Joe Robbins - Getty Images
Kentucky has already won as many road games this year as last year's Final Four team did in the SEC.
After a grueling road trip to Auburn and Tennessee, both of which turned out to be cat-fights, the Kentucky Wildcats return home to the more friendly confines of Rupp Arena to face their next two opponents, the Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.
I'm sure the 'Cats will be happy to be home for a while, and hopefully it will translate into better offensive execution. Now for today's links:
Kentucky Sports Radio // UK releases Fall Semester GPAs
Pretty good, overall.
John Clay: UK showing it's a Final Four-quality team // Kentucky.com
Silly to rip Roy for ensuring UNC’s starters avoided court rush | Beyond the Arc
"Let’s make sure that we understand that I was not trying to embarrass Florida State by pretending that they could not control the crowd," Williams told the Raleigh News & Observer. "That’s not what I was trying to do at all. I was just trying to protect our team. We had an ugly incident at Las Vegas and one of our female managers got knocked down."
I think Williams is right. We have already seen first-hand the dangers of students rushing the court and losing their perspective at Indiana.
Ohio State delivers payback to Hoosiers - CBSSports.com
Thad Matta and the Buckeyes exactly a measure of revenge for the loss in Bloomington two weeks ago with a resounding thumping against the Hoosiers on Sunday afternoon. The final score was 80-63, and that doesn't even tell the story of how one-sided the game was from start to finish. The outcome was never in question as Ohio State jumped out to an early lead thanks largely to its defense and role guy Lenzelle Smith.
Good win by the Buckeyes. I'm glad they avenged the loss to the Hoosiers. I wish we could.
UK Hoops Battles Back to Beat South Carolina
Fourth accuser in Bernie Fine case admits ‘he told a lot of lies’ // Beyond the Arc
The sexual molestation investigation against former Syracuse assistant Bernie Fine was already a muddled mess, but Sunday added another level to it.
What a mess all this is.
Aggie fans happy to see Billy Gillispie again | Bryan/College Station, Texas - The Eagle
"Good to see you Billy." Thanks for everything Billy." Even the odd "We love you, Billy," greeted the former A&M coach of three years.
Wow. Still a lot of good feelings for Gillispie at A&M.
Coach Cal using Alabama football as inspiration for his team - CoachCal.com
"You think about this team, if I could ever get them to that, wow," Calipari said. "Now we’re what you all think we are. Right now teams are going to hang around with us. They’re going to have chances to beat us, chances for buzzer beaters, until we get to that point. We’re just not there yet."
No. We're not. Hopefully, we'll get there.
TNJN // Stokes opens up possibilities for Volunteers
Stokes was impressive, and it's likely he'll make an impact.
Next Cats: Amile Jefferson among 3 UK recruits on TV Sunday // Kentucky.com
What is worst loss by eventual NCAA basketball champ? // John Clay's Sidelines
Interesting stuff. I think in modern times, we could see more lopsided victories than in the past due to more parity among the programs. But Carolina's blowout in Tallahassee was one ugly result.
John Calipari’s ultimatum: Get tougher | The Kentucky Kernel
"The reality is, every tough ball, they got it," Calipari said. "Until the very end."
Part of that problem, as Calipari sees it, is players willing to concede rebounds to Kidd-Gilchrist and Davis. The pair account for 17.9 of UK’s 40.7 rebounds per game. A better team effort is needed.
I agree with Coach Cal on this one.
UK-UT notes: Jarnell Stokes a big one that got away // Kentucky.com
"He definitely offered me a scholarship," Stokes said of Calipari. "But they didn't have a scholarship on the table because he was unaware I was graduating early."
Well, those are the breaks. He would have really helped next year's recruiting class.
0 recs | 57 comments
I Have No Problem With Leaving the Court Early
but i believe Roy should have taken all the players, not left just the walk-ons or he should have stayed with them. I believe Hamilton’s offer took him unawares and i would hope he would say that he would do it differently again.
BCG had his issues when here, but I have to think some of it was the environment. TAMU and TTech will probably lead to better memories
Stokes – Bet Cal keeps a free scholarship from here on out available. Oh, and Stokes did not know he was graduating early either – he got caught in the politics of Memphis City School basketball
without reading John Clay’s article, i will say the worst loss was Uk’s to UL when we won in 98. Maybe not the worse scorewise, but losing to a rival that was really horrible that year was bad
memphis wildcat - January 15, 2012
About Roy, I agree
Leaving 5 walk-ons on the court says what about them… “Hey guys, you are expendable. Good luck!”
You don’t walk off and leave part of your team in jeopardy. Not if you concerned about the safety of your team, you don’t.
jeffy - January 15, 2012
I am not a fan of rushing the court,
too much chance for injury in a crowd out of control. I understand getting the players out of harms way. But as a parent, I would not want my child on a road trip with an individual responsible for his safety like Roy Williams. He should have at least stood at the end of the court and waited until the last player was off the floor before he exited himself.
I was a squad leader in boot camp during my army days. We went to a live fire range where we crawled under barbed wire with live rounds screaming just above our heads. It was my job to make sure that every member of my squad made it through the obstacle course before I left it myself. It was scary but I never entertained the thought of leaving them behind just so I could reach a safer area more quickly. I consider what he did a very cowardly act.
kywineman - January 15, 2012
And the arena is not designed to handle a flow of people towards the court at all!
you have to climb over the benches for half the arena to get on the court
floundringaround - January 15, 2012
I guessing...
…that the parents of the walk-ons left behind on the court at FSU will be horrified to know what Ole Roy thinks of their safety.
tom4nash - January 15, 2012
The game was over with 14 seconds left. The entire team should have left.
blue oregon - January 16, 2012
If you watch the post game
this was NOT Hamiltons suggestion. The World Wide Leader got that one completely wrong. Hamilton said it was mutual and Roy said it was really his idea….
But he should have stayed within eyesight of his players, he left them out there to die!
floundringaround - January 15, 2012
l have to say that giving Roy the benefit of the doubt is tough
Considering his history of really selfish behavior. I will in this case, but only because everyone else seems to be so willing. My personal opinion is that most celebratory fans would want nothing to do with him and the NC squad. Considering they both rolled over and played dead.
Greg Alan Edwards - January 15, 2012 via Android app
Rushing the courts...
to me is lame and dangerous. But if you are UK,UNC,Duke,ect,.ect., it’s part of life in most cases if you lose on the road. Maybe Roy was concerned about his players…or some of his players…but he would have been better off to just suck it up,hope for the best and not cause such a rukus. But that’s Roy.
maysvilleblue - January 16, 2012
No man left behind?
Abandoning his sinking ship with crew still aboard is indefensible. I was struck by today’s story in The Telegraph about the recent Italian cruise disaster:
“[The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner] is being held in a prison in Grosseto, in Tuscany, for suspected manslaughter and for abandoning the vessel before all the passengers and crew had escaped – an offence that carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison under Italian law.”
Roy at least owes the men he left behind, and their families, an apology. Next time – and there may well be a next time before the year is out – Captain Roy needs to go down with his ship.
Wheatgerm - January 16, 2012
To be honest
It’s not the player’s safety that would worry me, it’s the assistants and managers and such, the people that aren’t pretty athletic, bench-pressing dudes. Roy specifically quoted a female manager getting knocked over, and that’s what I’d be afraid of, to. Those things (court rushings) are like a moshpit but worse.
I don’t have a problem with the act at all, either leaving the walk-ons out there — somebody has to finish the game, frankly — or stepping off early in a game that is obviously over to that degree.
bobothevol - January 16, 2012
Doesn't mesh
Roy did cite an incident in a previous game with a female manager. Soooooo … he pulls his all his team (except for the walk-ons). None of which are women, to the best of my knowledge.
So, if you’re worried about the non-athletic staff members, why not just send them to the locker room??
The point is this: it looks like Roy was concerned about a risk to his better players (and perhaps himself). And he said nothing to dispel that conception.
jeffy - January 16, 2012
From the Tipton article: one of the few things of his I agree with wholeheartedly
“I believe Jarnell Stokes will be a stud. He looks a little like Wes Unseld.”
I know he isn’t eligible for the NBA for another 18 months or so. But I sure hope he’s ready to go then. This kid will be good. 3 or 4 more games against us is all I want to see him wearing Orange. Unseld was a stud, that’s a serious complement.
sweasyf - January 15, 2012
UK Cheer Are Champs ... Again
KSR reports that UK cheerleaders cop 19th championship. Top 10 performance for dance team as well.
Wild Weasel - January 15, 2012
Bling Bling 19th Ring!
Can we say Dynasty like no other? :-)
jords - January 15, 2012
Dynasty. #WeAreUK
a2d2 - January 16, 2012
Icing on the cake for a great weekend for UK...
As the UK cheerleaders go for #19. #WeAreUK
tweet from UKAthletics…
“The title is UK’s fourth in five years and seventh in nine . Cheerleading finished ahead of second-place Alabama.”
UKWildcats #1 - January 15, 2012
That is sweet.
Incredible.
Glenn Logan - January 16, 2012
+ONE
GLENN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oilliecat - January 16, 2012
Alabama wins the Cheerleading National Championship!!!!
bobothevol - January 16, 2012
Noel Dominates McGary
John Calipari was on hand to witness a great one on one match up: 2013 Nerlens Noel vs 2012 Michigan commit Mitch McGary. Noel is a near Anthony Davis clone on defense and had 22 & 8 but his team lost 56-52. Short video. Noel’s team also features top 2014 wing Wayne Selden who scored 30 in prior game.
Wild Weasel - January 15, 2012
Matt Jones comes down hard on Jimmy Dykes.
I don’t always agree with Matt but I am with him on this one. I had to turn the sound off on my TV Saturday. I could not take that clown any more. He is totally distracting from the game and acts like the telecast is more about him and his little catch phrases than the ongoing basketball game. I personally think he takes obnoxious to a level even Dickie V. can’t obtain.
kywineman - January 15, 2012
+1
Catch phrases, constant hyperbole… and dropping the reminder that he was once an NBA scout.
trross1200 - January 16, 2012
He doesn't bother me at all.
But then again, I don’t really pay much attention to the announcers. I don’t need someone to tell me what my eyes are seeing.
Glenn Logan - January 16, 2012
Tipton, Dykes.
Sometimes, Tru, the hard-shelled exoskeleton you display against the common insults of life makes me think there really is something behind this alien life form you have chosen for your avatar.
Wheatgerm - January 16, 2012
:-)
Could be …
Glenn Logan - January 16, 2012
He doesn't bother me either
but I pay little to no attention to the mouthpieces announcing college bball.
kcgard2 - January 16, 2012
Dykes
He still has an Anti-UK bias from his days as assistant to Eddie Sutton in late 1980’s.
FortyYearCatFan - January 16, 2012
Yikes! Dykes!
That’s what I say everytime he does a UK game or any game for that matter. Most announcers these days are pretty bad (oh for the days of Dick Enberg) but Dykes is one of the worst IMO.
maysvilleblue - January 16, 2012
What the heck was that stuff in the 2nd half about "cutting him across his face?"
And his new one “rimrun” sounds like something you do when you have diarrhea….
BCinVA - January 16, 2012
Now that is funny:)
KansasUKCat - January 16, 2012
That's a total crock....he sings Uk's praises every chance he gets
SevenRings - January 16, 2012
Dykes is bias toward the SEC teams me thinks - I have heard him many times praising the Cats
KansasUKCat - January 16, 2012
Nope
He still thinks UK treated Sutton badly.
FortyYearCatFan - January 16, 2012
Or maybe...
he was the one who had the job of sealing that package of cash that came open during the whole Sutton debacle. That would explain a lot of things if that were the case. He was probably talking about something that happened 10 mins. before instead of paying attention to what was going on at the time. Probably sent him to the back of the plane too.
maysvilleblue - January 16, 2012
used to think it was neat....
Like Tim mccarver in the old days, but alas it is a case of way too much of a good thing.
memphis wildcat - January 16, 2012 via mobile
aha!
That’s just it. For the educated and well-rehearsed-in-all-things-basketball fan he might be annoying, but there are those people who might not watch a lot of college basketball , those who are not all that knowledgeable that find his kitchy little phrases and corny little memes endearing, funny, and well, just downright entertaining and even, dare I say, informative. I think sometimes people forget that and forget the fact that he isn’t just talking to us, you know, he is talking to an entire nation.
Personally speaking, I don’t mind him at all and he doesn’t get under my skin all that much. Sure, sometimes the endless repetition of things and his little saying tend to grate on ones nerves, but I’m sort of like Glenn in this instance, I just try to tune it out because like I stated above he isn’t there to try and impress and entertain solely me. I can certainly be entertained by simply watching our team as that is why I’m watching the game in the first place, after all.
BigSkyCat - January 16, 2012
Just remember, "violent cuts" was patented by Dykes to describe our own
Jodie Meeks……
Greg Alan Edwards - January 16, 2012
Can someone help me with this?
In looking at the NBA teams Stat line, we have a column for +/- listed. I assume + is a good thing, and _ is not so much. Is this a statistic that might be helpful in the college game? Whether a player is pulling his weight while in the game? Cal always talks about a player being a liability on defense, as to why he can’t play that player much. Do the college coaches use this stat line for their player evaluations, i.e. Kenny Payne?
UK1972 - January 16, 2012
Score Related
The +/- is basically the trend of the game score while the particular player was on the court. Don’t know whether it is used in college but most likely it is, but not universally.
Wild Weasel - January 16, 2012
Statsheet usually lists +/- for games and for the overall season
But it depends on them having a play-by-play that lists substitutions and even then there are often errors in the p-b-p so that the numbers don’t all add up right.
The extent to which it is useful in college basketball is somewhat debatable, mostly due to having about 1/3 as many games as NBA and the difference in competition. Even at the NBA level there are a number of ways that the raw +/- is usually adjusted in an effort to eliminate some of the problems.
JLeverenz - January 16, 2012
I have decided ...
… that +/- is mostly not useful in college basketball. I occasionally look at it, but I think it’s just too noisy.
Glenn Logan - January 16, 2012
I think it can be useful
But you have to be careful about what conclusions you draw that it is seldom worthwhile to use – noise is certainly an issue.
JLeverenz - January 16, 2012
Plaudits From TN
David Climer of the Tennesseean comments (positively) on UK’s one-and-done’s.
Wild Weasel - January 16, 2012
Roy was correct to protect his players.....
How many examples of players, assistants, coaches, other fans etc. need to get trampled or hurt for people to understand that fans have no business on the court or field. Never, no matter what kind of rationalization you make up, they should never be on the field.
SevenRings - January 16, 2012
agree...but all his players!!! Either take them all off or Head Coach stand at the end of the bench near the walkway to the locker room.
blue oregon - January 16, 2012
Kentucky's road schedule has proven to be rather fortunate
We already knew that playing Florida and Vandy on the road at the end of the season would be beneficial for a young-ish team by giving it time to play together and get some road experience before facing those two teams. Now it looks as though getting Tennessee early is just as helpful by getting them when Stokes is still learning the college game and getting up to speed with the rest of the team.
JLeverenz - January 16, 2012
I knew we were extremely fortunate with the schedule before the season begun - not taking the Vol's in consideration
You’re exactly right we are damn lucky to have played them now at their home.
KansasUKCat - January 16, 2012
UNC shows lack of class
If you get blown out like UNC did, leaving the floor early has nothing to do with player/team safety. This is a case of ol Roy’s ego getting bruised and being embarrassed by the blowout. You don’t see other coaches taking their scholarship players and leaving the floor before the game is over. It’s a weak move, especially for a team that has dealt out its fair share of beatdowns to others.
ZeDeezus - January 16, 2012
Hi, Gang!
Just like Freddy Krueger, I’m baaa-aaack from my golf trip to the Dominican Republic. You guys did great work wearing your lucky hats, sweatshirts, or whatever, and keeping your legs crossed in the right direction and the correct kind of Kentucky distilled spirits in your glasses since we won two road games while I was gone. Great work. I’m sure the closeness of the UT game was because I was out of touch, but nevertheless. . . .
One hundred sixty-two practice and competitive holes in six days followed by a quick spiritual nine on Sunday are tough on old bodies (You doubt that nine holes can be spiritual?? Try playing Holes 15-17 on The Teeth of the Dog in birdie-birdie-par on an almost windless Sunday morning and your doubts will fade away and you will be a believer in one way or the other.) If you haven’t been to the DR in winter, I highly recommend it.
And now, with apologies to Paul Harvey, for the rest of the season—
oldcat'69 - January 16, 2012
Glad you had a great time
and are back safely. Now get to work and straighten out this team. ;)
kywineman - January 17, 2012
I'm so jealous.
Glenn Logan - January 17, 2012
God bless Dr. Martin Luther King and what he accomplished during his lifetime for the black race
He may have been a flawed individual – but who isn’t. God rest your soul Dr. King…!
KansasUKCat - January 16, 2012
AMEN......
Greg Alan Edwards - January 16, 2012
correction ...
God bless Dr. Martin Luther King and what he accomplished during his lifetime for the HUMAN race
jeffy - January 16, 2012
Exactly.
kywineman - January 17, 2012
that's worth a rec
JLeverenz - January 17, 2012
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