Discovering the Not-So-Secret Formula for Beating Kentucky

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Here are your Top 5 headlines for Kentucky Wildcats athletics for Thursday, 8 January 2015.

The narrative emerging from Tuesday’s overtime win versus Ole Miss is that the formula for beating this Kentucky team has been discovered. John Clay writes:

"“All along, when reciting the formula needed to beat this Kentucky basketball team, the opening line has been ‘First of all, a team has to play out of its mind.’Tuesday night, after Ole Miss nearly pulled off the feat, forcing the top-ranked Cats to overtime before losing 89-86, John Calipari said exactly that of Andy Kennedy’s Rebels.‘I see it as his team played out of their minds,’ said the Kentucky coach, ‘and we, we kind of didn’t have the fight that we need.’So was Tuesday night simply Mississippi having an out-of-body experience before another sellout crowd in Rupp Arena?Or was Tuesday night proof that these run-the-table Cats are a little more vulnerable than we previously believed?”"

Possibly, Kentucky was taken to the wire by Ole Miss simply because they were bored. C.L. Brown writes:

"“What you saw was boredom.No. 1 Kentucky yawned its way through an 89-86 overtime victory over Mississippi.Not that the game itself wasn’t entertaining. It was. Seeing Ole Miss’ 5-foot-10 guard Stefan Moody give so much en route to his team-high 25 points that his body started to cramp up. His teammate Jarvis Summers made some unbelievably big shots while scoring 23.And who can’t get excited about an underdog scrapping and pushing the unanimous No. 1-ranked team to the brink?”"

Now that Ole Miss is out of the way, what needs to be done to avoid another scare? Bobby Regan writes:

"“Ole Miss pushed Kentucky to overtime before the Wildcats escaped with a three-point victory on Tuesday night. While it’s still a win, the game exposed some larger concerns for Kentucky moving forward.Now, there’s no reason to doubt that the 14-0 Wildcats aren’t as good as people believe they are. These are just concerns that need to be addressed before March.”"

Earlier this week, Vince Marrow confirmed he was turning down Jim Harbaugh’s offer to join the Michigan coaching staff and staying at Kentucky, a move that sends a strong message. Kyle Tucker writes:

"“Vince Marrow turning down Michigan and new Wolverines football coach Jim Harbaugh to stay at the University of Kentucky sends a strong message, and on Wednesday the Wildcats’ tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator sent another one.‘I think I heard people say Michigan is going to hurt us in recruiting in Ohio,’ said Marrow, who agreed to a three-year extension with UK on Monday. ‘Well, we live for the battles. I think we’re going to do fine in Ohio still.’”"

Ever since Eric Bledsoe promised to get $hit right, he’s been a fan favorite and many ‘Cats’ fans have enjoyed watching him become of the NBA’s best point guards. While there’s no denying Bledsoe has incredible athletic ability, what’s next? DJ Foster writes:

"“Whether or not the jumper comes along, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he continues to be left out of conversations surrounding the best players in the league. His game is loud — the dunks, the defense, the drives — but for some, it’s still in another language. There are plenty of other guards who more closely align with the over-idealized vision of a “true” point guard.But even without a neatly defined label or a conventional set of skills, Bledsoe provides the one thing that actually matters: production.”"