Is This the Face of Someone with Leverage?

Well, helllllllllloooo Thursday. The man pictured above has had quite the morning. Some comments/questions for this glorious Thursday morning.

Did this guy eat the old Billy Clyde?

I would give a penny for the thoughts running through the minds of A.D. Mitch Barhart, University President Lee Todd, and local sports anchor Alan Cutler. You think these guys are having a nice Thursday?

If you are THE MAN at WLEX, how is your first reaction not to get Alan Cutler out of bed down to Lawrenceburg/Frankfort?

Will Billy Clyde end up paying the University of Kentucky before its all said and done?

Does anyone know where Joe B. Hall and Tubby Smith are? With all of the stuff going on with former coaches, we might need to move these guys into hiding. NORAD, Fort Knox, wherever.

I've tried telling everyone who has ever come in contact with me: Do not mess with Mercer County? I guess the same can be said for their neighbors just north (Anderson County). Welcome to the party fellas.

Does Billy Clyde use a phone for everything? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess he's a horrible poker player. Nerves = cell phone.

Do I need to do a "On this date..." feature today? I'm guessing........no.

Has there ever been a better offseason to be a Big Blue fan? It's going to end at some point, but all of this in one summer?

Can someone get Rick Pitino in front of a camera? He has got as happy or happier than anyone in the UK administration.

Sorry if this is a bit random and all over the place. I'm just really having trouble wrapping my head around how stupid this guy is.

So you're saying it's over?

I know how you feel, kid.

That's it. That's all she wrote. A tired UK team falls to a sharp-shooting Irish team. There was no life in the Cats tonight. The product of a long season full of hard practices, little help, and tremendous pressure from outside sources.

Now all we can do is sit back and wait.

Your move, Mitch.

While I wait, I think I hear the "Untouchables" calling...

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN

The next 24-48 hours will be very interesting for everyone in Big Blue Nation. Players, coaches, and fans have been on edge for quite a while now and tonight's loss only intensifies the feeling. Notre Dame was far superior in what turned out to be a listless effort from the Cats for the first 35 minutes of the game. Human Shrek had 283 points (actually 30 pts-11 rebs) and the Fighting Irish were a scolding 73-74 (actually 12-25, 48%) from 3 point range. It seemed as though the Cats turned it on only when we realized the game was already over, almost a mirror image of how we ended the 2009 season. Get some rest, tomorrow should be an interesting day.

RECAP/BOX SCORE

John Calipari said in his NCAA press conference today the expectations of Memphis fans are getting crazy now. Its like if he doesn't get at least 30 wins each year, for sale signs will be put in his front yard. He also said at least two of his players will be drafted next year. Am I reading too much into this? Let the speculation officially begin!!

Keys to the Game

As we inch closer to tipoff, the more I think UK may get destroyed. The Cats have continually pulled me in during the 2008-09 season, only to rip my heart out with an effort so pathetic, they could be mistaken for a high school team. Was this because we were pressing at the end of the year trying to make the NCAAs? Possibly. Is it simply a team playing closer to its potential? Maybe . Or are we just playing crappier teams? Fo Shizzee.

Here are my three keys to the game:

1) Someone other than the big two has to either shoot or attack the rim.
Ramon did a decent job of this in Omaha. Everyone knows Darius is more comfortable of late. Porter cannot continue to pass up open looks, if for no other reason than to keep the offense flowing and the defense honest. Perry continued his efficient postseason play with a double-double. This is a must.

2) Our perimeter defense must be consistent.
We lucked out Monday night. Creighton hit 8 of 19 three pointers. Usually a recipe for disaster. But they had no inside game against us. This will not be a problem tonight as human Shrek will provide the Irish with tons of scoring in and around the paint, leaving the defense vulnerable from the outside. Three point specialist Kyle McAlarney is a very good compliment to Harangody.

3) Rebounding, Rebounding, Rebounding
Rumor has it the Big East is a physical conference. Well....I guess there's only one way for us to combat this!!

Go Cats.

PANDA WATCH: Chapter 4

Yo Billy, Who's our next coach?

The performance tonight has momentarily put the wet blanket on the Kentucky basketball fire. The Cats escape tonight 65-63 in Omaha. A trip to South Bend awaits Wednesday. Jodie Meeks said on the postgame on ESPN News that the Cats were "very, very tough tonight."

Oh, and something else to make you smile, here's this!

RECAP

Oops!

No comment

Correction to my last post. The game will be aired on ESPN, not ESPN2.

It looks like Creighton is a 2 point favorite, with both teams matching up pretty equally. A small nod to UK for a slightly better offensive and defensive shooting percentage, but Creighton has home court advantage.

Carry On..

Ah, the memories...

Greatest. Team. Ever.

Big game tonight, as the good guys travel to Omaha to face the evil Creighton BlueJays. Tip is at 7 on ESPN2. I have heard some posters on other sites saying they hope UK loses so we can get on with wrapping up BCG's future. That kind of talk blows me away. Regardless of you opinions on the coach, we should all rally behind the team and always cheer for a UK victory.

By now you've all probably seen the piece from WKYT where they interviewed the parents of some of next year's recruits. All the parents are saying the same thing: If BCG is out, we are not a lock to come to UK. Does this concern any of the anti-BCG folks? If you think this year is bad, consider the possibilities...

There is a good post today from A Sea of Blue talking about how MB has already told us what he plans to do, so we shouldn't be expecting weekly updates or comments about BCG's job.

If you have a Neflix subscription, take a walk down memory lane and watch the 1996 NCAA Championship. It is available either by a normal rental or by using their "Instant Viewing" feature. Ahh, the glory days. One thing that hits me immediately is the physical differences between the 96 team and the UK teams of recent past. Just from their outward appearance, you can tell that they are more talented. Everyone is big, fast, and coordinated. These kids were just built differently.

Maybe it isn't a fair comparison. Not many teams, UK or otherwise, can compare to the talent assembled on that '96 team.

Anyway, here is a little clip sure to either make you all nostaligic or thoroughly depressed...

Westward Bound

Kentucky will go west to Omaha, Nebraska next Monday to face #1 Creighton in the second round of the 2009 NIT. The Blue Jays defeated Bowling Green Wednesday night 73-71 to set up a date with the Cats. The win moved Creighton's record to 27-7, having one of the best records on the outside of the NCAA Tournament. They were co-champions of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season, but failed to get a bid after a poor showing in the semifinal round of their conference tournament. They have won 11 of the last 12 games.

Go Cats.

The Coz says, "SEND IT IN LANKY FELLA!"

The first 25 minutes of this game was easily the best and most relaxed UK had looked in two months, possibly the year. The players (dare I say) were smiling while they were on the court. It was a fun game to watch on TV and would have been awesome to be in attendance. To be in a Kentucky crowd where the crowd chants as the shot clock is about to expire, whodathunkit?!?!?

I'm floored they couldn't get the HD cameras there, though. I mean, the NIT tilt between Penn St. and George Mason was in HD for goodness sake. All in all, a good night to be a UK fan. It was the most unique setting ever for a basketball game and it was the loudest crowd ever in the history of the world (until UNLV came back). Good night or good morning.

RECAP

BOX SCORE

The Beginning of the End?

Will this be the last game coached by Billy Gillispie or will this simply be a stepping stone for the coach going forward? I think some of the excitement surrounding this game could be for the event inside Memorial, while some of the excitement is for the circus possibly awaiting a storied program. Should be a great atmosphere. I'm guessing you will be reading a bunch of "loudest I've ever heard it" and "most unique experience in the history of the world" type of stories tomorrow morning. Enjoy.

Go Cats.

The Buzz is Here. No, not Dave Baker.

Not sure how many of you live in Lexington, but the buzz around town is awesome. Cat Scratches has an update of just how crazy its getting over at Memorial with staff preparing for the titanic tilt between the #4 and #5 seeds in the NIT. You might not think it means much to anyone, but you are wrong--dead wrong.

I just got done running an errand downstairs where the Joe Craft Center connects with Memorial Coliseum, and let me tell you that there is a noticeable buzz around the arena. People are running around scrambling trying to get the place ready for tonight.

To say it’s been busy around these parts the last few days is an understatement. It’s been a zoo. It’s not every day that we host the men over here at Memorial Coliseum – in fact, it’s the first time the men have played since 1976.

One question: Don't these same people have to get Memorial ready for basketball twenty(ish) times a year? Basketball is basketball, no?

Two Teams. One Winner.

UNLV will come to Memorial Coliseum to face the Cats Tuesday @ 9:30pm on ESPN. My two favorite teams of all time (1990 Rebels, 1996 Cats) will face off for the Championship of 1st round NIT brackets. I've got nothing else. I'm disappointed, but........HERE WE GO CATS!
Needless to say, my expectation are lowered.

HERE WE GO!!!!

For those wondering....the NIT SLECTION SHOW IS 9:00pm ON ESPNU!!!!! Get your brackets ready. If you don't fill out an NIT bracket, you are not a true UK fan.

NIT BRACKET