Mitch Barnhart has achieved his goal of getting UK football and basketball to the same level, as the Cats are now a sixth-place level program in both sports. Plus he doesn't have to put up with Bruce Pearl. It's just all win-win for the UK Athletic Department. But hey, the Bat Cats were in Omaha to watch Tennessee win the College World Series last June.
Here are the latest rankings from Ken Pom, as the top four teams pull away from the pack:
1. Auburn: 20-1
4. Tennessee: 18-4
5. Florida: 18-3
6. Alabama: 19-3
21. Mississippi: 16-6
22. Kentucky: 15-6
33. Mississippi St: 16-6
38. Georgia: 15-7
50. Vanderbilt: 16-5
78. Louisiana St: 12-9
Kentucky is now 22 on Ken Pom:
3d in Offensive Efficiency (124.7)
89th in Defensive Efficiency (102.1)
201st in Luck
Here are UK's seasons in this decade:
2020: 25-6 (29th on Ken Pom) (no tournament)
2021: 9-16 (49th on Ken Pom) (missed the tournament)
2022: 26-8 (6th on Ken Pom) (eliminated in first round)
2023: 22-12 (27th on Ken Pom) (eliminated in second round)
2024: 23-10 (23d on Ken Pom) (eliminated in first round)
2025: 15-6 (22d on Ken Pom)
That's a total record of 120-58, for a winning percentage of .674, as UK continues its path to becoming the IU of the South.
There have been four NCAA Tournaments played in this decade. The Cats are 1-3 in those tournaments.
ReplyDeleteThere have been four SEC Tournaments played in this decade. The Cats are 1-4 in those tournaments.
ReplyDeleteBut the Cats did win two Citrus Bowls, and only one of those wins was vacated, so it's all good in Lexington.
ReplyDeleteHere's the Classic Southwest Conference:
ReplyDelete2. Houston: 17-4
9. Texas Tech: 17-4
15. Texas A & M: 17-5
25. Baylor: 14-7
29. Texas: 15-7
44. So. Methodist: 17-5
47. Arkansas: 13-8
83. Texas Christian: 11-10
192. Rice: 11-11
In other news, St. John's is about to close out Marquette at home. With that win, the Johnnies will move to 20-3 and 11-1 in the Big East.
ReplyDeleteDrake 55, Murray St. 45 (Final from Murray)
ReplyDeleteOle Miss 98, Kentucky 84 (Final from Oxford)
That's the most points Ole Miss has ever scored against UK. Ole Miss is coached by Chris Beard, who took Texas Tech to the National Championship Game in 2019.
DeleteOle Miss had lost four of its last five games before tonight. UK has now lost four of its last five.
DeleteInterestingly, for the women's basketball team, Barnhart hired a coach who took Virginia Tech to the Final Four a few years ago. The women's team is 8-1 in the SEC and 19-2 overall.
ReplyDeleteFor the men's team, of course, Barnhart hired a coach who has never won a game in the NCAA Tournament.
DeleteIt seems very safe to assume that UK's men's team will not be returning to the Final Four as long as Barnhart is the Athletic Director.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I do feel strongly that Barnhart proved his point, whatever that point was. Certainly I heard him loud and clear.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's what bothers me the most. The Kentucky Men's Basketball program doesn't belong to Mitch Barnhart -- it belongs to the fans. He is supposed to our steward, not our boss. But he doesn't see it that way.
ReplyDeleteOf course it is challenging for a school like the University of Kentucky to compete for national championships in basketball. It means bringing in a coach who won't be easy to manage. It means dealing with all sorts of controversies and headaches. Of course it's easier to manage a program that's pretty good at a bunch of different sports -- like West Virginia or Indiana -- than a program that's really loaded in one sport (like Duke or Kansas). I get all that. But it's a real shame to burn down almost 100 years of history to make life easier for administrators.
ReplyDeleteThey will have to win all three games in which they are favored -- and at least two of the games in which they are not favored -- to avoid a losing record in the SEC.
ReplyDeleteTonight Arkansas is playing Texas in men's basketball for the first time since March 1991. That's hard to believe.
ReplyDeleteThe Ville crushes Boston College 84-58 on the road. The Cards are now 17-6 overall, 10-2 in the ACC, and number 27 on Ken Pom. He thinks they will finish 24-7 for the year.
ReplyDeleteTexas 24 - 43 Arkansas (17:33 left in 2d half)
ReplyDelete