30 YEARS FOR THE WIN! UK 70 UNLV 60

UK stumbled out of the gate last night, but rallied to take a 20 point lead before holding off a furious comeback by UNLV. Indeed, the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum seemed to energize our lads as the crowd screamed wildly on every play…Win or lose, this is the way the game supposes to be played, in front of a bunch of screaming fans….

UK made 5 turnovers in their first 9 possessions last night, but righted the ship and blowed out to a 20 point lead on UNLV, who made that furious comeback in the second half using the same formula that has killed UK all season. Namely, they “spread ‘em out” and shoot the 3 ball AND, theirs starting falling to make the game even more interesting, as if it weren’t fun enough, what with the crowd that was in Memorial Gym last night…

Fans got a chance to see the Cats that would not normally get in, and they responded commensurate to the occasion. Wildly cheering every play, the Cats were spurred on to play the best basketball they had played this year.

The cats were lead by committee, as everyone got in on the fun. Jodie Meeks had 19 points, and Patrick Patterson added 16. At one point in the first half of the game, all 9 players who played for UK had scored. UK, perhaps spurred on by this raucous crowd, hit 15 of 19 shots during one stretch, and ran out to a 20 point lead.

Memorial Coliseum was rocking last night, as predicted… Nicknamed, “The White Elephant”, back in the day, because people said they would never fill it, It was as if the Old Building held all the crowds that, “would have been there”, over the last 30 years, as the gym absolutely exploded with the sounds of squeaky gym shoes, players, coaches, cheerleaders, but most of all the FANS..YES, these same fans that have supported this program for the last 5 scores and some years showed up ONE MORE TIME in the Old Lady, the Queen of College Basketball, if you will, stand up and take your bow!

Memorial Coliseum, where the legends were made right there next to the road you know –SITS THERE ALL ALONE, BUT LAST NIGHT SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENED – A puzzled coach brought in a bunch of kids who had played “baby” ball all year, and they grew up right before our eyes; with the accompanist named Memorial Coliseum – FANS INCLUDED.

The Gift

Little do we know, sometimes, when a gift is there for the taking. We close our eyes to what we believe in and plow forward. Sometimes we are so bull headed that we would not be able to see a gift if it slapped us in the face. But sometimes we can. And last night was one of those nights.

UK missed the Big dance for the first time in 18 years. Many said they were done for the year and would not watch UK further. Many said UK should decline an invite to the NIT. I, personally decided UK needed to play on only for the additional possible wins. In the end, and as the bottom line, UK wasn’t good enough and did not deserve to go dancing. I had to come to grips with that little tidbit. And many fans could not. And I understand. But something else happened along the way. UK was good enough to earn a four seed, and was good enough to play at least one more game at home. And who would think that UK would need it’s own gym this late in the year?

But UK is like the prepared Boy Scout. If their socks get wet, they have a spare pair. And if UK can’t play in Rupp, they have…

Memorial

And so the gift begins. Many call Rupp the house that Rupp built and I argue that isn’t really the case. It can NOT be argued that Memorial is the house that Rupp built. And she once again shined last night. It was like a slow blow when I heard we would see the Cats in this fine old gym one more time. And as the blow came round I realized what was being given to me. It was a chance of a life time. Not only was it a chance to see the Cats in Memorial, it was also a chance to see this team at least one more time. It was a chance to see how hard these Cats would play in front of real fans. It was a chance to see a UK coach roaming the Memorial side lines in the brown suit one more time. It was a chance to forget all the petty things I have disliked about this year and simply soak in the moment and enjoy this team and this experience for what it was. It was a chance to know a gift and embrace it.

And the UK fans did just that. Scans of the fans in the seats revealed something telling. These were obviously not the same fat cats that hoard the lower arena of Rupp. These were every day fans that would give their right arm and their first born just to get into Rupp. And here they were with the best seats in the house. And it showed. They screamed, they yelled, they lived and they died as the game went on. It brought a tear to my eye just knowing what they had to be feeling. And I know the Cats felt them as well. The Cats played with more emotion than I’ve seen all year. Sometimes it is good not to get what you think you want. Sometimes it is good to embrace what you have. And I think the trip to memorial will do this team a world of good. I know it did a world of good for me.

