Gameday News and Notes

First of all, Happy Halloween, and wear your black tonight at Commonwealth! The official black-out t-shirts can be found all around town. Wish I had a picture of them but they're nice.

Before we get into football, I just want to share with everyone that I seriously think I have more journalism skills in my left pinky finger than Pat Forde has in his entire body. Once again, Forde tried to make something out of nothing out of the John Wall situation. He will miss one exhibition game (against Campbellsville) and one regular season game (against Morehead) and will pay back the money that his AAU coach gave him (while he had no money and his mother was sick).

It was never a big story but Forde tried to make it one. Like Cal said...about 20 players are going through the same thing right now, including a Duke recruit. The funniest part of the whole story was how he tried to blame it on Calipari when the supposed recruiting visits to UK occured in 2007. Ofcourse, Calipari must have known he was going to be UK's coach in a few years. He must have set this all up while he was at Memphis, right? Too bad I'm not best friends with Rick Pitino so he could get me a job at ESPN. Seriously, how do they continue to let someone so biased with an obvious agenda work at a place like ESPN?

Anyway, I wish I could write more about the football game tonight, but it's about time for me to get ready and head out there. I promise I will give a good game recap and summary on Sunday. But for now, here are a few game notes:

• LB Micah Johnson is probable and CB Trevard Lindlay is doubtful. We need the All-Americans 100% healthy by the time we wrap up the season with Georgia and Tennessee. But I have a feeling we are going to need Micah's efforts tonight and will be out there. He may not start though.

• We also need either Fidler or Newton to step up and be the primary Quarterback along with Randall Cobb in the wildcat. Three QB's is just too many and the offense seemed to be a little bit disoriented in the Louisiana-Monroe game with so many changes. I hope Newton steps up, because he is the future, but either one of them needs to step up and if neither does, Cobb may play more often at Quarterback.

• Cobb enters tonight's game with 2 passing touchdowns, 11 rushing touchdowns, 6 receiving touchdowns, and 1 kickoff return touchdown. He is the most versatile player in the nation, and only a sophomore! The next few years are going to be fun, and if Kentucky utilizes him more often in the wildcat, he could get some serious Heisman consideration as a Senior.

• This might be the biggest game of the year tonight. The UK/Miss State game has developed into a game where both teams NEED to beat each other each year to position themselves for bowl season and usually the game is very close, but the Cats seem to find ways to win in this series. Expect it to come down to the wire. Last season, the Cats won off of a missed extra point. I think it will be something similar this year with the Cats winning by less than 7 off of an MSU miscue and Randall Cobb will make some big plays as well to give the Cats a nailbitter victory. Commonwealth will be rockin tonight.

• Will I be able to tick-or-treat in the parking lot? Anyone bringing candy? I've got to go.

Brown's Picks

It may be Week 9 in College Football, but it’s Week 1 for me here at The Wildcat Wrap. I’d to thank John for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this site, and I will like to thank all of you for reading.

While I may not be a UK fan, I can assure you that my picks will be fair and unbiased. Each week I will be making my predictions for 8 games that I have chosen from the College Football lineup. My set of picks will always include the Cincinnati, Clemson, and Kentucky games and I’ll try to pull games from each conference. I will be picking against the spread, which I will get each Thursday from sportsbetting.com. Well that’s enough housekeeping; let’s get on with the picks.

West Virginia (-3) @ South Florida

It’s always nice to have some Friday night College Football. It’s even better when you have two pretty good teams playing. West Virginia has moved into the Top 25 and currently sits at #20 in the AP Poll, but they are facing two nasty pass rushers in USF’s Jason Pierre-Paul and George Selvie. USF has taken some hits in the past couple of weeks and their defense has let up 75 points in the last two games, but I like them for the upset on Friday night

Pick: South Florida

Cincinnati (-15.5) @ Syracuse

Cincinnati’s sophomore quarterback Zach Collaros has been running the offense in practice this week in preparation to start against Syracuse. Former Duke point guard turned Syracuse QB Greg Paulus is not having the year he hoped for, throwing 9 TDs and 10 INTs. Cincinnati’s defense will not make things any easier on Paulus as the Bearcats win big.

Pick: Cincinnati

Coastal Carolina @ Clemson

No line on this game since the Tigers are hosting an in-state FCS opponent in the Chanticleers. Not much to say about this one, but look for senior running back and return man CJ Spiller to have a huge day. Clemson gets the W on Homecoming.

