Wildcat Basketball

This is the last game for the Cats before we break for the Christmas Holiday. Don't forget to tune in at 1:00PM EST on Fox Sports South. This is the last day of work for the week for most people...so lets be honest, if your at work today, there's not much work getting done. Go take a break (an extra break) and watch the game!

Point spread is 20 points. That's three more than Drexel (spread was 17) and you know what happened there. Never the less, this is college basketball and anything can happen. So stay focused CAT FANS! Keep a look out for Liggins to get some more playing time today. I think we have some serious competition for minutes between Liggins, Dotson and Harris. I think the defensive end of the floor could be the deciding factor.

Keep an eye out for T.J. Robinson. He's averaging around 17 points a game, but his field goal percentage is down. That means he's putting up more shots than the year before. That's good for us, but if he was to get in the zone (like everyone does when they get to Rupp), he could become annoying.

Just for the fun of it...we included the Cousins and Wildcat John Wall Dance at the bottom of the post Leave a comment to give us your prediction on the final score.




Rank and Records
LBLBSUSU

UK


RPI
#46

#11


Strength of Schedule
#20

#155


Overall
6-5

12-0


Conference
0-0

0-0


Home
3-0

7-0


Away
2-3

1-0


Top 25
0-3

2-0


RPI Top 50
1-3

2-0








PTS
FGM
FGA
FTM
FTA
3PM
3PA
REB
OR
DR
AST
TO
STL
BLK
PF
DQs
TF
E





LBSU
841
295
634
171
272
80
207
389
131
258
164
170
87
25
187
2
0
0



UK
981
352
703
200
286
77
183
510
187
323
194
198
87
93
189
7
0
0



LBSU Opponents
829
323
684
121
182
62
210
402
136
266
168
170
75
34
228
4
0
0



UK Opponents
768
272
718
132
196
92
260
361
146
215
145
175
93
41
244
9
0
0











POS
PPG
PPP
FLR%
Eff
eFG%
TS%
FTR
2P%
FTP%
3P%
OR%
DR%
A%
A/T
T%
S%
B%





LBSU
803.0
73.0
1.05
53.0
104.7
52.8
55.1
42.9
51.1
20.3
28.5
33.0
65.5
55.6
0.96
21.2
10.8
3.7



UK
844.0
70.3
1.16
59.8
116.2
55.5
58.5
40.7
56.1
20.4
23.5
46.5
68.9
55.1
0.98
23.5
10.3
13.0



LBSU Opponents
803.0
73.0
1.03
53.7
103.2
51.8
53.8
26.6
63.0
14.6
22.4
34.5
67.0
52.0
0.99
21.2
9.3
5.4



UK Opponents
844.0
70.3
0.91
46.8
91.0
44.3
47.3
27.3
46.9
17.2
35.9
31.1
53.5
53.3
0.83
20.7
11.0
5.8

What does confetti snow angels, "Cool And The Gang" and forty points all have in common? That's right, It's Kentucky's 2,000 Win!



Announcers for the game included one of Kentucky's favorite alumni Jamal Mashburn and the famous Jimmy Dykes (insert sarcasm here). He's not famous and he's quickly moving up my list of most annoying commentators. He did his job and tried to make it sound like Kentucky had major defensive lapses when playing low profile teams. If it was the first game of the season I would understand, but if you've watched just the highlights of the last three games, you would know that there is no way this team was losing to Drexel.



Demarcus Cousins got things going by scoring the first four points of the game and you could just tell that tonight was going to be a good night (insert Black Eyed Peas music here). DeAndre Liggins made a few plays including a three point shot that looked like he'd been in the rotation all season. He's quickly become my dark-horse favorite for the rest of the season. If he keeps this up, I can see him splitting time between Dotson and Miller.

At the break, Kentucky lead by a cool thirty six. When Calipari was interviewed while going into the locker room, he mentioned Liggins and Bleadsoe's energy being a difference maker. Now I'm not saying those guys weren't hustling and they are two of my favorite players,...but is he really watching the same game I was watching? How about Cousins and Patterson?

When the second half started, the Wildcats continued right where they left off. Eventually stretching the lead out to fifty and eventually the third string squad took the floor as Calipari put it on cruise control.



Stat
Game
Season Avg
Opp Season Avg












Points
44
88
60
81
62
64


FG Att
55
58
56
58
51
59


FG Made
17
31
22
29
20
22


FG Pct
30.9
53.4
39.8
50.1
39.9
37.9


FT Att
7
19
18
23
24
16


FT Made
5
17
11
16
17
11


FT Pct
71.4
89.5
63.6
69.9
69.5
67.3


3pt FG Att
17
13
16
15
12
21


3pt FG Made
5
9
4
6
4
7


3pt FG Pct
29.4
69.2
29.2
42.1
34.2
35.4


Rebounds
22
45
35
42
36
30


Off Rebs
8
14
11
15
11
12


Def Rebs
14
31
24
26
25
17


Team Rebs
1
3
3
2
4
3


Assists
10
20
12
16
10
12


Steals
7
8
6
7
5
7


Blocks
4
6
3
7
4
3


Turnovers
15
14
13
16
14
14


Fouls
14
8
21
15
17
20



After the game it rained confetti as the team put on their black "UK2K" T-Shirts. Adoph Rupp's son, Joe B. Hall and Junior Patrick Patterson all spoke to the crowd of 24,354 . Paterson thanked the fans and told Hazel and Karen Keightley that they (the team) knew Mr. Keightley was watching and they loved them. WOW!...Classy words from the Junior.

