ESPN weighs in on the Battle of the Bluegrass..

Where UK is better: The Wildcats are more talented at most every position and are more explosive offensively. The Cardinals do not have a frontcourt player as talented as Terrence Jones, a backcourt player as talented at Brandon Knight, or a shooter as proficient as Doron Lamb. Kentucky doesn't turn the ball over much, but has not played a team that will turn the game into the chaotic full-court affair that Louisville will. If the Cats play at the Cardinals' pace and take quick shots, Louisville can give them a hard time. Plus, Knight cannot turn the ball over against the UL pressure. Knight averages 3.9 assists, but also 3.7 turnovers per game. He has to be more efficient in this one. The Wildcats have plenty of finishers, but can they get to the finish opportunity?



Where UL is better: Rakeem Buckles' absence will hurt, but the Cardinals are a deeper, play more people and will force the tempo that they want, rather than the tempo that Kentucky wants to play at. Louisville is a blue-collar, no-ego team that works hard and will come at you in waves. The Cards were the only ones this season that were able to speed up Butler and make the steady Bulldogs play at the Louisville pace. They take and make a lot of 3-point shots, but are especially proficient inside the arc, where they make more than 56 percent of their shots. Louisville forces turnovers, and defensive pressure has been an issue for Kentucky. Against UConn, the Wildcats coughed the ball up, but also took a lot of quick and questionable shots. Something to watch for will be how many quick, bad shots Louisville can force Kentucky into.

Read More Here..

Let's get it on!

Flashback: ESPN did some promos in 1997 with Robert Goulet

Official Mike Stuart assigned to Cats and Cards.

Reports are saying that the SEC will be providing the officials for Friday's game with Louisville. On the list to cover the game is Mike Stuart. This was the official who gave Calipari the quick boot in the miserable Mississippi Valley State game earlier this season. Stuart also called the game in South Carolina last year
if you recall the Devon Downey/ Barack Obama event.
During the Mississippi Valley State game Calipari was reported to be yelling at Stuart. "Are you going to come over hear and talk to me like a man" and " You are going to respect me". It should be interesting to see if they can hide their love for each other on the National stage

Houston Rockets call Kings about Cousins / Ming deal

The Rockets, looking to use Yao Ming's $17.7 million expiring contract to add a potential star or two to their roster, recently called Sacramento and offered the 7-foot-6 center for Samuel Dalembert and DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings had no interest, and are definitely not trading Cousins anywhere, according to sources.

Despite its poor record, Sacramento (5-23) likes its future with young building blocks Cousins and Tyreke Evans. Whatever the new salary cap is after the next collective bargaining agreement, the Kings will be far beneath it and could have more money to spend in free agency than just about any other team. So if they do make any trades this season, they won't be ones in which they add lots of salary.
(source espn.com)

Cats and the Cards: Looking back at Big Cuz in 2009

UK target Trevor Lacey adds to legacy with signature play on Classic's first day

Read the article here...

Cards and the Cats - Friday

Frosty looking good in the Blue and White!

Cats roll over Coppin State

UK men's basketball cruises past Coppin State with a 91-61 victory. Jones paced UK with 18 points, Doron Lamb with 17 points. Brandon  Knight  had 17 points and  8 assists.

Doron Lamb making case to start for Cats

As the team's most accurate shooter and most prolific three-point scorer, Doron Lamb has reason to wonder why he's coming off Kentucky's bench. UK Coach John Calipari conceded the point during a news conference Monday. "He could be in my office saying, 'I want to start,' " Calipari said. Or, the UK coach added, Lamb could be more blunt and say, " 'I should be starting.' " And, the UK coach added, "he may be starting at some point."
Read more at kentucky.com click here..

UK vs Coppin State tonight at Rupp 7pm

Coppin State University is a model urban, residential liberal arts university located in the northwest section of the City of Baltimore that provides academic programs in the arts and sciences, teacher education, nursing, graduate studies, and continuing education. An HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), Coppin State has a culturally rich history as an institution providing quality educational programs and community outreach services. Coppin State offers 53 majors and nine graduate-degree programs. A fully accredited institution, Coppin State serves Baltimore residents as well as students from around the world, with flexible course schedules that include convenient day, evening, and weekend classes and distance learning courses.

