BBR’s Week 2 Top 25

Couple of good games this weekend mixed the top 25 up a little with the Pac10 and the MAC doing most of the mixing. The MAC and the WAC came real close to pulling upsets over the Big 10 and the Pac 10. The biggest losers this week Notre Dame and the Big 10.

Being off Kentucky didn’t pick up any votes in the AP which doesn’t mean anything since the AP has never matched what fans manage to see every weekend with what writers don’t watch.

In the Coaches poll Kentucky got 9 votes which would rank us 6th in the SEC and 38th in the nation.

1 Florida 2-0
2 Texas 2-0
3 USC 2-0
4 Alabama 2-0
5 Brigham Young 2-0
6 Penn State 2-0
7 Mississippi 1-0
8 California 2-0
9 Boise State 2-0
10 Ohio State 1-1
11 LSU 2-0
12 Oklahoma 1-1
13 Virginia Tech 1-1
14 Cincinnati 2-0
15 TCU 1-0
16 Miami (FL) 1-0
17 Georgia Tech 2-0
18 Utah 2-0 405
19 Nebraska 2-0
20 Oklahoma State 1-1
21 Houston 2-0
22 Kansas 2-0
23 Georgia 1-1
24 Notre Dame 1-1
25 Michigan 2-0

BBR’s Week 1 Top 25

In an attempt to give you a unbiased by the media blue view of how good teams are we proudly give you our week 1 top 25 rankings.

Our rankings in no way suggest that some of these teams deserve to be ranked #1 or in the top 25 since at least one of them won against a Charleston Pastry team and others against programs desperate for money and short on top 150 talent.

BBR’s hats go off to Alabama, California, Miami (Fl), Boise St, BYU and Cincinnati for winning against quality opponents. A special hat tip to the WAC and the MWC for electing to play top tier teams and to William & Mary and Richmond for wins over ACC teams.

1 Florida 1-0
2 Texas 1-0
3 USC 1-0
4 California 1-0
5 Oklahoma State 1-0
6 Alabama 1-0
7 Penn State 1-0
8 Mississippi 1-0
9 Brigham Young 1-0
10 Ohio State 1-0
11 LSU 1-0
12 Boise State 1-0
13 Georgia Tech 1-0
14 Virginia Tech 0-1
15 Oklahoma 0-1
16 TCU 0-0
17 Utah 1-0
18 Miami (FL) 1-0
19 Cincinnati 1-0
20 Notre Dame 1-0
21 Nebraska 1-0
22 Georgia 0-1
23 North Carolina 1-0
24 Kansas 1-0
25 Missouri 1-0

USA Today Poll

USA Today has released there preseason top 25. The Cats got 9 votes and are ranked 42 in the nation.

What shouldn’t surprise anyone is that there are no Big East teams ranked to start the season. Cincinnati, Pittsburg, W. Va, Rutgers and S. Florida all got votes. Its hard to see anyone besides Cincinnati or W. Virginia making a climb in to the top 25 due to the strength of their non-conference schedules.

The MWC and the WAC have four teams in the top 25 and a fifth Nevada got a few votes. Its easier to see some of them staying in the top 25 since they have teams that stand a fair chance of winning games against the BCS teams on their non-conference schedules.

USA Today Poll

1. Florida (53) 0-0 1,466

2. Texas (4) 0-0 1,386
3. Oklahoma (1) 0-0 1,358
4. USC (1) 0-0 1,321
5. Alabama 0-0 1,134
6. Ohio State 0-0 1,126
7. Virginia Tech 0-0 1,020
8. Penn State 0-0 988
9. LSU 0-0 917
10. Mississippi 0-0 889
11. Oklahoma State 0-0 861
12. California 0-0 711
13. Georgia 0-0 707
14. Oregon 0-0 694
15. Georgia Tech 0-0 559
16. Boise State 0-0 542
17. TCU 0-0 461
18. Utah 0-0 404
19. Florida State 0-0 371
20. North Carolina 0-0 293
21. Iowa 0-0 257
22. Nebraska 0-0 236
23. Notre Dame 0-0 194
24. Brigham Young 0-0 178
25. Oregon State 0-0 165

