Kentucky 62, Ohio State 60

Such a great game. Not the prettiest perhaps, but really an instant classic if you're a UK fan.

This matchup absolutely had me concerned. How could it not? With Ohio State sporting a gaudy record, a number 1 seed, only twice beaten this season. It looked awfully tough on paper.

But jeez I am so proud of how UK faced up to these guys. Josh Harrellson was every bit the player of "All-Everything" Jared Sullinger for one night. He played such a tough game, but also a very smart one. No stupid fouls for Josh, and he didn't get crazy with his shot selection. Just a super effort for Jorts. He even took a guy off the dribble for crying out loud!

Brandon Knight: take a bow, son. Outstanding clutch jumper for the win. He's getting that knack at the end of games for coming up with a play that needs to be punctuated by a magician's cry of "TA - DA!"....and for my next trick...

The team defense was just stellar, holding the Buckeyes to 33% and blocking a bunch of shots in a rather forceful manner. It was a scrum out there at times, but the Big Blue was absolutely game for a little contact and hand-checking. Not a Sweet 16 contest for the faint-hearted. I expected Liggins to be on Diebler, but you gotta love how it worked out with Cal's defensive game plan.

I may try to watch this one again in the morning after some sleep and some coffee. But it will be very peaceful, happy sleep.

Sixteen Late Thursday Thoughts

1. I believe that Kentucky can beat Ohio State, and I really hope that everybody in UK's locker room believes the same. You gotta believe.
   
2. Congratulations, Billy Gillispie. Texas Tech should be a perfect fit. Put the Dr. Pepper on ice out there in Lubbock.
3. I hated to see Jimmer go out of the tournament this evening, but I'm glad for the SEC that Florida is still around. Not glad for Florida necessarily, but glad for the conference.
4. I agree with Darrin Horn: You have to take away the Buckeyes' three-point shooters and hope that Sullinger doesn't absolutely maul you in the paint. Josh has his work cut out for him, and Eloy Vargas better use all 5 fouls, if you know what I mean.
   
5. IF the Cats win, I hope nobody freaks out like it's the upset of the century. We are Kentucky. And there would be three more games to win in order to hang another championship banner in Rupp's rafters.
6. Big ups to Chuck Hayes for his first career triple-double vs. Golden State last night. I saw quite a bit of that game and he had me worried that he might get stuck on 9 points. Make your free throws, Chuck! It's a whole lot easier that way.
   
7. Safe travels to Danno-- I hope you enjoy your stay in The Garden State, and I hope you don't come back to Texas until late Sunday night.
8. I have gotten more emails from alums and fans interested in the Cats' tournament run this season than I did for last season's Elite Eight squad already. Don't know why really, I thought last year's team was more talented and entertaining overall. Just sayin'.
9. Terrence Jones: we need you. Don't run and hide now. You can make yourself a whole lot of money by having a big game against OSU. Please, please show up.
   
10. It's kind of hard to generate very much hate for Thad Matta from this distance. I just don't know that much about him... they're in the Big 10, he seems like a nice mild-mannered dude for the most part. Good recruiter, I guess. Now having said that, I hope he comes up with a terrible game plan against UK and coaches himself right out of the tournament.
11. Kind of like Bruce Pearl did. What's that? He's out of a job? Huh. Cue the Donald Trump voice for Sweaty Brucie: You're fired.
12. What kind of Kentucky basketball blogger doesn't fill out a tournament bracket? This kind. I have no idea how that happened. Must be the first time in probably 15 years. Just never did get it done for some reason.
    
13. I'm really tired of Dan Shaughnessy and his cheap shots against John Calipari. Must be something personal. I don't get it. Life's too short for vendettas.
    
14. I can totally see DeAndre Liggins shutting down Lighty....or, wait.... do you stick him on Diebler? That's the problem. Lamb and Miller are both going to have to play some tournament-level defense Friday night.
15. I wish that Jim "The Sweater Vest" Tressel was coaching the Buckeyes' hoops team also...cause then you know the SEC team would win. Zing!
16. You gotta BELIEVE. Go Cats!
    

Can I Exhale Yet?

Holy Smokes, people.

That was a close one.

I give Princeton all the credit in the world for playing a very disciplined, deliberate game. And on just about any other (NCAA opening round) day, that kind of effort and strategy would be good enough for an upset win. It just was not to be for the Ivy Leaguers, despite their tremendous resolve.

Personally, to my chagrin, I was stuck in the office watching this one on the computer monitor, but at least I had "Madness on Demand" allowing me to catch most of it, in video quality that was quite good. We can't all take the day off to celebrate the tournament, right Brother John?

All I can really say and think right now is that Kentucky is VERY fortunate to have pulled this one off. Brandon Knight made a spectacular individual play after having gone 0-fer up 'til the final seconds.