Memorial Coliseum – A Place For New Beginnings?

They say that time heals all wounds, yet I have never been a subscriber to this old cliché, since I’ve seen “time” make things much worse in many cases. As time has elapsed since UK fan’s realization that they would not be dancing come Sunday night, it seems that things have spun off, and out of control. Even before the realization that we might not make the tourney began, the rumours, innuendos and half-truths have run the gauntlet of, “the coach is being fired”, to BOTH Patrick and Jodie are leaving along with Liggins and Harrellson.

Tuesday night the UK basketball players are in store for an entirely new crowd in Memorial Coliseum. “I think it’s one of the best buildings I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them,” Billy Gillispie said. “I think it’s one of the most grand buildings ever built for college basketball.”

Indeed, everyone is gathering for a sold out game of also rans, UK vs UNLV, but the building will be rocking, I promise. From experience, I can tell those in attendance that they are about to experience something that happens only 30 years or so; that being UK playing in the smallish, 8,500 seat gym, where the “Man in The Brown Suit” patrolled the sidelines, Adolph Rupp. But alas, smaller here is better, as there is not a bad seat in the house. I ought to know, having never missed a home game during my tenure as a UK student.

I never failed to arrive at a home game before the doors opened and was awarded with the best of “first come, first serve” seats. This was for the routine home games. For the big ones where the SEC title was on the line, or some such, I had to stand in the line like all other students, but it became a social affair and party. Students back then were determined to get tickets and did so. They were rewarded by getting a chance to see some great UK legends of the sport run up and down that floor.

Now, UK is again back on that stage due to an odd twist of fate that sees them playing the team that their starting point guard last year transferred to. Yes, Derrick Jasper plays basketball for UNLV, but is rehabbing this season and won’t make the journey. He is missing a heck of a game regardless who wins because of the venue. The average fan at this game promises to be of a younger demographic and coincidentally LOUDER in their manner…This is the place to be on Tuesday night. This is the place to play to soothe the “thorn in the side” of rough season. This is the place….Jodie might get 54 here….

NIT TOURNAMENT UK vs UNLV

As expected the University of Kentucky Wildcats did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament from the selection committee on Sunday…They will instead accept the bid to the NIT, where they well be matched up in the first round against the Runnin Rebels of UNLV with coach Lon Kruger.

UK will host UNLV at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday night in Memorial Coliseum. UK will be a four seed in a region that also has the top-seeded Creighton. Now that UK is playing in the JV tournament, I suggest that they make the most of it. There may be some fans that get to see them that would otherwise not have that opportunity.

Patrick Patterson had his own opinion of the NIT: “If we could win the NIT that could carry over to next year, that would be a huge confidence boost and weight lifted off our shoulders. We’ve had a not so good season and everyone is frustrated but making a run in the NIT would help”

Ramon Harris sees it as “a chance to play more basketball”, and indeed it is. UK will be playing its first game in Memorial Coliseum since the end of the 1975-76 season when the Wildcats moved to Rupp Arena.

“We are happy to still be playing,” Gillispie said. “There are 330 some teams and they all want to play in the NCAA and that’s not possible for every team every year. We will try to represent ourselves the best way we can.”

So his players seem eager to play?

“I am not a mind reader. We had a really good practice last night. I would expect we will play well and we will have to play well to advance against a very good team,” Gillispie said.

UNLV won AT Louisville 3 days before UofL beat UK on a Edgar Sosa buzzer beater. They are similar to many SEC teams in that they like to spread you out and shoot the 3. Billy Gillispie expects a difficult matchup for that reason, “It will be a difficult matchup for us because they spread you out and shoot a lot of 3′s. They really utilize the drive. They are hard to guard because of their athleticism and ability to shoot 3′s.”

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

…nothing remains quite the same”…so sang Buffet, and it’s true in basketball, just as in life. Patrick Patterson, like many of us UK fans, disdained playing in the NIT should UK not make the NCAA tournament. Now Patrick, like many of us, welcomes the chance to play more basketball. Consider his latest statements,““If we could win the NIT that could carry over to next year,” Patterson said. .”That would be a huge confidence boost and a weight lifted off our shoulders. We’ve had a not-so-good season and everyone is frustrated. But making a run in the NIT would help.”

