Florence Spring 50 Postponed. Will run on April 4th as part of the OMG Spring Nation

[Highside Hustler25]

Ill always see UCLA as the #1 powerhouse as far as college basketball programs just because of the Wooden years, they been down for a few years now, it wasnt long ago UK was in the same boat. don't have a favorite team, never have had. I got teams I root for and ones I don't. I personally root against UK because of all the band wagon fans. Some UK fans can almost be as annoying as the drunken Bloomquist fan.

I'm with you Z. Hate to pop Norm's bubble but maybe some day Kentucky can lay claim to the best all time. For now, UCLA hands down. They haven't done much lately, but no team has matched the dynasty they once had.

[NormP]

You aren't bursting my bubble. We can disagree all day but it won't change the numbers that point to the supremacy of UK basketball. UCLA has a bunch of national championships all in a short time frame, then nothing. They don't even consistently win their conference. The Cats have been good since the forties. UCLA didn't even have 15 good years before they faded back to mid-pack. Our dynasty is around 75 years old now. You could stack 3-4 teams' dynasties together and not match that.
Duke is head and shoulders above UCLA because Duke is consistent. UNC is better than UCLA because UNC is consistent. Kansas is better than UCLA because they're consistent. It's all about consistency, and it hasn't been there for UCLA. Otherwise we'd see the top players going there instead of UK or the two schools in the ACC.

We can debate it all day but I don't think anyone is going to change their opinion. The numbers are there for anyone who wants to check. I'm just glad I've discussed it with guys who haven't resorted to name calling once the facts are presented to them. That stuff seems to have gone out the window lately thankfully.

[Clayton_Wetter]

Norm, the point is, Kentucky SHOULD have gotten the death penalty. What went on while Hall & Sutton were there was equal or worse than what got SMU the death penalty! Joe Hall left KU under a shroud of controversy and it was found that there was a culture of cheating in the form of cash payments to basketball players and KU allowed them to sell their free season tickets and being paid for public appearances.

31 of 33 former KU players that were interviewed by the NCAA swore to having received and knew of outright payments to players in the form of repeated $100 handshakes and regular $500 payments from various boosters and friends of the basketball program at KU. He!!, Hall's lawyer, some shyster by the name of Dunn, actually bought season tickets from Jay Shidler for $4000 over the course of 3 years for his season tickets. Some of Hall's victories were vacated because of what was going on.

I'm not all that versed on what Sutton did but it's been documented that what Sutton did was at least as bad as what Hall had gotten away with. Sutton resigned and KU got no TV and no post season play. That was a slap on the wrist in relation to what had actually been going on.

Jerry Tarkanian summed it up pretty well when he said this about the NCAA coddling KU: "they're going to find them guilty and then give Cleveland State three more years of probation." Tark was good for a good chuckle but he was pretty much right.

Saying KU hasn't been coddled by the NCAA over the years is mile long stretch!!

To say that UCLA's basketball pedigree isn't a match for KU is a head scratcher, too. 11 national championships total, 10 in 13 years and 7 in a row for John Wooden's Bruins and they were never on probation while Wooden was there. How many does KU have? 8 is it, and soon to have 9? Hmmmm!

One last thing Norm. I'm pulling for KU to win the national championship!! I want KU to win it to shut the Indiana fans up that chirp about how Bobby the Knught went undefeated in '76.

So, GO BLUE! LOL!!

Sorry so long but there is a lot of material to cover when it comes to KU basketball cheatin'.

The General recruited team players and truly wanted his players to be successful in life. The Multi Millions dollar coaches and players that come to Kentucky are a different breed. Talent and money rather than intelligent team play and an education.

[Highside Hustler25]

You aren't bursting my bubble. We can disagree all day but it won't change the numbers that point to the supremacy of UK basketball. UCLA has a bunch of national championships all in a short time frame, then nothing. They don't even consistently win their conference. The Cats have been good since the forties. UCLA didn't even have 15 good years before they faded back to mid-pack. Our dynasty is around 75 years old now. You could stack 3-4 teams' dynasties together and not match that.
Duke is head and shoulders above UCLA because Duke is consistent. UNC is better than UCLA because UNC is consistent. Kansas is better than UCLA because they're consistent. It's all about consistency, and it hasn't been there for UCLA. Otherwise we'd see the top players going there instead of UK or the two schools in the ACC.

We can debate it all day but I don't think anyone is going to change their opinion. The numbers are there for anyone who wants to check. I'm just glad I've discussed it with guys who haven't resorted to name calling once the facts are presented to them. That stuff seems to have gone out the window lately thankfully.

We can agree to disagreeI will say tho, as far as top players going ACC,Big 10,SEC etc. is that it's all about TV for these kids. They want that TV exposure and playing on the West coast, well lets say most working folks are in bed before 1/2 time of their games. TV has helped create East Coast dominance.


Oh, and UCLA has prettier cheerleaders.

[Highside Hustler25]

The General recruited team players and truly wanted his players to be successful in life. The Multi Millions dollar coaches and players that come to Kentucky are a different breed. Talent and money rather than intelligent team play and an education.

The General. One of the all time greats.

[kidrock]

I'm with you Z. Hate to pop Norm's bubble but maybe some day Kentucky can lay claim to the best all time. For now, UCLA hands down. They haven't done much lately, but no team has matched the dynasty they once had.

Yep you got it. Until a team passes UCLA in National Titles. UCLA will be considered the best College basketball program of all time.

A team that consistently gets the best players year end year out should win on a consistent basis.

[Clayton_Wetter]

The General. One of the all time greats.

[Highside Hustler25]

Oh oh Clayton, that pic could create a bigger uprising than a bad Bloomer joke

[lazyifoto]

So are you all saying UK is playing at Florence Speedway for 5000 to win.?

[zyoung25]

The General recruited team players and truly wanted his players to be successful in life. The Multi Millions dollar coaches and players that come to Kentucky are a different breed. Talent and money rather than intelligent team play and an education.

That's what I always thought too. Some may not have agreed with the way he done things, and I didn't really agree, but no doubt one of the best ever. Thats another reason I tend to pull for other teams. I'm not a fan of the one and done type players. I'd like to see the NCAA do something about that. It would keep these type of super teams from being built. Those high recruits want to go somewhere like Kentucky that gets tons of attention and playing time, they don't care about what states name is on the jersey, if they cared they would stay and win all they could.

I loved it a few years ago Kentucky passed on one of the best in state players in Chris Lofton, and let him go to Tennessee. Where he absolutely lit them up.

[CIRF]

The General. One of the all time greats.

The General recruited team players and truly wanted his players to be successful in life. The Multi Millions dollar coaches and players that come to Kentucky are a different breed. Talent and money rather than intelligent team play and an education.

I'm just curious as to whether you Knught lovers were the least bit disturbed by the fact that Bobby the Knught threw a potted plant at a female secretary and had to be physically restrained from going after her? This incident took place within the athletic offices of Indiana University. This isn't hearsay, it's documented. Personally I have no use, and even less respect for a guy that would do something like that no matter how good of a coach he was. I'm convinced that there were many other incidents that no one ever heard about. If anyone at Indiana had a spine Knught would have been out on his ear at Indiana long, long before he was ultimately canned. The only reason he finally got fired was because he no longer could recruit good players and was no longer winning, not because he got caught choking a player on video. Larry Bird had Knught figured out after just a few practices at IU before he split for Terre Haute!

You aren't bursting my bubble. We can disagree all day but it won't change the numbers that point to the supremacy of UK basketball. UCLA has a bunch of national championships all in a short time frame, then nothing. They don't even consistently win their conference. The Cats have been good since the forties. UCLA didn't even have 15 good years before they faded back to mid-pack. Our dynasty is around 75 years old now. You could stack 3-4 teams' dynasties together and not match that.
Duke is head and shoulders above UCLA because Duke is consistent. UNC is better than UCLA because UNC is consistent. Kansas is better than UCLA because they're consistent. It's all about consistency, and it hasn't been there for UCLA. Otherwise we'd see the top players going there instead of UK or the two schools in the ACC.

We can debate it all day but I don't think anyone is going to change their opinion. The numbers are there for anyone who wants to check. I'm just glad I've discussed it with guys who haven't resorted to name calling once the facts are presented to them. That stuff seems to have gone out the window lately thankfully.

The numbers do not support your opinion Norm. 11 to 8 (or 9) are the facts and there is just no way to logically dispute that. You're obviously a fan and I'm sure you probably believe what you say but that still doesn't make it a fact.

And one more piece of evidence the NCAA is soft on UK, besides the fact that Kentucky should have been put out of the college basketball business for what Hall and Sutton got away with. Illinois played UK in the regional final in 1984 AT KENTUCKY'S ARENA. Illinois lost the regional final by 3 on a very controversial call in front of an almost exclusive UK home crowd.

The outrage over that deal was such that the NCAA was forced to make a rule that all NCAA tournament games would be at neutral sites and no longer would a school play NCAA tournament games in their own facility.

Norm, how many of Calipari's top 7 or 8 players at UK do you truly believe actually go to class?

[LMPunk]

I'm going to assume those that tear down Kentucky/Calipari for allegedly shady practices while propping up UCLA have never heard of Sam Gilbert.

[SFrancisFan15]

I'm going to assume those that tear down Kentucky/Calipari for allegedly shady practices while propping up UCLA have never heard of Sam Gilbert.

Ole "Papa Sam" was something else.

[Mud Packer]

I believe the rule about a college player playing only one year and then being eligible for the NBA is not an NCAA rule but rather the NBA rule. The NCAA in my opinion couldn't force any student/athlete to stay in school if they wanted to leave. The NBA on the other hand could change the rule and prohit any college age player from being eligible for the NBA draft. So blame the NCAA all you want, the rule now is an NBA rule that in my opinion is hurting college basketball with the one and done.

[Highside Hustler25]

I'm just curious as to whether you Knught lovers were the least bit disturbed by the fact that Bobby the Knught threw a potted plant at a female secretary and had to be physically restrained from going after her?

Not at all. She was chuckin up 3 pointers all afternoon and never made a one. Only mistake he made was pickin a plant over the ever reliable chair

I know Mr. Knight was a lil intense at times, but he was still one of the best coaches.