Sept 10, 2011; Lexington, Kentucky, KY, USA; Kentucky WIldcats linebacker Danny Trevathan (22) during the game against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Central Michigan 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-US PRESSWIRE

Draft day is here, and while no UK football players expect to here their names called in the first-round, Danny Trevathan and Winston Guy expect to hear their names called at some point this weekend. Tonight features the first-round only. Tomorrow night features the second and third-rounds. Saturday will feature the fourth through seventh rounds, which is the likeliest range that these guys will hear their names called.

GAME 21

GEORGIA BULLDOGS 10-9 (1-4)
JANUARY 24, 2011 – 9:00 PM
STEGEMAN COLISEUM – ATHENS, GA
TV – ESPN

KENTUCKY LEADS SERIES 113-25

LAST FIVE MEETINGS
1/29/2011: KENTUCKY 66 Georgia 60
1/8/2011: Georgia 77 KENTUCKY 70
3/3/2010: KENTUCKY 80 Georgia 68
1/9/2010: KENTUCKY 76 Georgia 68
3/4/2009: Georgia 90 KENTUCKY 85

(more…)

GAME 12

LOYOLA (MD)  GREYHOUNDS (8-2)
DECEMBER 22, 2011 – 1:00PM
RUPP ARENA – LEXINGTON, KY
TV – FOX SPORTS SOUTH

FIRST MEETING BETWEEN SCHOOLS

Friends, this is the class example of a trap game. Kentucky will be playing their second game within about 40 hours and it is a 1PM game right before the players leave on Christmas Break. No doubt, some players will rush right from Rupp after the game to the airport to catch a flight home or load up their cars to be with their families for the Christmas Holiday. Students are already home and the atmosphere of these 1PM Thursday games have been pretty much non-existent. Kentucky likely will be short-handed, as it is doubtful that Terrence Jones will play and they face a pretty hungry opponent in the 8-2 Greyhounds.

Loyola is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and Kentucky has a 13-0 record against the conference with wins over Canisisius (2), Iona (6), Rider (3), Marist (1), and Niagara (1). Kentucky opened their season with a 108-58 win over Marist. By comparison, Loyola beat that same Marist team 76-63 this year. Loyola has played one “big conference” school this year and lost to Wake Forest (7-4) 75-63. Loyola has beat some teams this year that are traditionally tough, but are suffering down years. Examples of this are wins over Siena (3-7) and George Washington (4-6). Loyola is coming off a 76-66 loss to 5-4 St. Bonaventure.

PROBABLE STARTERS

#12 – G – R.J WILLIAMS – FR – 5’8, 155
3.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.1 APG

#3 – G – DYLON CORMIER - SO – 6’2, 172
16.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.0 APG

#25 – G – ROBERT OLSON - JR – 6’4, 189
9.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.7 APG

#24 – F – ERIK ETHERLY - JR – 6’7, 225
12.4 PPG, 7.6 RPH, 1.9 APG

#5 – F – SHANE WALKER – SR – 6’10, 225
11.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.6 APG

THE BENCH

#2 – G – JUSTIN DRUMMOND - SO – 6’4, 187
11.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 0.8 APG

#1 – F – ANTHONY WINBUSH - JR – 6’7, 194
2.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.3 APG

#15 – F – JORDAN LATHAM - SO – 6’8, 249
1.5 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.3 APG

NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS/OTHER STATS

POINTS PER GAME
KENTUCKY:  81.8  (12TH)
LOYOLA: 69.5 (153RD)

REBOUNDS PER GAME
KENTUCKY: 41.6 (8TH)
LOYOLA: 37.5 (91ST)

ASSISTS PER GAME
KENTUCKY:  14.7  (73RD)
LOYOLA: 12.0 (242ND)

FG %
KENTUCKY:  49.6%  (15TH)
LOYOLA: 41.7% (245TH)

3-PT SHOOTING
KENTUCKY: 69-184 (37.5%)
LOYOLA:  50-148 (33.8%)

FT SHOOTING
LOYOLA 183-266 (68.8%)
KENTUCKY  165-242 (68.2%)

A/TO RATIO
KENTUCKY:  1.18
LOYOLA:   0.83

Despite the nice record coming in, this is not a team that should threaten Kentucky, even if Terrence Jones does not play. They are not a good shooting team and have more turnovers than assists on the season. They are also a pretty thin team and really only play eight players. And of those eight players, only five players can be considered scorers. Williams, Winbush, and Latham play about 55 minutes a game (out of 200) and average just 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds a game. Of the remaining players, I look for Justin Drummond to get the rare start possibly over Williams as Loyola will need his height and Williams is just 5’8. Dylan Cormier and Robert Olson account for 54% of the Greyhounds made three-pointers on the season and are shooting the ball pretty well, at 42.4% and 35.1% respectively. As I mentioned, this is not a good shooting team, but Cormier and Drummond are pretty active under their own glass and both have more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds.

Once again, not knowing the status of Terrence Jones, this could be a good opportunity for Wiltjer and Vargas to get some minutes. Loyola, aside from Walker is not a big team, and have been pushed around a good bit by better rebounding teams. This is also a team that does not handle the ball very well and if Lamb and Teague apply the pressure on the guards, that can result in a lot of easy baskets for Kentucky from turnovers. I am not 100% sure of the starting lineup for Loyola, but the biggest mismatch could be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist over Robert Olson if he plays the three. Olson is not very quick and not a good rebounder. MKG or Darius Miller could have big games if this is the situation.

To be honest, the only thing that can beat Kentucky in this game is Kentucky. If they come out slow and uninspired and their minds on Christmas vacation, this could be closer than expected in the first half. I would not expect any lackadaisical play to continue by half however so I would not worry about Kentucky being on upset alert because this is not a team that can launch and make 15 three pointers. Lets say Kentucky starts slow for the first ten minutes, get a good earful from Coach Calipari and head off for Christmas with an 87-63 win.

1.  (LW-1) #3 Kentucky 9-1 (defeated Chattanooga 87-62):  Easy week for the Wildcats as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead against Chattanooga and never looked back. Marquis Teague is starting to excel in his role as Kentucky point guard and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could be the best player on roster.  Terrence Jone’s hand problem is troubling, but he won’t be needed this week.  THIS WEEK:  12/20 vs Samford, 12/22 vs Loyola MD

#8 Missouri 11-0  (defeated Kennesaw State 104-67, defeated William and Mary 94-56)  Yea, I know.  Missouri has one of the softest schedules, but they are flat out waxing people and have not been tested yet.  That should all change this week and we can see what Mizzou is made of.  Marcus Denmon is putting up gaudy numbers this year.   THIS WEEK:  12/22 vs #19 Illinois

2.  (LW-3)  #13 Florida  8-2  (defeated #25 Texas A&M  84-64):  I am actually becoming a believer of Florida now after they totally dismantle Texas A&M.  When you look at Florida’s roster, they look soft in the front court, but is the 19th best rebounding team in the country.  They are getting it done.  Aside from Kentucky, the Gators are the most athletic team in the SEC.  THIS WEEK:  12/19  vs Mississippi Valley State, 12/22 vs FSU

3. (LW-2)  #16 Mississippi State  11-1 (defeated Florida Atlantic  75-68, defeated Detroit 80-75):  Have to admit that I am not that impressed with the 7 point win over 4-6 FAU.  Keep in mind, MSU won with Brian Bryant still on suspension and Arnett Moultrie out with knee tendonitis. However both players were on the court for the 5 point win over Detroit.  Not a good week for the Bulldogs even with two wins.  THIS WEEK:  12/22 vs Northwestern State

4.  (LW-4)  Mississippi 9-2 (defeated Louisiana Lafayette 66-54, lost to Southern Mississippi  86-82):  The Rebels get a break this week as everyone around them lost this week as well.  They lost on the road by four to a 8-2 Southern Miss team.  I’m not going to be that brutal about that loss.  I still think this team is playing over their heads now, but you can not complain about 9-2.  THIS WEEK:  12/21 vs MTSU

5.  (LW-7)  LSU 7-3  (defeated UC Irvine  66-59):  The Tigers are another team that are taking advantage of an early cupcake schedule.  They have won six out of seven and have held their last four opponents under 60 points.  Scoring is at a premium for this team though and I have a feeling reality is about to set in.  THIS WEEK:  12/19 vs #11 Marquette, 12/22 vs North Texas

#25 Texas A&M  (lost to #13 Florida 84-64):  The Aggies were down 25 at the half to the Gators and I got the feeling this could have been an even bigger blowout.  The Aggies are not a good scoring team and their defense is going to get exposed by teams with athletic guards.  THIS WEEK:  12/22 vs Rice

6.  (LW – 5)  #21 Alabama  (defeated Detroit  62-54, lost to Kansas State  71-58):  It’s a slow steady fall from grace for Alabama who has lost three of four and not one of those games were to a ranked team.  Kansas State is 7-1 on the year, but it is troubling that Alabama can’t beat teams it should.  They are not a good scoring team and they seem to have lost their defensive intensity from last year.  Not a good combination.  THIS WEEK:  12/21 vs Oklahoma State

7.  (LW – 9)  Auburn  6-1  (defeated South Florida 52-40, defeated North Florida 84-71):  With their tour of Florida directional schools over, the Tigers are looking good with a couple of double-digit wins and a 6-1 record.  Are they peaking in December?  Probably.  But they are putting away teams that have beaten them the last couple of years and we recognize improvement.  THIS WEEK:  12/19  vs Florida A&M, 12/23 @ Hawaii

8.  (LW – 8)  Arkansas  6-3 (defeated Southeastern Louisiana  62-55):  Can’t get too excited about scoring 62 points against a 5-4 Southland Conference team, but a wins a win.  THIS WEEK:  12/20 vs Eastern Kentucky, 12/22 vs Louisiana Tech

9.  (LW-6)  #25  Vanderbilt  6-4  (lost to Indiana State  61-55):  So tell me again when Vandy is going to live up to their preseason #5 ranking?  You have to feel bad for John Jenkins and Jeffrey Taylor as the Commodores have just two players showing up to play.  The savior Festus Ezeli has been unimpressive in his two games back and at this point, you wonder if Vandy will ever get it together.  THIS WEEK:  12/19 vs Longwood, 12/21 vs Lafayette

10.  (LW -11)  South Carolina  4-6  (defeated Presbyterian 66-58, lost to #2 Ohio State 74-66):  I’m going to be nice and move the Gamecocks up a spot because they gave #2 OSU all they wanted and even led at half.  Plus they beat a Presbyterian team that has already knocked off Cincinnati.  I don’t know if they think they are playing for Van Horn’s job, but this is a tough team to beat on the road.  THIS WEEK:  12/21 vs Southeastern Louisiana 

11.  (LW-10)  Georgia  5-5  (defeated USC 63-59):  This one goes in the “win is a win” catergory.  USC is pretty bad and a four point win does not impress.  Georgia currently ranks 311th in FG percentage and 313th in scoring.  This is not a good team. I am officially putting them on upset alert versus Mercer.  THIS WEEK:  12/20 vs Mercer, 12/23 vs Furman

12.  (LW-12)  Tennessee 3-6  (lost to Charleston 71-65):  It’s already a long season for the Vols as they have lost four in a row and six of seven, but it will be longer.  Thing is, the overall numbers are respectable — the Vols are 41st in scoring — but this is a team with no chemistry and no ability to execute when they need to.  THIS WEEK:  12/20 vs North Carolina Asheville, 12/22 vs East Tennessee State  

#10  Missouri  9-0 (beat Villanova  81-71, beat Navy  84-59)  I knew I was opening a can of worms by putting the “not SEC yet” teams in here, but I wanted to give some comparison about what to look for next year.  That said, yes, Mizzou is the only undefeated here but they are not better than Kentucky.  Props to no losses, but there are no wins against currently ranked teams either.  THIS WEEK:  12/15  vs Kennesaw State

2.  (LW-2)  #18  Mississippi State  9-1 (defeated Troy  106-68)  Dee Bost is having an amazing year for the Bulldogs and former Kentucky recruit Arnett Moultrie is the real deal so far.  This team got a lot better when they decided to not try to depend on Renardo Sidney to make or break their season and other players stepped up.  If Sidney can ever play near his hype level, this is a legitimate Sweet 16 Team.  THIS WEEK:  12/13  vs Florida Atlantic, 12/17 @ Detroit

3.  (LW-4)  #12 Florida  7-2  (defeated Arizona 78-72 OT, defeated Rider 90-69)  Good win for the Gators as they held off a tough Arizona team at the O-Dome.  Florida showed lots of guts and scrap in that game.  Florida is starting to look more legitimate and are rebounding a bit better than I thought they would. Will Yegeute is not a scorer yet, but has been a pleasant surprise on the boards.  THIS WEEK: 12/17 vs #25  Texas A&M at Sunrise, FL

#25  Texas A&M  8-1  (defeated Louisiana Monroe 67-54):  I’m not too impressed with the ULM win, but 8-1 deserves recognition.  I admit, I don’t follow the Big 12 teams a lot, but this team seems to be in the mode as Alabama – tough on defense and struggles to find points.  We will find out a lot more about the Aggies on Saturday.  THIS WEEK: 12/17 @ #12 Florida at Sunrise, FL

4.  (LW – 6)  Mississippi  8-1  (defeated Penn State  72-70, defeated Mississippi Valley State 80-56):  I will be honest.  Ole Miss has not played a killer schedule but they have beat some decent mid-level teams.  True, this team does not shoot well (43.2%) or score a lot (69.3) but they have made the most of their season thus far.  They may be peaking in December, but I will recognize 8-1. THIS WEEK:  12/14 vs Louisiana Lafayette, 12/17  @ Southern Mississippi

5. (LW- 3)  #15  Alabama  7-2  (lost to Dayton  74-62):  I forgave the Georgetown loss, but Dayton is not a world beating mid major.  They are tough, but Alabama should not have lost by 12.  Plus throw in the fact the Tide have not won in December yet (the Detroit game just started when writing this) and you have to drop a team for two straight losses.  THIS WEEK:  12/11 vs Detroit, 12/17  vs Kansas State

6.  (LW -7)  Vanderbilt  6-3  (defeated Davidson  87-83)  So now that Festus Ezeli is back, we can assume the Commodores are as well?  Let’s see if they live up to the preseason top five hype but beating Davidson by just four is not living up to the hype.  There are a lot of things to fix with this Vandy team now.  Let’s see if they are ready for conference play.  THIS WEEK:  12/17  vs Indiana State

7.  (LW – 8)  LSU  6-3  (defeated Boise State  64-45)  In a game that Boise State has been clamoring for all season, they finally got a taste of the LSU Tigers and were trounced by 19 …. well this was in basketball but anyway.  A win is a win for LSU.  And Boise State was 8-1.  So good win, Tigers.  THIS WEEK:  12/15  vs UC Irvine

8.  (LW – 5)  Arkansas  5-3  (lost to Oklahoma 78-63):  Two losses in a row for the Hawgs and you start to get the feeling this may be a long season for Mike Davis.  OU will probably be ranked this week, but its clear that Arkansas is not ready to step on the court with ranked teams yet.  THIS WEEK:  12/17  vs SE Louisiana

9.  (LW – 9)  Auburn  4-1 (no games last week):  Not much to say as the Tigers have not played since 12/2.  Still 4-1 is pretty to look at, I guess.  THIS WEEK:  12/14  vs South Florida, 12/17 vs North Florida

10.  (LW – 10)  Georgia  4-5  (lost to Georgia Tech 68-56):  Four straight losses and counting for the Bulldogs.  Looking back at their schedule and who they have played and lost to makes me think this Bulldog team may not see single digits in our rankings all year.  THIS WEEK:  12/17  @ USC

11. (LW-12)  South Carolina  3-5 (defeated Clemson 58-55):  Good win for the Gamecocks on the road against Clemson.  The Tigers are an average team, but it has to feel good to beat a bitter rival and an ACC Team to boot.  THIS WEEK:  12/13  vs Presbyterian, 12/17 @ #2 Ohio State Buckeyes

12.  (LW-11)  Tennessee 3-5 (lost to Austin Peay 74-70):  Never underestimate the power of the Kentucky football win over Tennessee.  The Vols’s psyche was obviously shaken as Tennessee’s basketball has not won a game since that happened, now losing three in a row.  Seriously, how else do you explain losing to 1-9 Austin Peay on your home court?  THIS WEEK:  12/14 @ Charleston

I don’t know what is more amazing:  the block or the fact that North Carolina just quit on a one point game with about 4.5 seconds to go and did not even attempt to foul.  And yes, Dan Wolken, Marquis Teague technically did walk with :01 left, but when the other team just up and quits, you can’t expect any gifts from the refs.  Seriously, what where the Tar Heels thinking? 

More importantly, what was John Calipari, Roy Williams, and Anthony Davis thinking after the game?   John Clay has your video action:

Videos: Calipari and Williams after UK-North Carolina.

Video: Anthony Davis on his game-saving blocked shot.

First off, I will start off with a little history of the Associated Press Poll. The AP Poll was first released in the 1948-1949 season on January 18th, 1949. St. Louis was the first school to be ranked #1 in the AP Poll, UK was the second. The regular season polls from 1948-1949 to 1959-1960 only ranked 20 teams, from 1960-1961 only 10 teams (except in December 1960 and the 1964-1965 preseason poll), 1968-1969 to 1988-1989 went back to 20 teams, and since 1989-1990 they have ranked 25 teams. Preseason polls started in the 1961-1962 season, and there were post-NCAA Tournament polls in 1952-1953, 1953-1954, 1973-1974, and 1974-1975. The polls from 1948-1949 to 2006-2007 were released on Tuesdays, with a few exceptions. The polls, starting in the 2007-2008 season, have been released on Monday.

Monday’s poll gave UK their 90th apprearance ranked #1 in the AP Poll. Here are the top 5 schools in terms of appearances ranked #1 in the AP Poll:
1. UCLA – 134 appearances
2. Duke – 122 appearances
3. North Carolina – 108 appearances
4. Kentucky – 90 appearances
5. Kansas – 58 appearances

To put Kentucky into perspective, the entire Big XII conference has a combined 80 appearances as #1 in the AP Poll, 10 less than UK. Also, the other 11 SEC schools have a combined 26 appearances as #1 in the AP Poll, 64 less than UK.

• UK has been ranked #1 in the AP Poll in 18 different seasons
• Most consecutive seasons with a #1 appearance – 4 seasons (1950-1951 to 1954-1955) (UK didn’t play in the 1952-1953 season)
• Number of seasons ranked #1 in the final AP Poll – 8 (1948-1949, 1950-1951, 1951-1952, 1953-1954, 1965-1966, 1969-1970, 1977-1978, 2002-2003)
• Longest drought between being ranked #1 (Seasons) – 8 (1969-1970 to 1977-1978)
• Longest drought between being ranked #1 (Games) – 222 (March 29th, 2003 vs. Marquette to January 26th, 2010 vs. South Carolina)
• Most separate stints ranked #1 in a season – 3 times (1951-1952, 1958-1959, 1969-1970)
• Most consecutive weeks ranked #1 in a season – 11 weeks (1977-1978) (November 29th, 1977 to February 7th, 1978)
• Biggest Jump To #1 – 2 spots (#3 January 22nd, 1952 to #1 January 29th, 1952, #3 February 17th, 1959 to February 24th, 1959)
• Biggest Fall From #1 – 5 spots (#1 November 29th, 1993 to #6 December 6th, 1993)

