While aimlessly Googling different words associated with UK in hopes of getting a post out of something (NCAA number one overall seed, la familia, three goggles, drake…), I came across this little gem: the website Team Rankings has used their statistical wizardry to determine that Kentucky has a 72% chance to win the SEC tournament, with Florida the next most likely candidate at 15.4% (and let’s face it, that’s generous).

 

To which I say…

 

 

With last night’s win over Mississippi State and Kenan Thompson Renardo Sidney, the Cats clinched at least a share of the regular season SEC championship and at least a 1 or 2 seed in the SEC tournament. In a strange scheduling coincidence, Florida’s last three games are against the same opponents as Kentucky’s: Georgia, Vanderbilt, and a March 1st match-up pitting the two SEC leaders against one another.

 

While I still firmly believe that UK can (and should) win out the rest of the season, at this point it really has no impact on our performance in the SEC tournament. The difference between earning a one and a two seed is pretty inconsequential, at least for a team with our iron will to win. Winning our last three games will be valuable in sending a message to the rest of the country, but not especially important in affecting our odds of winning the SEC tournament. As our entire fan base knows by now, the Cats are a force at home and on the road, and the Blue Orleans crowd will ensure that a Cats victory is as easy to come by as plastic beads.

 

Another fun fact? The Cats have never lost an SEC tournament when I have been in attendance. Which has been never, until March 8th, 2012, when I pack my little suitcase full of UK blue and head to Nawlins. So really, nothing to fear about the SEC tournament. Nothing at all.

 

 

All I care about is UK and the city where I’m from. Follow me @KristenGeilKSR. 

One of my favorite things to do after a big game (especially a win) is to check my Twitter news feed. Then I check my Louisville friends’ Facebook pages to see what their latest jealousy issues revolve around. I think that sometimes the immediate Twitter reactions can perfectly summarize a game. As a new “day after the game tradition,” I am going to start posting my favorite Twitter reactions/quotes/tidbits from the night before. Consider this the first of many installments of “Tweets From Last Night.”

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

    And most importantly…. 

 

 

@AllyTuckerKSR  Follow me, everything is alright. I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night (Also, I agree…The Lion King is an inspirational movie)

Seems legit.

So, as you’ve probably figured out by now, we have tried our darndest to make KSR College an entertaining place to get your news and notes about UK Athletics, all from the perspective of the future leaders of this country (God help us all). Our mission is to represent a student body’s passion for its team, and, if you’ve already left the college years behind, to help you revisit the college experience. We may not be able to allow you to roll out of bed and go straight to work (unless, of course, you’re Drew Franklin), but we do want you to feel as if you’re cheering right along with us in the eRUPPtion Zone.

So, on the off-chance that you’re not up to speed on the issue, let’s talk a little bit about student basketball tickets. It’s been a huge topic of debate at UK for years, and represents a problem that really has no great solution. However, there has been some recent drama surrounding the ethics of ticket distribution, and it’s worth some discussion on a site geared toward the student athletics experience.

In case you’re not familiar with the system, this is how things work for most games:

1. Students sign up for an online lottery in groups of 1-4.

2. Student groups are selected randomly from this list to attend Lottery: Round 2.

3. Students crowd into Memorial Coliseum on a Monday Night, each group taking a number at the door.

4. Numbers are randomly selected.

5. Most of us might as well be in line at the DMV office.

6. Tickets are sold. Chaos ensues.

Pretty simple system, right? Well, one would think so. The problem, of course, is that there are students who eat, sleep, breathe, and live UK basketball who fail to get tickets to the games, while others who couldn’t tell you what color a basketball is end up with the winning number. This, of course, is unsurprising and, unfortunately, just part of the system.

The real problem starts after tickets are sold. You don’t have to be in an Economics class to realize that, since there are people who really want tickets and don’t have them, and people who don’t particularly want tickets and have them, there is quite a market out there on campus for the buying and selling of student tickets. I like to call this, “The Blue Market.”

Now, common sense says that hardly anyone trying to find a ticket to a Cats game is going to pay face value, so the whole scalping system works, for the most part. However, when I hear of students paying upwards of $100 for a $5 ticket…well, I just can’t find it in me to support that. At that point, it’s not a battle of fanhood, but instead a battle of richness–of status quo. Come on guys, this isn’t Vandy.

Even then, though, at least there is some sort of legitimacy in the system. If someone wants to pay $100 for a ticket, then by golly they are entitled to that right. At least, that’s certainly what an Economics major will tell you. But, then, there are situations like one that popped up on the UK Ticket Exchange Facebook group yesterday, in which Student A promised to sell a ticket to Student B for $25, only to sell it for a higher price to Student C, on the same group, for everyone to see. As you can imagine, Student B, along with most of his peers, was none too happy.

This situation, along with the growing frustrations of students who feel like they might not win the ticket lottery if they were the only one in it, caused a bit of drama in Big Blue paradise. The best comment to come from this situation, in my humble opinion, was the following, written straight from a heart that pumps blue blood.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, I don’t claim to be the Grand Poobah on all things ethical in the world of college basketball (we’re looking at you, Digger), but I do think that the problems that true blue students have with acquiring tickets sometimes go unnoticed. I want to let those students know that KSR College supports them on their quest to take their rightful places in Rupp Arena.

I’m proud that our fanbase fills every seat every game. I’m proud that our students line up early. I’m proud that we are home of the greatest tradition in the history of college basketball. I would be even prouder if our students cared more about filling a spot–adding  a few decibels of sound–in Rupp Arena than making a few extra bucks on student tickets that they were lucky enough to win.

That said, I will see you in the eRUPPtion Zone this Saturday. Because, like so many of my Big Blue brothers and sisters who may not have found a ticket, that is exactly where I belong.

@AdamSchiltKSR

Drake will be performing tonight at Rupp Arena. Lexington is a stop on his 17 city North American tour. A$AP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar are Drake’s Club Paradise opening acts. I’m sure lot’s of Kentucky fans will be attending and apparently some of the basketball players will be there as well.

 

 

 

You Only Live Once

 

 

Hey Cat fan’s what a game last night! After watching our guys come back from what seemed would be our first loss in the SEC I got to thinking. Is this the greatest team in UK’s history? I did some research, and what I chose from were the 7 national championship teams.  The two that stuck out for me were the 1978 and 1996 teams. Both teams had outstanding talent and both won a national championships, but because of the recentness of the 1996 team as well as a slew of NBA players on the roster I will examine slick Rick’s top 5 and compare them to Cals 2012 Cats.

Tony Delk / Marquis Teague G

As much as I love Marquis Teague, Tony Delk has had my heart since he hit 8 threes in the National Championship game against Syracuse in 1996.  Delk was a three point assassin who ran the offense with great efficiency for Ricky P.  Additionally, Delk was also a senior that season and was the on and off-court leader along with Walter McCarty of that NC winning squad.  Although the roles are a bit different for Teague and Delk they both offered what was necessary for their teams to win games.  Delk in more of a scoring role and Teague in more of a distributing role.  For the 1996 season Delk averaged almost 18 points a game, was a 1st team all-american, MVP of the Final Four, and SEC player of the year. I’d say that is a pretty solid season.  Marquis Teague, however, has hd a pretty amazing season so far. At first I wasn’t sure if he would be able to step in to such an acclaimed role as starting point guard for the Cats, but I think he has matured well through the season. I think we will see him at his best during March Madness. Personally I can’t wait.

 

Anthony Epps / Darius Miller and Doron Lamb G

Anthony Epps was a good player for slick Rick, but I don’t think he was a key player. He averaged less points than six other players. But he has 175 assists which is by far more than anyone else. He wasn’t really the high scorer that Miller and Lamb are. Miller has averaged 9.9 ppg so far. As everyone, however, that Miller shine during tournament time….knock on wood. Lamb has shot the ball incredibly so far this season. I’ll just go ahead and say it….he’s probably our best shooter on the court. He averages 13.7 PPG and he can hit a 3. 

 

Derek Anderson / Michael Kidd-Gilchrist F

Anderson was an incredibly talented player. He averaged 9.4 PPG along with 3.4 rebounds and he shot impressively over 50 percent during the course of the season from the field. I love MKG…you love MKG…the nation loves MKG. He has had an incredible season with 12.2 ppg along with 7.8 rebounds and he does work on the defensive end. Anderson was a great player but I think MKG has the potential to be the more outstanding player. I’ll just say we should come back to this comparison after MKG has five years of NBA play under his belt.

 

Antoine Walker / Terrence Jones F

Side by side it’s safe to say that Antoine was a better player. Walker averaged 15.2 ppg 8.4 rebounds and was second behind Anthony Epps in assists. terrence averages 12.2 ppg along with 6.7 rebounds per game and averages a little over 1 assists per game. I think Terrence could be a great player in our history, but it’s hard to compare these two players because Walker was so dynamic with the Celtics. If Jones can keep his head on straight I think he may end up being an All-Star in the NBA.

 

Walter McCarty / Anthony Davis C

Walter McCart was a go to play maker during the 96 season. He averaged around 11.3 ppg along with 5.7 rebounds and he lead the team in fouls. I just think that last stat is kind of funny. I’m sorry McCarty you were really good but Anthony Davis is a beast. The Brow has had 13.8 ppg with 9.8 rebounds and almost 5 blocks. Kentucky has never seen a player like Davis and it’s going to be a while before we see someone like him come our way again…I bow to the brow. 

 

I think this season’s Cats have the potential to be a better team in UK’s basketball history, but an eighth National Championship is a requirement to be considered for this lofty position. I can’t wait for March so I can officially say I went to school at the same time as the best basketball team in our history. Follow me on my twitter @CarolineHallKSR. If you are going to the Drake concert tonight be sure to come to the official after party at Trust! Laura Leigh and I will be there….it’s going to be poppin!! Go Cats!

 

 

 

 

 

It’s really hard to think about anything but basketball right now, especially after that monumental win last night. However, the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships are this weekend and UK is revving up for a historic finish. Both teams will look to, and should be able to improve upon their finishes from last year. In last year’s competition the Women came away with an eighth place finish and the Men got ninth. That’s obviously near the back of the pack and I am largely confident that both of these finishes will be improved upon with the dynamic freshmen class that is turning heads. It’s not only the Freshmen that are making noise however as upperclassmen like Luis Orta, Walter Lutrell, Darryl Bradshaw, Terri-Ann Grant, and Jennifer Svoboda have all had strong indoor campaigns.

Home Track advantage is nothing like it is in basketball or football but it can’t hurt to race on what you’ve been training on all winter. It is always great publicity to host a SEC Championship event at UK no matter the sport, and the UK Track Program is excited to bring all of the SEC Schools up for a competitive weekend at Nutter. I recently caught up with UK Assistant Track Coach Thomas Morgan to ask him some questions about himself and the team. Morgan ran at UK and was born and raised in Lexington. He graduated in 2003 with a bachelor of business administration in finance and in 2005 earned a masters of business administration. Here is what Coach Morgan had to say:

 

 

 

 

5. It seems that every meet this year has ended with athletes entering the all-time top 10 list at UK, even breaking Freshman Records. Was that expected with this recruiting class and team as a whole? It was indeed a very large Freshmen class in size.

~  We had a large incoming group this year in all event areas.  There is a lot of uncertainty with freshmen and the adjustment process but the level of competition has risen so our people are just trying to meet those heightened standards and they find themselves with performances that haven’t been done in a long time but that may not be as competitive as it once was so there is a shift of the bar.

 

6. As a Coach of distance running, what is your philosophy when forming workouts and motivating athletes. 

~  There is a lot of talk about training and mileage going on but we try not to think in those terms.  The actual training is not as important as how well you do the training and the momentum you can gain from stringing together good training.  I believe most college runners are over trained and our culture has created a more is better attitude to training.  I spend more time holding people back than having to push them.  When training is manageable than you can achieve long term success which is what we are after.

