What an ending...

I almost had a heart attack. This highlight doesn't do it justice. If you watched live, you know what I mean.

Haiti instead of Hoops

One of the more proud moments since I've been at this University. Click here to see a video of president Obama thanking the UK basketball team for their efforts in organizing and running the "Hoops for Haiti" benefit. Cool stuff.

Back in the throne

After a seven-year drought since the University of Kentucky found itself at the top of the polls, the 19-0 Wildcats are back on top. What is more amazing is to take a step back and realize that 10 months ago this was a reeling team losing in he NIT. Such is the impact of John Calipari. This time last year the Cats were 16-4, but would finish out the season with a 6-10 record from that point on. This year, they instead find themselves undefeated at 19-0 for the first time in 40 years, and the unanimous number one in the ESPN and AP polls. The slideshow says it all. Superb freshman, and equally fantastic coaching has this team back where it's hungry fanbase wants it. As Pat Forde put it, 7 years is a long time in Cat years.

Below is the Kernel slideshow, which also may I add the UK cheer leading team claimed its 18th championship this year. They have only missed out on the title 2 times in the last 15 years.

Check out the great pics

Back in the spotlight

For just the 20th time ever, Kentucky has taken its place on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In my opinion this is the first huge sign of Calipari making UK a brand once again. The cover features John Wall, likely the number one overall pick of next year's draft. What I like best, is that just like ESPN and all the rest of the outlets, analysts are focusing on him and forgetting about the rest of the firepower on the squad. Sure he is the glue that holds it together, but without DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson, this team wouldn't be 15-0. The way I see it, I'm fine with teams putting all their focus on Wall. Everyone has so far and we have fared just fine. Hopefully this team can keep its momentum going and keep working towards that one number that matters. 8.

As the Commonwealth turns...

For the past two years Lousiville had begun to surpass its big brother in the world of college basketball. Enter John Calipari. The heated rivalry was drenched in gasoline with the addition of Coach Cal and the first 45 seconds of this game saw more intensity than I have seen from a sporting event in years. Elbows, knees, 6 fouls in 45 seconds including 2 technicals. But what matters most is that despite poor shooting and emotion, the Wildcats downed Lousville 71-62 and moved to 15-0, their best start in over 40 years. I'm hoping now that some of the marquee games are behind them, the Cats can focus on trying to run the table in the SEC. They have a home game against Georgia next Saturday, but 3 days later must travel to Gainesville to take on the Gators. Getting past that game would be a huge step for this rapidly improving, young team.

On on U of K.

2000

The University of Kentucky Wildcats snatched up their 2000th win against Drexel tonight, 88-44, the first Division I basketball team to reach the milestone. What made the win that much sweeter was the fact that it was the teams most well-rounded, dominant performance to date. North Carolina is behind UK by 8 games with 1992 wins and Kansas by 20 with 1980. Calipari arrived just in the knick of time, as UKs lead was only 4 at the beginning of the season. The post game celebration is what touched me the most, hearing from Rupp's son, Joe B Hall and even Patrick Patterson. Mashburn did the color commentary which I thought was a classy move by ESPN> The coverage was fantastic as the return from each commercial break was welcomed with historic moments from UK's history, including the Mardi Gras miracle in which UK came back from down 31 against LSU by scoring 62 points in the game's final 15 minutes. Kentucky is now 12-0 and now only one number remains on their mind. 8. Their next national championship.

"Rebuilding project is ahead of schedule"

Kentucky has beaten North Carolina for the first time in 5 years. Calipari's rebuilding project is ahead of schedule. And if it weren't for Wall missing 10 minutes in the 2nd half, this game wouldn't have been the close 68-66 victory that it was. Now the Cats have to head up to head to Madison Square Garden to face UConn on Sunday, followed by a trip to Bloomington to take on IU next weekend. A big start to a big week for UK basketball. But right now, the boys are 8-0 and 4 wins from being the first team to reach the 2,000 win mark in college basketball. It is a great time to be a part of the Big Blue Nation. Let's keep the momentum going. Who's next?

The clash of the titans...

In just under 24 hours, the two winningest programs in the history of college basketball will face off. The University of Kentucky boasts 1,995 wins to North Carolina's 1,991. There are many keys to this game, and while I think UK has the edge in almost every department, they don't have the edge in experience. It is early in the season, and they are far from cohesive. Despite a home-court advantage for the Cats and my heart telling me UK can win, my head tells me UNC will take this one. They have too much experience. UK is still adjusting to a whole new system.

However, Metz Camfield of the Kentucky Kernel has done a great job outlining what the Cats need to do to achieve success tomorrow. Click here to read his entire post on the Blue Nation Blog.

Here are his 5 Keys:

1.) DeMarcus Cousins must stay out of foul trouble. In UK’s first seven games, Cousins has averaged only 20 minutes per game – that’s only one-half of a game for those who aren’t very good at math. He’s still getting 16.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, so just imagine if he got more minutes. Cousins routinely gets in bad foul trouble in the first half, and because of that, his minutes are limited. If Cousins can keep his head and stay out of foul trouble, the Tar Heels will go up against one of the best young centers in the country. What could help Cousins is the fact that he’ll be going up against fellow big men for once. In many of the early games Cousins went up against smaller, quicker “forwards/centers.”

2.) John Wall must keep his emotions in check. It’s been well documented that Wall wasn’t recruited by UNC head coach Roy Williams. Williams today on the Dan Patrick Show (phenomenal show, highly recommend it) said Wall is the best point guard he’s seen out of high school since Jason Kidd. So why didn’t he recruit him? I still don’t understand that. Either way, Wall says he isn’t holding a grudge against his hometown school and his favorite school when he was a kid. Cousins, on the other hand, is saying we’ll all see a different side of Wall because he believes there’s “bad blood” there. Wall can’t make this game about himself and not get his teammates involved. Calipari said he might talk to Wall privately before the game. If Wall plays unselfishly like he did against UNC Asheville the Cats will be better suited.

3.) Transition defense still must improve. In the first three games teams were shooting 3-pointers on the Cats like it was the new cool thing to do – and really, it was. Miami of Ohio and Sam Houston State were setting records at Rupp Arena they were hitting so many threes, and the Cats thus were in cat fights (pun intended) in both affairs. I’m going to read my crystal ball and say UNC has better 3-point shooters than the RedHawks or Bearkats. If you watched the UNC-Michigan State game on Tuesday night you should know what I’m talking about. The Heels’ 3-point shooting is dynamite and if the Cats don’t hustle back on defense they’ll be in trouble.

4.) The outside shot must be present. This one’s simple. Conversely to the last point, the Cats need to hit their 3-pointers in transition and in the set offense. If the Cats can hit their outside shot they’ll be very difficult to beat – that will be true for the rest of the season. It’s been pretty spotty so far this season against lesser opponents so it should be interesting to see how it goes against a top-10 opponent. Sophomore guard Darnell Dodson is the best 3-point shooter the Cats have, but his defense so far this season has been a liability.

5.) Fans must be involved. The Big Blue Nations held a special practice on Wednesday to work on new cheers, heckles and routines for this game. While obviously they’re not going to be as choreographed as the Dukies at Cameron Indoor since there was only one practice for about an hour or so, there are still 24,000+ fans in the building. If everyone is on the same page, Rupp Arena can become the home court advantage that it was back in the day. The Heels played Syracuse in Madison Square Garden, but that crowd won’t be the type of crowd they’ll see on Saturday. This is the toughest environment UNC has played in so far, and if the UK fans are into it and loud the entire game (not just during runs and dunks) – the Cats will have an added advantage and they’ll feed off that energy.

In the BasketBallroom of Cancun...

The Kentucky Wildcats have won the Cancun Challenge after defeating the Stanford Cardinal 73-65 in overtime. While the game was close all the way until the final minute, the two true heroes were John Wall, who hit the game tying free throws with just 2 seconds left in regulation, and Ramon Harris with his furious defense and free throws to put the Cats up in overtime.

What was crazy about the tournament were the conditions in which the games were played. As seen in the pictures, a makeshift court was built in a ballroom, as chandeliers literally hung less than 30 feet above the floor. In addition, the wood that made up the court was warped and didn't fit together properly leaving gaps in the wood wide enough to literally cause turnovers.


While the conditions were bad, the competition wasn't much better. Stanford and Virginia were the only decent teams in the Challenge, and they are mediocre at best. I can only imagine Gillispie chose Cancun just so he could come down and get his drink on... but that's merely speculation. Calipari already has UK in the Maui invitational next year in a field that includes Michigan St, UConn and Oklahoma. Now thats what I'm talking about

Despite the conditions the Cats prevailed with three straight wins, taking their record to 6-0. They return to Kentucky to play a game in Freedom Hall in Louisville on Friday, and next Saturday comes the epic showdown in the race to 2,000 wins when the Cats host North Carolina, then head to Madison Square Garden to take on UConn. Exciting week of UK basketball ahead. Time to buckle up for the ride.

Meet John Wall...

365 days ago Kentucky would have lost to Miami Ohio. But then came the Johns- Calipari and Wall. Miami Ohio played stifling defense and shot 58% from the field and kept themselves in the game. Hell, they took an 18 point lead over the Cats at one point. But when push came to shove, the Cats took a 3 point lead with 15 seconds left until Miami went down court and sunk a prayer with 6 seconds left. I felt it. Overtime. The days of Gardner Webb and VMI came creeping back into my mind. Until I realized the difference this season. The coach on the bench knew how to draw up plays and there was a player on the court capable of handling the ball. John Wall took the ball and sunk a jump shot with a half a second left.

There would be no repeats of the last two years. The Wildcats are 2-0 and ranked 4th in the country in the AP poll with Sam Houston waiting in the wings on Thursday.


Below is the footage of Wall's game-winning shot:

The Madness has begun

The John Calipari era was finally officially ushered in this past weekend with the first UK basketball practice, and it was explosive- figuratively and literally.

Pyrotechnics, lasers, and intricate player intros abound, but so did basketball. Check out the highlights below.

Also you can click here or here to see the two articles ESPN wrote about Big Blue Madness. Or click here for an article regarding the appearance of up-and-coming rapper Drake making an appearance as a guest coach for the scrimmage.









And for Calipari's Epic Speech:




And the 8 second preview of what people can expect to have happen to them when they take on John Wall this year

Finally, it is officially recognized

For those of you who don't follow college basketball year round, ESPN released a college basketball encyclopedia ranking the top all time college basketball programs. The University of Kentucky was ranked number 1. Naturally there were people who wanted to oppose for various reasons, so ESPN took it upon themselves to let people rank the schools themselves. Guess who is number 1? UK. C'mon now.

Now, granted there is ONE argument I think could be made, and that is the fact UCLA has 11 titles to UK's 7. However, the computer took into consideration total wins, and UK is the winningest program in the history of college basketball. In addtion, it took into consideration margin of victory. While in the end this is a trivial and loose ranking, it is the closest thing to a solid ranking we have. And until Big Blue Madness in 2 weeks (The practice that sells out in minutes) this is the fraction of basketball I have to get me through.

Click here to see the original rankings

Click here to see ESPN's new interactive list

Click here for Andy Katz's report on the rankings

Oh, Rick Pitino

Unbelievable story. Rick Pitino admitted to having sex with Karen Sypher in a Kentucky restaurant and then giving her $3,000 for her abortion. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the media in both Lousiville and Lexington handles the news. Pitino is still loved by many UK fans, but hated by just as many. And I'm sure it will be a sensitive story in the Ville itself. Time will tell.

Here is the official story for those who want the details

Crazy stuff from the rival coach

Andy Katz: Wall makes UK an instant contender

Number 1 recruit John Wall to UK

John Wall becomes the line between "Great" and "Historic"

With tomorrow's commitment of the #3 Point Guard, and 5 star recruit Eric Bledsoe to UK, that makes three 5 star players in this recruiting class. Wall would make 4. The class would consist of 6 players in the top 50, 4 in the top 30 and 2 in the top 10. Well, 2 in the top 2... It would be the greatest recruiting class in the history of college basketball ranking wise. Yes, better than the fab five. But Bledsoe means more than that. He is assurance that UK will have a good point guard next season. Wall, however, could be the difference in a Preseason #1 team. Not bad for a month of work by John Calipari.

UK's Recruiting class

Over all Ranking listed first,Name, Position

#2 Demarcus Cousins PF
#22 Daniel Orton C
#23 Eric Bledsoe PG
#40 Jon Hood G

(4 star) Junior College Transfer Darnell Dodson F

Potential:
#1 John Wall PG

Goosebumps

ENVY our PAST. FEAR our FUTURE. Enter the Calipari Era

Yes, it is in its final stages and not yet official, but I choose to be optimistic. If Calapari success would certainly be on the horizon. However if certain elements fall into place, the horizon may be as near as 7 months.

Sources close to Calapari not only state that the coach will accept the offer, but also claim that Calapari will not be coming to Lexington alone. Two current players, Wesley Witherspoon and Robert Sallie will be coming with him. While neither of these are expected to necessarily be impact players, they will add depth to UKs bench.

However this is not where the biggest impact is expected. Sources also report that two of Calipari's recruits are expected to follow him, including the number 1 and 2 recruits according to Rivals.com. These are forward DeMarcus Cousins and point guard John Wall. 

Filling the gap in the PG position would instantly improve this Kentucky team, but if UK holds on to Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks as well as top recruit Daniel Orton, UK  could become an instant top 10 team.

The potential line-up

PG- John Wall (#1 recruit on Rivals)

SG- Jodie Meeks      -------------(Top Scoring duo in UK history)

PF- Patrick Patterson-----------(Top Scoring duo in UK history)

SF- DeMarcus Cousins (#2 recruit on rivals)

C- Daniel Orton (#22 recruit on rivals)

Bench:

Perry Stevenson

Darius Miller

Ramon Harris

John Hood

GJ Vilarino

Josh Harrelson

Wesley Witherspoon

Matt Pilgrim

Robert Sallie

Deandre Liggins?

and more....

Three 5 star recruits added to the top scoring duo in UK history mixed with Sports Illustrated's coach of the year makes for one hell of a basketball team. Yes, I understand that there is a lot of ifs in that mix, but regardless if certain pieces fall out, this team will be much improved. The depth would be oustanding.

Local news reports Hands on Originals (local t-shirt store) is on stand-by to run thousands of shirts reading: ENVY our PAST. FEAR our FUTURE. Enter the Calapari Era. I will be in line.

As Good as High School Basketball Gets

I was fortunate enough to have made the decision to get out of bed early on my last day of spring break. By doing so I got the opportunity to see my alma matter play the best minute of basketball I have ever seen. Down by five, with under a minute to play they found a way to turn a 5 point deficit into a 4 point lead. A 9-0 run in 50 seconds is astounding on its own, and was only amplified by the AMAZING story Fox 19 put together later that night.

http://www.fox19.com/global/Category.asp?C=151146&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=15048&topVideoCatNoB=109491&topVideoCatNoC=104760&topVideoCatNoD=141804&topVideoCatNoE=142722&clipId=3573344&topVideoCatNo=106645&autoStart=true

Hopefully the story of this team will finally begin to shed the positive light on a school that has always deserved it.

Good luck to the Vikes.

The Sonic Boom

Emotional roller coaster continues for always-fervent Kentucky fan base

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By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
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LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Standing in the teeming lobby bar of the downtown Hyatt, Ed Clemons took a pull on his Bud Light bottle and summed up the dire situation in a sentence.

"Tonight's our season," Clemons said.

In an hour, Clemons and 24,354 other fans would fill Rupp Arena to see their reelingKentucky Wildcats battle nemesis Florida with that most important quantity on the line: hope.

Mark Zerof/US Presswire"Believe in Blue" hasn't always been the easiest task for UK fans during this up-and-down season.

In three hours, hope would bloom anew. The most ardent fan base in America would help win the game for Kentucky by lowering a sonic boom at the literal last second. But nobody saw that coming amid the tension and apprehension in the bar at 8 p.m.

That's the beauty of sports -- you walk into an arena never knowing what kind of riotous plot twists and emotional swings are to come. Certainly nobody could have foreseen despair giving way to delirium in a few flicks of the wrist.

Losers of three straight, the Cats had played their way onto the outskirts of the NCAA tournament bubble, in danger of missing the Big Dance for the first time since the program was on probation in 1991. With another loss, all those Kentucky fans who take vacation days in March to follow their team might have nowhere to go. Hope was on the ropes.

Not only that, they were on the brink of an all-time low -- their first-ever three-game home losing streak in Southeastern Conference play. Kentucky has been in the conference since 1933, so we're merely talking about a 76-year run.

To stave off historic ignominy, the Wildcats merely needed to slay the program that has owned it and the Southeastern Conference.

Florida had beaten Big Blue seven of the last eight meetings. It has won two national titles and visited three Final Fours since Kentucky last hung a truly significant banner in Rupp. And Florida's coach, Billy Donovan, had spurned an all-out effort by UK to make him its coach in 2007.

That's why, with a dismal rain falling outside, the vibe was anxious in the Hyatt bar.

"It gets rougher every game we come to," said Clemons' buddy from Dry Ridge, Ky., Jeff Ammer. "It's a sad time for Kentucky basketball. We've never been in this situation. We're not used to losing at home -- that's the toughest part of it.

"But if everybody stays home, we ain't got a chance to win."

Ammer would be a prophet by night's end.

---

Nick Calathes stood at the foul line with the air vibrating around him.

For those few seconds, the sound in Rupp went beyond intrusive to percussive. It pressed upon the eardrums. It messed with the mind.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Ed ReinkeThe decibel level at Rupp Arena reached epic levels with Nick Calathes at the free throw line with less than a second remaining.

It won the game.

"That's the loudest I've ever heard Rupp Arena," said Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks, whose miracle 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left would be the difference between agony and ecstasy.

Meeks is correct, but he's only a kid. I've been attending games here for 21 years, and I've never heard it as loud as the moment when Florida's splendid guard stepped to the line with three shots to tie. Not when Rex Chapman was soaring or Pitino's Bombinos were scoring 100 points. Other longtime Rupp regulars concurred.

It wasn't just loud. It was desperately loud. It was Calathes against all the audio force Kentucky's fandom could throw at him.

In that cacophony, Calathes suddenly lost the stroke that had made 11 of 12 free throws on the night. He'd scored 33 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished three assists, made two steals and been the best player on the floor for 39 minutes and 55 seconds.

But then Meeks made that 3 to seemingly win the game -- only to have Kentucky's Kevin Galloway foul Calathes on an attempt to tie with six-tenths of a second left. After the officials cleared the prematurely celebrating Wildcats off the floor, they handed the ball to Calathes and Rupp went berserk.

The first free throw just caught the front lip of the rim, hit the back iron and popped out. Calathes sagged and Kentucky's players standing along the lane rejoiced.

Still, there was a chance to make the second, intentionally miss the third and get a tip-in to tie. But Calathes sent the second one hard off the back rim and it was all over but the final eruption.

"Choker! Choker! Choker!" the fans yelled behind the Florida basket as the Cats wrapped up their 68-65 victory.

"I just missed them," Calathes said.

Missed them under considerable duress from a crowd that knew how much was on the line.

"I don't know how anyone could have better fans in the whole wide world," Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said afterward. "They came here ready to rumble, and they rumbled. I think they made a very big difference in the game.

"The thing is, we needed them the most. Obviously, we've been struggling a little bit. We needed them, and we're very appreciative of them showing up and making the great effort they did."

For the longest time Tuesday night, it didn't seem like the fans would have a chance to affect the outcome. Kentucky had done what it so often has done this year -- handling the ball with appalling sloppiness and failing to find enough scoring from someone other than Meeks and center Patrick Patterson.

Meeks was misfiring badly, missing seven of his first eight 3-pointers -- and the only one that went in was a straight-on banker. Patterson was ineffective, going 3-for-9 until spraining his right ankle with 9:06 left. He limped off and never returned, though postgame X-rays of the ankle were negative. (His status is day-to-day.)

At that point, Kentucky led 50-47. Florida answered with a 13-4 run for a 60-54 lead with four-plus minutes to play, pushing the Cats' season that much closer to the brink.

But then Meeks heroically rose to the desperate occasion. He buried a 3 off a curl move to make it 62-59 with three minutes left. Then hit a tough jumper to make it 62-61. Then after a Dan Werner 3 went halfway in and spun out, Meeks was fouled and hit two free throws for a one-point Kentucky lead, 65-64.

Werner made 1 of 2 free throws with 40 seconds left, tying the game and setting the stage for the final flurry.

AP Photo/Ed ReinkeThe game-winning 3 by Jodie Meeks blew the roof off Rupp Arena on Tuesday night.

After a UK timeout with 12 seconds left, seven on the shot clock, Kentucky abandoned any pretense of complexity and inbounded to its best player. Meeks dribbled left off a largely ineffective Perry Stevensonscreen with Calathes in his mug. There was no choice but to shoot.

If only it were that simple.

Meeks stepped back. As he rose, he felt a twinge in his left calf -- a cramp that cut short his lift. Meanwhile, Calathes got a hand on the ball. Meeks readjusted in the air, brought the ball to his right shoulder and flung it at the rim.

"We told him, 'Dribble to the left and shoot an off-balance shot,'" Gillispie deadpanned. "It was probably a lucky shot, but I really believe you deserve one once in a while."

Said Meeks: "I thought it might have been short because I barely jumped. When it went in I was happy."

Happy? Happy doesn't describe the reaction in Rupp. Instant euphoria is closer -- followed quickly by instant outrage and despair when Calathes was sent to the line.

"I was scared," Meeks said. "I was thinking he was going to make all three."

Kentucky's fans wouldn't allow it.

---

At 11:59 p.m., Gillispie strode out onto the court for his postgame radio show. About 300 fans were still there, giving him a rousing round of applause.

In the Hyatt bar before the game, they were doubting everything Gillispie did -- his substitution pattern, his dependency on Meeks and Patterson, even his demeanor with the media.

"I would love to have Billy D instead of Billy G," said one UK fan, who asked that his name not be used. "I hate to say that out loud."

By midnight, they were toasting Billy G at the jammed lobby bar. The Dry Ridge boys, Jeff Ammer and Ed Clemons, were back to their Bud Lights. The pregame tension was long gone.

"This week will be great," Ammer exulted. "It don't matter if the sun shines or not. It can snow 50 inches and it won't matter. In Kentucky, we live basketball."

And hope lives another day.