Blue dominates White: Knight scores 37, Jones scores 29

With only ten players eligible to practice upon the eligibility ruling of Enes Kanter, tonight's Blue/White game required every player to play for 40 minutes straight with no subs. It had to be a great experience physically for ten guys to all play 40 minutes and they all seemed conditioned pretty well for it. Brandon Knight had cramps in the final remaining seconds, but his legs were good enough for him to score 37 points and only turn it over 2 times in 40 minutes. Terrence Jones, who played very little in the Canadian exhibition trip because of a nagging ankle injury, had a good showing of his post skills and athleticism for the first time in front of Big Blue Nation with 29 points! The projected starting players were primarily on the blue team, and that combined with 40 minutes of play for everyone may have increased production numbers; however, Calipari had the players switching jerseys and getting accustomed to playing with different guys throughout the game.

Other statistics of note include 26 rebounds by Josh Harrleson combined with 16 points for a double double, Eloy Vargas was also just one rebound short of a double double, and I believe Jarrod Polson scored in double figures as well (but official stats are not yet available). After not seeing hardly any action from Jones or Vargas in Canada, Harrelson was the primary big man. Despite the improvement of Harrelson and the solid play in Canada, the thought of how the team might shape up in the post without Enes Kanter was concerning going into tonight's scrimmage. It's hard to make much of these scrimmages, but tonight certainly showed that the Cats are still very talented in the post with or without Kanter. The Terrence Jones we saw tonight was the Jones we can expect to see in the season, and not the injury plagued Jones that we saw in Candada. All and all, tonight was a tremendous effort and an entertaining display of action tonight for a sub-less ten Wildcats who all gave the fans a good show and some good hustle for 40 minutes straight. We've got another pretty darn good team, folks!

P.S.- tonight at midnight marks the 1 year anniversary of Wildcat Wrap.

A year ago, inspired by Big Blue Madness and the excitement generating around John Calipari's first season in Lexington, I started this site in the early morning/late night hours of October 27th, 2009. The idea just suddenly came to me, and I immediately jumped on it. I didn't even wait until the next morning to get it going. I started it up right then when the idea came to me that night, and here I am a year later.

Who would have thought that writing on this blog would have led me to a new career path? I've discovered I really like to write and am pretty good at it. I'm currently taking a stab at a journalism career, covering sports for the Xavier Newswire. I'm also at Xavier for my Masters of Secondary English Education and if a journalism or sports information career doesn't pan out, I plan to teach English and Journalism and get into sports administration at the high school level. Because of all these changes, I won't be able to update the site regularly anymore, but I will check back and write some stories here and then. Thanks to everyone for all of the support throughout the past year.

Sincerely,
John

Cats fumble away opportunity, again.

It was another impressive night from a numbers perspective for Mike Hartline and the Kentucky passing offense. The running game looks to have a solid future but certainly missed not having Derrick Locke. The defense also was not great, but at the end of the day- all Kentucky had to do was hold on to the football and they would have likely escaped with another victory and stay in the SEC East race. For the second time this year, they simply gave away a victory. You simply can't expect to turn the ball over and give up a short field in the SEC. Good teams take advantage of that and even mediocre SEC teams will usually not let you get away with it. First at Ole Miss, and now at home against Georgia...if the Cats had not fumbled themselves out of these two games, they'd be atop the SEC East standings with a 6-2 overall record and a 3-2 conference record.

Once again, an opportunity to make that next step forward in the SEC ended in disappointment. Things don't get any easier next week in Starkville, either. Dan Mullen's 6-2 Bulldogs are for real. They've already knocked off Georgia and Florida and they have a major New Year's Day Bowl within their grasp. The Cats can still position themselves for bowl season nicely with winning these last three games(and honestly, who would be disappointed with ending the season with a win in Knoxville?). But hopefully the Cats bounce back resiliently again this week and play spoiler to the great season MSU is having in a similar way that the Bulldogs did to the Cats in 2007.

And good news...Tuesday night is the Blue/White basketball scrimmage! Cheer up, Kentucky! Thanks to allkyhoops.com for this photo of Wall and Bledsoe going at it in last year's scrimmage.

