Reflection on a Great Season

First of all, I need to recognize the Women's team on their upset of #1 SEED Nebraska! Matthew Mitchell's 4th seeded UK Hoops' team now will face 5th seeded Oklahoma for a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio! Pretty good for a team that was picked to finish 11th in the SEC!

It looks like the Cats could be facing nearby Xavier in the Final Four before the inevitable dreaded Championship matchup with the UConn Huskies, who are currently riding the longest winning streak in the history of Women's College Basketball.

If these ladies can make it to the Championship game and even give UConn a run for their money, it will help ease the pain (at least a little bit) of Saturday's painful loss to West Virginia.

The Elite 8 matchup with the Lady Sooners will be on ESPN Tuesday Night at 9:00. Until then, enjoy this video to commemorate an unbelievable season that...

• brought us above 2,000 wins
• the "John Wall Dance"
• state supremacy
• wins over rivals Indiana, North Carolina, and Louisville
• millions of dollars raised by our team for Haitian earthquake victims in 24 hours
• a #1 national ranking and phone call from the President of the United States
• the first ever sold out ESPN College Gameday Show
• an unbelievable SEC Championship victory
• three very impressive NCAA tournament wins
• and an amazing display of future NBA superstars

But most importantly, this season has united a fan base that has been divided since the end of the Tubby Smith era. It started with book signings and rally's throughout the summer, from Pikeville to Paducah, and everywhere in between. The Commonwealth's anticipation for this season was higher than ever before, as thousands of fans camped out for tickets to Big Blue Madness, the official start of practice for what all had hoped to be an amazing season and a return to glory for Kentucky basketball.

The campout was a beautiful scene, as the nation's most passionate fanbase finally got what they wanted and deserved- a coach that understood Kentucky basketball and embraced the program as much as all of its fans. When Coach Calipari, his son Brad, the staff, and the players camped out themselves, played cornhole, and delivered food to all those faithful fans...we knew we finally had the perfect fit. A few weeks later, Coach Calipari delivered a moving and passionate speech to the fans at Big Blue Madness and John Wall made the crowd eRUPPt with dance moves that would soon become a national phenomenon known as the "John Wall Dance". Ah, what a year it has been.

Enjoy the video!

P.S. Brandon Knight is making his college decision on April 14th! Stay tunned for all the coverage!

Dream Season Ends

If you took my advice and set your DVR for yesterday's game, I'm sorry. You can go ahead and delete it and save some space because it was a game that you will never want to watch ever again.

Of all the Elite 8 losses the Cats have suffered over the years, this one was the worst and hardest to watch. Even the infamous Duke game in 1992 was one of the greatest college basketball games ever played, and there's no shame in losing a game like that. In 2003 it felt awful at the time losing to Marquette, but Dwayne Wade has since established himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA. The Michigan State loss in 2005 was also a tough one, but it at least gave us one of the most memorable and exciting moments in UK history when Sparks made the shot to bring it into overtime.

There was hardily any positive moment in an ugly and freezing cold shooting night for the Cats last night. Everything that had happened all season long, did not happen last night. It was almost an entirely different team out there. They were stunned, frustrated, and lost more and more confidence with each wide open missed shot behind the arc. The 1-3-1 zone prevented them from doing what they did best, but for whatever reason, the Cats couldn't knock down routine shots that they had made throughout most of the season. Two days earlier, the Cats shut down Cornell, the best 3 point shooting team in the nation. Against West Virginia, the focus was no longer defending the three. In fact, the Cats did just what the scouting report told them to do in the first half. They didn't allow the Mountaineers to make a single 2 point field goal in 20 minutes and they crushed the offensive boards the entire game, grabbing almost 30 more than West Virginia

West Virginia, a very poor three point shooting team, made 8 three's in the first half from even the most unlikely shooters, one of whom made his first of the entire season. Three point shooting ended up giving the Mountaineers about a thirty point advantage. Rebounding and talent kept the Cats in it even in the worse performance of the year, but it just was not the Cats day. It just wasn't meant to be on that given day. After dominating performances in the first three rounds where shots went in with ease, the Cats were facing their first deficit of the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps, youth and inexperience caught up to them and they didn't know how to respond. They did not quit. They played hard and made it interesting, but in the end, poor three point shooting and free throw shooting doomed the Cats. When DeAndre Liggins made the Cats first three of the game it sparked some life and confidence into them-but it was just too little, too late.

