The Dynamic Duo Strike Again
I don’t think anyone was fooled by the 10 point spread the guys in Vegas had when the Cats rolled into Knoxville. Everybody knew this would be a fight. The Vols had improved recently by beating Florida by 20 at home and then barely losing to Mississippi State by four on the road. The Cats would be in yet another struggle, but how would they respond?
Despite a three point win, I would have to give our team an A. The officiating was bad, the building was hostile and the Vols were very solid and hard to defend down low. Jeronne Maymon and his big body proved a force in the middle and reclassified freshamn Jarnell Stokes was extremely impressive in his first game as a Volunteer. If he had been with the team from day one I think you could erase two to three losses. Tennessee may have had impressive big man play, but their play could not top Kentucky’s own big men.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis both had outstanding games. MKG scored his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Davis added 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Davis’ presence altered shots for Tennessee on every possession he was in on defense and Kidd-Gilchrist brought his usual hustle and intensity. Terrence Jones chipped in 10 quiet but important points while Kyle Wiltjer added 5 as well.
Other than the 1 point loss at IU, I think the Cats have performed well on the road this season. They are ahead of schedule as they dropped their first two SEC road games last season.
The Cats welcome Arkansas on Tuesday night. After two close SEC road games it would be nice to see these Cats get an comfortable lead and keep it throughout. Arkansas is a lot touhger than most people give them credit for, something that will be covered by Paul in the Know Your Enemy segment later today.
Upset City, Baby!
North Carolina had one of those games you wish you could just forget forever. They were blown out at on the road by a 10-6 Florida State team that had one of the worst offenses in the country. 90-57 was the final score of the debacle and the Tar Heels have now lost three games thus far this season.
Michigan State, UNLV, Kansas State and Michigan are also ranked teams that were defeated by un-ranked opponents. The fact that Kentucky is still sitting on one loss, and a one point loss at that, is quite impressive. Other teams that are ranked are dropping like flies while the Wildcats stay solid at 17-1.
Who, Who, Who did the Hoosiers lose to this Time?
I write this with great joy: the Indiana Hoosiers were blown out at Ohio State on Sunday, just as I predicted. IU is 2-28 on the road in Big 10 play under Tom Crean with the only two victories coming at Penn State. The Hoosiers have lost to Michigan State and Ohio State on the road, and lost to Minnesota at home. Their magic season is all of a sudden looking a little less magic.
NFL Playoff Recap:
The 49ers and the Saints played in one of the most exciting playoff games I have ever witnessed. New Orleans was down 17-0 and stormed back to take the lead. The San Francisco, behind Alex Smith and Vernon Davis, made play big play after big play in order to come back and win their first playoff game since the 90’s. I think I have found the team I am going to root for for the duration of the playoffs.
The Broncos and the Patriots provided the night cap and the game was disappointing to say the least. Tom Brady threw 6 touchdown passes and completely destroyed the hapless Broncos. Tim Tebow struggled but not all was his fault. He was running for his life most of the game as the Denver offensive line was manhandled by the New England defensive front four. Tebow time is over for this season, but you can bet that it will return in all of it’s glory next year.
Baltimore defended it’s home turf against the visiting Texans. If I were a Ravens fan, I would be alarmed at how bad the Baltimore offensive line played. Joe Flacco could not get into a rythym and was beat up for most of the game. Afgtwer watching what the Pats did to the Broncos, I would not feel comfortable as a Raven fan going into that game on the weekend.
The Packers will not repeat as champs as the New York Giants played spoiler yet again. The G-Men defeated Bret Favre in at Green Bay in the playoffs in his last game as a Packer during their Super Bowl run and did the same thing to Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. The Giants are playing like a team possessed heading into San Francisco. These two teams have a history, so the NFC championship game is going to be quite a sight to see.
That’s all from this weekend. Oh yeah, Louisville defeated but had trouble with a really bad DePaul team at home. The Cards play Marquette on the road today at 3:30. I don’t expect that to come out in the Cards favor.
I’ll be back with the Former Cats in the NBA numbers and the 4 PM post with the updated rankings. See ya then.