Others Receiving Votes: Kansas 138, Michigan State 136, Texas Tech 114, Cincinnati 90, Pittsburgh 64, West Virginia 55, Rutgers 51, Miami (FL) 46, Missouri 44, Illinois 38, Clemson 30, South Carolina 18, UCLA 14, Auburn 12, South Florida 11, Nevada 11, Kentucky 9, North Carolina State 7, Wisconsin 6, Arkansas 6, Northwestern 5, Southern Miss 4, Wake Forest 4, Arizona 3, Boston College 3, CENTRL MICHIGAN 3, East Carolina 3, Colorado 2, Maryland 2, Navy 2, Tennessee 2, TROY 1, Minnesota 1, Michigan 1, Houston 1.

Brooks to Retire? Waiting On Two Young QB’s ?

Who knows when Rich Brooks will retire? He certainly deserves to stick around a few years to reap the spoils of what he has wrought. He took a team on probation and build it into one that has been to 3 consecutive bowls. No small feat in UK football history. Now, we would all loved to have done more, but realistically the sheer numbers of great players it takes to play in the SEC was lacking. That is what Brooks, Joker and Co. have done…Built up the player base to be competitiive.

Now, I am seeing that on the recruiting trail. With the two big-armed freshmen coming in, and the amount of publicity that has had on the recruiting trail, we are seeing 4-Star players use one of their visits to come to UK…Once we get them here, from all accounts I have read both that the UK staff have a lasting impression on them, not to mention the state-of-the-art facilities.

Joker has divided the country finding recruits in states that we weren’t that strong in before. He is mostly responsible for making inroads into LaGrange Ga. where such great ones as Wesley and Braxton came from, as well as a couple this year. Joker is slowly building a great relationship in SC where we snagged Cartier Rice, Gene McCaskill, Matt Lenz, Taylor Wyndham and others

Joker and Chuck Smith snatched the best player out of the state of Indiana, the 4 Star QB, Morgan Newton, 6’5″ 220 4.5, and took the best running back in the state for good measure, Dakotah Tyler 200lb 4.4 forty…..Joker and the boys are definitely going after the great athletes, and they are getting some looks. Recruiting has gotten progressively better, and I think Rich Brooks wants to stick around a couple of years, to see how his freshmen QB’s do and beat UT and some others on our hit list…

Post UT Ramblings

It’s the Monday following the total dismantling UK put on UT and many are still a buzz with how different this team looked for a day. I thought it might be a good time to ramble on some of my thoughts. We always know what went wrong when the Cats lose, but its also good to look at what went right when they dominate.

I have wondered aloud time and time and time again about how the team would do if they actually took what the defense gave them. And of late, defenses have given anyone with a name other than Jodie or Pat just about any look outside the lane they wanted. And in some cases, they’ve even invited UK into the lane. It’s no secret that UK has had turn over problems most of the year. And while the Cats do make their share of dumb plays, I’ve always contended that a good portion of those came from forcing a play where there isn’t a play. On Saturday we saw a team that worked the ball to open areas and players other than Jodie or Pat actually executed. It was actually quite easy getting the right people (on this day) into those spots and getting them the ball. The difference here is the offense seemed to be LOOKING for these guys instead of it being a last resort. And by doing so a balanced production was the prime result. But another stat sticks out to me and I can’t help but think it also has a direct connection to this change of the game plan and that is the turn overs and turnover margin. The principle players, or the ones in double digit minutes, combined for nine turnovers. More so, all but one had and equal or positive assist to turnover ratio and all the positive ratios came from the primary ball handlers. This is an astounding change. The one question I had was can UK win with this type of philosophy and I think the answer is an easy YES. It’s my hope that UK uses this blue print going forward. And as they do, I think we will see that it will be much easier for Jodie and Pat to do their jobs.

Speaking of Patterson, I also could not help but notice his improved touch. Isn’t it amazing how valuable one middle finger can be? While he moved very well I can’t help but think I saw him favoring the ankle just a little. That means he could be even more huge down the stretch. But I didn’t really understand how much UK had missed his touch until Saturday.

