[Old School Hound]

Which camp are you in? 

Camp 1:   It's important. Go all out to win it. Build momentum going into the NCAA next week.

Camp 2 :  It's not important. Better to have fresh legs for next week. NCAA is the only one that really matters.


Cal has always downplayed the SEC Tourney, saying that it's the one the following week that matters.  The Cats are likely a pretty solid #3 right now. I doubt that changes any as a result of this tournament. If they lose to Ole Miss or A&M they might drop one seed line. Beating Ole Miss/A&M and then Bama still won't be enough to push them to #2.  Go 1-1 in the SECT and they will still probably be a 3. It's not gonna move the meter much either way, regardless of how they fare in Nashville.

Of course, we want our team to win every game they play, but will you be terribly disappointed if they drop a game in this tournament before reaching the title game?  Is rest more important than wins in Nashville?

[jetpilot]

Another of Cal's awful takes that drives me crazy. Fanbase LOVES the SEC tournament. In it to win it, cut the excuses. If mostly 19 year old superstar athletes are too tired to play, forfeit and stay at the house and save everybody the time trouble and money.

[Van Hagar]

Yeah, I’ve never bought the too tired bs either. When I was a teenager, we’d play from sunup to sundown on the ballpark court in Manchester, then be pissed off when it got dark and we had to quit. Even if we make it to Sunday this week, we don’t play again until Thursday at the earliest, so we should be ‘rested’. Acting like 19-20 year olds can’t play a game every day is also a reason I hate the platooning thing. The great Bobby Keith, who almost never went more than six-deep, told me once, “why would I play the subs more? If they were good enough they would start.” In other words, get your best on the floor and play them.

[Old School Hound]

Go ahead and put Old School in the "Forfeit" camp. It wouldn't have bothered me  if Cal had said back in December that his team wouldn't be playing in the SEC Tournament. Btw, can that happen? Can a team refuse to play in the shit show that is the SEC meaningless tournament? I'm assuming the school would probably be fined.  Sure, the fans love the tournament. It's an opportunity for BBN to leave the drab confines of a eastern KY holler for three days and go get drunk and party in Nashville. The games are important only for teams on the proverbial bubble and trying to find some four- day Music City Magic.

If Reed or Antonio tears a ligament on Friday or Saturday, come back and tell me how important it was for us to get that win over Ole Miss. The tournament next week is the one I'd like to do well in. You know, the one they call the BIG Dance? I'll be rooting for my boys to win every game they play this weekend but it doesn't change the fact that the games are pretty meaningless for the teams that are not on a bubble.

As usual, the Legend is spot on.

[Van Hagar]

Can’t agree with you on this one OSH. Should we hold our best players out of early season games against the likes of Murray St., etc., because they might get hurt? Any one of our guys could get hurt in practice at any time, actually seems like where more injuries occur.

Now we may not win out this week, and it doesn’t really matter NCAA tourney wise. But it never hurts to play good competition and work on your overall game. What if we get hit with a late-game press in a close game like we did when we imploded against Tennessee? Perfect time to work on it when it’s not an elimination situation. You learn to win by winning. Hopefully three opportunities for that this weekend.

[Bluecat]

Maybe winning the whole thing is important but to win a game or two to me is big. Gets you in a good momentum going into the NCAA. I can think of 2 UK teams not winning the SEC Tournament who went on to win the National Championship. I think it is more Coach Speak though saying it doesn't matter.

[jetpilot]

SEC tournament championships count as SEC championships. SEC championships are important. The end.
Someone could get hurt in practice, maybe we should cut those out too?
We can't expect world class 19-21 year old superstar athletes to play an average of 30 minutes of basketball 3 times over 3 days? An hour and a half of basketball? Give me a break. More excuses for under performing and mediocrity. Cut out the excuses and just win something.

[Old School Hound]

What did Tennessee win for winning the regular season title? Did they get a shiny trophy or sumpin' ? So this Nashville sh!t show is the REAL championship? Damn!!! So do we get a trophy if we win in Nashville? Do we hang banners for that?

