BCG vs. The Fans

This one has been brewing for a while. The last 4 years have not been up to UK standards and no one looks for reasons for reasons to complain more than UK fans. Couple this in with the fact that a lot of the fan base was divided on Tubby Smith to begin with, and you have a tough situation for Billy Gillispie. These events combined with some sub-par performance on the court has led to somewhat of a backlash against the Big Blue's Commander-in-Chief. I'm gonna lay out some of the points of contention of the last couple of months and how I feel about them.

Halftime Interviews

We've all seen them. From the "bad question" response to the "I didn't hear you"
Big Blue Nation (and some other media outlets) are not happy about the way BCG has treated poor Janine Edwards. Message boards have erupted over our coach being a jerk to the halftime reporter. It's predictable that the media has called him out on it, and the fans seem to be divided.

My Take: My first thought is that I don't really care if our coach is nice or not, and his time is better spent in the locker room making adjustments, but I also realize the bad press isn't doing us any good. Our head guy needs to be an ambassador at all times and sell the program to the media, fans, and recruits. The more the media likes you, the more coverage you will get. Billy needs to straighten his act out a bit, throw out some cliches, and get to the locker room.

Substitution Patterns

At times it seems like underachieving is rewarded under BCG. The fans are screaming for more of the likes of Harrelson, Galloway, Liggins, and Miller. There is one common theme among these players: they bring more to the table offensively. It is clear that defense is king in BCG's mind, and players not executing on that end of the floor have a VERY short leash. What is not clear, however is why 2 players averaging over 4 turnovers per 40 minutes played continue to get clock while providing minimal offensive output on a team that struggles at times to put the ball in the basket.

My Take: Seeing Ramon Harris dribble off his leg and Michael Porter get ripped at halfcourt over and over is getting somewhat old. Turnovers might be the main thing holding back UK from being a good offensive ball team and I think more of Miller and Galloway gives us a better chance to succeed.

I had intentions of putting up 3-4 more points of contention. However, it's game time and i must be making it to Rupp. However, let me say this. BCG has mopped the floor with Sweaty Bruce coaching-wise in their 3 career meetings. This one might take another Herculian effort by Jodie F Meeks, but with PPat coming back I think the Cats do it up big with a rocking house, 79-68.

Game Preview: Jean Shorts Edition

Florida's domination of us over the last couple of years cannot be argued.  This is what mostly fuels my hatred for the reptiles.  Couple that with the fact that UK would be on the outside looking in for the NCAAs with a loss, and we have a recipe for a must win game.  Despite the fact that Billy G and P Pat won't admit it, I think everyone knows this to be true.  Kick the Gators in the mouth today and the Cats are Co-leaders in the SEC East with the possibility of winning the conference.  The formula for success is pretty simple the rest of the way out:

• 40 + points from Meeks/Patterson every night
• Someone other than the "Big 2" must show the confidence to step up offensively
• Limit "drive and kick" jump shots
• Keep the other team off the offensive glass

I know this is obviously a biased opinion, but UK has not lost 3 straight home games EVER.  Billy G gets the boys fired out and we get a big contribution from an unexpected spot (Harrelson?).  Cats 75 Gators 67