Big Blue Nation, however, shall never forget the 2010 Cats. They brought our program back to the national level that it should always be at. They brought excitement and swagger back to Lexington that will never be forgotten. The incredible turnaround of the 2010 season was one of the most fun Kentucky basketball teams in history and they will be remembered someday when the Cats do bring home #8. We needed this coach (no one else- we got the perfect fit) and these incredible players in order to move forward and generate enough excitement after just one season to be among the top programs, once again, on the lists of every top recruit in the nation. Despite not winning it all, this group exceeded most everyone's expectations (which were pretty high of a freshman led team). The season ended in disappointment, but when you look at where we were a year ago and even early in the season, it's really remarkable that this young team was even in a position to reach the Final Four and make a run at the National Championship.

As bad as yesterday's game was, it could have been worse (just ask Kansas, Syracuse, and Georgetown), and the Cats will be back and better than expected next season. Sure, Wall and Cousins are likely gone. Patterson's post game comments, however, seemed to indicate that he was not happy with this ending and that there's more unfinished business for him to accomplish here in a return next season. If Patterson, Bledsoe, and Orton come back for another year to join juniors Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins with potentially another top 5 recruiting class- a more experienced team that has now been deep into the NCAA Tournament may have a better chance at cutting down some nets in 2011. Stay tuned, as Wildcat Wrap will keep you updated on who will join Enes Canter and Stacy Poole in the 2010 recruiting class and which current Wildcats will join them in the next quest to #8.

The Elite 8 is set.

Two SEC teams remain and one Big East team is left. The Cats have their chance to take down that final team from the nation's most overrated conference. It's Calipari vs. Huggins. It's Patrick Patterson against his home state team. It's the chance for the nation's winningest team to get back to the Final Four for the first time in 12 years, which is nearly an eternity in Big Blue Nation. It's a chance for a potential matchup with Duke. This game, simply put, means everything.

The double digit wins are likely over, but these last three games are the type of games that you will want to be sure to record on your DVR. Each one of them are games that you will want to watch again, and again, and again...for the next twenty or thirty years (that is, if the Cats end up as the last team standing).

Just think of the potential matchups in these last three games:

• West Virginia: arguably the best team remaining in the Cats' hunt for #8. They're the last team from the Big East remaining, the same conference that Kentucky fans have to listen about all year from Louisville fans. With this win, the SEC could have two teams in the Final Four with every Big East team sitting at home. This would be bitter sweet for UK fans.

• Duke: Do I even have to say anything? When these two teams play in the tournament, it's ALWAYS a classic. The Blue Devils will have a tough game with Baylor to win before this is a possibility.

• Tennessee: Could you imagine how great it would be for an All-SEC National Championship? This would really make a lot of Louisville fans (and sportswriters from the Northeast) have to eat their words! But even more sweet would be a chance to beat Bruce Pearl in his orange jacket for the third time this year to bring home the 8th National Championship to Lexington!

That, my friends, would be the ultimate best case scenario for the most fun ride Kentucky fans have maybe ever ridden towards a National Title. It would be a string of games that would rival the 1998 team's comeback wins over Duke, Stanford, and Utah to bring home our seventh title. To this point, for sure, I think it can be said that the remarkable turnaround under Calipari has been the most fun season ever had in Lexington.

But for now, let's just land the plane. Survive, and advance.

Cornell vs. Kentucky: Much more than David vs. Goliath.

In its first two NCAA Tournament games, Kentucky scored a total of 190 points and won by the greatest amount of points of any team in the NCAA Tournament in two straight games since the 1996 Wildcats, who were considered by many to be the greatest college basketball team of all time. The Wildcats are heavy favorites over 12th seeded Cornell. It's not only a David vs. Goliath story. That is just the beginning of the dominating storylines for this matchup.

"They're saying smart kids versus the dumb guys," said John Wall. "I just think it's Kentucky basketball versus Cornell." Demarcus Cousins explained that "We're not out there reading books," Cousins said. "We're playing basketball." Cousins was wearing glasses as he spoke. When asked if it's a "Cornell look," Cousins joked that he would need a piece of tape on the nose bridge for that look.

It's the Ivy League vs. SEC, it's dumb kids against smart kids, it's also black vs. white.

Yesterday's Boston Globe column by Dan Shaughnessy was elitist and even a bit racist. It raises the question, would articles like this pop up all over the web by elitist Northeastern sportswriters if Cornell was playing Kansas, who started a couple of white kids? Sure, if Kansas was matched up with Cornell, it would certainly be a David vs. Goliath matchup too, but would sportswriters bring up intelligence as much with two white kids starting for Kansas?

What about Duke? Yes, Duke is a very good school just as Cornell is, but they do not hold the same admissions standards for basketball players as they do for the rest of their student body. In a heated debate on Boston sports radio this morning, Kentucky sports blogger Matt Jones pointed out that several of UK's starters have higher ACT scores and higher GPA's than members of Duke's starting lineup of four white kids.

If Duke played Cornell in this game tonight with four white kids starting, would they be considered the dumb kids against the smart kids of Cornell? As a matter of fact, two black kids in UK's starting lineup were both recruited at Duke (John Wall and Patrick Patterson). Patterson is about to graduate in three years and Wall has a 3.5 GPA. Both players have higher ACT scores and GPA's than the starting point guard and power forward at Duke, both of whom are white.

It's also safe to say that Demarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe went through more struggles in their 18 year childhood than any Cornell student will most probably go through in their entire lives. Kentucky's freshman class is blessed with unbelievable talent, but they had to work and go through a lot in unstable family situations to get to where they are today. The fact that they are probably going to leave school early for the NBA to use their God given talent does not make them any less of a person than a Cornell player who stays four years and graduates.

In yesterday's open practice at the Carrier Dome, the Cats were "booed" and cursed at by thousands of fans in a way that no college athlete deserves, especially at a practice. There is no doubt that literally everyone outside of the state of Kentucky will be rooting very hard against the Cats tonight. It's Glory Road all over again at the Carrier Dome. The 1966 Kentucky vs. Texas-Western National Championship game featured a heavily favored, all-white Kentucky team against an all-black starting lineup and huge underdog team from Texas-Western. Only this time, the roles are reversed for Kentucky as a predominately black team against the smart, Cinderella, white boys that everyone wants to win. These young Cats have faced and met every challenge thrown at them to this point, and I can't wait to see them do it again tonight.

The Best Two Days in Sports: Day 1

• The Big East is 1-3 in the tournament, with losses to the 7th place team in the MAC and Old Dominion and their only win being a #2 seed over a #15 seed in overtime. Surprised? Nope, not me. You heard it here first: most overrated conference in history.
• The SEC didn't have a great day either, but not bad. Florida lost to a higher seeded team and Vandy lost to a 30 win team that I think has a very good chance to go to the Sweet 16. Congrats Murray!
• Kentucky made 15 three's today (Bledsoe making 8 of them) and continue to show that they CAN shoot from outside. When they do, they're nearly unbeatable.
• The Cats showed the focus of a veteran team tonight, and they clearly look to be on a mission.
• Wake Forest will certainly be a challenge, but I'm very glad we've avoided Texas. Wake is good, but if we shoot and play like we're capable of we'll be just fine. Texas is talented enough to beat anyone even on a good night, and the Cats are lucky to avoid them.
• Is the NCAA serious about this 96 team expansion? That's the worse idea, ever. If it's not broke, don't fix it. Please, do not mess with the best 2 days in sports!

No Cell Phones During Tournament

In today's Coach Cal Lexy Podcast, he announces he is doing a new thing with this team that he's never done before. To limit distractions, he's taking away player's cell phones the night before each game. I personally think it's a great idea. They did it during the SEC Tournament, and even the players loved it! Great idea, Cal! This is the biggest tournament in these young players' lives and they need to stay focused. Let's go get 'em!

Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State invited to College Basketball Invitational

Two more Kentucky D-1 schools are still playing basketball. My Alma Matter, Eastern Kentucky, is going for their first ever postseason win in school history at home against Charleston (who beat North Carolina- if that means anything this year). Morehead State, a team that should be in the NIT, also has a home game with Colorado State. I've laughed at bigger schools like Cincinnati that have played in this tournament in the past few years, but it's a very good thing for small schools like EKU that win 20 games and are deserving of a chance at some form of postseason play. EKU and Morehead could have quite the advantage in this tournament on their home courts because unlike some of the teams from bigger conferences, this tournament actually means something to them and their fans.