Pick: Clemson

Central Michigan @ Boston College (-5.5)

CMU already has one big road win this year when they beat Michigan State 29-27 in East Lansing. The Golden Eagles are coming off a tight lose to Notre Dame. CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour has been torching defenses this year and has 16 TDs, 4 INTs, and a completion percentage of 70. Even though BC is at home, I don’t like their defenses’ chances against the Chippawa passing attack.

Pick: Central Michigan

Texas (-8.5) @ Oklahoma State

This is a huge Big 12 game with National Championship implications. Texas has been rolling this year, winning all 7 games by an average margin of 28 points. Oklahoma St. Zac Robinson can make things happen, but it’s going to be pretty difficult going against that Longhorn D without Dez Bryant. Oklahoma St. is getting some help in the spread by playing at home, but that advantage won’t help much at game time. I see Texas running away with this one from the opening kickoff.

Pick: Texas

Mississippi St. @ Kentucky (-4)

Both teams have struggled in conference play this year, stumbling to a 1-3 record in the SEC. The Bulldogs have played tight with some quality teams – losing to LSU by 4 and hanging around with Florida last week – but have lost 4 of their last 5 games. On the other hand, the Wildcats have had solid games each of the last three weeks. I like the way Kentucky uses Randall Cobb in a variety of formations and I think he will be the key to a Cats’ win this week.

Pick: Kentucky

South Carolina @ Tennessee (-6)

Neyland Stadium will certainly be rocking this Saturday as the #22 Gamecocks come into for what should be a hard-hitting SEC showdown. Tennessee has struggled under first year Head Coach Lane Kiffin. The one bright spot for the Volunteers has been the work of Kiffin’s father, Monte, and the defense, which held #2 Alabama to only 12 points in Tuscaloosa. Being in South Carolina, I have had the opportunity to see the Gamecock play a number of times and I have been very impressed with the Garcia-Jeffery connection in the passing game. For Tennessee to have a chance in this game, the Volunteers will have to know where Jeffery is on the field at all times. I think this one will go down to the wire, but I like South Carolina to at least cover the spread.

Pick: South Carolina

USC (-3) @ Oregon

This is a huge game in the Pac 10 because the winner will have the inside track to the Rose Bowl. Oregon currently sits a game ahead of the Trojans and a win Saturday would almost guarantee them the conference title. Oregon has completely turned its season around following that embarrassing performance in Boise during the season’s first week. The USC defense has given up 63 points in the past two games, compared to 30 in the first five games combined, with be facing a rushing attack from Oregon that is ranked 14^th in the country. USC Freshman QB Matt Barkley has seen hostile crowds this year in Columbus and South Bend, but the fans at Autzen Stadium can see that their Ducks are in reach of their first Rose Bowl in 15 years. Barkley’s ability to handle his offense in these conditions will play a huge role in the outcome of this game. Even with the huge amount of talent on the Trojan’s side of the ball, I’m picking the Ducks.

Pick: Oregon

Well everyone, I hope you enjoyed the first collections of Brown’s picks. Enjoy the weekend of football and I will see you next week.

GO TIGERS!

Our Staff

John, Charlie, Mike, and Cox

At this time, I would like to introduce our staff here at wildcatwrap.com. You are already familiar with myself, but to make this thing work and make it big...it will take more than just myself.

Charlie Hunter, Mike Brown, and Christian Cox are also all alumni of Eastern Kentucky University and all have a great interest and knowledge for sports.

It's kind of interesting how I first met Charlie. He started a facebook group called, "Fire Tubby Smith". I was a HUGE Tubby supporter. I would get on the group and bash him and everyone else on it. We ended up having a class together in the spring semester of Tubby's last season and ended up becoming friends. Like many Cats fans, Charlie was frustrated with the job Tubby was doing. Also like many of Big Blue Nation, I was unhappy with the last few years under Tubby but supported him and respected what he had done here and wanted him to stay. The fan base was split and remained split under Gillispie. It's awesome to see now how Calipari has once again united the entire Big Blue Nation. Charlie has been added to the site as a contributor and was going to write about the debate over the black uniforms for the football game on Saturday night (as you can see by his black basketball jersey, he likes black uni's)....but then it was made known by Mitch Barnhart that the uniforms would still be blue for the blackout game on Halloween night....so hopefully Charlie finds something to write about soon, haha.

Mike Brown gives this site a really interesting perspective because he IS NOT A UK FAN. A lot of people say that I am too biased, so...to make this site the best it can be, I've hired my fraternity brother, Mike Brown, to give us weekly college football predictions each Thursday (starting tomorrow). Brown is a big Cincinnati Bearcat fan and now attends graduate school at Clemson. He is currently first place in our Yahoo College Football Pick'em league, so he will be sharing his "non-biased" predictions each week on the site, including UK predictions of course. He will also make weekly pics during basketball season and contribute to national stories as well and follow the NFL, NBA, and MLB on the site.

Christian Cox, an IT Major and my roomate, is the "Director of Information Technology and Advertising" for wildcatwrap.com. He will make this website eventually look a lot better than it already does with his savvy computer skills and figure out the kinks to adding advertisements to the site.

Blue/White Scrimmage

Before we get into the official "Wildcat Wrap" of tonight's scrimmage, here are some key stats...

Darius Miller 14 points and 5 rebounds
Darnell Dodson 26 points and 7 rebounds (four threes)
Jon Hood 14 points and 5 rebounds
John Wall 25 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists
Demarcus Cousins 16 points and 9 rebounds
Eric Bledsoe 14 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists
Daniel Orton 14 points and 8 rebounds
Patrick Patterson 24 points and 8 rebounds (11-15 from field)
Josh Harrellson 11 points and 15 rebounds
Ramon Harris 12 points and 7 rebounds (4-7 from field)
Mark Krebs 5 points and 2 rebounds
Perry Stevenson 2 points and 3 rebounds
Deandre Liggins 0 points and 4 rebounds

Ladies and Gentleman, your first official "Wildcat Wrap":

One of the biggest concerns of this team throughout the preseason, other than youth, has been whether or not the Cats would be able to find someone to replace Jodie Meeks as a premier three point shooter. Nobody questioned the team's athleticism and ability to drive to the basket in Calipari's Dribble Drive Motion Offense, but who would be able to step up and make a three when needed late in the game, Mark Krebs? Well yes, Mark Krebs has the ability to come in and make some shots. But out of the regular core of players that will be playing 25 or more minutes a game, Darnell Dodson showed that he could potentially lead the team in 3-point shots this season as he nailed four of them tonight and also added seven rebounds and 26 points.

Dodson, a Rivals.com 3-star junior college transfer, has been lost in the shuffle of the nation's top recruiting class this preseason that includes #1 ranked recruit John Wall, #2 ranked Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and Kentucky Mr. Basketball, Jon Hood. Darnell wins the award for the most pleasant surprise in tonight's scrimmage, but he wasn't the only one knocking down three's on a team that supposedly couldn't shoot. Ramon Harris shot well from outside and scored 12 points and even big men Patrick Patterson and Daniel Orton combined for a perfect 3 for 3 behind the arc, with Patterson hitting two of them!

While Dodson was the biggest surprise, Patterson was the most impressive tonight as we finally got to see him play his natural position and not with his back to the basket. If you thought Patterson was good before, you have seen nothing yet! Patrick will be a totally different player in the Dribble Drive Motion Offense, where he will no longer be forced to have his back to the basket as he did in Gillispie's high/low offense, which usually resulted in the Cats' inability to even get him the ball. With big men Demarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton now on campus, Patterson has now also moved to his natural NBA position at Power Forward. Tonight, we saw a much more flashy Patrick Patterson who drove to the basket and even knocked down two three's. These were things that were nearly impossible for Patterson to do last year while his back was to the basket and Michael Porter was responsible for getting him the ball. Now Patterson relies on projected 2010 NBA Draft #1 pick John Wall, as well as Eric Bledsoe, to dish him the ball.

In the first half of the scrimmage, Patterson got to play alongside Cousins in a lineup that seemed to feature Cal's projected starting lineup on the Blue team which dominated the White in an un-evenly matched 1st half. In the second half, Calipari switched things up and put Cousins on the White team. Patterson was now playing against big men Orton and Cousins who were both on the White team but it didn't seem to matter as Patterson finished with 24 points. Calipari also switched things up in the 2nd half by moving Eric Bledsoe to the white team. Instead of Bledsoe and Wall playing with each other, they were now playing against each other, and let me tell you...we won't miss one beat without John Wall for 3 games. Wall is every bit as good as advertised (25 pts, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists tonight), but Bledsoe is much better than advertised and would start on almost any team in the country. The best thing about Bledsoe is that we can expect him to be here at least a few years (Daniel Orton too).