This has been one of those zany basketball years in the history of UK basketball where accurate predictions regarding UK’s future success have been in short supply…Indeed, for one who loves to speculate about how good their beloved CATS will be; it’s been as difficult as herding cats. I am one who believes that it takes both the players and a good coach to win it all.

There is no more humbling game than basketball when things don’t work out. Consider that Billy Donovan may be making his second straight trip to the NIT, after winning back to back NCAA Championships! HE is a great coach and HE had great players to win it, but if you remove that team from his resume, he might be job searching right now! Since I like to give credit to the aforementioned players and coach when things go well, then I must assign the blame to BOTH the coach and players for a poor season. It’s only logical. You could have done better.

Given the players have backed their coach , especially Patterson, one must think that Mr. Gillispie Will return next year along with Patrick and Jodie Meeks.

BCG will bring the 14^th rated class to the table next year and I feel we will get some immediate help from the group in the form of Matt Pilgrim and Orton. I can see Patrick Patterson moving to the Power Forward with Orton managing the middle. Pilgrim brings a nice face up game that we don’t have on this current team. Jon Hood, state high jump champ, will provide another outside scoring threat, as well a his 6’6” length on the defense. G.J. will be the prototypical point with some things to learn about the college game.

The NIT offers the fans a chance to see the UK Wildcats play, and play right here at home. I dare say some fans may get a chance to see them that would not normally be able to…This alone makes a strong case for our backing the NIT, especially here in Lexington. From the players perspective it looks like 2Pat is the elder spokesman of the group when he says “LETS PLAY”!

GO WILDCATS!

Ides of March Fall on Cats as they lose to LSU 67-58

UK most likely saw it’s NCAA bubble burst by dropping a tough loss to the SEC’s regular season champion LSU Tigers (26-6)..The Wildcats last missed the NCAA tournament in 1991, and will likely now miss the tournament after 18 consecutive seasons.

The hotly contested game saw LSU lead for most of the game as the UK squad played catch up…In the end, too many turnovers, the season’s bugaboo, along with a subpar game from our stars, Jodie and 2Pat, as they came up short of their combined scoring average. Perry S had a subpar game with only 5 points, a far cry from yesterday’s performance.

Credit is due to LSU, an experienced, well coached, patient basketball team that runs all their stuff and hits the boards very hard. They have seven (7) 4th year seniors, and their maturity shows on the court.

Coach Billy Gillispie said in describing UK’s loss, “We just turned the ball over too much and didn’t keep them off the offensive boards” … They made better decisions and that is why they beat us”…

UK vs LSU PEP TALK

Malcom White didn’t think that UK was very physical when Ole Miss beat Kentucky in the last meeting… “Basically Kentucky’s offense only involves Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson”, said White. “If you can contain those two then you have a great chance to stopping their offense…”

Well, as we all know Mr. White saw a different team on Thursday, a more balanced, tougher defensive team, than he saw in January. And, I think LSU will see a tougher team than the one that played them close in Lexington…

Now that we have a 1 game winning streak, it’s time to move on…As they say, “You can’t win them all until you have won the first one”, and we have that out of the way. LSU is next and we have lots of positives going into that game on Friday…First, we just played the best second half of basketball we have played all year and put 4 players in double figures in our victory over Ole Miss…

Beating LSU will require that self same defensive effort and balanced scoring that was displayed against Ole Miss and I believe that we are going to get it…

Perry is starting to play well again and I thought Darius Miller had a “breakout” type game against Ole Miss; one where the confidence goes sky high and he contributes in a positive way the rest of the tournament. Patrick is being Patrick again as well, while Jodie had a great all round game and didn’t force anything against Ole Miss.

I think that LSU is in T-R-O-U-B-L-E…Uk in Overtime!

UK Beats Ole Miss with Balance and Defense 71-58

“Coach is the one designing plays, but it’s our intensity, it’s our toughness, it’s the way that we battle out there that (determines) down the stretch whether we win or lose” ..so says Patrick Patterson who has spent much of his time defending his coach, Billy Gillispie, during his time in Tampa, and today went out on the court and proved it, along with his teammates.