Brass ones right there. Big shot for him, big shot for Kentucky fans all over the globe.

I thought Miller had a fairly solid game, and see where he wound up with 17 to lead UK in scoring this afternoon. So his late-season emergence continues, and honestly, where would the Cats be without him right now? Obviously Harrellson pitched in a little more scoring than usual (15), and I hope it doesn't offend anyone if I suggest that he matched up more equitably as an athlete vs. Princeton than he does against most teams.

Terrence Jones had a big three-pointer late, and a very timely blocked shot as well, but I keep waiting for him to have a HUGE game like we all know he is capable of....one of those, "I'm taking over now, fellas, and watch this left-handed tomahawk BAM!" kind of games. It's been a while for him. Maybe he's saving it for West Virginia.

Truth be told, Kentucky has to be thankful to be playing on Saturday, especially when you consider what happened to in-state rival Louisville today.

On to the next one.

Three more W's 'til Houston.

Popcorn Patterson

Fired up for the Princeton game tomorrow? Great! Me too.

In the meantime, here's a little tidbit from the local Houston rag about Rockets rookie and former Wildcat Patrick Patterson, courtesy of Jonathan Feigen, the Rockets beat writer. It talks a little about his adjustment to the league, his first ever NBA start, and some other things:

Patterson article

If you only want to read the funny part, here it is:
______________________________

Patterson is, however, the Rockets' only rookie, subjected to the entire focus of teammates' hazing. Since Ish Smith was traded, Patterson alone carries a garish, polka-dot backpack at all times. When Patterson played for the first time this season, he was congratulated with a shaving cream pie in the face. When he returned to the locker room on Monday, his birthday was celebrated with a mountain of popcorn.

"I walked back to my locker and there was nothing but popcorn," Patterson said. "Popcorn in my pants. Popcorn in my pockets. Popcorn in my bookbag. Popcorn in my shoes. I'm surprised they didn't do anything to my car.

"I don't like popcorn anymore. They ruined me."

______________________________

Go Cats! Let the tourney begin! Getcha popcorn ready!

Up Your Nose With...

Let me preempt the following with this: I am not a conspiracy theorist. Not at all.

I don't go around looking for strange coincidences and patterns that lead me to the conclusion that "the fix is in". Or that, for instance "somebody is out to get me." Or, if you prefer, that "this is all the work of a vast, complex, shadowy organization, (read: NCAA) that just absolutely has it in for my alma mater's basketball program."

That's not me.

I like my explanations simple. Maybe that's all my brain can handle. I don't know.

So when the brackets came out last night, I wasn't ripping off my shirt, screaming through the house, raving, and ticked off. Not worth it.

Kentucky got a #4 seed.

That sucks.

They deserved better.

UK beat Florida yesterday like they were Charlie Sheen on a ....Charlie Sheen on a....never mind. The Cats just, well, they looked awesome. They seriously did. And that's two wins over Florida, plus a win over Notre Dame, plus Louisville at Louisville, plus oh my gosh I'm not going to go through the entire resume right here in this spot since you probably know it by heart anyway.

But the fact is, Kentucky got HOSED by the selection committee.

Cause if you're seriously evaluating the last 10 games, like the committee says they do, and looking at RPI, like they also say they do, and strength of schedule, and wins over the top 50' and jeez, pick whatever criteria you want to look at-- then I just can't believe that there are 15 teams in the country playing better than the Commonwealth's team right now.

If anything, I think these jokers in Indy have demonstrated themselves to be clueless. Did you see that CBS interview? Did you hear the contorted logic? Does anybody really even understand the black magic juju that goes into making these brackets every year?

My gosh, it's like me trying to pick a thoroughbred at Keeneland back in the day. I figure a few of these dudes are playing rock-paper-scissors as a tie-breaker. "Sorry, Coach Cal, I went scissors, so you're stuck with a 4. My bad".

However, having said all that, and while it makes me upset that UK got slotted where they did, and they may face big, bad Ohio State in the Sweet 16....well, I say bring it on. Because first-round mismatches aside, there aren't any truly easy games in the Big Dance.

Heck, the Cats should be so lucky to be able to see the Buckeyes at all. At least that would mean that our grown-up freshmen survived that wacky, upset-riddled first weekend. I just don't want to take anything for granted in March. All of those victories are special.

Who's to say that Ohio State is going to be there anyway? They're pretty young too. They don't have a huge bench. What's Thad Matta really ever won? (I'm talking you into it aren't I?!)

So no, I don't think there's any conspiracy afoot. There were several other strange seedings, omissions, and downright funky explanations of the committee's decision-making being discussed all over the sports world today. But one of the other things you often hear as the fun begins this week, is that you've got to win 6 games to get yourself a title, and you're probably going to have to beat some good ones along the way.