Last but certainly not least, it was so great to see all the former Wildcat legends in the record crowd tonight in Rupp for the scrimmage. Ron Mercer and Wayne Turner were in the stands, Tony Delk and Scott Padgett are on staff and were shown numerous times on the video boards while receiving big cheers, and Joe B. Hall even sat on the bench for a while and chatted with Calipari. The program is back in every way. Everything that UK basketball hasn't been in the last 2 years, it has been and will continue to be this year. It's basketball time in Kentucky folks, buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride!

Just to fire you up....

I've posted parts I and II of the "Domination Proclamation of the Big Blue Nation" delivered by Coach Calipari at Big Blue Madness. Tomorrow nights scrimmage will certainly not be the entertainment event that BBM was, however, it will be our first look at some "real" basketball and not just the highlight reel that we saw on the pick-up game last week. I look to see some defense tomorrow night, but I especially look forward to see how the guys have picked up on the new Dribble Drive Motion Offense.

I also hope to see Josh Harrelson and Mark Krebs continue thier hot shooting that they displayed at Madness and during the closed, prviate scrimmages this weekend, according to Coach Calipari. These 2 guys, I believe, will be unsung heroes for this team. We've got plenty of athletes, but these guys (especially Krebs, yes...I said Krebs, the fellow Northern Kentuckian) will come in off the bench and make some much needed shots down the stretch this season (a la Cameron Mills). You heard it here first. The guy can flat out shoot, and he wouldn't still be here if he couldn't. Now that we have a coach that can recognize talent, look to see the former walk on make an unexpected impact.

Now, for the videos...enjoy.

So what's this all about?

Well, it's a place where Kentucky basketball and football can be read about, talked about, and appreciated. A place where you can express your passion for the Big Blue without ignorant people making stupid comments (like on facebook). Rival fans are welcome to come read and chime in...as long as you're indeed a true fan of another team, and not just one of those many typical Kentucky haters.

I plan to use Twitter, Facebook, Google searches, and CatsPause to eventually grow the site and maybe someday reach a very large following of the Big Blue Nation and maybe even make profits off of advertising on the site. Please, be patient, as the site grows and grows just as we should with this young team this year!

Always feel free to give suggestions, but also, email me your own blogs at wildcatwrap@gmail.com and I will more than likely post it to the site. Ever dreamed of becoming a sports writer and writing about the Big Blue? Well, here is your start. I am capable of adding up to 100 authors to the site. So if you start to contribute regularly, I'll even add you as an official staff writer on wildcatwrap.com. This is what sets this site apart from the many other UK blogs out there, because YOU get to actively be a part of it and contribute to it.

Also, please spread the word about the site in any way you can. This site will always be available to anyone free of charge. This is run for the Big Blue Nation, by the Big Blue Nation. It's for YOU to enjoy and to be a part of. I will never claim to have any "inside information" that I do not really have...this is just simply a place for fans to write about the team and state that they love and the passion that they have for it. We'll get into other stuff too such as high school and professional sports, and ofcourse, I'll "wrap up" each Wildcat game on the site with stats, observations, and maybe even PLAYER INTERVIEWS via Facebook!

Be sure to visit us tomorrow night as I wrap up and break down the Wildcats' performance in the annual Blue/White Scrimmage in Rupp at 7:00! Later on in the week, we will also provide you with a preview to the pivotal Kentucky vs. Mississippi State "black-out" game on Halloween Night in Commonwealth.

Take Care,
and Go Cats!

John

Welcome Fans!

This is a place for all of Big Blue Nation, from Pikeville to Paducah, from Covington to Hazard...and all parts in between.

For those that love the Big Blue Nation, and for those that despise it, but understand the history, significance, most passionate fans, and...

"rightful place atop the mountain of college
basketball".

This is a place where SEVEN isn't enough.

This is for all those that Bleed Blue, Red, the wrong shade of blue, and even an ugly shade of Orange.

This is a place to read about the nation's all-time winningest team in the history of college basketball, and we won't leave out our beloved football team, as well as other state universities (My Alma Mater), Kentucky high school sports, the Southeastern Conference, and sometimes the entire sports world.

This is a place where Cats fans and bitter rivals will clash.

In fact, we encourage our rivals to come aboard this site to read about, comment, and witness...

"the next chapter of the extraordinary story that is
University of Kentucky Basketball"...
"as we once again pump our chests and claim our
rightful place atop the mountain of college basketball".
-Coach Calipari

Enjoy, and welcome to wildcatwrap.com!

My staff and I will do our very best to preview, break down, and wrap up each Wildcat game this season and for many seasons to come. Please email us at anytime with any suggestions for the site. Go Big Blue!

Sincerely,

John Wilmhoff