kratz. It's a winning formula for sure. Hopefully the Cardinals can use basically that same formula in Football and start winning some national championships. Baseball too for that matter.

I can't completely disavow all of UofK's accomplishments while being in the SEC. As you've correctly pointed out, there have been some pretty good basketball teams over the years in the SEC not named UofK. Arkansas won a couple of titles. Florida has won a couple of titles too. LSU has been in the final four a few times, and I'm sure there have been others which I can't remember right now. UofK did their part to stay the biggest fish in a small pond so that's saying something. There is an argument to be made on HOW they stayed there, but that's not a road I want to travel down again. It's a tired stale argument and I just don't have the energy for it.

Mississipi State and UK were in the Final 4 together in 96. I remember UofL beat LSU in the 1980 Final 4. Florida won back to back titles about 10 years ago. Arkansas is an enigma. They have all the things needed. Awesome arena, facilities, rabid fan base that loves hoops. (I used to live there). For some reason Nolan Richardson was the only one that could put it all together for his run. Those "40 minutes of hell" teams were fun to watch.

It's not UK's fault that the SEC can't maintain in hoops. It IS UK's fault that they suck at football. They simply won't make the kind of commitment it takes to be good today. They have the money, resources, a passionate fan base, but for some reason they choose to accept mediocrity in one sport while demanding excellence in another. In basketball, they want a final 4 every year. Anything less is a failure. In football, they're tickled with a 6-6 record and a win over UofL.

 

[Cue Card]

Mississipi State and UK were in the Final 4 together in 96. I remember UofL beat LSU in the 1980 Final 4. Florida won back to back titles about 10 years ago. Arkansas is an enigma. They have all the things needed. Awesome arena, facilities, rabid fan base that loves hoops. (I used to live there). For some reason Nolan Richardson was the only one that could put it all together for his run. Those "40 minutes of hell" teams were fun to watch.

It's not UK's fault that the SEC can't maintain in hoops. It IS UK's fault that they suck at football. They simply won't make the kind of commitment it takes to be good today. They have the money, resources, a passionate fan base, but for some reason they choose to accept mediocrity in one sport while demanding excellence in another. In basketball, they want a final 4 every year. Anything less is a failure. In football, they're tickled with a 6-6 record and a win over UofL.

In bold and underlined for truth. I don't get it. I will never understood it either. They demand close to perfection from one sport while settling for mediocrity in the other. College football rules the roost. THAT is the sport a D1 program should be reaching for excellence in. I am SO freaking happy TJ understands the importance of having a solid football program. Then again, the UofL AD is the best in the business as far as I'm concerned and reaches for excellence in all sports under his watch. We're really lucky to have him running the UofL Athletic Department.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Non conference it doesn't get any bigger than UK. Simple as that. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of UK fans would say the same thing about UofL.

There is a difference in comparison though: UofL gets plenty of tough opponents with in conference play. Face it, the ACC is loaded. UK doesn't get the same with the SEC. Once conference play starts, UK is lucky to have 1-2 games versus a ranked opponent. UofL is probably playing at least one ranked opponent every week in conference play.

It's not UK's fault. UK does their part to be good, however the rest of the conference doesn't seem to care. So UK has to build their SOS with more good opponents in non conference games.

Hard to disagree with your comparisons to conference, but my question was "Besides UK, whats UL's biggest home game pre-acc". I only ask because I was so surprised last year when everyone was playing tough games, and UL didn't have any till UK.

Besides what some crazy UL and UK fans say, its the biggest game on the schedule. Its the highest ticket prices, the most watched and the most talked about. The only time a fan base plays the card of "its a non-conference game that doesn't mean much" is when you're on the losing end.

 

[zipp]

...The only time a fan base plays the card of "its a non-conference game that doesn't mean much" is when you're on the losing end.

I'm OK with cancelling the slappies in football too. How's that logic work again?

LPT Football: When can we cancel?...

