Kentucky vs UNC, A Look Back

One year ago: The Kentucky Wildcats were in much better shape going against the same opponent, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The 2007 BillyGillispie2.0 version is playing like......well $h!t. Last year Kentucky was unranked; they had a record of 6-2, with the losses coming to #5 UCLA and #12 Memphis in the Maui Invitational. Don't get me wrong, they were not playing great, but at least they were playing hard. I don't even know how to analyze this years team because they are still adjusting to a new system and overall they are young.

I can't help but think that Randolph Morris is an idiot. I picked up on some signs as early as November 2004 but after researching this game, I am positive, he makes bad decisions. Last year Morris was the leading scorer (16 ppg) and rebounder (8 ppg). His season was up and down, but overall he played well. Against the Tar Heels last year he scored 23 points and pulled down 7 boards; Tyler Hansbrough was limited to 7 points and 3 boards. The Tar Heels controlled the game winning 75-63, but Morris kept the Cats competitive despite Joe Crawford's 7 turnovers.

We all know that Morris was a free agent and signed with the New York Knicks. One word, Dumb. Of all the teams, he picked the worst managed franchise possible, I guess the Detroit Lions did not have a roster slot. How is that working out for him? First off the Knicks are horrible; they lost by a record 7 million points to the Boston Celtics. Isiah Thomas is horrible, as coach, person, talent evaluator, accountant, etc. Stephon Marbury is horrible; everywhere he goes they get worse. Zach Randolf and Eddie Curry are probably not the guys you want mentoring a young guy. Morris has played in only 1 game. His line is 5 minutes and 5 points. He was placed on the inactive roster November 7th.

Not saying that I want Morris back, but just think of the team Kentucky would have if he was in the middle.
PG Ramel Bradley
SG Joe Crawford
SF Insert Player of Choice (he has to be healthy)
PF Patrick Patterson
C Randolf Morris

Instead Morris is doing God knows what, and Kentucky is left with 2 options for a pure center:
JR, Jarod Carter: He is tall...................really tall.
FR, Mike Williams: He may become a contributor but not for a couple of years.

We will see what they are made of tomorrow on ESPN.

Why we are right

This is Islam:

Thousands of Sudanese men, many armed with clubs and knives, protested in Khartoum today calling for the execution of the British teacher who allowed a teddy bear to be called Mohamed.....

Ms Gibbons was sentenced to 15 days in jail after being convicted of inciting religious hatred for letting her pupils at one of the city’s schools name a toy bear Mohamed......

Some protesters taunted Western journalists by drawing a finger across their throats......

Ms Gibbons, from Liverpool, was found guilty yesterday of insulting Islam but escaped conviction on a more serious charge of inciting hatred, which could have earned her 40 lashes, a fine and a six-month jail term......

She insisted that she had never wanted to insult Islam.......

Each of her students at the school took the bear home to write a diary entry. The entries were then compiled into a book, with the bear’s picture on the cover, which was titled “My Name Is Mohamed”..........

Is Mark Krebs Real?

I have often wondered if Mark Krebs is real? I have only seen his photo a couple of times so I cannot be sure. There are so many advancements with computers and Photoshop these days. In an interview on Ukathletics.com, Michael Porter confirmed that Mark Krebs does exist:

Who’s the most thoughtful guy on the team?
A: That’s a tough question. It would probably have to be Mark Krebs, just because every time I get hurt he’s always texting me or calling me to make sure I’m okay.


Jerry Tipton has more.

News and Rumors for Wednesday

Here you go, News and Rumors for you viewing.

SamBowieKnife at SECSportsNation inquires about the rumor that Jared Carter transferring. In same post they also wonder if Billy Gillispie hangs out too much in bars.

Kentucky will play in the 2008 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational. Other teams are West Virginia, Iowa, Kansas State, Delaware State, Southeast Missouri, Longwood, and Oakland.

Bobby Petrino says he will be back with the Atlanta Falcons. He might be slightly retarded.

Donovan McNabb for 3 first round draft picks. Is it 2000 again?

Does Bobby Bowden need a raise? If he gets one, I am tanking it at work for the rest of my life. Is it 1994?

Dick "Hoops" Weiss says that Billy G's lawyer is unhappy with the contract. You think.

It is Ohio State versus UNC. Got to Run. Peace Out.

Kentucky Beats Stoney Brook, 62-52

Ugly. Very Ugly. There are few positives to take away from this victory. I will get to that in a bit. With play like that, they will lose against North Carolina. If UNC is ranked number 1, SBU is ranked number 341; Kentucky can be found somewhere in the middle.

Unforced turnovers. Uninspired play. Kentucky had 23 TOs, that number is horrible considering SBU played zone most of the games and the Cats were never really pressured. Kentucky started slow, continued slow and ended slow. Here is the box score breakdown:

Team Notes

• Kentucky had 23 TO, to 11 Assist. Worst A/T ratio in 2 years.
  
• 1-10 from the 3 point line
• First basket came at 16:13
  
• Only had 4 points at the 9:30 mark
• Kentucky's first led was at 7:09 in the first half
• Boo Birds were out with 4 minutes remaining in the first half
• UK 41% FG / SBU 20% in the first half
• 15:17 in Second half UK hits first 3 pointer
• UK led by only 6 with 5:55 Remaining
• Attendance 19K plus, smallest Rupp crowd since December, 2004

Player Notes

• 4 different starting lineups on the season (8 different players)
  
• Perry Stevenson had career highs with 18 points and 10 boards in 27 minutes
• A.J. Stewart was MIA. He fell asleep during a film season this week. Wait till he gets a look at this game.
• Mark Coury continues to do his best David Copperfield, he started but disappeared early in the first. He returned shortly with about 14:00 minutes to go in second half. Played only 7 minutes.
• Patrick Patterson had 3rd Double/Double of season, 19 points and 12 boards
• Patterson played every minute.
• Ramel Bradley only had 2 points, 0 field goals.
• Bradley had 2 assist and 5 turnovers
• Ramon Harris made season debut, 4 points, 3 boards, and 4 turnovers.
• Michael Porter had 0 points, 4 assist and 5 turnovers

Player Overview
Ramel Bradly: It was obvious that he was in the doghouse. In the first half he played out of control and had some sloppy passes. He started the game but did not start the second half. "Smooth" was anything but.

Joe Crawford: Played mostly uninspired ball. I thought he could exploit the soft zone but he just faded into the background.

Alex Legion: He had the same turnover bug that all the other guards had. He had some bad passes and a couple of bad shots. But he does have a beautiful jumper; it just needs to go in the basket.

Patrick Patterson: He was a man amongst boys tonight. There were not a lot of plays for him, he got most of his points off of rebounds hustle.

Perry Stevenson: Best game yet by far. Look good around the glass. He was able to use his athletic ability to get some easy baskets. His hands are bad and he needs to work on his game from 15 feet to the basket.

Ramon Harris: Played aggressive in first appearance.

Michael Portor: He looked horrible. He is only credited with 5 TOs but his poor passing was responsible for more than that. He was able to get into the lanes but his passes were normally intercepted. All around horrible game.

Coach Overview: Billy Gillispie's mannerism by half crack me up. During the first half he sits in his seat; during the second half he moves from his seat into a crouch on the baseline. You could almost see the rage boiling inside. One thing I do like is that when he yanks someone, he addresses them before they enter the dog house. His substitution patterns are a little odd, meaning that it does not seem like he has one. Also, it seems that he does not like to stop the flow of the game, no matter how bad it is going. He would rather see his guys play through it.

Don't know where I stand with the Stewart and the press conference. I think he embarrassed Stewart; right or wrong, I do not know. It seemed like something I would do, but then again, I am not teaching young men about basketball and life.

Conclusion
Things don't look good. We will know were the Cats stand on Saturday.

HOME TEAM: Kentucky 4-1
                      TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
01 Legion, Alex........ *  3-8    0-2    0-0    0  3  3   1   6  1  2  0  1  20
03 Bradley, Ramel...... *  0-3    0-2    4-5    0  1  1   2   4  2  5  1  0  22
32 Crawford, Joe....... *  4-12   1-4    2-3    1  5  6   2  11  0  0  1  0  29
42 Coury, Mark......... *  0-0    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   2   0  0  2  1  0   7
54 Patterson, Patrick.. *  9-13   0-0    1-1    6  6 12   2  19  1  1  2  3  40
13 Porter, Michael.....    0-4    0-2    0-0    0  3  3   4   0  4  5  1  2  34
21 Stevenson, Perry....    8-11   0-0    2-4    7  3 10   2  18  2  4  1  3  27
34 Harris, Ramon.......    1-1    0-0    2-3    0  3  3   2   4  1  4  0  2  21
TEAM................
Totals..............   25-52   1-10  11-16  14 26 40  17  62 11 23  7 11 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-27 40.7%   2nd Half: 14-25 56.0%   Game: 48.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  0-5   0.0%   2nd Half:  1-5  20.0%   Game: 10.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-6  66.7%   2nd Half:  7-10 70.0%   Game: 68.8%    2


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Tim Higgins, Ed Corbett, Jeff Nichols
Technical fouls: Stony Brook-None. Kentucky-None.
Attendance: 19269
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Stony Brook...................   14   38  -   52
Kentucky......................   26   36  -   62

Points in the paint-SNBK 16,UK 44. Points off turnovers-SNBK 24,UK 16.
2nd chance points-SNBK 8,UK 18. Fast break points-SNBK 2,UK 10.
Bench points-SNBK 15,UK 22. Score tied-3 times. Lead changed-1 time.
Last FG-SNBK 2nd-00:06, UK 2nd-00:56.
Largest lead-SNBK by 4 1st-16:34, UK by 18 2nd-10:14.

Rest In Peace Sean Taylor

More on this tomorrow evening.

Basketball Notes

Kentucky freshman Kerry Benson has left the basketball program, Billy Gillispie said today. As far as we know he is staying in school at UK and does not plan to play basketball elsewhere.

See ya Kerry, hardly had time to know you.

Other Notes: Patrick Patterson was named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Off the Subject: Best Wishes to Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor.

GSP vs Hughes at UFC 79

GSP and Matt Hughes will fight for the interim title at UFC 79 December 29.
This is the match everyone wants to see anyway. They have split the previous 2 fights.

Kentucky Hammers Texas Southern, 83-35

There was no doubt in this game. Kentucky led from the opening tip. It is starting look like the G-Webb game was more of a fluke than the standard. It is hard to judge the game because the Cats dominated.

• Largest margin of victory since beating Vanderbilt 106-44 on Mar. 5, 2003.
• First time the Cats held an opponent below 40 points since a 96-32 win over Morehead State on Dec. 16, 1995.
• Joe Crawford had a career high 32 points, 3 less than the entire Texas Southern team.
• First time a Cat scored over 30 since Kelenna Azubuike had 30 against Auburn on Feb. 23, 2005.
• 3rd Starting lineup (3 in a row).
• It was Crawford's first start of the season.
  
• Perry Stevenson only played 3 minutes, Jared Carter 3.
• Ramel Bradly had 9 assists to only 3 turnovers.
• Patrick Patterson had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
• Dusty Mills made his UK debut.
• Led by as many as 53.
• Tigers managed to shoot only 20.8 percent from the field, including 9% from behind the arc.
  
• The Tigers made just five field goals in the second half.

Why I love Billy Gillispie
His thoughts on the 5 field goals surrendered by the Wildcats in the second half,

"We just went over every basket they made in the second half. I thought four out of the five could have been eliminated."

HOME TEAM: Kentucky 3-1
                      TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 Bradley, Ramel...... *  6-10   5-8    0-2    1  6  7   1  17  9  3  1  4  38 
15 Stewart, A.J........ *  2-2    0-0    1-3    3  3  6   1   5  1  5  1  0  23
32 Crawford, Joe....... * 12-17   4-8    4-4    2  4  6   2  32  1  1  0  0  36
42 Coury, Mark......... *  1-2    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   3   2  2  0  0  0  20 
54 Patterson, Patrick.. * 10-12   0-0    1-2    1  6  7   2  21  5  0  2  5  35
01 Legion, Alex........    1-5    1-4    1-2    0  1  1   3   4  1  2  0  1  17
02 Scherbenske, Matt...    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
04 Mills, Dusty........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
13 Porter, Michael.....    1-3    0-1    0-0    0  2  2   2   2  2  0  0  0  14
21 Stevenson, Perry....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  3  0  0   3
25 Williams, Morakinyo.    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   4
30 Perry, Dwight.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
43 Carter, Jared.......    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
TEAM................                            2  2             1
Totals..............   33-54  10-22   7-13   8 25 33  15  83 21 15  4 10 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 17-22 77.3%   2nd Half: 16-32 50.0%   Game: 61.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  6-10 60.0%   2nd Half:  4-12 33.3%   Game: 45.5%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-6  50.0%   2nd Half:  4-7  57.1%   Game: 53.8%    2


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Tony Greene, Antinio Petty, Pat Adams
Technical fouls: Texas Southern-None. Kentucky-None.
Attendance: 21445
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Texas Southern................   18   17  -   35
Kentucky......................   43   40  -   83

Points in the paint-TSU 16,UK 40. Points off turnovers-TSU 11,UK 29.
2nd chance points-TSU 6,UK 7. Fast break points-TSU 0,UK 10.
Bench points-TSU 8,UK 6. Score tied-1 time. Lead changed-0 times.
Last FG-TSU 2nd-00:51, UK 2nd-02:37.
Largest lead-TSU None, UK by 53 2nd-02:37.

Your Boy Woo

Vols beat Kentucky in 4th OT

Final
Tennessee 52
Kentucky 50

Heartbreaking............

MMA News

UFC welterweight titleholder Matt Serra had to withdraw from his Dec. 29 title defense against Matt Hughes due to herniated disc in his lower back following a routine training session in his Long Island, N.Y. gym. The UFC has not confirmed whether or not Hughes will fight on the card.

A name from the Old USSR (JK), Oleg Taktarov UFC 6 Tournament winner makes return to ring after 10 years. He has been acting since then. He has been in the ring with the likes of Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock and David "Tank" Abbott.

Jackass Award – Bill Callahan

Bill you are Awarded the prestigious Jackass Award for completely dismantling a once proud program. The terms of his buyout have yet to be release but I am sure he is smiling all the way to the bank. And Yes Fat Boy, up there in South Bend, we see you on bended knee thanking the Lord that your season is over today.

Oh How the mighty have fallen:

Jan. 2, 1998: Nebraska defeats Tennessee 42-17 in the FedEx Orange Bowl, giving retiring coach Tom Osborne a share of the1997 national championship. Osborne ends his 25-year head coaching career with a record of 255-49-3 and all or part of 3 national titles in his last four years.

Dec. 4, 1999: Nebraska, under second-year coach Frank Solich, defeats Texas 22-6 in the Big 12 championship game.

Jan. 2, 2000: Nebraska defeats Tennessee 31-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the 1999 season 12-1 and No. 3 in the AP Top 25.