~ We hope to get some points in the distances for men and women but more for men I would think.  The jumps for women will likely score some points and then hopefully the womens sprints as well.  It is very difficult to predict who will sneak out a few points but more important than the ultimate team score is our individual performances regardless of place and how they can use this high level of competition to get their best.

 

8. It’s exciting that the SEC’s will be at Nutter. How much of an advantage if at all does this give our athletes as they train in the facility daily.

~  Racing at home is nice mostly in terms of the travel associated with long meets but I hope they have a sense of ownership of our facility and comfort being on a track where they have worked so hard.  It will be a fun event for everyone.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I found many of Coach Morgan’s answers to be spot on and couldn’t agree more with him about the faulty acquisition that more running is better. I would agree that a lot of athletes are overtrained so it’s good to hear that he realizes and makes sure to prevent that. The Indoor Championships are not the pinnacle of the track season but they are a great gauging point to see where our team stands. It is the Outdoor Championships that really matter and while this Indoor Championship is sort of a tune up for the main event in late spring, this weekend should be very competitive and fun to watch.

For all things 2012 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships, click on the following link that provides a timed schedule of events for each day and a link to watch the races live on your computer.

http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/012412aab.html

 

 

Follow me on Twitter for Updates on the SEC Championships as well as Renardo Sidney’s latest weigh in. @JohnBurkeKSR

 

 

Professional Athletes and their pay scales have always, and probably will always, be a topic of discussion among the less athletically gifted.  Some people argue they make too much, some people think they’re making just the right amount, and for some reason the Angels think 240 million in 10 years is just right.  I recently did some research and stumbled upon “The Fortunate 50″ on Sports Illustrated.  The list is the top 50 paid US athletes, and includes Salary, Winnings, and Endorsements.  The top of the list is golfers, then it trickles down into basketball players, boxers, football players, baseball players and race car drivers.  Wait, so there’s not a single woman on the list?  Yes reader, that is correct.  I was thinking a woman would break in the top 50 in tennis, because we all know that it would NEVER be for basketball, but sadly, no ladies made it to the list.  This got me thinking…

Should their be a re-distribution of the athletic wealth among pro stars?  They all train hard year round, play hard in the games, but then athletes like Tiger Woods make 127 million a year, while the maximum player salary as stated by the WNBA in 2012 will be $105,500.  How does this happen?  There’s no way Tiger Woods could spend that much money in a life time, let alone this year, while Women who are playing professional ball are usually having to work additional jobs.  I was not exactly happy to see this news, but who can you really point a finger at?

Is it the companies who offer the endorsement deals?  No, because they’re just trying to make money too.  They want the best stars to be selling their shoes and their Icy Hot.  So is it the players, for not being “good enough?”  No, that’s definitely not it.  The Women who dedicate themselves to the WNBA are professionals, which is something that most people seem to forget.  They are the best their is at the sport that they play, so why are people not giving them that respect?  Which leads us to the perpetrators.  The reason that this is happening is because of ourselves.  Who has ever sat down and watched a Women’s professional game and walked away from it saying, “Yeah, I’ll buy season tickets!” or “Oh my gosh that was so much fun and exciting!”  I know that before my times here at KSRcollege, I wasn’t exactly excited prioritizing Women’s Basketball games, but honestly, with a team that is SOOOO good, how can you not be excited?

So I’m not going to try and tell you guys what to do, or rag on you for not caring more about women in sports, because I can’t change your opinion.  No one else can change your opinion on anything, for that matter, other than yourself.  BUT, I will offer you an opportunity to help yourself change your opinion.  Tomorrow night, at Memorial Coliseum, The Lady Hoops team will bid farewell to their three seniors, and play their final home game of the season.  I strongly encourage you to make a conscious effort to make it to this game.  This team is really frickin good.  They deserve the attention that they have worked hard for all season.  So, that’s tomorrow night at Memorial Coliseum, at 7PM.  Thanks for reading everyone!  See ya there!

 

Sometimes I engage in fights with random University of Louisville fans that last for hours, and then I embarrass them.  @KSR_allHAYL

Yesterday, President Capilouto sent out an e-mail to all UK students informing us that new dorms will be built! The board finally authorized Dr. C with a ground lease with Education Realty Trust, (EdR), to construct a 600-bed residence hall on the field next to Haggin Hall. The new residence hall (opening August 2013) will house Honors students along with high-tech classroom and office space. Also in the works is a 9,000 bed campus…all of this in hopes to bring more students to UK and keep us on campus. EdR would actually own and manage these new freshmen dorms, but they do that successfully with schools in 23 other states.

“A critical component of that effort, revealed in both the conversations I had throughout the university and the committee’s work, was the urgent need to revitalize our campus infrastructure, paying particular attention to the space where our students liveand learn and where our faculty perform their incredible work.”-Dr. C.

In other words, UK is going to totally re-do all of the dorms on south (and north?) campus making them more high tech, spacious, and sanitary by continuing the current use of suite mates. There’s also talk about amenities, so maybe think of them as mini-apartments.  He also mentioned that UK has a waiting list (thousands of students long) for the 4 modern dorms.  How can UK afford this reno?

“EdR, for instance, is offering hundreds of millions of dollars in financing — 100 percent equity financing — to come in and rebuild and manage our campus housing stock.”-Dr. C.

Honestly, it’s about time. These dorms are over 30 years old and have hardly changed a bit. Stay tuned on the updates about the new athletic dorms going up by Memorial Colesium.

Thanks for reading KSRcollege fans, follow me on Twitter- I promise I only tweet about what I’m passionate about–UK! @MeagatronKSR

Junior Anthony Rossi is this weeks SEC Player of the Week in men’s tennis. Rossi is coming off an impressive 3-0 week in singles last week against some of the nation’s toughest competition. Most notably, Rossi defeated Stanford’s Bradley Klahn who is a two-time singles All-American and won the NCAA singles championship in 2010.

Anthony Rossi has now moved up to a career high 13th in the nation in singles. He is currently riding a 16-match win streak dating back to his championship title at the SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championships this past fall.

His first two seasons, Rossi was a solid contributor, but never a stand-out player against the giants of Quigley and Musialek. Now, it seems like Rossi has hit another gear of play, and will be a vital factor in the level of success the Wildcats have this year on the court. UK men’s tennis has the French pipeline on tap, as Rossi is one of three Frenchmen on the team, all ranked in the top 80 in the country.

This is UK’s second SEC Player of the Year award so far in men’s tennis, as Eric Quigley was given the award just a couple of weeks ago.

I consider all of us here at KSRcollege extremely lucky. We all get to experience the current Cats as students. This team is just a joy to watch and has been the most fun I’ve had watching a basketball team. Last night was awesome! The Cats went on the road, got punched in the mouth, and still found a way to win. Coach Cal has rejuvenated Lexington and the University by making Kentucky the class of college basketball. This is truly a great time to be a fan of the Cats. But is it the greatest time? With Kentucky’s long history of winning I wonder what decade would be best to be a student here at the university.

The 40s

The forties saw the rise of the program. Coach Rupp led the Cats to their first NCAA tournament and first final four in 1942. Then in 48 you would have the chance to watch the Fabulous Five win Kentucky’s first national championship and also go to London and win a gold medal. Most of that team would return in 49 and win back to back titles. Also on the football side of campus we had the legend Bear Bryant. It would be a great time to watch the Cats. The only downsides are the environment. The world was embroiled in global war for most of the decade and the newspaper was probably the best source of Cats coverage as television was still in the growth phase. This would be a cool time but certainly not the best.

The 50s

Kentucky continued their winning ways into the 50s winning two more national championships. The fifties had to be a fun time to be a fan. With four titles Kentucky was truly the Mecca of college basketball. The Cats had a sparkling new arena in Memorial Coliseum. We also had a great life at home with peace abroad and a decade of growth and prosperity. The fifties would have been great to see Rupp win his final title with the Cats. Being a student during this time would have been great but I wouldn’t pick it over now.

