Could the script be any better?

Over the course of the past five months, it has been a topsy turvy season for Big Blue Nation. There's been ups, such as UK's fifteen point win at Louisville. There have also certainly been downs, like going 2-6 on the road in SEC play. I regret that I have not been here to document the season, because it has been more than what I think anyone imagined that this season could be. The script couldn't have been written any better. I cried on Sunday when Kentucky returned to the Final Four for the first time in thirteen seasons, the longest drought in school history.

Flashing back to a year ago, I would not have been emotional if Kentucky beat West Virginia and made the Final Four last year, because that team was expected to do so. I also would not have been emotional if the Cats made the Final Four in 2003 or 2005, when top seeded UK teams lost in the Elite Eight, a major road block for the Cats since the Championship season of 1998. The fact that last year's team DID NOT make it with five first round NBA draft picks, and this team DID reach the Final Four despite 8 regular season losses, no Enes Kanter, and an incredibly tough region to get here (defeating WVU, OSU, and UNC), all adds to the beautiful script of this amazing run.

Josh Harrelson, who averaged a couple of minutes per game a year ago sitting behind big men DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, and Daniel Orton, and expected to sit behind Enes Kanter this year, is the best 'feel good' story in all of college basketball this season. DeAndre Liggins also has a pretty good story himself, and the other veteran, Darius Miller, had dreamt of this experience his entire life growing up in Maysville, KY. John Calipari, who has been known as a fantastic recruiter and an average coach, has proven that he is in fact one of the best X's and O's coaches in the game this season, beating every team that has defeated him in a rematch games this season. The only "V word" describing this Final Four appearance for Calipari is vindication. He's proven that he can win with less, like he has already proven at UMass (but others seem to forget), and that he can also do it without even a hint of trouble with the NCAA with this current roster.

Of the Wildcats' eight losses, six of them have been avenged, earning them the potential nickname of the "Payback Cats". Five of the six SEC losses on the road were avenged with wins at Rupp Arena or in the SEC Tournament, including two wins against Florida after losing in the final seconds in Gainesville. The Cats also lost to North Carolina in the regular season after defeating them in the East Regional to advance to the Final Four. They lost to UConn in the Maui Invitational Championship in November, and they also hope to avenge that loss on Saturday in the Final Four. If they do, 7 of their 8 losses will be avenged. Arkansas, who they only faced once, would be the only team on the schedule that the Cats did not defeat. You'd expect Harrelson and Brandon Knight, who had 0 and 6 points respectively in November against the Huskies, to have much more of an impact this time around.

There couldn't have been a better script for this team to make it to the Final Four, and perhaps, a National Championship. Regardless of how the team fares in Houston, they have accomplished the very rare feat of exceeding the always high exepctations at the University of Kentucky. With Enes, this team was thought to have a chance to still be playing right now. Without him, they weren't given much of a shot at all. It's been a blessing in disguise for Josh Harrelson, who has emerged as a fan favorite and has played himself into a chance of playing at the next level. On paper, the Cats look to be even better next season, perhaps a pre-season #1 ranking, but that team has a tall task infront of them to accomplish what this team already has and hopes to do Saturday and Monday night: bringing home the 8th National Championship to its rightful place in Lexington, KY.

Jones does it all as Cats beat ETSU, 88-65.

It's been awhile since I've last posted, and a lot has happened.

• UK won their two exhibition games easily as expected
• This Wednesday, Marquis Teague, Michael Gilchrist, and Kyle Wiltjer all signed their national letter of intents to play for the Cats on the first day of the signing period.
• On Thursday, there was bad news. Enes wasn't freed, and was declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA for receiving $33,000 more than "necessary expenses".
• This afternoon, we have found out that $20,000 of that was used for education, which could be a major implication in the appeal process later this month, leaving only $13,000 to be re-paid or accounted for.
• And tonight, without Enes Kanter, the Cats took care of business and beat ETSU 88-65.
  