The field also includes Oregon State from the PAC 10 and St. Louis-the biggest NIT snub in the country. The Billicans finished 4th (behind Temple, Richmond, and Xavier) in a very good A-10 this year and were even on the NCAA bubble for most of the season. I'd say that both Morehead, St. Louis, and several other teams in this tournament are more deserving of playing in the NIT than a barely over .500 North Carolina team. I can't believe I did this...but in honor of my Colonels making the CBI, I actually filled out a CBI Bracket. Here's my picks:

• EKU over Charleston in round 1.
• EKU over VCU to advance to the Final Four!
• Morehead over Colorado State at home
• Morehead over Oregon State on the road.
• Final Four of Princeton, Morehead, St. Louis, and EKU.
• EKU falls to St. Louis, Morehead defeats Princeton.
• 2010 CBI Champs: Morehead State wins 2 games to 1 in a three game series with St. Louis.

(Although I am really hoping for it to end with a 3 game series between EKU and Morehead- that would actually be really cool)

St. Louis is probably the best team, but Morehead will want it more and will have a nice home court advantage. Nobody in St. Louis will care and the Eagles will bring Kentucky another basketball championship!

Wilmhoff's Picks

The highlights of my completed bracket include Murray State, Xavier, Richmond, and Baylor in the Sweet 16.

• I've got Murray State over Vandy
• Murray State also over Butler in Round 2
• Xavier in the Sweet 16
• Richmond over Villanova in Round 2
• Baylor over Richmond to advance to the Elite 8
• Kansas State over Syracuse to join top seeds Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke in the Final Four
• Kentucky vs. Kansas in the Championship Game with the Cats bringing home #8

My bracket generally reflects my opinion that the Big 12 is the best conference, the Big East is the most overrated conference, and the Atlantic 10 is the most underrated conference. I think the SEC is better than what my picks show, but the SEC has some bad match ups. Tennessee is capable of a big run, but will face Georgetown in the second round. Then, even if they would upset the Hoyas, they'd play Ohio State in the Sweet 16. The Vols might have the toughest drawl in the tournament and were deserving of much higher than a 6 seed. Vanderbilt is another capable team but is playing one of the scariest teams in the field- the Murray State Racers, who had the nation's longest winning streak until losing to defending OVC Champion, Morehead State, in a late regular season contest. I'm picking Florida to lose in the first round to BYU because another SEC team should have their spot (Mississippi State), and I would have likely picked that team to make a run.

Selection Sunday Live Chat

Celebrate, take it in, enjoy...and let's win 6 more.

(Photo courtesy of ESPN.com)

• That was one of the greatest Kentucky games ever played
• It's definitely a time to celebrate for Big Blue Nation, but I LOVE the fact that the nets were not cut down.
• We want to win 6 more, than we'll cut down some nets.
• Don't tell me that one and done players don't care.
• I don't need to write a story- we all saw what happened.

1. John Wall's steal in the corner and quick basket cut the lead down to 1 with 40 seconds to go.
2. MSU makes 2 free throws to make it a three point game.
3. MSU purposely fouls before Bledsoe can throw up a three to tie it.
4. Bledsoe makes the first shot, misses 2nd on purpose.
5. Rebound Kentucky, three no good by Wall, rebound Cousins, he puts it up....OVERTIME!
6. Wall scores 7 points in OT, including a circus shot behind the 3 point line.
7. Cats win 26th SEC Tournament Title and 1st since 2004.

ENJOY it, Big Blue Nation. Don't worry about what happens next until about an hour from now when the pairings are announced. THEN, we'll dissect the brackets and talk about the road to Kentucky's 8th National Championship.

Cats spank Vols, advance to SEC Championship

Thousands of Big Blue Nation's craziest and most passionate fans have packed the city of Nashville, some with tickets and many without them. All of them dreamed of one matchup in this tournament: a rematch with Tennessee. They got just that on Saturday. The 74-45 blowout win with a 90% Big Blue crowd owning the Volunteer State's streets of Nashville is bittersweet for Cats fans. They put together their most dominating performance of the season against a very good Tennessee team that is the only team in history to beat the #1 and #2 teams (Kansas and Kentucky) in the country in the same season.