One of the most concerning moments during the game was when Jimmy Dykes reffered to this team as "Cal's Kids". I actually cringed and got weak when I heard this. Does he actually think this sounds good? He said it more than once in an obviouse attempt to make it stick, but Mashburn wasn't playing into it. I actually think he was embarrassed for him. You know, like when your mom or dad would say something they thought was so cool and it did nothing but embarrass you in front of your friends. It was just like that!

We've got to come up with a new name before someone actually runs with this. If you have any ideas, please leave them as a comment in the bottom of this post.



Next stop Long Beach State as we go for #2001! Keep Rolling Cats!

So when is the last time that a Drexel ticket sold for more than $225 a ticket? What's quickly become the hottest ticket in town, the game tonight against the Drexel Dragons should mark the 2,000 win for the University of Kentucky.
http://cgi.ebay.com/UK-KENTUCKY-WILDCATS-BASKETBALL-VS-DREXEL_W0QQitemZ290383016153QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Tickets_all_in_one?hash=item439c2d30d9

107 Years in the making this game will put Calipari in the record books much earlier than many predicted. Here are some quotes from Calipari on the game tonight...

"First of all, I'm such a small part of the 2,000 wins. But, there is a sense of responsibility when you are in this seat."

"The minute you sit in the seat I'm in, you understand the importance to the state. I'm happy we are up against it now. Let's just get it over and move on to what we have to do this season.
When Perry Stevenson was asked what the team thought about going for 2,000 he had this to say

“We are approaching it as just another game. I am sure that we will celebrate after. There has not been much talk about it. You just have to approach it like it is just another game, but in the back of everyone's mind it feels good to be the first.”
Keep an eye out for Drexels Jamie Harris and Gerald Colds. They do most of scoring.
Here's a quick high level team comparison....












Rank and Records
DREX

UK


RPI
#144

#18


Strength of Schedule
#199

#178


Overall
6-5

11-0


Conference
1-0

0-0


Home
4-1

6-0


Away
2-4

1-0


Top 25
0-1

2-0


RPI Top 50
1-2

2-0



Leave a comment to let us know how you plan on celebrating win 2,000!

This week the Wildcats move up to third and it seems they'll have to wait for someone to lose before they can take the #1 spot. Many would argue that UK and Syracuse are the two best teams in the country, but both only received one first place vote. We need to find those two guys and give them a raise. They obviously know what they're talking about!

Other highlights...Florida dropped from 10 to 12 and Villanova dropped from 3 to 10. Syracuse continues to move up. They moved from the 7 spot to #5. They also received two first place votes. Keep reading to see the entire list....



The Associated Press Top 25 Poll
Rank Team Record Votes Previous
1 Kansas (61) 10-0 1620 1
2 Texas (1) 10-0 1512 2
3 Kentucky (1) 11-0 1486 4
4 Purdue 10-0 1426 5
5 Syracuse (2) 11-0 1388 7
6 West Virginia 8-0 1315 6
7 Duke 9-1 1137 8
8 Villanova 10-1 1107 3
9 Tennessee 8-2 1104 9
10 North Carolina 8-3 1039 11
11 Georgetown 8-1 1008 15
12 Michigan State 9-2 922 12
13 Florida 8-2 864 10
14 Connecticut 7-2 762 14
15 Gonzaga 8-3 505 21
16 Texas Tech 9-1 492 23
17 Kansas State 10-1 391 29
18 Ohio State 9-2 383 13
19 New Mexico 12-0 364 35
20 Mississippi 10-1 334 25
21 Butler 8-3 257 22
22 Georgia Tech 8-2 253 24
23 Texas A&M 9-2 221 16
24 Washington 7-2 179 17
25 Cincinnati 7-3 174 19
Others Receiving Votes: Memphis 129, Wisconsin 110, UNLV 96, Clemson 84, Temple 83, Northwestern 59, Illinois 44, Miami (FL) 40, St. John's 30, Oklahoma State 29, Dayton 24, Charlotte 24, Seton Hall 24, Florida State 23, Missouri State 20, Brigham Young 14, Mississippi State 9, Virginia Tech 7, Baylor 6, Minnesota 5, Rhode Island 3, Cornell 3, North Carolina State 3, Tulsa 3, Wake Forest 2, Western Carolina 2, Northern Iowa 2, Pittsburgh 2, Army 1, William & Mary 1

Our excitement was at an all time high this morning when we climbed out of bed to see the snow, and to think the Cats would be playing later this afternoon! Sounds like a great weekend. Snowed in with the CATS!! It was only a matter of time before I became severely depressed when I realized the "CSS" Channel (it's obvious someone lost a bet)isn't carried by Time Warner (my local cable provider).

I know it's Austin Peay and we'll probably win by more than twenty, but it's more than that. It's my weekend, my tradition, ..Simply put, it's my life! It's how I was raised as a small boy in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. On Gameday, everything stops and revolves around the Cats. Watching the game is the only thing that could get a sleepy ten year old out of bed time, cleaning his/her room, homework and a list of other responsible things kids do to build character on their way to becoming responsible adults. Why do parents ignore these things when the Cats are playing?...It's simple...because it's just the right thing to do! And today, Time Warner Cable has cheated my family from this experience.

What does that mean? It means we're left listening to the game over the radio. That also means we'll be able to clean our rooms, sweep, dust, and potentially hit the road to finish up last minute Christmas shopping. How can a Saturday that started with so much promise, end in the aisles of Wal-Mart?

Don't get me wrong. I love Wal-Mart, but knowing that the Cats are playing while I'm navigating around the people of Wal-Mart (have you seen the pics? ) Isn't my idea of the perfect Saturday.

To those that are watching the game, please make the most of it. It is the holidays and it is the Cats. It doesn't get much better that that

So I hope everyone has a great Saturday watching John Wall. I'll be hanging out with this lady, while I fight for the last "Batman Lego" Wii game!