East Tennessee State isn't one of the best teams the Cats will play this year, but they were a veteran team that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago and a major upgrade in talent from Pikeville, Dillard, and the Canadian teams that they have played this summer. They were a very good test for a young team in their opening game. I expected the young Cats to fall behind early in this one, but eventually come back to win rather easily. I thought the new guys would be overwhelmed by the difference in talent compared to what they've faced in the preseason. I expected a similar sloppy performance as what we were accustomed to early on last season with a young team. I was wrong.

It was an all around excellent opener, and I must say, they're ahead of where they were a year ago. They're also a much better shooting team than a year ago as they shot 50%, 13 of 26, from the field. Brandon Knight made 4 0f 7 from behind the arc, Doron Lamb made 3 of 5, DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller each made three, and even big man Terrence Jones, the star of the game, made 2 out of 3 three point attempts. It's safe to say that this team probably won't shoot like this every game, but they probably won't ever go 0-25 from 3 ever again, either. Jones finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. There didn't seem to be anything that he couldn't do. The other scoring leaders for the Cats were Lamb (20), Knight (17), and Liggins (14).

Darius Miller also had 8 points and Josh Harrelson played well in limited playing time. Harrelson started the game and grabbed the first rebound and scored the first basket for the Cats but was called for 2 quick fouls which put him on the bench the rest of the 2nd half (one of those fouls seemed questionable). Harrelson also picked up a third foul early in the 2nd half and finished with 2 points and 7 rebounds in just 16 minutes to play. With the absence of Kanter and Harrelson on the bench, Eloy Vargas had to fill the void but was unable to get into the scoring books. It didn't really matter because Terrence Jones did just about everything, inside and out. Jon Hood, who came off a 17 point performance in the previous exhibition game, only got into the game for 6 minutes and scored 2 points.

With or without Enes Kanter, this is going to be a very good team. It's not life or death on this decision. He'd be a huge addition, but they've been preparing all off season to play without him and they will be just fine without him. Kentucky fans need to have perspective. Remember Billy Ball? This team will be, at worst, the 2nd best team we've had in 5 years. Then, next year, we'll be even better and perhaps even better than last year. I don't expect this team to accomplish everything that happened a year ago; but they are a better shooting team, they are playing better early on than they did last year, and I do believe they could go further into the tournament. "Enjoy the path", as Calipari says, it's going to be another great year!

The Cats take the football field tomorrow in a must win game against Vanderbilt. Bowl eligibilty and momentum going into Knoxville are on the line. It's been reported that, finally, Derrick Locke will play.

(Photo Courtesy of UKathletics.com)

Canada Trip Concludes with Most Consistent and Complete Effort Yet

(Darius Miller pictured above, Courtesy of the Cats Pause)

On Tuesday morning, all 8 of the undermanned Wildcats scored. All 3 nights of the trip, Darius Miller and Brandon Knight performed exceptionally well. Doron Lamb had a sluggish outing in his opener, but followed that up with 2 straight 20 point performances. Miller, Knight, and Lamb combined for 74 points on Tuesday. Hood, Liggins, and Harrelson delivered with strikingly consistent numbers all 3 nights. But Tuesday was the most complete effort of the trip, as the Cats led big the entire duration of the game. They went into halftime with a 22 point lead and never gave in on route to a 104-75 victory over Windsor.

The most impressive statistic of the 3 day trip, especially after only having 10 practices previously, was that Kentucky only turned over the ball 14 times each game. It shows an incredible consistency and focus, especially given the fast paced offense that they run. The same consistency and focus wasn't always present last season in early November games. This is a different team than we will see at Big Blue Madness on October 15th, but the additions of Enes Kanter, Terrence Jones, and Eloy Vargas will only make the Cats' a more complete and balanced team from an already pretty good team that we saw in these 3 days.

Here's a recap of everyone's numbers:

Darius Miller 24 pts, 3 reb, 3 assts
Stacey Poole 2 pts, 1 steal
Jon Hood 8 pts, 8 rebs, 4 assts
Brandon Knight 27 pts, 5 rbs, 9 assts
Doron Lamb 23 pts, 3 rbs
Jarrod Polson 2 pts
Deandre Liggins 10 pts, 2 rbs, 6 assts
Josh Harrellson 8 pts, 19 rbs, 4 steals

And yes, that is correct...Josh Harrelson really had 19 rebounds.

