Calipari on the Standard for Memphis Basketball Now

[WilsonHog]

"30 wins - if we don't get to 30, something's wrong and I've got 'For Sale' signs in my yard - and two or three players taken in the NBA draft."

Must be awful easy to be a Tiger basketball fan lately.

[forrest city joe]

"30 wins - if we don't get to 30, something's wrong and I've got 'For Sale' signs in my yard - and two or three players taken in the NBA draft."

Must be awful easy to be a Tiger basketball fan lately.

Living over here in eastern arkansas, it's sickening to watch and listen too. i can not not stand Tiger high. but atleast they have very high standards in basketball. thats more than i can say for the team i love. the standards are now very low at arkansas.

[heathtits]

I've decided whoever wins between Memphis and Mizzou will be the team I follow the next 2-3 years.

[forrest city joe]

I've decided whoever wins between Memphis and Mizzou will be the team I follow the next 2-3 years.

heathtits dont give up on the hogs. we are in real bad shape right now. and the next few years look bad too. but i ask you to please dont give up on the program. these are very dark days.

[PoormansRobbyHampton]

Living over here in eastern arkansas, it's sickening to watch and listen too. i can not not stand Tiger high. but atleast they have very high standards in basketball. thats more than i can say for the team i love. the standards are now very low at arkansas.

There is it. Us from Eastern Arkansas have it twice as bad. I don't think it's any coincidence that as our program has went downhill, just as Memphis' has been reborn.

Think about it, Memphis has made it to 4 straight sweet 16s, but before that they were the University of the NIT, going hog wild when they won the NIT one of those years.

At the same time, expectations are not bad things, they mean you're doing something right. That's why so many people are just hoping that we make the NIT next year. My how the mighty have fallen.

[Biggus Piggus]

They'd better win 30.  They get 19 wins from their ** conference.  They were 12-3 in nonconference.  They schedule themselves 30 wins before they ever get to the NCAAT.

[rzrbackrob]

When Cal was king of the NIT a few years back, anyone who questioned what he was doing was labeled a "miserable".
When Cal is interviewed, he gets asked one question and talks for 10 or 15 min. The man loves to hear himself talk. I live in Memphis and have to work with the bandwagon Tiger High fans everyday. Some are of course great people and for them I pull for the Tigers, but most are uninformed bandwagon jumpers. They all pull for some SEC team in football, mostly Tennessee, Arkansas, Old Piss, and Alabama.

Now lets put what Tiger High is doing in perspective. Conference  USA is so bad it makes the SEC look like the Big East this year. Out of conference they play 6 real teams and lose to half of them most years. Thus the gaudy records. If Tiger High played in the SEC they might win it, but would not go undefeated and thus would get a 3, 4. 5 seed. Much harder to get to the sweet 16 that way.

[PoormansRobbyHampton]

When Cal was king of the NIT a few years back, anyone who questioned what he was doing was labeled a "miserable".
When Cal is interviewed, he gets asked one question and talks for 10 or 15 min. The man loves to hear himself talk. I live in Memphis and have to work with the bandwagon Tiger High fans everyday. Some are of course great people and for them I pull for the Tigers, but most are uninformed bandwagon jumpers. They all pull for some SEC team in football, mostly Tennessee, Arkansas, Old Piss, and Alabama.

Now lets put what Tiger High is doing in perspective. Conference  USA is so bad it makes the SEC look like the Big East this year. Out of conference they play 6 real teams and lose to half of them most years. Thus the gaudy records. If Tiger High played in the SEC they might win it, but would not go undefeated and thus would get a 3, 4. 5 seed. Much harder to get to the sweet 16 that way.

That's the worst part. The bandwagoneers. The ones that you've never heard talk about basketball until Memphis started winning basketball games. So many brand new Memphis Tigers t-shirts around town, it's ridiculous.

[HawgAdvocate]

"30 wins - if we don't get to 30, something's wrong and I've got 'For Sale' signs in my yard - and two or three players taken in the NBA draft."

Translation: "I'm ready to talk after the season, Kentucky/UConn/_______."

[kuhog]

They'd better win 30.  They get 19 wins from their crapty conference.  They were 12-3 in nonconference.  They schedule themselves 30 wins before they ever get to the NCAAT.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[Hot_Town_Hog]

I've decided whoever wins between Memphis and Mizzou will be the team I follow the next 2-3 years.

Are you saying the Hogs will not be your team? They need support through the good and bad. Can we hold you to that when they turn it around?

By the way you said that, you only have the ability to pull for the team that is winning today. Bet you were an Arizona fan by the end of the SuperBowl. Most likely a Cavs fan if you follow the NBA.

