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Snowden Dreaming Of Denver

Don't be fooled by her pretty face, or Keyla Snowden's goal to be an entertainment reporter. She's determined. She wants the Final Four.

"I think about it all the time. Not going to Denver is not an option," said the UK guard.

There was a time when Matthew Mitchell wasn't sure Keyla would make it because she was labeled as a shooter. But, she developed her game. It sounds like a commercial, but it's real. What it means to be a Wildcat.

"It's great to be a Wildcat. I love being here. I love the people. Like the facilities, I love everything. I just want people to know that Kentucky is the place to be if you want to excel on and off the court," said Snowden.

It's been a great season for Kentucky basketball. There are so many things about this team that really stick out. That includes a word you don't often hear about a basketball team, love.

"Our heart and just being able to play for each other. We love each other and we don't want to let each other down. I think it will be an advantage because a lot of people will say it. They might have chemistry on the court but off the court, it's different. I think with our team we have it both on and off the court."

It takes heart to play defense. Kentucky doesn't stop playing "D" It's what you do when you really want to reach the mountain top in Colorado.

 

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UK Women Look To Finish Season Undefeated At Home

The No. 13/10 Kentucky women's basketball team looks to send out its three seniors (Crystal Riley, Amber Smith and Keyla Snowden) on a winning note when the Wildcats play host to South Carolina on Thursday in their home finale. Game time in Memorial Coliseum is 7 p.m. ET.

The seniors will be recognized during a special "Senior Night" ceremony prior to the game.

The Wildcats (22-5, 11-3 Southeastern Conference) are looking for their school-record 12th SEC win and just the third undefeated home record in school history. UK is currently 17-0. The only other times the Wildcats went undefeated at home were in 1980-81 (15-0) and 2009-10 (17-0). The Wildcats, who are tied for first place in the SEC with Tennessee, also have their sights set on winning their first SEC regular season championship since 1982.

"Big, big game tomorrow night," UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell said. "It's our final opportunity to play at Memorial [Coliseum] this season and that's special. The team has done a beautiful job this season playing at home and so we would love to use the home court to our advantage and play really hard against South Carolina on Senior Night. It'd be special. I'd love to send these seniors out with a win. The tough part about tomorrow night is that South Carolina, they are a very, very tough group of players. They are a well-coached team and, I think, one of the toughest defensive teams in the country. It will be very important for us to stay focused on what we need to do in order to win the game and we need a good day of preparation today. We just implore the fans to come out one more time for us this year. We need a big, big crowd to try to help us end this season right at home."

Leading the way for the Wildcats this season is junior All-America and SEC Player of the Year candidate A'dia Mathies (Louisville, Ky.). Mathies leads the team in almost every statistical category, including scoring (15.2), steals (2.7), 3-point field goals made (42) and 3-point field goal percentage (.375). She is also second on the team in rebounding (5.3), assists (2.7) and blocks (0.7). SEC Freshman of the Year contender Bria Goss (Indinapolis) follows in the scoring column with 11.6 points per game. She has scored in double digits in five of the last six games, and is the league's freshman leading scorer. Sophomore forward Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) is coming off her first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds vs. Vanderbilt. She is UK's leading rebounder with 6.4 rebounds per game.

South Carolina, which is tied for third in the SEC standings, enters Thursday night's game coming off a 69-55 victory at Alabama on Sunday night. The Gamecocks were led by senior guard La'Keisha Sutton who poured in a team-high 13 points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Junior guard Ieasia Walker passed out a team-high four assists.

Senior guard Markeshia Grant is South Carolina's leading scorer, averaging 11.3 points per game. Sutton (10.1 ppg), is South Carolina's only other double-figure scorer. Freshman forward Aleighsa Welch leads the Gamecocks on the glass with 6.1 rebounds per game.

South Carolina has one of the top defenses in the conference, allowing an SEC-best 49.9 points per game to go with a 3-point field goal percentage defense of 20.8 percent.

Kentucky defeated South Carolina 66-58 earlier this season in Columbia, S.C. The Wildcats were led in that game by Snowden's team-high 15 points. Smith (Winter Haven, Fla.) passed out a season-high tying six assists in the win, and went 6-6 at the free-throw line in the final 49 seconds to help preserve the win.

