Just How Hot is Tubby Smith's Hot Seat?

A little Robert Palmer is appropriate here:

Some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on
Some feel the heat and decide that they can't go on
Some like it hot, but you can't tell how hot 'til you try
Some like it hot, so let's turn up the heat 'til we fry

That's a pretty good description of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith's situation right now. Kentucky fans are screaming to "Scrub the Tub" after the Wildcats have lost four of their last five games, five straight to Florida, and now four straight to Vanderbilt. 2nd place in the SEC is cause for mutiny in the Big Blue Nation, and right now it looks more like the 'Cats are headed for third -- or possibly fourth -- place. Unthinkable!

The mobs are running rampant through Lexington. The fighting and bickering between warring factions -- some wanting to preserve the coach with an NCAA National Championship to his name, others having had enough -- has grown loud enough to cause earth tremors. Long-time Tubby apologists have switched their allegience to the Tub-Scrubbers. Even the most patient, thoughtful, and rational Kentucky fans I know -- Truzenzuzex and JL Blue at A Sea of Blue -- have 'reached the point of no return.'

"What lies after the point of total frustration?" asks Truzenzuzex. "Off the edge of the world and into the abyss? To the Seventh Level of Hell where I get to watch UK-Vanderbilt games over and over, forever? Maybe to Our Lady of Peace? This would seem to me my destination very soon, and unless I miss my guess, I will see Tubby Smith checking in just before me. Maybe we can be room-mates."

JL Blue agrees: "There's a point at which, like my colleague, you just have to admit that you have nothing more to add. If I wasn't already at that point before yesterday's utterly demoralizing -- and yet strangely holding to form -- 65-63 defeat at Vanderbilt, I sure am now."



Going strictly by the numbers, the argument to keep Tubby is solid. Smith is 241-71 (.772) as the 'Cats head coach. He was won the NCAA National Championship, seven SEC titles, and five SEC Tournaments. He's a two-time National Coach of the Year award recipient and has never done anything to embarass the University of Kentucky. Up until the last two years of his tenure, Kentucky rained misery down upon their SEC opponents, dominating the conference with a tough, defensive style of play.

But the argument to axe Tubby as head coach also holds sway with many of the Kentucky faithful. Many refuse to give Smith full credit for his 1998 national championship, saying he won with Rick Pitino's players. They point out that Smith has failed to get Kentucky to a Final Four in nine years. That the trend has been downward, while other programs like Florida, Vanderbilt, LSU and Alabama have risen in national prominance. That the 'Cats will now likely have to play on the first day of the SEC Tournament for the second year in a row. That Kentucky hasn't beaten a ranked opponent once this season, and has only done so twice in sixteen attempts over the past two seasons.

Just how hot is Tubby's seat? The candid answer is that it's never been hotter. Kentucky fans are frustrated that Kentucky's style of play is boring -- not that they'd mind if the 'Cats could just win -- and that the same, maddeningly annoying mental errors occur game after game.

When Rajon Rondo led the 'Cats at the point -- and make no mistake about it, Rondo was one of the most purely gifted athletes in nation last year -- his inconsistencies at the position drove fans crazy. Now they see Ramel Bradley making the same mistakes, if not worse, all while flashing the Jay-Z "Dynasty" sign after making a free throw.

Is the problem recruiting?

What about player development?

Why can't the 'Cats stop turning the ball over?

Why can't they come up with a consistent level of offensive and defensive play that they can rely on game after game?

Why do they show flashes of brilliant play followed by mind-numbing stupidity?

It's driving fans batty. If Smith survives an unpleasant '07 tilt to give it another go in Lexington, he'll likely be forced to roll some heads on the coaching staff and display a willingness to try some new things in an effort to effect change. These 'Cats are lacking at some fundamental level and that has not changed over the course of three seasons. Championship pedigree or no, Tubby is responsible for getting this team ready to play and the majority of Kentucky fans now feel he can't get the job done.

We leave you now with more Robert Palmer:

We want to multiply, are you gonna do it
I know you're qualified, are you gonna do it
Dont be so circumscribed, are you gonna do it
Just get yourself untied, are you gonna do it

Feel the heat pushing you to decide
Feel the heat burning you up, ready or not

Some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on
Some feel the heat and decide that they can't go on
Some like it hot, but you can't tell how hot 'til you try
Some like it hot, so let's turn up the heat 'til we fry