Jan. 3, 2002: Despite the loss at Colorado 62-36 on November 23, Nebraska plays in the national championship Rose Bowl game and loses 37-14 to Miami.

Dec. 27, 2002: Huskiers lose 3 in a row including the Independence Bowl. Their 7-7 record is their first non-winning mark since 1961 and marks their first season with fewer than nine wins since 1968.

Nov. 29, 2003: Solich is fired after a 31-22 win at Colorado the previous day marks the end of a 9-3 regular season. Solich's 6-year record was 58-19.

Jan. 9, 2004: After a 40-day search in which at least four candidates turned down the job or pulled their names from consideration, Bill Callahan is hired. In the pass Happy West Coast Offense, Out the Option which had been in place since 1980.

Oct. 9, 2004: Nebraska loses 70-10 at Texas Tech, the worst beating in program history.

Nov. 26, 2004: Nebraska loses 26-20 to Colorado, marking the Huskers' third straight loss and giving them a record of 5-6, their first losing campaign since 1961. The Huskers' 35-year bowl streak ends.

Nov. 5, 2005: Nebraska loses 40-15 to Kansas, the first loss to the Jayhawks since 1968.

Nov. 24, 2006: Nebraska defeats Colorado 37-14 to win the Big 12 North for the first time since 1999.

Sept. 4, 2007: Oklahoma gives Callahan a 5-year contract that locks him up through 2011 season. Dumb.

Oct. 15, 2007: Steve Pederson is fired as athletic director. Smart

Oct. 16, 2007: Osborne returns as interim athletic director and says he will wait until after the season to make a decision on whether to retain the coaching staff.

Nov. 3, 2007: Kansas scores on 10 straight possessions while beating Nebraska 76-39 and racking up more points than any opponent had ever scored on the Huskers.

Nov. 23, 2007: Colorado beats Nebraska 65-51, eliminating the Huskers from bowl contention and giving them a 5-7 record. It's the Huskers' second losing season in four years.

Nov. 24, 2007: Callahan fired after going 27-22 in four seasons but 15-18 against the Big 12 and 3-10 against teams ranked in the Top 25.

College Game Day

Well the guys at ESPN College Game day are split. Oh how I would love to $h!t all over Rocky top. 2 hours! I hope the team is as pumped as I am . O

15 Freshman to Watch Update

This is a living document. It has expanded from 10 guys to watch to 17 top freshman. I have them ranked 1-15.

1 (1). Michael Beasley, Kansas State -. Oden Who? Forget Oden and Durant, this guy may be better than both. Averaging 30 ppg and 17.5 rpg. Shooting 63% from the floor.

2 (2). Eric Gordon, Indiana - Best Scoring guard in the field. Averaging an impressive 28.8 ppg with 4.0 rpg and 3.8 apg to go along with his scoring.

3 (4). Kevin Love PF, UCLA - Is a dominate force down-low averaging a double-double (19.3 ppg and 10.5 boards).

4 (5). O.J. Mayo SG, USC - Combo guard who is a better shooter, now. Averaging 24.3 ppg but needs to hang onto the ball.

5 (NR). Donte Greene SF, Syracuse – Might not be the best freshman on his team, but he is leading the Orangemen with 20.6 ppg.

6 (NR). Kosta Koufos C, Ohio State – Another One and done big man from Ohio State. Averaging 17.8 ppg and 6.8 boards

7 (NR). J.J. Hickson C, N.C. State – Big man is leading the Wolfpack with 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds.

9 (3). Derrick Rose PG, Memphis – Needs to dish the rock more and work on outside shooting. Averaging 16.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, but only 2.8 apg.

10 (NR). Blake Griffen PF, Oklahoma – Big body is leading the Sooners in points (15) and rebounds (9.2).

11 (NR). Jerryd Bayless SG, Arizona – Excellent passing shooting guard who is averaging 18.3 ppg and 6 dimes.

12 (8). Jonny Flynn PG, Syracuse – Maybe the Best Point guard in the class. Dropping in 9.8 ppg but dishing out 6.8 apg.

13 (7). Patrick Patterson PF, Kentucky - Smallest body of work. Last 2 games he had a double-double. Averaging 13.0 points and 8.3 boards in 3 games.

14 (9). Kyle Singler SF, Duke – Another white Duke stud. Leading Duke with 15.8 points and pulling down 6.6 boards per game.

15 (6). Nick Calathes G, Florida – Assist to Turnover ratio is very good. Also leading the Gators in ppg with 14.0.

NR (10). Jai Lucas PG, Florida – Dropped out of initial Top 15. Jai is averaging 9.3 ppg and 2.2 assist.

NR (NR). DeAndre Jordan C, Texas A&M – Remember him UK fans. We hoped that he would follow Billy. He is averaging 10.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg as a starter through 6 games.

NR (NR). Austin Freeman SG, Georgetown – Limited body of work so far this year. Averaging 6.0 ppg.

Leonard Washington Update

Leonard Washington will wait until the Spring......maybe. Or maybe not. Who knows, who cares really.

