Absorbing A Second Loss

All right, so I gave it a full day (and a half), trying to simmer down a little. Had myself a pretty decent weekend otherwise, the weather was great, had some fun with the family and all that stuff. Took a virtual chill pill. But I gotta say I'm still a little peeved about the Cats losing to Tennessee.

Mainly because it was Tennessee, I guess.

Objectively, there's not a whole lot to be ashamed about, losing to the 19th ranked team in the country on their home floor-- a team that had knocked off #1 Kansas earlier in the season. And sure, UK was coming off the quick turnaround of late Thursday to early Saturday, having avenged their only previous loss of the season to the "other" USC.

But man, you have got to show up a little better than that if you're Kentucky. No excuses. Potential clincher for the conference title on the line. National CBS coverage. On a day that the #1 Jayhawks took another "L" themselves. You knew that Knoxville was gonna be extremely hostile and the Sweaty One, Bruce Pearl, would be pulling out all the stops, including but not limited to, the day-glo sportscoat.

You just can't dig that deep of a first-half hole for yourself. That would be the main takeaway from this one. A certain former UK coach used to say, "When you lose, don't lose the lesson." And we all know how young these Wildcats are, but they must recognize that it is imperative to keep a team from running away from you to that extent. Nobody's 19 points better than UK this year.

So even when you can't buy a shot and aren't catching any breaks, you have too find a way to keep things reasonable on the scoreboard, confident that you will eventually make a run and get back into it.

And certainly, I was encouraged that the Cats did just that. They clawed right back and managed to tie it. They showed some grit and intensity in the second half. Absolutely. But they left themselves no margin for error... and in classic SEC rival form, a native of the Commonwealth makes the big shot to seal the deal against UK. Take a bow, Mr. Hopson. Now go jump in whatever the heck that river is that runs by your orange-infested campus.

Now seriously, am I apoplectic over this setback? Hardly. Some might even argue that this was a good loss that will sharpen the team's focus as the calendar turns to March. (Try telling it to Dan-O...."good loss" Ha!) But I was disappointed that at this stage, UK tried to simply mail it in, especially defensively. Way too much matador action yesterday. Mildly disturbing.

Must.... chill.....27-2......#1 seed still in sight...

Payback Is A (Something That Rhymes With "Witch")

Say, can anybody tell me where Darrin Horn is from? No? Whether he might have any Kentucky connections? At all? Anybody? Hmmm...maybe next time ESPN should mention something about his background, oh I don't know, maybe about forty-six times or so. Can never have enough of that story line. No sir.

(NOTE: I like Darrin. I really do. I've made that known. Hell, I even like Devan Downey. I think he's a nice player-- a gunner, to be sure-- but fun to watch from an objective point of view, pulling for the lil' guy. The problem is that for every deeeep three or crazy layup that he makes, he also bricks something from 24 ft. that he shouldn't be shooting. They don't tend to show those on the highlights. But we're not here to talk about Devan Downey.)

No, I'd much rather pontificate on how the Kentucky Wildcats brought the heat in turning in their 27th victory on the season, avenging...well, you know....that one little blemish. The Good Lord saith that revenge is His, and I always let him have it, but Big Blue just absolutely had to get 'em some in Rupp....to the tune of about 20 points by the time it was totaled.

Defense tonight was pretty good, I'd say. Yes, Downey got his, as he always does (26 points, on a whopping 25 shots). But when these Cats get serious about clamping down, they tend to put together the runs that ultimately make the difference. There was a rather extended stretch in the first half, where, as I like to put it, South Carolina just got "stuck" on 23. UK just decided to really get some stops, to make SC really work for their offensive looks, and there just wasn't much the Roosters could do about it.

(NOTE TWO: How many points would Patrick Patterson wind up with if he took 25 shots? Patrick had a tremendous game and more than atoned for his poor outing in Columbia three weeks ago.)

And sure, Cousins was certainly his beastly self tonight, making a spin move dunk that had me jumping off the couch. He notched yet another double-double and had Dickie V raving about his potential as a pro. Magic Johnson also had nice things to say about Cousins, and especially about John Wall. What I found most interesting was that Magic stressed how "cool" they both seemed, for lack of a better term-- that the freshman weren't allowing the hype to get to them, or wear them down, and that they were managing to exceed the high expectations. Not just the talent, but it was the attitude was what impressed him.

(NOTE THREE: Magic's put on a few, but that was a sweet purple-checked shirt he was wearing. I'm totally gonna wear mine to the office sometime next week.)

