Kentucky Wildcats 5 for Friday: Has Trevor Lacey signed with Kentucky?
By Paul Jordan
Has the Cullman Times broken one of the biggest recruiting stories left in the 2011 basketball recruiting season? Or is this simply the case of an editor who is just assuming what we all hope is going to happen soon? In either case, the Cullman Times will get their share of attention today for this blurb they posted:
"Lacey, a 6-foot-4 guard who has signed with Kentucky, hit 9-of-13 from the field and sank 5-of-12 3-pointers. He also connected on 11-of-15 free throws."
I’m not sure how accurate “staff reports” is, but as of now now one else is reporting that Lacey has committed to Kentucky, much less signed with them. Lacey, as we know, has made a decision on his college venue and will announce it on National Signing Day. And while Lacey may eventually become a Wildcat, I don’t think we can take today’s “news” as anything more than a good omen.
In case you did not read the whole story from the Cullman Times and you started yelling and celebrating when you read that Lacey had signed with Kentucky, there is more Lacey news today. First as we can see, he outscored another whole team 44-40 in his Northwest Regional semifinal on Thursday night. Butler won the game 84-40. And also, it was announced that Trevor Lacey and DeAndre Daniels will both play in the upcoming Kentucky Derby Basketball Classic. So if the Cullman Times is correct, that event will have a Kentucky commit in it after all. It certainly increased it’s chances with both Lacey and Daniels attending.
I did want to clarify the tiebreakers for the seedings in the SEC Tournament and it appears that my earlier assumption that if Kentucky won out was wrong. Sorry. Kentucky is still alive for the number two seed and is in good shape if they win 3-0, but we also need to insure that it is not a three way tie for second. As of right now, Vandy leads with an 8-5 record, and Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee are 7-6. If Kentucky goes 3-0 and Georgia does the same, it will be a three way tie with Vandy, Kentucky, and Georgia at 10-6. Based on that scenario, Vandy would get the highest seed thanks to a 3-1 record versus the two other 10-6 teams, Kentucky would be 2-2 and Georgia 1-3. Now if Georgia loses one of their three remaining games (or if Vandy loses another game other than to Kentucky), Kentucky will win a two team tiebreaker.
Georgia has home games left against South Carolina and LSU and a road game at Alabama. Vanderbilt has games at LSU, at Kentucky, and a home game versus Florida. So it is possible that Georgia loses to Bama and if not, that Vandy loses to Florida. Regardless, UK must finish 3-0.
A’dia Mathies hit a layup with 4.4 remaining to give the 20th ranked UK Hoops squad a thrilling 55-54 win over Arkansas last night in the Ladie’s version of “Senior Night”. Mathies had 17 points and 9 rebounds as UK Hoops improved to 21-7 overall and 10-5 in the SEC. UK Hoops also set a new attendance record at Memorial, averaging 6.364 per game this season.
John Calipari is angry about his team’s road play. And he wants them to get angry too. Or so he says:
"“If you’re not angry by this, like angry that this is happening, and (thinking) we’re going to stop this from happening, it won’t change,” Calipari said."
"Asked if his team was angry about the mounting road losses, Calipari said, “You’d have to ask them. I know I’m angry.”"
It’s good that Calipari wants his team to get mad. I’m mad too. And Calipari needs to have his team do the same type of cleansing that Peter Finch did in Network with his Howard Beale character. Hey, like how I am using this clip on Oscar Weekend? So come on BBN. Let’s do this before the game against Tennessee. Walk to your window, and scream …. well we know what to do:
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans