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.

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!

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.

Just how big were the last 2 wins?

Since falling to South Carolina and losing the #1 ranking in the country, the Cats have bounced back with solid wins over #20 Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, who just barely dropped out of the rankings this week by just a matter of a few votes. Vandy and Ole Miss might just be the best 2 teams the Cats have played all year.

Before the season started and even through the month of December, the best teams and biggest wins on UK's schedule appeared to be UNC, UConn, and Louisville. All three of these teams have been major disappointments and all three of them will have to step it up just to make the NCAA Tournament. The Cats had counted on those three victories to be major factors in earning a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now that those aforementioned wins aren't considered as big as they once were, the last 2 wins have been crucial.

In fact, if the season ended today, Vanderbilt and their 17-4 overall and 6-1 conference record would be the highest seed on UK's schedule to this point. If the Cats had lost to Vandy, they would've been 2 games behind the Commodores for 1st place in the SEC. Especially considering how hard it is to win on the road at Vandy and already down a game in the SEC Standings, beating Vandy at Rupp was a must win, and the Cats responded well to the loss in Columbia with a much needed win, and with Lebron James in attendance (just days after receiving a phone call from President Obama- and losing that night)!


Ole Miss would likely be seeded the 2nd highest on UK's schedule so far, with a 12 point win over Kansas State and "good" losses against Villanova, West Virginia, and in overtime at Tennessee. The Rebels feature one of the best players and NBA prospects in the league in Terrico White. White, from Memphis, TN, was recruited by Calipari to be a Memphis Tiger before he chose to attend Ole Miss, so you know the guy is for real. He attracted more NBA scouts to Rupp than any game this season but the Cats were up for the challenge. Much like Vanderbilt, the game was never really in doubt even though they never really pulled away and kept a large lead. In the end, however, it was another nice double digit win for the Cats which could end up being a factor in earning their #1 seed, if it ever is in doubt.

As they stand right now, the Cats are a lock as a #1 seed, but you never know what could happen the rest of the way with 2 games left against Tennessee, a rematch with South Carolina, and road games against Mississippi State, Vandy, and Florida. Even f they lose a few of those games, the last 2 wins have put the Cats on solid foundation to still get a #1 seed.

Battle for First Place in the SEC: UK vs Vandy

I know what most UK fans are probably thinking about tomorrow's game- Vandy's pretty good, but, there's no way UK will lose 2 games in a row. Well, just ask the Texas Longhorns what happened to them in back to back games after being ranked #1. Vandy's more than pretty good. They are VERY good. The Commodores have won 11 in a row and are coming off a win over Tennessee. They're undefeated in the SEC, and the winner of this game tomorrow takes claim to 1st place in the conference with a head-to-head tiebreaker. They are probably the most underrated team in the country. Calipari has commented that he thinks Vandy will be the best team his team has faced so far this year and that they should be ranked in the top 10. It will be interesting to see how the Cats respond to Tuesday's loss in Columbia. Tomorrow's game is HUGE and a very big test for the Cats! Luckily it is at home in Rupp, where I don't think the Cats will lose this year.

Weekend Wrap-up!

The Cats narrowly escaped the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday and are now one of only two undefeated teams in college basketball. It was a great week for the SEC as Georgia beat #17 Georgia Tech and a depleted Tennessee team shocked #1 Kansas. Purdue was also defeated which should give the Cats a #2 ranking this week behind the nation's only other undefeated team, Texas.

The UK women's hoops team is also rolling. After losing by one point in overtime, on the road against #8 Georgia, the Cats knocked off #16 Vanderbilt this weekend to improve to 15-2. Can somebody explain to me how this team is still not ranked? They ought to definately be ranked tomorrow!

And in football news, Joker Phillips is already making a big splash in his first week on the job as Head Coach. He has aleady made a few key staff changes and already has made a big impact on recruiting. He is saying all the right things, bringing new life and excitement to the program, and is gathering this fan base in a similar way that John Calipari did last summer. Say what you want about his play-calling the last few years with a young and inexperienced offense, but Joker has all the qualities of being a terrific Head Coach and is already impressing me on his first week at the job. I'll write more later this week on all the new changes, new staff, and incoming transfers and potential recruits that Joker is already bringing in, in just the first week on the job.


This weekend I was fortunate enough to see UK recruit C.J. Leslie and North Carolina's Word of God Academy (John Wall's old school) face Cincinnati Roger Bacon at Lexington Catholic on Saturday night. Roger Bacon pulled off the huge upset in a thriller which featured four or five lead changes in the last few minutes of the game but Leslie still impressed the Big Blue crowd, UK players, and Coach John Calipari whom were all in attendance. Leslie was the tallest guy on the floor for either team, but he didn't play like a big man at all. He is quick, explosive, a great shot blocker, and a great passer as well. He can play like a guard when asked to and should fit in very well in Calipari's Dribble Drive Offense. If he can improve his outside shot, he could be another Patrick Patterson next season. His game also reminds me some of Kevin Garnett. When asked about the likelihood of playing with his former high school teammate next season, John Wall, Leslie smiled and said that we would have to just wait and see and that Wall has been talking a lot to him about UK and luring him to come here.

You would think there would be no chance of Wall returning next season, but, who knows? With Leslie likely committing with the Cats, I wouldn't say that there isn't any chance at all of it being a possibility, even if it's a small chance.

I also got my first glimpse of the Bluegrass Stallions this afternoon. The Stallions feature a roster comprised of UK products Wayne Turner, Bobby Perry, Ravi Moss, Lukasz Obrzut, and Head Coach Kyle Macy, as well as EKU's Darnell Dials and Jason McLeish and also Justin Taylor of Georgetown College. Unfortunately, today was the last game for the ABA franchise at the Kentucky Horse Park Arena built for the upcoming World Equestrian Games. The facility is world class, but has become too expensive of a venue for the Stallions to rent out. I hope that this arena is still used for basketball in the future. It would be a great facility to host a high profile high school tournament, such as the one played this weekend at Lex Cath.

The Stallions will be playing the remainder of their home games in Lexington high school gyms and likely touring the Bluegrass region with games in the new civic centers in Corbin and Frankfort until they find a permanant home for hopefully a second season of basketball next year. The Stallions won today over a team from Louisville, by a score of 129-60. They play a very entertaining brand of basketball and it was great to see well known and adored ex-cats and other local players have the chance to stay around Lexington and play professionally. I hope they find a way to stay in town.

(Photos courtesy of highschoolhoop.com and the Bluegrass Stallions)

Congratulations Coach Brooks: SEC Coach of the Year!

Despite having the least amount of returning starters from 2008 in the entire conference, an unexpected loss of All-SEC Defensive End Jeremy Jarmon, only three healthy games from All-American CB Trevard Lindlay, both starting cornerbacks injured and unable to play against South Carolina, and then Mike Hartline getting knocked out of that same game in Columbia after a stellar first half against the Gamecocks, the Cats' season looked to be spiraling out of control loss after loss and injury after injury. And I haven't even mentioned the injuries of Randall Cobb, Derrick Locke, and Micah Johnson which sidelined each player for at least one game.

True Freshman third string Quarterback, Morgan Newton, was literally thrown out to the wolves when he made his first career start and first ever college appearance on the road at Auburn. Somehow, someway....the Cats left with a win, and continued to finish 5-2 with a true Freshman third string Quarterback. Michigan was 5-7 with a true freshman quarterback, Southern Cal was 8-4, and Kentucky played a tougher schedule than each of those teams and faced more injuries, but managed to be 5-2 with road wins over Auburn and Georgia, despite starting a third sting Freshman Quarterback and numerous other injuries throughout the season.