Day 2 in Canada: Lamb Steps Up, Others Continue Consistent Play.

(Brandon Knight Pictured Above, Courtesy of the Cats Pause)

Brandon Knight and Darius Miller each followed up their impressive opening night performances on Monday night against Western Ontario. This time Knight only scored 17 points, but was more of a distributor with 12 assists. Meanwhile, Miller improved on his 18 point performance with 20 points tonight and also had 8 steals and 5 blocks. Miller has shown a post presence in Canada that was unfamiliar for him last season.

Miller and Josh Harrelson have both helped fill the void of UK's absent big men Enes Kanter, Eloy Vargas, and now Terrence Jones- who made the trip to Canada but was sidelined after an injury from last night's game. Harrelson scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. DeAndre Liggins has also been consistent in shooting 9 of 11 from the field in both games combined, scoring 10 points Sunday night and 11 tonight. Jon Hood was also very consistent with 9 points Sunday and 8 points on Monday.

Although it's only been 2 games- 2 games in August against questionable competition, we still have not seen the complete product and what we have seen has been strikingly consistent performances each night by nearly ever contributor. It's this kind of consistency that they'll need each night to even attempt to match the 35-3 season that transpired in Lexington a year ago. The one player who hasn't been consistent is Doron Lamb. Lamb only put up 6 points on Sunday night but put up 24 in tonight's 96-68 win. Hopefully Lamb can follow up his second performance with another good one tomorrow morning when the Cats conclude their Summer exhibition tour, facing Windsor again at 11am.

A Good Knight in Windsor

Kentucky's opener of their Canadian exhibition tour started out shaky. The young Cats' were still trying to find their groove as they struggled to pull away from Windsor in the early going and went into the locker rooms with only an eight point lead. Freshman phenom Terrence Jones exited the game early with shoulder problems while Enes Kanter and Eloy Vargas didn't even make the trip. This allowed Senior Josh Harrelson and Sophomore Jon Hood to break into the starting lineup and both players showed a marked improvement with 9 points a piece. Hood even broke away for three fast break dunks and picked away four steals from the Lancers.

In addition, Harrelson added 11 rebounds and five blocks. He was only a point away from a double-double in the absence of Kanter and Jones down low. Leading the way for the returning players was Darius Miller with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Darius knocked down 4 out of 5 three point shots and also had a presence down low that was not seen a year ago on a team with an abundance of superior post players. DeAndre Liggins also has seemed to find a new level of confidence in his game this season as he scored 10 points and shot 5 of 6 from the field.

Returnees Harrelson, Hood, and Liggins pleasantly surprised us tonight and Darius Miller came out and performed like many had expected. The majority of the Freshman that made the trip didn't perform as well, except Brandon Knight, who was phenomenal. Knight was the prime time player tonight and his 31 points was the biggest difference in the 95-62 win for the Cats. Calipari has asked people not to compare him with John Wall, but such comparisons are inevitable and will surely come up throughout the season. Both are very, very special talents. Wall may be a half step quicker, but that doesn't necessarily mean Brandon Knight still isn't the fastest player in college basketball this season. On top of that, his jump shot is unquestionably better than Wall's and he was automatic from the free throw line tonight, going 8 for 8 from the line.

Another freshman that impressed was walk-on Jarrod Polson from Jessamine County who scored a couple of nice buckets, including a break away layup against two defenders (goaltending was called, but the ball would have gone in). Calipari has said that Polson could be the best walk-on he's ever coached and he will surely be a fan favorite in Rupp for the next four years. When this kid is a senior, look for him to be a contributor, especially if Cal's team's remain young on a consistent basis.

Basketball season is upon us in the Bluegrass, even if it will only be for 3 days. We knew we had talent coming in, but it's so much more refreshing to see it produce on the court. There were times that were hard to watch in the first 15 minutes of the game, but after that, the Cats rolled and played very comfortably together as if it were in the middle of conference play. They in fact looked better than last year's team did in early games against Miami (OH) and Sam Houston State. It's only August and the competition wasn't great, but the Cats exceeded my overall expectations, especially Knight and the returning players. It will be another fun season!