I know some think I have been in a love fest with Porter and Harris all year. And while I have advocated their playing, the real truth of the matter is I believe firmly in disciplined basketball. While those guys have not always produced, they have at least tried to follow the game plan. On the flip side, I’ve been very quick to say that the ones who are having problems following the game plan should sit for the very same reason. If anyone is curios as to what I am fearful of when it comes to just throwing guys out there, Saturday was a prime example of exact opposites. In UT, we saw a team that, on paper, was way more talented at three spots, and maybe even or slightly less at two. We also saw a team that, on paper, had more talent coming off the bench. We also saw a team where said talent has been allowed to play through very poor basketball and is still playing poor basketball. We also saw Liggins, who played poorly in the first half, come into the second half and play extremely well. I was very impressed with his play in the second half. Liggins is one heck of a player when he’s where he’s supposed to be and is looking to make others better.

This is a game the team needs to watch over and over again about how they need to play. UT won one stat and that was offensive rebounding. To be perfectly honest, the game would have been out of reach in the first half if they had not because they got zero production in their “sets” (if you want to call them that). By the way, UT finished with four assists. In my mind, this is a stat I would choose to leave alone. If UK can dominate while giving up four assists and 23 offensive boards, then I say have at it. OK, maybe they could cut it down to 15..

Carter got to play! And he did more than just take up space. His rebound had authority written all over it and his up and under had Kevin McKale written all over it. One minute, one board and two points. Now that’s what I call production! See ya again when UGA comes to town, big fella..

Isn’t it amazing how smart coach looks after a big win?

UK vs UT Pre-Game Speech

No, it ain’t Vince or even Lou Holtz doing the “prep” talk, so you just have to settle for moi. Look at it this way, if I were them I would be there and not here; so you would have Them(maybe) doing this for you. See how lucky you would be without me?

But how do you “get up” after such a deflating loss at Vandy? I go with UKBoo here, throw that one out the window, cast it out, sling it East to West. We got 2Pat back, and I believe he is ready to Boogie and make us all proud to be Wildcat Fans Again.

Anyway, it’s always been my opinion that fans need “PeP TaLkS” too. We have to get up for games just like the players! And, after a trip to Music City has us singing the Memphis Beal Street Blues, well, let us just say that Mardi Grais comes just once a year and so does UT, Bruce Pearl and his travelling road show. The first time Bruce met UK this year UK did to him what Vanderbilt did to us. BEAT DOWN! With Jodie Meeks eclipsing Dan Issel’s single game scoring standard with 54 big points, UK breezed by UT in the second half and took the wind out of UT’s sails…Much like Vanderbilt did to us without our WarHorse, Patrick Patterson.

Now, I don’t expect Jodie to, “go off”, on Mr. Pearl’s Lads again, but I still predict 24 points for him, while 2Pat goes crazy with a “triple double”…That’s right, may as well wish it into existence, and let 2Pat carry the load….That’s what he does…”LENoARD”S LooSERS: UnIvErSiTy Of TeNnEsSes…….!”*

Now it’s time to play again and if this little tome didn’t get you ready for the game, then do it y-o-u-r-s-e-l-f. Honestly, whatever you fan status, whether you’re a dyed in the wool, been there, done that, fan like myself and most here, or just a UK observer or casual fan. Heck, we even take “Fans by Proxy” , those folks whose allegiances might be somewhere else, but they are “FaTe-LoCkEd” into being fans!

Just a few more hours until it’s 2Pat and Chism, Jodie & Darius and Scotty Hopson. I can’t WAIT! Let The GaMe(S) BeGIn…….:)

How Good is UK?

Frustration. It’s everywhere in the BBN. In every conversation, in every post, from fans that revel in the staff’s misery to hard and fast supporters. The question isn’t IS their frustration but more so WHY. I think the reason for frustration can always be traced to one source and that is un-met expectations. So I asked myself a follow-up and set out to come up with my own opinions. Just how good is UK and are the un-met expectations founded?