The above reasons make Rich Brooks the obvious choice for every SEC coach of the year award. Today, he was awarded the honor by Collegefootballnews.com, who also placed Derrick Locke on the 1st Team All-SEC team as a return man. Look for Coach Brooks to be in the running for his second career National Coach of the Year Award next season, if he is successfully able to replace his offensive line and his playmakers stay healthy. Those two things could mean ten or more wins for the Cats next year.

Even though Hartline could be healthy by the time the Cats face Clemson in the Music City Bowl on December 27th, Coach Brooks as well as Joker Phillips have indicated that Newton will most likely be the guy and stay the starting quarterback going into next season. Newton should emerge as a star playing with Sophomore sensation, Randall Cobb, in the next two seasons.

UK Basketball Notes:

• The UK WOMEN'S hoops' team is also undefeated with a 9-0 record and hosts defending national runner-up Louisville at Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.

• Seth Davis has picked the Cats to be the last team to stay undefeated this year. He says they will stay unbeaten at 19-0 before getting upset in Columbia to South Carolina.
  
• Wildcat legend Jamaal Mashburn will be broadcasting the 2,000th win on ESPN U with Jimmy Dykes


• UK Athletics has announced that they WILL continue to sell eRUPPtion Zone tickets to the general public while the students are away on Christmas Break for only $5. Classy move by UK Athletics- they could make so much more money for those tickets if they wanted to.


• The tickets will be sold an hour and a half before gametime for all games during the break except, of course, the Louisville game. Something tells me there will be another campout for the 2,000 win game against Drexel (I wish work didn't prevent me from having much of a chance to get out there early enough to get tickets).

Last but not least, it's time to start to get into the holiday spirit!

Oh....... the weather outside is frightful, But the Cats are so delightful. And the Louisville fans should know. 10-O, 10-O, 10-O They’re showing no sign of stopping. Two thousand wins we’ll soon be topping. While beating every top-10 foe, 10-O, 10-O, 10-O The Louisville season is... dying, and their fans will...... allll start crying. But the record of the CATS, although, 10-O, 10-O, 10-O!

News and Notes: 12-14-09

• Kentucky has now reached all-time win #1,998. They face Austin Peay on Saturday and then the December 21st matchup with Drexel will likely be win #2,000. Any ideas on finding tickets, anyone?
• John Calipari was contacted by Madison Square Garden officials about playing an annual home game there, after UK arguably had more fans than UConn and St. Johns combined, in their own backyard at the SEC/Big East Invitational last week against UConn. I would personally love to see a UK/Duke matchup at MSG, since Coach K won't come to Rupp.
• UK moved up to 3rd in both polls today and received one first place vote. #2 Texas faces UNC on Saturday, which could push the Cats into the #2 spot with a Tar Heel win.
• #1 ranked Kansas plays Michigan and California the next two games, then plays a solid Belmont team, then Temple (who just knocked off previous #3 Villanova), and then faces Tennessee on January 10th. Look for the Cats to be ranked #1 after these stretch of games for the Jayhawks.
• John Wall received SEC Freshman Player of the Week honors for the fourth consecutive week. This is a streak that might not last the entire season by John Wall, but I wouldn't be shocked if Cousins and Bledsoe contribute to this award being won by a UK freshman every single week of this season. Which is really, simply amazing.

Last but not least, I want to thank Kentucky Sports Radio for this Youtube video they posted. Really, really funny stuff!

The Un-official SEC Bowl Picture

With six 7-5 teams, it was virtually impossible to predict who would go where, as it all has come down to one thing: politics.

You could probably make a case that all 5 other seven win teams are more deserving of going to the Outback Bowl than an Auburn team that finished 2-5 in their last seven games, and lost at home to a Kentucky team that was battling injuries and starting a true freshman quarterback for the very first time. However, it appears that the Outback has picked Auburn over Tennessee to prevent a rematch of the game two years ago in Tampa between the Vols and Wisconsin. In fact, even after Tennessee had beaten Kentucky, the Outback Bowl was still strongly considering Kentucky over UT because of the large amounts of fans that UK has been known to bring to Bowl Games...but somehow in the end they've apparently came up with Auburn? As much as I try to sit down and think of a logical reason why, I simply can't. Maybe this is just a big joke, and we'll hear something differently during the official Bowl Selection Show on Sunday night.