Coppin State Mens Basketball team played a common UK opponent in the #4 UConn Huskies on December 20th.  UConn defated the Coppin State Eagles with a score of 76-64. Akeem Ellis had 19 points to lead Coppin State (4-4), while Tony Gallo added 17 and Michael Harper had 13.

Lamb named Player of the Week, Knight is Freshman of the Week

LEXINGTON, KY – The UK men’s basketball team swept the Southeastern Conference’s weekly awards this week as Doron Lamb was named SEC Player of the Week and Brandon Knight was named the SEC Freshman of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday.


Click here to read article on ukathletics.com

AP Top 25 Rankings 12/27/10

AP Top 25


RK TEAM RECORD PTS

1 Duke (65)         11-0 1,625
2 Ohio State        12-0 1,550
3 Kansas             11-0 1,480
4 Connecticut      10-0 1,406
5 Syracuse          13-0 1,397
6 Pittsburgh            12-1 1,273
7 San Diego State  14-0 1,157
8 Villanova             10-1 1,135
9 Georgetown        11-1 1,106
10 Missouri            11-1 1,085
11 Kentucky            9-2 969
12 Purdue              11-1 857
13 Texas                10-2 829
14 Minnesota         11-1 717
15 Notre Dame      11-1 559
16 Brigham Young 12-1 541
17 Kansas State     10-3 493
18 Texas A&M      11-1 432
19 UCF                  11-0 420
20 Michigan State     8-4 404
21 Memphis            9-2 319
22 Louisville            10-1 263
23 Illinois                10-3 180
24 Vanderbilt            9-2 127
25 Temple                9-2 122

Player of the Week: Doron Lamb, Kentucky

Doron Lamb's performance against Winthrop as one of the most impressive to date this season.
The freshman guard was not one of the headline recruits for John Calipari. Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight and, of course, still-ineligible Enes Kanter received the praise. But none of them has had such a dominating performance as Lamb's record-breaking game. Doron Lamb scored 32 points, making 11 of 12 shots, seven of eight 3s and all three free throws he attempted. He also had two assists and zero turnovers. Lamb's efficiency from the field was one of the most impressive of any player this season. He was as on as a player has been in a game. Winthrop provided the fodder and the game wasn't close, as the Wildcats won by 37. Lamb has been erratic so far this season, putting up modest scoring totals like five, six and nine points, but he has also scored 20-plus points three times. The Wildcats have options, and Lamb won't always be the hot hand, but he's proving he can be a star when called upon.

Yahoo Sports sits down with Kentucky’s Brandon Knight for Q-and-A

"What do you remember the most about John Calipari’s visit to your home?"



Read More Here

ESPN's Sports Science: John Wall's Vision

Lakers Ron Artest dives into Jamaal Magloire after loose ball.

The Archie Show coming to the Bluegrass?

Coach Cal offers 2012 Arkansas shooting guard Archie Goodwin a scholarship this week. Goodwin, rated by Rivals as a five-star prospect, currently holds offers from Arkansas, Memphis, Kansas, Baylor and Oklahoma State. And, now, the Cats.

Enes Kanter still holding out hope of playing for Kentucky

Read More Here

Merry Christmas wishes from the Dirty Birds and Little Ricky to you. It's so Sweet...

Merry Christmas from The Cat Daddy!

John Wall's Best Christmas?

Michael Gilchrist and St Patrick's win the City of the Palms

Kentucky 2011 recruit Michael Gilchrist wins the MVP of the City of the Palms Tournament.