[ruarealhogfan]

When the 2nd place team in your conference goes 25-11 (12-4) in your conference & doesn't get invited to the Dance, it doesn't say much for your competition...

[gohogsgo006]

If Kentucky gets Calapari it will be game over for SEC basketball

[Brass Knob]

Translation: "I'm ready to talk after the season, Kentucky/UConn/_______."

No way he leaves Memphis, he is owed 5 mil next year plus his normal 2.5 a year he makes.... that on top of the fact that he already has two of the top three and probably going to get all of the top 3 recruits in the country, he would be a fool to leave that behind.  He will be at Memphis for a while.

[sirhog]

Now lets put what Tiger High is doing in perspective. Conference  USA is so bad it makes the SEC look like the Big East this year. Out of conference they play 6 real teams and lose to half of them most years. Thus the gaudy records. If Tiger High played in the SEC they might win it, but would not go undefeated and thus would get a 3, 4. 5 seed. Much harder to get to the sweet 16 that way.

Agree. When you get to play a 15 or 16 seed and then a 7 or 8 on your way to the sweet 16, it makes it much easier to get there. How is it possible for the CUSA winner to get a number 2 seed and the SEC winner to get an 8? I know we were down this year but that is just silly.

[Brass Knob]

When the 2nd place team in your conference goes 25-11 (12-4) in your conference & doesn't get invited to the Dance, it doesn't say much for your competition...

I do not understand why everyone brings up their conference... Who cares?  They have made it to 4 straight sweet 16, and 3 straight Elite 8's ( 4 if they beat Mizzou), and a national championship... Their conference obviously does not hinder them... Weak or not they win in March!

[ruarealhogfan]

I do not understand why everyone brings up their conference... Who cares?  They have made it to 4 straight sweet 16, and 3 straight Elite 8's ( 4 if they beat Mizzou), and a national championship... Their conference obviously does not hinder them... Weak or not they win in March!

Can't speak for everyone, but the reason I brought up their conference is that if you are in a WEAK conference that you can win 55 or howevermany in a row then you can make dumb statements about how you will win 30 games every year (which is what this thread was actually about)

[Hot_Town_Hog]

If Kentucky gets Calapari it will be game over for SEC basketball

Understand your thought process, but completely disagree. The SEC is much better when Kentucky is rolling. Would love to see the SEC get to where 2 or 3 teams are in the top 10 or 15, with the Hogs being one of those of course.

[Brass Knob]

Agree. When you get to play a 15 or 16 seed and then a 7 or 8 on your way to the sweet 16, it makes it much easier to get there. How is it possible for the CUSA winner to get a number 2 seed and the SEC winner to get an 8? I know we were down this year but that is just silly.

Because they dominated their conference... They have not lost in 3 years in CUSA, if anyone had gone undefeated in the SEC they would have received a very high seed as well.

[hoglady]

Memphis is a better team than anything the SEC has to offer this year.
I think Cal is a great coach. All this Memphis hate sure comes off as sour grapes. I don't care what conference they play in - they are a very good basketball team.

[rtr]

 Calipari is great coach.  He's taken UMASS and Mem. to the final four.  We would have been  lucky to get him in 2007.  We almost had him.  Anyone know why we failed to land him?

[HawgAdvocate]

Calipari is great coach.  He's taken UMASS and Mem. to the final four.  We would have been  lucky to get him in 2007.  We almost had him.  Anyone know why we failed to land him?

He didn't want to come here.

[Pork Twain]

They'd better win 30.  They get 19 wins from their crapty conference.  They were 12-3 in nonconference.  They schedule themselves 30 wins before they ever get to the NCAAT.

That's great and all but it doesn't win their games for them in the NCAAT and that is really all that matters in college basketball.  We are not talking about college football here, where RPI/strength of schedule really mean anything.

[WilsonHog]

All I know is that I'd eat sh*t on a stick if we were winning 30 games a season and playing deep in the NCAA Tourney again, regardless of what conference we were affiliated with. 

Ain't nothing worse than being irrelevant.

[rtr]

All I know is that I'd eat sh*t on a stick if we were winning 30 games a season and playing deep in the NCAA Tourney again, regardless of what conference we were affiliated with. 

Ain't nothing worse than being irrelevant.n

Couldn't have said it better.  Think Louisville in the Missouri Valley Conference in the 1970's or for that matter Arkansas and Houston in the SWC.

[rtr]

He didn't want to come here.

I agree but why?  Your smite reveals so much about you.

[Veritas Arkansas]

Calipari is great coach.  He's taken UMASS and Mem. to the final four.  We would have been  lucky to get him in 2007.  We almost had him.  Anyone know why we failed to land him?

Thank God we didn't.