Billy Gillispie’s young charges showed that there is still basketball being played in the state of Kentucky. Sure it was an also ran, NIT bound, Ole Miss Team we beat, but that was the goal and we did it well, well in the second half.

Kentucky advanced to the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Tampa on Thursday with balanced scoring and some tough second half defense.

Post game had BCG saying “that’s the way we should be playing”, referring to the stingy defense that allowed Ole Miss only 18 points in the second frame.

Indeed, it was the D, and the B, as in Balanced Scoring, as Meeks led the way with 25, while Patrick had 15 points and 14 big rebounds. Perry Stevenson had a great game, matched by one Darius Miller, who came in and added 12 points to go with Perry’s 13. Perry cracked the double-digit point barrier for the first time in eight games. Darius Miller, only an 18 year old freshman, equalled his second-highest point total against a Southeastern Conference opponent

“I don’t really care how many points I score so long as we win. When something like that happens I’m glad we have help on the team. People off the bench gave us great energy and help.” said Jodie Meeks. Indeed, BCG that is the way we should be playing, and a lot sooner than now.

Uk’s 13 point victory was a second half clinic on how to play defense and UK must put together two of these halves to have a shot at their next opponent, LSU. “Today we did what the coaches asked, and that included playing hard and tough. We controlled the tempo with our defense and rebounding, things we had not been doing.” UK junior Ramon Harris. Indeed, Ole Miss was only 2 for their last 9 in the last eight minutes enabling UK to post the victory…

LSU is in the headlights…We’ve played ‘em close once. We will do it again. “We’re definitely a better team like this,” Meeks said. “The more scorers you have, the better.” Let the game begin, keep the bubble alive. GO CATS !..!..!

NEXT YEAR….AND THIS ONE.. OLE MISS vs. KENTUCKY

Some things that will probably happen next year…Patrick Patterson will be back, he said so…Jodie will be back…and BCG and Mitch. All will be well next year with UK basketball from the eternal optimist. If you need convincing, think about it. Consider, if you will, what one more year under their belts will do for this bunch of green frosh and Juco’s. Darius Miller is barely 18 yrs old.

One more year of life and maturity and this will be a completely different TEAM. Really, it will be, considering the players will be a year older, wiser, and better. The level of talent that we have coming in; which I feel is vastly superior to this year’s group, will bolster next year’s experienced squad. I expect UK to put three (3) new starters on the floor next year in additon to the BIG 2…They have too, in my opinion, to be competitive.

Matt Pilgrim and Orton will make a BIGGG difference in this program…Perry S. Would be well served to work on his game…Looking at Jon Hood film reminds me a little of a kid we had in here by the name of Rex…Really, the kid is a player and can shoot the basketball. Any contribution from him next year would be the icing on the cake.

Now as for Ole Miss, I look for UK to take this game rather handily using a strong defense on the point of attack which was our Achilles heel in the last game with Ole Miss. David Heurtas, their leading scorer is said to be “day to day” with a foot injury and UK is primed to bust O-U-T…

Let us not forget this is the same UK team that started this season at 5-0 and took #5 Louisville to the wire and the top twenty LSU team as well.

Having a lack of balanced scoring has been a hallmark of the team of late; that and an inordinate number o f turnovers have often been the catalyst for defeat. To secure a victory our Cats must cut back on the turnovers and find scoring from other sources. But, they can and will do it today by 13 points! One Game A t A Time~

SEC Coaches Awards

From SECsports.com The SEC Coaches awards were announced today. Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks both were named to the all SEC first team.

Birmingham, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference unveiled its men’s basketball coaches postseason awards Tuesday to cap off another exciting season of SEC basketball.

LSU’s Trent Johnson earned SEC Coach of the Year honors and LSU senior guard Marcus Thornton was selected SEC Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. Ole Miss’ Terrico White took the SEC Freshman of the Year award and Alabama’s Justin Knox earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State was picked as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. South Carolina’s Brandis Raley-Ross earned SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year honors.

In his first season at LSU, Johnson led the Tigers to their first SEC championship since 2006 with a 13-3 mark in league play.

