It's my pleasure to announce the first annual Wildcat Wrap Football Tour! While we wait for basketball season in the Bluegrass, we'll be giving you top notch football coverage all season and we'll also cover the Cincinnati Reds during their playoff push (and hopefully throughout October).
Mike Brown will be joining us again this season and he'll break down the biggest college football matchups all around the country each week. Mike is a Clemson Graduate Student and we'll pay him a visit in Clemson on October 2nd when the Tigers host the Miami Hurricanes. Of course I will be at every UK home game, but I'll also be covering High School football in Northern Kentucky this season as well.
The entire tour highlights include the ACC, the Big 12, the Big East, and of course the SEC. We home to end the season with a triumphant victory in Knoxville for the first time in nearly a quarter century and then head somewhere very warm, preferably near a beach, for a UK Bowl Game around Jan. 1st.
P.S.- Joker still hasn't named a Quarterback. But we'll let you know when he does. Here's the very unofficial but hopeful schedule I'll attempt to follow this football season:
August 27th-29th: Fort Mitchell, KY/Cincinnati, OH for High School Football and Reds vs. Cubs (Dixie Heights and UK target Zeke Pike vs. Beechwood on Friday Night)
September 4th-5th: Louisville, KY/St. Louis, MO(To be determined: either UK/UL, Reds/Cards, or maybe both?)
September 11th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. WKU
September 17th-18th: Fort Mitchell and Lexington, KY for Beechwood vs. CovCath and UK vs Akron
September 25th: Cincinnati, OH for Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium (Kentucky plays at Florida)
October 2nd: Clemson, SC for Clemson vs. Miami (Kentucky plays at Ole Miss)
October 9th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Auburn
October 15th-16th: Lexington, KY for Big Blue Madness and UK vs. South Carolina
October 23rd: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Georgia
October 30th: Richmond, KY for EKU Homecoming (Kentucky plays at Miss. State)
November 6th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Charleston Southern
November 13th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Vanderbilt
November 19th-21st: Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, OH for High School Playoffs, Cincinnati vs. Rutgers, and Bengals vs. Bills (Bye Week for Kentucky)
(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.
(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 EnesKanter, 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. DeAndreLiggins 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.
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.
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!
Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Rodrick Rhodes, and Mark Pope. Talk about a blast from the past. When was the last time we heard or seen any of these guys around Rupp or Lexington? Their own senior day games?
Nothing against those guys, they all wore the Blue and White for at least three years before moving on to the NBA and they all had good careers at Kentucky. The question I have for you today is this: would you rather have a good player stay at Kentucky and contribute for three or four years and then never hear or see from him ever again, or would you take John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins for one year on the court with their continued support of the program for the rest of their young lives?
I'd take Cousins and Wall as lifelong supporters, even if they were only on the court for one season. After Wall was named MVP of the NBA Summer League and Cousins was named the Top Rookie Performer, the sensational duo (as well as Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe)returned to Lexington this week for John Calipari's Pro Camp. They all spoke of how great their time was at Kentucky and how much they miss it and how much they look forward to returning here as often as they can.
I know it's only a few months from last May when these four young men finished up classes and left Lexington, but I genuinely believe it when DeMarcus Cousins calls Kentucky his home and I truly believe that John Wall is sincere when he says he dreams of the day that he'll be chosen to do the "Y" at Rupp Arena. Wall and Cousins will remain great representatives for this program. They will come back and scrimmage and help out with our current players in the summer (by the way, I hear Brandon Knight held his own against John Wall...and Enes too against Cousins!). But most importantly, they'll be tremendous recruiting assets for years to come.
As two of the biggest rising stars in the NBA, these two phenoms will impact Kentucky basketball for much longer than just one season and likely longer than just 4 years. Coach Cal will no longer need Lebron James to sell the program to recruits. Now he'll be able to use his own UK guys. Their impact in Lexington will remain. I'd take these guys over almost any 4 year player, because when Wall and Cousins left Lexington, they never really left. Their heart remains here and they'll continue to support the Big Blue.
When you think of Kentucky's most anticipated games on the hardwood each season, you think of games like Louisville, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida. Indiana has been a traditional rival as well over the years and Duke has given us both of our greatest and worst memories from the NCAA Tournament. There's another team that Kentucky has been playing nearly every season since 1912 that many of us don't even consider a huge rival, but they certainly are. I highly doubt that many UK fans circle the dates of both of the Vanderbilt basketball games each season as huge games on their calendars while looking through the upcoming schedule in October. However, through the years, the home-and-away series with Vanderbilt in the SEC East has had the most overall importance to success of a basketball season at Kentucky.
Two conference games with Vandy each year has traditionally held more significance on an overall season's success more so than any other rivalry game, including Louisville. A single game in the month of December really only serves as bragging rights for UK fans. In 1998, Kentucky lost to Louisville in December of Tubby Smith's first season but ended up cutting down the nets in April. On the contrary, they were able to run away with a last second victory at Memorial Gym that season against Vanderbilt. When it comes to winning SEC Championships and earning a high seed in the NCAA tournament, the Vanderbilt games are always crucial. On rare occasions, it has even been the difference between dancing and playing in the NIT.
You can go as far back as 1961, for example, when Mississippi State won the regular season SEC crown. In those days you had to win the conference regular season championship to even make the tournament. Mississippi State refused their invitation to the tournament that year because they had a policy against competing against African Americans. This actually forced a one game playoff between the two team's that were tied for 2nd: UK and Vanderbilt, with the winner going to "the big dance". The game was played on a neutral court in Knoxville. Kentucky won and advanced into the NCAA Tournament.
More recently, the Cats were off to a horrible 6-7 start in 2008 in Billy Gillispie's first year. The season seemed like it was lost before conference play had even began, but it was the Vanderbilt game at home that completely changed that season. Kentucky was 6-7 with losses to Gardner Webb and San Diego. Now, they had to open up the SEC slate against 16-0 and #13 ranked Vanderbilt. The Cats pulled it off in front of a frenzy crowd at Rupp in double overtime. They then proceeded to go 12-4 in conference play to miraculously make the NCAA Tournament despite the 6-7 start. The second game with Vandy at Memorial Gymnasium, however, was one of the most embarrassing losses in UK history, as they lost 93-52 in front of a nationally televised ESPN audience. The first win over Vanderbilt though was just enough for the Cats to earn a 16th straight NCAA Tournament birth. It was the signature win of that season and changed everything.
Both Vanderbilt games were also very memorable in the 2003 season. Tubby Smith's Cats' had faced early struggles that season. They had lost 3 early games and even lost an exhibition game to Team Nike. They were just starting to find their niche in SEC play, however, they were trailing Vanderbilt by 14 points early on. They were able to cut the deficit to 8 points at halftime, but the last 20 minutes of the game at Memorial Gymnasium is what really sparked that team into eventually winning 26 games in a row. The Cats' suffocating defense caused havoc for the Commodores in the 2nd half. Kentucky outscored Vandy 46-16 in the second half and ended up winning the game by a score of 74-52. Later that season, there were heavy hearts in Rupp for one of the most memorable UK Senior Day game's in history. The Cats slaughtered Vandy 106-44 while honoring would-be UK player John Stewart, a UK signee that tragically collapsed and died in a high school game after he had committed to play for the Cats. You don't have to think back too far at all to remember the thrilling game this past season at Memorial when John Wall blocked a potential game winning shot with less than 10 seconds to go. Vanderbilt was able to get the ball back for a second shot at the win at the buzzer. John Calipari admittedly called a stupid timeout which allowed Kevin Stallings to set up another potential game winner, but A.J. Ogilvy's final attempt fell just short and the Cats escaped Nashville with a huge win. The first Vanderbilt game in 2010 was pivotal as well, coming right off the heels of the young Cats' first loss of the season at South Carolina. They now had to play a ranked Vanderbilt team with Lebron James watching over them in the first row of Rupp, but the Cats took care of business and won by double digits over a ranked team and maintained their lead in the SEC East.
The Kentucky-Vanderbilt rivalry is more than just a few great games over the years. Believe it or not, the Commodore's have given UK the most trouble, especially on the road, than any other team. UK's 25 losses at Memorial Gymnasium (23 against Vandy) are the most losses the Cats have had in any building in history outside of Lexington. They've lost 4 straight years in that building on two different occasions, from 1988-1991 and more recently from 2006-2009. Vandy has also beaten Kentucky four times while UK has been ranked #1 in the country, including in the 1951 SEC Tournament Championship Game in Louisville. No other program has beaten Kentucky as many times while ranked #1. Kentucky's rivalry with the closest SEC school to the state's border is one of the most under appreciated rivalries in all of college basketball.
Now, let's not get carried away though. I just realized that I was supposed to make fun of Vanderbilt in this piece and all I've done is compliment them and our rivalry with them. Comparing Vanderbilt and Kentucky as a whole is like comparing the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees since 1908. It would also be about as ridiculous as naming Kevin Stallings SEC Coach of the Year last season over John Calipari (wait...that actually happened, never mind). I mean, they pride themselves on academics but I doubt they have anyone with a GPA higher than Brandon Knight's 4.3. We even have them beat there! UK has beaten them a measly 133 times. Vandy has only made it past the Sweet 16 once (the elite 8 in 1965). They've won only one SEC Tournament Title (in 1952) compared to UK's 26. They've won 3 SEC Regular Season Titles compared to UK's 44. And the only two hot girls that have ever gone to school there will end up looking like this when they lose to us for the 134th time next year.
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