[Pork Twain]

Calipari is great coach.  He's taken UMASS and Mem. to the final four.  We would have been  lucky to get him in 2007.  We almost had him.  Anyone know why we failed to land him?

Our program has been in turmoil since 96ish.  Nobody wanted to come here.

Thank God we didn't.

You are right because I would hate to have a solid porogram and to still be playing.

[Brass Knob]

Thank God we didn't.

Ya because winning 2 conference games a year and not making any post-season is so much more fun than going undefeated in your conference and contending for a national title every year! haha... If you are glad we did not get Cal you are part of the being ok with losing mentality this school needs to shake off.

[UofMemphis]

If Kentucky gets Calapari it will be game over for SEC basketball

i wonder if Calapari is related to John Calipari?

either way, Cal's not leaving...he has a 5 million dollar bonus that pays out nest season ON TOP of his 2.35 million dollar salary.

and oh yeah....Xavier Henry has signed an LOI and DeMarcus Cousins has committed to Memphis.

if UK and their delusional fan base run off Tubby Smith (with an NCAA title ring)...and FIRE Bill G after only 2 years...NO "big name" coach will go there.

if BCG is fired...Travis Ford will be the best they could get.

[UofMemphis]

Calipari is great coach.  He's taken UMASS and Mem. to the final four.  We would have been  lucky to get him in 2007.  We almost had him.  Anyone know why we failed to land him?

in 2007 Cal had just finished an Elite Eight run and had Derrick Rose signed to an LOI with guys like Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey coming back.

you really wondered why no team could (and can't) pry him away?

[jamie72921]

"30 wins - if we don't get to 30, something's wrong and I've got 'For Sale' signs in my yard - and two or three players taken in the NBA draft."

Must be awful easy to be a Tiger basketball fan lately.

2 or 3 players taken in the draft and that schedule full of high school teams?!

Their expectations should be of Margins of Victory and resetting team scoring records.

Calipari, the next Dean Smith. Most talent, fewest championships.

[jamie72921]

Calipari is great coach.  He's taken UMASS and Mem. to the final four.  We would have been  lucky to get him in 2007.  We almost had him.  Anyone know why we failed to land him?

College Basketball History - Dirty Teams in NCAA Tournament ...Mar 17, 2009 ... Seven of the Dirtiest Teams in College Basketball History ... about eight national titles and be on probation for the next 100 years. ... Though UMass ceased to be a national power, Coach Calipari bounced back nicely. ...

www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/college-basketball-history-2009 - 61k -

[UofMemphis]

^^ you're talking about a team from 24 years ago...Memphis fired Dana Kirk and washed our hands of the whole thing...Larry Finch took over from there.

[Pork Twain]

Sounds like Jamie likes Haterade

[HognotinMemphis]

Living over here in eastern arkansas, it's sickening to watch and listen too. i can not not stand Tiger high. but atleast they have very high standards in basketball. thats more than i can say for the team i love. the standards are now very low at arkansas.

why is it sickening? Can you not be happy for the success of others? Sounds like this is an example that caused Samuel Johnson to write, "The first sign of excellence unites multitudes against it."

[Pork Twain]

why is it sickening? Can you not be happy for the success of others? Sounds like this is an example that caused Samuel Johnson to write, "The first sign of excellence unites multitudes against it."

I agree 100%.  I love that Memphis is doing so well.  I wish we were doing better but there is no reason to hate them because they are and spread lies about their program.

[The Hogfather]

They'd better win 30.  They get 19 wins from their crapty conference.  They were 12-3 in nonconference.  They schedule themselves 30 wins before they ever get to the NCAAT.

Exactly.  All they have to do is beat UAB and Houston to get to 30 wins. 

[The Hogfather]

Memphis is a better team than anything the SEC has to offer this year.
I think Cal is a great coach. All this Memphis hate sure comes off as sour grapes. I don't care what conference they play in - they are a very good basketball team.

Who said they weren't a good team?  That's obvious.  But, he wouldn't be able to talk about "winning 30 games is the standard now" if they were in a major conference, even the SEC.

[donewithdale]

Memphis is a better team than anything the SEC has to offer this year.
I think Cal is a great coach. All this Memphis hate sure comes off as sour grapes. I don't care what conference they play in - they are a very good basketball team.

No sour grapes.

Haven't liked Memphis in over 20 years.  It goes back to our series with them where they were a rival.  Its due to the cesspool that is Memphis recruiting and its no coincidence that so many football and basketball programs have gotten in trouble or at least had to answer questions about their recruiting in that city.  Then the whole Easterwood/Parrish slander because T Young wasn't going to go to Memphis. 

And now its an even stronger dislike when our fans use them to whine, cry and even worse to put down our program which is a completely sorry thing to do.  Many posters have another team they like to follow.  Most everyone knows mine.  But you don't see me on here using their tradition and success to criticize or put down the Hogs.  A number of programs are still in the NCAAT with more tradition and more accomplished coaches than Memphis. 

This also has nothing to do with me thinking Memphis' success has caused our downturn.  Cal doesn't even get many players from Memphis or this region.  Our problems are self inflicted and has nothing to do with Calipari or Memphis.  My dislike is also not for Calipari. 

[Oliver]

Who said they weren't a good team?  That's obvious.  But, he wouldn't be able to talk about "winning 30 games is the standard now" if they were in a major conference, even the SEC.

Which is why he didn't preface his statement as the Standard for Kentucky Basketball or the Standard for Duke Basketball.  But since Cal is a great recruiter in a weaker conference like Conference USA, that's a reasonable standard for him to claim for Memphis Basketball.  It's also a standard I don't believe many coaches could accomplish at Memphis.

[The Hogfather]

Which is why he didn't preface his statement as the Standard for Kentucky Basketball or the Standard for Duke Basketball.  But since Cal is a great recruiter in a weaker conference like Conference USA, that's a reasonable standard for him to claim for Memphis Basketball.  It's also a standard I don't believe many coaches could accomplish at Memphis.

It lessens the accomplishment.  It wouldn't take much to win 30 a year with the advantages Memphis has over its in-conference competition.

There are many coaches that could accomplish what he has at Memphis, if they were allowed the same privileges as Cal (FedEx internship program, play in an NBA arena, etc.).  Self, Krzyzewski, Dixon, Calhoun, Boeheim, Gillispie, Capel, Barnes, Williams, Jay Wright, Donovan, Pitino, a number of NBA coaches/former NBA coaches, etc.  Just to name a few.

[Oliver]

It lessens the accomplishment.  It wouldn't take much to win 30 a year with the advantages Memphis has over its in-conference competition.

There are many coaches that could accomplish what he has at Memphis, if they were allowed the same privileges as Cal (FedEx internship program, play in an NBA arena, etc.).  Self, Krzyzewski, Dixon, Calhoun, Boeheim, Gillispie, Capel, Barnes, Williams, Jay Wright, Donovan, Pitino, a number of NBA coaches/former NBA coaches, etc.  Just to name a few.

How does that lessen the accomplishment?  That's a pretty impressive list of coaches to be in the company of.  I don't agree with having Gillispie on that list. 

To me winning 91% (30-3) of your basketball games is a hell of an accomplishment no matter what conference you are in. 

[The Hogfather]

How does that lessen the accomplishment?  That's a pretty impressive list of coaches to be in the company of.  I don't agree with having Gillispie on that list. 

To me winning 91% (30-3) of your basketball games is a hell of an accomplishment no matter what conference you are in. 

It lessens the accomplishment of winning 30 games a year because they play in a high school conference.

Those are the coaches that I am almost positive could win 30 a year at Memphis with the current advantages.  There are about 40-50 others that I think could probably win that many every year.

[Oliver]

There are about 40-50 others that I think could probably win that many every year.

Please list them...I would love a good laugh.

[The Hogfather]

Please list them...I would love a good laugh.

Laugh at this:  28 of their 33 wins came against teams that did not make the NCAAT.

[Oliver]

Laugh at this:  28 of their 33 wins came against teams that did not make the NCAAT.

That's funny as well and why they might be one of the few 30 win teams in history to receive a 2 seed.  I still wonder why all these coaches couldn't do what Cal has done before Cal got there.

[DMacIsASaint]

Memphis does its best to make its schedule is hard as possible. They could not have predicted Georgetown would be down this year. They have Kansas, UNC and possibly louiseville next year. Plus the fact I hear people tell Memphis to join a real conference, like they really want to be in C USA.

[The Hogfather]

Memphis does its best to make its schedule is hard as possible. They could not have predicted Georgetown would be down this year. They have Kansas, UNC and possibly louiseville next year. Plus the fact I hear people tell Memphis to join a real conference, like they really want to be in C USA.

But, they can lose to every one of those "name" teams and still win 30 a year because their conference is so weak.  19 of their wins came from the Conference USA regular season and tournament.

[Merle Hawggard]

2 or 3 players taken in the draft and that schedule full of high school teams?!

Their expectations should be of Margins of Victory and resetting team scoring records.

Calipari, the next Dean Smith. Most talent, fewest championships.

ok...sign me up...i'll take 30 wins every year. i'll take the most talent with just a "few" championships! where do we sign? no really? where do we sign? im like wilsonhog, id love 30 wins every year. i want to be relivant again. Again I ask you the expert, WHERE DO WE SIGN UP!!!!!!?