This is the 48th meeting in the all-time series vs. South Carolina. UK owns a 29-18 lead overall, including a 17-5 advantage when the game is played in Lexington. UK?has won the last three matchups vs. the Gamecocks in Memorial.

 

 

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Darius Is The Glue

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Compared to the rest of Kentucky's roster, Darius Miller is a dinosaur.

But the 6-foot-8 senior guard does bring the Wildcats some experience and toughness, and he scored all of his 12 points in the final eight minutes to help No. 1 Kentucky climb out of a halftime hole to beat Mississippi State 73-64 on Tuesday night.

"I just tried to focus in," Miller said of the Wildcats' methodical second-half comeback. "I knew we were all going to have to make plays."

Miller's dominant stretch was punctuated by a 3-pointer with 1:27 remaining that gave the Wildcats an insurmountable 71-64 lead. The close game was a rare test for Kentucky (27-1, 13-0 Southeastern Conference), which has plowed through the conference schedule with relative ease.

As usual, Miller got plenty help from the Wildcats' phenomenal freshmen. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 18 points and Anthony Davis added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats (27-1, 13-0 Southeastern Conference) trailed 41-28 at halftime - which was their biggest deficit of the season - but slowly climbed back to take their first lead at 63-62 with 4:11 remaining on a layup by Kidd-Gilchrist. They never trailed again, winning their 19th straight game.

Kidd-Gilchrist scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and also added 10 rebounds for the double-double. Kentucky finished the game on a 20-4 run.

Dee Bost led Mississippi State (19-9, 6-7) with 21 points while Arnett Moultrie added 13 points and 11 rebounds for his SEC-leading 16th double-double of the season. It was a bitter loss for the Bulldogs, who have lost four straight games.

"There wasn't an ounce an energy they brought back to the locker room," Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. "They left it all out on the floor."

It was a tense game throughout with three technical fouls, including two for the Wildcats.

That wasn't a surprise considering the recent competitive history. The programs have split the past six games in the series, and three went to overtime.

Mississippi State came into the game on a surprising three-game losing streak - falling to Georgia, Auburn and LSU - that has put its standing for an NCAA tournament at-large bid on shaky ground. And the Bulldogs played like a desperate team.

In front of a rowdy Humphrey Coliseum crowd, Mississippi State couldn't have asked for a much better start. Renardo Sidney nailed a 3-pointer and Bost found Moultrie for an alley-oop to take a quick 5-0 lead. The Bulldogs stretched that advantage to 25-13 on Bost's 3-pointer that danced around the rim before falling through the hoop.

While Mississippi State was cruising, Kentucky was uncharacteristically rattled.

The Wildcats couldn't get the ball inside to their talented big men, instead settling for contested shots on the perimeter. Marquis Teague was called for a technical which Mississippi State turned into a five-point swing, with Bost making both free throws and then a 3-pointer for a 34-21 lead.

Jalen Steele put the exclamation point on a dominant first half, knocking down a 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs their 13-point halftime lead.

"We should have been down 20," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "They played outstanding and we played OK."

The only bad news for Mississippi State was the loss of Rodney Hood, who sustained what Stansbury called a "sprained knee" late in the first half and didn't return. The Bulldogs already had a thin playing rotation and used just six players in the second half.

It appeared to be a factor as Kentucky slowly wore Mississippi State down.

The Wildcats went on an 11-2 run to start the second half as the game turned feisty, with Kentucky's Davis and Mississippi State's Moultrie both receiving technical fouls. The Wildcats pulled within 55-53 with 7:17 left on a layup by Terrance Jones, but Mississippi State responded with a dunk from Moultrie and a 3-pointer from Bost to push the lead back to 60-53.

That's when Kentucky started its game-winning rally, finally taking the lead on a hustle play by Kidd-Gilchrist, who grabbed his own missed shot and converted the layup for a 63-62 lead

The Bulldogs never could respond. Bost scored 16 of his points in the first half, but struggled on offense once the Wildcats put the 6-foot-7 Kidd-Gilchrist on him.

"He was long and bothered me," Bost said. "But we got it to who we needed to get it to. We just didn't hit the shots."

Miller's late 3-pointer in front of the Kentucky bench pushed the Wildcats over the top.

"Darius Miller is the fiber that holds that team together," Stansbury said. "He's the key to them."