We shouldn't need three more games to figure out how to get the ball up the floor without turning it over. I think the conference tourney is just something for fans to get excited about. I bet the players and the Hall of Famer would rather be relaxing at the mansion , playing ping pong, and snacking on Ellen's tasty cookies.

[Van Hagar]

We’ve been well rested after the last several SEC tournaments, cause we get our asses sent home early. That hasn’t exactly translated into success in the Big Dance. Win, keep the momentum and good vibes going. These guys all came off the AAU circuit where they would often play 4-5 games in a day.

[jetpilot]

What did Tennessee win for winning the regular season title? Did they get a shiny trophy or  sumpin' ? So this Nashville sh!t show is the REAL championship? Damn!!! So do we get a trophy if we win in Nashville?  Do we hang banners for that?

  We shouldn't need  three more games to figure out how to get the ball up the floor without turning it over.  I  think the conference tourney is just something for fans to get excited about. I bet the players and the Hall of Famer would rather be relaxing at the mansion , playing ping pong, and snacking on Ellen's tasty cookies.

^^^I would bet my last dollar this is a parody account if I didn't already know it was idiocy.

[jetpilot]

North Carolina 92, Florida State 67
U Conn 87, Xavier 60
Arizona 70, USC 49
South Carolina 80, Arkansas 66
Houston 60, TCU 45

That's just this afternoon. Every good program I see is trying to win their conference tournament. Losers making excuses in advance.

[jetpilot]

#7 Iowa State beat Kansas State by 19. You know the Kansas State that sent Cal to the house last year. Seems like Iowa State wants to keep winning. The more you look the more it's obvious winners win and losers make excuses.

[jetpilot]

Lunardi's latest bracket has UK in the East Regional with U Conn, North Carolina and Kansas. Killer bracket. Those teams are trying to win their conference tournaments and trying to get momentum and a better seed and better draw. Not to mention CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS, CUTTING DOWN NETS, FANBASES ECSTATIC, HELPS RECRUITING, RAISES MORE MONEY, ETC. Anyone telling you not to care about any of that is a excuse making loser.

[Old School Hound]

What did Tennessee win for winning the regular season title? Did they get a shiny trophy or  sumpin' ? So this Nashville sh!t show is the REAL championship? Damn!!! So do we get a trophy if we win in Nashville?  Do we hang banners for that?

  We shouldn't need  three more games to figure out how to get the ball up the floor without turning it over.  I  think the conference tourney is just something for fans to get excited about. I bet the players and the Hall of Famer would rather be relaxing at the mansion , playing ping pong, and snacking on Ellen's tasty cookies.

^^^I would bet my last dollar this is a parody account if I didn't already know it was idiocy.

Get help for your addiction.  1-800-GAMBLER  There's people ready to help you.

[jetpilot]

What did Tennessee win for winning the regular season title? Did they get a shiny trophy or  sumpin' ? So this Nashville sh!t show is the REAL championship? Damn!!! So do we get a trophy if we win in Nashville?  Do we hang banners for that?

  We shouldn't need  three more games to figure out how to get the ball up the floor without turning it over.  I  think the conference tourney is just something for fans to get excited about. I bet the players and the Hall of Famer would rather be relaxing at the mansion , playing ping pong, and snacking on Ellen's tasty cookies.

^^^I would bet my last dollar this is a parody account if I didn't already know it was idiocy.

Get help for your addiction.  1-800-GAMBLER  There's people ready to help you.

LOL I bet small amounts infrequently and am up a significant amount in my lifetime. Plus I'm undefeated on my predictions of what your opinion will be before you even know lol...But I do love you as much as I hate to admit it for your music knowledge...

[jetpilot]

So Kentucky is playing Texas A&M tomorrow evening in the quarterfinals. Should we care? Pretty much everyone knows it's a huge HELL YES. The T A&M coach who is making $12.50/hour has already beaten our $10 MILLION plus $MILLIONS more in perks guy who will soon brag about having 8 guys on this team in the NBA but couldn't beat the $12.50/hour guy. So please Cal you damned idiot please care enough about our storied program to AT LEAST TRY TO WIN THIS TOURNAMENT. I guarantee the players want to win it.