I think UK has enough to have won all but maybe three games this year so far. But, the only way they win those is for enough things to go their way and having things go that way every time out is impossible. UK just isn’t good enough to win when things are not going as they need them to. Great teams, like 96, could beat you at their game and beat you at yours. As for the rotations, I don’t know what people expect. One night Porter plays well and the next he doesn’t. One night Galloway plays well and the next night he gets lost on defense. So how does coach, or anyone for that matter, know which players are going to show up and which ones are not? Maybe saying “show up” isn’t the right term because as I said earlier, these guys need the game to go a certain way for them to play well and games ebb and flow. We had all hoped that Liggins and Miller would be fixtures in the starting rotations by now but that hasn’t happened and the reason is just as I described before. They still can not produce in a variety of situations and what they bring isn’t always what is needed in a given situation. When coach makes a change he never knows what he’s going to get.

So for me, the outcome for the rest of the season looks pretty bleak if they can’t get much better very quickly, because a few of these games are games I put with the three “unwinables”. People shouldn’t be saying a word about a loss at Vandy. That was a game they probably lose this year no matter what. Its the other SEC losses that cost UK, not the Vandy game. UK needed those because their home stretch is ridiculous. UT, who just lost and will be looking for pay back, @ USC, who has the personnel to give UK fits and already has, LSU, who is vastly improved, A Carter sighting for UGA then finishing up @ UF, who UK could barely beat at home.

UK needs to get to a point where the players on the floor thrive in many/all situations. That is the only thing that will end some fan’s frustrations and some of those will always find something to moan about. The way to get there is to grow up some young players and bring in better guys. I actually think Miller, Liggins and Galloway are starting to mesh with the team more and more. I don’t know if they will get to a point where they will make a difference this year and that is the most upsetting thing to me. But nothing built right is done quickly so I’ll just sit here in my frustration and wait for better days to come.

Latest Top 25

This weeks top 25. With a good week by LSU and a few losses by others the SEC could climb into the rankings

AP Top 25
1. Connecticut (67) 22-1 1,795
2. Oklahoma (3) 23-1 1,710
3. North Carolina (2) 21-2 1,672
4. Pittsburgh 21-2 1,583
5. Louisville 18-4 1,423
6. Duke 20-3 1,350
7. Wake Forest 18-3 1,242
8. Memphis 20-3 1,237
9. Michigan State 19-4 1,214
10. Marquette 20-3 1,137
11. UCLA 19-4 1,131
12. Clemson 19-3 1,097
13. Villanova 19-4 989
14. Xavier 20-3 893
15. Butler 21-2 762
16. Kansas 19-4 751
17. Missouri 20-4 395
18. Arizona State 18-5 389
19. Gonzaga 17-5 361
20. Purdue 17-6 353
21. Utah State 23-1 317
22. Illinois 19-5 303
23. Syracuse 18-6 280
24. Ohio State 17-5 216
25. Florida State 18-5 182
Others Receiving Votes
LSU 167, Washington 135, Texas 106, Florida 66, Minnesota 43, Dayton 31, California 16, Kansas State 8, West Virginia 8, South Carolina 7, Davidson 7, Miami (FL) 7, Utah 4, Arizona 4, San Diego State 2, Siena 2, Northeastern 2, Robert Morris 1, Boston College 1, Green Bay 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Texas 16, Minnesota 19, Washington 22.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Connecticut (30) 22-1 774
2. Oklahoma (1) 23-1 735
3. North Carolina 21-2 711
4. Pittsburgh 21-2 689
5. Duke 20-3 604
6. UCLA 19-4 554
7. Louisville 18-4 553
8. Wake Forest 18-3 541
9. Michigan State 19-4 521
10. Memphis 20-3 486
11. Clemson 19-3 456
12. Marquette 20-3 446
13. Villanova 19-4 416
14. Xavier 20-3 375
15. Butler 21-2 346
16. Kansas 19-4 300
17. Utah State 23-1 258
18. Arizona State 18-5 214
19. Missouri 20-4 162
20. Illinois 19-5 143
21. Gonzaga 17-5 124
22. Syracuse 18-6 115
23. Purdue 17-6 114
24. Washington 17-6 86
25. Florida State 18-5 62
Others Receiving Votes
Ohio State 55, Texas 50, LSU 50, Dayton 34, Minnesota 30, Florida 26, Davidson 9, Utah 9, South Carolina 7, Saint Mary’s 5, Brigham Young 5, California 3, San Diego State 3, Penn State 2, UNLV 1, Arizona 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Texas 17, Minnesota 19.

