USC Preview

Two quick points before tip-off tonight:

• The Cats must, and I mean must control the boards tonight. Devan Downey was 9-for-29 from the field in USC's win a little over a month ago, which means most of the Gamecock's points came off of second chance points. Kentucky is such a good rebounding team at every position it's insane to think that history could repeat itself, but Cousins and Patterson need to assert themselves on the glass early so we can transition well and put this game away.
• We need to control our energy early on, mainly by putting thoughts of "revenge" in the backs of our minds and not let a raucous crowd put us over the edge. Eric Bledsoe has a tendency to come out a bit too hopped up on Mountain Dew and it usually results in early fouls and a seat on the bench. He needs to stay composed and stay on the floor to help UK in the first half, so he can take a rest on the bench when the Cats are up twenty in the second half.

Cats by 14.

Vandy Pre-Game

Couple of quick thoughts before the Vandy game tips off @ 6:

• The first five minutes of this game will tell a lot about both UK's chances to win and UK's growth and development as a team. It was great to see the Cats battle back from 7 down to steal a victory against Miss. St., but I don't know if we can do it again at Memorial. Cal's team needs to come out with controlled intensity and take the crowd out of it early. If we don't, it could be a very long evening.
• Making shots will be huge (as it is in every game of basketball), but more importantly, Dodson and Miller need to step up and make some three's. The Cats took way too many last game, and unless we make some early on against Vandy, I think we need to look inside to Cousins and Patterson almost exclusively.
• Ogilvy sat much of the game at Rupp this year with foul trouble, and I think if Cousins gets on a roll quickly, it's going to be tough for the big Aussie to stay on the floor.

Cats by 4 in a thriller.

32-29 HT

What an ugly first half. Probably our worst shooting half of the season, but we're still up 3 because we are absolutely dominating Miss. St. on the boards. Varnado has nothing if he's going up against Cousins, and I really like the way Patterson is flying around the court, getting loose balls and knocking down shots.

If we could have made one or two of those threes when we were up 5, we'd be coasting right now, but as it is, it's gonna be a fight to the finish.

Gotta love John Wall taking it right to Bost after he started getting a little cocky. It's amazing how he just takes over the game and wills the ball into the bucket.

Hoping for a few threes to go down this half and the completion of a few double doubles, specifically for Cousins, Patterson, and Wall.

Mississippi State

So they may be a little later than I anticipated, but here are my thoughts on the UK/MSU game:

• Cousins is going to need to play under control and mature tonight, because Jarvis Varnado has the ability to consistently block his shot underneath the basket. We've seen Cousins get rattled very easily when he doesn't get his way, and even though Varnado may only weigh about 120 lbs., he can elevate and is the best shot blocker in the country, period. It will also be interesting to see how the big freshman bounces back from his worst game in recent memory.
• I'd like to see Kentucky get into their full court press a little more often tonight, and the way that happens is forcing turnovers and converting those turnovers into easy baskets. I think MSU will play zone most of the night, and if they do, we need to push the tempo and generate quick baskets to get our pressure defense going.
• Darius Miller has yet again faded to the background of this team after deservedly losing his starting spot to juco transfer Darnell Dodson. I'm not predicting a "break-out" game for Miller (again), I'd just like to see him get more involved and not look so scared when he's on the floor. It just seems like he plays timidly and is terrified of making a mistake and getting yanked by Coach Cal. We're going to need him this year and beyond if we want to become a great team.
• A few off the wall predictions: 1) we will see the double low block screen alley-oop for John Wall at some point tonight 2) UK will throw down at least 3 breakaway alley-oop dunks 3) Daniel Orton will have 4 blocks and 2 stupid fouls going over the back on the offensive boards 4) Liggins gets chest bumped, again

Could be a trap game on the road, but I think the Cats' survival of GameDay gets them primed for the stretch run and they win by 12.

Gameday

It may not have been pretty, but it was still a win. Kentucky's Gameday contest against rival Tennessee certainly didn't live up to the hype of a conference game between two of the top 15 teams in the country, but I think most Cat fans will be happy with the way their team battled and came out with a W.

A few thoughts:

• Deandre Liggins is the man. I've said it over and over again, he is going to be one of, if not the most important role player on this team down the stretch. Last year, he had so much pressure as a freshman starting at point guard, but now with Wall and Bledsoe, he's playing loose and he's playing hard. Just take a look at his stat line for Saturday's game: in 28 minutes, Liggins ended up with 7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. And maybe the most important stat, one that doesn't end up in the books: a chest bump from Coach Cal after diving on the floor to secure a key loose ball midway through the second half. You gotta love the effort.
• Patrick Patterson finally seemed to be playing closer to the level everyone expects, and it was great to see the Cats isolate him in the low block on the first play of the game. He may not have scored on the play, but it was an encouraging sign to be sure. In a game where Demarcus Cousins played a bit more like the immature freshman we saw earlier in the year, we needed Patterson to step up and be a leader.
• I think John Wall might be back. He's not making as many of the flashy, highlight reel plays he did earlier in the year, but he is certainly stepping up in the right situations and making good decisions as the floor general of this team. Even though he may have had 4 turnovers and only 3 assists, his 24 points were crucial to getting this team back into the lead and back in control.
• Just a small side note: how terrible was the officiating?

The Wildcats now enter a crucial stretch in their season, one that will most likely determined whether or not Cal can lock up a coveted #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. I'm still pretty sure that this team will lose another game before heading into the SEC tourney, and I'm almost positive it will be against Vandy in the most poorly designed stadium in the country, but we shall see.

Preview of the Miss. St. game coming later today.

Movin' on Up

The Cats will once again be moving up the polls after this weekend's slate of games, thanks to a walloping of woeful LSU in Baton Rouge and an upset of no. 2 Villanova. Despite falling behind 6-1 early, Kentucky used a prolonged stretch of stifling defense and balanced scoring to overtake the Tigers and take a commanding lead that would never be relinquished.

Cousins was the player we've come to expect, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double. Patterson was much more assertive on the offensive end of the floor, and did much of his scoring inside, which was a welcome relief from all of the 3's he's been throwing up lately.

After LSU jumped out to an early lead, the Cats' suffocating defense held the Tigers to just eight points over the final 12 minutes and change. And, in what was a refreshing change of pace, Calipari's team did not allow the home side back into the contest.

All in all, it was a relatively boring contest once the Cats jumped out to a double-digit lead, and now the Cats prepare to face the Alabama Crimson Tide at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night.

Ole Miss

I'll be honest, I haven't seen Ole Miss play a single time this year, and I don't think I can name a single player on their roster.

However, I do know that they have been in and out of the top 25 all year, so they'll certainly provide as stern a test as Vanderbilt did over the weekend. If the Cats can rebound the ball as effectively as they did against the Commodores, the Rebels have no chance. If the Cats can rebound the ball and shoot three's as well as they did over the weekend, the Rebels have no chance of staying within 20.

All the talk about John Wall and Coach Calipari is meaningless, it's just the media trying to create a firestorm out of a brushfire. Wall should never have said anything publicly and should probably get used to being criticized a bit. He has played poorly over the last two or three games, but the fact is he's still getting near double digit assists every game while averaging 17 points a contest. I think Wall takes this opportunity to block out the distractions and dominate the game, he should finish with around 20 points, 11 assists, and 3 steals.

Hopefully Patterson does more than knock down a few threes, and we all know that Big Cuz is going to dominate inside again, regardless of what Ole Miss brings to the table. And speaking of Cousins, have you ever seen quicker feet on a guy who's 6-11, 270?

Cats by 13.

Recruiting Update

A quick update on several of UK's most notable targets, for this year and beyond:

• Brandon Knight (PG, 6'3"/185, Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - Knight is ranked as the number one player in this year's class, according to Rivals, and he's been leaning towards Kentucky ever since John Calipari was hired. Knight has yet to set a date for his college decision, but he has finished all of his visits, which means it could come sooner rather than later. Those in the know seem to think that Knight will pick the Cats, thus ensuring that Calipari will have signed the top point guard in the classes of 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
• C.J. Leslie (F, 6'7"/205, Raleigh, NC) - Kentucky has been leading for Leslie since he first trimmed his list of schools, and it's still a safe bet that the Cats will land the lengthy, athletic forward. Leslie is ranked in the top twenty of nearly every major recruiting service, and would certainly go a long way towards solidifying Kentucky's 2010 class.
• Marquis Teague (PG, 6'2"/170, Indianapolis, IN) - Class of 2011 - Teague is listed as the top point guard for next year's class, so it's no surprise that John Calipari has already started laying the foundations to bring another floor general to the Bluegrass. It's not going to be easy to land the versatile guard, however, as local rivals Louisville and Indiana, among others, are also working hard to nab a commitment. Teague will be visiting Lexington in the coming weeks, and Calipari's staff will certainly try to impress the youngster in hopes of landing a verbal commitment.