(Copyright 2012 Thesociated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

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Post Game Notes Of UK's Win Over MSU

Kentucky Basketball Postgame Notes
Kentucky vs. Mississippi State
February 21, 2012
Humphrey Coliseum - Starkville, Miss.

-- Kentucky improves to 27-1, 13-0 in the Southeastern Conference, while Mississippi State falls to 19-9,
6-7.
-- The Wildcats are 88-20 all-time against Mississippi State and 32-12 against Mississippi State in Starkville.
-- UK is now 898-251 in SEC regular season action.
-- The Wildcats are riding a 19-game winning streak and have won seven straight on the road. The 19-game streak ties for the longest streak in the Calipari era with the 19-0 start by the 2009-10 squad. The last Wildcat team to win seven-straight on the road in SEC was the 2002-03 team that went 8-0.
-- Kentucky has won its first 13 in league play, the best SEC start for the Wildcats since the 2002-03 team went 16-0.
-- UK returns to action on Saturday, hosting Vanderbilt. Tip-off is scheduled for noon ET and the game will be televised on CBS.

Team game notes
-- The Wildcats used the starting combination of Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb, Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague for the 19th time. UK is 18-1 with that starting five.
-- Darius Miller was the first sub off the bench for the 17th time this season.
-- Kentucky extended its streak of games with a 3-pointer to 815 games, the third-longest streak in the country.
-- The Wildcats 13-point deficit was their largest all season. Previously, the Cats largest was nine against North Carolina and eight against Tennessee.
-- Kentucky trailed 41-28 at the half, its largest halftime deficit this season and only the fifth time this year UK has trailed going into halftime.
-- With five blocks, the Wildcats moved to 14th on the NCAA's single-season blocks list.
-- The Wildcats took their first lead of the game, 63-62, with 4:11 left in regulation on a Michael-Kidd Gilchrist lay-up.
-- UK came back from 13 points down for the victory. It marks the largest UK comeback since it came back from down 18 against Miami (Ohio) at the beginning of the 2009-10 season.
-- Kentucky shot a blistering 50 pct. from the field in the second half, while holding Mississippi State to just 32 pct. from the field.
-- The Wildcats turned the ball over just nine times, the 10th time this season UK has limited its turnovers to single digits.

 

 

 

 

Individual game notes

#1 Darius Miller
-- Finished with 12 points, moving to 46th on UK's all-time scoring list with 1,130 points.
-- Has hit three 3-pointers in back-to-back games.

#3 Terrence Jones
-- Has scored in double-figures in six of the last seven games.

#14 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
-- Recorded his sixth double-double of the season.

#23 Anthony Davis
-- Tallied his 12th double-double of the season, tied for third all-time among UK freshmen.

#25 Marquis Teague
-- Hit his first 3-pointer since canning a pair of 3s in Florida game on Feb. 7.
-- Finished with multiple 3-pointers for the fifth time this season.

 

 

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Kentucky Comes Back To Beat Mississippi State 73-64

UK gets off to a terrible start thanks in part to Mississippi State and thanks in part to some bad decisions by UK.

With 6:48 gone in the game, UK hit only 2 of their first 13 shots while the Bulldogs hit 5 of 11.  UK had only four points and were quickly behind 14--4.

After having some trouble inside, UK was settling for a lot of outside shots that weren't falling.

Meanwhile, Dee Bost was on fire.  Not just with his game high 16 points at the half, but he had 6 assists and 3 steals.

"Somebody has to guard him," Cal told ESPN.

For the half, UK hit 12 of 30 for 40%.

Mississippi State was 14 of 29 for 48%.  That includes 6 of 12 from downtown.

Marquis Teague, who got a technical, leads UK with 8.

Mississippi State leads 41-28 at the half.

In the locker room Cal told his team, "we are down six baskets, what are we made of?"

Late in the first half, Cal put Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on Dee Bost and it slowed him down.  Cal started it the same way in the second half, and it kept on working, That and UK was playing much better team defense and did a better job of rebounding.  

Down 60-53 after a long Bost three, UK comes back strong.

Mississippi State was up by 7 with 6:17 to play.  Two years ago, MSU was up by 7 with 3:00 left and lost.

Miller makes three free throws after being fouled on his three.  It's 60-56.

