UK Wildcat Country: A Kentucky Wildcats Blog

How to Fix the UK Basketball Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Almost a week ago, news leaked that the UK basketball museum was closing due to a large debt it couldn't overcome.

The museum wasn't part of the University, but UK did donate up to $100,000 a year to help the museum out. Before closing, the museum was housed in the Lexington Center, which connects to Rupp Arena. Now, the museum is closed, the exhibits and donated items are being returned and UK athletics is saying they will somehow create something in the Joe Craft Center, although nothing like museum. No final word on what the new creation will be.

And then I went and read Jerry Tipton's basketball notebook that the Herald-Leader publishes every Sunday. In the notebook, Tipton talks about what he thinks UK will do to honor the late Mr. Wildcat, Bill Keightley. Tipton says that UK hasn't decided what to yet, but Tipton suggests making the "K" on the jerseys black, or placing a big "K" on the court in front of Keightley's chair.

Of course, a lot of people are saying they should leave that chair empty. And that's a good idea, as are Tipton's. But here's a better one: Create a smaller, more interactive UK basketball museum in the Joe Craft Center. Then name it after Bill Keightley.

In essence, The Bill Keightley UK Basketball Museum.

The museum could have a huge exhibit around the man who has seen more UK basketball games than anyone else. It could be the feature exhibit and surely would gather a crowd to see it.

Of course, the new museum in the Craft Center would have be to be interactive, but anyone who has stepped foot in the Craft Center knows technology isn't new to the building. Naming the museum after Keightley and making him the centerpiece of a new venture would be a fitting tribute and a good way to preserve the great tradition of UK basketball. Then, all the other exhibits that made up the UK basketball museum could be updated, made interactive and placed around the Keightley exhibit.

If the Craft Center doesn't have enough room, build another floor. Or move the exhibits around Memorial Coliseum as part of a tour of both the Coliseum, the Craft Center and the Museum. There are ways to make this happen. And if donors know that the new museum will be in Keightley's honor, that may help sideline any costs.

Coaches have come and gone, leaving their mark. While most think Adolph Rupp and UK Basketball, true fans put Bill Keightley right beside Mr. Rupp. Rupp has the arena named after him. Let's give Mr. Wildcat the building where all of the UK basketball history will reside.

I can think of no more fitting a tribute.

Keenan Burton is a Ram.

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:13:00 +0000

Yes, the great astrology sign of Aries, who is portrayed by a Ram...

...What? Wrong Ram? Oh. The St. Louis Rams? Silly me. Anyway, Burton recently confirmed a three-year deal for around a million bucks. Not bad, sir, not bad.

Burton is the first of the four drafted Cats to sign a contract to my knowledge. Although Woodson probably feels safer about his roster spot with J-Load gone. As for Johnson, Tamme or undrafted Woodyard, Little or Eric Scott? No clue.

Burton said when he was drafted he felt he could do great things in St. Louis. Here's to hoping that dream comes true.

Burton dominated on the field at UK and I'd love to see him be a key player in the resurgence of the Greatest Show on Turf.

AN ABBREVIATED WGCGA

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:38:00 +0000

This one isn't as long as the usual stuff because it's a holiday. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

By March of 1998, Kentucky had emerged as one of seven legit national title contenders. After losing at home to Ole Miss in a game I attended at courtside, Kentucky really hit its stride, dominating the rest of the SEC en route to a very impressive conference tournament win. Jeff Sheppard injured his ankle in the SEC Tournament, but Kentucky won the first two games of the Big Dance by large margins, so he got to rest. I should note that Digger Phelps picked Kentucky to lose to South Carolina State and St. Louis. Keep that in mind as this series of columns continues. Going into the regional semifinal against UCLA, Kentucky was one of the hottest teams in the tournament.

UCLA was playing some good ball as well. The 6-seed Bruins upset 3-seedd Michigan in the 2nd round to make it to St. Petersburg for this game. UCLA was essentially a 4-man team that year. They were led by a trio of seniors – Toby Bailey, JR Henderson and Kris Johnson, the last remnants of their 1995 championship team. Before the game, Henderson made some disparaging remarks about Kentucky’s inside game, hinting that he would be able to have his way with the big men in blue. The team’s superstar was Baron Davis, but he got injured against Michigan, so freshman Earl Watson had to step in and play the point against a defense he was not ready to face. From Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, our announcers are Jim Nantz and Billy Packer.

UCLA opened up the game in a matchup zone, but Kentucky said, “I don’t think so, Scooter,” as Turner and Padgett found gaps in the zone and capitalized on open looks. On UCLA’s first possession, Mohammed blocked Henderson twice before Henderson eventually scored. After a UCLA turnover, Sheppard found Allen Edwards, who took it baseline for a HUGE reverse jam. After another Mohammed block on Henderson, it was 11-5 at the first break. When Magloire replaced Nazr, he immediately took it inside on Henderson and scored. Next trip down the floor saw Magloire block Henderson, which led to a three from Sheppard. UCLA insisted on taking it inside, and they kept getting blocked. Malgoire just swatted away a Bailey shot. This is definitely the most motivated performance of the centers so far. Packer is annoying in this game, calling out Turner for an illegal dribble every time he touches the ball. A couple minutes later, Mohammed drew a charge on Henderson. JR Henderson is getting owned on this night. Mohammed just schooled him in the post. A couple of Bruin threes cut it to 28-21, but then the Cats decided that enough was enough, going on a 12-2 run to make it 40-23 at the half.

Without Davis, it was just too difficult for UCLA to get anything going on offense. The closest the Bruins got in the 2nd half was 11 points. Magloire absolutely crushed a UCLA breakaway layup attempt bringing his block total to 4. Sheppard hit a three to make it 48-30, and the rout was on. Much like the 1993 and 1996 teams, this Kentucky team was just beating the crap out of a very good team in the sweet 16. Sheppard got a steal and almost threw one down from the free throw line. So much for that injured ankle, right? That rest period in the SCSU and SLU games really paid off. For the last 10 minutes of the game, the lead varied between 20 and 25 points, reaching as high as 32. The final score was 94-68, good guys triumphant after the game. Five players scored in double figures. Mohammed and Magloire each had 6 blocks, reducing JR Henderson to rubble. After the game, UCLA senior Kris Johnson said, “When you see Kentucky’s fans, you just wonder. You think how wonderful it would be to go to their school. You wish you could trade places for a day, just so you could experience that feeling.” I think it’s the greatest thing an opposing player has said about UK basketball. JR Henderson could not be reached for comment.

The Duke game is next.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, looking forward to brats and fireworks.

10 REASONS WHY I HATE DUKE

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:18:00 +0000

This is a new series I’m trying out called “10 Reasons Why I Hate…” The first target of my psychotic rage is Duke. Duke sucks and I hate them. I don’t even want to elaborate anymore in this opening paragraph. Let’s just get right to it.

10. Flopping

This crap happens in every game. It’s the same garbage that international players have brought to the NBA to almost ruin that game (thank you, San Antonio Spurs!). Shane Battier made a living hiding out underneath the basket and taking charges against opponents of various sizes. Billy Packer would gush with orgasmic glee, “Look at how Battier takes those charges! He’s the greatest defender ever!” during every game, and that turned Shane into a lottery pick. Juan Dixon from Maryland was one of the toughest players I’ve ever seen, but Shane Battier is 6’8”, 225 pounds, and Dixon couldn’t knock him down unless he used a 2x4. Whatever happened to playing tough defense like a man? Duke certainly doesn’t know much about this.

9. The ACC

This conference is the best in America at all things, if you believe every word the national media says. If you read this column, you probably know that this isn’t true. You know why the ACC puts so many overrated players into the NBA? It’s because the ACC has a great TV deal with ESPN and NBA executives are lazy when scouting college prospects, so the ACC guys are a quick fix. That can only explain the lottery pick status of Trajan Langdon, Shelden Williams and JJ Redick.

8. Sore losers

This is Matt “The Stormin’ Mormon” Christensen. In 2002, Duke played in the South Regionals at Rupp Arena. In the regional semifinal against Indiana, Duke blew a double-digit lead in the second half and lost to the underdog Hoosiers after Carlos Boozer missed a jumper at the buzzer. With his college career over, Christensen stormed at referee Bruce Benedict and yelled in his face, veins pulsating. Yeah, these guys are angels.

7. Intimidation of referees

That probably isn’t a foul. Mike Krzyzewski knows how to get into the head of an official. After a bad call in the 1998 South Regional Final, Coach K stared at Curtis Shaw for the duration of an entire TV timeout. He didn’t even get in the huddle with his players. He just stared at Shaw the whole time. That’s pathetic, but it works. I remember a particularly bad game from 2006 where Duke beat Florida State at Cameron. The officiating was so one-sided and terrible that the ACC suspended the officiating crew that worked the game for one game.

6. They play home games in the NCAA Tournament

Welcome to Greensboro Coliseum, Duke’s home away from home in March. I’ve been watching college basketball since 1992. In those 16 seasons, Duke has gotten to play in their home state nine different times. Yeah, that’s fair.

5. Steve Wojciechowski

Wojo is without question the biggest Duke media creation in the history of the Duke program. Wojo was a point guard at Duke from 1994-98, and in 1998, he won the National Defensive Player of the Year award. In the tournament that year, he had to guard Wayne Turner, and he failed miserably. Turns out all you have to do to win DPOY is dive on the floor a bunch and slap the floor a few times. Since then, the award has been a complete joke. Of course around these parts, he more famous for the stretching he received at the hands of Jamaal Magloire in 1998. Billy Packer was probably thinking, “BAH GAWD HE’S BROKEN IN HALF! SOMEBODY PUT HIM IN JAIL!” I’ll write some more on this when I do a column on that 1998 game.

4. They’re soft

That’s Duke’s Josh McRoberts crying after a terrible performance against North Carolina. I hate soft basketball, and ever since Jay Williams went pro in 2002, this is exactly the kind of ball that has become synonymous with Duke. They can’t handle physical play. That’s why they lose to Florida State almost every year. That’s why they’ve struggled against Miami. That’s why they didn’t have a prayer against West Virginia in this past year’s Tournament. Soft basketball is losing basketball. Don’t believe me? Ask the Los Angeles Lakers.

3. Christian Laettner

I don’t need a picture for this. If you step on a player in a college basketball game, 99 times out of 100 you get ejected. Then there is the time when a superstar steps on a role player, and nothing happens. Yeah, he got a technical foul, but given the magnitude of That Game and the performance of Laettner in That Game, it should have been an ejection, because a stomp is a stomp. You can’t stomp somebody and have it not be malicious. Yeah, he’s another Duke angel.

2. They don’t play non-conference road games

Here’s where Duke plays its non-conference road games. I don’t count the ACC/Big Ten Challenge because those are predetermined and mandatory. Ever notice that Duke doesn’t play home-and-home series with top teams? That’s because the “road game” for Duke has to be at East Rutherford, NJ. Arizona called them out on it. Lute Olson said something to the effect of “If they don’t come here, we won’t go there.” It’s unfortunate because there is a significant number of preppy Duke bandwagon jumpers that go to those east coast games. Any game Duke plays on the East Coast is a home game, I don’t care what color the jerseys are.

1. Racism?

This is the 1966 Kentucky team. You know what happened. Rupp’s Runts, Texas Western, you probably even saw “Glory Road.” What you may not know is that in the national semifinal, to earn the right to play Texas Western, Kentucky had to beat an all-white Duke team. Since that time, no team has signed more goofy looking white players than Duke. If Kentucky came out with the Paulus/Redick/Melchionni/McRoberts/5th player lineup, I guarantee that somebody at ESPN would come up with a “Kentucky is still racist” story that would be on the front page of every newspaper in the commonwealth. I have no problem with Duke signing white players. Coach Gillispie has recruited several white players, including Jon Hood, who by all accounts is awesome. There’s nothing wrong with that. I just don’t like the double standard created by Kentucky beating Duke in 1966. It’s not fair, and Duke gets a pass while Kentucky has books and movies created about them, always depicting them as the villains. Duke was every bit as guilty of perceived racism as Kentucky was, and that makes me bitter, because there’s nothing I hate more than double standards.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and that’s enough for one day. Happy Independence Day, everybody.

Rubber Bands and Status Quos: Life of a UK Fan Returning To Normalcy

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Powell) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:00 +0000

...with a new added perk! I'll get to that later though. In better words: Kentucky athletics and all that pertains to it has reached its status quo of the last two decades once again.

IU has taken a hit in the basketball realm and it looks like they might be out to pasture for a while. A long while. Therefore, Kentucky can go back to pillaging their villages (i.e. landing Indiana recruits) for all that’s salvageable. UL basketball reached its peak and is ready for the painful fall back into the Denny Crum abyss. UK, on the other hand, is on the fast track to world domination once again. The only variable is...

Speaking of UL football, Steve Kragthorpe may be my favorite Louisville head coach since, uhh, John L. Smith. He’s strategically directing that program to Duke or Temple football depths (a.k.a. Louisville’s status quo). With 2056 scholarship defections this year alone, it may be happening sooner than later.

Baseball had a nice run, but it might be over now with the departure of John Cohen. While that is sad to see (I was just starting to have a soft spot for the sport of baseball again), it's just the natural movement back to status quo. The jump to hyperspace was just too quick, the momentum too much to handle, and now it's back to ground zero.

What can we learn from this? The sports world is much like trying to move forward with a huge rubber band attached to your back. If you try to move too fast, you will reach a point where the elasticity of the band is too much to handle and it overcomes your strength and momentum. At that point you fly back at a speed exponentially greater than your previous speed. But, you eventually end up around your starting place.

HOWEVER, with all things elastic, there is a way to overcome. Let's continue the vision of the rubber band attached to your back. Remember if you run forward you will fly back when you no longer are stronger than the pull of the band. Now imagine taking a single step forward. You feel virtually no pull. Take another. Only slight pull. Take another. And another. Now you're starting to notice the power of the band. Now just take a seat. What happens? Eventually, the band adjusts to the stretch you are applying at a constant rate, and the elasticity slowly dissipates. Now, taking a step forward is nowhere near as tough as it would have been had you immediately taken it. From now on, after each step you take, wait a minute until you feel the elasticity dying down.

Patience is key in this game of give and take. And those who understand its importance can travel a long way from where the journey began. Eventually, you reach a point where the band is so thin, and so powerless that it can easily be snapped. And at that moment your hindrances have been removed and the possibilities are endless. Feeding the metaphor, that means you're number one.

This brings us to that perk I mentioned: Kentucky football. Rich Brooks and co. must have degrees in physics as they have shown a mastery of solving the elastic status quo quandary. All along they have said that building the program is a process and that true change is never instant. He didn't come here to immediately jump 8 spots in the SEC only to fall back the next year. He came here to move up gradually each year until he is securely playing at the top of the league. At that point, the band breaks and who knows where Kentucky can go.

Let's review the metaphor here:
Longstanding tradition in sports creates a status quo, the longer the tradition the more powerful the elastic band that attaches the program to it. A hasty jump away from the status quo is met with an equal or greater jump back in its direction. Slow movement and timely rest change the strength of the elasticity by curving the understood tradition. Slowly, one can move towards a point where the old tradition is gone, the band breaks, and we are free to establish a new tradition that we can build off of.

Fans all too often want to move so fast. And much like dating (just to add one more metaphor), you need to take things slowly for your greatest chance at success. Rich Brooks NEVER had a problem with the ladies, I can tell you that much. And for that matter, Mitch Barnhart is secretly a lady killer.

Even Whitewater Rapids Can't Deter Brooks

noreply@blogger.com (Derrick Johnson) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:26:00 +0000

In case you missed it (where've you been?), Monday, Head Football Coach Rich Brooks was involved in a boating accident in Eugene, Oregon on the McKenzie River. No worries, Brooks is doing fine (no injuries) and is said to be going back out on the river. So I guess not even Mother Nature can deter the man who rescued our beloved football team from almost extinction.

Think about it: Without Rich Brooks, where would UK football be right now. Not many people could have taken the job in Lexington and inherited what he did and stick around to see a team enjoy success in just five short years. Not only has he stuck around but remember just two years ago many fans were calling for his job because the team was still struggling. Not only have the past couple of seasons brought joy to both players and fans but the future is looking bright as well. New recruits are committing daily from everywhere and Kentucky has once again become the premier football team in the state. (Does Louisville have a team anymore? I haven't heard much this summer from their fans about how they're gonna beat the Cats in September.)

The best part about it is he did it his way. He told us when he was announced as the head coach in 2003 that it would take a few years to rebuild the program to the level the fans expect from their Cats. Amidst several bad seasons and an embarrasing loss to Ohio at home, Brooks stayed true to the course and worked on getting the right personnel and players in the right spots. He never let media or fans who thought he was in over his head get the best of him and fought through adversity to revive the program. He told it to us straight , never made excuses and got the job done. Two Music City Bowl victories, an upset of the #1 and #9 teams in the country and a ranking reaching as high as #8 last year later, Kentucky football fans have something to look forward to iduring the summer months: FOOTBALL SEASON!!!

I've read some publications saying that Brooks should be on the hot-seat again this year. My reply: go ahead he's been there every year and it doesn't seem to bother him. He's our coach and will be until he decides to step aside for Joker. With him at the helm, our program will only get better.

In totally unrelated news of the day, Brett Favre is rumored to be talking with the Packers about coming back for another year. WHAT A SHOCKER!! NOT!! Who really thought he was done in Green Bay? I Didn't. I knew he would make a comeback, I just thought he would have done it earlier in the summer.

2008-09 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: AJ STEWART

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:58:00 +0000

This is a picture of AJ Stewart after hitting the biggest shot of his career, a miraculous fling that beat the shot clock after taking a Don Nelson-caliber bounce off of the rim. It was indicative of the kinds of shots that went in for Kentucky during the Senior Day battle with Florida. I’m not even sure if AJ realized how big his shot was, but it was huge when you consider how close the game ended up being.

At first, I thought it was going to be difficult to write about a player who got so little playing time last season (note to the kids: if you ever become a D-I basketball player, don’t fall asleep during a film session. It won’t end well.), but hope springs eternal when you think about how players have developed between their freshman and sophomore seasons under Coach Gillispie. This goes all the way back to his days at Texas A&M. The development of Joseph Jones and Josh Carter enabled Texas A&M to make the leap from “potentially dangerous 5-12 tournament matchup” to “serious title contender.” Last year, the players that made “the leap” for Kentucky were Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson, both sophomores. It’s generally accepted that a player develops the most in college between their freshman and sophomore season, with the best example in UK history being the emergence of Jamal Mashburn as THE MAN in 1992.

My point is this: I believe the player who will make the biggest strides during this offseason is AJ Stewart, with all due respect to Patrick Patterson. Do I think he’ll become THE MAN? No, but he won’t have to do that in order to fill his role on the team. AJ Stewart is pure energy, all day, every day. From a skill perspective, he’s green as grass. He can only get better as he continues to refine those skills, as long as he maintains that contagious energy level at which he plays every time he’s on the court. If he improves his skills, even in the slightest, the energy will end up doing him and his teammates more good than harm. More than anything, he just needs to learn how to always be in the right place on defense. If you take out Stewart falling asleep during a film session, the biggest reason why he didn’t get the playing time that I feel he should have gotten was because he didn’t always know where to be on the court while playing defense. That’s why when Perry Stevenson was having confidence issues in December, Mark Coury got so many minutes. He knew where to be. He sometimes wasn’t skilled enough to make it there on time, but he knew he had to be there.

Look at that ferocious jam. Stewart is a super athlete. He can get up as well as any 6’8” UK player I’ve seen. You can’t teach pure athleticism, and that’s what AJ possesses. I think his minutes will increase this year, even with the addition of Darius Miller and Josh Harrellson. The reason is that athleticism. Somebody has to be able to get up and grab the tough rebounds if Patterson or Stevenson gets into foul trouble. Somebody has to be able to go up and get those 50/50 balls against a Jarvis Varnado or a Tyler Smith. I bet you Stewart can do it.

And if he can’t do it, who doesn’t love his enthusiasm on the bench? Remember 1993, when Todd Svoboda would watch games from the bench with the same enthusiasm as a small child? AJ Stewart does the same thing, only he’s a better player than Todd (apologies to Todd, whom I consider to be the Chuck Norris of UK basketball). The kid is going to play, and if I weren’t so cheap, I’d wager that he plays pretty well next season.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and Todd Svoboda just punched me in the eye.

The Great Facebook Debate --- Recruiting Part 2.

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:03:00 +0000

Ed. note: Today is part 2 of a two part series on facebook and recruiting. Part 1 can be found here.

Yesterday, Seth took a good stance on the whole Daniel Orton/facebook issue. It makes little sense for someone, anyone, to hack a player's facebook profile. Although, I'm not exactly sure his profile was hacked... he may not have wrote it, but come on he's a high school senior and he has friends. Who hasn't ever had a friend write something stupid on your profile, and you probably laughed? But that's not my point today.

My point is directed toward you. And you, you and even you, all of you. We know you love recruiting. It's your fix for when games aren't being played - a way to feel like basketball or football season is still on-going. It's a way for you to get to know players before they see the field/court even. It's harmless and fun if fans (and bloggers and media members) do it right.

But it's not being done right.

I have no problem with a group like "Daniel Orton Come to Kentucky and Be a Legend". Most of those groups are harmless. But DO NOT invite the player themselves. Like Seth said, it's a recruiting violation, dummy. Then you assume he's coming to Kentucky because he joined the group, when in fact he probably only joined it so people didn't bad mouth him.

Facebook was not created for you to spy and stalk current and prospective players. What is the point of posting a picture of Josh Harrelson with girls at a party? What's the point of showing a picture of Jared Carter holding a fish he caught? And it's not even like you caught them drinking, like Matt Leinart or something. No, you are just invading their personal space. It's the same when people befriend recruits and then post their facebook statuses on message boards.

I'd love for someone to explain to me why all that matters in the world of recruiting. Oh wait, it doesn't. And usually it isn't even true. Name one recruit who posted that they loved a visit on facebook, then committed to UK. I'll wait. Can't think of one, right? Thought so.

The only thing I can think of is that fans are trying to live through these kids or are asking for a visit from Dateline NBC and Chris Hansen. Stop stalking facebook profiles. You aren't getting any info and you are invading privacy. People don't realize what they are doing until it's done to them. So remember when you want to rush to a blog to post a picture of Jared Carter eating a hamburger... ask yourself: How in the hell does this matter to me, other fans, or Jared Carter's basketball ability? And when you realize it doesn't, kindly log yourself out of facebook and delete your account.

Recruiting is fun when it's factual and people aren't chasing dumb rumors. Then again, I am talking to the fanbase in which every person saw Billy Donovan or had a cousin/uncle/grandma/friend who did. Get a life, honestly.

Because now, I bet Daniel Orton wished he had a life. He's a kid. You all are adults (hard to believe?) why don't you act like it and stop trolling facebook for these kids.

As the girls would say, stop being a bunch of creepers. Get info the real way, not through recruiting violations and facebook. They don't ever help clarify or bring new, truthful infomation. So stop.

Or I'm calling Chris Hansen.

RANKING THE ARENAS OF THE SEC

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:54:00 +0000

Some teams have better homecourt advantages than others. A prime example of this is the 2008 NBA Finals. You couldn’t find two more polar opposite crowds than Boston and Los Angeles. Celtics fans were rowdy, they cheered great plays, booed bad calls, and helped energize their Celtics to three wins. The crowds at the Lakers games were disappointing. They showed a lack of basketball knowledge, chanted “MVP” while Kobe Bryant was shooting free throws (we get it – they gave out the award before the conference finals – we know), and seemed more interested in being seen at the game than actually being fans. The SEC is no different than the NBA. The arenas and crowds are different in every city, and they often make the difference in wins and losses.

12. Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum (Auburn, AL, 1969-2008)

Capacity: 10,108
UK’s W-L Record: 23-9

Auburn is playing in a new arena starting next season, but nobody knows how that one will work out, and Kentucky won’t play there until 2009-10 anyway, so we have to go with their old gym, which was terrible. The rims were terrible, and the crowds were terrible. Kentucky’s losses came in the 70s with the Eddie Johnson/Mike Mitchell Tiger squads, then in the mid-80s with the Barkley/Person/Morris teams that did well for Auburn, then during the probation years and finally in 2000 with Chris Porter and Doc Robinson. Besides those games, the building had a difficult time selling out in the old tapes I’ve seen. It was one of the few places that didn’t sell out for either the 1996 or 1998 UK teams, and last year’s attendance for the Kentucky game (and every other game) was just atrocious, barely even half full. It’s a real shame, because Jordan-Hare Stadium is one of the nicest in all of college football, so I know Auburn fans can get rowdy. Maybe the new arena will help.

11. Tad Smith Coliseum (Oxford, MS, 1966-)

Capacity: 8,135
UK’s W-L Record: 25-8

The “Tad Pad” sucks. But it isn’t because of the fans. Ole Miss basketball fans are excitable and intelligent, and that building can get as loud as any small arena in the country. Kentucky’s losses there have been spread out since 1966, with the most recent coming in 2001. The sporadic nature of the losses proves that with an energized crowd, the Rebels can get you when you least expect it, like they did in 1997, My problem with the Tad Pad is that it’s better suited for spelunking than playing basketball. The lighting in the gym, combined with the brightness of the floor, makes it tough just to watch an Ole Miss home game on television, so I can’t imagine how hard it must be to actually play there. If you attend a game in Oxford, be sure to pack a flashlight.

10. Coleman Coliseum (Tuscaloosa, AL, 1968-)

Capacity, 15,043
UK’s W-L Record: 17-16

Last season, Alabama played Auburn at Coleman Coliseum. Crimson Tide guard Senario Hillman got the ball on a breakaway and dunked it on top of an Auburn player. No rivalry in sports has more visceral hatred than Alabama vs. Auburn. The crowd didn’t blow the roof off of the place like they would have had it been a crushing tackle by a Bama linebacker on an Auburn running back. It was more like the polite applause you’d hear after sinking a nice putt. The crowd can make the arena sometimes, which is what made the old Boston Garden so great. I have no problems with the building. The floor is nice (especially when they rocked the parquet), the rims are super-friendly for shooters, and the W-L record shows how tough it is to win there, but it’s never because of the crowd. More than anything, it shows that before the arrival of Arkansas in 1992, Alabama was the second best program in the conference.

9. Colonial Center (Columbia, SC, 2002-)

Capacity: 18,000
UK’s W-L Record: 5-1

This is probably an unfair judgment, because it’s the newest arena on the list, and probably the nicest as well, but Carolina has just been mediocre at best during this run, and the size of the building doesn’t help it generate a lot of noise unless it’s sold out, which hardly ever happens at a South Carolina home game. Having said all of that, the place is extremely nice, and save for a Murphy’s Law night in 2005, it has been extremely nice to Kentucky as well. Who can forget the 2006 game where Patrick Sparks went off, or last year’s game where Joe Crawford almost beat the Cocks by himself? It’s a good shooters’ gym and is well lit. If Darrin Horn can get some momentum going with this year’s Carolina team (which I feel has a chance to surprise some people), maybe we can witness what the gym sounds like when it’s full of people.

8. Humphrey Coliseum (Starkville, MS, 1975-)

Capacity: 9,419
UK’s W-L Record: 16-9

Cowbells.

7. Stegeman Coliseum (Athens, GA, 1963-)

Capacity: 10,512
UK’s W-L Record: 30-14

I’m probably overrating this one, but I’ve been there, and it isn’t that bad. There isn’t a bad seat in the building, not one. And the handicap seating is far better than that of Rupp Arena, probably because Stegeman is so much smaller. Also, Georgia might be a football school, but their basketball fans are solid. If you saw the one game Georgia played in the Georgia Dome for the SEC Tournament, you probably knew that. The crowds are a step up from Auburn, Alabama and South Carolina, probably on the same level as Mississippi State or LSU. Speaking of LSU…

6. Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rough, LA, 1972-)

Capacity: 14,164
UK’s W-L Record: 17-15 (Includes 3 SEC Tournament wins, including one over LSU – the actual record against LSU is 15-15)

Any gym that has hosted a 31-point comeback and an 86-point half in consecutive games for Kentucky has to be in the top half of the list. Also, I like how it earned the “Deaf Dome” moniker while Dale Brown was there. My guess is because if you heard all the profanity yelled at Dale Brown while he blew game after game at LSU, you’d probably go deaf. You’ve been a wonderful audience. Try the porterhouse.

5. Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, TN, 1988-)

Capacity: 24,535
UK’s W-L Record: 12-10

Can anybody say envy? Is there a reason why Tennessee made their building’s capacity just a couple hundred more than Rupp? As much as I hate Tennessee, it’s a tough place to win. The 1993 Kentucky team couldn’t do it, and Tennessee was absolutely horrible that year. In fact, it took a nice run by Pitino in the mid-90s and another run by Smith in the 03-06 years just to put Kentucky over .500 in the building. Tennessee basketball fans are okay, for the most part. The best Tennessee basketball fans are all those people from Mason County who seceded when they got Chris Lofton. The actual gym is great. The lighting is good, the rims are really good, and the only thing I could do without are those checkerboards in each endzone.

