Final Four: Kentucky's D'Andre Liggins has seen it all, wants second chance at stopping Kemba, UConn

HOUSTON - Throughout his career, Kentucky coach John Calipari has proven he could coach great point guards such as Dejuan Wagner, Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall at Memphis and with the Wildcats - all of whom were NBA lottery picks - and another, freshman Brandon Knight, who should follow in their footsteps if he declares for the NBA draft.


Now, when Kentucky plays Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament semifinals Saturday at the Reliant Center, he will have to coach against one.

Connecticut's All-America junior Kemba Walker has proven his mettle against a number of great guards, scoring 30 or points in 11 games and making game-winning or go-ahead shots in the final three minutes of games against Pitt, Seton Hall, Villanova, Texas, Michigan State and Wichita State.


Walker launched his Player of the Year campaign during an early-season performance against Kentucky when he lit up 6-6 guard D'Andre Liggins, the Wildcats' best perimeter defender, for 29 points in an 84-67 victory in the championship of the Maui Classic. Walker shot 10-for-17, making three of four threes and all six free throws.

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Final Four Tip-Off Tailgate

The UK Alumni Association is inviting alumni and fans to its Tip-off Tailgate Event on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. CT in the Reliant Stadium Blue Lot in Houston. The event will feature live music just outside Reliant Stadium and a performance by the band and cheerleaders from each participating school. The UK band and cheerleaders will perform at approximately 3:30 p.m. CT. There is no cost to attend but game tickets will be need to be presented in order to enter the event area. Food and drinks (including soft drinks, beer and margaritas) are available for purchase during the Tip-Off Tailgate. Parking is available on the grounds of Reliant Park and tailgating is permitted.

If Kentucky advances to the final game, alumni and friends are encouraged to attend Monday's Tailgate Tip-Off Event from 4:30 to 7:15 p.m. CT. The UK band and cheerleaders will make an appearance if the Wildcats are playing in the championship game. Also, the Final Four has designated gather spots for alumni and friends from each participating university around Houston. The designated spots for the University of Kentucky are:

DeAndre Liggins on 2011 Final Four

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Josh Harrellson on 2011 Final Four

Calipari, Calhoun offer their take on rivalry

HOUSTON -- This week, former assistants of Jim Calhoun and John Calipari offered their opinions on a heated head-coaching rivalry that began in the early 1990s.   Once Connecticut and Kentucky got to Houston, it was Calhoun and Calipari’s turn to explain the relationship between the two coaching giants.  They coached against each other for the first time in 1989, Calipari’s first year at Massachusetts. Calhoun and the Huskies beat UMass in consecutive seasons before the rivalry took a six-year hiatus because UConn chose not to continue the series. But that didn’t stop the competition. Calipari signed the best player from the state of Connecticut in Marcus Camby and led the Minutemen to something UConn hadn’t achieved yet -- a No. 1 ranking and a trip to the Final Four (1996).   “We were the first team to become No. 1 in New England,’’ Calipari told ESPN.com in Houston.   “I wasn’t coaching against Jim Calhoun,’’ Calipari added. “I was just doing my own little thing there, driving everybody crazy. We were fortunate to have good players. We were a top-25 team and then we got Marcus Camby and became a top-five team.’’

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The wait was long, but UK fans still know what to do

HOUSTON — During the 1998 NCAA Tournament, Kentucky fan Claudia Blaylock got so discouraged when UK fell 17 points behind Duke during the second half of the Elite Eight, she quit watching and started doing her family laundry.

Which was the exact point when UK launched a historic comeback for victory. Ever since, Claudia hits the laundry room when Kentucky basketball teams need help.

For 13 long, barren years, the washer and dryer in Blaylock's Lexington home have sat silent on Final Four Saturday.

In Frankfort, Joyce Sturgill has had no reason to light a candle for the Wildcats, as she does for good luck during every UK game, in any national semifinal since Tubby Smith's first season as Kentucky coach.
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Kentucky Wildcat Fan wins the NCAA Final Four Reeses Challenge

Kentucky Wildcat  fan Tyler Hisel wins the 2011 NCAA Final four Reeses Challenge.
Way to represent the Big Blue Nation in Houston!

Brandon Knight was key to Cats run

HOUSTON -- Down 11 points with three minutes left in a regional final game, Brandon Knight stood among his high school teammates. Their heads were hanging. Their dream of a run to the Florida state championship was evaporating and they looked like they had pretty much given up.
Instead of screaming or reaching for some bombastic fire and brimstone, Knight looked directly at his coach, David Beckerman. "He said to me, but loud enough for everyone to hear, 'What time is practice tomorrow?'" Beckerman recalled. After the huddle broke, Knight drained three 3-pointers, picked up a charge and a steal, dished out three assists and finished with 52 points. Pine Crest not only went to the state championship game; the tony school known for its academic muscle also won the thing. Brandon Knight saved Kentucky's bacon with the last-second shot that beat Princeton. That is how Knight does business.  He sticks hard to Theodore Roosevelt's motto of speak softly and carry a big stick. Knight isn't going to overwhelm anyone with effusive or entertaining postgame interviews. He has Josh Harrellson to do that. He isn't going to hop on press tables and point to the crowd after a big win. DeAndre Liggins can handle that chore.

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Courtside with Trey

Awaiting the Wildcats open practice the view from row 7