After Miller makes a steal, Kidd-Gilchrist finishes the play with a drive.  UK is down 60-58.

Miller from downtown.  UK is down by one 62-61.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist decided that he was not going to be denied.  He goes hard to the bucket and scores.  UK goes up 63-62 with a little over four minutes left.  It's their first lead.

The Bulldogs fold while Miller hits a three from downtown Corbin to make it 71-64 with 1:32 to go.

The Cats get a share of their 45th SEC Championship winning 73-64.

"Good win for us," says Cal.  "Good road win."

"We got to get better."

5 Cats were in double figures. 

Kidd-Gilchrist led UK with 18.  Anthony Davis had 13. Miller had 12.  Lamb and Terrence Jones had 11.

Dee Bost was held to 5 points in the second half and finishes with a game high 21.

After a horrible start shooting, UK hits 43%, while Mississippi State finishes with 41%.

 

 

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Will UK & Mississippi State Play Another Overtime Game?

Quietly, this has become a big rivalry. Two out of the last three games between Mississippi State and Kentucky have gone into overtime.

What True Blue fan will forget what happened to DeMarcus Cousins. Mississippi State fans got his cell phone number. They said things to Cousins that we couldn't and wouldn't say on television.

"They have been talking about it for months," says Cal about Tuesday nights game. "They can't wait. I wish I was in the tee-shirt business down there. The white out or something. And it's going to be cowbells and the other stuff going on."

March is almost here, so instead of going harder in practice, Cal is sticking with his formula for success. Lots of individual work by the players on their own time. But, when it comes to practice, it's easier.

"We want fresh legs and fresh minds. I mean, probably three weeks ago we backed up. And look, there is a hundred ways of doing this. I'm not meaning this towards anybody else. But there is a hundred ways to do this. There are guys who go three and a half hours right now. And that's what they do and they are doing it now. And they win and they do fine."

There is no opposing coach in the conference that understands Kentucky like Rick Stansbury. He is a Kentucky boy. And, as he says, Kentucky has the ability to bring out the best in you and the worst in you.

 

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UK Women Snap Losing Streak, Beat Vandy 70-61

(AP) - Back home after losing three straight on the road and falling out of the Top 10, No. 13 Kentucky recovered with a 70-61 victory over Vanderbilt on Monday night.

Samarie Walker scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Wildcats (22-5, 11-3 Southeastern Conference), now tied with Tennessee for the conference lead.

The Wildcats' SEC victory total is their highest ever and was their 19th consecutive win at home, 17 of those this season.

Tiffany Clarke scored 19 points and Christina Foggie 16 for the Commodores (20-7, 8-6), who could have tied four teams for third place in the SEC.

Walker scored 13 points in the first half, which ended with Kentucky ahead 39-23. Vanderbilt got as close as 61-55 with 1:21 left after an 11-0 run, but Bria Goss' jumper with 1:08 remaining restored Kentucky's lead to eight.

Keyla Snowden added 14 points and Goss 12 for Kentucky.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

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Stansbury Apologizes To Twany Beckham

Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury took to Twitter for an apology Monday night.

UK walk-on Twany Beckham transferred here from Mississippi State, and his former coach took a shot at him early in the day.

"He's seeing some pretty good basketball. He's getting a front-row ticket every night. Yes, sir," Stansbury said.

He backtracked Monday night.

"I'd like to clear up the comments I made earlier today about Twany Beckham. First off, they were taken out of context. I've never said anything negative about a player, nor will I. Again, those comments were taken out of context. Earlier tonight, I called Twany and had a great conversation with him. He's a great kid and I would never say anything to hurt or embarrass him. I wish him nothing but the best," Stansbury posted on Twitter.

Beckham said Monday afternoon that he now plays for Kentucky, so that's the only team he's concerned with. But that doesn't mean he isn't looking forward to going back to Starksville.

"I can't wait. I'm looking forward to it. I'm hyped up right now. Going down there and getting to see some of my friends and playing in a place I played for two years, I can't wait," said Beckham.

 

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Cal's Comments Pre-Mississippi State

UK is on the road for a 9pm tip against Mississippi State. Cal comments before practice.

On the rivalry with Mississippi State ...
"They have been exciting games. Even our game here last year where it looks like the game is over, we miss three front-end one-and-ones up six and give them a chance. They have played inspired and we expect that they will play inspired this game."