4. Stephen C. O’Connell Center (Gainesville, FL, 1980-)

Capacity: 12,000
UK’s W-L Record: 16-12

I don’t know if the Rowdy Reptiles know much about basketball. I don’t know if they even care that much. But I do know that they’re without question the loudest student section in the SEC, and they make it very tough on opposing teams. Ever since Billy Donovan woke up the sleeping giant in 1997, every game at the O-Dome has been a tough one. I can tell you that Florida’s crowd energy had a lot to do with the Gators beating Kentucky last year. The right kind of crowd energy can even work with officials, and Florida was able to foul out almost every key player on Kentucky’s team in overtime, on the way to shooting 40 FTs. I didn’t like it, but it worked, and it still works. I’m not sure where the energy was when LSU beat the crap out of them later that year.

3. Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, AR, 1994-)

Capacity: 19,200
UK’s W-L Record: 4-3

I think it’s one of the ten toughest places to win in America. Arkansas fans rule. Kentucky vs. Arkansas is one of those rivalries that’s defined by respect rather than hate. Other than when Nolan Richardson lost his mind early in this decade, there’s never been a time where I didn’t have respect for Arkansas. On message boards, they have the best visiting posters. Even during the Stan Heath years, when the Razorbacks were always woefully unprepared and couldn’t protect a lead if their lives depended on it, the crowd kept them in the game. The best thing about big gyms is that the crowd can will a team to do things they couldn’t typically do. Which brings me to…

2. Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY, 1975-)

Capacity: 24,000
UK’s W-L Record: 415-54

I know what you’re thinking: “Blasphemy!” But please let me explain. No crowd can will a team to do the impossible like Rupp. I’m not sure any basketball arena, college or pro, can produce the power of Rupp on a consistent basis. Kentucky won another NCAA attendance title recently, amazing when you consider how much bigger the Carrier Dome in Syracuse is. Kentucky fans, outside of the “Coach, when are you gonna play REECHIE?” people, are the best in college basketball. They know a whole lot more about the game than Duke and North Carolina fans, hat’s for sure. The handicap seats are awesome, and other than courtside, are the best seats in the house, as long as you don’t mind sitting next to the ushers and their kneejerk reactions to every play. There’s no place I’d rather watch a game. So, why is Rupp not #1? It’s because it doesn’t present a noticeable disadvantage from the moment the opposing team arrives to practice there, unlike the #1 gym on the list.

1. Memorial Gym (Nashville, TN, 1952-)

Capacity: 15,311
UK’s W-L Record: 40-24 (33-22 against Vanderbilt)

A team better be prepared when they go to Memorial Gym, specifically for the first half. Because they put the benches in the endzones (and why they were allowed to do that I’ll never know), the teams’ baskets are on the opposite side of the court from where the benches are. Vanderbilt and the SEC had the good sense to let teams play on the same side as the benches in the 2nd half, but by then, you probably have to dig yourself out of a hole if you’re an opposing coach. Let’s not even talk about the rims. Vanderbilt’s rims alter the depth perception of the building because of the goal coming out of the floor. To add to that, Vanderbilt is used to it, so they shoot ungodly percentages from the floor. A perfect example of that is when Vanderbilt beat Mississippi State last season. State completely outplayed Vandy for the entire game, but they missed a couple of free throws and then Shan(e) Foster started going nuts from three, as he was often prone to doing at home. One buzzer beater later, and Vanderbilt had stolen another one, and Kentucky fans had to sweat for another couple days to see if they were going to lock up the E2 seed. Rupp can’t do that, as great as it is. In fact, I always thought that guys like Travis Ford and Patrick Sparks shot better on the road than they did at home. With Vanderbilt players, they always kill it at home and stink it up on the road. That’s what makes their gym the toughest place to win in the SEC, and maybe the entire country.

Disagree with anything I said? Tell me about it in the comment section.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and the Tad Pad smells like guano.

The Great Facebook Debate --- Recruiting, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:11:00 +0000

Ed. Note: This is the first in a two-part series about the impact of sites like Facebook and Myspace on recruiting. Part One is a column from writer Seth Stogsdill. Two part will be tomorrow morning.

THE SHOOT: EPISODE #13 – FACEBOOK

--Seth Stogsdill

The views I’m about to express are my own, but as you’ll see, they may also be yours. Last week, I did a piece on Daniel Orton, the ***** center from Oklahoma City who may very well have Kentucky at the top of his list. Since the time I published that article, some things have happened involving Daniel Orton and the Facebook network. If you’re reading this, I don’t have to explain to you what Facebook is. So there was this Facebook group called “Daniel Orton: Come to Kentucky and become a legend!!!!WTF!!” or some other bullcrap like that. That kind of stuff happens all the time, and not just at Kentucky. It’s just fans wanting top recruits to come to their schools, even though it’s actually illegal per the NCAA. Does the name Sandy Bell ring a bell? But, I digress.

Even though that kind of “recruiting” is illegal, it’s innocent, so the NCAA pretty much lets it slide. So, when Daniel Orton himself came to the “Daniel Orton: Come to Kentucky and PLAY WITH REECHIE!!!!” group and posted a message, one would think that good news was on the way, right? Here’s the message.

“Hey, i promise this is the real Daniel Orton. i joined this group looking for help recruiting a few players to UK with me. John Wall, John Henson, Mason Plumlee and Terrence Boyd. I feel with atleast two of the guys along with me we can bring in the 8th national title to UK. John Henson and Mason Plumlee i know have already committed. Im working on pulling them out of that. I feel though with the UK fan support we can bring these guys all to Kentucky.”

John Wall (Raleigh, NC) is the #1 point guard and #1 overall player in the 2009 class. John Henson (Round Rock, TX) is the #3 power forward in the 2009 class and has already committed to North Carolina. Mason Plumlee (Arden, NC) is the #10 power forward of 2009 and has already committed to Duke. He also looks like a giant dork. Terrence Boyd (Norman, OK) is the #4 small forward of the 2009 class. Boyd and Wall have not committed yet. Wall has Kentucky on his list. Boyd does not.

Now that you know all of this, you should know that Daniel Orton didn’t actually write that (surprise, surprise). Some loser hacked into Daniel Orton’s account and was able to post that message last week. The loser that did this is either a rival fan or a retarded Kentucky fan. I’ll go ahead and address both of these cases.

If it was a rival fan, congratulations, you’ve created yet another situation where Kentucky fans with no sense of humor become dangerously paranoid. Nice job, rival fan. You got ‘em. If this is the case, then I also have a message for those paranoid UK fans: This is not going to make Daniel Orton go elsewhere. I may have graduated high school with some certified morons, but typically, the athletes that are being courted by dozens of schools have a pretty good grip on their own situation. Let’s just imagine that Orton picks Oklahoma State, and at the press conference, when asked why he chose OSU over Oklahoma and Kentucky, he says, “Well, I would have gone to Kentucky under any other circumstances, but some jackass hacked into my Facebook and posted under my name. I got scared, called Travis Ford and the rest is history.” All you can do is imagine it, because – and this is going in all caps due to its importance and my need to shout it from the rooftops – IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. EVER.

Now let’s assume it was a Kentucky fan who, honest to God, thought this was a good idea. First things first, how stupid can you get? Do you have any idea how unethical it is for a person to go after people who have already chosen another school? Kelvin Sampson did it with Eric Gordon when Gordon was committed to Illinois. Bruce Pearl did it with Scotty Hopson while he was still committed to Mississippi State. It’s a dirty tactic, and it’s garbage. Also, what recruit decommits from Duke or North Carolina? The only one I can think of is Shaun Livingston when he decided to go to the NBA instead after he had chosen Duke. Secondly, what Kentucky fan would assume that Daniel Orton was stupid enough to announce that he was coming to Kentucky on his Facebook page? That’s as idiotic as watching Patrick Patterson do the Gator Chomp at a Florida game and assuming that he just committed to Florida because of it. And IF Orton was dumb enough to make his verbal commitment on Facebook (this is a statistical impossibility), there’s STILL no way that he’s stupid enough to say, “Hey, I’m trying to get Mason Plumlee to leave Duke and come to Kentucky.” It violates every common sense test ever created, especially since he chose Mason Plumlee, who is without question the goofiest looking player I’ve seen in ten years and has “STIFF” written all over him. A Kentucky fan smart enough to hack into Orton’s account should know better than that.

And besides, what good does it do if you’re a Kentucky fan doing the hacking? “I GOT IT! I’ll pretend to be Daniel Orton on Facebook and I’ll say I’m coming to Kentucky and I’ll say I’m bringing people with me and it will be so ZOMG awesome and then maybe he’ll come to Kentucky Go Big Blue! C-A-T-S CATSCATSCATS!!!” Once again, you’ve missed your stop on the logic train. Just like I said that I didn’t think this Facebook stuff will sway Orton’s decision if he goes elsewhere, I also don’t think it will come into play if he ends up at Kentucky. Again, can you imagine Orton at the press conference?

“I was torn between Kentucky and Oklahoma State, then I logged onto my Facebook and saw that somebody had hacked into my account and posted in the ‘Daniel Orton: Come to Kentucky and THROW IT DEEP, JAY-RUD!!!’ group. I figured that if all fans are going to be as creative and loyal as that guy, I definitely have to come here. This is the only reason why I came here. Travis Ford bought me a Bentley (Kidding, Travis – you’re the man), but nobody from OSU was this creative and driven.”

For what it’s worth, I do think Orton will end up at Kentucky because I like Coach Gillispie’s chances of outworking both Jeff Capel and Travis Ford. Having Orton’s father speak at father/son camp probably did a lot in building Orton’s current opinion of Kentucky (“Kentucky’s kinda my leader”). In have nothing on which to base my conjecture, other than Orton’s enjoyable visit to the camp. And it didn’t take hacking into a Facebook account to figure that out.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and…wait a second. What is this crap? I don’t remember writing this! HACKERS!!!

Belated NBA Draft Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:56:00 +0000

I love the NBA Draft because of how fast it goes, especially when compare to the NFL Draft. Here are some of the things I was thinking as the night progressed.

1. The Portland Trail Blazers have absolutely worked the entire league in these last two years. Snatching Jerryd Bayless from Indiana in the Brandon Rush trade was genius, since PG is probably the Blazers’ weakest position. Now they’re loaded at every position. The only pick of theirs that I’d question is Joey Dorsey – not because of his game, though. Ever since the 2001-05 Jail Blazers era ended, Portland has been all about drafting and signing high character guys. Joey Dorsey is not one of those guys. Also, Joey does not get along with Greg Oden, the face of the franchise. Remember that Memphis/OSU game in San Antonio two seasons ago? They really don’t care for each other.

2. After years of getting destroyed by other executives, Kevin McHale finally got one right for Minnesota, because he finally found an executive he could outwit. The biggest trade of the draft was Minnesota sending OJ Mayo, Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner to Memphis for Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins. If you take away the dead weight (apologies to Walker and Cardinal), it’s Mayo for Love and Miller. Advantage: Minnesota. Congratulations, Chris Wallace. You are the biggest buffoon to ever hold a position of power in the NBA.

3. My beloved New York Knicks drafted Danilo Gallinari, the Italian sensation whose father was a teammate of Mike D’Antoni in Italy. The New York crowd booed him like he was Pedro Martinez or something. Poor kid didn't even know why. His highlight reel was not impressive. I hope this new administration knows what they’re doing.

4. Teams picked players 39 different times before the New Jersey Nets picked Chris Douglas-Roberts at #40. I will say the same thing about this as I did for the NFL people who waited until the draft was almost over to select Andre Woodson. Watch them play. CDR is one of the smoothest players I’ve seen in college ball in the last 15 years. Same goes with Shan(e) Foster. Jay Bilas had the audacity to say he needed to work on his three-point shooting. He said Foster had good range from the college three, but not the NBA three. Really? Because I remember Shan(e) Foster launching contested bombs against Kentucky for 4 years from just inside the midcourt stripe and barely even making the net move. Dallas got an absolute steal with the 51st pick. Also, how dumb are all 30 teams to go 60 picks and not draft Jamont Gordon? This man will make a roster, and will make 29 other teams pay. Don’t believe me? Watch him play.

5. The Lakers drafted Joe Crawford with the 58th pick. That’s just fantastic. I couldn’t be any prouder of Joe, after everything he went through, especially his senior year. I’m also glad that the Lakers chose him, because he’s good for them. Sure, he won’t get much playing time because he’ll be playing behind Kobe Bryant, but look at it this way: In the Finals, the Lakers were exposed as a bunch of pansies who had a total lack of mental toughness. Is Joe Crawford a pansy? Does Joe Crawford have a complete lack of mental toughness? If the answer to either of those questions is “no,” then he wouldn’t have been drafted.

Five picks I really liked

1. Golden State Warriors: 14th pick – Anthony Randolph (LSU)
2. Milwaukee Bucks: 8th pick – Joe Alexander (West Virginia)
3. Orlando Magic: 22nd pick – Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: 19th pick – JJ Hickson (NC State)
5. Chicago Bulls: 39th pick – Sonny Weems (Arkansas)

Five picks I really hated

1. Charlotte Bobcats: 9th pick – DJ Augustin (Texas)
2. Boston Celtics: 30th pick – JR Giddens (New Mexico)
3. Oklahoma City Sonics: 4th pick – Russell Westbrook (UCLA)
4. Indiana Pacers (from Toronto): 17th pick – Roy Hibbert (Georgetown)
5. Utah Jazz: 23rd pick – Kosta Koufos (Ohio State)

I’m Seth Stogsdill, full of tremendous upside potential.

Shan Foster Cannot Sing. Ever. Again.

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:03:00 +0000

That is Shan Foster, former Vanderbilt guard, singing the most basic song ever. We get it Shan, you wanted to play in the NBA. But you can only do one thing well and that's shoot. That's about your contribution to the game of basketball.

But that song must have won over Mark Cuban and the Mavericks, who took you 51st overall in the NBA draft last week. This video must have sealed the deal. Can we expect you to sing the national anthem before every home game? It's the most floor time you should see.

Oh and no word on whether Ramel Bradley would like to collaborate with Shan. I hope not. But if I was Ramel, I'd pass my CD along to the Mavericks. Just in case...

Joker Phillips and Rich Brooks: Winners of the Billy Gillispie Impression Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:58:00 +0000

We all remember the best thing about Billy Gillispie. No, no, not that he'll win games, but that he recruits like none other! Yes, we all know that now and we worship it (well, most of us anyway).
Little did we know that recently there was a Billy Gillispie impression contest. All UK coaches were entered and early polling results seem to have found a tie for the leader.

Yes, Rich Brooks and Joker Phillips are leading early results. Rumor has it that they may form a joint ticket with Brooks eventually handing over the reigns to Joker at a later date.

All joking aside, have you seen the football recruiting recently? Putting a little pressure on Gillispie, boys? I mean, seven recruits in 10 days? You're definitely working harder than the Ol Ball Coach, who decided to NOT be on campus for a recent visit. Then the kid decided to commit to UK. Amazing. Here's the list of commits so far:

Brian Adams, Cumming (Ga.) South Forsyth, Athlete, 6-4, 210
Jordan Aumiller, Boyle County, Athlete, 6-4, 199
Mister Cobble, Central, DT, 6-0, 280
Jerrell Green, Paul Dunbar, RB, 6-2, 210
LaRod King, North Hardin, WR, 6-6, 190
Kevin Mitchell, Douglasville (Ga.) Alexander, OL, 6-7, 280
Jarvis Walker, Metairie (La.) Rummel, DB, 6-2, 202
Myron Walker, Metairie (La.) Rummel, DT, 6-0, 280
Larry Warford, Madison Central, OL, 6-4, 350
Justin Jones, Conyers (Ga.) Heritage, TE, 6-7, 240

The 2009 class is shaping up well. Two athletes, a handful of three stars and locking down some good in-state talent. Carmel, Ind. Quarterback Morgan Newton loves the Cats (just commit already, please?) and has publicly said that whatever school he commits to, he's working his home state for pals to bring with him.

I know people around the SEC aren't giving the Cats much hope this year. But how can you not see a turnover in progress when UK is no longer struggling for 3-star players, but stockpiling them early? How can you think Louisville is going to be better when they are being shunned by a majority of in-state recruits? Junior-college transfers are like cheap band-aids--they almost always fall off before getting the job done.

Now I know a bunch of 3-stars is nothing to brag about when half of the top 10 recruiting classes year in and year out are SEC schools. But the progress being made is huge considering the program's recent past. This type of recruiting will separate Kentucky from the cellar with Vanderbilt. Will give them a yearly edge over Mississippi State, Ole Miss and at least Arkansas for this year. It will have them contending with South Carolina and Tennessee.

And you know what the best part is? This class is only just shaping up. Big props to Joker Phillips and Rich Brooks. They are proving out on the recruiting trail that UK is not a two-year wonder.

2008-09 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: PATRICK PATTERSON

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:58:00 +0000

Patrick Patterson is the man. I can’t make it any clearer than that. I have a very biased opinion when it comes to comparing Kentucky’s players to players on other teams, but I think it would be difficult for an objective person to make a list of the top five power forwards in the college game today and not include Patrick Patterson. As it stands today, I think Patterson stands the best chance of having a successful career in the pros of all the returning power forwards today, including Tyler Hansbrough, ESPN. He’s that good. But what is it that makes him so good?

For starters, his game is wise beyond his years. As a freshman, his game resembled that of a 10-year NBA veteran. His fundamental skills reminded me a lot of Tim Duncan when he was at Wake Forest. I’m not saying that Patrick will end up being as good as the greatest power forward to ever play in the NBA, but you just don’t see college freshmen with the knowledge of the game like Patterson very often, which was why I threw out Duncan. That was the only guy I could think of.

He has great timing when he blocks shots. He doesn’t pick up too many cheap fouls on defense. He’s an excellent help defender. He always seems to be in the right position for rebounds. He’s a good free throw shooter. He sets clean, effective screens. He has good footwork in the paint. He knows how to use the backboard whenever he takes a shot from the elbow. He has a feathery touch on his shot, but is strong enough to absorb contact and finish if he gets it down low. He’s an outstanding passer for a big man. Remember the Tennessee game where he and Perry Stevenson had a 2-on-1 break and Patterson hit Stevenson on the crosscourt lob for the jam? Stevenson couldn’t have made that pass. Randolph Morris couldn’t have made that pass, and I don’t think Chuck Hayes could have either. If Stevenson had better hands back in December and January, Patterson could have put up some really nice assist numbers.

In order for Kentucky to have the kind of season that I think they’re capable of having, Patterson has to take his game to the next level. Given Coach Gillispie’s track record for player development at both UTEP and Texas A&M, as well as the progression the team made through last year’s conference season, I have a feeling that Patterson will do just that. He will develop. He will step up his game and take it to the next level. One of the reasons why I think this will happen is because of the talent surrounding him. God bless Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, but they were never that good at feeding the post because they were always scorers first, passers second, and there’s nothing wrong with that. With either Deandre Liggins or Kevin Galloway playing the point and with their size advantage over 99% of the point guards they’ll face, feeding the post shouldn’t be as big of an issue as it was this past season. Another player that can help Patterson elevate his game and help Patterson do the same for him is Perry Stevenson. By the meat of the SEC schedule, Patterson and Stevenson had developed a very nice chemistry, which carried over through Stevenson after Patterson injured his leg in late February. If Stevenson makes the same strides he made over the course of last season, he’ll take a lot of pressure off of Patterson, he’ll prevent Patterson from drawing as many double teams as he saw last season, and that will open up the entire offense and make it potentially lethal.

Mercy, would you look at how angry he is? That’s another advantage he’ll have, especially once the SEC season begins. Can you think of a returning player in the SEC as physically imposing on both sides of the ball as Patrick Patterson? The only one that comes to mind is Jarvis Varnado from Mississippi State, but that’s because all he does is block shots. Dave Bliss is gone. Richard Hendrix is gone. Duke Crews is gone. Marreese Speights is gone. Dwayne Curtis is gone. Charles Thomas is gone, and do I need to keep going? Unless a freshman like Harold Thompkins from Georgia or any of those new bigs from Florida step it up, Patterson should have his way with the entire conference. Once that happens, I can only hope that he’ll start to receive as much respect from media, referees and fans alike as Tyler Hansbrough, because deep down inside, if you’re reading this, you know who’s better, and it isn’t the guy who shoots a dozen free throws every game.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and Patrick Patterson says, “Read the column or else!”

2008-09 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: DEANDRE LIGGINS

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:58:00 +0000

Deandre Liggins is from Chicago, Illinois, George Washington High School. He is one of the top point guards in the 2008 class, and is the highest ranked **** recruit in his class. Make no mistake about it, the kid can go. He would no doubt be the crown jewel of Kentucky’s incoming class of newcomers, except there’s this one little problem.

Nobody knows if he has qualified to play yet. Academic issues sent him to Findlay Prep School n Nevada, where they help players take care of those things, but everything still rides on the results from the SAT that Liggins took three weeks ago. However, it isn’t my job to be the bearer of bad news, so I’ll just tell you everything I know about the situation. All signs point to Liggins making it. There are some pretty good pieces of concrete evidence that backs my hypothesis, and I have some conjectures to back it up as well.

Liggins is enrolled at the University of Kentucky. I never did this because stalking is wrong, but apparently, you can look him up in the university’s directory and he’ll be there. That’s a good sign. I found out last night from unofficial recruiting insider Dave Kersey that there was a scrimmage yesterday, and that Liggins was introduced to the rest of the team at this scrimmage. That can’t be a bad sign. The SAT results were also supposed to come out on the 26th, which came and went without any bad news. I am of the belief that bad news travels faster than good news, which makes me think that if Liggins wasn’t going to make it, we’d have already known by now.

So, I’m writing the rest of this piece under the assumption that Liggins will be eligible to play for the Big Blue in 2008-09. The man is the real deal. For a point guard, he’s huge at 6’5”. His court vision is nothing short of phenomenal. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of Derrick Jasper, only everything Jasper could do, Liggins can do better. He’s a pretty assertive guard, considering that Washington and Findlay had deep rosters that kept Liggins’ minutes reasonably low for a starter. He’s got a decent jumper with a rainbow arch on it, so it’s very tough for opposing guards to block. He can step into the path of a defender and take a charge if necessary, and he’s a good enough leaper to block shots like Jasper did.

Highlight reel (also includes clips of Darius Miller)

If Liggins qualifies, there is no doubt in my mind that he’ll start. That will take tons of pressure away from Kevin Galloway and Michael Porter, and will also keep Jodie Meeks at his natural position at the 2. His passing should leave Patrick Patterson and Perry Stevenson open for easy baskets in the paint, and his penetration should make it easier for Meeks to spot up on the corners and hit threes. Simply put, if he plays, Deandre Liggins may very well be the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to helping this team take the next step. We already know that we’re probably going to see consistently great efforts from Patterson and Meeks. Liggins can make them and everybody else on the team so much better.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and I’m appalled at the lack of props for Joker Phillips on this site.

WORLD’S GREATEST CLASSIC GAME ANALYSIS: UK VS. VANDERBILT (1998)

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:28:00 +0000

One week passed after Kentucky’s nailbiter against Alabama, and the road in the SEC didn’t get any easier from there. The Cats traveled to inhospitable Thompson-Boling Arena that weekend and came away with a surprisingly easy victory over a dangerous Tennessee team. From there, it was off to the even more inhospitable Memorial Gym in Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Kentucky beat Vanderbilt 71-62 in the SEC opener, thanks in large part to an ungodly 57-18 rebounding advantage. Holy crap, that is what you call owning the glass. Kentucky still had a reputation as a team that sometimes went through the motions, and in the SEC on the road, that can kill you.

Vanderbilt was coming off of a successful 1997 season, at least by their standards. Coach Jan Van Breda Kolff had finally seemed to put all the pieces together, but some of those guys had graduated, and JVBK didn’t do a good job at replacing them, which was why he eventually got fired. Some of the key players for this Vandy team were sharpshooter Drew Maddux, physical forwards Billy DiSpaltro and Austin Bates, Marshall County native Dan Langhi and big man Greg LaPointe (Translation from French: “Greg the Point”). They couldn’t recapture whatever it was that put them in the Big Dance the previous year, and they couldn’t win close games if their lives depended on it, but like every Vanderbilt team, they were extremely tough to beat at home. Our announcers are Brad Nessler and Larry Conley.

Kentucky came out extremely flat to start the game, as Nazr Mohammed picked up two cheap fouls trying to guard Austin Bates, who was always a pain in the butt. Mohammed had been the man for UK early in the conference schedule, and had done a fine job of staying out of foul trouble until this night. So, Jamaal Magloire was thrust into an uncomfortable situation, having to play the rest of the half. To his credit, Mags did an admirable job filling in, getting key rebounds, making a couple of unexpected shots and intimidating the crap out of the Commodore forwards. I should note that the Vandy student section is chanting “GPA” whenever Scott Padgett has the ball, even though I’m pretty sure he was on the dean’s list by the time this game happened, which further proves that just because you go to a “smart school,” it doesn’t make you a smart person. With Mohammed out, Vanderbilt’s offense kicked into high gear, as Bates and DiSpaltro were able to take it inside for scores, Maddux broke free for a layup and Dan Langhi banked in a three from the elbow (of course). I know that shot wouldn’t have gone in if he were from Marshall County in Iowa (It’s there, I googled it). Padgett threw down a hard jam off of a tip, and Magloire continued to score inside after he had intimidated his defender with that goofy Canadian accent. Jeff Sheppard finally busted loose from three, and Kentucky chipped away at the lead. Vandy stayed out in front thanks to a large FT discrepancy. I think they took 12 shots in the first half, and UK only took one. A Magloire bucket broke a 25-25 tie and sent the game to halftime.

This is where it gets really blurry for me. These tapes are my grandfather’s. Once he dumped his Beta VCR for a VHS before the 1992 season, taping UK games became a hobby of his because he saw how much I enjoyed them. He always skipped halftime shows because he found them uninteresting. On this night, he skipped the halftime show and the first ten minutes of the second half, so the score went from 27-25 to 43-41. Apparently Greg the Point got a couple of points and Padgett started to heat up for UK. The students stopped the “GPA” chants after halftime. I guess somebody told them that Scott was making better grades than them during the break. The two teams traded baskets for a stretch, with Sheppard and Padgett doing most of the work for UK and Maddux and DiSpaltro carrying VU. Maddux was one of the SEC’s top scorers at the time, but Sheppard clung to him like a badger for the entire game. Maddux still got his average of 19 points, but Shep made him work for every one of them. Jeff stole the ball from Maddux and got a driving and1 to make it 54-52. DiSpaltro answered inside to tie it. He was another one of those guys who played forever. I think he actually knew railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt. Evans made an and1, but Maddux answered right back with his only open shot of the game to make it 57-56. Padgett tipped one in (“GPA! GPA!”) to give the Blue a 59-56 lead with 90 seconds to go, and then it got crazy.

Vanderbilt drew a foul and made two free throws, then put on the full court press. Padgett got caught in a trap, so he went for the outlet pass – not a bad strategy unless you’re passing it to Cameron Mills, the least athletic player on the team. So, Padgett threw the outlet pass to Cameron Mills (“GPA! GPA! GPA”), and of course, it sailed over poor Cam’s head and out of bounds. The Commodores got another crack at it, but they rushed the shot in an attempt to draw a foul, and it backfired. Vandy fouled Wayne Turner on the rebound, who made two extremely clutch free throws to make it 61-58 with 13 seconds to go. Somehow, Maddux was able to maneuver through a series of screens and take a contested NBA three that went swish to tie the score with 4.4 seconds to go. UK called timeout, but they had to go the length of the court. Sheppard couldn’t find Turner once he received the inbounds pass, so he looked up the court to Mohammed, who was standing uncontested about 20 feet away from the basket. Nazr caught it, took a couple dribbles and blindly flung one up against the glass almost simultaneously with the buzzer. And it went in. Normally, when there’s a buzzer beater, I’m going crazy and ranting and raving and cheering my lungs out. This time, I just laughed. How could you not laugh at that shot? I remember where I was. I was at my grandparents’ house, and when the shot dropped, my grandfather and I looked at each other like, “are you kidding me?” and that was it. Tubby Smith did a very smart thing after the shot dropped. He got his players and assistants the heck out of Nashville. They absolutely BOLTED from that hellhole of a gym. They probably went straight to the plane in their uniforms and left all the rest of their stuff in Nashville. The Vandy crowd was white hot.

I’m going to do an NCAA Tournament game next in my “Best of 1998” series, but which one will it be? You’ll find out.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and it’s back to the tapes for me.

2008-09 Roster Breakdown: Darius Miller

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0000

2008-09 ROSTER BREAKDOWN: DARIUS MILLER

The man pictured above, teabagging a helpless player that is dumb enough to take a charge against him is Darius Miller, from Maysville, Kentucky, by way of Mason County High School. He won Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball for 2008 as the state’s best high school player. But of course, you already know that unless you’re from Mason County and have been in mourning since you found out Chris Lofton played the entire 2008 season with cancer.

I kid, Mason County – sort of. As I was saying, Darius Miller might be the most forgotten, underrated recruit Kentucky has had since Chuck Hayes back in 2001. I don’t know why Miller doesn’t get the publicity that other recruits get. Shortly after Miller committed to Kentucky last fall, the attention switched from him to Scotty Hopson, who reopened his recruitment after opting out of his letter of intent with Mississippi State. Hopson eventually chose Tennessee, which makes me wonder if Christian County will now secede from the state and turn orange like Mason County did when what’s-his-face signed with Tennessee. Then, *** Butler signee Shelvin Mack played out of his mind at the Kentucky/Indiana All-star Games, and now people say he’s better than Miller because Miller didn’t set the world on fire with his performance in the same games. Are people that shallow? If all of that were true, couldn’t you argue that Paul Pierce is better than Kobe Bryant because Pierce had a better NBA Finals than Bryant? You can sense the lack of logic in this statement, I hope, which means that I also hope you can sense the lack of logic in anybody saying that Mack is better than Miller. Mack will put up great numbers at Butler because he’ll probably be their alpha dog for at least three years. But that does not make him a better talent than Miller.

It’s very tough to pin down a player who reminds me of Darius Miller, either from college or the pros. He’s an extremely athletic wing with the body of an NBA small forward. I’m not sure if there’s any one thing that he does spectacularly, but he’s solid at everything. He’s a solid shooter, a solid scorer, a solid rebounder, a solid passer and a solid defender. He’s one of the most versatile players I’ve ever seen come out of high school.

The biggest knock on Miller is that he often appears lazy on the court. I’ve had it explained to me in a different way, however. I’ve heard people say that things come so easy to Miller that it looks like he’s hardly trying when he’s actually working very hard. This is the same misunderstanding that UK fans had about Tayshaun Prince. If it turns out that those people are wrong, and Miller actually is lazy, I can’t imagine him staying that way under Coach Gillispie. Look at Perry Stevenson as an example. Could you imagine that the same guy who dominated the paint against Tennessee says that his favorite activity is sleeping? Like I said, I’m not worried about Miller not developing. He’ll improve significantly every single year for Kentucky, and I’m excited for it.

I’ll leave you with some videos of Miller doing what he does.

Big dunk against Campbell County

Hoopsreport.com highlight reel

Game winner against Lexington Catholic

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and I really like this kid.

When Blogs Write Limericks

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:12:00 +0000

This was just too good to not pass along to you guys.

You see, I've recently discovered the magic of a feed reader (I use Google) and it's magnificent. And one of the blogs I added was Third Saturday in Blogtober... a mix of Tennessee and Alabama, I think.

Anyway, they do weekly Limericks and this week's was pretty good.

Check out the blog to see them all, but here is Kentucky's limerick for the week.

Kentucky

The Bluegrass miracle this year was not
Kentucky won the game that was hard fought
Another year
No more players to fear
And Kentucky’s football program is completely shot.

And then my favorite of the week, on Georgia QB Matthew Stafford.

Georgia

There’s a gunslinger in Athens named Stafford
To his receivers he throws frozen cords
Won’t beat you with his legs
He’s emptied too many kegs
And in the pocket seems likes he’s doing a crossword.

Ah, Limericks at Lunchtime. Don't act like you don't enjoy them.

Question Answered, Crawford to the Lakers

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:47:00 +0000

Yesterday around this time, we asked a $300,000 dollar question: Would Joe Crawford be drafted?

Last night, right before midnight (and the drafted ended), we had an answer as the LA Lakers drafted Crawford with the 58th pick in the draft. Two picks after Crawford, the draft was over.

The pros for Crawford go something like this:
--Drafted by the Western Conference champions (and who look to stick around for a while).
--Learning from the reigning MVP
--Learning from one of the greatest coaches in the game,

And some of those pros can be easily flipped to cons:
--He's behind the reigning MVP, Kobe Bryant.
--As a late second-round pick, he's not promised to make the team, or even play.

Hopefully Joe can make the Lakers, we could see back-to-back years with NBA champions boasted former UK players. Good luck to you Joe and thanks for all the memories.

2008-09 Roster Breakdown: Josh Harrellson

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Josh Harrellson is from St. Charles, Missouri by way of a transfer from Southwestern Illinois Junior College. He only played a year at SWIU, which means that he will be a sophomore at Kentucky this season. When he decided to transfer from SWIU, he chose Kentucky over the University of St. Louis, which once again proves my theory that Kentucky is better than Rick Majerus at everything besides eating and making politically incorrect remarks about what he does in his hotel room when Ashley Judd is on TV.

Josh Harrellson is an important newcomer because of the role that he fills. In Last season, Patrick Patterson went down after the Ole Miss game, and while Perry Stevenson stepped up his game and filled in admirably, there was nobody left to lend Stevenson a hand in the paint. Mark Coury tried, but bless his heart, his confidence in his abilities does not match the abilities themselves. Ramon Harris tried, but bless his heart, he just wasn’t big enough, and is far better suited to play on the wings. AJ Stewart tried, but bless his heart, his game was still too raw and inconsistent.

Recruiting for Coach Gillispie’s first two classes has been all about plugging holes. If Patterson or Stevenson gets in foul trouble or (God forbid) injured, there needs to be another player who can step in right away and be a presence inside. Josh Harrellson plugs that hole in a huge way. At 260 pounds, he is the heaviest player on the team, and can really throw his weight around on both sides of the court. The good thing about this whole situation is that Harrellson doesn’t have to set the world on fire with his statistics.

I can envision him fighting for position with a guy like Dave Bliss from Georgia, and almost acting as the team’s enforcer. Kentucky hasn’t had a guy who has been more than willing to oblige if a hard foul is necessary since Jamaal Magloire graduated. I can see Josh taking on the same role that Magloire had during the 1998 season: backing up the big men in case of foul trouble, getting timely rebounds and being an intimidating presence. I don’t know what kind of abilities Harrellson has, but because he’s a 260-pound white guy, I’ve made some judgments. As long as he doesn’t fit the model of soft and/or gangly white players that I'’ used to seeing whenever I turn on a Duke game (I’m looking at you, Brian Gangly Oaf Zoubek – yes, those are his middle names – don’t ever say I don’t do my research), then he’ll turn out okay in my book.

This picture was taken on his visit to Kentucky. Needless to say, I think he’ll be a pretty popular player.

An assessment of Darius Miller is on tap for Friday, so I hope you’re looking forward to reading it as much as I am to writing it.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and I write better than Rick Majerus.

Steve Kragthrope: Master of Dismantling A Roster

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:16:00 +0000

I have no idea what those words mean, but it's probably degrading.

I wish I could take credit for this idea. I really do. But alas, Brian Bennett, the U of L beat writer for the Courier-Journal is the mastermind of this list of every player that has left the football team over at Louisville since Spring 2007, when Mr. K took over.

So far, the list is at 20 players with the news at former Manual star Aundre Henderson has decided "to become a regular student". In the interest of fairness, out of these 20, four of the players had to leave due to injury. Unless Kraggy busted them up himself, we won't credit those players to him. But here are the remaining 16 that we'll put Kraggy at blame for.

Anthony Allen, RB: transferred
Lamar Alston, CB: dismissed
Jeremy Baker, OL: dismissed
Rod Council, CB: dismissed
Marcus Gordon, OL: left team
Aundre Henderson, DL: quit team
Jonathan Holston, DE: dismissed
Dale Martin, RB: transferred
James McKinney, DL: academics (transfer, never played)
C.J. Millenbaugh, OL: left team (transfer, never played)
Lamar Myles, LB: left early for NFL
George Stripling, RB: dismissed
Mario Urrutia, WR: left early for NFL
Willie Williams, LB: dismissed
Tyler Wimsatt, LB: dismissed

Nothing says a program is in the crapper more than tons of dimissals and transfers. Welcome to Cardinal Football: where cleaning Bobby's mess and cursing Kragthrope happens.

I can't wait until Aug. 31st. Cats vs. Cards on the gridiron.

The $300,000 Question--Will Joe Crawford get drafted?

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:54:00 +0000

As the days and weeks have rolled along, it seems like there have been a few reports in Joe Crawford's favor. A good Pre-Draft camp. Detroit coming out and saying he's been considered for their 2nd round pick.

But take a look at any full mock draft and Crawford is no where to be found. We know Ramel Bradley isn't likely to be drafted at all, but why is Joe not showing up on these mock draft's if the news around him is so good?

That's going to be Joe's $300,000 question.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Crawford could survive in the NBA. He has the size to play shooting guard and his has the driving skills and the shot. He could always have a place coming off the bench as a scoring spark. Maybe even become a shot specialist, like Robert Horry.

You would think there would be more interesting in Crawford right now too, since he is a former UK player. Tayshaun Prince is an NBA champion and an Olympian. Rajon Rondo just won an NBA title. Keith Bogans and Chuck Hayes were solid contributors on playoff teams. And Kelenna Azibuke's team was pretty close to making the playoffs. It just makes sense, doesn't it?

Even if Crawford doesn't get drafted, I have a firm belief that he could be picked up as a free agent. Crawford can make a team. Or he can definitely go to the Azibuke route, dominating the D-league for a year or two before getting a call-up. But those options would mean that Joe would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The NBA draft is tonight. That's when we'll see whether or not Crawford's $300,000 question is answered.

2008-09 Roster Breakdown: Kevin Galloway

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Kevin Galloway is from Sacramento, California, by way of the College of Southern Idaho, which was the top JUCO in the country during the years that Galloway played there. This is not a coincidence. Kevin Galloway ran the show for CSI, and he ran it exceptionally well. This is a player who can cause some serious matchup problems on both sides of the ball because of his size. At 6’6”, he can play point guard or small forward on offense or defense. Like the now departed Derrick Jasper, Galloway has tremendous court vision because of his height, which allowed him to rack up amazing assist numbers at CSI. Something else to consider is that he only played 21 minutes pre game because CSI was a very deep JUCO team that blew almost everybody out last season.

For those of you who don’t know the whole recruitment story, Kevin Galloway originally signed with USC as a **** recruit. Tim Floyd has a great eye for talent, so there was no doubting Galloway’s skills, even though he didn’t play much. But Galloway didn’t last long at USC because of academic issues, and this is why he went to CSI. His verbal to Kentucky came out of nowhere, like many of the commitments that we have witnessed under Coach Gillispie.

I didn’t know what to make of Kevin Galloway as a lead guard until I saw this amazing highlight video of Galloway and his highly touted teammate, Juan Patillo (committed to Oklahoma). I will not call these guys “Thunder & Lightning,” because that was Derek Anderson and Ron Mercer in 1997. Based on their roles on the CSI team (and not on their skills), Galloway was Magic Johnson and Patillo was James Worthy. Galloway has great handles, is an exceptional passer, and most importantly, can finish at the rim. One of the problems Kentucky has had since Wayne Turner graduated was the lack of a point guard who could consistently score if he needed to. Saul Smith couldn’t do it. Cliff Hawkins didn’t develop an offensive game until it was too late in his career. Rajon Rondo could do it, but he didn’t have the talent around him to allow him to do it much. Ramel Bradley could do it, but he’d be the first to tell you that he was never a true point guard. Derrick Jasper preferred passing at the rim, which is hardly ever a good thing. Galloway can finish plays with finesse, but he can also take it to the rack and throw it down.

The biggest thing you have to remember about Galloway is how he will fit into the big picture. First things first, we don’t know whether or not Deandre Liggins is going to be eligible, even though all signs are pointing to good news. If by some chance that he can'’ play, then you’re looking at Galloway vs. Michael Porter for the starting PG slot, and it’s a position I hope Galloway wins. Regardless, Galloway adds to a roster that will be extremely long and athletic, especially on the wings, just like Coach Gillispie likes it. They should be able to wreak some havoc on defense, leading to more transition opportunities than last year.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and I’d be a lot happier with this post if I could find that stinking CSI highlight reel. Such is life sometimes…

Pizza and Bowling for UK Football?

noreply@blogger.com (Kenny Colston) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:02:00 +0000

I was going to wait a little bit before getting all worked up about UK's chances to go bowling for a third straight year in football, but ESPN has left me no choice.

You see, College Football writer Mark Schlabach has released July bowl predictions to help keep people like me sane. And he has the Wildcats going to Mobile to take place in the newest SEC bowl (but not a new bowl altogether) the Papajohns.com bowl.

The good news: UK will be in a third straight bowl game. They would face a Big East opponent (Mark says Rutgers).

Bad news: The bowl is named after a website.

Now, the addition of the bowl gives the SEC nine tie-ins. I'm not quite sure if this is the ninth spot, but I doubt it since the Liberty Bowl projection has Ole Miss and the Independence Bowl has Mississippi State. I'm thinking this Papa John's bowl jumped to the 7th best team in the conference. Or so I hope.

Of course, little brother Louisville is back bowling too in the International Bowl. Big East vs. MAC. The bowl may be closer in date to the BCS bowls, but you'd be playing in Canada. Not an upgrade.

Also, I went back and looked, this is the same match-up Phil Steele predicts. A bowl is a bowl right? Only if there's free pizza!

World's Greatest Classic Game Analysis: UK vs. Alabama (1998)

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Stogsdill) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:48:00 +0000

I know nobody remembers this one, because I hardly remember it. That’s why I have the tapes. If memory serves me correctly, this was the last time Kentucky played an SEC home game at Freedom Hall in Louisville. This game also immediately followed the Arkansas game I sent in yesterday, so there isn’t much backstory. Everybody was relieved that Kentucky escaped the Arkansas game with a close win, and it was a welcome change from the previous season, where the team struggled mightily.

I don’t know much about this Alabama team either. I know that former UK assistant David Hobbs was the coach, and it had been made clear that he was probably going to get fired at the end of the season. Based on the box scores, I can deduct that the Crimson Tide lived and died by the three (very dangerous in a friendly shooter’s gym like Freedom Hall), and according to the announcers, they had just come off of a 50-point loss to Auburn. Say what you want about any Kentucky coach, but none of them lost to Louisville by 50 points. This was a rarity for the late 90s: a home game away from Lexington, on BBSN TV, on tape freaking delay. Our announcers are Rob Bromley and Martin Newton, who has already humiliated himself by trying to force "Manhattan Transfer" down our throats as a suitable nickname for a strong, black warrior who just owned an entire team in the previous game. Get it? Evans is called "Manhattan Transfer" because he was a transfer…from Manhattan. Martin Newton would sell out Comedy Off Broadway like nobody’s business.

From the tip, it looked like blowout all the way. Nazr Mohammed made a nice hook, followed by an Allen Edwards drive and a Padgett FT. Then Alabama caught fire. Damon Bacote made a three. Then he hit another. Demetrius Alexander scored inside on a fast break, and Bacote made ANOTHER three to make it 11-5. This isn’t ball-line defense. These are tough, contested shots that are hardly making the net move. I hope Louisville’s new arena has the same kind of friendly rims that Freedom Hall had. Damon Bacote made yet another three, again from NBA range, again with a hand in his face. Chauncey Jones buried a three for Bama, again with a hand in his face. At this point, Bama was perfectly content to trade threes for twos. Manhattan Transfer came back with a thunderous dunk. Evans had one of the most explosive first steps I’ve ever seen at UK. With the score at 17-13, Alabama made another run, with layups from Bacote and Jones, then another ungodly three from Bacote.

Remember in 2001 when Joe and Jon Crispin made contested bomb after contested bomb for Penn State? That’s what Damon Bacote is doing. He scored 17 points in less than 7 minutes. Kentucky’s offense has no fluidity to it right now, as every play is one on one. They’re still scoring because of superior talent, but it’s just a little off. 5-for-5 substitution by Kentucky! I don’t miss that one bit. Scott Padgett finally drilled the first three for Kentucky, and after a pair of Mohammed FTs made it 24-20, it was clear that this would be another war. Allen Edwards made a tough bank shot in the post (criminally underrated player). I can see why Dave Hobbs got fired after this season, because it’s inexcusable for a team to be so one-dimensional on offense. Every time Bama tried to take it inside in their set offense, they turned it over. Brian Williams knocked down the 7th three of the half for Alabama in between Mohammed baskets. Kentucky has battled back using their superior size, but it didn’t hurt that Dave Hobbs made a move that became a Tubby Smith staple: the removal of a hot player. Damon Bacote disappeared after making his 5th three. He may have been tired, but he couldn’t have been that tired. The lead changed hands multiple times over the last few minutes of the half. Alexander leaned into Michael Bradley and made an insane shot plus the foul. It should have been a charge. I take issue with officiating in every game. I may have a problem.

There’s an Ohio Casualty commercial featuring both Tubby Smith and Hal Mumme. Somebody tell me why CM Newton has his name on the football field again. I’m begging for a decent answer. Freedom Hall can make anybody look like a superstar, as walk-on Blake Thrasher (WHO? I know that’s probably your reaction for all of these Alabama players, but this is a guy who would have made me say "WHO?" back in ’98) hits a three. Kentucky is rimming out all of their perimeter shots, and Bama is just burying theirs. Mohammed throws down a Gorilla Dunk on the pasty walk-on to get the crowd FARRED UP. Mohammed got another huge tip jam, but it’s waived off because of offensive interference, which is the worst call of the game so far. That would have tied the game, but instead, Bama held a 35-33 lead at the half.

Wayne Turner, who was nonexistent in the first half, came alive to start the second half. He began to penetrate and set himself and his teammates up for scores, but Kentucky just couldn’t shake the Tide, who were still clicking on all cylinders. Alabama blatantly goaltended an Edwards shot (no call – atrocious), which directly led to another three by Damon Bacote. That goaltending missed call might be the worst of the game, and I seriously have a problem. Jones knocked down another three, and I continue to stress that the defense hasn’t been bad at all. Evans and Padgett took it inside to cut into the 10-point lead. Padgett then buried a three and the lead was down to five. Kentucky’s shooting finally caught fire. Padgett hit Jeff Sheppard on my favorite play in all of basketball, the backdoor lob, plus a foul to cut into the lead even more. Scott Padgett has put the team on his back in this half, as he’s doing everything. Another easy basket by Padgett cut the lead down to a single point, as it became increasingly difficult for Alabama to even get off a shot. Bama finally managed to work it over to Williams for a rare open three that went in (of course). Mohammed absolutely owned the offensive glass, getting every ball that came his way and putting in a missed shot to pull the Cats to 54-52. Mohammed followed with a Whitaker Bank Shot to tie the score. The Louisville crowd is as excited as they’ve been all night. Alabama’s shooting percentage from three is way down from the first half, but Jones scored on a Turner teardrop to put the Tide ahead again. I told you it was going to be a war.

Jeff Sheppard made a darting move to the rack for two and tied the score again. Damon Bacote has been short on most of his jumpers in this half. Mohammed got another basket and Kentucky finally took the lead at 58-56. Sheppard buried another clutch shot to push it to four, perhaps an omen of his outstanding play at the Final Four. Padgett burned Bama with a sweet post move for a bucket and a foul to make it 63-58. Brian Williams immediately answered with another long, tough three. How did Auburn beat these guys by 50 when the Tigers didn’t even have Chris Porter yet? Jones came back with a three to give Alabama a 64-63 lead, but they didn’t enjoy it for too long, as Mohammed went inside again and scored. This is one of the few opponents that didn’t have their backs completely broken when UK made their rally in the second half. With the Kentucky lead at 66-64, Bama tried to take it inside, but the pass sailed out of bounds. I wonder why Dave Hobbs got fired. A runner by Padgett made it a four-point game, but the Tide found Bacote for an insane three to cut it back to one. Padgett went to the line and sank two clutch shots, setting up one last chance for Alabama. Martin Newton said that Kentucky definitely shouldn’t foul with the three-point lead and just a few seconds left. He was an analyst for over ten years. Bama got a look at a tying three from Bacote, but Padgett partially blocked the shot, making the final score Good Guys 70, Bad Guys 67. That was a really good game.

I’ve got a buzzer beater on tap for the next one in this series, so you’ve got that to look forward to, which is nice.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and it’s tape watching time.