SEC East Showdown: Georgia vs. Kentucky

Suddenly, the Cats find themselves miraculously right in the middle of an SEC Championship race. After losing their first two conference games in ugly fashions, they put up a terrific effort against Auburn but fell short again to fall to 0-3. Last week, the Cats finally held on to beat #10 South Carolina. That win combined with a Florida loss to Mississippi State, puts the Cats just a game within first place. If Vandy beats South Carolina tonight, then Vandy will occupy first place in the East. It's anybody's game. One more loss from South Carolina and one more loss from Florida is all that the Cats need to rely on. If the Gamecocks beat Florida, and Florida losses to Arkansas or Georgia (the most probable of scenarios), then the Cats can control their own destiny with a favorable schedule the rest of the way.

Both teams fighting tonight at Commonwealth Stadium have as good of a chance as anyone. Both teams, Georgia and Kentucky, will have to win out to have a chance. Neither team can have a chance if they don't escape Commonwealth with a win tonight. It's often a cliche when coaches call one particular game the biggest ever in program history (as Spurrier did a week ago); however, the championship implications of this game is something that hasn't been experienced at this stage of the season in Kentucky in maybe over a half century. In 2006, the Georgia win was what sparked the turn-around of Kentucky football. Last year's win on the road "between the hedges" sparked confidence from a young team trying to climb the SEC ladder. This year's affair with the Bulldogs could get the Cats' to that next level in SEC supremacy. The LSU win could have been bigger, but this one will be more meaningful tonight.

Kentucky 31, #10 South Carolina 28!

This isn't right, and I'm sorry. UK just had what might be a season changing game last night and a win over a top 10 team...and the best I can do to cover it for you is this video. I'm sorry, but writing for the Xavier Newswire student newspaper(which I am loving by the way), grad school, and also working on top of that is cutting into my time at wildcat wrap. I'll try to have more on the game (and SEC East Championship scenarios...yes, I'm being serious) later in the week. But for now, enjoy the video!

New Years Day Bowl still in reach for Cats?

A win on Saturday against Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks would put the Cats in an excellent position to win seven or eight games this season. If they win out, they could even win 9. It sounds crazy at this point, but UK's game with Auburn showed that the Cats are improving and the easier part of the schedule is near. After Saturday's game with South Carolina, the Cats should be favored in each of their remaining five games against Georgia (2-4), Mississippi State, Charleston Southern, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee (2-4). The Cats find themselves at a disappointing 3-3 at the midway point of the season. All of the remaining games are winnable, but realistically, Kentucky should lose a few- especially considering the psychological effect of ending long streaks against Spurrier and Tennessee.

The crushing loss to Auburn at home last week was tough and the Gamecocks won't be any easier to beat this week, but South Carolina is coming off of a very emotionally draining win over #1 Alabama. History tells us that it's very difficult to come off of a big win like that and follow it up with a second straight strong performance on the road in the SEC, even when you're expected to win. Spurrier is calling the Kentucky game, "the biggest in program history". Much of that is "coach speak", but Spurrier recognizes that his team has to continue to perform and not be content with the win over Alabama if he wants to finally take the South Carolina program to the next level. Kentucky fans are also dying to get to that next level and it's not coming as quickly and easily as many fans would like. The South Carolina program under Spurrier, however, is an example of how long it can take for a good program to become elite. It's much easier to go from bad to good, but the next step can be a long process.

What the Cats will need to do is continue to get just a little bit better each year and they'll need to earn a bowl trip outside of the state of Tennessee in the near future to excite an increasingly bored fan base that has grown accustomed to turn attention towards basketball season in October. A warm weather bowl game would also be huge for recruiting. A new SEC bowl lineup will make this a much easier task. Last year, the SEC ended its ties with the Independence Bowl and added a new, bigger bowl to their lineup for this season: the Gator Bowl. The Gator Bowl is rich in tradition and is played on New Years Day. Recently, it has been played between some of the top non-BCS Bowl bound teams out of the Big East and ACC. This year, the Gator Bowl will feature the SEC #6 or 7 team against the Big 10 #4 team.