On Arnett Moultrie seeing the matchup with Anthony Davis as a chance to prove himself ...
"I think all players, like I tell them, they aren't only playing against the name on the front of the shirt, they are playing against the name on the back of the shirt and that is what makes this unique and different. I don't care that we start three freshmen, they aren't looking at it that way. They are looking at it, ‘hey they are saying this guy is all that.' It's not just Mississippi Sate it is every team we play. They play against us because of the name on the front but they are also playing against that name on the back. No (Anthony does not get that more than others). Every guy, our point guard, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, I mean every guy that we have on our team, Darius Miller, they are all saying I'm going after this guy, I'm going to show I'm better than him. That's why this isn't for everybody, every game you walk out there somebody is trying to make a name at your expense. Someone is trying to make their team's season at our expense; every game we walk into is that way."

On the defensive challenge of Dee Bost for Marquis Teague ...
"It's hard, but they put him in a lot of pick-and-rolls and he's been pretty good in pick-and-roll defense. You can't go under, the kid will pull up and shoot the shot, you have to fight over the top. He's pretty good at going to the basket but Marquis has done fine, he'll be fine."

On playing at Humphrey Coliseum ...
"Well they are in to the game. The arena is fine, it's a great little college town. The whole town shuts down for this game, they have been talking about it for months, they can't wait. I wish I was in the t-shirt business down there, I heard they had a white-out or something. It's going to be cowbells and all the other stuff going on, it's exciting down there. We've had some unbelievable rivalries at different schools but with this one, obviously they get up for us and we better get up for them or we don't win the game. If you don't play well against them we'll lose, if we don't play well we will come back with an L."

On where Kentucky got better against Ole Miss ...
"I thought we did some things defensively that we hadn't done, they made some shots that kind of surprised me. Our press has got to get better if we are going to use it, it stinks right now and that's not their fault I really haven't broken it down. We're going to do some stuff today; I don't think they have a mental picture of what I'm looking for because they aren't very good in it. The zone offense, I think we are getting better but we have a long way to go. I would predict this team will play us zone 60 pct. of the time, they are not going to want to bring their big people out in the pick-and-rolls. It's all good though, we've got to get prepared to go in a tournament game and somebody play us forty minutes of zone and us be prepared to play against it."

On having many options being a relief to players ...
"There are two things in that. One, it is good for your team but it's good when you are running plays at the end of the game it isn't for one guy, everybody gets a look on that set. Whether we need a 3, everyone will get a look, here it is, not there, look there, look here, alright you have to take it. I think it's important that they understand that we just want you to play their best, play to win and if we don't we move on to the next game. I don't want them focused on winning and losing, I just want them focused on playing harder than the opponent and let's just try to get better every game, we are just trying to get better."

On what Coach Calipari is looking for at this point in the season ...
"Well we want fresh legs and fresh minds. Probably three weeks ago, we backed up. Look, there are 100 ways of doing this. I'm not meaning this towards anybody else, but there are a hundred ways to do this. There are guys who go three and a half hours right now, and that's what they do and they're doing it now. And, they win and they do fine. There are coaches that go live right now and they go at each other the whole game, not worried because, ‘This is who we are.' There are other guys that back up. There are some guys that do nothing live right now. Everything is conditioning and being sharp and dummying up. There are 1000 ways to do this. We back up right now. We do go live some, but I try to keep as little body to body as I can. I'm coaching their minds right now. I've coached their bodies two, three weeks ago like conditioning and toughness and now we're coaching minds. We're trying to get them into a frame of mind as they go in, as an individual and as a team. I'm talking about swagger right now. As I said, there is only one place to develop swagger and that's in that building. You walk out knowing you're going to play well. Doesn't matter how well you play the beginning of the game. You know over the course of the game, ‘I'm going to play well because I deserve to and I've worked at it and I'm prepared to play well.' The swagger is developed in there. Ego is, ‘Well we just beat this team by a ton. They're not ranked, we should beat them. I'm just hungry, what time is the meal?' And then you get beat. So, we're working on that. And again, we could all say, ‘Well we're really that good.' They're all freshmen and sophomores. They have no idea. I don't know what they're going to do down here. I don't know how they're going to play. I hope they play well. I think we're prepared to play well but they're all young kids. You just don't know."

On whether it was Larry Brown's influence that gave him the idea of backing up at this point ...
"Being that he is a mentor and a dear friend, we talk all of the time and his thing is, you have to be their cheerleader at the end. You have to back up and that's his thing to me all the time at the end of the year. ‘You be the cheerleader, man. You know you're not changing them now. They are what they are. Cheer them on.' But the stuff, I've always done it this way and I think historically my teams have played well in March and in April but we've backed up this time of the year. Now, I'm going to say it again. There are all kinds of ways of doing this. Someone is more comfortable doing it a different way and they win, you know. We do well winning it this way and that's how we do it."

On how much of coaching is psychological ...
"It's a big part of it. You can beat guys down. You can blame them every time they lose. Or, you can take responsibility so they just let it fly and don't feel that, ‘if I lose, I'm going to get blamed.' If we lose, I'm just going to try to do everything I can to win. The other thing is, letting them feel good about each other. We do a lot of talking right now and I keep telling them, ‘You want to feel joy? Wake up every morning and feel grateful, grateful that you're having an opportunity to be with this team, these guys. There are a lot of teams right now that have turmoil. There are a lot of teams that have all kinds of issues. You guys are enjoying each other. That's great joy. The second way you feel joy is you think about, what am I going to do for somebody else today? Doesn't even have to be for a guy on this team. You want to feel joy? You start thinking about other people instead of thinking about yourself and you start to feel joy.' So there is a lot of stuff you are trying to get through. I told Michael [Kidd-Gilchrist], ‘you're too hard on yourself kid.' When guys look at me when they missed a shot, I will say, ‘What are you looking at? Why are you looking at me? Just play.' I'm just trying to continue to coach to get them to think right. It doesn't guarantee anything. It just gives you your best chance. Your team plays its best. If that's not good enough, you go on, it's next game. Sometimes it's the next season."

 

 

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Slumping Mississippi State Hosts UK Tuesday Night

Mississippi State is going through their worst slump of the year.

They have lost three in a row to teams they were supposed to beat. Overtime, by a bucket at home against Georgia, and on the road at LSU in overtime and at Auburn by 10.

This is the worst stretch for MSU in the SEC since the 2005-06 season when they dropped seven in a row.

Now 19-8, Mississippi State has dropped out of the Top 25.

When it comes to UK, the last six games have been split, with two of the last three going to overtime.

DeMarcus Cousins was abused by Mississippi State fans before playing at Humphrey Coliseum when they somehow got his cell phone and called him many names we can't repeat. Cousins had 19 points and 14 rebounds as UK won in overtime.

Then, in the SEC Tournament, Cousins last second bucket sent the game in overtime with the Cats winning.

CAT SCRATCHES
• Kentucky is in its 109th season of basketball and is the all-time NCAA leader in wins with 2,078.
• The Wildcats have four players averaging double-figures led by Anthony Davis' 13.9 ppg. average.
• Anthony Davis currently ranks first nationally in blocked shots per game (4.9).
• Davis has tallied 11 double-doubles this season. That ranks fourth all-time among UK freshmen.
• UK is 71-1 under John Calipari when holding an opponent to 67 points or fewer.
• Kentucky is off to its best start in the SEC since the 2003 squad went 16-0.
• The Cats have won six-straight on the road for the first time since the 2003 season.
• In the last nine games, Marquis Teague has dished out 54 assists against just 20 turnovers.
• Teague has three-straight games of eight or more assists.

 

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UK Remains No. 1 In Both Polls

UK remains number one in both AP and the USA TODAY/ESPN men's basketball polls.

For the first time in two months, there were no changes among top five of the USA TODAY/ESPN men's basketball poll.

Kentucky remains a unanimous choice at No. 1, a position the Wildcats have held for the past five weeks. Mississippi State, who UK plays Tuesday night on the road drops out of both polls.

Syracuse is No. 2 after a tough win at Louisville and a defeat of Rutgers on the road.

In AP's poll, Syracuse continues to get two first place votes. UK gets the other the other 63.

In the USA TODAY/ESPN poll, Missouri, Duke and Kansas round out the top five.

Ohio State fell from No. 6 to No. 9 after losing to Michigan. Michigan State Ohio State's former spot at No. 6.