 

[zipp]

...Back to the original point though, you can't blame a single team for what a conference is in any given sport. UofL was the best program in the country in the early and mid 80's. Four final 4s and 2 championships in 6 years. Did that make the Metro a great conference? Hell no, the Metro sucked outside of Memphis state and an occasionally good Cincinnati team.

UK and UT are only about 100 miles apart. Relatively same size schools in same size cities. Both land grant, state flag ship schools. Is it UK's fault that UT sucks in hoops? Is it UT's fault that UK sucks in football?...

You're misunderstanding the point... I don't blame LPT because the SEC sucks in basketball. They're to blame for sitting on their a$$es when other conference options were available to them.

Thank God they're too stupid, but LPT could probably have had our place in the ACC years ago. All they had to do was ask. Historically, the ACC has always been a better basketball conference and a more manageable football conference. LPT would rather win SEC basketball championships and be a football doormat. Go figger.

Is LPT responsible because their SEC schedule sucks this year or last? No. Are they responsible for having to play an SEC schedule? L, yes. And plenty of slapd!cks understand and comment on this fact; many talk about playing in another conference.

"Elite program", my a$$...

 

[shadow force]

I only ask because I was so surprised last year when everyone was playing tough games, and UL didn't have any till UK.

UofL played at Michigan State last season in December before playing Uk.

To answer your previous question, I guess UofL's biggest home game besides the Cats would be Purdue in late November.

 

[zipp]

U of L fans should understand by now having played in both the BEast and ACC...

The days of great OOC home basketball games are pretty much over. More ACC games added to the schedule will simply close that door even tighter.

The reason a slappy is here asking that question is because they exist in an alternate reality where they get a few good home opponents in Nov-Dec. And then they basically play no one the rest of the year.

"Elite program", my a$$...

 

[Kratz]

U of L fans should understand by now having played in both the BEast and ACC...

The days of great OOC home basketball games are pretty much over. More ACC games added to the schedule will simply close that door even tighter.

The reason a slappy is here asking that question is because they exist in an alternate reality where they get a few good home opponents in Nov-Dec. And then they basically play no one the rest of the year.

"Elite program", my a$$...

In reality, they don't play a lot of them at home. At least half of their "good" OOC opponents are at neutral sites. Cal has said he doesn't like to take such young teams into hostile environments of good teams at the beginning of the season. That's why they dropped IU. IU wanted home and home, Cal wanted neutral site in Indy with equal split of tickets.

They're playing MSU and Carolina at neutral sites this year. UofL is the only good OOC road game they have. UCLA and Kansas are at home.

So of their 5 "good" OOC games, 2 at home, 2 at neutral sites, and one true road game. There is the ASU game in the Bahamas, but that's a tourney so I'm not sure how to quantify that one. Not even sure whether to quantify ASU as "good".

 

[Kratz]

Hard to disagree with your comparisons to conference, but my question was "Besides UK, whats UL's biggest home game pre-acc". I only ask because I was so surprised last year when everyone was playing tough games, and UL didn't have any till UK.

Besides what some crazy UL and UK fans say, its the biggest game on the schedule. Its the highest ticket prices, the most watched and the most talked about. The only time a fan base plays the card of "its a non-conference game that doesn't mean much" is when you're on the losing end.

I agree completely. When I saw UofL's home OOC schedule last year I literally got mad. It was ridiculous. IMO, UofL should have lowered the ticket prices for all the home games in December. WKU was probably the best opponent on the OOC home schedule.

 

[zipp]

The other thing lost on some U of L fans is how many home games--without return games--must be on the schedule each year. Both to fund the hyper-expensive basketball arena, and to serve as the cash cow for so many non-revenue athletic expenses.

That and a killer and soon-to-be-expanded ACC schedule mean few if any decent OOC games at home. You can get "mad" or PO'd all you want, but that's reality. And a reality that ain't changing anytime soon until butts NOT in the seats becomes the bigger issue...