Kentucky Drops from Polls
November 12, 2007
As expected, Kentucky dropped from both the AP Top 25 and USA Today/ESPN polls.
Good Times, Bad Times: Thoughts and News
November 9, 2007
I wasn’t going to post anything on the loss, but decided to give some of my thoughts on it anyway.
First…It’s not the end of the world. I’ve seen a lot of “so called fans” going a little nutty about this loss. Look, I know it was to Gardener-Webb, a team that that only won 9 games last year. Yes, it was an embarrassing loss, but it’s something that people will have to get over. I’m disappointed as the next fan, but they deserved to win that game and need be congratulated.
We simply got outplayed by them, there’s no question about it. They were better prepared and weren’t scared of the “Kentucky” on the chest. If this game was played in late January or February then I believe things might be different.
It’s simply going to take time for this team to get things together. We got a new coach with players learning a new system and knowing their roles. We could go on and on why we lost…was it because of injuries?, lack of great talent? etc. Trust me…with some big games getting closer, it’s probably going to get uglier before it gets prettier.
I have faith in coach Gillispie and believe this team will eventually get better. We will have our ups and down this year, there’s no question about it. Who knows? We might even pull off some surprises, but don’t expect a title.
Coach will bring in some great talent and eventually lead us back to the top! It’s just going take time.
In other news:
Rivals projects the field of 65 and Kentucky made it as a 7 seed.
Billy Gillispie will have whipped this team into shape by March with key veterans and talented freshmen.
Also we can forget about landing Garret Stutz, as he has verbally committed to Wichita State. He said that he waited for an offer from UK, but it never came.
Hump Links
November 7, 2007
What others are sayin’ about the game last night
Chris Diggs, gives his take on last night’s game. with “Defense Good, Offense Bad“.
John Clay, provides a post-game wrap-up.
Politicin’ Around
Former Wildcat Richie Farmer was easily re-elected agriculture commissioner in Kentucky.
Recruiting Update
Aaron’s UK Blog, lets us know Kentucky is recruiting a protégé of Hakeem Olajuwon.
Also gives word that J’Covan Brown has UK in Top 5.
What We Learned
After wrapping up the exhibitions….Wildcats Thunder Blog looks at what has been learned so far about the Cats.
Boot Camp
Some of the Kentucky players talk about the rigorous nature of coach Gillispie’s “Boot Camp” leading up to last night’s game.
New Energy
In case you missed it. Rivals.com ran down top 25 storylines for the 2007-08 college basketball season. They reached Numero Uno, which was…The Billy Gillispie era at Kentucky and how the Wildcats will deal with high expectations. Gillispie brings new energy to Kentucky
Not Satisfied
Billy Gillispie is far from satisfied heading into the season and isn’t taking any team for granted.
If we don’t get to go to New York, it won’t be because we weren’t prepared or because we didn’t understand the magnitude of each game that we played,” Gillispie said. “We’re not looking past anybody.”
Top 5
Using their “No Confinement Meter”, No Confinement ranks the Top 5 programs of All Time.
Criteria for qualification will be a combination of overall success by measuring a school’s all time victories, conference championships, national championships, coaches, player alumni, longevity of success, and fanbase.”
5. Duke University
4. UCLA
2. (Tie) The University of Kansas & The University of North Carolina
1. Who could it be? Give’em a visit to find out
Kentucky defeats Central Arkansas 67-40
November 6, 2007
Kentucky comes out a winner over Central Arkansas 67-40. Next up for the Cats is Gardner-Webb, who defeated Alabama A&M 69-55.
I believe the spread going in was like 27 1/2, about spot on for the odds makers.
I wish I could of seen the game, but did listen to it on the radio. I can’t judge a whole lot from it.
Some thoughts
Patrick Patterson again gets in foul trouble. This is something he definitely has to fix, we can’t have him on the bench like that.
Joe Crawford helps carry the team offensively with 20 points in 18 minutes, he did have 4 turnovers though.
Mark Coury picks up a double-double in the game (13 and 10), after just missing one in the last exhibition. This is good.
Who would of thought Benson and Williams getting in like that? It surprised me a little, considering Williams didn’t play in either the exhibition games. Patterson was in foul trouble so it makes sense.
You look at the box score and you wonder where the offense was.
The percentage aren’t bad, but lack of player scoring was terrible. Now, something real ugly was the 20% FG% for Central Arkansas. Was that because of UK or were they that bad?
One thing I noticed…minutes were spread around tonight. Are some players in the doghouse? 
Is coach saving some legs for possible upcoming larger matchups?
