UK Gets Even with UGA. Barely.

The Wildcats are not nerds.

I don't care what you think about Doron "Lambda Lambda Lamb's" headgear.

And the Cats held on yesterday to avenge their loss to the Bulldogs back on January 8th, although the second half did carry a very strong aura of pocket protector.

You know what we do with wins around here? We take 'em.

Cats Kick Roosters On The Road

UK's win over the other USC on Saturday has to fall under the category of "much needed". The young Kentucky squad had Big Blue Nation in a near-panic after two road losses in SEC play. But a big scoring effort from Brandon Knight, some hella-jams from Terrence Jones, and the emergence (re-emergence? cameo appearance?) from Darius Miller all spelled victory away from Rupp Arena for the first time this season in conference play. Kentucky now stands at 15-4 overall.

First of all, we thank dear God in heaven that Devan Downey is no longer a Gamecock. He is not missed by this blogger. Not at all. Devan Downey played a total of 7 and a half full seasons for South Carolina, and reportedly Darrin Horn is doing his best to try to get him another 5 years of eligibility. When I heard that Downey was playing professionally in Turkey, I thought somebody was trying to play some kind of cruel joke on Enes Kanter, but apparently it's true.

Without Downey, South Carolina looked far less fierce. Kentucky got off to a fairly good start and was able to quiet the camouflage-clad student section-- and really, the arena looked like it had plenty of blue sprinkled throughout. Sam Muldrow had a couple of freaky-nice dunks himself which produced a good reaction, but otherwise the Gamecock faithful must have been saving most of their enthusiasm for the half-time appearance of Steve Spurrier. *pukes*

But that's one secret of road play that hopefully the Cats have begun to figure out: the first 5 minutes are so important to setting the tone. If you can get your offensive rhythm, get a few stops early (perhaps even build a modest lead), then the home crowd is far less apt to be a factor. Keep 'em quiet until at least the first TV timeout and you're well on your way. Kentucky had a 10 point lead at the half.

Of course, good teams are going to eventually make their runs, and SC did an admirable job of hanging around and even threatening late in the game. The Cats however knocked down free throws in the last couple of minutes and did not entirely succumb to the pressure. Knight was 9 of 10 from the line on the day, Lamb 7 for 8, and Miller was perfect on 3 attempts.

It would have been a very long week around here if UK had dropped another roadie. I'm not gonna lie. Instead, we get to think about how this team can close out January with a revenge win over Georgia at Rupp, and hopefully ponder the growing maturity that the squad is starting to show. UK has 5 more road games in SEC play.

Digesting The Loss To 'Bama

Alright, so I've given it 24 hours, and what can we conclude?

• If every other UK fan vacates the Fox & Hound premises early in the second half, it's probably not going so great for the Cats.
  
• If Coach Cal is calling out Terrence Jones, loudly, very profanely, and most importantly-- in a very public way-- you can bet he was more than a little displeased by the freshman's performance. (How long until we see the first t-shirt that proudly says "Selfish Mother..."?)
  
• Speaking of freshman, if you've got two of them closing out games in your backcourt, it's probably a good idea to make sure they both know EXACTLY what their responsibilities are on a late possession. Maybe you have to repeat yourself slowly during the timeout, or scribble it twice on the greaseboard, but you have to get it through to them: "Guys, here's what I want to see on this play."
• Do not take free throws for granted. Missing 7 in the second half is like physically burning money....picture a nice little stack of $100 bills, soaked in lighter fluid, right over a lit match..... POOF! You gotta have those freebies.
  
• Eloy Vargas. Ugh.
• Division I Men's NCAA basketball games are regulation 40 minutes. I triple-checked this one. It's pretty clear. They don't let you just play 15 or 20 and call it a game. 40 minutes, guys. 40.
• Going zone is not a crime. It can be quite refreshing for a change. Just mix it up a little, keep the other guy guessing. If you're not stopping them anyway, then what's the harm? Just for a few minutes. Not a crime.
• This team will not get anywhere playing as individuals. And they do have several great individuals. Or perhaps I should say individuals who have demonstrated some greatness at times. The point is, they need to concentrate on the collective now. Both ends of the court.
  
• I would NOT want to be a UK player participating in that practice today. Cal's one word prediction was, "Brutal."
  