Beat the best to be the best, right?

Let's start by kicking some Ivy League, hm?

Kentucky Bringing Home Hardware

Throw another trophy in the case back in Lexington. UK finished off Florida by a cool 16 points in the SEC final. Just another notch in the belt for a program that has now won its conference tournament for the 27th time.

The next closest school?

Who cares!

Astounding is just about the only way to describe the growth of this particular edition of the Wildcats over the last several weeks. UK absolutely kicked the Gators on Sunday, making the regular season champs look like mere afterthoughts in the Georgia Dome. Florida is a far better team than they showed against the Cats, but some terrifyingly tenacious D and an off shooting day, particularly for the Gator backcourt, made the result rather anticlimactic.

UK built a solid 10-12 point lead fairly early and Florida had to chase it all afternoon. In the second half, with the game becoming quite stagnant, Darius Miller threw in a couple of three pointers to kick start the offense for the Cats down the stretch, and Florida never could get over the hump. Those were two huge treys for Mr. Miller, as it seemed that Kentucky had been stuck on a scoreboard total of 45 for quite awhile.

Miller was deservedly named Most Outstanding Player, but the team really did click on just about all cylinders in the Peach State. I would maintain that Terrence Jones was far less than his best, but he still contributed to the victories, along with fellow freshman Brandon Knight, and honestly everybody in Blue did a ton of growing up in a 3-day span.

What a great way for Josh Harrellson to go out...SEC tournament champion, again! What a relief to see Doron Lamb suffering no major after affects of what looked to be a severe ankle sprain. (Liggins too, for that matter.) What momentum for this team heading into the NCAA tournament.

So Kentucky has turned in a 25-win season, a nice shiny trophy, and now hopes to make 2011 even more memorable in the next few weeks. It's another great day to be a Wildcat.

A Word About Subs, Or Lack Thereof

I realize basketball is a physical game. There's plenty of running, jumping, banging, and as Jimmy Dykes loves to remind us, "violent cuts", throughout 40 minutes of play.

Guys can get hurt anytime. At practice. In warm-ups (that one's happened many times, look it up). In off-season pickup games. You never know. There's just as much risk in the first two minutes of the game as there is in the last two minutes of a game.

I jammed a finger way back in 7th or 8th grade that I would swear to you is still not quite 100%. It just happens. You play enough ball, you will get hurt. Twisted knees, busted lips, rolled ankles are all part of playing hoops. Somewhere along the line-- hopefully not severely-- you will get hurt.

None of this excuses Coach Cal for having so little faith in his subs that he can't pull a couple of starters with a 20 point lead and oh, about two minutes remaining on the clock. That's absolutely on him.

You cannot tell me that Alabama was going to hit--what?-- six or seven 3-pointers in two minutes, while Kentucky--what?--either turned the ball over or didn't hit a single free throw during that entire span of time. I'm not buying it. That game was over. No disrespect to Alabama and their capabilities, but it was over.

All Kentucky really had to do was maintain just a little bit of possession, without completely and utterly imploding, for seriously...we're talking about just two minutes here.

Alabama was playing hard. Of course. Crazy comebacks do happen in the college game. But if you don't have enough faith to toss Vargas, Hood, hell probably even Polson and Poole (he is still on the team, isn't he? just checking...) for TWO MINUTES with a 20 point lead...then please explain to me why any of them is on the roster.

If you like, then forget the three games in three days aspect of it. I personally think it should be a big consideration if you really want to beat Florida. Jeez, if I were coaching, I think I'd probably be looking to steal a few minutes anywhere possible to keep the starters as fresh as I could for the final. But seriously, set that aside...just the amount of of that lead, with the amount of time remaining in the game...come on.

And then to try and put it off on the opponent, like "Well, they were still pressing, they were still playing hard" (not an exact quote). It's insulting. It is to me, anyway.

Kentucky has surely at least had Jon Hood and Eloy Vargas together on the floor for two minutes at a time-- I'm not going to be able to verify this, and wouldn't know where to look to find it anyway-- but I'm sure we've seen that combination in a game this season where UK was clinging to a lead, or perhaps even trailing in a contest-- where the situation was truly still competitive. And you can't do that with a huge lead late in the game?

Like every other Big Blue fan, I hope DeAndre and Doron both heal quickly. I hope those young, strong ankles bounce right back to 100%. And soon. The only point I'm trying to make is that the time and score against Alabama absolutely called for some substitutions. Period.

If not to reward and rest your starters, then at least for the sake of the subs themselves...we're not talking about 8 or 10 minutes here. Those subs practice every day too. They are Division I players, supposedly well-regarded. They've done all the conditioning and weight lifting and running too. They've got fans and family in Atlanta and watching on TV as well. There are no guarantees. But maybe you do that, and maybe nobody gets hurt.