Doron Lamb sets Kentucky record for most points by freshman in Wildcats win

Read More Here

Kentucky defeats the Winthrop Eagles, 89-52

Cats Move Up In Both Major Polls

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball
poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec.
19, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through
one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
Record Pts Pvs
1. Duke (64) 10-0 1,624 1
2. Ohio St. (1) 10-0 1,551 2
3. Kansas 10-0 1,479 3
4. Connecticut 8-0 1,408 4
5. Syracuse 11-0 1,395 5
6. Pittsburgh 11-1 1,270 8
7. San Diego St. 12-0 1,134 11
8. Villanova 9-1 1,118 10
9. Missouri 10-1 1,009 13
10. Georgetown 10-1 980 15
11. Kansas St. 9-2 866 6
12. Michigan St. 8-3 858 14
13. Kentucky 8-2 850 17
14. Purdue 10-1 712 19
15. Baylor 7-1 684 9
16. Memphis 8-1 577 18
17. Minnesota 10-1 504 21
18. Texas 9-2 429 22
19. Tennessee 7-2 411 7
20. Florida 8-2 382 -
21. Illinois 10-2 370 12
22. Notre Dame 10-1 327 24
23. BYU 10-1 302 16
24. UCF 10-0 258 -
25. Texas A&M 10-1 246 25
Others receiving votes: Louisville 124, Vanderbilt 49,
Washington 49, Temple 39, West Virginia 24, Wisconsin 16,
Northwestern 15, Cincinnati 14, North Carolina 10, UNLV 10, Arizona
8, Drexel 6, Gonzaga 3, Saint Mary's, Calif. 3, Washington St. 3,
Boston College 2, Oklahoma St. 2, Old Dominion 2, Cleveland St. 1,
New Mexico 1.

USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll
The top 25 teams in the USA Today-ESPN men's college basketball
poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec.
19, points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one
point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record Pts Pvs
1. Duke (31) 10-0 775 1
2. Ohio State 10-0 743 2
3. Kansas 10-0 709 3
4. Connecticut 8-0 675 4
5. Syracuse 11-0 658 5
6. Pittsburgh 11-1 597 8
7. San Diego State 12-0 564 10
8. Villanova 9-1 546 11
9. Georgetown 10-1 492 13
10. Missouri 10-1 484 12
11. Kansas State 9-2 422 6
12. Michigan State 8-3 386 15
13. Purdue 10-1 375 17
14. Kentucky 8-2 371 16
15. Baylor 7-1 318 9
16. Minnesota 10-1 275 20
17. Memphis 8-1 235 19
18. Tennessee 7-2 214 7
19. Florida 8-2 183 24
20. Notre Dame 10-1 171 23
21. Illinois 10-2 161 14
22. Texas 9-2 152 25
23. BYU 10-1 150 18
24. Texas A&M 10-1 81 -
25. Louisville 9-1 73 21
Others receiving votes: UCF 47, Wisconsin 39, UNLV 32, West
Virginia 32, Washington 27, Northwestern 21, Temple 20, Vanderbilt
15, New Mexico 13, Wichita State 5, Oklahoma State 4, Old Dominion
3, Saint Mary's, Calif. 3, Washington State 2, Cincinnati 1,
Richmond 1.

Tayshaun Prince Saves the Day

DeMarcus Cousins' Reputation Precedes Him, Deceives You

Read More Here

John Calipari: Kentucky NBA team OK

Coach Cal says "Anything that's good for the city of Louisville is good for our state. I believe [the NBA] is good for the city of Louisville, which makes our state even better."




Read More Here

Calipari ejected as Kentucky rolls 85-60

Read More Here

Wildcats roll over MVSU 85-60 Coach Cal Ejected

Terrence Jones scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half and No. 17 Kentucky rolled past Mississippi Valley State 85-60 Saturday night. Doron Lamb and DeAndre Liggins scored 16 points apiece for the Wildcats (8-2), who played the last 6:26 without coach John Calipari, who got his first career ejection after picking up two technical fouls while arguing with officials.

Here’s a good way to get some national attention: Score a combined 57 points in the first two games of the season. That’s what Kentucky signee Mike Gilchrist did, and now we’ve got the video to prove it. Check it:

See More Here

Ainge: Rajon Rondo Out for ‘a Couple of Weeks’

Read More Here

Antoine Walker plays in the D-League, and he’s happy.

Read More Here

Kentucky signees on Player of Year watch list

Read More Here

Flip Saunders has chilling words about John Wall

Read More about John Wall's battle

Down goes little Ricky and the Dirty Birds! Dirty Birds 52 Drexel 46

Drexel  knocks off the #21 Louisville Cardinals for the first season loss and the first loss in the Yum Center.
Read More Here

NCAA Basketball game suffers from the latest trend of players bolting in-season

Memphis junior center Angel Garcia told coach Josh Pastner that the contractual offer to play professionally in Spain was too good to turn down.



Read More Here

Tennessee goes down to Oakland 89-82

After a one-point loss to Michigan State, Oakland finally pulls off a huge upset. Who's in charge of their scheduling, anyway?




Read More Here

Buzz about UK and Trevor Lacey picking up...

