Party Like It's 1998

The Kentucky Wildcats have returned to the promised land. After 13 long years of exile on the periphery of college basketball, UK is back where it belongs: the Final Four.

I'll have a breakdown of the win against UNC tomorrow after I can collect my thoughts, but right now, I'm too hyped to type!! Go Cats!!

Quick Thoughts on OSU

I really hate the week-long layoff between the second round and sweet sixteen. All it does is give every Tom, Dick and Harry a chance to over-analyze the crap out of every upcoming game, including tonight's titanic struggle between the Kentucky Wildcats and the (unstoppable and almighty) Ohio State Buckeyes.

Some have said the Bucks will win by 30.

Some have said it will be the best game of the tournament.

Some have even said Coach Cal is going to wear a sweater vest.....okay, so I made that one up.

But anyway, as I see it, there are three keys to the Cats winning the game:

Number one: Contain (not stop) Sullinger with minimal traps and double-teams. Harrellson needs to prove he belongs with the big boys by simply making sure that the "best player in the tournament" doesn't get easy looks and doesn't explode for 25 points. I would also hope Vargas can play 5 minutes and at least foul the fat man really hard.

Number two: Knock down shots, early and often. It sounds obvious (and it is), but if UK is not making threes early in the contest, it won't be a contest. Ohio State gets balanced scoring from every position on the floor, and if the Cats can't match them, it will be a long night.

Number three (most importantly): Don't lose the game in the first or final two minutes of the first half. Kentucky has made a habit of starting games slowly or finishing halves poorly this season, and it would be absolutely killer to make the same kind of mistakes (think final 20 seconds of the WVU first half) against a superb opponent.

All in all, it should be a wonderful college basketball game, and regardless of the outcome, the Cats have had a wonderful season in what really is a rebuilding year.

Cats by 5.

Deep Breath.....

Well that was exciting, wasn't it? So much for the get-acclimated-to-the-big-dance-against-an-inferior-opponent opening round game. Princeton took Kentucky right down to the wire, and unlike another team from the bluegrass, the Cats escaped with a victory and move on to a rematch of last year's Elite Eight battle against WVU.

This time of year, a win is a win, and you have to be impressed with the grit and determination UK showed down the stretch. Brandon Knight was bottled up by Princeton's smothering defense until the final possession, making his first and only field goal of the game and sending the Tigers back to the Ivy League empty-handed.

The performance was not what I or most UK fans expected, given how well the Cats played in the home stretch of the regular season, but that can often be the end result odd matchups and postseason basketball.

It was a huge boost to have our juniors and senior step up and deliver, with Miller and Harrellson basically dragging the team towards the finish line. If I was West Virginia, my number one goal would be to shut down Miller, although I don't personally think they can stop him. He is so versatile on the floor, it is incredibly difficult for other teams to guard him. Put a big man on him, he'll drive past him or knock down triples. Have a smaller, quicker guard match up against him, and Miller will back down in the post and score in the paint.

All in all, an ugly win, but a win nonetheless.

Tourney Thoughts

A lot has happened since my last post, some good, some bad. The good? Kentucky won their second straight SEC title, meaning that in his two years at UK, Coach Cal is not only undefeated at Rupp Arena, but also undefeated in conference tournament play.

The Cats played their best basketball of the year in (C)Atlanta over the weekend, absolutely demolishing the West's no. 1 seed Alabama, while also cruising to a title game victory over rival Florida. It was great to see Liggins and Lamb shake off injuries to play in the tournament final and, as always, wonderful to see how many blue-blooded UK fans showed up to cheer on their team.

Then the latter half of Sunday came. Selection Sunday. I'll sum up my thoughts briefly, because I don't want to complain (too much) about the Cats' seeding.

Here are the numbers for UK, read them and tell me they should be a 4 seed in the overall no. 1 seed's bracket:

RPI: 9

Strength of Schedule: 9

Current Ranking: 11

Quality Wins: Notre Dame (neutral floor) / @ Louisville / Florida (twice) / Vandy / Tennessee (twice)

Bad Losses: @ Ole Miss / @ Arkansas (really stretching it by calling those bad losses)

Now if UK had lost that game to Florida on Sunday, I have no issue with us being a 4 seed. But after such a convincing win, I have no clue how the Cats don't get boosted up to a 3 or maybe even a 2. The only real explanation is that conference tournaments mean nothing. But wait. UConn won the Big East tourney and went from probably a 6 or 7 up to a 3. Double standard? Absolutely.

But enough about that. The fact is that Kentucky is going to have to go through hell and back to make it to the Final Four. Can they do it? Absolutely, especially with how well this team has shot the ball in the last few games.

The game against Princeton should not be difficult, given that the Ivy League squad will simply be outclassed in every facet of the game. The Tigers will not be able to handle the Cats' speed, athleticism, or size, and I think UK will cruise into the second round.

More thoughts on Thursday after the game.

Also, just want to take a moment to savor the fact that UK is back where it belongs: as the SEC's perennial dominant team, the one expected to roll through conference play and win the SEC tourney without much trouble.

Thanks to Coach Cal and his staff, and thanks to the players for giving everything they have so far this season!

Vandy HT Thoughts

It looks as though the Wildcats want to send off their senior in style tonight! It never ceases to amaze me how much better this team plays in front of 23,000 blue-blooded UK fans, although at this point in the season, I guess we should all be used to it.

UK has a double-digit lead for two reasons:

• Defensive intensity. The Cats have absolutely hounded John Jenkins, whose only points came off three free throws he got on a bogus foul call. He is forcing shots, he is flailing his legs trying to get calls and he is incredibly frustrated at his lack of scoring opportunities. All credit goes to Doron Lamb and Deandre Liggins, absolute lockdown defense.
• Perfect offensive tempo. We know this team can run the floor, but it is wonderful to see Knight and Lamb slow things up and execute in the half-court offense. I never thought I would say this, but Jones is doing a phenomenal job of creating in the low post. He took (and made) one three, but for the most part, he has pounded the block and taken it to the basket with authority.

There are, however, a few areas of concern heading into the half:

• Ezeli is absolutely dominating us. The guy is a beast, but really? UK's defenders are letting the big man catch the ball on the block with a defender on his back. End of story. Luckily, he is not a great free throw shooter, but if things get tight and they keep feeding Ezeli, it could be another frenetic finish.
• The Cats have made a habit of getting a sizable lead and then letting it slip away this year, and Calipari needs to have his guys playing with some serious intensity right out of the locker room. Kevin Stallings is a good coach, his team will be ready to play, and if UK lets them back into the contest, they will pounce.

Overall, a great half and it looks as though Jorts may go out on a high note tonight!

Josh Harrellson

With the yearly influx of young talent John Calipari brings to the Bluegrass State, it's easy to forget and sometimes overlook the juniors and, at least this year, lone senior that provide an important dose of leadership and stability on a very young Wildcat team.

Josh Harrellson has traversed a long and winding road to get to where he is today. Coming out of high school in St. Charles, Missouri, Harrellson was not highly recruited but signed with Western Illinois University, although he would end up at Southwestern Illinois College, a junior college school. After just a year there, Josh began attracting some serious D-1 attention, with the likes of Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue vying for his services.

In the end, it came down to St. Louis and the University of Kentucky, and Harrellson eventually picked the Cats and then coach Billy Gillispie. A tumultuous season for UK collectively and Harrellson individually ended with the 6-10 center averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds a game.

Enter John Calipari and the most talented group of freshmen to ever assemble at a single school, and Harrellson's numbers actually get worse his second year at UK, with Josh averaging just over a point and rebound a contest.

Five first round draft picks and a heavy-handed, idiotic ruling from the NCAA later, Harrellson is not only thrust into the Cats' starting lineup, but is also expected to carry the load up front along with unproven freshman Terrence Jones. Needless to say, Josh has answered the bell and become one of the toughest big men in the Southeastern Conference.

Averaging around 7 points a game, Harrellson has scored in double figures 7 times this year, with a career high 23 at hated in-state rival Louisville, the now signature win of the 2010-11 season. Even more impressive is that the seemingly unathletic and at times out-muscled center leads the SEC in offensive rebounds and averages 9 rebounds a game.

Double doubles have become commonplace for Harrellson when they were unthinkable just a year or two ago, and it comes down to the kid's work ethic. He shed a few pounds over the summer, put on some muscle and got into incredible shape to better mesh with Calipari's up-tempo system of play.

And just think, all of this from a kid that wore a pair of jorts on his official visit to UK.

Let's take a moment tonight to single out Kentucky's only senior, a hard-working, incredibly dedicated young man without whom this Wildcat team would be God-knows-where.

Best of luck to Josh Harrellson tonight, the rest of the season and in all his ventures after graduation.