The Cats will be right back at it tomorrow night at 7 against Western Ontario University and then again at 11am Tuesday morning against Windsor once again.

Basketball in August: Cats invade Canada.

Never has August been more fun around these parts. The Cincinnati Reds are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for 1st place in a very wild and incredibly tight NL Central race, Terrell Owens has joined fellow endzone diva Chad Ochocinco with the Bengals, and Sports Illustrated has picked Joker's first UK football team to finish 2nd place in the SEC East, tied with Georgia and just behind Florida.

If all of that wasn't enough to excite local sports fans, John Calipari has brought his Kentucky basketball squad to Canada for Big Blue basketball...in August! In the middle of all of this madness of football season approaching and the Reds fighting for their first playoff birth in 15 years, we will get to see a very early summer's glimpse of the Cats' upcoming basketball team for 3 straight days this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The games can be seen on FSN South and FSN Ohio in 14 states, or online anywhere in the world at http://www.ukathletics.com/. They can also be heard on the radio on any of the flagship stations of the Big Blue Network. Basketball in August. This is fun, isn't it?

Unfortunately, freshman Center Enes Kanter will not make the trip as UK is still waiting for a word back from the NCAA regarding his amateur eligibility status after his participation with "Club teams" in his home-nation of Turkey. But fans will get to see a good look at returning players Josh Harrelson and DeAndre Liggins. Harrelson and Liggins have shown a marked improvement according to Calipari and he looks for the two to step up in starting roles, along with fellow returnee Darius Miller. Besides Kanter, the other freshman who will play big roles this year that WILL be making the trip to Canada are Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, and Terrence Jones.

I appologize for a slow summer here on the site, but I'm ready for football season to begin and I'm equally excited for these summer basketball games in Canada. The site will pick things up right where we left off last March and will grow to be even bigger with more features than ever before.

Tomorrow will be a fun day. The Reds look to sweep the Marlins tomorrow afternoon and the Bengals will be playing their home preseason opener. But, of course, I won't be watching the Bengals because at 7:00 the Cats will tip it off vs. Windsor University and we'll wrap up all the action right here at Wildcat Wrap!

What's Next for the Cats?

First off, I would like to address a small portion of Kentucky fans, but mostly the group of non-Kentucky fans and their opinion on "one and done" players and those whom may question Calipari's recruiting strategy.

Before Kentucky fans worry (or rival fans get excited) about Kentucky being a one year stop for the NBA, consider this:

In Calipari's 20+ years of coaching, up until this season, he has recruited a total of FOUR "one and done" players. That's it. Just 4 (which actually ties the number of this season's team). This season was an incredibly unique situation and Kentucky fans do not need to worry about this happening on a consistant basis. At Memphis, Calipari's best teams were veteran teams. He mixed one or two talented freshman in with 3 and 4 year veteran players and went to Final Fours. Soon enough, that will also happen at Kentucky. With what was left here for Calipari, he had no choice but to have a freshmen led team this season.

It took a very talented and special recruiting class (maybe the best of all-time) to bring the excitement back to Kentucky basketball.

Mission accomplished.

Now, that the excitement is back and the program is back to the national level that we expect it to, Calipari can now build this program like he has been doing for over 20 years: with a good mix of veteran and young, talented players. They'll have that next year with the return of Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, and Darnell Dodson mixed in with Stacey Poole and Enes Canter (4 and 5 star recruits whom have already signed with the Cats) as well as hopefully Brandon Knight (an "A" student and #1 recruit in the country), Josh Selby, Marquis Teague, Terrence Jones, C.J. Leslie and Doron Lamb.

The upside to this year's batch versus last years is that none of these guys look like automatic lottery picks next year, besides maybe Brandon Knight and Josh Selby. Last year's class was special, but will not be the norm by any means here under Calipari. Do not expect another mass exedus like this, probably ever again. What you can expect is for a couple of talented 3 and 4 year guys to emerge out of this year's recruiting class and for current Cats' Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins to have a Senior Day ceremony at Rupp in 2 years from now (and maybe Dodson too if he stays put). The 35-3 season that we enjoyed in 2009-2010 is only the beginning of the Calipari era, and I'm incredibly excited for the next group of guys to come in and continue right where we left off this season.

Brandon Knight is planning on making his decision exactly one week from today, on April 14th. When it's all said and done, I believe Calipari will have a top 15 team again next year on just his 2nd year on the job. Best of luck and much thanks to Demarcus, Patrick, John, Daniel, and Eric for bringing back the excitement of Kentucky basketball. When this program gets back to the Final Four and wins a National Championship, we will not forget the efforts of these young men and their part in the miraculous turnaround of Kentucky basketball in 2010. You will be missed and your time here was very appreciated.

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.

Cousins says, "CALL ME!"

All week long, DeMarcus Cousins received thousands of racist text messages and phone calls from Mississippi State students and fans. Cousins, who had a reputation as a player that could easily lose his temper, stayed cool and composed throughout the heat of a battle in a rowdy crowd in the deep south. Once again, the trend continues of every team's fans absolutely bringing their loudest and largest crowds for when the Cats come to town but unfortunately this time, it got out of hand.

Cousins stayed composed, while MSU fans threw bottles on the court and an MSU player even refused to shake his hand. Cousins just kept walking and showed a lot of class and maturity tonight. I'm not wanting to teach a history lesson here, but I've got to throw this out there- you witnessed tonight why Adolph Rupp was not able to bring African American players to Kentucky for so many years. If it's like this in Starkville in 2010, imagine what it would have been like in the 1950's and 60's.

Moving on- THREE players scored in double figures tonight for the Cats (Wall, Cousins, and Patterson).

Wall, our point guard, out-rebounded Jarvis Vernardo AND was only two assists away from a triple double. Wall's line tonight was 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks and was perhaps his best all-around game as a Wildcat. Patterson also stepped up and had the huge game that we had been waiting for and had been accustomed to seeing in his first two seasons in Lexington. Patrick had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks; however, tonight- the center of attention was DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins. Everyone wanted to see how "Big Cuz" would respond to the fans. Boogie was calm, cool, and collective tonight with 19 points and 14 rebounds. The only response, besides his play, that Cousins showed was a simple gesture with two words to the fans: "CALL ME!". A simple hand motion known as "the John Wall dance" has become a sensation in the Commonwealth, and Cousins' small gesture to the record setting crowd at MSU will also make its own mark on what has become a DREAM SEASON in Lexington thus far.

Other Notes and Observations:

• DeAndre Liggins continues to earn the trust of John Calipari. He played 25 minutes tonight and was on the floor at the end of regulation and throughout the entire overtime period. His three point shot with 2:44 left in the game with the Cats down 7 points was EPIC! DeAndre now has a major role on this team as not only one of the best hustlers, but one of the best shooters.
• Cousins continues to lead the nation in points and rebounds per minute, and it's not even close. The Cats got some calls down the stretch, but it went both ways the entire game. Cousins continues NOT to get the fouls called against him, but found himself in foul trouble most of the game. He scored his 19 points and 14 rebounds in 30 minutes of play and only 25 minutes in regulation.
• Patterson was able to step up in Cousins' absence. Unfortunately during that same stretch, Daniel Orton was offensively ineffective tonight as he went 1-4 from the field and 0-1 from the free throw line.
• Darius Miller's 9 points off the bench deserves mention and cannot be forgot in a close battle like tonight.

But without a doubt, this night belonged to DeMarcus Cousins, who purposely did not change his phone number this week because he wanted to hear what MSU fans had to say to him AFTER the game. Cousins is starting to be a fan favorite in the Commonwealth in what truly has become a dream season in Lexington!

Before I go to bed...

I just have to show some love and much deserved credit to a few more guys on the team and also make a few comments to end the day on. We've talked all about Patterson, Cousins, and Wall....but how about DeAndre Liggins?

When everybody talks about the tremendous job John Calipari has done this season, everyone brings up how well he has handled this superstar freshman class and has kept everyone happy and playing well together. It is very under appreciated how good of a job he has done with the returning players that were already on the team under Billy Gillispie and the amazing improvements they've made under their new coach.