UK 90 UT 72

UK beat the snot out of UT in their own house. OK, whatever, now lets get to the real story..

Jodie Meeks came to UK as a highly recruited, yet under the radar type of guy. He’s the kind of guy that UK fans have always known about, but no one outside of the big blue nation has given him much of a thought. That all changed in this year’s addition of UT hosting UK. You would think it would have happened before now. Meeks has led UK in scoring all year. He is a top five scorer in the country. But such is UK these days. The devil must do something totally off the chart to get his due. Consider it done. UK and Meeks, on a national stage, on the media’s SEC princess of the year’s home floor, in front of a total of 120 teeth (the announcers count too), even with that ugly orange blazer right there on the sidelines, took UT apart bit by but and piece by piece. And in the end, UT was nothing more than another junk car in the front yard of the trailer park.

So how did this happen? First, and foremost, Meeks accomplishments were a total team effort. From top to bottom, every Cat that hit the floor knew exactly who to guard close, who to give room to, who to double and who wanted to drive. The UK D was a thing of utter beauty. UT is a master of not allowing teams to get the ball in bounds. UK knew this and was ready for it most of the time. UK did a really great job of sticking to its sets until it got the shot UK (Meeks) wanted. Meeks has his team mates and coaching staff to thank. And we, the fans, have Meeks to thank. And when the talking heads speak of talent, UT is the team that is considered to have it. But I saw nothing that suggests UT has anything on UK in any area, including talent. UK’s may not have been recruited, but it was developed and it don’t matter which way get there.

Big Dan Issle’s single game scoring record has seemed untouchable for 38 years. Along the way UK has had many great scorers to come and go. Miller, Mercer, Givens and Chapman cover some of the greats from era’s gone by. But none have come close to doing what Meeks has done. And we all know that Meeks is not a one hit wonder. He’s flirted with these records more than once this year. But it was much more than just scoring. Anyone that has read my drivel knows how I feel about perfect games. It isn’t IF a player will make a mistake, its a matter of when and at what cost. Meeks didn’t play a perfect game this time either. But this is as close to perfect as anyone will ever see. He did so much more than score. He played D like a mad man, he had 8 rebounds, he had four assists, he had a steal, he helped break the press and he hit his free throws. He also had a turnover. Whatever… This was much more than an all time scoring effort. This was a total and complete game by a kid no one outside of Kentucky has thought about. And the result of his complete game will have far reaching implications on this season. UK is now noticed. I don’t know how you can have two of the best players in the country and not be noticed, but that just changed. UK will probably go from getting zero votes in the polls to being a unanimous top 25 pick, barring a let down this weekend. UK will go from being an after thought to being the odds on favorite to win the SEC East, and most likely the over all SEC pick. And I think all of these things are well deserved and long over due. Let’s face it, who else has Jodie?

Utah could be the NC

Unbeaten Utah’s still has a chance for a piece of the national title thru The Associated Press poll. The AP, not part of the BCS, awards its own national champion. Granted its a real slim chance.

Unlike unbeaten Hawai’i last year Utah beat a big boy in Alabama to finish the season 13-0. They beat Alabama at their own game with a dominating defense, intercepting John Parker Wilson twice and sacking him eight times.

Utah became the first school with two undefeated seasons in the BCS era (since 1998), extending its current bowl winning streak to an FBS-best eight games.

Got to give the Sugar Bowl credit for picking a non BCS team for the second year in a row and this year they got it right.

I also have to wonder if Nick Saban is thinking that maybe the MWC is a real BCS conference about now.

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