The 60s

According to this article by the 60s the game of basketball had devolved into a sport of combat. With the NCAA allowing “brawls as long as the turnstiles play the money tune”. Say what you want about Vandy but Berger didn’t foul. These fights would have been cool to see but they don’t make the decade best.  Mainly due to the fact the 60s was also the rare decade that we didn’t win a national title. Despite that shortcoming you could have the chance to watch Kentucky legends like Dan Issel and Mike Pratt. You also got to experience Cawood Ledford in his prime calling all the games on the radio. Unfortunately as you can see in the picture above short shorts were very prominent so that alone strikes this decade from being the greatest.

The 90s

Four Final Fours with two national championships. The end of probation and the Unforgettables. The renaissance of Kentucky basketball. The 96 team. The comeback Cats. The 90s would have been a great time to be a fan of the Cats. I was 8 when they won their sixth title and couldn’t really comprehend how awesome it was. I would love to be able to go back and be on campus during that three year span of national championships.  Also the football team brought forth the air raid and made Cats fans crave a team that throws the ball. Plus the internet began to change the world of sports as you could now communicate with fans of your team around the world. The nineties would be great but I don’t think they compare to:

Today

Today is the greatest time to be a fan of the Cats. Nearly every game is on TV and besides the ones they film on CCTV(Fox Sports) are in glorious HD. The internet, mainly KSR and KSRcollege, gives information on the team anytime you want it. Cal has brought in three straight number one recruiting classes and gone to one elite eight & one final four.  This current team is more potent than Jackie Chan in a room full of props. As long as Cal is coaching the Cats I think we are living in the best time to be a Cats fan. Number eight would seal the deal.

Follow me on twitter if you think this is the greatest time to be a Cats fan @ACassady_KSR

 

 

 

 

It’s a quiet middle of the week for the Cats, let’s take this opportunity get to know the infielders.

 

Tyler Raymond # 47

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Hometown: Grove City, Ohio

Position: 1B

Bats/Throws:  Left/Left

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greg Fettes #40

Class: Freshman

Hometown: Madison Heights, Michigan

Position: Catcher

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

Fettes was drafted in the 43^rd round of last year’s MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers but opted to come to Kentucky.   He will likely be fourth on the catching depth chart.

 

 

 

Micheal Thomas #42

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Hometown: Elizabethtown, Kentucky (E-Town HS)

Position: Catcher

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

Thomas was the fourth catcher last season and bullpen catcher for the last two seasons.  He will likely be third on the catching depth chart behind Maile and Williams

 

 

 

Luke Maile #21

Class: Junior

Hometown: Crestview, Kentucky (Covington Catholic)

Position: Catcher/1B

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

Maile was Kentucky’s 2009 Mr. Baseball and was selected in the 43^rd round by the Boston Red Sox after his senior season and will likely be drafted within the first ten rounds after this season.  He was split time behind the plate with senior Michael Williams and will either play first or DH when he is not behind the plate.  He was fifth in the SEC in home runs last season

 

 

 

Mike Williams #35

Class: Senior

Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee

Position: Catcher/1B

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

Williams was drafted in the 37^th round of last summer’s MLB draft but chose to return for his senior season.  He will split time behind the plate with Luke Maile and will DH or play first when not behind the plate.

 

 

 

 

Steven Hoagland #37

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky (Lexington Christian)

Position:  Everywhere

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

Hoagland can literally play every position on the field but spent most of his time at second during the fall.  He served as a bullpen catcher during his redshirt season last year.

 

 

 

Andrew Bryant #3

Class: Freshman

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky (Tates Creek)

Position: Shortstop/2B

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

 

 

 

 

 

Max Kuhn #9
Class: Freshman

Hometown: Zionsville, Indiana

Position: Infield

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

 

A 24^th round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics last summer.

 

 

 

 

Thomas McCarthy #25 

Class: Senior

Hometown: Corvallis, Oregon

Position: 3B

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

McCarthy returns for his senior season after a breakout junior year.  He transferred from junior college before last season, hit .371 and led the team in hits, doubles, and slugging percentage.  He was named first-team All-SEC at third base after last season and preseason all-SEC by College Baseball Daily this season.  He was also nominated for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award.

 

 

 

Paul McConkey #4

Class:  Sophomore

Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee

Position:  2B

Bats/Throws:  Left/Right

 

Rotated at second base with classmates J.T. Riddle and Matt Reida last season and will do the same this season.  He had a great fall season and was named a New England Collegiate League All-Star over the summer.

 

 

 

Matt Reida #6

Class: Sophomore

Hometown: Russiaville, Indiana

Position: Shortstop

Bats/Throws:  Left/Right

 

Reida was 47^th round selection in the 2010 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox.   He became the primary second baseman last season as a true freshman but will switch to the left side of the infield and play shortstop this season.

 

 

 

J.T. Riddle #10

Class: Sophomore

Hometown: Frankfort, Kentucky (Western Hills)

Position: 2B

Bats/Throws:  Left/Right

 

Riddle was selected in the 35^th round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox.  He will take Redia’s spot at second this season.  He played second and right field last season as a true freshman and was named SEC freshman of the week once  and hit .288.

 

 

 

Thomas Bernal #46

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Hometown: Paso Robles, California

Position: Infield and Catcher

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

 

Served as a bullpen catcher last season and is likely to see playing time at first and third this season.

 

 

 

 

A.J Reed #18

Class: Freshman

Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana

Position:  1B/pitcher

Bats/Throws:  Left/Left

 

Reed was drafted in the 25^th round of last summer’s MLB draft by the New York Mets.  He could crack the weekend rotation during the season but will also see time at first and DH as well as come out of the bullpen on occasion.

 

 

 

Coach Cal said a couple weeks ago that his team needed a loss to keep their heads on straight and to help them focus for the final stretch of the season.

No.  That game last night is exactly what they needed.  The Cats needed a dogfight against a team that wasn’t afraid to push them around.  They needed to have to come from behind to win, and they needed to face that kind of adversity.

In all honesty, when a team wins in the way the Cats did last night, that is so much more productive than a loss.  You can bet that Mississippi State got UK’s attention in a way that not many teams have.  And the Cats handled it better than maybe even we could have imagined.

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that this might just be the most mature team that Coach Cal has led so far here at Kentucky, and I’m going to continue to stick by that assertion.  This team is absolutely ice cold when it needs to be, and will get down to work at the exact moment it has to.

I was somewhat expecting the Cats to take Stansbury’s comments about Beckham to heart, and jump on MSU from the start.  And that would have been all fun and dandy.  They still took the comments to heart, but in a different way.  The Cats coming from behind and winning in that fashion hurt the Bulldogs worse, I can almost guarantee you.

And winning in that fashion also did nothing but help Kentucky.  After they lost to Indiana, they rolled off 19 straight wins and elevated their play to a level that maybe none of us really expected, but only hoped for.  Last night was the closest the Cats have come to losing since that Dec. 10 game.  So, here’s hoping that we roll off another similar win streak to that one (or I guess I should say, continue the one we’re currently on).

I’m almost growing weary of saying over and over again that “this team is special,” but I just can’t resist sometimes.  I was three years old in 1996 and don’t remember the kind of team that is talked about in those hushed whispers for decades afterwards.

This is my version of the ’96 team, and last night was only a piece to the puzzle.  The Cats didn’t need to lose to really get their minds straight; they just needed that game.

Wow. That’s the kind of comeback win on the road you only see from championship caliber teams. The ‘Cats rallied to take down Mississippi State 73-64 after trailing by 13 at the break.

The nightmarish first half saw Kentucky throw up brick after brick while the Bulldogs seemed like they couldn’t miss. UK started 1-11 from the field and was down 12-2 before they even knew what hit them. Awful shot selection coupled with a few careless turnovers doomed the ‘Cats early on. The 10-point deficit got the crowd on their feet and kept them there for the rest of the half. Kentucky may have let the crowd rattle them, as they looked uncharacteristically lost on defense a few times. They gave up a dunk off an inbounds play (which I don’t I’ve seen them do all year), had trouble rotating out of double teams in the post to 3-point shooters, gave up a backdoor layup and it looked like the wheels were falling off. Dee Bost shot lights out and put up 16 points by halftime. The 13-point halftime deficit was UK’s largest of the season. It didn’t look good for Kentucky at the break, but I don’t think many people watching counted them out just yet.

Whatever Cal  said at the break worked. The ‘Cats came out fired up on defense and forced MSU to take contested shots while finally finding a little offensive rhythm of their own. The ‘Cats shot a blistering 50% from the field in the second half and cut the lead to 4 with 16 minutes left. The second half was the Darius Miller Show. Darius recorded all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes including a couple ENORMOUS 3-pointers. When UK needed a spark, they looked to the senior leader and he came through in a big way. If the second half was the Darius Miller Show, MKG should have won an Oscar for best supporting actor. His and-one fastbreak layup put the ‘Cats up 1 with around three and a half minutes to go. He also led the team in scoring with 18 points. UK never looked back as they ended the victory on a 20-4 run.

A few notes…

- Teague took a step backwards tonight. A few poor decisions and some turnovers helped him find his way to the bench for most of the comeback.

- Terrence Jones played as physically tough as he has all year. He may not have had incredible numbers (11 pts, 6 rebs), but he was terrific in the second half fighting for loose balls and defending the post relentlessly.

- Lamb had a bit of an off night as well. Didn’t shoot it great and got lost a couple times on defense, but played hard and still somehow ended up with a quiet 11 points.

- Davis recorded another double-double (13 pts, 11 rebs), but I thought he shot way too many jumpers tonight.

- The technical foul on Davis for hanging on the rim was one of the worst I have ever seen. He was running full speed when he dunked it and only held onto the rim long enough for his legs to get back under him. The ref that made that call should be ashamed.

- Renardo Sidney is unhappy because he eats, and he eats because he is unhappy.

The ‘Cats took Miss. State’s best shot, escaped  Starkville with a huge road victory, and showed the nation they can win ugly if they have to. Can’t say enough about what a win like this means for this team’s confidence. Next up : Vanderbilt on Saturday at noon.

Go Cats.

Follow me on Twitter @djackson_KSR

 

Darius Miller scored six points and had one steal in a crucial one minute stretch that began at the 4:45 mark when Miller drilled a three pointer to bring the Cats within one. The time that elapsed between Miller’s three and the under-4 minute timeout will likely be pointed to as another defining moment for this team, much like the similar stretch against Vanderbilt a few games ago.

 

Kentucky trailed by 13 at the half behind a lack of defensive intensity and forced jumpers early in the shot clock. At various moments in the second half it seemed as if Kentucky might make a run. Every time Kentucky pushed, Mississippi State found an answer. Kentucky waited until just before the final media timeout before finally regaining the lead, never to relinquish it again. 

 

Kentucky came out on top 73-64 behind a gutsy second half effort by a number of players, mostly notably Darius Miller (12 points in the second half final 8 minutes). Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led all Kentucky scorers for the first time in weeks with 18 points and 9 rebounds **Make that 10. MKG picked up another rebound on the stat sheet after the conclusion of the game. Now that is skill.** Dee Bost did his best Devan Downey impression but came up just short, notching a formidable 21 point, 8 assist performance.

 

 

@AllyTuckerKSR  Follow me, everything is alright. I’ll be the one to tweet “OMD and OMKG” during games like tonight.

 

What a great moment that was. Who knew one little “Call Me” sign could become so famous. In case you have forgotten about the phone saga with Boogie here is an interview where he talks all about it.

 

 

 

Fast Forward to around 2:10 to hear Demarcus talk about his reaction.

 

Go Cats! Here’s to hoping Mr. Stansbury is one unhappy man at about 11 tonight. If his face reaches the redness of Miss. State’s uniforms then that is a good sign.