Post Game Quotes
Billy Gillispie…
It’s always fun to win. We’ve got a long way to go, obviously, but winning is a lot better than losing. We’re just making too many mental mistakes. Even though it’s only our third contest, we shouldn’t be making those kinds of mistakes. We have to have more effort and we have to have more thoughtful play.”
Mark Coury, on his play…
I feel excited for the next game to get out and play again. The waiting time is going to kill me. I want to come out tomorrow night and play with the same intensity. Getting to New York will be a great experience for me and the whole team. I was surprised to play 36 minutes tonight. I think anyone would have been surprised to see me play that much, but it was fun to go out and help out like that.”
Post Game Headlines
Game Day: Headlines
November 6, 2007
Kentucky kicks off the regular season against Central Arkansas tonight in the first round of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic.
You can following all the action, including live stats at UK Athletics by visiting here.
I unfortunately won’t be able to watch the game, but plan on listening to radio coverage.
Here’s some quick headlines on what’s going on in the world of Kentucky basketball. I’ll have my regular Wednesday links sometime in the morning.
- Folksy Gillispie Showing UK Players A Tougher Side On The Court
- Wildcats looking for immediate impact from ballyhooed recruit Patterson
- A wild ride ahead for UK
- Gillispie: Practice like a national champion
- Ramon Harris, G Derrick Jasper out for No. 20 Kentucky’s opener against Central Arkansas
Game Thoughts : Seattle vs Kentucky
November 3, 2007
Kentucky bested Seattle 82-63 in it’s second and final exhibition game of the season. The real test starts Tuesday Nov. 6th, when Kentucky host Central Arkansas in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic.
Game Starters:
- Patrick Patterson
- Jodie Meeks
- Mark Coury
- Ramel Bradley
- Ramon Harris
Player Thoughts:
Joe Crawford
Joe seemed out of sync and was trying to force too much in the first half. He took some bad shots and just couldn’t find a good rhythm. The second half he settled down and played a decent game (14 points and 5 boards), but did foul out.
Jodie Meeks
He’s started off the game where he left off the other night, hitting the outside shot. I would of liked to seen him take more shots (3 attempts) in the first half. He wasn’t so hot the second half. He needs to develop his game more, drive to the basket etc. and not always rely on the 3 so much.
Ramel Bradley
It wasn’t a good game for him tonight. Finished with six turnovers and only three assist. It looked like it just wasn’t clicking for him, he got into foul trouble early and had to sit.
Patrick Patterson
He started out the game very well, hit some shots and made plays. Unfortunately, foul trouble put him on the bench early. He came back in the second half starting where he left off offensively and also made some nice blocks on the defensive end. (Actually did a little of everything) He’s is showing that’s he’s the player everyone expected him to be, but I do want to see how he matches up with some stiffer competition.
Mark Coury
He did a nice job rebounding tonight. He needs to improve his offense, he miss a couple shots down low that he should of got. He ended up 1 rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and 9 boards. He is showing promise and could very well help the team this year.
Alex Legion
He looked a little better than the other night, but I would like to see more involvement from him.
My Player of The Game:
I will give it to Patrick Patterson. He did a bit of everything tonight. 6-6 shooting - 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks in 27 minutes.
Final Thoughts:
Wow, the officials called a tight one, way too many fouls called. It did go both ways, but I hate to see so many fouls.
Kentucky played nice defense for the most part, specifically the the first half, until late which allowed Seattle to inch closer. They to need clamp down the whole game though (see below).
They still exhibited the turnover bug from the other night (16 for the game). Cutting this down would be nice, they can do better.
Closing out…I would really like to see improvement in closing out games. They need to put the hammer down and do a better job. They showed they can play defense, but it must be done throughout the whole game. You let your guard down against a higher caliber team and it could get ugly.
It’s early in the season and there are things they can improve upon. It’s just going to take some time. As the competition gets better we should get a better look at how well they can handle it.
Friday Update : AP Poll - 58 Team Honored
November 2, 2007
The AP preseason Top 25 poll was released. Kentucky came in at No. 20, two spots better than the USA Today/ESPN preseason poll.
The Top Ten:
- North Carolina (29)
- UCLA (24)
- Memphis (18)
- Kansas
- Georgetown (1)
- Louisville
- Tennessee
- Michigan St.
- Indiana
- Washington St.
1958 NCAA Team Honored
The 1958 NCAA Championship team will be honored Saturday night. Kentucky is hosting Seattle in an exhibition game, which will bring together the two programs who faced off for the title.
Players from both the 1958 UK teams will be recognized at halftime of Saturday night’s game.
Kentucky defeats Pikeville: Headlines
November 1, 2007
Kentucky Post-game Headlines:
