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Kentucky Wildcats 5 for Thursday: So the Wildcats are underdogs in this game? I'll take it

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I really don’t understand a lot of the hang wringing and concern that is coming from some Kentucky fans and sites just two days before the Kentucky/Louisville game.  It has been pointed out to me that the Las Vegas oddsmakers, the RPI site, and Ken Pomeroy are all predicting a Louisville win on Friday.  Even Larry Vaught is picking the Cardinals to win 78-72. 

I have to admit that I thought the Cardinals would be terrible this season and they have played a lot better than I expected.  That said, I do think they are a tad bit overrated.  If you look at the Cardinals schedule, they have two good wins or quality wins on the season, over Butler and UNLV, and neither of those teams are currently ranked.  Butler has also lost to a 6-5 Evansville Purple Aces team and UNLV lost to a 6-5 UCSB team.  And the Cardinals do have a bad loss at home to Drexel.

Furthermore, Louisville has played all of their games except one in the comfort of their KFC Yum! Center.  I know this seems like a moot point because the game is at Louisville, but in all reality, the Cards have not faced a team with near the talent of Kentucky this season and the strength of schedule points that out.  Kentucky currently has the 30th toughest schedule while Louisville has the 90th.  That is a big disparity.

Plus Kentucky has a 14 point win over #15 Notre Dame this season … and Notre Dame is a very solid team.  They just beat #9 Georgetown 69-55 last night.  In addition, Kentucky has been tested by a very good Washington team as well.  They have been to one of the toughest home courts in the country and while they lost to the Tar Heels, they do know what an insane road environment is like.

Granted, Rick Pitino has done a good job this season, but in reality, his record is built on cupcakes and not a lot of substance.  I may be wrong.  Everyone else seems to think Louisville will beat Kentucky.  If you ask me, I like the idea of a disrespected Kentucky team playing mad as an “underdog” on Friday.

Stay tuned to the site as there is a lot of Louisville stuff on the site today.  I will be back with an official prediction around 2PM, but if you are looking for some good Kentucky/Louisville haterade, Jonathan North got that flowing yesterday. 

Now even though the NCAA is supposedly closed for the Holidays and can’t do their job (rule on Enes Kanter), they did manage to leak a press release defending their decisions on the Cameron Newton and Ohio State football rulings.  And as we are in the practice of reading tea leaves with the NCAA, it does not bode well for Kentucky:

"While efforts are being championed by NCAA President Mark Emmert to further clarify and strengthen recruiting and amateurism rules when benefits or money are solicited (but not received), current NCAA rules would be violated and students declared ineligible should a parent or third party receive benefits or money, regardless of the student’s knowledge.Put simply, had Cam Newton’s father or a third party actually received money or benefits for his recruitment, Cam Newton would have been declared ineligible regardless of his lack of knowledge"

So there you go.  It appears that the NCAA has drawn a line in the sand with this receiving benefits stand and I am afraid it does not look good for Kanter.

The 11th ranked UK Hoops squad upped their record to 10-1 last night with a 81-72 win over MTSU last night.  Victoria Dunlap scored all 13 of her points in the last 15:00 of the game to help UK break open a tight game.  Keyla Snowden had 16 points to lead UK.  The Hoops squad is in action tonight at 6:00PM versus Tennessee-Martin at Memorial.

And I do have a personal favor to ask of you today.  I recently signed on as a contributing author to Suite 101 and yesterday, my first article was published.  It is of course all about John Calipari and attempts to bring attention to the good that he has done off of the basketball court.  You can check it out here:  The Charitable Deeds of John Calipari. 

And there is yet another side story to this Kentucky/Louisville matchup.  Former Louisville player (and national champion) Kenny Payne will be making his return to Louisville as a Wildcat.  Let’s hope it’s a triumphant return. 

Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans