Vandy

Quick thoughts before this afternoon's tip-off against Vanderbilt:

• Calipari has done a great job of coaching the team this year, and it's going to be very interesting to see how he handles the Cat's first loss. I think he knows how to motivate a team as well as any coach in the nation, and the boys will be poised and ready to play in front of the home crowd.
• A lot of talk about Facebook over the past couple of days, most notably by Patrick Patterson, who was very upset at the way some "fans" lashed out at the him and his teammates following the loss to South Carolina on their Facebook pages. I think it's safe to say that some of these people were sick individuals who pose as UK fans only to bring down the young men who give their heart and soul to the Kentucky basketball program, and hopefully, the players realize that. However, I think it's also safe to say that there are some crazy fans out there who really were distraught and suicidal after seeing our undefeated season end on Tuesday night, which is scary.
• I'm looking for John Wall and Patterson to really assert themselves today against a Vandy team coming off a big win against in-state rival Tennessee earlier in the week. The Commodores have a bigger squad than most of the teams we've faced up until this point, but I still think Patterson can have a stellar performance. Wall needs to force the tempo and get to the free throw line, and I think Calipari will let him know that.

I would be really concerned about this game if it were being played in Nashville, but I think the BBN will rise to the occasion and help end the Cats' one-game losing streak.

Cats by six.

Video Reaction to USC Loss

It's Unanimous!!!

The Kentucky Wildcats are the number one ranked team in all of college basketball.

Take a breath.

The Kentucky Wildcats are the unanimous number one ranked team in all of college basketball.

Let it soak in.

It may not last the rest of the season, it may not last the rest of the week, but right now, the Cats are on top of the college basketball world. And it's been a very long time, just over six years, as a matter of fact, since UK fans could celebrate being in this position.

What a wild ride it has been up to this point: the firing of drunkard/demolition man Billy Gillispie followed swiftly by the hiring of savior John Calipari, the amassing of the most highly touted freshman class in the history of college basketball and the return of Patrick Patterson, all leading up to a 19-0 start culminating in a no. 1 ranking.

The bad news is that an undefeated record and a number one ranking at this point do not ensure a national title, a final four, or even an SEC tournament championship. However, the good news is that this is not college football, and one loss (even two, three, or four losses) does not prevent any of the previously mentioned accolades.

The Wildcat team that took the floor on Saturday against Arkansas would have beaten all but five teams in this country by double digits. Easily. Oh, and they wouldn't have lost to those five other teams, they most likely would have beaten them by nine. The Cats were lighting it up from behind the arc (thanks to Darius Miller's overdue breakout game) while suffocating the Razorbacks on the defensive end. John Wall finally looked healthy again, and Daniel Orton was the physical presence we need off the bench for the rest of the season.

Everyone did what they were supposed to do and John Pelphrey's squad never stood a chance.

South Carolina awaits on Tuesday, and the expectations should be pretty high after Saturday's dismantling of Arkansas. The Gamecocks best post player, Dominique Archie, is out for the year, and the Cats have a massive, and I mean massive, advantage in the paint. Yes, Devan Downey is a stud, and yes, he has absolutely tormented the UK back court for the past two years. Five words will put an end to that: John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. No more Michael Porter trying to stick with the fastest (next to our backcourt) guard in the SEC.

Confidence is running high right now, and even though the skeptics will boldly declare that Kentucky is set up for a letdown, I think Calipari has these guys primed to play the second half of the season as good or better than they did on Saturday.

Cats by 18.

Video Preview of UK v.s. ARK

Patterson Returning for Senior Year?

An article published in the Louisville Courier-Journal today gives UK fans something to get excited about for next year: the possible return of Patrick Patterson for his senior year. Patterson will have earned his degree at the end of this semester, but he still retains another year of eligibility as far as athletics are concerned.

The junior from Huntington, WV, was quoted as saying, "If I come back for my senior year, I know some of my teammates are going to be back, and we'll still have a good team, a nationally ranked team." It's logical to assume that if P-Pat does come back, some of the underclassmen on the fence about the NBA may be persuaded to come back for another year.

Another thing on Patterson's mind? UK's all-time scoring record: "Plus, if I come back, I might have a chance to break Dan Issel's (career) scoring record and be no. 1. That's always at the back of my mind."

Regardless of what he decides, Patterson will forever be remembered as one of the greatest to play at the University of Kentucky, and much like Jodie Meeks before him, should feel no remorse in heading to the NBA a year early.

Bracketology

Quick update on the projected bracket for this year's tournament, courtesy of ESPN's Joe Lunardi. At this point, Kentucky is obviously projected as a no. 1 seed and would play the winner of the tournament's annual play-in game. The other number ones are Syracuse, Texas, and Kansas.

Interesting to note some other teams projected in UK's bracket: (2) Duke, (3) West Virginia, (4) Purdue, and (12) Cincinnati. None of the teams in the bracket are particularly threatening, and I would be happy as long as we don't have to face Syracuse and their 2-3 zone.

The Cats match up well with most of the teams they could face, especially the Blue Devils, who I think would be utterly helpless against Patterson, Cousins, and Orton inside, as well as far too slow to handle our backcourt speed. But I'm looking way too far ahead, and besides, I highly doubt that Duke will 1) end up as a two seed and 2) make it to the Elite 8.

Deja Vu, Anyone?

I think we may be on the verge of a new nickname for this year's basketball team. Why don't replace "Cal's Cats" with "Cardiac Cats"? With yesterday's narrow win over Auburn, Kentucky extended its unbeaten streak to 18 games and, in the process, fueled recent criticism claiming this young squad cannot put lesser teams away.

As I said yesterday, Auburn would be a tough win if they started making threes. First half, the Tigers made only a couple threes. Second half, Auburn's best shooters got hot and ended the game having made 9 field goals from outside the arc.

It really looked like Kentucky was finally going to pull away from a team and get their first 20 or 30 point victory in the conference, with a stellar 5-minute stretch at the end of the first half and a 13 point advantage at the break. Unfortunately, John Wall played uncharacteristically sloppy in the second half, trying to force too many fast breaks and turning the ball over too often. Nevertheless, his free throws down the stretch proved to be the difference. I'll say this, I don't think there's another player in the country I'd rather have at the charity stripe with the game on the line than John Wall. He proved it against Stanford early in the year, he made clutch free throws against UConn at MSG, and he continually looks cool as ice at the stripe in the closing minutes.

So much for Darius Miller's breakout game. Although he did have a fantastic defense sequence in which he blocked two shots and started a fast break, he was the only starter not to register in double figures and was altogether lackluster.

Another long stretch of off days for the Cats, with the next game coming this Saturday against Arkansas. Should be very cool to welcome back John Pelphrey into the confines of Rupp Arena, although I'm sure his Razorback club won't find them all that friendly.

Auburn

Watched a bit of the Auburn/Tennessee game last night, and I have to say that tomorrow's game is now causing a little more anxiety than it probably should. Yes, I realize that UT eventually cruised to a massive victory, but the way that the Tigers kept pace with the Vols in the first half and even early into the second was enough to give any UK fan cause for concern.

If Auburn was able to keep pace with Tennessee on the road, imagine what an arena packed with Tiger fans will to do to pump them up on Saturday. Just like any other team, if Auburn shoots the three well, the Cats will be in trouble. However, with the way UK is playing defense right now, I think Auburn's chances will be limited.

Despite last night's game, I don't think that the Cats will face a great deal of adversity when they travel to the great state of Alabama tomorrow, and I think Darius Miller is poised to have a breakout game.

Cats by 15.

Florida Comments

Just some observations from the Florida game:

• How great is it as a fan to know that, at any point, one of five or six players can step up and dominate a game like Eric Bledsoe did last night. All of our stars may not contribute consistently, but generally one steps up and has a huge night, which is more than enough for me.
• How concerned should we be about this team's inability to step on the throat of our opponents when we have them down? Coach Cal spoke about it after the game, as usual trying to temper the thoughts of an undefeated season with things the team needs to work on, but it could be a major issue as we move in March and, hopefully, April.
• Why don't teams prevent the double screen alley-oop pass to John Wall? Kentucky has run that play in every game (with the exception of the SEC opener against Georgia) and I don't understand how the Florida players could have been so oblivious. It's definitely something they saw in tape sessions, and coming out of a timeout, I'm not sure how Billy D didn't warn them. Definitely a momentum swinger, though.
• Is Big Cuz a beast or what? The guy gets fouled just about every time he touches the ball, but he keeps his cool and finishes plays around the rim. He seems to have matured a lot since the Louisville game, and if he keeps this up, he may be second in the draft behind teammate John Wall.
• Great to see Daniel Orton bumping chests and showing some attitude after swatting three consecutive Florida shots into the seats; he's gonna be a special post player.
• Dicky V has already tipped Calipari to be coach of the year, along with John Wall to be Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Good, let's heap some more praise (and pressure) on these guys.

Andy Katz Article

Great win last night, it was definitely good to see Bledsoe step up and deliver when others either wouldn't or couldn't.

Andy Katz has an article on espn.com today that pretty much sums up what everyone in the BBN is thinking at this point in the year:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=4821331

Also, apparently bananas will keep you from cramping.

5 Keys to Victory

If the Cats are going to win in Gainesville tonight, it's going to take a much better effort than the one they had against Georgia this past weekend. That being said, here are five keys to victory for Kentucky:

1. Neutralize the crowd early. If the Wildcats can get off to a hot start like they did against UNC, Louisville, and UConn, the raucous crowd of the O'Connell Center will be quieted early and become a non-factor.

2. Push the tempo. Against Louisville and Georgia, it seemed as though the Cats became reluctant to push the ball with as much urgency as they had earlier in the year. Some of this was the result of zone defense, but at times, it almost seemed like Wall and Bledsoe forgot the style of offense that has brought so much success to this team. Let's hope they rediscover the frenetic, open style of basketball against the Gators, because, let's face it, it is a lot of fun to watch.

3. Control the paint. No team in the country has the size to match up with Patterson, Cousins, and Orton inside, and Florida is, by its very nature, a perimeter-based team, so this one is simple. UK's bigs need to control the glass on both ends of the floor, and the guards need to look to Patterson and Cousins early and often.

4. Play with swagger. A little bit of cockiness is not always a bad thing, and given that the Cats are 16-0 and no. 2 in the country, they need to take a bit of an attitude into the game tonight. The Cats should know that they are a better team than Florida and take the floor with a desire to prove it to a national audience.

5. Darius Miller. After looking awful against Louisville and even worse against Georgia, Miller needs to step up and start producing for this team. In order for Kentucky to be a truly great team, they need Darius Miller to make outside shots, plain and simple. Once he starts draining threes, the middle of the floor will open up for his patented driving floater, but the key is consistency from beyond the arc.

Should be a great game tonight, I'm looking forward to a crazy atmosphere and a much better performance by the Wildcats.

Cats off to Winning, Albeit Ugly, Start in the SEC

A win is a win.

And despite how poorly the Cats played at times on Saturday afternoon, they managed to tough it out against a scrappy Georgia team and get their SEC regular season jump started with a victory. John Wall and Patrick Patterson each had 17 points to lead Kentucky in scoring, but I felt like Eric Bledsoe and Deandre Liggins were just as crucial in grinding out the win.

Liggins was confined to the far end of the bench early in the year but the lanky sophomore point forward has seen increased minutes in recent weeks, and he's certainly made the most of his opportunities. And while a stat line of six points and three steals may not be all that earth-shattering, the fact that Liggins committed no turnovers and handled the Georgia zone as well as any of Kentucky's other guards speaks volumes about how much this young man has matured in such a short span.

And in a game in which John Wall looked distinctly out of it for large chunks of time, Eric Bledsoe also helped to pick up the slack by taking care of the ball and keeping his composure under pressure. Bledsoe scored 12 points in 37 minutes of action, while limiting himself to just two turnovers, a great number for this team's leader in that category. If Liggins and Bledsoe can keep up this kind of play as the season progresses, it certainly bodes well for the Cats. Having another reliable point guard on the bench is always a positive, especially considering this team's knack for picking up silly fouls.

The Wildcats now face a crucial test at Florida on Tuesday, a game which will undoubtedly serve as an early litmus test for Kentucky's hopes of an unbeaten SEC campaign. I would expect the Gators to play more straight up man-to-man than Georgia and Louisville, and this game will utlimately come down to tempo. Can Calipari get his Cats to run the floor like we saw earlier in the year, or will Florida be able to slow us down and level the playing field?

71 - 65, Cats.

Unbeaten in the SEC?

With a pretty difficult non-conference schedule safely behind them, the Cats now focus on the upcoming SEC schedule, a road littered with opportunities for upsets and annihilation alike. Given their current 15-0 record, it's easy to speculate that Kentucky could easily go undefeated in the regular season, but anyone that follows the SEC is well aware of the difficulties of traveling to places like Vandy's Memorial Gymnasium (seriously, who sets up a floor with benches on the endlines?) and the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

Kentucky is the only team in league history to finish the regular season slate without a defeat, both in 1996 and 2003, and with the conference much weaker than it has been in recent years, it's not too outrageous to suggest that this year's team has a better than average chance to run the table.

If the Cats can manage to stay unbeaten as the season progresses, the conversation will ultimately turn to the age old question: "Wouldn't it be better to lose a game before the tournament?" I think anyone that argues that losing a game is a good thing is crazy, although I'm not saying that it's necessarily the worst thing that can happen.

Losing a game just to get the monkey off your back, so to speak, is ludicrous. If you lose a hard-fought game to a team that was better than you on that night, so be it, but it's not going to make a hell of a lot of difference if you head into the tournament at 30-1 instead of 31-0.

A perfectly relevant example can be found in the NFL this season when the Indianapolis Colts decided to bench their starters in the third quarter, forsaking a chance at an unbeaten season in order to "prevent injuries." If a coach is really that concerned about players getting injured, why not forfeit the game? Players have just as good of a chance of getting hurt in the first quarter as they do in the fourth (evidenced by Wes Welker's ruptured knee ligaments on the first play from scrimmage a week later), so really, once you have home field advantage locked up, why not stop playing altogether? Not only did the Colts in essence forfeit the game by benching their first-string players, they ultimately gave up the chance of achieving a feat previously reached by only two other teams in NFL history.

But I digress. What does Kentucky have to do to go unbeaten this year? Only a few things, really; the most important of which is maintaining their composure on the road. Very few teams are going to have a legitimate shot at beating the Wildcats at Rupp, but once UK hits the road, everything changes. They'll also need to stay healthy and, more importantly, keep their fitness levels up so they don't tire down the stretch. Perhaps most important, however, is the need for role players to step up on nights when Wall, Patterson, and Cousins either don't perform or get in foul trouble. Darius Miller and Daniel Orton's performances against Louisville were far from stellar (and that's being kind), and the Cats will need them to step up at some point this season, preferably sooner rather than later.

When all is said and done, I think the Cats will lose two games, both on the road, most likely against Florida and Mississippi State. Nevertheless, they'll claim the SEC regular and postseason crowns, and head into March Madness as a no. 1 seed.

Wooden Award

The Wooden Award is given out each year the most outstanding player in college basketball, and the mid-season list of candidates was released earlier this week.

The list contains thirty players total, with two of the candidates currently playing for the University of Kentucky. Junior forward Patrick Patterson and freshman point guard John Wall made the cut, so to speak, and at this point, both look like serious contenders to take home the hardware.

Kevin Durant of Texas became the only freshman ever to win the award in 2007, and many feel that John Wall is in the top five or ten when it comes to this season's trophy. Should be very interesting to see how things shape up as the season progresses.

5 Reasons

I will hopefully be doing a number of lists throughout the course of the season, and given the hype surrounding the Cats at this point, I figure a good place to start would be this double list:

5 Reasons Kentucky Will Win the National Title

1. John Wall. Specifically, his ability to take his game to another level when necessary and put the team on his back. See victories against UConn and Louisville.

2. Leadership of Veterans. Patrick Patterson and Ramon Harris are the leaders of this team, albeit in entirely different ways. Patterson leads with points and rebounds, while Harris is the 110% guy who doesn't blow you away with numbers, but has the court savvy a senior should.

3. Three Point Shooting. Everyone thinks this team's weakness is the inability to hit outside shots, but the game against Hartford proves that Miller and Dodson can be downright frightening when they are hitting shots. Teams that play zone against the Cats won't have a chance if our perimeter players are on.

4. Calipari's experience. Say what you will about vacation (as in victories), but Calipari has been to two Final Fours and knows how to get the most of out of each and every one of his players.

5. Big Blue Nation. The most rabid fan base in the country knows they are long overdue for a national title, and once the Madness sets in, every tournament venue will turn into Rupp Arena North, South, East, and West. Hell of a sixth man.

Now, for the flip side:

Five Reasons Kentucky Will Not Win the National Title

1. Inconsistency. John Wall and Patrick Patterson have proven they will show up to every game. Cousins is a little shaky now and then. But with Daniel Orton and Darius Miller practically nonexistent in Saturday's win over Louisville, it makes you wonder how Kentucky will win down the stretch. The Cats may not need five quality players to beat Hartford, but what about Texas? That's what I thought.

2. Pressure. BBN is craving a national title. The media have anointed John Wall the number one pick. Tennessee basketball players have started carrying handguns for Pete's sake. Everyone knows this team has the talent to go all the way. But will that pressure weigh too heavily on a team consisting largely of freshmen and sophomores? Definitely a possibility, and that pressure is only growing as we remain unbeaten.

3. Parity in college basketball. Wouldn't it be nice if this were one of those years when there were two, maybe three upper echelon teams? Knowing that you won't face an elite team until the Final Four provides some relief for fans, but this year's field will be chock full of ten or even twelve teams that deserve a one or two seed. The road to Indianapolis will not be easy.

4. Zone Defense. Louisville's stifling zone defense coupled with a horrid shooting day nearly spelled defeat for the Cats on Saturday, and if the Cards hadn't started 0-18 from the field, it probably would have. If Kentucky comes up against a good zone team in the tourney, it might ultimately close the curtains on Calipari's first season. (Please God, no Syracuse in our bracket!)

5. Injuries. We've seen what happens with John Wall on the bench. Kentucky goes from light speed to frozen molasses and loses its composure. The fact that Wall's continued good health has skyrocketed to number one on every Kentucky fan's prayer hotline certainly helps, but Lord only knows what happens if he or Patterson or Cousins goes down with an injury. Our bench is much deeper than in years past, but this team simply will not survive without one of its key components.

2010 Recruiting Trail

Is it too early to be thinking about next year?

Well, even though the 2009-10 season is only a few months old, it never hurts to look forward, specifically to the recruits that will help form the 2010-11 Wildcat basketball squad.

But before I speculate on who may or may not sign with the Cats, let's look at next year's prospective roster. Seniors Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson and Mark Krebs will graduate, and in a worst-case scenario, the team would lose Patrick Patterson, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe to the NBA Draft. Realistically, Bledsoe is never leaving after one year, and unless he matures dramatically over the remaining course of the season, Cousins should be back for a second (and ultimately final) year at UK.

This ultimately leaves the team in pretty good shape. A likely starting five would include Bledsoe, Darius Miller, Darnell Dodson, Demarcus Cousins, and Daniel Orton, with Deandre Liggins the likely sixth man.

6'5" wingman Stacey Poole has already verbally committed to Coach Cal and his staff, and is widely considered a top-30 player in this year's class. It's safe to assume that Poole will have a decent impact as a freshman, although it's tough to say depending on which players declare for the draft.

Many of the top players in the 2010 class have already committed, but that's not to say there isn't a wealth of talent left for the Cats to lure to Lexington. Brandon Knight (pictured), listed as the nation's top recruit by Rivals.com, has Kentucky listed as one of three schools very high on his radar. The prolific point guard, who hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, would fall right in line with Calipari's history of attracting the very best point players in the country year after year. With the amount of success Derek Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall have had in his Dribble Drive offense, it's safe to say that Kentucky has a very good chance of nabbing Knight before this season is through.

Other top unsigned players include Josh Selby, CJ Leslie, and Doron Lamb, all of whom have Kentucky as one of their top choices. All three are ranked in the top 25 players of Rival's 2010 class, and each one would fit nicely into Cal's uptempo style of play. CJ Leslie, who currently attends Word of God Academy in Raleigh, NC, is especially high on the Cats, and it's no surprise, given that former Word of God player and current Cat John Wall has flourished under Coach Cal.

Most top recruits tend to hold out until the last minute before making a college decision, and this year will most likely be no different. I'll update the status of all our recruits as things progress, but it's looking more and more like Calipari will restock the roster with another crop of talented youngsters for the 2010 season.

U of L Victory, SEC Regular Season

Wow. What a couple of weeks it has been to be a UK fan. We're now the number three team in the country and one of only four unbeatens left in Division I. Coach Cal has done far better than anyone could have expected, although everyone is hoping the best is yet to come.

After arguably our best game of the season against Hartford, speculation was rife that the Cats would pummel in-state rival Louisville when the Cards visited Rupp Arena, and the first few minutes of the game seemed to confirm those thoughts. There's been enough talk about the trash talk, elbows, and technical fouls, so let's leave that aside.

Once the game settled down, it became apparent that U of L's only goal was to contain John Wall. Double teams on the press, doubles teams out of the zone, and slap-happy defense served the Cards well in the first half. Kentucky probably would have wrapped the game up early with better shooting, but as luck would have it, U of L made a spirited charge in the second half and actually took the lead briefly.

Enter Jerry Smith. Shortly after Louisville took the lead in the second half, the senior guard decided it would be fun to talk smack to John Wall, arguably the nation's best point guard and undoubtedly its best freshman. After double technical fouls were issued, Smith found out why it's never smart to goad great players in pressure-packed situations.

Wall ripped off six straight points as Kentucky went on an impressive 13-2 run to recapture the lead and finish off the visitors. Despite being contained for most of the game, Wall finished with 17 points and help the Cats make their best start to a season in over 35 years.

The Cats will now open the SEC regular season by hosting Georgia on January 9th. The Bulldogs are a team that shouldn't pose a serious threat to our unbeaten record, but being the third ranked team in the country means every team will give you their best game.

After a full week of practice, I expect the shooting woes we saw against Louisville will disappear, and the Cats will continue their winning ways, this time by at least 15 points.