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UK's Locke: 'We've got to find a way'

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:05 EST

The games that got away still weigh heavily on the minds of the Kentucky football players.

It seems each time the Cats have had an opportunity to build momentum and climb the Southeastern Conference ladder, a close loss against a comparable opponent smacks them back into reality.

UK couldn't hold on to a 17-14 lead at South Carolina and dropped a 28-26 heartbreaker. The Wildcats rebounded for a big road win the next week, and visions of a 9-3 record started dancing in their heads. Then they came home and followed up a win over Louisiana-Monroe by blowing another halftime lead, getting outscored 21-7 in the third quarter of a painful 31-24 loss to Mississippi State.

Kentucky is at a crossroads again. An unprecedented second-place finish in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division is within reach after a 24-13 win at Vanderbilt last week, but UK must find a way to take care of business at Georgia on Saturday night.

This isn't one of Georgia's most powerful squads, as the Bulldogs come into the matchup with an identical 6-4 record to the Cats.

Calipari: Cats have a lot to learn

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

See offense improve. Watch defense decline.

That one-step-forward, one-step-backward start to his first season as Kentucky coach had John Calipari in search of an analogy on Friday.

"I've got five fingers in the dike," he said, "and we have water from seven different holes.

"Just because we're young."

With his team playing Rider on Saturday in Rupp Arena, Calipari reminded reporters (and perhaps himself) that Kentucky starts three freshmen. UK uses a fourth freshman as a front-court regular.

Cats need more substance to go with their 'wow' style

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

Eric Bledsoe was sneaking in from the blind side.

Arthur Zulu, Sam Houston State's 6-foot-8 center, was going up for what he thought was an uncontested second-half layup.

Yet before Zulu could get the ball to the rim, Bledsoe, UK's bouncy 6-foot-1 freshman guard, soared in from behind and pinned the ball between the rim and the backboard.

Where it stayed.

Rupp Arena roared.

UK notes: Cousins comes up big for Cats

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

On a night of swiss-cheese three-point defense, Kentucky benefited from its own unstoppable force: freshman big man DeMarcus Cousins.

"I felt I could not be stopped," Cousins said after his 27 points and 18 rebounds powered UK to a 102-92 victory over Sam Houston State Thursday night.

Cousins, the tallest player on the floor at 6-foot-11, acknowledged that his size "helped a lot" against a team that defended with him at times with players four and five inches shorter.

"But I was a lot bigger the other game and had a horrible game," Cousins said. "I came out with a better mind-set."

With Cousins and Patterson combining for 47 points, UK enjoyed a 48-18 advantage in points from the paint. The greater size also showed in UK rebounding missed free throws five times and converting those into baskets.

A Georgia homecoming for 15 UK scholarship players

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:05 EST

The 2009 Kentucky roster is nearly as much Peach as it is Bluegrass. UK has 22 native Kentuckians on scholarship, but Georgia ranks close behind with 15 scholarship Wildcats.

UK head coach for offense Joker Phillips has always been a presence in Georgia, citing the state's central location and dense population.

"It's just natural for us to be there," Phillips said. "Parents don't have any problems getting to games, whether it's three hours to South Carolina, 2½ hours to Knoxville, four hours to Vanderbilt, an hour-and-a-half to Auburn. We felt like with the numbers of football players there it's a place we had to be."

Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn and other SEC programs usually pluck most of the four-star prospects out of the Peach State, leaving Kentucky to scrap for the two- and three-star players. But many of those lower-tier prospects have panned out nicely. One of the first players Phillips brought to UK from Georgia was Quentin McCord, whose only offers were from Kentucky and Troy, a Division I-AA school at the time. More recently, UK brought in a pair of lightly regarded Georgia products, Trevard Lindley and Sam Maxwell, and turned them into pro prospects.

"(McCord) becomes a guy that not only stars here, but plays in the NFL," Phillips said. "We've been getting guys like that to develop into players. You've got to project here at Kentucky, and we've been able to go down there and get guys who really have helped us."

Cats aren't fooled by Georgia's sub-par stats

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:05 EST

The Dogs are near the bottom of the league in several categories:

■ Scoring defense (11th, 25.9 points per game)

■ Total offense (10th, 344 yards per game)

■ Rushing offense (11th, 135 yards per game)

■ Passing defense (11th, 213.8 yards per game)

Cats show knack for winning on road

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:05 EST

Not long ago, SEC members couldn't wait to welcome the Kentucky football team into their friendly burgs.

Why, they'd all but pick up the Cats at the airport and chauffeur them to the hotel before administering an old-fashioned rear-kicking as a parting gift, capped by a friendly handshake.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

As Kentucky coach, Rich Brooks lost 13 of his first 14 Southeastern Conference road games. Since then, the Cats are 6-7.

This year, their three best performances have all come outside Commonwealth Stadium — that would've-could've-should've 28-26 loss at South Carolina; that fourth-quarter comeback victory, 21-14, at Auburn; and last Saturday's second-half surge past Vanderbilt for a 24-13 win.

UK notes: Sam Houston State player has seen plenty of tradition

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

Playing against Kentucky on Thursday night completes a grand tour of college basketball for Sam Houston State point guard Ashton Mitchell.

As a freshman, he and the Bearkats played at UCLA, which has won the most NCAA Tournament championships.

As a sophomore, he and the Bearkats beat Texas Tech, coached by Bob Knight, the winningest coach in Division I history.

Now, Mitchell faces Kentucky, the winningest program.

When asked Wednesday which milestone opponent meant the most to him, Mitchell said, "Honestly, probably this one. I say that because we played UCLA my freshman year, and I didn't get much playing time. My sophomore year against Bobby Knight, I had limited playing time.

Miami followed UK blueprint to three-point success

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

Freshman guard John Wall, the hero of Kentucky's victory over Miami (Ohio) on Monday night, was impressed by the RedHawks' 15-for-26 shooting from three-point range.

"Coach said they could shoot but, good grief, I didn't know they could shoot that good," Wall said after the game. "I've never seen a team shoot that good."

Nor has Kentucky seen an opponent make more three-point shots in Rupp Arena.

During the three-point era, only one other UK opponent has made 15 three-pointers in a game. Georgia went 15-for-30 against visiting UK on Jan. 26, 1999. D.A. Layne made five of 11 three-point shots in that game, and teammate Jumaine Jones made four of nine.

"You know, you never plan to do those things," Miami Coach Charlie Coles said of the sharpshooting. "When it started happening, you just say, 'Well ... '"

Dribble-drive only a part of Cats' offense

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

If you had been out of the country the last 10 months and dropped into the Kentucky-Miami (Ohio) game Monday night, you might have thought Billy Gillispie was still Kentucky's coach.

One big man, DeMarcus Cousins, was at the high post. From there, he tried to pass the ball to another big man, Patrick Patterson, in the low post.

That was Gillispie's power-oriented high-low approach to offense.

Huh?

Hadn't Gillispie been fired last spring? Hadn't UK hired John Calipari, who used his speedy dribble-drive offense to make Memphis a player again on the national scene?

Receivers make UK running game go

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:07 EST

The high-octane passing games in college football these days allow receivers to put up eye-popping numbers.

But Kentucky head coach for offense Joker Phillips is old school. Back when he played at UK under Jerry Claiborne (1981-84), a wide receiver would be lucky to catch 20 balls in a season. Phillips had 75 receptions during his career; Randall Cobb already has 53 with three games to go in his sophomore year.

Where receivers earned their keep in Phillips' day was as blockers, something Phillips constantly harps on with his current group of receivers.

"That's how I grew up," Phillips said. "When I played, you got more enjoyment out of springing a guy loose than you did making a play yourself. I really enjoyed watching George Adams and those guys get in the end zone, and that's what I try and instill in these guys here. It's like taking a charge in basketball. It's something you have to give up for the team. You can't just be a pass receiver. You have to be a physical guy."

The receivers are reminded of the importance of blocking through three key elements Phillips picked up from Claiborne: 1. Stay square 2. Outside leverage. 3. Football position.

Near-miss will get Cats' attention

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

Monday night's murderously close scare at the hands of the ravenous Miami RedHawks was the best thing that could have happened to John Calipari's collection of young Turks.

You could argue the only thing better would have been for Kentucky to lose to Charlie Coles' club.

OK, not really. After all, a second-game loss in the Calipari era would have produced a viral wave of blue-clad cliff-divers. All I heard Tuesday were personal anecdotes of Panic Room, er, Rupp Arena patrons experiencing degrees of negative vibes when UK dropped 18 points behind.

Kentucky basketball fans might say what they care most about is March. Thing is, to them, every month is March.

That's another reason John Calipari is the right guy to drive this monster truck. Finally, a Kentucky coach who likes to win, yes, but a Kentucky coach brave enough to say he doesn't have it all figured out in mid-November, audacious enough to say he was "ecstatic" to fall 18 points behind so he could see how his team would react, and crazy enough to broach the unthinkable, i.e. it's OK to lose. In November.

Cats' goals extend beyond a bowl

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:59 EST

Don't get the Kentucky football players wrong. The bowl-eligibility-clinching win over Vanderbilt last week was nice and all, but the Wildcats have made it clear they want much more.

The mood on the team bus following the Vandy game was subdued compared to that of 2006, when the Cats clinched bowl eligibility for the first time in seven seasons with a win over the Commodores.

"It was unbelievable elation not only among our team, but among the fan base when we got that sixth win" back in 2006, Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said. "I think, that time, we were celebrating so long we almost came back and lost to Louisiana-Monroe. "There was no major celebration (Saturday), but what it did do was put us in position to continue what we all want to do on this football team and in this program, and that's climb the SEC East ladder while knowing we have a chance to be somewhere in the post-season."

"I remember when we won that sixth game and felt like we were on top of the world," senior offensive lineman Christian Johnson said. "You couldn't tell us nothing. Now it's not enough. We need more. We're trying to improve and get better, and we're not trying to stay in the lower or middle half of the SEC East. We want to work our way up to the top."

Technically, six wins don't guarantee a bowl bid, but the Cats seem to be all but assured of going somewhere for the holidays. There are nine SEC teams that are bowl eligible, and Tennessee could make it 10 if it beats Vanderbilt at home this weekend. Florida and Alabama look like safe bets to make the BCS. And with the SEC having tie-ins to eight other bowls, all the league's bowl-eligible teams figure to have a place to go. The only potential glitch would be if Mississippi State (4-6, 2-4) wins its last two games and becomes bowl eligible, which would leave 11 teams for 10 spots if Tennessee also qualifies.

Wall-elujah: Freshman saves UK

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

Kentucky's joy ride this season hit unexpected turbulence Monday night.

With Nick Winbush setting a Rupp Arena record for a visiting player with eight three-point baskets, Miami forced No. 4 Kentucky to play a possession-by-possession nail-biter.

Thanks to inside dominance and a clutch shot by John Wall, UK won 72-70.

Wall, belatedly making his highly anticipated UK debut, hit a 12-footer from the left side inside the final second to win the game.

"That's John," fellow freshman DeMarcus Cousins said. "Mr. Clutch."

Wall shows he can live up to hype

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30 EST

The legend of John Wall only grows.

Ghosts of Gardner-Webb hung heavy in Rupp Arena Monday night. Massive underdog Miami (Ohio), fresh off a loss to Towson, had ridden blistering three-point shooting to a 70-70 standoff with mighty Kentucky.

As the game clock ticked toward zero, Wall — the lavishly hyped UK freshman point guard playing in his first "real" college basketball game — raced down court with the basketball.

"I was kind of nervous," Wall would say later. "Under six seconds to go. I knew I had to try to make a play."

When the clock dropped under two seconds, the 6-foot-4 North Carolina product rose from the floor just left of the lane and launched a 15-footer.

Hartline to have surgery, miss final two games

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:58 EST

Mike Hartline tried unsuccessfully to give it a go against Vanderbilt on his bad left knee on Saturday.

Now, the junior quarterback will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair the cartilage in that knee.

Hartline will miss Kentucky's final two regular season games but is expected to be ready for UK's bowl practices. The Wildcats qualified for bowl eligibility with its 24-13 win over the Commodores.

Hartline sustained a torn medial collateral ligament and torn cartilage on Oct. 10 during the South Carolina game. Hartline sat out four games before returning in a backup role against Vandy. But Hartline went just 2-of-6 passing for 10 yards and appeared to be favoring the knee on several occasions.

"When the game starts flying as fast as it does in the SEC and (he would) try to plant and move and go, it just wasn't functioning correctly, so we decided to go ahead and get (surgery) done on Tuesday morning," Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said.

UK's Wall ready for college debut

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:34 EST

With his belated college debut at hand, Kentucky freshman John Wall expects to be nervous at tip-off Monday night against Miami (Ohio).

"If you don't have jitters going into a game, you're not a basketball player," he said Sunday.

The official unveiling of a player widely perceived as the first pick in next year's NBA Draft figures to cause other emotions among those in the Kentucky camp: elation, reassurance, anticipation.

But Coach John Calipari downplayed this first time to see his star freshman guards, Eric Bledsoe and Wall, on the court together against outside competition.

When asked what he expected Wall's addition to mean Monday, Calipari said, "I don't know. We'll see when they play. Hopefully, less turnovers. But maybe not."

UK notes: Miller 'trying to figure it out'

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:15 EST

Kentucky Coach John Calipari said that only one person can get wing Darius Miller playing better: Darius Miller.

"There's only one way to build confidence and self-esteem: demonstrated performance," Calipari said on Sunday. "That's it.

"It's not me pumping you up and giving you shots. It's demonstrated performance. It doesn't matter what I say."

Miller said he couldn't explain his slow start to the season: averaging 7.5 points in two exhibition games and then going scoreless (and taking only four shots) in 32 minutes against Morehead State.

Miller acknowledged that he's still trying to settle into a role in the new offense. "I'm still trying to figure it out," he said. But Miller dismissed that adjustment as a factor.

Cats' ground game pounds Vandy in 24-13 win

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:05 EST

NASHVILLE — Neither Derrick Locke nor Randall Cobb is very big, and both have spent a good portion of the year beaten up from carrying such a heavy workload for the Kentucky offense.

The duo took even more body blows Saturday at Vanderbilt but, with the Wildcats' season on the line, Locke and Cobb had more than enough to land the knockout blows that led to a 24-13 win and bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season.

Locke carried 25 times for 144 yards, including the game-clinching score in the fourth quarter. Cobb, who played with a small splint on his sprained left thumb, carried 14 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. And Locke was also responsible for the game's biggest passing play, a 41-yarder to Morgan Newton on a halfback pass that set up UK's first score.

Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks called the play of Locke and Cobb "amazing."

"They're warriors," UK head coach for offense Joker Phillips said. "They're unbelievable players with the heart of a lion. We're just happy to have those two guys."

UK notebook: 'D' is key to Cal's success

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:03 EST

Despite the hubbub about Kentucky players needing to adjust to the dribble-drive offense, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas says there's a bigger — and more important — adjustment the Wildcats must make for new coach John Calipari this season.

"I think that biggest adjustment will be on defense," Bilas said on an ESPN teleconference last week. "Cal's teams won over the years not because of offense."

Statistics support Bilas' contention.

None of Calipari's last four teams at Memphis ranked among the nation's top 100 in three-point accuracy. Memphis famously did not shoot a high percentage from the free-throw line, either.

Yet the Tigers won and won.