It's being reported that UK has offered Huntsville Alabama 2011 shooting guard Trevor Lacey a scholarship.







Read more about Trevor Lacey

Brandon Knight talks about the change in his game and the player he has become.

Knight a different player than he was a year ago

Long-lost Final Four ring ends back up in Brassow's hand

In the land of Kentucky basketball, finding a Final Four basketball ring of a former basketball player lies somewhere between the equivalent of discovering the Holy Grail and a 10-carat diamond.


read article

Cats come in at #16 in this week's ESPN rankings.

RK TEAM RECORD PTS


1 Duke (31) 10-0 775

2 Ohio State 8-0 742

3 Kansas 9-0 710

4 Connecticut 8-0 642

5 Syracuse 10-0 639

6 Kansas State 9-1 618

7 Tennessee 7-0 557

8 Pittsburgh 10-1 516

9 Baylor 6-0 510

10 San Diego State 10-0 440

11 Villanova 8-1 434

12 Missouri 8-1 417

13 Georgetown 9-1 394

14 Illinois 10-1 356

15 Michigan State 7-3 351

16 Kentucky 7-2 294

17 Purdue 9-1 278

18 Brigham Young 10-0 275

19 Memphis 7-1 216

20 Minnesota 9-1 194

21 Louisville 8-0 185

22 UNLV 9-1 113

23 Notre Dame 9-1 108

24 Florida 7-2 48

25 Texas 7-2 41

Brandon Knight SEC Freshman of the Week

SEC Freshman Of The Week
Brandon Knight
Kentucky
G • 6-3 • 195 • Fr. • Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Kentucky’s Brandon Knight was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in wins over 23rd-ranked Notre Dame and Indiana. Knight recorded his fourth 20-point effort this season against the Irish. In the rivalry-win over Indiana, Knight scored five points and pulled down five rebounds over the final 10 minutes to help UK come from one-point down to pull away for the 81-62 win. He went 10-10 from the free throw line against the Hoosiers and has hit 14-straight and 19 of his last 20 from the charity stripe.

Knight’s Season Stats
PPG   RPG    APG    BPG      SPG
17.4   3.7       3.7      0.3         0.8

Another look at the incoming 2011 class that's signed

Video of the Metrodome collapsing

2011 Recuit DeAndre Daniels visits UK this weekend

Daniels is currently ranked 36 in the ESPN top 100. He would be a great addition to the 6-7 Gilchrist, 6-10 Davis, 6-2 Teagues and 6-9 Wiltjer. Daniels is a skilled small forward with excellent size and length. He is definitely one of the elite scorers in the country and has that special knack to score in a variety of ways. He runs very well with great speed where he can beat defenders to the rim. He can hit the 3-point shot off the catch from a kick out pass or ball reversal. His shot is smooth and his release is effortless. He simply shoots over smaller defenders with ease and he has become much more potent shooting in transition. He can pick and op to shoot or drive. In addition, he also does a good job of rebounding at both ends of the floor.

Hometown= Woodland Hills, CA
High School= IMG Academy
Height 6'7"
Weight 191 lbs

Kentucky 81 Indiana 62

Liggins kickstarted Kentucky's game-ending 25-5 run with a 3-pointer, but it was his play at the other end of the floor that got the Wildcats (7-2) going.
"They were like 'let's just come out and be the more aggressive team and the tougher team and maybe they'll back down and they'll fold," said Kentucky center Josh Harrellson, who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. "But [we] did a better job in the second half of just being tougher and playing harder."

"We Love Our Cats"

Cats rally from a 11 point deficit to defeat Notre Dame 72-58

After being down 11 points in the first half the Cats rally on defence to climb back into the game 40-40 at the half. Terrence Jones comes up big, dominates inside and hits two big threes late to finish with  27 points and 17 rebounds. Brandon Knight seemed more comfortable tonight adding 20 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.

A Kentucky Reunion in LA

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/2010/12/a-kentucky-reunion-in-californ.html

John Wall rejects Derek Fisher

Cats vs Notre Dame in Louisville Ky tonight

NOTRE DAME (vs. Kentucky, 9:30 p.m. Wedesday, ESPN)
Location: South Bend, Indiana

Record: 8-0

The first Champions Classic is set for Madison Square Garden in New York, with Duke facing Michigan State and Kentucky meeting Kansas on Nov. 15, 2011.