• Apparently Tennessee players are allowed by SEC officials to go explicitly, indisputably over the back for game-winning garbage baskets if necessary. I saw it myself on replay 8 or 10 times now.
  

So let's turn the page and look forward to a win for the Cats in Columbia on Saturday.

Better Sleep On It

Very tough loss tonight for UK, dropping this one to the Crimson Tide (in Tuscaloosa) 68-66.

All credit to Alabama, but I'm a little upset, and I consider this to have been a VERY winnable game. I really think Coach Cal was not at his best tonight, along with some individual players-- which I suppose is clear considering the results.

But I'm going to sleep on this one, with it being a late game, and I may even watch it again on my DVR before giving further comment.

BIG BLUE will always prevail in the end....let's just get some Z's for now...

Get Well Soon, Patrick

You may have picked this up on KSR or A Sea of Blue, but apparently Patrick Patterson has been battling some flu-like symptoms. Patrick is one of the Whisperer's all-time favorite Wildcats, so as a Houstonian it was spectacularly groovy to see him drafted by the Rockets.

Patrick is said to be doing much better, but here is the original AP story as shown in the hometown Houston Chronicle....

ATLANTA — Houston rookie Patrick Patterson returned home on the Rockets' charter flight Saturday night, a few hours after chest pains and congestion forced him to leave Philips Arena in an ambulance.

Team spokesman Bob Schranz said preliminary tests on Patterson, the NBA's No. 14 overall draft pick, were precautionary and revealed no problems other than flulike symptoms.

Patterson was taken to Piedmont Hospital, but was not admitted. The Rockets, who host Milwaukee on Monday, are listing Patterson as day-to-day.

The former Kentucky standout played 3 minutes, 54 seconds of the second quarter, scoring six points as a reserve in Houston's 112-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks. He did not return for the third quarter, leaving downtown in an ambulance after the medical staff at Philips Arena decided he should undergo further tests.

Schranz said Patterson and the Rockets' staff discussed his flulike symptoms before the game.

Patterson has been with Houston since getting recalled from Rio Grande Valley of the NBA Development League on Dec. 13.

Kentucky Beat LSU So Bad....

....Les Miles decided to eat the remaining grass on the sidelines of Tiger Stadium.

...the Hornets announced that they want to follow the Jazz to Utah.

...Shaq said he was more embarrassed by the loss than he was by "Kazaam".

...that Dale Brown got a technical for complaining about the popcorn at Rupp Arena. (Nice seeing Dale again, wasn't it? You wonder what he talks about with Joe B. Hall.)

Anyway.

Kentucky beat LSU so bad...that the French were glad they sold everything to Thomas Jefferson.

...gumbo called in sick today.

...Saints fans were offering paper bags to LSU students.

...Bourbon Street actually smelled like bourbon instead of...well...you know....

...and finally...

Kentucky beat LSU so bad...Chris Jackson converted to Islam.

Loss to Dogs: Unsettling

I'm not ready to go threat level red or anything. There's plenty of time to panic later. Heck, the artist formerly known as Danno is predicting that the Cats are going to run the table the rest of the way. (You heard it here first.) So it's hardly the end of the world.

However....the word I'm going with to describe UK's loss to Georgia (in opening SEC play on Saturday) is simply...unsettling. Like when you have a churning stomach. That slight nausea from a bad meal or a crazy amusement park ride. You probably don't have anything life-threatening, but that doesn't mean you don't feel like puking.

Kentucky did show a dab of fortitude in clawing back to a tie, and brief lead, in the second half. Terrence Jones somehow wound up with 24 (garbage) points. Josh again had double-digit rebounds (11). But when it came down to "winnin' time", as Magic Johnson likes to call it, Georgia asserted itself and continued to find its way to the free-throw line.

And at the free-throw line, Georgia absolutely buried the Cats.

30 for 34?! Craziness. I thought I was watching my little brother play Pop-A-Shot at Chuck E. Cheese. . I think the Bulldogs hit another 20 or so while I was sitting in church this morning! Don't you hate when teams do that to UK? A 60% team from the line all the sudden becomes a roster full of Mark Prices.