Number Of Appearances By Decade
1940′s – 6 appearances, 1st amongst schools (only 1 season with AP Poll) 1 different season
1950′s – 43 appearances, 1st amongst schools, 5 different seasons
1960′s – 6 appearances, 7th amongst schools, 2 different seasons
1970′s – 20 appearances, 3rd amongst schools, 2 different seasons
1980′s – 5 appearances, 9th amongst schools, 3 different seasons
1990′s – 7 appearances, 8th amongst schools, 3 different seasons
2000′s – 1 appearance, 18th amongst schools, 1 different season
2010′s – 2 appearances, 5th amongst schools, 2 different seasons

Number Of Appearances By Coach
Adolph Rupp – 61 appearances
Joe B. Hall – 16 appearances
Eddie Sutton – 3 appearances
Rick Pitino – 7 appearances
Tubby Smith – 1 appearance
John Calipari – 2 appearances

National Championship Teams Not Ranked #1
1957-1958- Highest ranking was #3, was ranked #9 entering the NCAA Tournament
1997-1998 – Highest ranking was #4, was ranked #5 entering the NCAA Tournament

Final Four Teams Not Ranked #1
1974-1975 – Highest ranking was #2, was ranked #6 entering the NCAA Tournament
1996-1997 – Highest ranking was #3, was ranked #5 entering the NCAA Tournament

UK’s overall record when ranked #1 in the AP Poll: 153-24 (.864)
Longest winning streak when ranked #1: 17 games (January 4th, 1954 to January 1st, 1955)
Longest losing streak when ranked #1: 2 games (January 4th, 1964 to January 6th, 1964, January 9th, 1988 to January 13th, 1993)

Record By Coach
Adolph Rupp – 112-15 (.882)
Joe B. Hall – 26-2 (.929)
Eddie Sutton – 4-1 (.800)
Rick Pitino – 7-4 (.636)
Tubby Smith – 3-1 (.750)

John Calipari – 1-1 (.500)

Record By Month
November – 2-1 (.667)
December – 29-4 (.879)
January – 33-9 (.786)
February – 51-2 (.962)
March – 38-8 (.826)

Record By Decade
1940′s – 18-1 (.947)
1950′s – 74-9 (.892)
1960′s – 15-4 (.789)
1970′s – 29-3 (.906)
1980′s – 6-1 (.857)
1990′s – 7-4 (.636)
2000′s – 3-1 (.750)

2010′s – 1-1 (.500)

Other Various Records When Ranked #1

Most Games Played Against
SEC Opponent – Vanderbilt, 15 games
Non-Conference Opponent – Indiana, Notre Dame, and Xavier, 5 games
Most Wins Against
SEC Opponent – Mississippi and Vanderbilt, 11 wins
Non-Conference Opponent – Notre Dame and Xavier, 5 wins
Most Losses Against
SEC Opponent – Vanderbilt, 4 losses
Non-Conference Opponent – St. Louis, 2 losses
Largest Margin Of Victory
Ranked Opponent – 31 points, #1 Kentucky – 84 #16 UCLA – 53, December 26th, 1951
Unranked Opponent – 55 points, #1 Kentucky – 95 Georgia – 40, February 21st, 1949 and #1 Kentucky – 95 Tennessee – 40, February 16th, 1952
Largest Margin Of Defeat
Ranked Opponent – 14 points, #1 Kentucky – 69 #9 Marquette – 83, March 29th, 2003 (NCAA Midwest Regional Final)
Unranked Opponent – 15 points, #1 Kentucky – 86 Vanderbilt – 101, January 13th, 1993
Most Points Scored
UK Player – Dan Issel, 44 points (vs. Notre Dame, March 12th, 1970) (NCAA Mideast Regional Semifinals)
Opponent – Austin Carr, 52 points, March 12th, 1970 (NCAA Mideast Regional Semifinals)

