Friday, February 27, 2009

Time To Man Up

Perhaps I will inspire only myself with this post...and that would be fine, 'cause I find myself needing a little inspiration for the remainder of this season. All I really have to say right now is that it's time for this Kentucky team to man up.

SEC-West leading LSU is coming to Lexington tomorrow, and they aren't going to feel a bit sorry for the Cats. However, what I really hope is that the players, coaches, the UK nucleus "inside the locker room" doesn't feel sorry for themselves. There's just no time for it.

Get this: I'm not a rah-rah guy. Never have been. I think most people that know me would describe me as more cerebral than emotional. Dungy-like, if you will. But with 3 regular season games remaining, I find myself wishing that I could grab this Kentucky team by its collective scruff of the neck, slap them around a little bit, and give them the full Lombardi treatment.

Because if they have even an ounce of pride, even the slightest hint of self-regard as individuals, they will absolutely lay it on the line in Rupp Arena. I'm talking 100% effort, the full 40 minutes, give absolutely no quarter. As a team, their season still hangs in the balance, and they must meet the challenge. Bloggers, alumni, fans cannot do it for them. Again, LSU will bring a very good team to Rupp, and if Kentucky does not respond any better than they did the other night, the result will be embarrassing.

I can't be the only one wishing that the current "nucleus" could magically channel the rich, acclaimed, legendary Kentucky basketball tradition for the stretch run. Suffice it to say that many illustrious Big Blue luminaries have gone down many a difficult path over the years, and their triumphs should serve as a summons to the 2009 Wildcats....

Get up.

Fight, young men. Fight.

These players owe it to themselves, and to their teammates to answer the challenge that they face. Three games and the conference tourney remain for Kentucky to prove its worthiness for the Big Dance.

I understand these words cannot reach those whom I truly wish to inspire. They must find their own motivation, after all. But I certainly needed some stirring myself.

Every Wildcat star will shine...

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Taken To The Woodshed


I really wish I could break down this Kentucky loss better, in terms of pure X's & O's.

Perhaps it's a bit of a football mentality on my part, but after a beatdown of this magnitude, it just feels more comforting to be able to go over the game film and see where the schemes had little cracks in them, or where a specific player didn't execute a specific task. A poor tackle, a missed block.

You review it enough times, make enough observations, and things start to become a little more clear. Eventually, you can wrap your head around the loss.

I'm having no such epiphany right now.

That was a beating, pure and simple. Hats off to SC, yes. Great game by them. Big vocal crowd, fast start, high-energy throughout.

What's bothersome is how Kentucky responded to that challenge. Or should I say, did not respond. Another 20 turnover game offensively, along with getting 16 shots blocked. Poor defensive rotations all game long. Allowing too much penetration by South Carolina guards, and then not closing out on shooters.

Back to the 16 blocks, though. I'm not going to bother looking up exactly how long the Gamecocks have been playing hoops, but I'd venture that it has to be the better part of a century. Never in school history had they blocked 16 shots in a game....and UK now has the distinction of being on the wrong side of that record.

That's being taken to the woodshed.

The point guard comparison has grown tiresome at this stage, both internally and also comparing UK's PGs with those of other teams. Porter had 5 turnovers, Liggins had 3. Devan Downey used and abused both of them. It was like BJ McKie all over again, only Kentucky didn't have (insert legitimate late 90's point guard here....Epps? Turner? Anyone?)

Furthermore, I considered Coach Gillispie's benching of Jodie Meeks for much of the second half to be a white flag. It could be argued otherwise, I suppose, as an effort to light a fire under Jodie's supporting cast, or remind everyone just how important defensive intensity is to Coach G. I don't know.... to me, it seemed like a roll-over move. Jodie's the only guy on the squad with the abililty to score points in bunches and get UK back into shouting distance on the road. A late February must-win conference game seems like a strange time to take advantage of a teachable moment.

I really don't have much else to contribute this morning. In closing, I do want to send out thoughts and prayers to Kevin Galloway, who reportedly missed last night's game due to a death in the family.

Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons by anon nona

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Hard To Be Happy For D. Horn


Under normal circumstances, I would be elated by the success that Darrin Horn has been enjoying in his first year as head basketball coach at South Carolina. Basically, Horn would be "your local boy that's done good." He was a prep star at Tates Creek, playing for an 11th region champion that made it all the way to the state finals at Rupp.

Darrin then of course played his college ball at Western Kentucky, where he was a big part of some tremendous Hilltopper teams that did some major damage in the Sun Belt and NCAA play. He began his coaching career there in Bowling Green as a grad assistant, and received further tutelage under Tom Crean at Marquette (another coach that I respect).

He comes from a good family, and by all accounts is a good husband and father himself. He coaches an upbeat brand of basketball, and his teams play hard and clean. There really isn't a whole lot that's not to like about Horn.

Except....

These just aren't normal circumstances.

Not only did Darrin take a job in the SEC, he took one in the SEC East. And we all know what that does.

That pits him against my team. My alma mater, my Big Blue.

And that's unfortunate. Because now I want to beat Darrin Horn. And I'm not even really conflicted about it. I straight-up wish for him to fail against Kentucky. I hope he loses twice to UK each year and once in the conference tournament if we should happen to meet there. Heck, in the unlikely event the Cats and Gamecocks should meet for a fourth time in another postseason tourney matchup, well, you can figure it out.

I won't even get into the dynamics of program-building or the possibilities of recruiting wars. It could get awfully complicated if Coach Horn stays in the Palmetto state for a while and really thrives there.

Now, don't misunderstand me. I do not hate the guy on a personal level. As an individual, I wish him only the best. If he was coaching in the Big East or the Pac 10, I'd be rooting for him all the way (again, any postseason matchups with UK aside).

But Kentucky basketball is Kentucky Basketball for me.

Darrin Horn has a darn good team. There was much more pre-game hoopla surrounding the game at Rupp, simply due to Lexington being Horn's home town. I give SC credit for how well they played back in January, and for Devan Downey hitting a big-time, difficult shot for the game-winner.

The Wildcats really need to return the favor in Columbia. This represents a sweet opportunity to bolster tourney credentials and get a little end-of-season momentum going any revenge angle aside. I once again expect a very tough game.

It's just that I have absolutely no mixed emotions about who to pull for.

Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons by lutonian

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Cats Hammer Vols Again


So Bruce Pearl decided his Tennessee team would pick its poison carefully in Rupp Arena yesterday, and what he selected was basically this: anybody but Jodie Meeks.

UK responded perfectly, though. With Mr. Meeks being limited to 14 points, the Big Blue still managed to jump out to a quick 13-0 lead and cruised to a surprisingly easy 19-point win over its SEC East rival. Maybe Coach Pearl ought to re-think that bright orange jacket he likes to wear when his team is playing Kentucky (or Vandy). Aw, who are we kidding... he needs to re-think it, period.

I'm having a difficult time this morning figuring out which development I was more giddy about from yesterday's win: Big Pat being back on the court with hardly a lingering effect from his ankle injury, or Darius Miller playing lights-out and not even missing a single shot.

Both were huge yesterday considering Jodie's 40-point dropoff in scoring from the Knoxville game. Patrick looked fairly nimble to me (confession: I had to keep one eye on the "billiards" that I was playing with the little guy throughout much of this one). His monster dunk to cap off the victory was a great illustration that Pat's athletic explosiveness is quickly returning as the ankle mends.

Darius Miller, meanwhile, looked like a true former Kentucky Mr. Basketball should, dropping in a trio of 3-pointers, dishing out 6 assists, and even pulling down a few boards in a very efficient 26 minutes of play. You can literally see this freshman's confidence growing throughout conference play.

Mr. Miller looks to be embracing that number "1" beneath the "Kentucky" on his jersey. One can only hope Coach G doesn't decide to give him only 4 minutes in Columbia on Tuesday due to an early blown defensive assignment, or some other such travesty.

The dream start that staked Kentucky to a 13-point lead was mainly attributable to some stingy "D" early, and the Vols looking quite skittish, IMHO. Again, Rupp proves that its aura and energy can still rattle opponents when the Cats are facing a must-win conference game. It was not just happenstance that Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism combined to go 5 for 23 from the field.

A certain Kentucky "lead guard" hit half of his 3-point attempts against UT as well, but he shall go unnamed-- not as a snub, but rather for fear of jinxing him. You know who he is, so let's just pretend he's always been that proficient from long distance. I repeat: Fire Away.

All in all, quite a glimmer the Wildcats displayed yesterday, staying atop the crazy, nutty, wacky East division. Take this show on the road now, and return the favor to D. Horn's Gamecocks.

photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons by canfielddave

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Like The Deserts Miss The Rain


I don't normally like to characterize wins or losses as "good" or "bad" (and how come nobody ever seems to call a game's result "indifferent"?) But it's obvious that UK's early season loss at North Carolina, for instance, will be viewed in a much different light than Tuesday night's effort at Vanderbilt.

Kentucky's 77-64 "L" in Nashville will surely have the team feeling a little more bubbly come Selection Sunday than it would prefer. By now, you also know that it drops the Cats down into the SEC logjam and could very well hurt their seeding in Tampa for the conference tournament. (Nobody wants 4 games in 4 days.) A win in Nashville would have separated UK from the pack.

But the biggest impression that I take from this loss is just how bad Kentucky misses Patrick Patterson. Glaringly evident, yes-- the Wildcats have just got to have that guy healthy.

I do give Vandy much credit for their defense on Jodie Meeks. He had a very tough night and struggled for open looks. Those 26 points were a testament to his willingness to work and continue to grind for the whole 40 minutes.

It was nice to get some points out of A.J. Stewart, and Kevin Galloway again contributed a bit of offense after only playing 3 minutes at Arkansas. However, Coach Gillispie said it best when he recognized that he doesn't need "a 6'9" two guard" (referring back to Stewart). UK got blasted on the boards, 37-26, and surely the no-show game that Perry Stevenson turned in was a big factor there.

But even bigger is the huge hole in the middle created by that nasty ankle sprain Big Pat is (hopefully) recovering from. His physical presence just brings a greater level of toughness, something Coach G likes to rhapsodize about, and gives the team a better overall balance. Jodie without Patrick is like Starsky with no Hutch. (Apologies for the dated reference).

The statistics alone probably make the best case anyway: Patterson usually gives you about 18 and 9 per game. It's just very problematic to replace those kind of numbers at this point in the season.

We all understand the nature of these ankle injuries, and so we play the "day to day" waiting game, as we must. But I just can't tell you how much I miss that guy.

Monday, February 16, 2009

A Painful Reminder: 2/12/08


So I pulled my Cat's Pause Yearbook off the shelf to check out last year's stats from UK's game at Vandy. (Yeah, I know you can find this stuff on the interwebz, but I like having print copies around, and it's a really great reference...honestly, the best $11.95 a guy can spend).

So imagine my surprise at what I found. No, not the cover photo of Big Pat Patterson with his long-gone afro, nor the back cover shot of Joe B. Hall pimpin' for Kennedy's Book Store. I'm talking about the Nashville game box score from last February.

An absolute nightmare.

Obviously, I had somehow managed to white-wash much of that one from the old memory banks, but the numbers don't lie. We're talking UK hitting only one 3-pointer all night, in 10 attempts (Thank you, Ramel Bradley. You kept the streak alive). We're talking 32.7% overall from the field. We're talking UK only getting off 15 shots in the entire first half.

People, we're even talking a Mark Coury special: in eleven minutes played-- 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist. Oh, and let's not forget the 4 personal fouls. Ouch.

It all added up to an embarrassing, nay, humiliating, 93-52 loss. Your halftime score was Vandy 41, Kentucky 11.

Shan Foster went for 20 for the Commodores. A.J. Ogilvy had 19 points, Ross Neltner had 15. Jermaine Beal pitched in another 10. A total of 13 players saw action for Vanderbilt, with 11 of them tallying points. So it was your basic free-for-all. Vandy had a total of 25 points off turnovers. Lay-up line, anyone?

Now, I do seem to remember Patrick picking up a couple of quick fouls in the first half, though he did manage to play 28 minutes and netted10 points. But suffice it to say, this was a horrible mid-February performance for the Cats last season.

Now, I'm really not one for predictions, but I do feel pretty comfortable in saying that Kentucky will not lose by 41 points tomorrow night. How's that for going out on a limb?

So thanks for reading, and please, try to forget all about last year's trip to Nashville and enjoy this year's game... 2/17/09... tip-off is at 9:00pm Eastern on ESPN.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Meeks Destroys Pigs; Drops Another 40+


You just gotta love it when you're watching a game on TV, and late in the first half the production crew is putting up graphics that say:

One of your team's players: X points
Entire other team: Y points

See, it's not even all that important what the exact numbers are, because you figure at that stage everything must be clicking pretty good.

Well, in this case, clicking pretty good might be an understatement. Jodie once again put on quite a show Saturday, and basically ripped the heart out of a Razorback team that (I gotta say it) looked like it had some real quit in 'em. I suppose Jodie will do that to you when he's bombing in those 3-pointers and swiping passes for breakaway opportunities. As his point total kept rising, Arkansas looked more and more lethargic.

You wonder if Danny Fortson is that much more valuable to the Hogs than Patman is for UK. Regardless, we know two Bud Walton Arena records were broken yesterday: the single game point total by Jodie, and the quickest-ever jacket removal by one John Leslie Pelphrey. Coach Pelphrey clocked 0.08 seconds in swiping off his faux Armani in frustration, besting a mark previously held by Nolan Richardson. (Note: some call for an asterisk in this situation, considering Richardson's jacket was reportedly a polyester blend.)

However, Pelphrey's frustration was understandable, given Meeks' getting off to a white-hot start, and that being compounded by Michael Porter knocking down a couple of threes himself in the first half. (Gosh almighty, I just love typing that.) It's just remarkable how much can open up when a defense has to pay a bit of attention to everyone.

Keep it up, Mr. Porter. Nice and easy, just like Jodie...you set those feet, take dead aim, and fire away. Only when you're open now, okay? Nothing stupid. Take what the defense gives you. Sometimes you just gotta launch one... so when you do, just believe in yourself, big guy.

Now, like everyone else, I'm a bit "cornfused" as to why Kevin Galloway rode so much pine this game. Guy plays only 3 minutes after looking like a world-beater against Florida. Once again, we chalk it up to the mysterious Billy Gillispie / Magic 8 Ball substitution pattern.

BG: Should I put Galloway in? (Shake, shake, shake.)
M8Ball: Ask again later.
BG: (Shrugs)

I haven't touched upon the erratic playing time issues too much, but I do think it does very little to help a player's confidence. I'm sure every guy on that roster would like to have a better handle on when they are going to play, at what stretches in the game, basically just know more what to expect, minutes-wise. But all you can do is prepare yourself for anything and recognize that Coach definitely rewards defensive effort and good practice habits. Galloway will surely have more opportunities, and sooner rather than later.

Give Ramon Harris some credit for pulling more than his share of the rebounding load against the Hogs and for contributing another solid, if unspectacular, all-around game.

Overall, I'm very encouraged by this win and the fact that UK did not do anything stupid in terms of rushing Patterson back.

Let him heal. Period.

Reports were that Pat was moving very gingerly, although without a boot or crutches being necessary. I'd prefer the trainers and coach take as much time as needed, especially if it fosters the emergence of a more "opportunistic" scoring mentality amongst the rest of the team. They can't all be like Jodie, of course, but Kentucky certainly needs each of them to augment the attack to the best of their abilities.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Heaven Reports: Keightley Sneezed During Calathes' FT Attempt


Basking in the afterglow today....

  • I still cannot overstate the importance of Big Pat to any real chances of UK making a deep run this year. So suffice it to say that all of my minty fresh breath is being held until I see him at 100% on that ankle. The video replay of that sucker turning looked pretty bad, and obviously the initial shot of pain must have been quite intense based upon his reaction. Patrick: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
  • Speaking of video replays, I totally and completely missed the "stomping" incident during live action and even the first time or two that it was slow-moed by the four-letter-network production team, looking to confirm whether it was a 3-point attempt. Pretty darn good job by the officiating crew there, IMHO. Kudos to Perry for maintaining his composure and basically both teams for keeping their heads on that one. Oftentimes one of those confrontations leads to further ugliness. Kind of a (rhymes with witch) move by Hodge to try and get away with that in the first place.
  • Coach Gillispie once again absolutely nailed that halftime mini-interview, didn't he? Can you tell how much he looks forward to those little dialogues? Jeez. No further comment.
  • Excellent Cameron Mills impersonation by Mike Porter last night. Can you imagine if he became a legitimate threat from long range? Oh my goodness, I just got tiny goose bumps even thinking about it. We've been hearing that he spent so much time in the summer working on that shot, it was great to see him step up with some confidence and act like he really wanted to pull the trigger and expected them to go in.
  • I heard Jimmy Dykes proposed marriage to Nick Calathes' facial expression. What the heck was that all about?
  • Kevin Galloway gets the Blue Grass Chemical Player of the Game Award for his 6 points, 8 boards, 9 assists, (one horrible foul). Kevin gets three used sample pipettes and a cracked Erlenmeyer flask sent to his room at Wildcat Lodge. Congratulations, Kevin!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Meeks' Game-Winning Three Halts UK Skid


clutch [kluhch]


Origin:
1175–1225; ME clucchen, var. of clicchen, OE clyccan to clench

- to seize with or as with the hands or claws; snatch: the bird flew down and clutched its prey

-
to grip or hold tightly or firmly

- a mechanism for readily engaging or disengaging a shaft with or from another shaft or rotating part

- a woman's small purse, normally carried without a strap or handle: she put her lipstick into her clutch

- done or accomplished in a critical situation: the dagger that Jodie Meeks threw in to beat Florida was clutch


Monday, February 9, 2009

Donovan Comes Clean: "I Am Eddie Munster"




After years of speculation, the truth has finally come to light. Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan admitted on Monday that he was, in fact, the childhood actor that played Eddie Munster on the hit TV sitcom, The Munsters.

"I just got tired of living the lie," said Donovan, in a tearful news conference on the Gainesville campus this evening. "It was time to finally get this off my chest. I look at Michael Phelps and what he's gone through this past week, A-Rod spilling the beans to Peter Gammons today, it was just time. They say confession is good for the soul, and I can tell you, it truly is a relief to get this out in the open."

Observers that had closely followed Donovan's career as both a player and coach had always been haunted by the striking physical resemblance. The pasty white skin, receding hairline, and beady, piercing eyes had been what some had characterized as a "dead giveaway" for quite some time.

Donovan's mentor, Herman Munst...*cough*...Rick Pitino responded in a news release: "I support Billy in this decision. He's a great coach, a great family man. But I have to admit, he always seemed a little creepy, even as a college point guard. I'm happy that he's finally been able to clear the air with this admission, so that he can now turn the page and move on."

Florida faces the University of Kentucky on Tuesday night.

Friday, February 6, 2009

A Cupcake Would Be Nice


I realize that scheduling is as much art as it is science. Plenty of planning and logistics are involved-- taking into account conference commitments, arena availability, academic requirements and who knows what all. A Division 1 program has these things laid out months, even years in advance. It takes huge amounts of work and consideration, and we've all known how this season was going to play out (in terms of game dates) since last summer.

But if Kentucky ever needed a cupcake, this weekend would be the time.

By now, you've surely dwelled upon the Cats' losing streak ad nauseam. Consecutive losses to Ole Miss, Alabama, and Mississippi State have Big Blue Nation reeling. What's wrong with Jodie? Why won't Darius (or Michael) take that open three? What does it take to get Coach Gillispie to call a timeout? And so on...

In my mind, it has to be the absolute worst time of the season to take a full week off. Usually at this point, you're getting a mid-week game followed by a weekend game, rinse and repeat. But instead here at the start of February, Kentucky has seven free days between its loss to the Bulldogs and the upcoming showdown with the Gators. An entire week to dissect the losses, fret about rankings, and worry about where this team is headed.

Well, I think it's about 3 or 4 days too much.

You can make a case that UK really needs the practice time. It gives the coaching staff a chance to work on ironing out those offensive kinks and to drill the team further on taking care of the basketball. Maybe they even step away entirely for a day or two to recharge the batteries, just get away from the gym completely (right, fat chance with Coach G in charge).

But what I think the doctor really should have ordered for this weekend was a serious cupcake. A no-doubt-about-it laugher. Somebody, anybody that the Cats could roll big time, to give them a much-needed shot of confidence, get everyone loose again, and try to gather some....cue Austin Powers accent.... mojo for the stretch run.

Why burn up all the Longwoods and Lamars and Tennessee States before Christmas? Save one of 'em for just such an emergency. (NOTE: do not take a chance on a VMI-type here. What you want is somebody more like Fairdale High School.)

Would a bona fide blowout really "fix" everything that appears to be "wrong" with this team? No. Would it be the best preparation for facing Florida come Tuesday night? Also doubtful.

But that's not the point. Even if it only served as a bit of undermanned roadkill, a nice little cupcake this weekend would have provided UK with a chance to blow off some steam, quit "gripping" so fiercely, and remember that basketball is supposed to be fun.

You want to know what's really fun? Beating the h-e-double-l out of somebody at Rupp Arena. But alas, no cupcake for this weekend. It's another 4 days before the Cats can try to get that horrible, losing taste out of their mouths. What a lost weekend.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Losing Streak Reaches Three; Sky Conclusively Falling

Kentucky looked confused, poorly coached, and decidedly befuddled throughout tonight's loss to Mississippi State at Rupp Arena. The start was so bad that Dan-O made a crack that he had already read something about the game already: you know, the one in the news last week where that girl's team lost 100-0. It certainly seemed that way, with the Cats struggling in vain to find the bucket for the first 6 minutes (Doug E. Fresh) of the game.

Gone is the swagger, the confidence that came with the 5 straight wins to start conference play. Replacing it is a tentative, unsure approach that has me concerned about where this team is truly headed. A home loss of this magnitude must serve as a wake-up call from the head coach on down to the team water boy.

Granted, State was simply lights out from 3-point range tonight, and not all of that can be written off to poor defending. More than a few of those treys were of the borderline "ridiculous" variety... but that's no excuse for not ensuring that every one of those attempts was challenged. UK did a less-than stellar job (to be kind) of stepping out and getting a hand in the face of the Bulldogs' sharpshooters. Ravern Johnson in particular was making it rain in Lexington, and the basket had to seem huge for everybody wearing a maroon jersey.

Just as disquieting was the Kentucky attack this evening, with players still demonstrating a poor understanding of their offensive roles and recognition of how to create high-percentage looks. Jodie Meeks has apparently been hit with kryptonite, turning in a 6 for 15 evening and looking awfully pedestrian during the current skid.

I truly wonder at this stage whether that 54-point blowup Meeks had in Knoxville has hindered the team's progress. Might it have been better if he scored say, 42 points in a Cats' win and therefore allowed himself and the team to stay a bit more under the radar? Personally, I loved Jodie having that huge night and Kentucky reaping the subsequent media attention, but I do think it's changed not only the way other teams defend UK, but also slowed some of the offensive development of other UK players. We've got too many reluctant shooters and a categorically timid approach right now.

The only encouraging spurt from UK was mid-second half, when they were able to put together a few stops and cut the deficit to three points near the 10 minute mark. However, the Bulldogs did not rattle. (Rupp Arena itself used to rattle opponents, right? It wasn't that long ago, was it?) State simply relied on their all-too-easy dribble penetration and hot outside shooting to close the game out.

So now comes a full week without a game. Seven days to pore over video and probably seven thousand theories of how to "fix" the Cats and get things back on track. Expect no mercy from Florida or the remaining conference slate. As bad as the Big Blue looked tonight, Coach G and his staff have their work cut out for them.