Mississippi St. Holds off Kentucky, 69-64

Well Kentucky just didn't have the weapons last night. It was evident and Mr. Obvious, Jimmy D, pointed it out on a number of occasions. Jodie Meeks and Derrick Jasper were both out with sickness or injury.

Case in Point: After Kentucky had cut the gap, Jarvis Varnardo kept getting removed from the game because of his offensive liability. Coach Billy Gillispie used the same concept: Mark Curry was coming off the bench for defense. He was repeatably taken out on the offensive side of the ball by............Perry Stevenson. Thats how bad it was.

Just a quick thought about the game. It is hard to tell if Ramel Bradley is more a liability or lifesaver. He missed a number of open shots and had costly turnovers down the stretch. But without him, the Cats might have lost by 20.

Last note before the breakdown. My worst fears came true. I was afraid that the Bulldogs would erase every shot, and they did. I was also afraid the Bulldogs would contain Patrick Patterson, and they did. Kentucky got intimidated early, fell behind and never caught up. Props to the Cats for playing hard............................IN THE SECOND HALF.

Notes:

• Ramel Bradley has played every minute in the last 3 games.
• Kentucky only had 10 turnovers, there lowest of the season
• They had 12 in the loss to G-Webb
• MSU had 15 blocks, UK 5

To hell with it, you saw the game, plus it is two days later.

VISITORS: Kentucky (7-8, 1-1 SEC)
                        TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
34 Harris, Ramon....... f  1-3    0-1    0-0    2  2  4   3   2  1  3  2  2  38
42 Coury, Mark......... f  1-6    0-0    1-2    0  3  3   2   3  1  0  0  0  20
54 Patterson, Patrick.. f  4-11   0-0    2-2    1  2  3   3  10  0  0  1  0  36
03 Bradley, Ramel...... g  6-17   2-10   8-8    0  4  4   2  22  4  5  0  4  40
32 Crawford, Joe....... g  8-19   4-8    0-0    3  2  5   4  20  5  1  0  1  39
12 Krebs, Mark.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
13 Porter, Michael.....    1-1    1-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   3  0  1  0  0   2
15 Stewart, A.J........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
21 Stevenson, Perry....    2-3    0-0    0-0    3  4  7   5   4  1  0  2  0  23
 TEAM................                         2  3  5
 Totals..............   23-60   7-20  11-12  11 22 33  20  64 12 10  5  7 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-28 42.9%   2nd Half: 11-32 34.4%   Game: 38.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-9  33.3%   2nd Half:  4-11 36.4%   Game: 35.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  0-0   0.0%   2nd Half: 11-12 91.7%   Game: 91.7%    1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Mississippi State (12-5, 3-0 SEC)
                        TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
23 Rhodes, Charles..... f  5-8    0-0    2-4    1  2  3   0  12  2  3  1  1  30
32 Varnado, Jarvis..... c  3-5    0-0    4-10   2 10 12   2  10  1  1 10  0  36
22 Stewart, Barry...... g  2-11   0-5    5-8    3  1  4   3   9  4  5  0  1  35
25 Turner, Phil........ g  4-10   3-8    0-0    1  3  4   1  11  1  0  0  0  33
44 Gordon, Jamont...... g  7-11   5-7    5-9    2  7  9   3  24  5  2  1  0  36
02 Johnson, Ravern.....    0-3    0-2    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  1  0   6
03 Begley, Billy.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
15 Benock, Riley.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   0  0  1  1  0  11
21 Johnson, Brian......    1-2    0-0    0-0    2  0  2   1   2  0  1  1  0   9
45 Bailey, Elgin.......    0-1    0-0    1-2    1  0  1   2   1  0  0  0  0   3
 TEAM................                         2  1  3
 Totals..............   22-51   8-22  17-33  14 26 40  13  69 13 13 15  2 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-30 43.3%   2nd Half:  9-21 42.9%   Game: 43.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-15 33.3%   2nd Half:  3-7  42.9%   Game: 36.4%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  1-4  25.0%   2nd Half: 16-29 55.2%   Game: 51.5%    9