[Old School Hound]

What did Tennessee win for winning the regular season title? Did they get a shiny trophy or  sumpin' ? So this Nashville sh!t show is the REAL championship? Damn!!! So do we get a trophy if we win in Nashville?  Do we hang banners for that?

  We shouldn't need  three more games to figure out how to get the ball up the floor without turning it over.  I  think the conference tourney is just something for fans to get excited about. I bet the players and the Hall of Famer would rather be relaxing at the mansion , playing ping pong, and snacking on Ellen's tasty cookies.

^^^I would bet my last dollar this is a parody account if I didn't already know it was idiocy.

Get help for your addiction.  1-800-GAMBLER  There's people ready to help you.

LOL I bet small amounts infrequently and am up a significant amount in my lifetime. Plus I'm undefeated on my predictions of what your opinion will be before you even know lol...But I do love you as much as I hate to admit it for your music knowledge...

I love you , too.  Just like needling you from time to time. It's all in good fun. As they say, for entertainment purposes only.

[Granny Bear]

I am POSITIVE that things will change in the second half, but it has been so delightful to watch Tennessee totally implode during the first half of this game!!

[Old School Hound]

Apparently, the Vols and Coach Barnes felt like resting and healing the aches and pains supercedes competing for a meaningless trophy. Gotta feel like the Big Orange is gearing up for a run next week for a national title while the Cats and their fans take Music City by storm in hopes of winning the prestigious Sankey Cup. Good luck, Blue!!!

[Cactus Jack]

I am POSITIVE that things will change in the second half, but it has been so delightful to watch Tennessee totally implode during the first half of this game!!

Rick Barnes is in his March form.

[jetpilot]

Apparently, the Vols and Coach Barnes felt like resting and healing the aches and pains supercedes competing for  a meaningless trophy. Gotta feel like the Big Orange is gearing up for a run next week for a national title  while the Cats and their fans take Music City by storm in hopes of winning the prestigious Sankey Cup. Good luck, Blue!!!

Yessir, Barnes is no dummy. He said screw another SEC championship and nailing down that last #1 seed. The health of his players comes first. He knew if they had to play about another 30 minutes of basketball tomorrow in a 2 1/2 hour span and maybe even have to play another 30 minutes Sunday, they would be mentally and physically gassed and certainly in no condition to play another 60 minutes or so of basketball in a 3 day period at the end of next week. Winning is for suckers, smart people lose.

BAHAHAHA!

[Old School Hound]

People over on VolNation are impersonating Plant Guy. They are calling for Barnes to be relieved of his duties. Fans.... lol

[Cactus Jack]

The NCAA title is obviously the ultimate goal. Past that, I'd put Final Fours ahead of getting both the regular season and conference tournament titles, but think that all of those matter.

Winning a national championship every year is unrealistic. Winning three in a decade is probably about as close to perfection as we'll see, and you want something to hang your hat on in the years that you fall short.

If it's 1996 or 2012 and we lose the conference final but win the national championship, no one should be complaining. If we're not winning SEC championships and bowing out in the Sweet 16 or earlier across a number of consecutive years, then that's a problem.

For me, there are only four true blue bloods: Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, and Duke. UConn just seems too recent but will be undisputed if they keep Hurley and don't slip off the path that they're on; UCLA's success is too dated, but they jump back into the conversation quickly with another national title and some strong seasons. Others like Villanova, Michigan State, Louisville, etc., may be in some discussions, but I think that there's distinct breaks between the four and six that I just mentioned and everyone else.

As far as tradition goes, Kentucky has more conference titles than all other members combined. Keeping it that way, which we haven't been trending toward doing (and will only get tougher as more teams are added), is important in maintaining our status among the blue blood programs.

Status is vital for a school like Kentucky that doesn't have tons of in-state talent and needs to recruit nationally. Things like conference titles or the 2003 and 2015 teams going undefeated in league play matter in that context. Success in the SEC also helps future teams by keeping an aura around Kentucky and Rupp.