UK’s Record vs. SEC Opponents
Alabama – 3-1 (.750)
Arkansas (Arkansas didn’t join the SEC until 1991-1992) – 1-0 (1.000) (2-0 Overall 1.000)
Auburn – 8-1 (.889)
Florida – 7-0 (1.000)
Georgia – 6-0 (1.000)
Georgia Tech (Georgia Tech was in the SEC until 1963-1964) – 9-3 (.750)
Louisiana State – 6-1 (.857)
Mississippi – 11-0 (1.000)
Mississippi State – 9-2 (.818)
South Carolina (South Carolina didn’t join the SEC until 1991-1992) 0-1 (.000) (1-1 Overall .500)
Tennessee – 9-1 (.900)
Tulane (Tulane was in the SEC until 1965-1966) – 8-0 (1.000)
Vanderbilt – 11-4 (.733)

There have been 3 games in which UK was ranked #1 in the AP Poll and their opponent was ranked #2 in the AP Poll. Here are those 3 games:

March 26th, 1949
NCAA Championship
Seattle, Washington
#1 Kentucky – 46
#2 Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) – 36

December 21st, 1954
Memorial Coliseum
#1 Kentucky – 70
#2 Utah – 65
UKIT (University of Kentucky Invitational Tournament)

March 18th, 1966
NCAA Final Four
College Park, Maryland
#1 Kentucky – 83
#2 Duke – 79

Miss Randall Cobb yet?  Randall had another prime time performance on Monday Night Football last night as he returned a punt for a TD and had a kickoff return for 55 yards later in the game.  True to being a rookie, Cobb also muffed a punt return, which was his third mishandled kick of the year.  Regardless, you have to love Cobb’s post punt return TD which included a fade away jumper at the end.  No doubt a shout out to the Wildcats basketball team as they prepare to face Kansas tonight. 

Is tonight’s game versus the Kansas Jayhawks a statement game?  I would think so.  I would think that any early season win over a ranked team on a national stage is a statement game.  Doron Lamb tends to agree with me.  John Calipari  begs to differ:

“Prove to everybody we’re the best team in the country,” Lamb said. “Go out and play harder than them.”

But Calipari recoiled from the idea that UK can make a statement. “It may be a statement game,” he said, noting that Kansas may be the team making a statement.

Jay Bilas of ESPN give us a look at a recent UK basketball practice as he goes “All Access” with the Kentucky basketball program.  I could not get the video to embed here, but check it out and then come back. 

 The New Jersey Nets may not have gotten John Calipari as their head coach as was rumored, but their new home will be getting him to open the arena.  John Calipari and his Wildcats will open the Barclay Center next season with a game versus the Maryland Terrapins.  The official announcement will be in a press conference at 10AM tomorrow. 

Say what you will about Joker Phillips but he doe not make insane, stupid excuses for losing a game.  We can’t say that about Cardinal coach Charlie Strong.  Strong blamed Louisville’s loss this weekend in part on the release of the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.  Yes, I’m serious.

Stacey Poole suffered minor injuries in an early morning accident this morning.  Poole was a passenger in a black SUV that was T-boned by a car driven by a drunk driver.  The accident occured on East High near Euclid around 2:30AM this morning and both Poole and the driver of the SUV were taken to the hospital.  Poole later tweeted out that he was OK.   

Poole’s status as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats is still up in the air as well.  As we recall, Poole is deciding with his family whether he will transfer or not.  John Calipari recently stated he would sit down with Poole over the next couple of days.  You would assume a decision will be made by Monday.

Tonight’s game against Marist is actually part of the Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament which will culminate in Kentucky travelling to Uncasville, Connecticut next weekend.  And tonight’s game is actually a matchup against one of the branches in the rapidly growing John Calipari coaching tree.

Marist coach Chuck Martin was an assistant on the Derrick Rose team at Memphis under Calipari and Cal had this to say about the game with his former charge:

“Well Chuck worked for me and when he took over they had a large turnover of seniors and a few kids transferred and I think what he’s doing is step by step to get that thing going. I think he’s doing a fine job and hopefully this year is that year that they break through. It takes time though. I just know Chuck as a basketball coach, a recruiter, a father and I have a lot of faith in him.”