In the new SEC bowl pecking order, the Gator Bowl will be slated behind the BCS, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, and Chick-fil-a Bowls. Yep, that's right- a major New Years Day Bowl Game will now be slated at the exact same position that the Music City Bowl has been previously been granted in the SEC bowl pecking order (the MCB now has the 7th or 8th pick behind the Gator, depending on the BCS picture). The Music City Bowl, of course, has been the Cats' destination in three of the last four seasons. If the Cats can repeat what they have done in three of the last four years in winning seven regular season games, or if they can match last year's 4-1 finish in the remaining five games...then they should be destined for Jacksonville instead of Nashville and will have the chance to continue the SEC's dominance over the Big 10, likely against a team such as Wisconsin or Michigan. Is that enough for Kentucky football fans to be a little more excited for the stretch run?

Another Heartbreaking Loss at Commonwealth

It was a similar site of fans leaving Commonwealth Stadium in utter disappointment on Saturday night. The Cats were tied with the #8 Auburn Tigers going into the final seconds when the Tigers kicked a game winning field goal as regulation ended. This time, however, the Cats did not beat themselves. They put forth a solid effort and gave a top 10 team all they could handle, without a crucial turnover, penalty, or stupid mistake costing the game. It was probably their best overall effort of the season. It was one of those games where whoever had the ball last was going to win. The Cats simply ran out of time.

It would have been another one of those opportunities to get this program to the next level, however, I can't point to anything that the coaches or players did that they should have done differently and that could have changed the outcome of the game. Randall Cobb was finally utilized to his whole potential and the defense stepped up in the second half and contained Cam Newton as good as anyone else has this season. It was a very well played game and a strong Heisman Trophy candidate simply outdid the Cats, just enough to get the win on the road for a Top 10, National Championship contending team. There are no "moral victories" in "Operation: Win", however, it's hard to find fault in the Cats' performance last night.

They beat themselves against Ole Miss and didn't really show up in Gainesville either, but it took everything that Auburn had to beat the Cats last night. Progress is being made and the schedule is about to get easier. I expect the Cats to go on a second-half run this season just as they did last year when the schedule got "easier". It won't be much easier next week, but South Carolina is coming off of an emotionally draining win over #1 Alabama. It's another crucial game that can propel this season into the right direction. A lot of winnable games are still left on the table for the Cats to grab. They could, in fact, still win more games than they have in quite some time. Stay tuned and don't give up on this team. A lot of exciting football is on its way that we have been waiting for quite some time to see.

Weekend Entertainment Guide

If you're a Cincinnati Reds fan depressed as I am right now, fear not, I'm about to provide you with a weekend entertainment guide to get your mind off tonight's monumental collapse and Wednesday's no hit performance.

Movies: "Secretariat" and "Social Network"

"Secretariat" should be a must see for any Kentuckian. Much of the movie was filmed right here in Kentucky, at various locations including Keeneland and Churchill Downs. I also include "Social Network" as a must see film in the coming weeks simply because of the impact Facebook and other social networking sites have had on all of our daily lives. Whether we want to admit it or not, it has impacted our lives more than any invention since the development of the Internet itself. Speaking of Keeneland and horses in general, if you're in Lexington, go ahead and add Keeneland and/or the World Equestrian Games to your entertainment schedule this weekend. I'd recommend heading out to Keeneland on Saturday morning before embarking over to Commonwealth for some tailgating in the afternoon. If you're a UK student, you can also check out the World Equestrian Games for free on Saturday with your student ID.

Books: "Beyond a Dream" by Mark Krebs

(visit http://www.beyondadreambook.com/ for more information)

I purchased this book yesterday afternoon and started reading it last night. I stayed up until 2:30 am last night, finishing the entire book without being able to put it down. That's saying a lot, because I've never read a book all at once like that in my entire life, or even in just a few days.

It starts from Krebs' very early childhood and goes through high school, his mom's battle with cancer, his freshman year at lowly Division III Thomas More College, and into his improbable career at UK. It started with a letter to Tubby and the odds he went through to just make the team, and stay on the team under three coaches, are incredible. It goes into great deal of everything behind the scenes from the day Tubby left to the first team meeting with Gillispie. It's VERY eye opening. Then of course it touches on the uncertainty of Calipari coming in with all the new recruits and another huge challenge to just make the team and then actually earn
a scholarship. There's a ton of info addressing "boot camp" and everything that went on under Gillispie and a deep look into all 3 coaches in a roller coaster ride from a walk-on redshirt, to a walk-on reserve player in the NIT, and culminating as a scholarship player on the #1 ranked team in the country.