These types of things may seem trivial to some, but I think that they're very important in a changing landscape (NCAA/NIL nationally & SEC/expansion and new emphasis on improving basketball).

I think we're far from this, but it would literally hurt to see the program fall the way others who couldn't keep up with the times have (ex. Indiana).

[Old School Hound]

Which would you choose if you had to pick just one scenario?

Scenario 1 : Cats win SEC Tournament championship. Bow out in round of 16 in NCAAT.

Scenario 2: Cats bow out in semis of SECT . Advance to Final Four, losing in the national semis.

[Cactus Jack]

Which would you choose if you had to pick just one scenario?

Scenario 1 : Cats win SEC Tournament championship. Bow out in round of 16 in NCAAT.

Scenario 2: Cats bow out in semis of SECT . Advance to Final Four, losing in the national semis.

I'd prefer scenario #2, at least for a few years and it became a discussion about how they couldn't win the big one.

Kentucky is tied for third in Final Four appearances. The Cats and Duke have 17 each, UCLA has 18 (with 1 vacated) and North Carolina has 21. Getting the lead in that along with all-time wins and being second in national championships would be nice.

Kentucky has 31 SEC tournament titles (and 56 regular season championships). For other conference tournaments, Duke has 22 ACC titles, UNC has 18 ACC titles, Kansas has 20* Big XII titles (out of a possible 24), and UCLA has 4 Pac-12 titles (though there haven't been very many tournaments & they have 32 regular season titles).

Kentucky has quite a lead in those records, so adding to the Final Four total is an even bigger deal, especially if the ACC or even Big XII joins the Pac-12 in folding and the number of conference titles gets a bit murkier (though I'd still say the schools should be compared based on how many times they won the regular season or postseason tournament of the conference that they were in at the time).

[Bluecat]

Just a terrible outing by the Cats. I guess Cal wasn't blowing when he said it doesn't matter to him.

[Old School Hound]

Just a terrible outing by the Cats. I guess Cal wasn't blowing when he said it doesn't matter to him.

The players were the ones on the floor playing, not Cal. It obviously didn't matter to them as much as it did to A&M's guys. Tip of the cap to them. They earned it.

[Bluecat]

Just a terrible outing by the Cats. I guess Cal wasn't blowing when he said it doesn't matter to him.

The players were the ones on the floor playing, not Cal. It obviously didn't matter to them as much as it did to A&M's guys. Tip of the cap to them. They earned it.

I agree. Wasn't saying it was all on Cal. Clearly the players were not prepared for this game. Their defensive effort was horrendous. It takes heart and determination to play on the defensive end. I am not saying they needed to win the SEC but I do feel you can build momentum from conference tournament into the Big Dance. Not a good showing at all by the Cats or Cal. Hope they regroup and make a run we know they can but this one sucked to watch.

[Old School Hound]

Just a terrible outing by the Cats. I guess Cal wasn't blowing when he said it doesn't matter to him.

The players were the ones on the floor playing, not Cal. It obviously didn't matter to them as much as it did to A&M's guys. Tip of the cap to them. They earned it.

I agree. Wasn't saying it was all on Cal. Clearly the players were not prepared for this game. Their defensive effort was horrendous. It takes heart and determination to play on the defensive end. I am not saying they needed to win the SEC but I do feel you can build momentum from conference tournament into the Big Dance. Not a good showing at all by the Cats or Cal. Hope they regroup and make a run we know they can but this one sucked to watch.

Yeah, another terrible defensive effort. I don't remember another season in over 50 years when there have been so many straight line drives to the basket. The book is out on us. We just can;t guard on perimeter. It's our tragic flaw. I don't mean to be negative here but if they haven't figured out how to defend by now, it ain't happening.

[jetpilot]

Cal is an idiot in every way you can be an idiot. Anyone blaming the players is an idiot. Anyone giving Cal a lifetime contract with other people's money is an idiot. Anyone spending their hard earned money going to Nashville is an idiot.