Lukasz Obrzut Pro-Debut

My Fort Wayne Mad Ants lost their inaugural season opener to the Tulsa 66ers 86-94 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Tulsa jumped out to an early lead and Fort Wayne big men Turner and Obrzut were in foul trouble early.

HOME: Fort Wayne Mad Ants
						REBOUNDS
PLAYER	POS	MIN	FGM-A	3GM-A	FTM-A	OFF	DEF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	BS	PTS
Jeremy Richardson		42:25	4-19	2-4	9-9	3	2	5	2	2	0	3	1	19
Walker Russell		14:01	2-5	0-0	2-2	0	2	2	0	0	0	3	0	6
Eric Smith		18:37	2-6	0-1	1-2	0	2	2	0	1	0	1	0	5
Larry Turner		20:39	1-4	0-0	0-0	3	1	4	1	6	0	1	0	2
Lukasz Obrzut		27:05	3-6	0-0	2-4	2	5	7	1	5	0	1	0	8
Cory Minnifield		36:59	4-8	0-0	0-0	1	4	5	0	2	1	1	0	8
Roderick Wilmont		35:57	9-20	4-9	1-2	1	2	3	0	3	2	2	1	23
Earl Calloway		33:00	1-6	0-2	7-8	3	4	7	4	4	1	4	0	9
Nate Gerwig		11:17	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	4	0	1	0	0
Ron Howard			0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL		240	26-75	6-16	22-27	13	23	36	8	27	4	17	2	80
			34.7%	37.5%	81.5%	Team Rebs: 5				Total TO: 17

Vols vs. Cats

Today is the final game of the SEC regular season for the Cats. Kentucky (7-4, 3-4) has had a good, almost very good season but have slipped of late. They take on Tennessee, (8-3, 5-2) today in series that dates back to 1893. It is impossible to call this a rivalry game, the Vols have a 22 game winning streak and have a 70-23-9 lead. The Vols need this game to clinch the East, CBS has recognized the magnitude of this game. It will be nationally televised at 1:30 EST, the first time this match up has been on TV since 1998. A win today, couple with a bowl win (hopefully New Years day) would be a great ending to the season. C-A-T-S, CATS CATS CATS!

Other Notes:
Kentucky is favored by 3. The total is 63.
Tennessee has won 4 straight games.
Kentucky is 2-3 since the 6-1 start and a top 10 ranking.
Kentucky's loosing streak is the longest active streak (21 to Florida is 2nd, yikes).
Coach Rich Brooks, "I am disappointed based on where we were five weeks ago."

Minnesota's 2008 Recruiting Class

Don't look now but the world's worst recruiter, Orlando "Tubby" Smith, has put together a nice recruiting class for 2008. The one thing that myself and thousands of Kentucky fans had against Tubby was his lack of recruiting. This is not a blockbuster class, but Tubby is in Minnesota, not exactly Kentucky, Duke, or Florida. I give him an A. He just inked another four star (Scout.com).

Pos	Nat'l Rank	Nat'l Rating	Name School, Hometown	Video	HT/ WT/ PPG	Commit Date	Signed LOI?	Commit School
SG	21		Devoe Joseph (Pickering HS) Ajax, ON		6-3/170	11/21/2007		Minnesota
C	14		Ralph Sampson (Northview HS) Duluth, GA		6-11/220	10/25/2007		Minnesota
SF	JC		Devron Bostick (Southwestern Illinois) Belleville, IL		6-5/210	10/11/2007		Minnesota
C	20		Colton Iverson (Yankton HS) Yankton, SD		6-10/235/14.4	09/19/2007		Minnesota
SF	JC		Paul Carter (Missouri State) Springfield, MO		6-8/195	08/21/2007		Minnesota

Shagari Alleyne Released from Mad Ants

If you did not know, Shagari Alleyne was released from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. This continues a sad hoops odyssey for Alleyne.

Players not Released! YOUR BOY WOO!

Rotnei Clarke to Arkansas

Kentucky might regret letting this guy get away. John Pelphrey and the University of Arkansas (pronounced R-CAN-SASS) land a big one on Wednesday when the Razorbacks sign sharp shooting guard Rotnei Clarke .

Cats Blow Out the Flames 80-54

The Cats rebounded as expected. They looked much better; Still not good enough to compete in the SEC.

• Alex Legion started in place of Jodie Meeks.
• Mark Coury was averaging 29 minutes in the first 2 games. He only logged 4 against the flames.
• A.J. Stewart was averaging 2.5 minutes a game. He played 29 minutes last night.
• Ramel Bradley had 6 assist and only 2 turnovers. For the season he had 3 assist and 6 turnovers before tonight including 0 assist against G-Webb.
• Patrick Patterson had his second straight double-double.
• 7 Players logged more than 12 minutes. 6 players logged between 2-9 minutes.
• Kentucky made 17 of 20 free throws (85%). They are 81.26% on the season.
• Kentucky was 15 of 36 from 3pt range (32.6%). Far two many were not taken in the offensive flow.
• Walk-on Matt Scherbenske made his Kentucky debut.
• Unofficial Player of the game is Jamal Crawford.
• Surprise of the Game: A.J.
  

HOME TEAM: Kentucky 2-1
                         TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
01 Legion, Alex........ *  2-6    0-2    0-1    0  3  3   2   4  3  4  1  1  31
03 Bradley, Ramel...... *  2-4    2-3    4-4    0  5  5   3  10  6  2  0  2  29
13 Porter, Michael..... *  1-1    1-1    2-2    1  2  3   1   5  2  0  0  1  14
42 Coury, Mark......... *  1-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  0  0  0   4
54 Patterson, Patrick.. *  8-13   0-0    7-8    5  5 10   1  23  2  0  0  1  32
02 Scherbenske, Matt...    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
15 Stewart, A.J........    5-7    0-0    0-0    0  4  4   3  10  1  1  3  2  29
20 Benson, Kerry.......    0-1    0-1    2-2    1  0  1   3   2  0  0  1  0   9
21 Stevenson, Perry....    1-1    0-0    0-1    2  2  4   1   2  0  2  0  0  12
25 Williams, Morakinyo.    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   2
30 Perry, Dwight.......    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   2
32 Crawford, Joe.......    9-18   2-9    2-2    2  5  7   2  22  4  3  0  1  32
43 Carter, Jared.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  1  0   2
  TEAM................
  Totals..............   29-53   5-17  17-20  11 27 38  17  80 18 13  6  8 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-27 55.6%   2nd Half: 14-26 53.8%   Game: 54.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half:  1-9  11.1%   Game: 29.4%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-3  66.7%   2nd Half: 15-17 88.2%   Game: 85.0%    1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Joe Lindsay, Rick Crawford, Brent Barnaky
Technical fouls: Liberty-None. Kentucky-None.
Attendance: 21298
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Liberty.......................   21   33  -   54
Kentucky......................   36   44  -   80

Points in the paint-LIB 22,UK 40. Points off turnovers-LIB 14,UK 22.
2nd chance points-LIB 14,UK 14. Fast break points-LIB 8,UK 6.
Bench points-LIB 7,UK 36. Score tied-0 times. Lead changed-0 times.
Last FG-LIB 2nd-00:16, UK 2nd-04:10.
Largest lead-LIB None, UK by 32 2nd-04:10.

Fedor to Fight on New Year's Eve

Everyone knows that the Woo is a big fan of MMA.

Fedor Emelianenko, the number 1 Heavyweight in the world, will be fighting on New Year’s Eve. Sources close to the situation confirmed on Monday that Fedor will indeed be fighting on New Year’s Eve after all and that current reports on the Mix-Fight website are accurate. (Side note: The UFC has a big card 2 days prior).

Greg Savage of Sherdog.com reported that Fedor’s opponent will be 7’2” Korean Hong Man Choi.
The freakishly tall K-1 fighter who has only 1 professional win. One of the greatest fighters, Fedor, should not be wasting his time fighting this carnival attraction.

In other MMA news could the UFC be coming to CBS?

Dan Henderson and Anderson Silva to fight!

Jackass Award...Jim Harbaugh

Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh commended Lloyd Carr's tenure as Michigan's coach but said he has no interest in returning to his alma mater as Carr's successor.

"The Michigan people will do a great job in selecting someone that will carry on that tradition," Harbaugh said Tuesday. "But it's not going to be me. I am happy where I am. I could not be happier with the job that I have."

Harbaugh was a star quarterback for Michigan in the mid-1980s, leading the Wolverines to 21 victories in his final two seasons and making good on his promise to beat Ohio State.

Well thank you Jim for ending the suspense. In your first year at Standford you compiled an impressive 3 wins and 6 losses. I do think you are a fine coach, but come-on, you are not in the big leagues yet. If Michigan hires Jim, Bill Martin, their AD would be the instant winner of the annual "Darwin Award."

As University of San Diego - Head Coach (2004-06)
2006: 11-1 (Division I-AA Mid Major National Champions, Pioneer Football League Champions)
2005: 11-1 (Division I-AA Mid Major National Champions, Pioneer Football League Champions)
2004: 7-4
Overall Head Coaching Record: 29-6

Leonard Washington Update

A name that I almost forgot, Leonard Washington has resurfaced. Washington was trying to get his eligility in order for the 2007 season might try to sign soon. Kentucky was recruiting him pretty hard but Washington did not meet eligibility.

Washington's AAU coach, Dinos Trigonis, says the foward wants to pick a school and enroll at the semester break. Trigonis said Washington will pick either Kentucky, Mississippi or Southern California.

Gillispie's Contract

Billy Gillispie still hasn't signed a formal contract more than seven months after agreeing to become the Kentucky's basketball coach.

Gillispie remains employed under a two-page memorandum of understanding that details his compensation package, Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart said Friday.

Not sure why every media outlet in America is just picking up 0n it, but I am sure the University is good for it. Anyway, how 'bout we get a deal done.

Thursdays News

Nothing like baseball talk in November:

• Alex "The Everyman" Rodriguez has agree to an "outline of terms" with the New York Yankees. It is re portably worth $275 million over 10 years. Since A-Rods arrival to the Brox, the Pinstripes have won exactly 0 World Series (Boston Redsox have 2).
  