I really thought Kentucky might run away with it early, since they jumped out quick for a change. Kind of nice to play with an early lead, right guys? But credit to Horn's team for settling down and making at least a contest of it. That "points in the paint" graphic that the Worldwide Leader kept showing was really the story of this one, IMO. Daniel Orton provided some good minutes off the bench, and really, who can match up with Coach Cal's frontcourt when everybody is clicking?

It will be a quick turnaround with the early start Saturday vs. the Tennessee Gangst...excuse me...Volunteers, so I do hope that the young Cats get plenty of beauty sleep tonight and Friday. No Two Keys, tonight fellas, okay? I really expect that to be a tough one in the building that Pat Summitt built, and I do still think UK looks a bit tired (another missed dunk by Patrick and I'm gonna seriously rob a liquor store).

An Exclusive Interview With John Wall's Shooting Sleeve

You know exactly where to come when you need a hard-hitting, ground-breaking, investigative interview with a notable inanimate object connected with UK basketball. And this time, we've got something special...

Wildcat Whisperer: Thanks for joining us, John Wall's Shooting Sleeve.
John Wall's Shooting Sleeve: No problem, thanks for having me.

WW: So, what should I call you, just.... Sleeve?
JWSS: Yeah, sure. Some people call me Double-S, or Sleevey, but yeah Sleeve is cool.

WW: Please tell us a little about yourself. What's your background?
JWSS: Well, I'm a Nike product, of course, so I'm from Oregon...what? What's so funny?

WW: (chuckling, resisting Mitch Barnhart joke) Oh, nothing...go on.....Oregon?
JWSS: Yeah, well, not really from Oregon, but I guess you could say I was designed there. My earliest memories are actually from a textile factory across the Pacific, quite a long way from Oregon, if you now what I mean.

WW: I see... and you are made from what, exactly?
JWSS: Well, most of my siblings are 84% DRI-Fit polyester and 16% spandex, but since I'm John Wall's shooting sleeve, I'm actually a proprietary blend of 100% awesome.

WW: I'll say.
JWSS: Yeah, it's good to be me.

WW: Can you shed a little light on what it is that you do for John, exactly?
JWSS: Well, not a whole lot, to be honest. I squeeze his magic right arm a little bit. Provide some padding. Bring a little more blue and white into the mix, I suppose. But John really does all of the work. I'm just a little extra support is all.

WW: Uh-huh. Well, a lot of readers want to know...are you concealing anything under there? Some scars, perhaps? A tattoo?
JWSS: Oh man, John would probably kill me if he knew I was telling you this, but yeah, there's a tat on there, just a little slogan on his right forearm.

WW: No way! What does it say?
JWSS: It says, "Duke Sucks". (Pause.) Just kidding, man. Had you going there for a second, didn't I?

WW: Ha ha, verrry funny. But I guess a sense of humor is valuable in your line of work?
JWSS: Yeah, I mean imagine if it had to spell out Krzyzewski...(pause)....anyway..... if you want to talk valuable, sleeves like me are actually available for under 20 bucks online. They've been flying off the shelves, too.

WW: Do you figure that's because of their association with the so-called Basketball Jesus?
JWSS: Well, you know, lots of guys are wearing them now. Bledsoe has one too, Patrick sometimes, and of course plenty of NBA guys, so it's not just J-Dub.

WW: Yeah, but your man Wall is white-hot these days....SI cover...player of the year candidate....
JWSS: Oh sure, but it's all deserved, is it not? You saw the Miami game, right? Season opener in Rupp, true freshman nails the buzzer-beater? And how many players have the skills and the cojones...can I say cojones?
WW: You just did.
JWSS: ...the cojones to pull off that defensive stop at Vanderbilt. The kid's big time. Cal knows it. Even LeBron knows it. (More of a headband guy, than a sleeve guy, but still. Gotta respect LeBron.)

WW: Yeah, I suppose we could talk all day about the phenom. What's been your favorite game, or highlight so far?
JWSS: Well, that reverse lob dunk against Hartford was pretty sweet. And then the left-handed throwdown on IU was all kinds of nasty, too (although the left arm is bare, if I can just point that out) but really, the best thing about the kid is that I always feel like the NEXT game could be even better. He could still get that triple-double, that 30-point game, that jaw-dropping, did-he-really-just-do-that kind of highlight on any particular night. Fact is, I don't think John has peaked as a college player yet, and I don't think the team has peaked yet either. Feelin' me?