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Doug Shows, Anthony Jordan, Rick Crawford.
Technical fouls: Kentucky-TEAM. Mississippi State-None.
Attendance: 9862
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Kentucky......................   27   37  -   64
Mississippi State.............   32   37  -   69
Actual attendance: 8,787. MSU owns 7-game win streak (6 straight SEC home wins
dating back to last February). MSU has first 3-0 SEC start since 1993-94. MSU
wins back-to-back games over UK for second time in school history (1962 & 63).
Varnado records third triple-double in school history (J. Gordon & L. Roberts)

Points in the paint-UK 26,MS 24. Points off turnovers-UK 13,MS 9.
2nd chance points-UK 6,MS 13. Fast break points-UK 2,MS 2.
Bench points-UK 7,MS 3. Score tied-0 times. Lead changed-5 times.
Last FG-UK 2nd-00:09, MS 2nd-06:26.
Largest lead-UK by 5 1st-18:34, MS by 12 2nd-14:58.

Kentucky Upsets Vandy in 2 OT, 79-73

Billy Gillispie, welcome to the SEC. The Cats played great the first half and parts of the second. There was about a 7 minute stretch in the second half when the Commodores trimmed port of the the 16 point lead. Ramel Bradley played horrible during that period . He took bad shots and had costly turnovers. It's no secret that I do not like Ramel (as a player), but at least he tried to step up and win the game, he just doesn't have the skill or basketball IQ to do it. I am not sure if Ramal's play allowed Vandy to come back or keep the Cats in the Game, but he didn't quit and neither did the team.

Also would like to point out that Joe Crawford played a great game, especially on defense. Mark Coury and Perry Stevenson also played very good. Lets get to the Box Score Breakdown:

Team Notes

• Attendance was 23965
• This was the 12th different starting lineup.
• The wins stops a 12 game (two year) losing streak to ranked opponents.
  
• Kentucky dominated on the glass, they had a 45 (17 offensive) to 23 (4 offensive) rebounding margin.
• Vandy had only 2 second chance point. It sent the game into 2 OT. Kentucky had 18.
  
• Both shot well below their season average from the line. Kentucky was 24of 36 (66%).
• There was a lot of sloppy play from both teams, Kentucky had 23 turnovers, Vandy had 22.
• Kentucky only had 11 assist.
• Kentucky only shot 31% (4-13) in the overtimes, fortunately Vandy shot 2 of 10 (20%). from the floor including 0 for 5 from three point range.
• Kentucky had 12 steals.

Player Notes

• Ramel Bradley played the entire 50 minutes.
• His numbers look pretty good, He had 20 points (6-15 FG, 1-7 from behind the arc) 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 assist. He also had 6 turnovers.
• It was his fourth straight 20 point game.
  

• Joe Crawford added 17 points, 2 boards, 3 assist and 5 turnovers.
• He also made his second start.
• He held the SEC leading Scorer (20.8), Shan Foster, to 17 points.
  
• Mark Coury played well yesterday. This is the role I envisioned him in, well maybe not starting.
  
• He scored 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 17 minutes.
• Patrick Patterson had his his third 20/10 game of the season, a UK record.
  
• He had 23 points and 12 rebounds, 6 were offensive.
• He owned Ogilvy.
  
• Derrick Jasper took 3 shots in 26 mintutes. He had 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers.
• Jasper left the game with a sprained ligament in his left knee.
  
• Perry Stevenson still has the worse hands in the world. His stat line does not jump out at you but he had 5 big steals (career high) in 33 minutes of play.
• Michael Porter only played 1 minute.
• Jodie Meeks sat out again with his hip flexors injury. This is the 8th game he missed.
  

Conclusion
Could this be the game that turns the season around. Bradley believes the team can go 16-0 in the SEC. Don't know about that, but lets try.

VISITORS: Vanderbilt 16-1, 1-1
                        TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
00 Beal, Jermaine...... *  2-5    1-4    1-2    1  1  2   3   6  5  1  0  1  37
03 Gordon, Alex........ *  4-10   4-9    3-4    0  3  3   3  15  3  4  0  0  46
04 Ogilvy, A.J......... *  6-11   0-0    4-7    1  4  5   4  16  2  2  5  1  34
32 Foster, Shan........ *  5-11   3-7    4-7    0  3  3   3  17  4  5  0  1  47
41 Neltner, Ross....... *  1-2    0-1    0-0    1  2  3   5   2  0  7  0  2  24
11 Metcalfe, Alan......    2-5    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   3   4  0  0  0  1  19
13 Bell, Keegan........    1-2    1-2    0-0    0  1  1   1   3  1  1  0  0  16
21 Mcclellan, Darshawn.    3-5    0-0    4-5    1  2  3   2  10  3  2  0  0  22
24 Walker, Andre.......    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
34 Drake, George.......    0-2    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  1  0   2
 TEAM................                            2  2
 Totals..............   24-54   9-24  16-25   4 19 23  25  73 18 22  6  6 250


TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  8-19 42.1%   2nd Half: 14-25 56.0%   OT:  2-10 20.0%   Game: 44.4%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-8  37.5%   2nd Half:  6-11 54.5%   OT:  0-5   0.0%   Game: 37.5%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-5  60.0%   2nd Half:  9-12 75.0%   OT:  4-8  50.0%   Game: 64.0%    6



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Kentucky 7-7, 1-0
                        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...... *  6-15   1-7    7-10   0  6  6   4  20  5  6  0  3  50
32 Crawford, Joe....... *  5-13   2-4    5-6    1  3  4   2  17  3  5  0  1  48
34 Harris, Ramon....... *  1-3    0-1    2-4    2  3  5   2   4  0  1  1  0  25
42 Coury, Mark......... *  4-8    0-0    1-2    3  2  5   3   9  1  1  0  2  17
54 Patterson, Patrick.. *  7-12   0-0    9-13   6  6 12   4  23  1  3  2  1  50
05 Jasper, Derrick.....    2-3    2-3    0-1    2  5  7   2   6  1  4  0  0  26
13 Porter, Michael.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
21 Stevenson, Perry....    0-3    0-0    0-0    1  2  3   4   0  0  3  0  5  33
 TEAM................                         2  1  3
 Totals..............   25-57   5-15  24-36  17 28 45  21  79 11 23  3 12 250


TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-26 46.2%   2nd Half:  9-18 50.0%   OT:  4-13 30.8%   Game: 43.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-7  42.9%   2nd Half:  2-5  40.0%   OT:  0-3   0.0%   Game: 33.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half: 13-19 68.4%   OT:  6-9  66.7%   Game: 66.7%   8,1



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Tony Greene, Bert Smith, Mike Nance
Technical fouls: Vanderbilt-None. Kentucky-None.
Attendance: 23965
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   OT  OT2   Total
Vanderbilt....................   22   43    7    1  -   73
Kentucky......................   32   33    7    7  -   79

Points in the paint-VU 22,UK 30. Points off turnovers-VU 24,UK 27.
2nd chance points-VU 2,UK 18. Fast break points-VU 2,UK 6.
Bench points-VU 17,UK 6. Score tied-5 times. Lead changed-6 times.
Last FG-VU OT-00:00, UK OT2-00:33.
Largest lead-VU by 2 OT-01:55, UK by 16 2nd-14:20.

Oh Richard!

Rich Rodriguez does not want to pay West Virginia University the 4 million dollars he owes them. In Richards world, you can break your contract and not have to pay the penalty. Was it written on an Echa A Sketch?

You abandoned WVU, the fans, and the players. Now for once in your life, do the right thing and honor your contract.

Ha Ha

Jaba Majerus your team is dreadful. Who has bad fans now?

Saint Louis set a modern Division I record for fewest points in a game, falling 49-20 to George Washington in the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams.

The Billikens (9-6), playing their first season under Majerus, missed 23 consecutive shots at one point and finished 7-for-48 (14.6 percent) from the field, including 1-for-19 from 3-point range. They trailed 25-7 at halftime.

The only thing more pathetic is Eddie Sutton chasing 800 wins.

Jackass Award - Al Sharpton

Al Sharpton you are a jackass. Yes Kelly Tilghman made a dumb remark. In an offhand comment on the Golf Channel, Tilghman said that the only way upcoming golfer can beat Tiger Woods is to:
"Lynch him in a back alley."

Not smart in this Don Imus day in age, but she apologized to friend Woods and to the American public. Then comes The African American PC Police, Sharpton.

From CNN
"Lynching is not murder in general. It is not assault in general. It is a specific racial term that this woman should be held accountable for," the reverend said. "What she said is racist. Whether she's a racist -- whether she runs around at night making racist statements -- is immaterial."

Sharpton said he wants Tilghman fired, period. And if the Golf Channel doesn't comply, the network can expect to see Sharpton and his National Action Network supporters picketing its Orlando, Florida, headquarters.

Tilghman has been suspended for two weeks but apparently Sharpton does not believe that is enough. He is calling for her job, even though he has not seen the tape and he thought Kelly Tilghman was a man. Not everyone needs to be fired Mr. Sharpton, Get over it.

One more thing. Who in the Hell is watching the Golf Channel in January.

The Goose is Golden

Finally former Yankee reliever, Goose Gossage, finally gets his ticket punched to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He made it on his 9th try (15 possible) and became only the 5th relief pitcher to make it.
Great 'Stache by the Way.

Another HOF Notes:
Jim Rice the former Redsox slugger came up 16 votes shy. He dominated the American League for 11 years but how soon baseball writers forget. He will have only one more chance next year and the ballot will not be full again. Ricky Henderson will be the shoe in newcomer next year.

Andre Dawson's vote total is rising but he comes up short on his 7th try. The Hawk was a great player for the Cubs for so many years.

Exhibition Season is Over

The college football season has finally come to an end. And what do we know: LSU is better than Ohio State. Well thank you Mr. Obvious. This snooze fest was down 17% in viewers from last year. What about USC and Georgia? Both teams are hot and could have beaten Ohio State.

I like college football, mainly for the regular season. For me the BCS and the 741 bowl games are a shame. Only one game really matters, the BCS Championship. The rest are for pride and money.

Just imagine a 6 team tournament, and yes you can call the the names the Rose, Fiesta, Orange, etc, Bowl. The other bowl games will not be affected. We can still have the Kassingers Used Tired Bowl played in early December.

One more stipulation, WIN 7 GAMES. This 6-6 mediocrity is a joke.
There were 32 Bowl games (64 of 120 teams get an invite).
14 additional teams would not get an invite because they did not win 7 games. Bye, Bye.
If the NFL rewarded mediocrity, the NFC would have 9 teams with 500 records, and the AFC with 8.
The NBA already awards poor play.
MLB would have a 15 team playoff instead of 8.

Additional Notes:
If one conference has a Conference Championship we all do. Sorry Kansas you would have been in the Championship, Your Welcome Ohio State. If OSU played that additional game, they might have lost.

Oh yeah, the Bowls should be done by New Years. Teams have to wait months just to play again. Talk about rusty.

Brain Food

Footage from actual Kentucky Practice


How Bad does Kentucky look in the RPI?

• They are 223 in the RPI.
• Oregon St (261) of the PAC 10 is the only other team from a major conference with a worse RPI.
• Of Kentucky's 6 wins, Liberty has the highest RPI of 238.
• The average RPI of the teams Kentucky has beaten is 290.
• G-Webb (6-9) has an RPI of 233.
• Georgia (7-4) is the next closest to Kentucky in the RPI at 184 (SEC).
  

How do they stack up in the SEC?

• Kentucky and LSU are the only 2 teams in the SEC below 500.
• Kentucky is 49th worst in the nation with 17.4 turnovers a game.
• 17.4 turnovers a game is worst in the SEC.
  
• Kentucky leads in fouls with 20.7.
• Kentucky is 9th out of 12 in scoring with 72.4 ppg.
  
• Kentucky is last in rebounding with 34.4 rpg.
• Kentucky is 10th in assists with 14 apg.
• Kentucky leads in FT% with 75.9.

Dream Game: U of L Rips UK, 89-75

This game was pretty bad, not horrible. The first 7 minutes were bad, and the last 20 minutes were horrible. For 13 glorious minutes in the first half, Kentucky played very well. They had Jasper, Bradley, Meeks, Crawford and Patterson on the floor for most of that time.........Then comes the Classic Billy Gillispie halftime adjustment. Kentucky came back after halftime and played some of the worst basketball this year. Screw it, lets get to the Box Score Breakdown:

Team Notes

• Attendance 24386, 4th largest ever at Rupp
  
• Kentucky will enter SEC Play below 500% for time since the Eddie Sutton era (1988-89)
• Kentucky has lost 4 non-conference games at home, they have never lost more than 2.
  
• Kentucky gave up 59 points in the second half. Most this year (49 to UNC 2nd)
• 89 points is the most given up by Kentucky all year (86 to UNC 2nd)
• 89 Points is the second highest total for U of L all year (104 against Havard)
• The 14 point loss is the largest ever at Rupp to the Cards
  
• Kentucky has turned the ball over more than the opponent in 8 of the last 9 games.
• Kentucky had only 11 assist to 22 turnovers (2nd highest number, 23 TO against Texas Southern).
  
• The Cards shot 46 free throws, that is the most by any team this year against Kentucky
  
• In Kentucky 7 losses the opponent has shot 236 free throws, the Cats shot 133
• Still no Zone Defense
  

Players Notes

• Ramel Bradly had a career high 27 points.
• He played all 40 minutes, added 5 assist w/4 turnovers.
• 19 of those points came with 5 minutes to go and the game was out of hand
  
• Jodie Meeks shot 1 of 8 from the floor
  
• Ramon Harris was 3 of 3 from the floor (8 points)
  
• Joe Crawford was 5 of 13 from the floor including 0-5 from 3pt range.
• He had a season tying high in turnovers with 7
  
• He was 9-12 from the free throw line
• He had 19 points and a team high 8 rebounds
• He is 1 of 10 in his last two games from behind the arc
  
• Mark Coury had an impressive Triple-Single, 4 PF, 1 assist, and 6 minutes.
  
• Derrick Jasper had 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 0 assist in 31 minutes.
• His 31 minutes is the most this year
  
• A.J. Stewart lives, he had 3 personal fouls, 2 rebounds in 3 minutes of garbage time.
  
• Michael Porter DNP for the first time this season
  
• Patrick Patterson took his first 3 point field goals of the year, he missed both badly.
• He was double teamed most of the day and it showed.
• He had 6 points, 7 rebounds, 6 turnovers, 5 fouls.
• His point total is his second lowest, he scored 4 against Central Arkansas in the season opener.
  

Conclusion
Who knows.........................................God help us.

                          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...... *  8-12   3-6    8-9    1  1  2   4  27  5  4  0  1  40
23 Meeks, Jodie........ *  1-8    1-5    4-4    0  1  1   2   7  2  1  0  3  31
34 Harris, Ramon....... *  3-3    1-1    1-2    1  3  4   3   8  0  0  0  0  14
42 Coury, Mark......... *  0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   4   0  1  0  0  0   6
54 Patterson, Patrick.. *  3-14   0-2    0-0    2  5  7   5   6  0  6  2  1  32
05 Jasper, Derrick.....    2-4    2-3    0-0    0  7  7   3   6  0  2  0  0  31
15 Stewart, A.J........    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   3   0  0  0  0  0   3
21 Stevenson, Perry....    1-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   4   2  0  1  0  1   8
32 Crawford, Joe.......    5-13   0-5    9-12   2  6  8   3  19  3  7  0  0  35
TEAM................                         1  1  2             1
Totals..............   23-56   7-22  22-27   9 25 34  31  75 11 22  2  6 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-28 42.9%   2nd Half: 11-28 39.3%   Game: 41.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-9  33.3%   2nd Half:  4-13 30.8%   Game: 31.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-4  100 %   2nd Half: 18-23 78.3%   Game: 81.5%   1,1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Mike Stuart, Jim Burr, Doug Sirmons
Technical fouls: Louisville-Williams, Terrence. Kentucky-None.
Attendance: 24386
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Louisville....................   30   59  -   89
Kentucky......................   31   44  -   75
4th largest attendance ever at Rupp Arena.

Points in the paint-LOU 30,UK 30. Points off turnovers-LOU 25,UK 18.
2nd chance points-LOU 5,UK 5. Fast break points-LOU 6,UK 6.
Bench points-LOU 23,UK 27. Score tied-3 times. Lead changed-5 times.
Last FG-LOU 2nd-03:19, UK 2nd-00:14.
Largest lead-LOU by 22 2nd-08:53, UK by 3 1st-19:55.

Super Freshman Updated

Top 15 Freshman to Watch Upadated
Beasley remains on top!
Flynn on the Rise!

1 (1). Michael Beasley, Kansas State - By far the Best Freshman in the Class fo 2007-08. He averaging 24.2 ppg and 13.5 rpg. NBA!

2 (2). Eric Gordon SG, Indiana - Best scoring guard in the field. Averaging an impressive 23.5 ppg with 3.01 rpg and 2.3 apg.

3 (3). Kevin Love PF, UCLA - Is a dominate force down-low averaging close to a double-double (16.3 ppg and 9.9 boards).

4 (7). J.J. Hickson C, N.C. State – Big man is leading the Wolfpack with 17.8 points shooting 71% from the floor. He also leads the Wolfpack in rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.9).

5 (6). Kosta Koufos C, Ohio State – A European style big man who is averaging 15.5 ppg 6.9 rpg, and 2.1 bpg.

6 (12). Jonny Flynn PG, Syracuse – Maybe the Best Point guard in the class. His scoring has risen to 14.6 ppg. He is also dishing out 5.9 apg.

7 (4). O.J. Mayo SG, USC - Combo guard who is a better shooter. Averaging 20.3 ppg but he has 50 turnovers on the season to 40 assist.

8 (9). Derrick Rose PG, Memphis – A big point guard in the mode of Jason Kidd including the poor outside shooting. Averaging 14.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, but only 4.5 apg.

9 (13). Patrick Patterson PF, Kentucky - He is not receiving much attention nationally but without him the Cats would be doomed. He leads the Cats in points rebounds and blocks. He is averaging 17.7 points and 8.2 boards.

10 (5). Donte Greene SF, Syracuse – A pure scoring wingman is averaging 18.9 ppg and 7.7 rpg.

11 (11). Jerryd Bayless SG, Arizona – Another great young shooting guard for Arizona. He is averaging 18.5 ppg and 4.2 dimes.

12 (10). Blank Griffin PF, Oklahoma - The Big man leads the Sooners in Points (13.5) and rebounds (8.9) and has them on the cusp of a top 25 ranking.

13 (14). Kyle Singler SF, Duke – Leading #8 Duke with 13.4 points and pulling down 6.0 boards per game on a very balanced team.

14 (15). Nick Calathes G, Florida – One of the best Freshman in the SEC is leading the Gators in points with 14.8 and assist with 5.7.

15 (NR) DeJaun Blair PF, Pittsburgh - A big reason the Panthers are ranked in the top 15. The newcomer to the Watch List is averaging 11.6 ppg and 9.2 rpg

NR (NR). DeAndre Jordan C, Texas A&M – Very solid big man for #10 Texas A&M. He is averaging 10.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg as a starter through 14 games.

NR (NR). Jai Lucas PG, Florida – He is not dishing the rock as much as Gator fans hoped. Jai is averaging 8.9 ppg and 2.1 assist.

NR (NR). Austin Freeman SG, Georgetown – He is playing quality minutes (21) off the bench for the #7 Hoyas and he continues to improve. His scoring is up to 9.3 ppg.

Box Score Breakdown 2007

Mid-Season Grades

Well I am back from vacation and I was hoping Kentucky would have turned things around by now. Since the break Kentucky lost to UAB at Freedom Hall, lost to Houston on the road, beat Tennessee Tech, lost to San Diego State and destroyed FIU at home. Not really the turnaround I was hoping for but the entire team is back. Lets take a second and pass out Mid-Term grades for the team:




Ramel Bradley: D
(13.8 ppg) It is hard to give Bradley a D to this point because he is playing out of position. He is not a point guard and everyone knows that but he has been the primary ball handler. On the season he has 2.9 apg, with 2.4 turnovers per game. With the return of Jasper, Bradley should be able to get free in his more natural position, shooting guard. As a shooting guard he should be more consistent.