Today, however, it wasn't meant to be for the Vols. There were no John Wall dance mockery's by Scotty Hopson, only player ejections, as the Pro's defeated the Con's in Round 3. The Cats' dominating performance silenced many analysts who viewed the Cats as "vulnerable" and a poor 3 point shooting team, as Eric Bledsoe stroked five of them in the 29 point victory. The Cats also sealed their deal for a #1 seed with the win. They'll face the winner of the Vandy/Mississippi State game (MSU currently leads by 11) tomorrow at 1 in the Championship Game. Either matchup will be a heated one. Either the hometown Commodores will be playing in Rupp Arena South just minutes from their campus, or DeMarcus Cousins will be receiving more phone calls from Mississippi State fans as they hope to revenge their overtime loss in Starkville. Whatever tomorrow's result will be, the Cats will be a #1 seed. With a Kansas loss to Kansas State today, the Cats will then be playing for the #1 OVERALL seed. What a great day of basketball!

My Appologies

I did watch today's win over Alabama, but unfortunately I was at work (hardly working) while watching John Wall take over the world. Be sure to check out the site tomorrow with much more SEC Tourney Coverage as the Cats take on the Vols for Round 3. Selection Sunday's Live Chat is still on for 5-8pm. The facebook group has not had a very positive response, but I'll be there around 5 to take any of your questions about the Tournament.

Selection Sunday Live Chat will be from 5-8pm

SEC Coach of the Year is...who? Say that again?

As expected, John Wall won SEC Player of the Year yesterday and Demarcus Cousins won SEC Freshman of the Year. Patrick Patterson made the All-SEC 1ST Team, while Eric Bledsoe made the All-Freshman team.

But the SEC Coach of the Year selection is just simply, laughable. Yahoo's Jeff Eisenburg ponders the question: "How did this man not win SEC Coach of the Year?"

Eisenburg was right on. There's no logical explaination other than the SEC Coaches simply did not want Calipari to win. It's hard to imagine that a group of college basketball head coaches could be this silly and immature. Hatred, envy, and jealousy have never been more obvious. But considering that Billy Gillipsie won this award in his first year at Kentucky, it just goes to show how insignificant this really is.

And if the SEC Coaches think they're sticking it to Kentucky and Calipari- they couldn't be more wrong. UK fans LOVE IT when things like this happen because it makes it so obviously transparent that we are hated. When we're hated, things are going very well in Big Blue Nation.

Here's Boogie's thoughts:

The Madness is here!

I just wanted to inform everyone of my intention to create a Wildcat Wrap NCAA Tournament Pool. I'm also planning on creating a LIVE CHAT on Selection Sunday. I'll give you more details as Sunday approaches us, but I would like to invite ANYONE to join us Sunday for the live chat. I would love to get as many fans from as many different schools as possible to discuss where we think teams will be placed, who will be in, who will be out, and then discuss the matchups as they are announced that evening.

• As you can see on the bracket above, the Cats will face the winner of the South Carolina/Alabama game on Friday at 1:00. The Cats will play each of their games at 1:00 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday providing that they advance to the Championship Game. It appears that the Cats could have a rematch with Tennessee in the semis on Saturday. Probable Sunday opponents include Vandy, Florida, and Mississippi State.

• Let's give it up for the Women's team who gave the #4 ranked and probable #1 seed Lady Vols all that they could handle last night in the SEC Championship Game. The game went back and forth throughout most of the 2nd half with the Cats taking several leads until the Lady Vols broke away with a lead that was just a little too much for the Cats to overcome in the final minutes. Pat Summit was very complimentary of Matthew Mitchell and the job that he has done with this team. These Women have had an incredible season- sweeping SEC Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year honors. Calipari, Wall, and Cousins might just sweep those awards, as well. Best of luck to UK Hoops in the NCAA Tournament!

• Also, an interesting side note from last night's broadcast- Pat Summit almost accepted the UK Women's coaching job about 30 years ago. All she asked for was an additional $200 to relocate but was denied that by UK. Ouch! Imagine what the Women's program could have been... (and if we had paid Bear Bryant as much as Rupp was making- think of what our football program could have been...)
  