WW: (suppressing fit of pure, unadulterated joy) Yeah, Sleeve, I'm feelin' you. I believe you're absolutely right. We're all looking forward to March in the Big Blue Nation, that's for sure. So is there anything else you'd like to say before we let you go?
JWSS: Yeah, there is. And I'm glad to be able to get this out in the open. You know The Dance? The one everybody's doing now? Totally my idea.

WW: Seriously?
JWSS: Yeah man, think about it. You put that arm up there and make the fist and start twisting back and forth...what's that focus on? What's the first thing you're gonna notice about a guy doing that?

WW: His sleeve?
JWSS: Exactly!

WW: Well, thanks again for stopping by.
JWSS: You got it, man. Peace.

photo credit: Walter Cornett

Another Great Escape

They just keep doing it. This young, at times extremely immature Kentucky team continues to find ways to snatch victory from the jaws of you-know-what.

Turnovers can't stop them. Missed free throws can't stop them. Abysmal shooting (36%? Really?) and even silly technical fouls (we're looking at you, Mr. Bledsoe) can't stop them.

And perhaps most importantly, a picture-perfect length of the floor inbounds play at the buzzer on Saturday, could not stop them. Sure, that Ogilvy shot would have only been for the tie.....but every UK fan knows exactly what memorable play that long pass, catch, and shoot was reminiscent of. So....let's change the subject.

Hey, how about the Patrick Patterson renaissance? It's great, isn't it? Big Pat's three from the corner was probably the play of the game. (Although Wall blocking a Vandy shot, and then pulling it down to get the the free throw line was pretty brassy, too.) Anyway, Patrick put up 13 and 13 this evening, and it was a steady, heady, upperclassman-in-charge type of performance, IMO. Sure, he got a little flustered and slammed the ball to the floor (after that mild tussle with a Commodore in the second half)-- but dang it, Patrick CARES!

I kinda like Mad Patrick. He could really be awesome. Gotta work on the hops though, Pat. (Maybe the guy's a little tired?) Long season. So get some of your spring back, big fella. No more missed dunks, k?

Truth be told, Kentucky seemed awfully ripe in Nashville. I believe the Cats could have absolutely been had, and Coach Stallings has to feel like his squad let one get away. But I suppose the so-called Memorial Magic wasn't fully effective this season-- leaving a lot of very strange gold-painted persons (and one really big dude in a military uniform) extremely disappointed. The way UK was shooting it from the floor today, coupled with how the free throws weren't falling either, left the Cats as vulnerable as they are likely to be for any particular game.

This season's Five is certainly much more of the Fiddlin' variety, but all ugliness aside, Cal and Co. get another big conference road win, and you just can't argue with the results.

Little-Known Facts About Vanderbilt's Memorial Gymnasium

Okay, I'm not gonna lie. This game at Vandy on Saturday scares me a bit. They have a solid team, they will of course be jacked up like Robin Williams on three Red Bulls, and they have that stupid stinkin' gym working for them. But I did manage to uncover a few items about the place that I hope you might find intriguing....


* The facility holds approximately 14,000 people, of which 13,988 are country music lovers.

* As freshman, all Vanderbilt players are given special instructions for locating the dead spots in the floor and avoiding the indoor air currents that are used to deflect opponents' shots.

* The playing surface is made from rejected wood that was deemed unsuitable for Cornelius Vanderbilt's coffin.

* This floor is polished with the same brand of wax paste that Kevin Stallings uses to shine his forehead.

* Vanderbilt's all time leader in blocked shots, Will Perdue, proposed to his girlfriend at halfcourt of Memorial Gymnasium during the Tennessee game in 1986. She said no.

* The lights are dimmed during game play to give AJ Ogilvy a more dramatic background for his frosted tips.

* Former Kentucky player/athletic director and former Vanderbilt coach, C.M. Newton, was once quoted as saying the place smelled a little bit like a pair of his old Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

* After beating Vandy on a last second runner in '98, Kentucky's Nazr Mohammed fell from the court, breaking his leg. He then shouted "Sic semper tyrannis" before hobbling to the locker room.

* Nashville locals often refer to the gym as "The Lil' Opry".

* A 2002 facility renovation, tabbed at $25 million, did not expand the women's restroom facilities. In fact, no public arena ever has enough women's restroom facilities. Federal law.

* Memorial Gymnasium-- the building itself-- hated Saul Smith, too.