• Uh-Oh, Barry Bonds, baseball's ultimate cheater, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could face prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. He could face 30 years in prison.
• In related news, Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson has been set free. Sounds like someone got tired of the soap on a rope.

Now to some basketball news.

• ESPN must have made some sort of scheduling error. I have my favorite Kentucky schedule right in front of me and it says that UK should be playing in the 2K College Sports Classic against a team "to be determined." Instead I have the University of Connecticut Huskies running wild on Gardner-Webb. Folks this is not the UCONN team of 2006; the one that beat Kentucky in the field of 32, eventually loosing to George Mason. This is the same UCONN team that had an RPI of 111, was 17-14 last year and missed the NCAA tournament. To be fair UCONN has a strong core of Sophomores and Juniors this year.
• Officials of the Gazelle Group announced Wednesday they are starting a new tournament, the College Basketball Invitational, to complement the established events that have ruled the postseason together since 1939. This is a celebration of mediocrity. For the truly crappy teams that are not selected for the NCAA Tourny, or invited to the NIT, the CBI is for you. Everyone gets a trophy and a smiley sticker......Yeeppie.
  

No Surprises Today

Everything went as planned. DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller are officially Kentucky Wildcats.

Chris Singleton picked the Florida State Seminoles. The Noles are annual underachievers and never in the hunt for the ACC. Singleton should enjoy the excitement of being on the bubble every March.

Joakim Noah is still an Ass

One of the most irritating players I have ever had the opportunity to watch, Joakim Noah, is still just as annoying. This from Chicago Tribune:

Joakim Noah, now of the Chicago Bulls, spoke his mind last week, saying his Bulls didn't play with the same togetherness as his Gators did at Florida. Answered his coach, Scott Skiles, "If I had just played my first game, I'd probably keep my mouth shut.

I wish I could have been there.

10 Freshmen to Watch

This is not a ranking, but something for Kentucky fans to watch.

1. Michael Beasley, Kansas State - 31.5 points, 19.0 rebounds in two games. I bet Bob Huggins wished Beasley followed him to WVU.

2. Eric Gordon, Indiana - 33 points (7-for-11 on three-pointers), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot in one game. Kentucky will get a good look at him on December 8th.

3. Derrick Rose, Memphis - 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists in two games. Is he the next Jason Kidd?

4. Kevin Love, UCLA - 20.7 points, 10.3 rebounds through three games. Can he get Ben Howland over the hump?

5. O.J. Mayo, USC - 32 points, 7 rebounds, 8 turnovers. Because he wants you to.

6. Nick Calathes, Florida - 18.0 points, 5.5 assists in two games. Cats fans will have plenty of time to see Nick this year.

7. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky -8.5 Points, 7.5 rebounds in two games. Play will need to improve to be considered a top freshman, but he is a Wildcat.

8. Jonny Flynn, Syracuse - 16.5 points (7-for-9 on three-pointers), 7.5 assists in two games, and the game-winning shot Tuesday. Can he bring the Orange Men back?

9. Kyle Singler, Duke - 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds in two games. What is a college BB ranking without someone from Duke.

10. Jai Lucas, Florida - 10.5 Points, 2.5 assist, and 2.5 turnovers in 2 games. Kentucky fans invested a lot of time in Lucas last year and I am sure we want to see how he does.

Jodie Meeks out 4-6 Weeks

There are reports that Jodie Meeks could be out for 4 to 6 weeks. It depends on which report you believe. Meeks is out with a stress fracture to his groin. That cannot be pleasant. This is not good news for Kentucky; they will need their best player to rebound after the horrible loss to Gardner-Webb.

If he is out 6 weeks, he might miss the following games:

Date	Opponent	Time (ET)
Wednesday, Nov 21	Liberty	7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov 24	Texas Southern	TBA
Tuesday, Nov 27	Stony Brook	7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 1	North Carolina	2:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 8	@Indiana	4:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 15	UAB	2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec 18	@Houston	9:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 22	Tennessee Tech	1:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 29	San Diego	2:00 p.m.
Monday, Dec 31	Florida International	12:00 p.m.

Most of the schedule looks manageable, but after the last game, I don't know what to think. Speedy Recovery (also directed towards Derrick Jasper)!

Early Signing Period

The Early Signing Period begins today and one national recruiting site has published its 2008 Team Rankings. Scout.com has the Kentucky class ranked number 13 overall. I thought they would have a couple of more guys committed. Still they got in state state stud Darius Miller and versatile wing/point man DeAndre Liggins. Kentucky still needs a Center for the future.

What's Next
There will be slim pickings left after the early signing period. I don't think there will be a situation like last year when teams had to wait for Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson. We should know where Chris Singleton is going today; press conference is at 2:45 PM. Its down to Kentucky and FSU; everyone says that FSU has a slight edge over the Cats. Hope not.

New development on in state star Scotty Hopson, Rivals and Scout are both reporting that Hopson will not sign this week with Mississippi State University. Good news for Kentucky, not so much for the Bulldogs. Scout has them ranked as the #10 team with Hopson.