End of rant.

Go Cats.

Miller Coming Up Big in Atlanta

Wow. Somebody in blue is really starting to step it up in the postseason. And his name rhymes with "carry us".

That's two excellent SEC tournament games for Darius Miller, who looks like an All-American out of nowhere. Going back over his last eight games, Miller has now hit nearly 50% of his three-point attempts, he's playing with a ton of energy on both ends of the court, and perhaps most importantly, he looks both assertive and smart in attacking the basket.

I give Darius most of the credit for UK's win over Ole Miss on Friday, as he hit several of those hanging floaters in the lane, especially at times when the Cats really needed a bucket. Most opposing teams will have a smaller man guarding him, but Darius is still quick enough to get around someone with either a shot fake or a quick crossover-- and lately he's doing a tremendous job of knowing where to pull up and get that little 8-footer headed toward a swishy conclusion.

So long as he keeps his handle while driving, that can be a very effective weapon. The Cats certainly needed it against a very feisty Rebels squad....the game was much closer than the final score might indicate.

Fortunately, Miller's got that long distance drifting jumper working right now, too. (I almost hate to elaborate any further for fear of jinxing him.) Probably the key for the former Mason County star is making sure he takes the more appropriate three point attempts-- meaning he's catching a pitch out with the trigger already cocked, rather than trying to create something with a lateral move on the perimeter.

One thing I would like to see vs. Florida is for Darius to get some more chances in the open floor, and finishing on the break. It seems like most of the time, Miller is in more of a "trailer" position. If that's because he's crashing the boards, then so be it (he only pulled down 4 today vs. Bama), but if Miller can run out more often, and fill a lane properly, then he should get rewarded for it. Hopefully B. Knight will have several opportunities to find him on the break.

But any particular way that Darius can pitch in offensively is huge right now. Terrence Jones has looked rather lethargic in "Rupp Arena South" at this point, and it should be an extremely competitive rubber match with Florida in the finals. All I know is it's a wonderful, beautiful thing to have Mr. Miller peaking as we head into Selection Sunday.

Ole Miss Wants No Part of UK

Well, with the matchup being set now, seeing as how the Rebels took care of Darrin Horn and company, the Big Blue Blogosphere is all tingly with the prospect of revenge.

Ole Miss notoriously took down Kentucky on a Chris Warren dagger in Oxford back on the first of February. Was it a lucky shot? Not necessarily. Warren's a good player and he made a clutch jumper when his team needed it.

But I don't think the University of Mississippi is looking forward to playing the Cats in Atlanta. They shouldn't be.

Kentucky will be plenty motivated. Kentucky is now playing much better than it was in early February. And Kentucky, for all intents and purposes, will be playing in front of a home crowd in the Georgia Dome.

I expect a close game early, maybe even into the second half, but I will be SHOCKED if my beloveds somehow drop this one. Coach Cal knows a good NCAA seed is out there for his team-- possibly even a #3 if you believe a few of the more optimistic analysts-- and I therefore think the Cats will turn in a nice, "professional" 40 minutes against the Rebs.

And hey, it's not like Mississippi has had a whole lot of time to rest after getting past the Gamecocks.

Conference tournament games tend to be tight, white-knuckle affairs, and I don't ever want to look past ANY opponent-- but I really think Ole Miss doesn't want any part of Kentucky in the SEC.

Cats Earn Bye With Win Over Vols

UK Rips Up Vandy

Okay, so the Cats didn't exactly "rip" Vanderbilt tonight; it was more like an "escape" given the 2-point final margin, but it does give me an excuse to post the below video....what can I say?

Josh goes out as a winner at Rupp, in front of about 23,000 denim-clad friends.

Kentucky ties Vandy for 2nd in the SEC East with one game to play.

Coach Cal is still perfect at home.

Big Blue proves it can win a close one.

And that make me happier than a laughing baby....

Giving It Up For Jorts

Sometimes the interwebz really becomes an echo chamber, but I can't let Senior Day 2011 pass without a few words of tribute directed towards Josh "Jorts" Harrellson.

By now we all know the stories-- dare I say legends?-- of Josh being confined to bathroom stalls, having his Twitter account ceased and desisted, his dancing at Midnight Madness, and of course his absolute torching of the dirty Cards at the Yum! Center this season.

And there's no debate about how far Josh has come during his time on campus, going from a bit of an afterthought to a truly vital component as a senior starter.

So I will just add this: Josh seems to me like a guy who is enjoying himself, squeezing every bit of performance that he can from the talent that God gave him. And anybody that sticks it out as a Wildcat, and gives his very best for the program, deserves mad respect and whatever additional recognition or notoriety that comes with it.

So I say a big thanks to Josh, for all of the sweat, for all of the hard work, and here's wishing you the absolute best of luck in the future.