Trio of Double-Doubles Needed for UK Win in Starkville

(Admit it, this picture makes you a little hungry.) Jarvis Varnado finally met his match, with three Wildcat amigos notching at least 18 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson combined to ensure that all was right in the SEC basketball world as Kentucky snapped a recent Mississippi State bugaboo with its 81-76 overtime win.

Varnado, who fouled out, was unable to re-create his famous Gillispie-era block party and was close to a non-factor in only 23 minutes of play. Perhaps predictably, it was Big Cuz who was the main beneficiary of Varnado's absence, leading the Cats with 19 points and 14 boards. Maybe someone should scatter Cousins' cell phone number around Vanderbilt's campus for the rest of the week.

State came in with the greenest of all lights from three-point land, attempting 35 treys in all, and fortunately for Kentucky, making only 10 (28.6%). Kentucky also enjoyed a very wide overall rebounding margin of 52-35, which led to a lot of put-backs for the Big Blue and limited the Bulldog's own second-chance opportunities. Even Liggins, Dodson, and Orton pulled down 4 rebounds each-- and the Cats were certainly in need of every possession as the game required an extra period to decide a victor.

Rick Stansbury sounded so dejected on his post-game radio show that I almost, almost, felt a bit sorry for him. The Bulldogs were playing their third game in only six days and fell to 6-5 in the SEC. Stansbury lamented the fact that his home fans had to leave disappointed after creating such a great environment and cheering their hearts out for the nationally-televised game. He was heartbroken that State had several empty possessions at the end of regulation that could have closed it out.

To which I say: Silly rabbit, wins are for Cats.

If you've been watching Cal's team all season, you had to feel this was the type of contest that UK has learned to pull out. Yeah, they mess around too much, and I for one, (although I'm most assuredly not alone) hate it. These Cats play down to their competition at times, and I've criticized it (you know, like last week). They do act like a young team, no argument about it. But you know, twenty-five in the "W" column doesn't come by accident. That's TWENTY-FIVE and counting.

Did UK hit every single free throw down the stretch and in OT? No. Did they get themselves a really great shot at the end of regulation? Nah. Silly turnovers? More than a few.

But they did get enough from the charity stripe (attempting 15 more than the Dogs.) And DeAndre Liggins surely could have made that baseline "J" and saved us 5 more minutes of nail-biting. (Not that I'm against free basketball and pushing back SportsCenter to get some additional coverage).

Put it this way: if you told me that Kentucky could get another 6-point road win at Vandy this weekend, I'd take it all day long. Nice win.

And if you'll allow me a brief personal note in closing: my good friend and fellow UK alum Paul experienced a horrible family loss earlier this week and I just want to send him my condolences. He is somebody who encourages me all the time, has read this little blog from the start, and I really just want him to know that he has my fullest support and sympathy. Hang in there, PA.

Does #2 Need to Try Harder?

The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats defeated Alabama by a score of 66-55 in Rupp Arena Tuesday night, in an effort that I will kindly refer to as "workmanlike". The current ESPN/USA Today poll has UK trailing only Kansas in the national rankings (third in the AP), but the Cats displayed their frustrating, if not infuriating, tendency to let opposing teams linger-- prior to finishing off the Crimson Tide in the second half.

In being held to only 66 points at home, and once again putting in an especially tepid start (NOT THAT I COULD SEE IT, ESPNU-- gotta take care of all those George Mason fans, right?) Kentucky opens itself up to rightful criticism that it doesn't fully focus when playing squads that are lower on the food chain.

We've seen it several times this season of course, and most recently the sloppy beginning at LSU makes for a good example, but perhaps it's not entirely fair to fault UK for not always slamming the door shut earlier. After all, the Wildcat faithful are always quick to point out that opponents usually bring their "A" or even "A+" games when they face the seven-time national champs. And we're talking about playing in a BCS conference (albeit more known for the pigskin) with rosters full of legitimate Division I talent. You can't blow them all out by 30 and scorch the earth in the process.

And yet, that is exactly what I want, and undoubtedly what you want as a Kentucky fan, too. It's in our blood.

We could discuss expectations 'til the cows come home, but I do sincerely feel that the '09-'10 Cats are prone to spells of disinterest when playing lesser teams such as the current 'Bama squad. I don't pin this on a true lack of effort per se, but more of a proclivity to play slightly less aggressive defense while ahead, coupled with a strange aversion to making the simple or basic basketball play on the offensive end...and favoring the more spectacular play.