Singleton Press Conference Tomorrow

Will Chris Singleton be a Kentucky Wildcat tomorrow? The experts say that he is leaning towards Florida State University. Singleton’s high school teammate, Pierre Jordan, committed to FSU last weekend. Honestly though, I will put my weather predicting skills up against expert who is predicting what an 18 year old is thinking.

Bold Prediction: I think it will snow this winter, It might not, but as of right now I think it will snow (Western Kentucky Only, prediction not valid north of Ohio River or east of the Eastern Standard Time line).

If he does decide to come to UK that would put their recruiting class into the bottom part of the Top 10 for 2008.

Billy Gillispie Wants Out?

No not really. I read the article below and my jaw nearly hit the floor. It came from the "Most Serious News Network Ever." After a brief investigation I found out that it is a sports "satire" site. So if you are like me and get this in your Google Alerts know that it is only a joke. Not Funny!

BILLY GILLISPIE ASKED FOR A&M JOB AFTER LOSS TO GARDNER-WEBB

LEXINGTON, KY — During a team meeting on Sunday, Kentucky head basketball coach Billy Gillispie told his Wildcats that he will be staying in Lexington and not returning to Texas A&M.

Following last week’s shocking loss to tiny Gardner-Webb, reports suggested that Gillispie immediately called his former school to inquire about getting his old job back. According to team sources, Gillispie did nothing to deny those reports, but he did apologize to the team for the distraction when his potential return to A&M was shot down by Aggies boosters.

“Coach was embarrassed about the loss and told us he just wanted to put some feelers out there,” Kentucky guard Joe Crawford told SSNN. “I can’t really blame him.”

Expectations were high for the Wildcats this season after Gillispie replaced former head coach Tubby Smith. It appears those expectations – coupled with an embarrassing loss to a low-profile team – spooked the new Wildcats coach. Yesterday, Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne confirmed the rumors surrounding Gillespie.

“It is true that Billy called to see if we might take him back. While we are grateful for everything he did for the A&M basketball program, we declined his offer and are looking forward to a great future with Coach Turgeon,” Byrne read from a prepared statement. “And even if we were interested, the folks who pay our players— er, pay for a lot of equipment an whatnot for our players… Well, they don’t really want a coach who loses to schools like Gardner-Webb.”

Gillispie declined to comment on the matter, but a spokesperson for the Kentucky basketball program said that the entire athletic department is looking forward to putting the Gardner-Webb debacle behind them and focusing all their attention on upcoming opponent Liberty University.

Top 25 Rankings

Oh how Kentucky has fallen in the national rankings. This is a reminder to everyone who thought it was blasphemy to rank the mens basketball team in the low 20s, that pre-season rankings mean nothing.

In the Associated Press Poll, Kentucky received 15 votes, that was good enough for 40th overall (Gardner-Webb got 7 votes). In the ESPN/USA Today poll the Cats got 1 vote, good enough for 52nd overall (G-Webb not listed, but Mercer got 1 also). If you are wondering, NO BILLY GILLISPIE is not a voter.

Outside of Kentucky and USC, the rest of the ranked teams have yet to loose. IT IS STILL EARLY, I am just pointing out the facts.

The USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll with first-place votes in parentheses. Total points are based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.

Nov. 12, 2007
Rank	School (first-place votes)	Record	Points	Preseason rank
1.	North Carolina (14)	0-0	747	1
2.	UCLA (10)	1-0	744	2
3.	Memphis (6)	2-0	715	3
4.	Kansas (1)	2-0	680	4
5.	Georgetown	1-0	636	5
6.	Louisville	0-0	610	6
7.	Tennessee	1-0	606	7
8.	Indiana	0-0	504	9
9.	Washington State	1-0	502	11
10.	Duke	1-0	428	17
11.	Marquette	1-0	404	12
12.	Michigan State	0-0	400	8
13.	Oregon	2-0	398	13
14.	Gonzaga	1-0	320	14 (tie)
15.	Texas A&M	1-0	289	14 (tie)
16.	Texas	0-0	269	16
17.	Arizona	0-0	266	17
18.	Arkansas	1-0	205	19
19.	Pittsburgh	3-0	201	20
20.	Stanford	3-0	191	21
21.	Southern Illinois	0-0	155	23
22.	North Carolina State	0-0	127	24
23.	Villanova	1-0	114	25
24.	Kansas State	2-0	89	NR
25.	Syracuse	0-0	69	NR

Dropped out: No. 18 Southern California (0-1); No. 22 Kentucky (1-1).

Others receiving votes: Clemson 51; Davidson 41; Butler 40; Xavier 38; Wisconsin 36; Connecticut 26; Florida 26; Mississippi State 23; Southern California 17; Ohio State 15; Alabama 14; Brigham Young 14; Washington 14; Illinois 11; Utah 6; Virginia Commonwealth 6; Old Dominion 4; Saint Joseph's 4; George Mason 3; Notre Dame 3; Oklahoma 3; Vanderbilt 3; California 2; Virginia 2; Kentucky 1; Maryland 1; Mercer 1; San Diego State 1.