As I have stated before, Patrick Patterson's numbers aren't as high, but he is an overall better and more versatile player under Calipari and has discovered an outside shot. Darius Miller was not much of a factor at all last season and has been a contributor and starter for much of this season. Ramon Harris no longer hurts us, but helps us with his rebounding when he comes into games this year and has also improved his outside shot, and I can even bet you that Josh Harrelson and Perry Stevenson are better players than they were a year ago, but they just happen to play on a much better team and don't get the same minutes and opportunities. However, the most pleasant surprise has definitely been DeAndre Liggins.

Liggins' success this season did not come easily. In fact, he did not even appear in a single minute this season until the Indiana game likely because of disciplinary reasons. However, he and Daniel Orton are now the first two guys off of the bench, almost every game. In the last four games, DeAndre has scored 9, 5, 7, and 8 points respectively in each game coming off of the bench. He also has the team's highest three point shooting-percentage at 10 of 17 on the season. Last year, Liggins' biggest problems were his shooting and attitude- now, they're two of his biggest assets and I guarantee you the difference is the way that John Calipari has positively handled him as opposed to the tactics of his old coach. Under Calipari, practices are all about skills. Under Gillispie, it was all about "toughness". Being tough was more important than developing skilled players under the old regime.

Liggins has not only improved his shot, but he's accepted his new role as a scrappy player off the bench. He gives the Cats a burst of energy every time he comes into the game. He dives for loose ball's and retrieves almost all of them. He doesn't resemble the selfish player he was a year ago in any way, shape, or form and his hard work will pay off next year when he will have a much bigger role on the team. Liggins, perhaps, is the most clear example of why John Calipari is the no-brainer choice for National Coach of the Year. He not only brought quite possibly the best recruiting class in the history of the game to Lexington in his first season, but he has coached them up very well, both the freshman and the returning players.

P.S.- It's absolutely incredible that Pat Forde did not pick Calipari as one of his Top 4 choices for National Coach of the Year, but should we really be surprised? His opinion is worthless. Be sure to check back tomorrow as I will preview the ESPN College Gameday appearance at Rupp!

Cats back in rightful place

At Big Blue Madness, Coach John Calipari's "Domination Proclamation of the Big Blue Nation" promised that he would bring the Cats "back to their rightful place atop the mountain of College Basketball". Three months later, and about ten months since Kentucky was eliminated from the NIT, they now stand alone as the only remaining undefeated team and will be ranked #1 in the country tomorrow in both polls, likely a unanimous pick. It will be the first time the Cats have been ranked atop of the polls since 2003, and after the last few years, #1 has never felt so good!

Many rolled their eyes at Coach Cal's pledge in November that when this team comes together and plays as a team that they would be "unbreakable and unbeatable", but after their 31 point win over Arkansas to improve to 19-0, nobody is laughing anymore. Just a regular win would have given the Cats' a #1 ranking, but Saturday's dominating performance made them a no doubt #1. Conversations around the college basketball world have changed from "When will they loose a game?" to "WILL they loose a game?" We're almost into the month of February, and with a few more consistent performances like Saturday, the conversations will start to begin about this team's place in history as possibly the greatest college basketball team, ever.

Earlier in the week, ESPN's Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon had a serious conversation about who would win if the Cats faced the NBA's New Jersey Nets. They actually both agreed that John Wall would easily be the best player on the court. NBA scouts have also tabbed backup point guard, Eric Bledsoe, as the 2nd best point guard in the country and a possible lottery pick behind his teammate, Wall. Like most of Calipari's teams, this one is very talented, but greatness didn't happen right away, either. Veterans were learning a new offense and freshman were adjusting to the college game, as they barely escaped teams like Miami of Ohio and Sam Houston State, but still managed to keep winning while learning to play together. The same team that gave up 15 three pointers against Miami in November, including 8 from some guy named Nick Winbush, limited one of the best shooters in the nation (Arkansas' Rontei Clark) to only 2 of 9 shooting behind the arc.

A team that was thought to have a relatively weak bench (at least compared to the production from their starters), saw scoring from 12 of 13 players on Saturday, including 18 points from Darius Miller and electrifying sparks off the bench from Daniel Orton, Perry Stevenson, Josh Harrelson, and DeAndre Liggins. Liggins, who hadn't appeared in the Cats' first nine games of the season for disciplinary reasons, is now proving to be a key player off the bench along with Daniel Orton. Both Orton and Liggins look poised to take over next season in much bigger roles, that is, if they can earn a spot in the starting lineup after Calipari probably signs another #1 recruiting class.

The progression of Liggins, a former McDonald's All American who would probably start on any other team in the country, has adjusted his attitude to become a key part of the Cats' success this season. Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and Patterson make this team the best team in the country this season, but players like Liggins, Orton, Miller, Harris, Harrelson, and Stevenson could all contribute to this team achieving their ultimate goal and becoming one of the best teams in history if they step up more consistently and take off the pressure of the aforementioned more consistent top scorers.

Yes, this team is very talented, but the coaching job that John Calipari has done this season is very under appreciated. He has molded a team of 6 newcomers and 7 returning players to create one heartbeat. He's taught an 18 year old kid on the cover of Sports Illustrated how to keep his focus and stay humble. He demands perfection of his team and in his standards, they're only about 10-9, not 19-0. Calipari's high demand and high standards is exactly why he hasn't let them slip up in 19 games and may not let them slip up all season. He's minimized the roles and playing time of starters on last years team, but they've accepted and embraced their new roles and are having a blast, more fun then they ever did playing 30 minutes a game on an NIT team. From Wall, to Patterson, to Liggins, to Stevenson, and all the way down to Mark Krebs, every player is just thrilled to be a part of this team. It's not easy making so many talented players happy and satisfied while playing so well together, which is why this has so far been one of the best coaching jobs the game has seen.

The Cats have remained undefeated longer than any team since Illinois in 2005. That team also probably deserved some consideration as one of the best team's college basketball has seen, but will never be remembered as one of the greatest teams because they didn't win the National Championship game against North Carolina. Especially for a Kentucky team, winning it all is what will ultimately define this team's success. The Cats could very well lose at South Carolina on Tuesday, a game that Seth Davis picked about a month ago to be the Cats' first loss of the season. Winning on the road at Vandy is always tough too, and ESPN's College Gameday comes to town on February 13th along with Bruce Pearl's Volunteers. Plenty of challenges await the Cats. It's not inconceivable to think this team could be 40-0 National Champions, but it's also very possible they could lose a game soon, or two, or maybe even three. Either way, if they want to be compared with the '96 Cats as possibly the best team in history, they need to win the big one in April. Coming from the NIT to #1 in 10 months has been a very wild ride, but there's still a long ways to go, so buckle up...and enjoy the craziest ride Kentucky basketball has ever had!

P.S.- Just a reminder to everyone that College Gameday tickets for the 13th go on sale tomorrow at 10 AM on Ticketmaster! Tickets are free with a shipping and handling fee, and as many as 8 can be purchased by one person. Let's pack the house!

Wildcat Wrap x2, featuring John Wall's debut and a nice win in Commonwealth.

In the exhibition opener against Campbellsville, the Cats put together a dazzling first half performance but looked tired and sluggish in the 2nd half. This week, Coach Calipari addressed the conditioning issue with two-a-day practices beginning at 6:15am each day. It apparently worked after the Cats put together two fantastic halves of basketball in a 65 point win over Coach Cal's Alma Mater, Clarion. John Wall made his debut with an unselfish 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists. Wall could have scored a lot more if he wanted to, but he's a team player and his presence made everyone play better and that is why he's a favorite to win National Player of the Year as a freshman. Demarcus Cousins added 20 points, as he and Wall combined for 47 of the team's 117 total points.

Eric Bledsoe sat out for precautionary reasons after a minor ankle injury that occurred against Campbellsville. With Wall ineligible for the regular season opener against Morehead State, the Cats didn't want to risk anything with Bledsoe. As good as this team looks right now, we still haven't even seen our two best guards playing together and that will be quite a treat to watch in the second regular season game against Miami (Oh). Daniel Orton also left the game early with chest pains, but is listed as day-to-day.