Anyway, the strange pick of Auburn has caused the Chick-fil-a Bowl to pick Tennessee. If the Outback had picked Tennessee like everyone had expected them to, it very likely could have been the Cats playing on New Years Eve in Atlanta.

LSU is slotted to play in the Capital One, Arkansas has accepted a bid to the Liberty, South Carolina is going to the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham against a Big East team, Georgia is headed to the Independence Bowl, and of course Florida and Alabama are BCS Bound.

That of course only leaves one place for the Cats: the Music City Bowl. Yeah, it's a little disappointing, but I'm fine with it and it could be worse (just think how Georgia Bulldog fans must feel about playing in Shreveport, LA). When you really think about it, there are no "bad bowls" associated with the SEC. If you just go down the line, and look at the programs that play in each of these games every year, it's impressive. Especially this season when one overtime game meant the difference between going to the Outback or falling as far as potentially the Independence or Papajohns.com Bowl, the Cats are lucky to be where they are. And the Music City Bowl IS NOT a bottom tier Bowl Game. The Music City has their pick from the SEC before the Liberty, Independence, and Papajohns.com Bowl. It's definitely not where we want to be each year, but it's a better Bowl than people think it is.

We have played big time programs there and defeated them, and may have another chance to beat another huge program this year to add to our resume: the Miami Hurricanes. The Cats will either play Miami or North Carolina, or possibly even the loser of the ACC Championship Game (Clemson or Georgia Tech). Florida State would have been another likely opponent for the Cats again in Nashville, but the Gator Bowl is going to grant Bobby Bowden his wish for a Florida Bowl Game in his last game of his career (pollitics again). However, a win over "The U" would be huge for recruiting and definitely would make this season a successful one as this young team heads into next season.

Biggest Game, Ever?

Just like the LSU win in Commonwealth a few years ago, a win over Tennessee tonight could be one of those defining moments in the rebuilding of Kentucky football under Rich Brooks. This win would not only break the 24 game losing streak, but would give the Cats a 2nd place finish in the SEC East and almost guarantee an Outback Bowl appearance on New Years Day. For those reasons, it would be an even more overall significant win than the one against #1 LSU two years ago.

Year, after year, after year, after year...when you ask Kentucky fans, "What is the one team on the schedule that you want to beat more than anyone else in the world?" The answer is always Tennessee. I've even heard some fans say they'd trade away a Final Four in basketball to beat Tennessee in football.

To put it simple: tonight could be the best night in the history of UK football. Even though the Vols are not ranked and have won one less game than the Cats have so far, the goalposts will be brought down if the Cats win tonight. To outsiders, this might seem ridiculous. But for a Kentucky fan who has never witnessed a win over Tennessee in my lifetime, I understand the significance of ending the streak and finishing off the best season Kentucky has had in 30 years. This win will propell the Cats very close to the top of that SEC mountain that we've been climbing for so long and we're not finished yet (just ask a certain sophomore qb/wr/punt returner). Commonwealth will be rocking tonight, possibly like it never has before.

Where will the Cats go bowling?

Possible Opponents in Atlanta

Clemson

Virginia Tech

Boston College

Georgia Tech

Possible Opponents in Tampa

Wisconsin
Penn State
Iowa
Michigan State

With the huge win over Georgia last night, the Cats have finally positioned themselves in the upper echelon of the mighty SEC East. With three straight SEC road wins: @Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Georgia, they've finally taken that next step. They will not be playing a bowl game in the state of Tennessee this year. For the first time since Tim Couch led the Cats to the 1999 Outback Bowl on New Years Day, the Cats will be playing in a very significant warm-weather New Years (Eve or day) bowl game and can finish in 2nd place in the SEC East, 2nd only to the Florida Gators, with a win over Tennessee at Commonwealth on Saturday night. So far this has been a year of ending huge losing streaks to Auburn and on the road against Georgia. Ending the nation's longest losing streak against Tennessee and earning a ticket to Tampa to face Penn State, Iowa, or Wisconsin on New Years Day, would be icing on the cake for this roller coaster season that has seen highs, lows, injuries, and plenty of surprises along the way.

After beating Miami (OH) in the opener at Paul Brown Stadium, the Cats struggled in a win over Louisville before losing three straight games in a row in SEC play, two of them against the top two teams in the nation. They never gave up on the season, however, just like they never gave up down by 14 points towards the end of the 3rd quarter last night between the hedges against the Bulldogs. With a 2-3 record, their starting quarterback hurt and possibly out for the season, and just experiencing a devastating two point loss at South Carolina, it looked like it could be a long season for the Cats. Instead, the Cats shocked the Auburn Tigers the very next week. Two weeks later, the Cats experienced another very disappointing loss to Mississippi State. At this point, it looked like the Cats were headed to yet another Liberty or Music City Bowl. It even looked like that until about the 4th quarter of last night's game.

Then, one forced Bulldog turnover after another, an entire season and possibly an entire football program took a giant step forward with a comeback win at Georgia. A win that positioned the Cats to make it to a New Years Bowl Game, something that Andre Woodson couldn't even accomplish as a junior or senior. This time, a true freshman quarterback and all-around best player Randall Cobb, only a Sophomore, are taking the Cats to levels they've never been before. Saturday's battle with Tennessee will be possibly the biggest November home football game in the history of Commonwealth Stadium. The stakes are high, "the streak" could end, and unlike the similar 2007 matchup, there's a lot of positive momentum going into this game. It's going to be one of the best atmosphere's ever in Commonwealth, and I can't wait to be a part of it!

Win or lose, however, I believe the Cats are a lock to at least play in Atlanta on New Years Eve in the Chick-fil-a (formerly the Peach) Bowl for a number of reasons. Even if we lose to Tennessee, the overall records of UK, UT, and UGA will be identical, with UT having a one game edge in conference play, assuming that Georgia losses to Georgia Tech. This could propel the Vols ahead of the Cats in the bowl pecking order with the Vols in Tampa and the Cats in Atlanta, but as long as Georgia losses, the Cats will have one of the top two bowl spots in the SEC East (with Florida obviously playing in a BCS game).

The only scenario that could possibly take the Cats to another Music City Bowl would be a Georgia win over Georgia Tech combined with a UK loss to Tennessee. Then, the Peach Bowl would possibly prefer the in-state Bulldogs after a big win against their rival to end the season. But I believe that EVEN IF that happens, the Peach Bowl would have a hard time justifying the choice of the Bulldogs over the Cats after the Cats just beat the Dawgs on the road.

Plus, they can make more money off the Cats with more fans spending money on hotel rooms than if the in-state Bulldogs were in town. Big Blue Nation has broken attendance records in nearly every bowl appearance in the program's history. These bigger, non-BCS bowl games are a much bigger deal to us than they are for other SEC schools like UT and UGA, which is why we are a better choice for higher attendance and revenue. No matter what happens, I really like our chances to play in Atlanta. And if we beat UT, I think we're a lock to play in Tampa on January 1st.

It's been a great day for both the football and basketball teams today. But could you imagine bigger back-to-back days than an Outback Bowl appearance on January 1st followed by a certain basketball game scheduled for January 2nd at Rupp? Has there ever been a more exciting time to be a Big Blue fan? I don't think so.

Picking the Western Division and All-SEC team

As promised yesterday, here are my picks for the the SEC West:

1. Mississippi State (AP ranked 18th): The Bulldogs are the only team from the SEC that return all 5 starters from an NCAA tournament team a year ago. They return Jarvis Vanardo, one of the best shot blockers in the nation. They also landed one of the nation's top recruits in Freshman Forward Renaldo Sydney, who is facing similar eligibility problems as John Wall but has yet to be cleared by the NCAA. As long as Sydney becomes eligible before their February 16th matchup at home against Kentucky, the tandem of Vanardo and Sydney will give Patrick Patterson, Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and Perry Stevenson their toughest fight of the season. No team in the SEC, nor the country, has the depth down low that the Cats do but Mississippi State has enough talent down low to make Kentucky depend on the guard play of John Wall and Eric Bledsoe to win this one. (3 Seed, NCAA)

2. LSU: The Tigers lose Marcus Thornton but return Tasmin Mitchell from last year's SEC regular season champion. A lot of people are picking LSU to finish as low as 5th in the division, but the Tigers were the class of the SEC a year ago, winning 27 games and giving North Carolina their toughest game and biggest scare in the NCAA Tournament. They lose a lot, but they return enough talent to finish 2nd in the weaker side of the SEC and squeak into the NCAA Tournament as one of the last teams in. (13 Seed, NCAA)

3. Arkansas: In John Pelphrey's second season at Arkansas, they entered SEC play undefeated with wins over two top 5 teams, Texas and Oklahoma, but the Razorbacks were the best example of why the conference wasn't as bad as people thought it was a year ago. After going through a tough non-conference schedule undefeated, the young Hogs team fell apart and went 2-14 in SEC play. A year older and more experienced and in their third year under Pelphrey, expect the Hogs to play a lot better in SEC play this season and finish in the top 3 of the West. The talent is there to make the NCAA Tournament, but I'm not ready to put them there after only winning 2 conference games a year ago. They'll make strides this season and earn a trip to the NIT. (NIT)

4. Alabama: The rest of the SEC West is a crap shoot and really the only team that stands out is Mississippi State. The rest of the Western Division could finish in any order but I pick Alabama fourth because they return their leading scorer and also because of the impact that new head coach Anthony Grant will have. Grant is a disciple of Billy Donovan, comes from VCU, and is one of the highest rising young coaches in the game. He will at least take the Crimson Tide to some form of postseason play. (NIT or CBI)

5. Ole Miss: A 16-15 record a year ago was a huge step back for Andy Kennedy's program, but the Rebels did have a lot of injuries and could finish anywhere from 2nd to 5th in the West. Their season depends on how they are able to recover from those season ending injuries from last season and if super sophomore, Terrico White, can continue to develop into a future NBA shooting guard. (CBI)

6. Auburn: The Tigers were a pleasant surprise last year and barely missed the NCAA Tournament, but they lose nearly all key players from that team and it should be a rebuilding year for Auburn. (SEC Tourney, 1st round loss)

And now, here is the Wildcat Wrap All-SEC Team:

PG: John Wall (UK)
SG: Tyler Smith (UT)
SF: Tasmin Mitchell (LSU)
PF: Jarvis Vanardo (MSU)
C: Demarcus Cousins (UK)

Honorable Mention: PG Devan Downey (USC), PF Patrick Patterson (UK), PF Renaldo Sydney (MSU), C A.J. Ogilvy (Vandy), C Wayne Chism (UT)

Yeah, I gave the nod to Vanardo on the 1st team simply because he will put up better numbers with Miss. State than Patterson will on a team loaded full of NBA lottery picks. No disrespect meant at all towards Patrick, he will still have a great year and improve in the Dribble Drive Offense. Patterson and Devan Downey would be 1st team picks in any other conference and could both definately prove me wrong with not only SEC honors, but even All-American honors when it's all said and done.

Also, be sure to check out our preview of our lil brother 65 miles to the West. That's right, we will have a UofL preview coming up in the next couple of days by an actual UofL fan, Neal Thompson (the same guy who created a facebook group trying to ban me and my "biased and ridiculous opinions" from facebook. Let's see what he has to say about his Cards...

2010 SEC Basketball Preview: Eastern Division

SEC East Predictions

1. Kentucky (AP ranked 4th): Kentucky has the most talent since their 1996 team which is considered by many to be the best college basketball team ever assembled. They are by far the most improved team in the league, and in the country. Patrick Patterson was picked by the coaches as Preseason SEC Player of the Year, while John Wall has been picked by many as Preseason NATIONAL Player of the Year. Demarcus Cousins is also a likely lottery pick in next year's NBA draft, but might only be the third Wildcat picked. We could go on and on about this roster all the way down to the bottom, but there's 11 other teams to talk about. (#1 Seed, NCAA)

2. Tennessee (AP ranked 10th): Seniors Wayne Chism, Tyler Smith, Bobby Maze, and JP Prince make the Volunteers one of the most experienced team in the country and also return a super sophomore from the bluegrass state in Scotty Hopson. UT could find itself as a top 10 team and a #1 or 2 seed in March and they'll get thier chance at #1 ranked Kansas on January 10th, but the Volunteers couldn't even beat Kentucky LAST year in two tries. It will certainly be a much tougher task to do so this year, but at least Jodie Meeks is gone... (#2 Seed, NCAA)

3. South Carolina: PG Devan Downey passed up the NBA to return for another season in Columbia. Downey vs. Wall will be one of the best individual matchups in the entire country this season. They should find themselves in the top 15 when it's all said and done. (#4 Seed, NCAA)

4. Vanderbilt: The Commodores' return their star Center, A.J. Ogilvy, from last season and all the Internet rumors (from UNC and Vandy boards) say that they beat North Carolina on Sunday in a secret scrimmage by double digits. We'll see for sure how good Vandy is in early season regular season games vs. Cincinnati and Missouri. (#7 Seed, NCAA)

5. Florida: Billy Donovan's program has slipped since their back to back National Titles 2 years ago. Still, it shows how good the SEC (especially the East division) is with a team only a few years removed from a National Championship picked by many to finish 5th in the division. (#1 Seed, NIT)

6. Georgia: It's gonna be a rough year for first year head coach Mark Fox, although the Bulldogs will still be improved from last year. (SEC tourney, 1st round loss)



That my friends, is a breakdown of the best division in all of college basketball. Hope everybody enjoyed picking on the SEC while it was down. Tomorrow I'll break down the Western Division.

College Hoops is Officially Here!

It feels so great to be able to sit in the comfort of my home and watch some college basketball on ESPN U in high definition. Sorry Rob Bromley and the Big Blue Network, but I will not miss you once games start to matter and the Cats are playing on CBS and ESPN. It's currently halftime of the infamous 2K Sports Classic tournament opener (the same one in which Gardner Webb officially ended the Billy Gillispie honeymoon in his second game as UK's coach 2 years ago).

Tonight's most intriguing game is featuring the defending National Champion, North Carolina Tar Heels, and a Florida International team led by Isiah Thomas in his first game as a college head coach (who will visit fabulous Richmond, KY on November 28th to face EKU in Alumni Coliseum). Internet rumors all around have been claiming that UNC played a "secret scrimmage" on Sunday against Vanderbilt and lost by double digits. It's no rumor that the scrimmage occurred, that is a fact. But it's against NCAA violations to sell tickets to these scrimmages or publicize them in any way. We will never really know what the official results were, but word on the street is that the Commodores won comfortably. The Tar Heels have looked okay so far tonight with a 16 point lead at halftime, but they're nowhere near where they were a year ago and quite frankly I don't think they're anywhere near Calipari's Cats. Nonetheless, they should pick up a game on us tonight in the race to 2,000 victories.

As the week concludes and gets closer to the Cats' regular season opener against Morehead State on Friday, I will give you an official Wildcat Wrap preview of the much improved Southeastern Conference. I'll specifically break down the SEC East (the best division in all of college basketball this season) and I will break down the top 25 polls and give you my most overrated and underrated teams.

Welcome Fans!

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

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

"rightful place atop the mountain of college
basketball".

This is a place where SEVEN isn't enough.

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy, and welcome to wildcatwrap.com!

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

Sincerely,

John Wilmhoff