If you're counting, that's two games in a row for a behind the back layup move by John Wall. And yes, they are admittedly fun to see on the highlights. But can we also cut out some of the turnovers, please? Not all of them are of the forced variety, after all.

So yeah, DeMarcus Cousins tossed in his seventh double-double in a row, UK goes to 8-1 in the conference, Wall himself had 10 rebounds.... and here I am, picking nits. I guess it's a tradition going back to when? The Alex Groza days? But I just really feel like this could be an extra-special team. And at the end of the year, I don't want Kansas, or Syracuse or anybody else ahead of UK. That means Coach Cal is going to have to stay on the young'uns to keep "grinding" (his words) more effectively and not take 3-4 minute breathers when the game is still undecided.

As demonstrated in this win, you can get away with it at home in February, but I'd rather not see it come tournament time.

Monday Night Gumbo

Highlighting a weekend trip to Baton Rouge to view the Cats live and in person for only the second time this season....(I witnessed the Hartford game in Rupp back in December, notable only for J. Wall breaking the UK single-game assist record)....apparently, there was some kind of NFL football thing going on that had the local cajuns a little excited...

*You know Kentucky's off to a slow start when your son asks, "Dad, are they gonna get more than one today?" and you can tell he halfway means it.

*Catching the recorded version back at home this evening, it truly was hard to believe that about nine minutes into this one, UK had only a 12-10 lead. Considering the final score, I don't think the Tigers knew what hit them.

*It was nice that Perry Stevenson at least got some minutes (and a bucket), being a Lafayette native who undoubtedly had plenty of family and friends present at the game.

*Also present was one Durand "Rudy" Macklin, who had his jersey retired at halftime by LSU; Macklin gave a very nice speech that showed a true humility and grace--mentioning former teammates, coaches and of course, his parents. Class act. But it probably wouldn't have killed them to keep the house lights on for the ceremony, because the inadequate spotlights cast a very strange pall over the proceedings.

*Darius Miller turned in another uhhh...unremarkable performance. Put me in the VERY concerned camp here. 17 minutes, 1 shot? I like the 3 boards and 3 assists, but that's not what I think Cal is looking for from Mr. Miller. I'll leave it to the speculators to figure out what's going on there, but we all know that the former Mr. Basketball is severely underperforming.

*Also, I was not very impressed with Tas Mitchell on Saturday. Credit to Patrick Patterson and UK's team defense for keeping him off kilter, but usually a player of Mitchell's caliber will manage to "get his" even in blowouts, and yet he was held to only 10 on the day. The guy settled for a lot of threes.

*A fairly tepid crowd IMO at the Maravich Assembly Center. The students did manufacture a bit of spirit with the random assortment of large craniums and a couple of crazy costumes. But you can tell that's a football school. Even with the early lead, you could sense the Bayou faithful weren't really buying in...and given their team's winless conference record, it's tough to blame them.

*Big Blue, on the other hand, always manages to get into the building, doesn't it? And Big Blue makes its presence felt. Road games, conference road games, neutral site, tournament, no matter. I figure if the university scheduled the Martian All-Stars to a home-and-home, the UK faithful would fill at least 20% of the Red Planet Coliseum. (And probably gripe about the drink prices.)

*The Mike the Tiger exhibit was very cool. Gotta give credit there. Money well spent to give your school's live mascot a sweet place to hang out and be seen by the fans. Mike was actually up and pacing around for a change, really showing off and relishing his own tigerness. And honestly overall, the LSU fans were quite nice to me. Again, I hear football would be a much different story.

*I hate to say it, but it looked like Wall could have been called for traveling on that behind the back layup move. However, that's one of those calls that superstars are never whistled on, and who knows what's traveling anymore these days? One-two-shuffle-step and jump? It was a beautiful and creative basketball play regardless. And Mr. Wall has a penchant for those.

*Big Cuz remains the Eighth Wonder this season. Just a massive guy that has agility and coordination that is so uncommon. That little flying tip-in was amazing. I think Trent Johnson's team was more than a little awestruck by DeMarcus. Well, it was either that, or Bobby C's beard.....both are true forces of nature.

*And finally, I also reviewed the tape that the refs were checking out when DeMarcus inadvertently clocked (insert random LSU player name here) on a rebound. I saw nothing intentional at all, and figured those Arcadians wouldn't have such a big issue with a little "elbeaux."

GO CATS!