The only other player who did not see action was DeAndre Liggins, who also didn't play against Campbellsville. One of the top point guards in the country from the class of 2008, Liggins started a significant number of games for the Cats last season and led them with 18 points in a loss to Miami (FL), but the guard seems to be in Coach Calipari's doghouse. Liggins, Stevenson, Harrelson, and Harris all started a lot of games last season and are having to earn their minutes this season. Everyone except Liggins have made the most of their opportunities and Stevenson has gotten back into the regular rotation of substitutes. Mark Krebs has also impressed in the limited time that he has seen.

We may not see another 65 point win this season, but with the incredible depth of this team it's safe to say that there will be many 30, 40, and even some 50 point wins against decent competition. Just think about this: four of our so called "mop up" players started games for us last season. Teams better start off well against Kentucky this year or it could be a very long day for them as very experienced former starters will come in later in the game and not make things any easier for them at all.

Not much can be said during exhibition play, but I will say this....this team's best player (John Wall) is better than anyone on the 1996 team, arguably the best college basketball team ever assembled. This team also has much more depth at the bottom of the roster than the 1996 team did. If this team wants to win a National Championship and be compared to the 1996 team, it all depends on how all the role players develop.

Who will become this year's Mark Pope? We know Wall, Cousins, and Patterson are going to be great just like Walker, McCarty and Delk were. We also know we're solid all the way down the roster. Mark Krebs is a lot better than Steve Massielo and a few others on that team. But it will be the guys that average 10-15 minutes a game that will make the difference. Guys like Jon Hood, Darnell Dodson, Josh Harrlelson, Daniel Orton, Darius Miller and Ramon Harris will determine where this team will stand in history. Those guys all have a long ways to go, but if they can contribute in a way like Mark Pope, Jeff Sheppard, and Anthony Epps did, than this team could go in the history books as one of the best. Unfortunately, the one thing that most of those guys lack is experience, which could be the difference of these 2 teams. But as Coach Cal says, "I'll take talent over experience any day of the week". At least when you're talking about this kind of talent, I think he might be right.

We've talked about the Cats' performance against John Calipari's alma mater, now lets talk about the football Cats and their performance over MY alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University.

WILDCAT WRAP

UK VS. EKU

Throughout the first half, it looked like the Colonels were about to put another scare on a Division 1 FBS team for the second time this season. With three minutes left in the 1st half, they only trailed the Cats by a score of 10-6. The Cats didn't come out as mad as I thought they would after losing to Mississippi State. They did march down the field in their first possession but then turned it over on downs when Coach Brooks elected to go for it on 4th and 1 in the EKU redzone. It also should be noted that they were without their two best players on offense, Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke, who usually account for about 90% of the Cats' total offense. The Colonels played with a lot of heart and passion, and at least in the first half, seemed to have wanted this game a lot more than some of the lackadaisical Wildcats.

However, the Wildcats came to play in the second half and wore down on the Colonels as the game went on. True Freshman QB Morgan Newton ended the day with 20 completed passes in 29 attempts for 187 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Newton threw his first career touchdown pass to tight end Maurice Grinter and later found Chris Matthews in the corner of the endzone. It was great to see Newton make some progress just before next week's SEC matchup with Vanderbilt. The future looks brighter than what some people may think, in my opinion. Mike Hartline is expected to possibly return and take over as the starting quarterback against Vandy. A win on Saturday in Nashville would make the Cats bowl eligible for the fourth straight year, with two games remaining with Georgia and Tennessee.

In the end, the game ended up exactly how I thought it would and how I hoped it would. EKU played tough and kept it close for a while in a pretty well played game by both teams. They showed a lot of heart and made me a very proud alum out there today. I honestly think Eastern might just be the 2nd best team in the state. I certainly think they would at least give UofL a very good game. If UK had committed the amount of turnovers that they did against UofL today, it could have been very close just as the UofL game ended up being. I also definately think Eastern looked better than two FBS schools on UK's schedule, Miami (Oh) and Louisiana Monroe. The Cats looked sluggish in the first half, but without their two best players on the field, ended up with a 37-12 victory and now find themselves one game away from bowl eligibility with three games remaining.