From 2009-2017, John Calipari and Kentucky had been as dynamic and dominant a pairing as any in school hoops. In that span Kentucky logged extra wins than any crew within the sport and amassed a 249-53 general file with 5 SEC common season, 5 SEC Event titles, 4 Ultimate 4 appearances, a nationwide runner-up end and an NCAA championship.
The final six seasons and alter have been something however dominant since.
By regular school program requirements, Kentucky has been superb for the reason that begin of the 2017 up till the current day, with 132 wins in that timeframe — 18th most amongst all males’s basketball groups. However Kentucky is not a traditional school basketball program and its followers, honest or not, do not have expectations of a traditional fanbase. Amassing fewer wins since 2017 than Texas Tech and Auburn, amongst many others, shouldn’t be the usual.
In the end, complete wins issues little or no should you’re producing within the postseason, however that has been scarce of late, too. Kentucky has zero Ultimate 4 appearances since 2015 and the regular crescendo of March Insanity embarrassment in recent times has exacerbated issues. A coach is perhaps forgiven by the Massive Blue in most circumstances, however not now after coming off consecutive disappointing postseason finishes in 2022 and 2023 — one which ended with a loss to 15-seed Saint Peter’s and the opposite (a second spherical loss to Windfall) that prolonged its second-weekend NCAA Event drought to a few seasons. (Each of which, by the best way, preceded a 9-16 nightmare season.)
UK’s loss to Gonzaga at dwelling on Saturday felt like one other low level in what has been a gradual spiral of unhappiness in Lexington. It was historic as well, because it gave Kentucky its first three-game dwelling shedding streak since earlier than Rupp Enviornment was even constructed within the late Nineteen Sixties. Fittingly, Kentucky is the lead merchandise of our weekly report card this week. — with a predictable ‘F’ heading its manner. The Wildcats nonetheless have the longer term NBA expertise to catch lightning in a bottle and make a run in March, but it surely has not carried out this season like probably the most gifted groups within the sport, and one other disappointing tourney exit at this level appears imminent.
The remainder of this week’s grades are under. As at all times, the grades are handed out primarily based on the week that was, operating from Monday-Sunday.