NEW YORK -- Men's college basketball has struggled to tip off its season with any fanfare in the midst of November football. To combat that, four of the sport's top programs -- Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky and Kansas -- have committed to create the Champions Classic, an early season marquee event debuting in 2011 and televised by ESPN. The first Champions Classic is set for Madison Square Garden in New York, with Duke facing Michigan State and Kentucky meeting Kansas on Nov. 15, 2011.

Year 2 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta will see Michigan State vs. Kansas and Duke vs. Kentucky on Nov. 13, 2012. The third event, Nov. 12, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, will have Michigan State playing Kentucky and Kansas playing Duke.

"I'm ecstatic about it because for our program it's probably bigger than all the others," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who won the national championship in 2000 and has been to six Final Fours with the Spartans. "We're maybe the team that has come on in the last 10 years while the others have been there for 50. It's an honor and a privilege. It really will bring a lot of attention for basketball."

Wizard's battle but fall to the Lakers 115-108

John Wall puts up good numbers in his first match-up with Kobe and the Lakers with 22 point 14 assists.

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson talked about the play of Wizards rookie point guard John Wall.


"He's making an imprint," Jackson said before the game. "He's super quick. He's still struggling to find out where he can make a shot from and where he can't."

Phil Jackson's message to the Lakers "They really sucked the joy out of winning that one, didn't they?"

after their 115-108 victory Tuesday night at Staples over a Washington Wizards team lacking generally in hap (six wins in 20 tries), but totally hapless on the road, where they dropped to 0-11 on the season. "We made it tougher," Pau Gasol said. "We made it tougher on ourselves."
 
Tuesday's game was a great example of how fast NBA games can change. The Lakers won the first quarter by 13, tied the second, and were plus-six over halfway through the third, plus four at the 3:27 mark. Over the next three and a half minutes, Washington was 14 points better than L.A. Then in a fourth quarter suddenly more competitive than it needed to be, the Lakers outscored Washington by four. In 207 seconds, the Lakers basically undid over a half-hour's work. Bad execution, particularly in the second unit over the final stretches of the third, opened the door, but things had deteriorated just enough by then. The ball movement leading to 22 assists in the first quarter disappeared.

UK recruit Anthony Davis grows into elite player

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=5894839

John Wall vs Kobe Bryant tonight at the Staples Center!

Wishing John the best. You just know Kobe is going to let the young fellow know he has to earn his respect. It should be interesting to watch the interaction on the court.

Big Cuz and Josh stomp the dirty bird last year.

UK basketball court installed at Freedom Hall: Time Lapse

Freedom Hall goes BLUE!

The Cats play Notre Dame Wednesday night in the Big East / SEC match up. Freedom Hall has never looked better.

Cats take a loss on the road in Chapel Hill 75-73

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/19308/heels-enjoy-zeller-performance

Kanters hopes to play at UK are still alive.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5880507

UK Basketball Program has made a request to the NCAA

The UK has requested an opportunity to submit additional information regarding the eligibility of Enes Kanter. When a school receives new information that could impact a players eligibility, it is a standard NCAA process to provide the school with an opportunity to resubmit the case. Because an NCAA appellate body, such as the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, cannot hear new information on appeal, this reconsideration must first be made by the NCAA reinstatement staff. UK would then have an opportunity to appeal the staff decision to the committee. This opportunity is available to ensure a fair and thorough consideration of eligibility matters for the student-athlete. The NCAA and University of Kentucky will not have any further comment regarding the specifics of this case until the process has concluded. The waiting continues... Free Enes!

Duke's Kyle Singler takes a shot at the Cats in a recent interview with FoxSports.

"That’s what happened to Kentucky and what hurt those guys last year,” Singler said. "Thinking about the NBA. I don’t think that will be a problem for us. We understand that any of us – Kyrie, Nolan or me – can go for 30 points in a game.”




http://blogs.courier-journal.com/rickbozich/

Vitale comments on Enes Kanter's eligibility

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWxPAl6wS8Y&feature=player_embedded

Enes Kanter appeal reportedly heard today by NCAA. Final ruling withing days.

Both Dick Vitale and Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News are reporting that it happened Wednesday morning. Both reporters also spoke very strongly in favor for Kanter to be able to play. The results of the hearing are expected to be known within two or three days.

FREE ENES!