Thornton garnered SEC Player of the Year honors in leading LSU to a 25-win season and the SEC championship. One of five unanimous All-SEC First Team selections, Thornton ranked second the league in scoring with 20.9 ppg.

White led all SEC freshmen with 18.4 ppg in league play. White was among three unanimous All-Freshman team members.

Knox earned the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, sporting a 3.219 grade-point average in Pre-Business.

Varnado leads the nation in blocked shots (4.6) and is 15 blocks shy of the breaking the single-season SEC record of 157. Last year he tied the record Shaquille O’Neal set in 1992.

Raley-Ross won the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year award. A key part of South Carolina winning a share of the SEC East Division title, he is averaging 7.2 points per game.

Coaches voted on eight member teams for First Team All-SEC, Second Team All-SEC and for the SEC All-Freshman Team. They voted on a five-player squad for the SEC All-Defensive Team. They were not permitted to vote for their own players and ties were not broken.

A complete list of the 2009 SEC Men’s Basketball postseason awards follows.

First Team All-SEC
*Nick Calathes, Florida – G, 6-6, 194, So., Casselberry, Fla.
*Jodie Meeks, Kentucky – 6-4, 208, Jr., Norcross, Ga.
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – 6-9, 235, So., Huntington, W.Va.
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU – F, 6-7, 240, Jr., Denham Springs, La.
*Marcus Thornton, LSU – G, 6-4, 205, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F/C, 6-9, 210, Jr., Brownsville, Tenn.
*Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 175, Jr., Chester, S.C.
*Tyler Smith, Tennessee – F, 6-7, 215, Jr., Pulaski, Tenn.

Second Team All-SEC
Alonzo Gee, Alabama – G, 6-6, 219, Sr., Riviera Beach, Fla.
Michael Washington, Arkansas – F, 6-9, 239, Jr., McGehee, Ark.
Korvotney Barber, Auburn – F, 6-7, 225, Sr., Manchester, Ga.
^Garrett Temple, LSU – G, 6-6, 190, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.
David Huertas, Ole Miss – G, 6-5, 200, Jr., Humacao, Puerto Rico
Terrico White, Ole Miss – G, 6-5, 211, Fr,. Memphis, Tenn.
^Dominique Archie, South Carolina – F, 6-7, 200, Jr., Augusta, Ga.
^Zam Fredrick, South Carolina – G, 6-0, 203, Sr., St. Matthews, S.C.
Wayne Chism, Tennessee – F, 609, 242, Jr., Jackson, Tenn.
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt – C, 6-11, 250, So., Sydney, Australia

SEC All-Freshman Team
*JaMychal Green, Alabama – F, 6-9, 220, Fr., Montgomery, Ala.
Courtney Fortson, Arkansas – G, 5-11, 180, Fr., Montgomery, Ala.
Erving Walker, Florida – 5-8, 161, Fr., New York, N.Y.
Trey Thompkins, Georgia – F, 6-8, 245, Fr., Lithonia, Ga.
*Terrico White, Ole Miss – G, 6-5, 211, Fr,. Memphis, Tenn.
*Dee Bost, Mississippi State – G, 6-2, 170, Fr., Concord, N.C.
Scotty Hopson, Tennessee – G, 6-7, 185, Fr., Hopkinsville, Ky.
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – G/F, 6-7, 210, Fr., Norrkoping, Sweden

SEC All-Defensive Team
^Quantez Robertson, Auburn – G, 6-3, 200, Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio
Garrett Temple, LSU – G, 6-6, 190, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.
Chris Johnson, LSU – C, 6-11, 210, Sr., Montross, Va.
*Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F/C, 6-9, 210, Jr., Brownsville, Tenn.
^Dominique Archie, South Carolina – F, 6-7, 200, Jr., Augusta, Ga.
Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 175, Jr., Chester, S.C.

SEC Coach of the Year: Trent Johnson, LSU
SEC Player of the Year: Marcus Thornton, LSU
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Justin Knox, Alabama
SEC Freshman of the Year: Terrico White, Ole Miss
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Brandis Raley-Ross, South Carolina
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State

*-Unanimous selection
^-Ties are not broken

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