Who Will Save Kentucky Saturday?

Two days before the last best non-conference regular season game left on Kentucky's schedule tips off and I have no idea what kind of Kentucky team is going to show up against a Final Four bound team like the Tar Heels on Saturday. My first worry are the turnovers Kentucky's religiously committing so far and their trend of being significantly out-shot in attempts. Watching NC play last night, Kentucky honestly will have to play a perfect game I think; they can't rely on them to help them.

So many questions, so few obvious answers. Is Morris going to be a full-game threat? Will perimeter shooting be on target for UK? And if Kentucky's starting five start the game slow and begin 15 points down early, who is going to step up and save the Wildcats? Will we see a dominant Bobby Perry? Will we see Perry Stevenson denying thee before thy home crowd or even see him tickle that twine like he did against C of C the other night? Will Derrick Jasper emerge ever more in a tough road game to become Kentucky's saving grace? Will poor shooting and costly turnovers continue to show its ugly shadow when the game is all said and done? Will we see Kentucky make that xtra pass for that open look shot? Will we see Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley knockin' down the trifecta to keep up with UNC's easy fast break points? Will we see Kentucky running the court and keeping up with the Tar Heels in transition and making the easy quick baskets of their own? Will we see Kentucky feeding the post to Randolph Morris like he's been fasting since he inked with UK?

You know, I drive myself crazy sometimes thinking about it. So many questions embedded in my heart, and so few obvious answers. I know I'm basically hoping for a totally different Kentucky team Saturday from what I've already seen this season. I just know that with North Carolina one guy is not going to win this game for Kentucky unless UNC's starting five comes down with mono by Saturday morning …

( peek at Florida )

… Kentucky's gonna need that xtra guy off the bench, that one guy who steps up at an unpredictable time off the bench and contributes a double-double and knocks down threes like you can't believe. Kentucky's gonna need that one special guy who noone from North Carolina is gonna scout more than 5 minutes on to come up huge for the Wildcats. Kentucky's gonna need that unproven pine-timer who's gonna make Tyler Hansborough look like he's at a high school scrimmage tryout. Kentucky's gonna need that special kid off the bench who's gonna fill the lanes and dish the rock to a galloping Joe Crawford, you know, someone Kentucky's gonna ride and steal a win with at NC Saturday. If Kentucky wants to redeem themselves for the losses to UCLA and Memphis, they're gonna need that guy in Chapel Hill Saturday.

Unfortunately, and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think Kentucky's found that guy yet. At least that guy hasn't revealed himself vs UCLA or vs Memphis, two top ranked teams in the nation. And now they get another shot at a Top 10, Final Four bound team in UNC, and if Tubby has that guy and he's been holding him back, I think Saturday would be the time to let this kid loose.

I write this in thanks to Spam's Wildcat Page, I learned that the guys over at Kentucky Sports Radio has found the beast that's about to be unleashed on lowly North Carolina Saturday. I haven't laughed this hard since learning that Florida's got mono the other day ( again, see Florida ). Thanks to KSR for making me cry while spitting out my lunch this afternoon; that was good. Here's to hoping that Coury Flurry catches on quickly, and here's to really hoping that Kentucky's starting five can put away North Carolina quicker than Tubby can call Coury's number.

And The November Game Blog Award Goes To?

Last night's may have ended the month of November on a good note for Kentucky, and while they prepare diligently for North Carolina this Saturday, the Wildcat Blog looks to crown the player of the month with a Game Blog Award.

How this has worked, or how I hope it works, is for each game, I name a nominee (not necessarily the player of the game, but a player I thought deserved recognition). At the end of each month, I hand out (not really) a Game Blog Award to one player from all the nominees I listed. I hope it's just a fun way to recap monthly the players that have had good games.

So here we go now with this year's first Monthly Game Blog Award, and I'm asking for some input …

The Wildcat Blog's Game Blog Award for November Should Go To?

Joe Crawford: 5-12, 18 pts, 6 grabs vs Miami (Oh)Ramel Bradley: 8-11 (5 threes), 21 pts, 3 grabs vs Miss Valley StRandolph Morris: 7-13, 6-9 FT, 20 pts, 9 grabs vs DePaulDerrick Jasper: 2-5, 8-12 FT, 12 pts, 9 grabs vs UCLARandolph Morris: 6-11, 6-8 FT, 18 pts, 8 grabs vs MemphisPerry Stevenson: 7-7, 14 pts, 4 grabs vs College of Charleston

Free polls from Pollhost.com

And if you need a little recap or reminder of those particular games, here are the links to those recaps in which I named those nominees.

· Week 1 Noms
· Week 2 Noms
· Week 3 Nom

NBA Watch: Chuck Hayes

(From Fan Nation: Chuck Hayes in Houston.)

Chuck Hayes is in his second year in the NBA; he's in Houston playing with Yao Ming and Co., and I thought that maybe it's time to see what he's done, how he's doing, and just kind of follow him this season in the NBA.

Yesterday, Hayes helped the Rockets to an 82-75 win over MIN in which he played 29 minutes and recorded 4 pts and 11 grabs. He's shooting 56% and averaging almost 6 pts a game (6th on team) and almost 7 grabs a games (2nd on team). Although he's on a team with Yoa Ming and Tracy McGrady, he's played in 10 games, started in nine of them. He recorded his first double double of the season on Nov. 7 at Memphis with 12 pts and 11 grabs, and the Rockets are 8-2 when he plays. Currently Houston sports one the league's top records at 10-4, half game back of the Spurs. They've won 4 straight and are 8-2 in their last 10 games and tonight they go to Phoenix where Hayes is still figured into the starting lineup even after recovering from a knee injury recently.

If you haven't caught a glimpse of Hayes in action with Houston yet, look no more.

Hayes In Houston (or shown below)



Chuck Hayes Links

• NBA Houston Rockets
• NBA Houston Rockets Team Stats
• Chuck Hayes NBA Profile
• Clutch Fans - A Houston Site
• Fan Nation: Chuck Hayes
• Chuck Hayes Fans
• Wiki: Chuck Hayes

Can't Make Me Stop When I'm Droppin' That Rock

(::singing::C-a-a-n't stop the w-a-a-y that I'm dr-r-r-oppin' the J! ::end singing:: Perry 'Swat' Stevenson ended up becoming Perry 'Rock' Stevenson after shooting a perfect 7-7 on the court which helped lead Kentucky to a much needed 77-61 bounceback win before taking on the Tar Heels this weekend.)

Kentucky started out slugglishly last night against College of Charleston; the only thing that mighta saved them before halftime was despite their ugly 37 percent shooting, Charleston shot 23%, and if it weren't for Kentucky's unacceptable game-high 20 turnovers (again!), the Wildcats shoulda blown out the Cougars like Florida blew off Southern by 56 last night, but instead only beat C of C 77-61. Tubby started Sheray Thomas in place of the early season usual Perry Stevenson, and oh did we fans get tricked. Tubby pulled a “ David Blaine ” on us; Mr. Head Coach pulled a “ gotcha! ’ on UK fans; hey Tubby Smith pulled a Cat out of a bag when we weren't lookin' last night cuz Mr. Swat emerged as Mr. Rock coming off the bench and dropping the J like there is no way cuz Mr. Stevenson dropped it seven-straight!

Hey you drop it 7 straight in 16 minutes for 14 pts, 4 offensive grabs, a stuff and a steal when the guy who started in your position (Thomas) was only good for 2 pts and 4 grabs, ast, stuff, and a steal in 26 minutes (that's 10 more minutes of action), when you're that automatic and spark a shooting game that led to 55% second half shooting and 50 second half points (almost twice what Kentucky put up in the 1st half), you get an automatic Game Blog Nominee. And keep in mind this was College of Charleston, not North Carolina or UCLA or Memphis or Florida, that Kentucky should have whooped up on to begin with.

The Wildcats should have outplayed, outshot, outpassed, outran, and outproduced far better than what's shown in the score. I mean again, Kentucky is outshot by their opponent: College of Charleston was 23 of 72 shots while Kentucky was 30 of 63. That worries me, and what's part of that reason? Kentucky once again committed a game-high 20 turnovers. If this was against Memphis or UCLA, we'd be talking about 3-3 Kentucky and why can't they hold on to the ball rather than Stevenson's perfect jumper. They do this kind of poor 1st half shooting against the Tar Heels and North Carolina will feast for 50 by halftime; and Thanksgiving was last week. Turnovers are hurting these guys from straight out letting loose and from forcing their opponents into timeouts by high-fly momentum shifters that are critical to putting your opponent on the edge of defeat.

But don't get me all wrong here, there are some good things to point out, like, how Randolph Morris seems to be capable of producing double-doubles every game if Kentucky would only feed him the rock more consistently. Morris had the game-high 17 pts and 8 grabs with 25 minutes. Aside from Ramel Bradley's team high 4 turnovers, he did have the team's game-high 3 steals and got to the line and shot 4-4. Freshman guard Derrick Jasper might be playing his way into the starting point guard position by conference play if he continues to out-produce Bradley on the court. I mean, just like in Stevenson's production in his limited time off the bench (16 min), Jasper, in 14 minutes, had 5 defensive grabs, 2 pts, 2 assists, (and 2 turnovers). For a freshman coming off the bench, Stevenson and Jasper might be starting freshmen together by mid-January. Joe Crawford is doing what he should by consistently playing good D and always seems to be right up there with the team's high scorers; he had 15 pts, 5 grabs, 2 assists, and 2 steals (1 turnover). Oh yeah, and how bout Mark Coury? He was automatic too for the two minutes he played - 4 points and 1 offensive grab, and I can't fail to mention Jared Carter's contribution in 8 minutes of play. He went 0-2, but got to the line - made one, with 4 grabs (2 turnovers).

So we see Kentucky capable of putting up 50 in a half, and if it weren't for turnovers and poor 1st half shooting, this team coulda dropped 100 on College of Charleston last night. Shoot, the way I see it, Kentucky has enough talent to hang with anyone and are capable of being one of the top scoring teams this year if they'd only not make so many mistakes and start feeding the ball to Morris more frequently. Again, turnovers is a good start, cuz these kids have North Carolina this weekend, and I think it's about time Kentucky goes in there and takes one away from the Tar Heels.

Game Blog Nominee



Perry Stevenson, 6-9, 178 Fr Forward from Lafayette, LA: 7-7, 14 pts, 4 grabs, stuff, steal, (3 turnovers) in a 77-61 win vs College of Charleston

Polish Your J: Kentucky Needs A Bounceback Win

Kentucky drops out of national ranking this week, and they set their minds on College of Charleston tonight before taking on a very good North Carolina team this Saturday (CBS). This game should be a excellent tune-up before traveling to North Carolina, however, I hope it's not a game where Kentucky has their minds on the Tar Heels. Yesterday head coach Tubby Smith talked about bringing their A-game and maybe changing the starting lineup for tonight's game because Perry Stevenson got banged around in Maui,

‘ We might make a change. I think Perry (Stevenson) is a little beat up. He hasn’t really been himself and I’m not sure why, he had a turned ankle. People scout you and I know he got banged around really good. You can tell he took a couple of good shots, a couple of bumps but, he has to learn to respond in a more aggressive way. There might be a change there, but I’m not sure right now. ’

… and hey, Jared Carter is back - I'd love to see how much he's improved.

⊗ Polish Your J, it's fixin’ to be Gametime: College of Charleston vs Kentucky, tonight at 7 est.

UK Football: Bowl Bound?

(Jr TE Jacob Tamme bruised Tennessee defenders late in the fourth including a 38 yard strike from Woodson that got Kentucky to the TEN 16 yardline which helped lead to their game-deciding 1st and Goal series. Tamme finished with 7 catches, 120 yards - his first career 100 yard game.)

The Wildcats lost one heck of a game 17-12 at Tennessee over the weekend. The ‘Cats' missed xtra point and FG were four points they wished they had because would have only needed a FG to lead Tennessee in their late game deciding drive that ended on 4th and goal, but honestly adding in both team's missed points in the game, it could have been 20-16 Tennessee for Kentucky on their last redzone visit that came up empty for them after having a beautiful 1st and G at the TEN 6 late in the 4th. This game couldn't have been handed to them any better with a 2nd and G at the TEN 3 yard line before being pushed back 5 yards by way of a delay of game penalty. You just knew Rafael Little was about to put Kentucky up on the Volunteers at their house, and what woulda happened then, I don't know, but I do know Kentucky was capable of giving Tennessee a dose of a late season, streak-stomping upset in Knoxville. But um, wow. More times than not, it's always a penalty getting in the way of Kentucky turning that corner, which they would have if they had upset Tennessee, but I'm not so sure Tennessee will be this lucky in the near future. They should be even better next year.

So is Kentucky bound to get invited for bowl play? Their 7-5 overall record in the SEC is ranked 7th (tied with SC). Their 4-4 conference record is ranked 6th in the SEC (tied with Georgia who they beat by 4 this season) which also is good for 3rd place in the SEC East division. Kentucky is good to score. Their 163 PF total in conference play is 6th best and their 319 total points scored is good for 5th best in the SEC, however, their defense gives up alot of points - 207 PA is second worst and their 349 PA overall is the worst in the conference.

Only three teams in the SEC have overall losing records: Vandy, Ole Miss, and Miss St. Who knows if or when the Wildcats get that bowl bid, but I do know the way they're playing right now Kentucky can be a problem for anyone in the SEC.

⊗ Got Bowl Madness? Kentucky's only been to 10 bowl games with a 5-5 record. Their biggest bowl game being the 1951 Sugar bowl beating Oklahoma 13-7 and ending the Sooners' 31 game winning streak.

Game Blog Noms For Week 2

This week's nominees come at the end of a dissapointing week, and maybe missed opportunities for the Wildcats. I would have loved to see them beat UCLA or Memphis, but even though it leaves the week sour for me, there were some players that did play very well, and after next week's game, I'll be handing out my first Game Blog Award for the month of November. Here are this week's Nom’s …

DePaul

Randolph Morris was huge in a game where both teams shot 50% for the game. His game high 20 pts and 9 grabs and getting to the line 9 times was a welcomed addition to Kentucky against a good DePaul team that hung with the Cats. Notable performances included Bradley's 16 pts, 4 dishes; and Crawford's 13 pts and 6 dishes.



Randolph Morris, 6-11, 259, Jr Center: 7-13, 6-9 FT, 20 pts, 9 grabs, 2 dishes, blk, 32 min vs DePaul

UCLA

It looked as if UCLA was going to blow out the Wildcats but the freshmen stepped up. Bradley and Crawford provided three point shooting but it was the freshman guard Derrick Jasper who surprised a lot of fans with his all around game. He recorded Kentucky's only 3 steals of the game and led Kentucky with 9 grabs and 8-12 free throws.



Derrick Jasper, 6-6, 213, Fr Guard: 2-5, 8-12 FT, 12 pts, 9 grabs, 4 dishes, 4 TO, blk, 3 steals, 34 min vs UCLA

Memphis

After a quiet showing the day before, Randolph Morris returns back to form, somewhat, with his near double-double performance. He led the game with 18 pts and 8 grabs in a game where as a team they didn't have enough shooting power and gave up too many TO's. Notable performances included Crawford's 15 pts - 3-5 from three, Bobby Perry's, who's been off and on lately, 10 pt performance including 5-6 FTL, and Derrick Jasper's 5 grabs and 4 dishes in 14 min of game time.



Randolph Morris, 6-11, 259, Jr Center: 6-11, 6-8 FT, 18 pts, 8 grabs, 2 TOs, 35 min vs Memphis

UK's Reg Season Finale Should Be A Nifty One

( It's been awhile to jump up and down about Kentucky football. )

Kentucky goes into Knoxville tomorrow in hopes of one more regular season upset to strengthen their bid for a bowl. They've been hot of late: Kentucky's 10th ranked offense includes Andre Woodson and Keenan Burton who have been hooking up for scores alot lately. Kentucky hopes to end the 21 game win streak the Vols have against them and with a win earn 2nd place in the SEC East (crazy, huh?). Kentucky is sportin' a 4 game win streak which includes the 4 point upset of Georgia while Tennessee's last 4 games inludes a 7 point win at SC, two straight losses against LSU and Arkansas, and last week's victory at Vandy. I can't remember being this bowl crazy since 99.

⊗ Kentucky @ Tennessee, Sat., 12:30 est.

And in the wonderful spirit of Bowl Anticipation, I found a funny song on YouTube (I know I'm YouTube crazy lately). It's about the BCS ... and it's not good. If you're one of those who want to see a playoff system installed in college football, you'll really like this. In fact, blogger pal Sportz talks about how a playoff system could work and who should end up playing for the national title this year. So anyways, enjoy the clip, it's really kinda funny - good funny with lines like ‘ Even though I love football, this fact I cannot hide, I find it hard on holidays to decide, between watching the Bell Helicopter Bowl on TV, or a Rocky rerun marathon again on TNT ’.

The Toilet Bowl Song

Chicks And Dudes Who You Think Is Really Kickin' Tunes?

Watching the UCLA/UK game the other day, I realized UCLA's center Lorenzo Mata reminded me of something but I couldn't quite figure it out during the game. The kid was huge for UCLA posting 12 pts, 5-9 shooting, and 11 grabs vs Kentucky. Not only that, but with the headband on, I kinda took a double take at him as he was shooting free throws because I've just never seen anything like him before. I was like ‘where did he come from and how did I miss noticing him’.

The 6-9 junior center is from Huntington Park, CA. His senior year in high school he averaged 25 ppg and 18 rpg and ranked by InsiderHoops.com the No.2 West Coast power forward in 2004. And to compliment all this, the kid is physically tough. He just underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October, and last season he missed two games with a concussion and then sat out 14 games from mid January to early March with an injury to his right tibia, and I think I heard the commentators say during their game vs UK that he broke his nose twice (not sure). This and his appearance alone should dictate a first round draft pick. In their first four games, he leads UCLA with 31 rebounds, he's shooting 60%, and is fifth on UCLA with 8.3 ppg and 24.5 mpg.

And yet this kid reminds me of something. He's a one of a kind hoopster, and a few hours after they beat Kentucky I realized what he reminded me of. Mata will make it all manageable …




No Squealin', remember (that it's all in your head)



In Other YouTube Findings

· This Is Nonsense, But To Each Their Own Opinion - It's not like I'll ever post (embed) this vid (or any of its kind) on this blog, however I will link to it, after stumbling across this vid on YouTube, a small part of me had to laugh a little seeing that the user who posted this video to YouTube is ironically named LouvilleCardinals and because it's just funny. It's just hard for me to take this seriously. He's not very kind on Tubby; is he a Kentucky fan or a Louisville fan just trying to stir emotions? Not sure.

Anyways, it kinda reminds me of a link Deadspin posted back in July about one fan's song about Kentucky's basketball team that originated from Kentucky Sports Radio online. Coming across stuff like this really puts things in perspective for me as a Kentucky fan with a blog online - I enjoy being a fan of Kentucky but at the same time I'll try not to embarrass myself.

Gotta Testify, Come Up In The Spot Lookin' Xtra Fly

I've had this discussion before, but I think I might be the only one who sees the Kanye West resemblance in Joe Crawford. He's the second Wildcat on this team that resembles a celebrity - Randolph Morris resembling Mark Curry being the other. I don't know, you put the right shades on Joe and put him in a blue and yellow striped polo, collar up, and I'm thinkin' he'd pull it off.

He'd be Top Of The World, Baby. T-Top Of the W - o - o - o - o - r - l - d !

Maui's Finished; Memphis Rebounds, UCLA Crowned

Well the Maui Invite is over, and UCLA goes home champions. Kentucky meanwhile goes 1-2 for the 3 day event beating DePaul then losing to eventual Maui Champs UCLA and finally losing Memphis in the third place game. The trend is not good; the past two games (albeit on consecutive days but everyone else was playing on limited rest also) Kentucky has dropped only sixty-somethin' on their opponent and lost. It's the second straight game Kentucky attempted exactly 15 fewer shots than their opponent.

Some good things happened though even though Kentucky might quite not be a Top 15 team. Kentucky's fairly young, and if this core group of freshmen stick around for 2-3 years, Tubby's going to have a special team of his own. Anyways, aside from GT looking impressive, and obviously Memphis and UCLA look to be worthy bracket winners, and aside from thinking Jay Bilas has been vacationing in Maui before the tourny started or either he's squeezed in some surfing time between commercials, here are some observations on Kentucky in the Maui Invitational …

DePaul

Kentucky beat DePaul 87-81 but after jumping out to a 10-0 lead, it was as if the Wildcats let up on them and allowed them back in the game. The freshmen's abilities to come into the game and contribute right away is a huge plus for Tubby. They were quick to the ball and rebounded very well against DePaul. Both these teams shot 50%. Morris' game high 20 pts, 9 grabs, 2 shares, and 9 FTA is what they need from him every game, and getting to the line is important too because that means you're not letting anybody push you around down there.

UCLA

UCLA should have ran away with this one, but they didn't, and I give credit to Tubby for coaching this one. Maybe if Bobby Perry puts some points up along with Derrick Jasper's performance, maybe Kentucky beats UCLA. The freshmen came up big in this one, scoring 31 of Kentucky's 68 points against UCLA. Both teams shot 44%, and the difference was either UCLA's 5 more FT made in the game or the fact that Kentucky attempted 15 fewer shots in the game compared to the Bruins (50 vs 65). Of course turnovers, 17 by UK, became a nemesis for Kentucky's chances to pull this win out. Credit UCLA's D, and if Lorenzo Mata isn't already NBA ready, he soon will be. Derrick Jasper's 12 pts, 9 rebounds, and 12 FTA was a surprise for Bradley and Crawford who combined only got to the line three times vs UCLA. One of Jasper's best plays in the game was a dish to Porter on the baseline three after penetrating the paint and drawing coverage. That three by Porter cut UCLA's lead to 8.

Memphis

I'm not sure how to describe this one. Kentucky shot poorly and Memphis didn't. Memphis has some solid three-point shooters [Jeremy Hunt, Willie Kemp], and as a team they sank 9 against UK. Despite the 17 point loss, Randolph Morris led the game with 18 pts, 8 grabs. Crawford added 15, Perry with 10, but the team committed another game-high 18 turnovers in this game while Kentucky's freshmen were held in check. And again, Kentucky shot 15 fewer attempts than Memphis (48-63). While Memphis shot 50% for the game, the Wildcats only shot 43%. Those 15 more attempts equate to about 14 pts for Memphis; Kentucky lost by 17. The Memphis D held UK to 23 second half points after only leading Kentucky by 3 at the half.

It seems to me that when Kentucky gets away from trying to get Morris open for easy baskets, this team struggles offensively, and when Morris isn't rebounding well, they're giving up second chance opportunities to their opponent. I think Morris is the key to opening up Kentucky's offense - just feed it to Morris - and it'd be nice to see him take'n it to the basket more often, i.e. drawing fouls and being a presence. Overall, I can't be displeased with them considering three straight days of hoops and not much rest, but obviously Kentucky has things to improve on and I think playing in this tourny and playing UCLA and Memphis opened some eyes up to what they need to fix and improve upon. Twenty-five turnovers in two straight games is a start. It was good for ‘em.

Final Day In Maui: Kentucky Hung With UCLA

Although Kentucky lost to UCLA last night 68-73, the freshmen played well, specifically one certain freshman, and it was Kentucky's poise that helped them stay in the game but UCLA's D that won it for the Bruins.

A One-Minute Live Blog

Kentucky right now is hanging with 11 ranked Memphis in the third-place game 43-40 with about 40 secs left in the first half right now on ESPN2. We'll see how this one shapes out, but I'm impressed by UK's freshmen's ability to contribute with instant chemistry.

⊗ Memphis vs Kentucky Game Notes.

Tomorrow or Friday I'll post my recap and thoughts of Kentucky's 3-day Maui trip along with some other things I have brewing including Game Blog Nominees. Let's just say one of UCLA's kids reminded me of something last night and it didn't take me long to figure out what it was.

How bad will it be for Memphis if they lose to two lower ranked teams on consecutive days than it would Kentucky though against significantly higher ranked teams. This might be a buzzer-beater; Memphis might be playing right now to prevent dropping to the bottom of the polls next week.

Kentucky Survives DePaul; 5th Ranked Bruins Next

Kentucky survived DePaul last night in a narrow victory after jumping out 10-0, but I was overall impressed in my first viewing of the team, which is a much, much better team.

My recap of all three days for Kentucky in Maui and my game blog nominees for the week and whatever other good stuff I might have will be coming Thursday or Friday, meanwhile, there's a game to be played tonight, and it's not going to be anything like a video game contest held by EA Sports between Derrick Jasper and a player from Memphis you see here (I think it's Memphis forward Robert Dozier?) before last night's game.

Tonight it's fifth ranked UCLA, and Sea of Blue has an excellent scouting report to help you know what to expect from tonight's game.

⊗ Tonight: Maui Invite 2nd Round, Kentucky vs UCLA, 9:30 pm, est. (ESPN)

EA Sports Maui Invitational: If It's In The Game ...

Please Tell Me They're Practicing

⊗ Kentucky vs. DePaul, tonight 9 pm, est. (ESPN2)

Game Blog Nominees: Week 1 Miami (Oh), Miss Valley St

( Give me a G, give me an A, give me an M … wait-wait. It's just Game Blog Nominees. Can we just do the Riverdance like Chad Johnson does? )

Here are my Game Blog (tugs ear: kinda sounds like 'game ball') nominees after week 1. What makes this hard is that I only pick one performance from each game, and as in the case this week, I don't get to watch all the games on Kentucky's sched besides what scheduled to air on tv regionally or nationally, so in that aspect, it's hard to really gauge all-around performances based soley on the stats and from what's already been written. So as I hand these out week to week, keep in mind I only intend this feature to be in good recreational fun and team spirit. My credentials, or lack thereof, honestly don't allow me to be handing anything out. At the end of each month, I'll award one performance from the nominees I've chosen as the Wildcat Blog's Monthly Game Blog Recipient. There's no official trophy or prize, just a head's up shout out on this blog. Who knows, if things go well, I just might poll my readers to decide all of this for me, until then, here's who I've chosen ...

vs Miami (Oh)
It was hard to choose one nominee from this game. Ultimately it came down to Joe Crawford's game high 18 pts, 6 grabs, and 3 assists since they didn't really run away with this game. Sinking the basket was important. Noteable performances were Stevenson's 7 stuffs, 6 grabs, Morris' DD: 12 pts, 10 grabs, and Bradley's 12 pts, 5 assists, 35 min (6 TOs hurt him though).

vs Miss Valley St
This was fairly an easy choice for me since I love to see 3's being dropped all the time. Although Randolph Morris' 18 pts and 9 grabs gave me a moment to ponder, it was Ramel Bradley's 21 pts (5 three-point buckets), 5 assists, and 2 steal performance that got me smiling. Other noteable performances included Jodie Meeks' 13 pts in 21 min, Jasper's 7 pts, 4 assists, and 5 steals in 22 min, and Stevenson's 8 pts and 4 stuffs in 23 min of game time (he's stuffing at the rate Rondo was stealing).

The Wildcat Blog's Week 1 Nominees


Joe Crawford, G, 6-5, 211, Jr from Detroit, Mich: 5-12, 18 pts, 6 grabs, 3 ast, 36 min vs Miami (Oh)


Ramel Bradley, G, 6-2, 176, Jr from NY: 8-11 (5 threes), 21 pts, 3 grabs, 5 ast, 2 steals, 25 min vs Miss Valley St.

Hoops: Bradley's On Fire, Sharing Is Caring

Ramel “I Got Ur Jump Shot” Bradley.

Sharing IS caring.

And Bradley was shooting from 3-point land like a skilled marksman (5-7) Friday night against Mississippi Valley St.

In fact, he led the game with a 3 point shot, and he led the second half with another 3 point shot. He was so hot from downtown that if Bradley's performance was duplicated somehow, lets say in a certain EA Sports video game, I'd be pretty certain there would be flames blowing off the end of the basketball. His game-high (and career high) 21 points led Kentucky to a 79-56 win over Mississippi Valley St on Friday night, and the team itself recorded 20 assists (sharing is caring), 47% shooting, 11-14 FTL (from the line), +7 rebounding, holding their opponent to under 40%. In fact, for the first four and a half minutes, MVS couldn't answer. So with good defense and team chemistry, Kentucky gets to 2-0 convincingly as they now prepare for DePaul and the Maui Invitational tonight.

Randolph Morris nearly had his second straight DD - 18 pts, 9 grabs (game-high), and added 2 steals, 2 stuffs. The freshmen weren't bad either. Perry ‘ Swat ’ Stevenson added another 4 stuffs to his early UK career total along with 8 pts; Jasper played 22 minutes while recording 7 pts, 4 shares, and 5 steals; and Jodie Meeks scored 13 pts in 21 minutes.

This was Tubby Smith's 314th game at Kentucky; his 500th career.

UK Football: Keenan Scores, Little Impresses, Kentucky's 7th Win

Rafael Little - 84yd punt return, 89 rush and 89 receiving.

Keenan Burton catches for 115 and 3 scores in 42-40 win and a new school record vs Louisiana-Monroe. Woodson threw for over 350 yards and those Burton TDs to give Kentucky their seventh win as they get ready to play 22 ranked Tennessee this Saturday. The win guarantees Kentucky a winning record - at worst would be 7-5 with a loss to Tennessee this upcoming weekend, and with a win at Tennessee, will give Rich Brooks' Wildcats 2nd place in the SEC East, something I don't think anyone on earth predicted going into this season, and with an upset of Georgia just a couple weeks ago, the Volunteers should be worried - Kentucky can solidify their bowl chances with an upset of rival Tennessee on the road.

Rafael Little continues to prove to me that he's one of the best overachieving backs in college football (84 yd punt return, 89 rush, 89 rec, vs LM). Here's a little taste of what he does if you're not familiar with him …

Woodson 24 yard pass to Rafael Little vs Central Michigan, Sept. 30, 06.

The Rajon Rondo Watch: The Magician Strikes Again

photo from nba.com

It's always weird seeing your favorite players with different teams, and of course, in different jerseys. There's not a better example of that (aside from Hayes in a Rockets jersey) than Rondo in Boston right now.

Rondo looks like he's enjoying his new home here, but he's almost not recognizable not wearing the blue and white. He is a player with skills though. In 7 games so far with Boston, Rajon “ the Magician ” Rondo has 8 steals and 28 assists with 5 ppg. He's certainly not stealing the ball at the level he was at Kentucky, but that's understandable with the transition. He is sharing the ball (4 apg) which is cool, but what he's lacking by not magically stealing the ball, he's making up by doing other magical things as shown below which have the fans over at Reds Army searching for a caption. I knew this kid was magical.



⊗Rondo's NBA Profile

Enjoy the game tonight, and have a good weekend yall.

Stevenson Already Has A Nick

As Kentucky gets ready to take on Miss Valley St (same school Jerry Rice attended?) tonight before heading out for the Maui Invitational, I came across the news that Perry ‘ Stuff'n It Like It's Hot ’ already has a nickname - Swat.

Not only that but I learned that Perry “ Swat ” Stevenson set the UK school record for most stuffs recorded for a player's first game after recording seven against Miami (Oh) the other night, AND, according to Stevenson, the first thing he heard from his high school coach at Lafayette Northside was that he (Stevenson) reminded him of Bill Russell, and then he began watching ESPN classic programs of Russell and other big men.

I still kinda like the nickname I gave him (Stuff'n It Like It's Hot or Stove Top), but I understand that a player can have so many nicknames to deal with, so with respect to that, the Wildcat Blog will settle with 'Swat'.

College Football Highlight: WV/Pitt

Photo from ncaasports.com

I'm flipping back and forth between ESPN channels trying to catch both this game and the hoops matchup between St. Johns and Maryland, which unranked Maryland dropped like 50 somethin on St J's in the first half. Normally, with my luck, both ESPN channels synchronize their commerical timeouts and I'm left flipping to Animal Planet or one of the 4 network channels, but last night I received a treat from ESPN. As the hoops game on ESPN2 went to commercial I was just in time to catch this unbelievable punt return by Pitt last night.

There are a few things to mention about this punt return though beginning with the side-stepped punt (or rugby punt I guess). Then Revis (PR'r) really didn't know where to go and acted as if he was gonna give up on the return; then he jets for the corner turn and watch for #81 around the 19 yardline - Tom Jackson would be proud. This block is better than any I've seen in Tom Jackson's ‘Jacked Up’ segment Monday nights this season. Not only does Revis get to the endzone but he dodges a few sideline tackles capping it with what I call a ‘Madden’ spin you only really see alot of in video games. It's worthy of an instant ESPY Award. Pittsburgh lost the game 45-27 after being shutout the second half 21-0.

Punt Return of the Year – * look for the #81 block at a round the 11-12 sec mark.

Stuff'n It Like It's Hot - A Maui Invitational Look

Perry "Stuff It Like It's Hot" Stevenson. The Freshman recorded 7 stuffs last night against Miami (OH). In his last three games played he's stuffed 15 balls.

The ’Cat's survived a potential upset last night with an 11-point victory over Miami (OH). Joe Crawford led with 18, and Randolph Morris records his first DD of the season with 10 grabs, 12 pts. This just may be a case of first game jitters since the games begin to count. Crawford was able to get to the line for eight FTA, which is what you like to see. The thirty minute guys were Crawford, Bradley, and Stevenson who started down low with Bobby Perry. Freshmen Meeks, Jasper, and Porter saw action from the bench - Meeks having the better game among them with 7 pts, 4 grabs, ast, 2 steals and 24 min.

But how bout the freshman from Lafayette. I mentioned in the two exhibition games he recorded 8 stuffs; last night the kid was like Stove Top providing an ‘Alleyne’ type defensive presence to help them pull out the win playing 35 minutes with 2 pts, 6 grabs, and 7 stuffs. He just might earn one of my weekly Game Blog Nominees next week where each month I'll hand out a Monthly Game Blog Award to one of Kentucky's best performing player from all my weekly nominees. Randolph Morris seems impressed by the freshman …

“The stats speak for themselves. He has great athleticism and a unique ability to block shots. He played 35 minutes tonight, and that says a lot for a freshman. It shows that Coach (Smith) has a lot of confidence in him to keep him on the floor for most of the game.”

So I hope the jitters are out, some of the new kids saw some action last night, and they begin 1-0 with the Maui Invititational coming up next week.

Maui Invitational - Nov. 20-22

Top Bracket

Oklahoma
13Memphis

Purdue
23Georgia Tech

Bottom Bracket

DePaul
22Kentucky

Chaminade
6UCLA

Next week Kentucky has a shot at strengthening their schedule with a potential second-round matchup with six-ranked UCLA. A week and a half later they get the second-ranked Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Memphis and Georgia Tech are also nationally ranked in this tourny.

Rankings:
⊗ AP Poll
⊗ USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll

UK Football: Bowl Eligible

Back in early September watching the L'ville game on ESPN I remember yelling (almost crying) at the tv because we were getting our butts whooped, and I remember yelling out some really bad things not suited for the blogosphere or this blog for that matter. I was expressing emotions to the effect of like ‘ it's the same deal every year ’, and, ‘ We can't run, so we pass, and when we pass, we can't throw past the first down marker ’.

That Sunday night, if you would have told me that Rich Brooks would lead this team to their current 7-4 record, bowl eligible, and would knock off teams like Ole Miss (play respectfully at Florida), Miss St, Central Michigan, upsetting Georgia just two weeks ago then clinching their seventh(correction: sixth) win by beating Vandy, I probably would have given you a breathalizer test.

LSU spanked us, South Carolina squeaked by, and really Florida didn't convincingly beat us like they've been accustomed to in the past. Two of those three were winnable … this could be a 9-2 *(or 8-2) Wildcat football program. I really wasn't even expecting more than maybe one or two conference wins and maybe the same outside the conference, but this tells you the hold Rich Brooks has on his players now to come back fighting after the opening season loss on the road. Andre Woodson and Keenan Burton are both near the top of the SEC leader boards for their positions and they both should be back as Seniors next year, in fact most of the players on this year's team should be back next year. Somewhere at some point during their schedule this year, Kentucky's football program matured, improved, despite where they lie overall statistically as a team right now - I just can't pinpoint the week (or practice) it happened. I mean it's nice around Kentucky football when your QB is recognized as the National Player of the Week after tearing up the stat columns and setting career highs leading Kentucky to a 12 point home win for their 6th win of the season and clinching bowl eligibility for the first time in years.

And when your (Rich Brook's) program records its first major conference upset (vs Georgia) and are now bowl eligible, you begin to have that feeling that maybe Kentucky football is beginning its upside. And with Hoops season underway, people have a right to smile really big around Lexington right now.

Below: An Inside Look At The Rare Mayhem at Commonwealth - Mission: SEC Football

Other Links

• YouTube: Let's Go Boys, Whooo!!! - Interesting pre-game vid vs Georgia
• one fan's capture of the downing of the goalpost after beating Georgia

⊗ Late Correction: *Kentucky is actually 6-4 with two games left - I mistakenly counted a JV game as an extra win

It's Such Uh Bittersweet In Ken-tucky

Jared Carter might be out about a month with a shoulder injury, but I don't expect that to put a damper on opening night tonight. In fact, I'm expecting this to be Morris' year to be a force under the basket, and Woo is an adequate back up. But if you didn't get to attend the Madness this year and you don't have the chance to attend the game like me, here's a look of a video UK plays at Rupp Arena before their games … found at YouTube.

Turn off your lights and listen to this with your headphones; for two sweet minutes you'll forget where you're at. And I agree with the user who posted this on YouTube, it gets you PUMPED!

Gone to flex like Rex - and practice my jumper.

... And Gives Billy Packer A High Five!

While Kentucky gets themselves prepared for tonight's opening tip, I can't help but get a little excited of the hopes of a very good season for the Big Blue despite losing Sparks and Rondo from last year which got me thinking momentarily about their Elite Eight Run two years ago when the season ended with a heartbreaking overtime loss to Michigan St.

I already miss the Magician, and Patrick Sparks will always have a place in my heart for that Elite Eight game in what I view might very well be the best Kentucky hoops moment since 98. In case you're not sure of the exact moment I'm referring to, I'll let YouTube take us back to that memorable night two years ago.

That Patrick Sparks kid - he got game.

06 Freshman Faces - The 06-07 Roster

A first look at Jodie 'we'll see' Meeks. (I'm brainstorming for a better nick)

While Kentucky loses guards Patrick Sparks and Rajon Rondo, there are still plenty of guys on this team who participated in Kentucky's 04-05 Elite Eight run. Sheray Thomas, Bobby Perry, and Lukasz Obrzut are Tubby's leading Seniors this season, and Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford,and Randolph Morris are Juniors. Center Jared Carter is the only sophomore on this squad as six new freshmen complete this bunch of Wildcats.

The preseason is over and tomorrow night the Wildcats open up at Rupp against Miami (OH), so I thought I'd review Kentucky's two exhibition games while introducing the six new faces in Lexington this year.

In Kentucky's first exhibition game, they handled a Lindsey Wilson team very easily dropping 94 in their first action of the new season. They outscored LW 56-14 ITP (in the paint),and 18-2 FB (fast break) while shooting an impressive 71 percent second half and 64 percent for the game. Five freshmen combined for 33 pts - Meeks 17 pts 4 reb, 28 min.

In their final exhibition game against South Carolina Upstate, the Wildcats shot a respectable 47 percent from the field for an 81-50 win. SC Upstate played the Wildcats much closer in the second half but Joe Crawford was hot for 17 pts, 6 reb, and 29 min. Meeks and Stevenson combined for 24 pts - Stevenson however added 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Kentucky +27 rebounding in those two games. I hope this carries over into this season. Here's how the freshmen faired.

⊗ Mark Coury - F, 6-9, 239 from West Bloomington, Mich - played at same high school and program as Chris Weber and Shane Battier
Preseason: 1 reb, 10 min
⊗ Derrick Jasper - G, 6-6, 213 from Paso Robles, CA - Adidas Super 64 MVP, averaged 21 pts, 7 rebs, 7 assts
Preseason: 15pts, 7 grabs, 8 shares, 51 min

⊗ Jodie Meeks - G, 6-5, 206 from Norcross, GA - Led Norcross High School to class 5A title scoring 32 pts and 6 rebs and averaging 23 ppg his senior season
Preseason: 30 pts, 7 grabs, 6 shares, 50 min

⊗ Dwight Perry - G, 6-0, 185 from Durham, NC
Preseason: 1 min

⊗ Michael Porter - G, 6-2, 180 from Modesto, CA - averaged 16 ppg, 41% from three point land, 115-23 as high school starter, 3-time All-State, 4-time All-District, led the same Modesto Christian High School attended by Wildcat favorite Chuck Hayes to state title in 04, also played football - two-time all-state selection
Preseason: 8 pts, 7 grabs, 6 shares, 30 min


⊗ Perry Stevenson - F, 6-9, 178 from Lafayette, LA - 05 Hall of Fame Game MVP, avg'd triple double his junior and senior season in high school
Preseason: 13 pts, 13 grabs, 8 stuffs, 44 min

The Wildcat Blog at Blogspot

Welcome to the Wildcat Blog, it's been a long while, and I hope to keep this blog up and running longer than I did before. I debuted this blog on AOL a couple years ago with unexpected support and readership, and it was quite a trip, so now I'm bringing it back after a one year absence to more or less just have fun with it while following my team. That's what this is all about. If you want to comment, please keep it clean and fun. They'll be moderated. Thanks for stopping by!