 There are still tickets available for tonight’s game.  But if you are outside Lexington, the game is carried live on the Fox Sports South Network.  If you don’t get that, here is where you can tune to catch the game:

UK IMG Sports Network

Radio

All UK men’s basketball games are carried by the UK IMG Sports Network; check for the affiliate in your area.

Online Coverage

• Live Blog – UK Athletics will be running a live blog throughout the game.
• Live Video – ESPN3 is streaming the game.
• Audio – As always, live audio will be available for free through UK Athletics.
• Live Stats – Live stats will be available through Gametracker.

I know that in Florida, the game is carried on Sun Sports, but elsewhere, check your local listings. 

Terrence Jones is one of the Sports Illustrated cover boys for their basketball preview. If you want more Terrence this morning , John Clay has video of  Jones, Marquis Teague, and Anthony Davis talking about tonight’s game. 

And finally, Kentucky travels to Vanderbilt to face the Commodores in what is the latest “must win” game for Joker Phillips.  If Kentucky wins, they will even their record at 5-5 and be one game away from bowl eligibility, which if you think about it is not a bad thing, given all the negativity surrounding the program this year.  I really don’t buy into the Vegas line that Vanderbilt is 13 points better than Kentucky.  This s still the same team that was picked 2-10 in the preseason.  SO it is a very winnable game. 

We all know that Danny Trevathan and the seniors are going to give their best o keep the bowl streak alive.  Actually Danny Trevathan has extra motivation because he was snubbed as a finalist for the Butkus award despite leading the SEC with 111 tackles.  Yea, makes no sense to me either. 

That’s it for now.  Stay tuned to the site as we will have more basketball and football news.  Corey Price has a special “Inside the Numbers” to kick off the basketball season and that will be on the site at 11:00 AM. 
 

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s been 24 hours since Kentucky put the last nail in Houston Nutt’s coffin 30-13 at Commonwealth Stadium. And what a game it was. Ole Miss had at least 6 long gainers, but were held to 13 points. Kentucky trailed 13-10 to starter the final quarter but dominated the final frame in nearly every way possible. With the exception of LaRod King, the heroes of this game were underdogs, just like Kentucky.

All the hype was and is about freshman QB Maxwell Smith. Smith looked poised and mostly accurate last night in leading the offense. He gives Kentucky the best chance to win at the quarterback position and his coaches acknowledged that after the game. But after reading some message boards and listening to the post-game radio shows last night, I think some fans need to temper their expectations (and maybe some of their praise). He is still a freshman QB who doesn’t know all of the playbook and has trouble audibling. And for the heaps of praise his accuracy has received, he only completed 52% of his passes last night. Not to rain on his parade, but comparisons to Tim Couch are quite premature. Again Smith gives UK it’s best shot at winning ballgames and therefore should remain the starter going forward.

Lost in #11’s first win are the other great storylines of Kentucky’s “second season”. Walk-on CoShik Williams got the #1 tailback job due to injury versus JSU and has put on a show, racking up 345 yards and 3 tds in his last 3 games. Williams has shown excellent vision, a quick burst, and is hitting the hole hard. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them shut Raymond Sanders down the rest of the year. You can’t mention Williams’ success without giving credit to the offensive line. They have really gelled following the bye week and look like the unit everyone was so excited about in the offseason.

And finally, I have to make a personal apology to senior wideout Matt Roark. I have said many, many, bad things about Mr. Roark and his less-than-sure hands. I even wrote off last week’s 13 catches as a fluke caused by Smith tossing him 13 drag routes. Well Roark led the team in receiving for the 2^nd consecutive week and had a pivotal end-around late in the game, all while playing on special teams. Kudos to #3 for keeping his chin up and proving his doubters wrong. It gives one hope that maybe next year Aaron Boyd will do something productive in his 5^th year on campus.