But that's how it goes. Coach Cal said as much...Kentucky should always expect to get everybody's "A" game, and he wants his young team to be better prepared for it. Cal was absolutely right to criticize UK's toughness, or lack thereof, in Athens. "Guys were shooting fall-away 1-footers." Somebody-- I won't say who, but his name rhymes with "carry us"-- put up a 2 for 11 game, plus a mere 4 rebounds, in 32 minutes of play. Unsettling.

Five Wildcats also fouled out. So there's that depth thing going on. And Enes Kanter isn't walking through that door, courtesy of the NCAA's double-final, we-really-mean-it ruling (no further comment.)

Not to mention Georgia won the battle on the boards 41-37, and they aren't what I'd call a huge team. There was a lot of tapping and poking at the ball from the Big Blue side, and not enough strong vertical leaping with two hands extended to really CLAIM the ball.

But going back to Cal's post-game comments again, he made the statement that Georgia wanted the game more. UK allowed them 48% from the field in the first half, and from what I saw the Cats did not look very interested in competing until after the break.

Brandon Knight had a very poor game-- what you might call a non-factor type of game-- especially in the sense of keeping his teammates focused in the half court offense, and setting the tone with a high intensity level throughout. Unsett....well, you get the picture.

Fortunately, it's a quick turnaround, with Auburn visiting Lexington on Tuesday. So I will leave it at that.

Go Cats. Beat the Cam Newtons.

Still Basking In The Aftermath

For the most part, I'm not one to gloat. It's just not my style.

If you play enough games, you're gonna win some-- hopefully a very high percentage of them-- but you're also going to lose some.

But dang, that win over the Dirty Cards was pretty sweet! It really was. Admit it. Kentucky just looked SO good in dismantling Rick Pitino's squad, on their brand new floor, and pretty much made them like it. Louisville really had no answer this year.

So in celebration, I offer today another little video clip for your viewing pleasure. You might recognize this joint; it is also currently used during team introductions at Rupp Arena. It's DJ Khaled and company, "All I Do Is Win".

Not everyone's cup of tea perhaps: it's heavy on cars, bling, and video vixens. But if you can ignore the U. of Miami reference-- courtesy of my man Snoop (cue Frank the Tank, shouting "Snoop-A-Loop!")-- and you don't mind a little MTV-approved eye candy, then I just can't think of a better song to gloat to....

Knight Comes Up Aces Vs. Cards

It was certainly a team win, UK's 78-63 victory over Louisville in the Yum(!/?) Center on Friday. And while Josh Harrellson is getting the lion's share of credit for putting together a career game against U of L, it was the quiet assassin Brandon Knight that was the straw stirring the Big Blue drink.

Knight had 25 points, and he put them up on the board in a particularly efficient manner. You probably remember the three-pointers. He was 4 for 6--and certainly Clark and Gus would love to remind you of Mr. Knight's "beautiful form"-- but I was probably more impressed by his free throw shooting (7 for 8) and above all, the way he simply managed the pace of the game.

Yes, points are nice. You gotta have 'em. But as Harrellson's emergence showed yesterday, points can occasionally come from some very surprising quarters. More than a few of Josh's buckets came off exquisitely run half-court sets that produced either lobs or back doors from Knight, or passes out of double-teams by Terrence Jones. Those points were a direct result of the Cats controlling tempo, and not settling for quick jumpers or forcing the issue in fast break scenarios.

It was brilliant coaching by John Calipari, and it was Brandon Knight at the control switch, runnin' thangs. He was credited with 4 assists on the day, and the 5 turnovers we will put off partly as freshman jitters early, and also give some slight credit to the Louisville defense for occasionally making a play. Overall, Knight did a wonderful job of keeping UK settled and focused on sharing the ball, and he looked far more like an upperclassman than an 18 year old.

This is not to diminish what Josh accomplished in scoring 23 points and cleaning off 14 boards, but most fans would recognize that it was a conscious decision by Louisville to make someone other than Jones (or Knight) beat them. UK shared the ball just like a veteran team should, and I see a whole lot of potential for these games where a "non-scorer" comes up big in the conference schedule. That would mainly be Josh or DeAndre (both of whom would flinch at the tag), but that's why it's so important for Knight to continue to develop his point guard instincts throughout the next couple of months.

And Kentucky absolutely looked like a team that could make a deep run this season... a very uplifting way to enter 2011. Happy New Year.