DON'T FORGET!

The UK Women's Hoops team will be playing in the SEC Tournament Championship Game tonight against Pat Summit and the Tennessee Lady Vols! The game can be seen at 6:30 on ESPN2. Hopefully, Matthew Mitchell's team will continue their tradition of signing the fight song after a win tonight, and bring home another basketball championship to Lexington!

Balanced Attack Leads Cats on Senior Day

Five players (Patterson, Wall, Miller, Dodson, and Bledsoe) scored in double figures for the Cats as they took an 18 point lead over the Florida Gators, witheld a 2nd half rally, and closed out a win on an emmotional Senior Day at Rupp Arena. For the second straight game, the Cats nailed down eight three pointers- an area that has plagued them throughout conference play. The improved three point shooting and bench play has given Big Blue Nation little to worry about heading into tournament play. With Vanderbilt's loss to South Carolina on Saturday, Kentucky had already stood alone as the outright SEC Champion and today's win gave the Cats an 18-0 perfect record at Rupp this season and solidified themselves as a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

(Photo courtesy of UKathletics.com)

Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris, and Patrick Patterson were honored in Senior Day festivities. Patterson, a junior, is on track to graduate this spring in only three years and could come back for another year if he chooses an M.BA (Masters of Business Administration Degree)at UK over the NBA next season, as a sign pointed out today in Rupp (MBA>NBA...One more year, Pat!).

I would like to personally thank each of the seniors for all that they have done. They've gone through so much playing for three different coaches and they deserve every bit of success that they are enjoying this season. Patrick has been one of the most significant players to ever put on the Kentucky uniform, Perry and Ramon were starters a year ago and have now accepted and embraced their roles on a Championship contending team, and I especially admire Mark as a hard working Kentucky kid with an unbelievable passion and appreciation for being able to suit up for the Blue and White. Krebs has also worked extremely hard to survive as a walk on under three head coaches and eventually earning a scholarship under Calipari. It's also been a pleasure of mine to personally meet and talk with Perry Stevenson on several occasions in his freshman and sophomore seasons at UK.

Be sure to check out Larry Vaught's video of Senior Day, these fabulous articles written on Mark Krebs and Patrick Patterson, and media day interviews with each of the four seniors on their experiences at Kentucky on John Clay's blog.

Cats silence critics, clinch 44th SEC Title.

After an abysmal 2-22 from 3 point range Saturday at Tennessee, the Cats spent extra time in the gym this week working on outside shooting and apparently it paid off. The Cats hit 8 threes tonight, and silenced the doubters that they didn't have the shooters to make a deep run in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Leading the way for the Cats behind the arc was John Wall (3-5) and Darnell Dodson (3-6). Wall also led the team it total scoring with 24 points while Patrick Patterson added another double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Another weak spot of Saturday's performance was bench scoring. The Cats only had 5 points off the bench against the Vols, today they had 24. Dodson scored 11, Liggins was once again his usual scrappy self with 5 gritty points off the bench along with a steal. Orton added 4 points and a block, and even Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris each added 2 points. Harris was awarded 11 minutes of play and contributed with 2 offensive rebounds and three assists as well as his 2 points- talk about a guy who knows his role and thrives with it. Tonight was, perhaps, the best overall TEAM win of the entire season. In a night that DeMarcus Cousins had only 6 points and 4 rebounds, everyone else stepped up and played brilliantly TOGETHER.


It was also a great team defensive effort. The Cats suffocating defense totaled up 8 steals and 14 blocks and created plenty of offense as they put on a clinic in points off turnovers with one of the most fast-paced highlight packed games of the season. Defense, transition offense, bench scoring, and three point shooting all were bright spots for the Cats tonight as they ended Georgia's 4 game conference home winning streak and clinched at least a share for the school's 44th SEC Championship.

On Sunday, Seniors' Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson, and Ramon Harris will be honored on Senior Day against Florida. With a win, the Cats win the SEC Title outright. It will also likely be the last game for three of the most talented players to ever wear the blue and white, and it is rumored that Patrick Patterson (who is academically a senior and graduating this semester) will also be honored. Get your tissue's ready, it's going to be a sad but surely memorable afternoon in Rupp as 24,000 will sing "My Old Kentucky Home" one last time in this storybook season.