Michael Porter: F
I am not sure what Porter's role should be, but I am certain he should not start or handle the ball. I think he plays tough defense but superior athletes have been able to go off on him (see UAB game). Porter has 28 turnovers on the season to 26 assist. Not good for any position. I expect his minutes to decile dramatically with the return of Meeks and Jasper.

Joe Crawford: D
Mr. Inconstant and the second leading scorer (15.8 ppg). One game he looks clueless, the next he looks like an NBA prospect. When needed this year, he has disappeared. Joe also has 28 turnovers, tied for a team high with Porter. Crawford should be in the starting lineup no matter how bad he practices.

Jodie Meeks: I
An incomplete because he only has a small body of work. He is Kentucky's best scoring threat off the dribble or from behind the arc. It appears that he has gotten his game legs back. SEC beware!

Derrick Jasper: I
In just 2 games Jasper has shown Kentucky fans what he can do. Hopefully his knee gets stronger because the Cats will need his ball handling and leadership to make any noise in the SEC or for an NCAA bid.

Patrick Patterson: A
Without him, Kentucky is screwed. He is by far the MVP to this point. He was out with an ankle injury against Houston; the Cougars were able to come away with 16 offensive rebounds. That wouldn't had happened if Pat was in the game. His 17.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg make him one of the most dominant players in the SEC.

Mark C0ury: F
I think he gives great effort and I was hoping that he would be a hard nose defender and rebounder but so far he is neither. Coury is averaging 3.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, while playing 15.1 minutes per game. He has started all but one game. He is so bad and awkward it is hard to find a bright spot for him.

Ramon Harris: C+
Harris does enough things OK to earn a passing grade. He plays tough defense, can rebound, and drive to the basket at times. He plays 20 minutes a game with 4.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg. Like all Cats but 3 (Mills, Jasper, & Bradley), Harris has more turnovers (18) than assist (8). Harris has also shot the ball poorly from the 3 point line; he is 3 of 14 from behind the arc.

A.J. Stewart: C-
Almost an incomplete because he plays eradicate minutes. Stewart has not played in 4 games, but has started 2. He plays 15.9 minutes a game when he is not sleeping but he plays with energy, contributing 4.4 ppg and 3.1 rpg. He should be able to provide a spark off the bench for remainder of the season.

Perry Stevenson: D
Like every player on the team except Patterson, Stevenson has played inconstant. He is playing 16.5 minutes a game averaging 4.3 ppg and 3.8 rpg. It is hard to contribute when you have welding gloves on your hands. He still gets pushed around by bigger players and they are only going to get bigger in the SEC.

Coach Billy Gillispie: F
Coach has used 11 different starting lineups in 12 games. The players have yet to respond to his methods. Gillispie seems more concerned about practice than putting the best team on the court. They do not hang banners in Rupp for the guys who practice the hardest. I could spend hours on Gillispie alone, but the bottom line is I believe he can turn it around now that all the players are back.

Team: I
How can you evaluate a team that has missed 2 of its best players all year? Hopefully the game against FIU is a sign of what is to come. We should know how good they are in the next 10 days. I think we are still looking at about a .500 team, even with the talent we have.

Tubby Smith: NA
For all of you out there in big blue nation who believe that Tubby Smith is to blame, I say this, "Get over it." The talent is better this year:
2006-07
Randolf Morris 16.04PPG 7.76RPG 1.08APG
Lukasz Obrzut 1.97 1.06 0.06
Sheray Thomas 2.52 3.27 1.33
Bobby Perry 8.44 3.50 1.44
28.27 15.53 3.91

2007-08
P. Patterson 17.7 8.2 2.0
*Mark Coury 3.1 3.0 0.8
*Ramon Harris 4.0 3.8 1.0
A.J. Stewart 4.4 3.1 0.8
29.2 18.1 4.6
(* indicates that they were on last years team but only played a combined 52 minutes)

So there you go Tubby haters, the guys from this years team are actually contributing more than the four seniors from last year. Bradley and Crawford are not playing like seniors and Kentucky has been hit by the injury bug........Damn you Tubby Smith.