Most importantly, the book chronicles the fight of Krebs' mother, Terri Krebs, to stay alive through the excruciating pain of Breast Cancer treatments for nine years to live to see a daughter get married, all three of her kids graduate from high school and go on to college, and to be able to be at center court of Rupp Arena with her son Mark on Senior Day at UK. I won't go into any more detail than that because you should really read it yourself...it's a MUST read for any UK fan. Scratch that, it's a must read for anyone.

College Football: SEC Matchups and how they pertain to UK

• Tennessee at Georgia: This should be interesting as it involves two traditional powerhouses going at it in a down year for both teams and desperately needing a win to stay out of the SEC East cellar. As a UK fan, you're intrigued at how this game plays out because you're actually expecting to beat both of these teams. The opportunity of beating Georgia for a third time in five years is exciting and, of course, Kentucky fans are feeling desperate to finally end that streak in late November in Knoxville. This game will tell us a lot about both teams.


• Alabama at South Carolina: Cats fans will be rooting for the Crimson Tide in this one. UK has the advantage of uneven scheduling in the SEC this season with South Carolina and Florida having much tougher inter-divisional games. The is a game that the Gamecocks need to lose and UK needs them to lose in hope of finishing high in the final SEC East standings.


• LSU at Florida: The Tigers are 5-0 but have won very unconvincingly and ugly. Florida has one loss and a second straight loss would make climbing that SEC East ladder to the top a POSSIBLE task for Kentucky, although still highly unlikely with 2 losses already and a very tough game tomorrow with Auburn.


• Then of course, there is Auburn at Kentucky: Auburn is 5-0 and Kentucky is 3-2. Last year, Auburn was 5-1 and Kentucky was 3-4 when they met at Auburn. The Cats REALLY needed a win to get the season turned around and they got it last year on the road and banged up with injuries. Here's hoping for a similar win tomorrow at Commonwealth.

That should be enough to get you through the weekend or at least until Sunday, when the Reds come back to Cincy with their backs against the wall at Great American Ballpark. I'll be in attendance cheering on the Reds, but it's depressing to think about the momentum this team would have coming back home if they had held on tonight and tied up the series. Instead, they're facing an elimination game and playing for a chance to face Roy Halladay again. Stranger things have happened, but it's not looking good.

21 points off 3 turnovers doom the Cats

The title said it all. The Cats were the better team. They out gained Ole Miss by over 100 yards.

BUT they turned the ball over 3 times setting up an easy 21 points for the Rebels, late hits and unnecessary roughness calls set up a 4th easy touchdown for Ole Miss, and when given the opportunity to get the ball back and tie up the game, the defense couldn't hold the Rebels on 3rd and 19.

Some fans want to blame Mike Hartline, but only one of the three turnovers was on him. His phenomenal play in the 4th quarter brought us back into the game. He gives us the best chance to win. There's plenty of blame to be given all around the team on this loss and Mike Hartline doesn't deserve any more blame than Randall Cobb or Chris Mathews do for their fumbles. Mike Hartline is our quarterback.

Okay, now here is the good news: all 5 teams in the SEC East lost today and the Cats STILL have a lot more to play for and a lot to achieve. They STILL have an opportunity to finish high in the East and get to a better bowl game. With the loss to Ole Miss, these next two games are much bigger than before, however. An unexpected win over Auburn or South Carolina would essentially cancel out the unexpected loss to Ole Miss. If the Cats win one of these next two they could honestly win out the rest of the way and finish off the season better than they have in ages. If they lose these next two, they're right in the same position they were a year ago with an easier schedule the rest of the way with still a great chance at finishing as high as 2nd.

Don't give up on this team. They certainly didn't give up yesterday in the 4th quarter and they won't give up on this season. Remember when they were 2-3 last year? Then they won 5 of their last 7 including wins on the road at Auburn and at Georgia. The schedule allows a similar run this year. How many people will really be disappointed with an 8 win season and wins over Georgia and Tennessee? I think it's more likely than not to happen, but the turnovers and mistakes have to stop. The talent is there for the Cats to compete, but the mediocre competition has not prepared them for the first few SEC games. I expect a much sharper Kentucky team against Auburn on Saturday night.

I'm going to cheer up now. Big Blue Madness is less than 2 weeks away and the Cincinnati Reds are in the playoffs!!