North Carolina stayed at No. 7. Georgetown is 8th, and Marquette jumped three places to round out the top 10.

Making the biggest move forward is Notre Dame, which rose from 25th to 18th.

In the ESPN/USA TODAY poll Florida is 11th, Murray State is 12th, and Louisville is 17th.

In AP's poll, Florida is 14th, Murray State 16th and Louisville is 19th.

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Calipari Compares UK's Three Point Shooting To "Linsanity"

Jeremy Lin mania is engulfing the basketball world, including Lexington, the home of the nation's number one college basketball team.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari is accustomed to "Big Blue Madness," now he's drawing comparisons between his top ranked Wildcats and "Linsanity."

Kentucky hit 10 three pointers in its 77-62 win over Ole' Miss Saturday. The total ties it's second most makes all season and the first time making over nine since before Christmas.

"You have got to understand, they were giving us that shot, versus letting us get near the rim. In the middle of the zone, they were not giving us the lob to Anthony Davis; they were back," Calipari explained.

And that's what reminded Calipari about the Knicks benchwarmer-turned-star point guard.

"You talk about Jeremy Lin," Calipari continued, "He scored, scored, scored, because the other teams were saying, ‘make him score and beat us,' and he did.

So then they came back and said, ‘no, we are not letting him score, and he had 13 assists.' That's basically this. You just whatever they are giving you, you've got to take."

Lin led the Knicks to another win Sunday, scoring 28 points and dishing out 14 assists in a 104-97 victory over Dallas, the reigning NBA champion.

As for Kentucky, the team does not rely on the three pointer but is shooting it at 38 percent.

"I've got a terrific three point shooting team, I really do. But we just don't take a whole lot of threes because we don't have to. I like threes; I love dunks," Calipari said.

Doron Lamb led Kentucky with 16 points Sunday and is among the best three point shooters in the country from behind the arc at 49 percent.

"I hope teams keep doing that," Lamb said. "We all can make shots and if they do that, it'll be a long day for someone."

 

 

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UK Hoops Eager To End Three Game Skid

No. 7/8 Kentucky women's basketball returns to the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum for its Play 4Kay game vs. No. 24 Vanderbilt on Monday night. Game time is 9 p.m. ET as it will be televised live on ESPN2 with Pam Ward and Rebecca Lobo calling the action.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink and $1 from every single-game ticket purchased will be donated to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Fans wishing to make a contribution in person can do so at the marketing gazebos located on each concourse prior to the game.

The 2012 Play 4Kay initiative, Feb. 10-20, is an opportunity for a nation of coaches to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The official charity is the Kay Yow Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

After falling at Alabama on Thursday, the Wildcats (21-5, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) currently sit in a tie with Tennessee for first place with three games remaining in the regular season. UK had one of its best starts in program history, winning 21 of its first 23 games and each of its first 10 games in league play.

"We have a huge game coming up Monday night with Vanderbilt," UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell said. "We have obviously been through a tough spot here - a tough patch of basketball. Our team really needs our fans to come out Monday night. I know it's a late tip, but this team has been terrific at home and we've had a great season up to this point at home in Memorial and we need a big crowd for a very, very important game against Vanderbilt. They are a tough opponent, a very good opponent, and we'll have to prepare very hard over the next couple days to get ready for it. I just want everybody to know what a big game it is and I hope everybody will come out and watch us play and we'll be working hard to get ready for it."

The Wildcats have their sights set on winning their first SEC regular season championship since 1982. The Cats are just one win away from tying the most SEC wins in school history at 11. Kentucky has won the last three meetings against Vanderbilt, including a 78-68 win last season in Lexington.

Leading the way for the Wildcats is junior All-America and SEC Player of the Year candidate A'dia Mathies (Louisville, Ky.). Mathies leads the team in almost every statistical category, including scoring (15.4), steals (2.8), 3-point field goals made (41) and 3-point field goal percentage (.380). She is also second on the team in rebounding (5.2), assists (2.6) and blocks (0.7). SEC Freshman of the Year contender Bria Goss (Indianapolis) follows in the scoring column with 11.6 points per game. She has scored in double digits in four of the last five games, and she leads the team in charges taken with 18. Sophomore forward Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) is UK's leading rebounder with 6.1 rebounds per game.

Vanderbilt enters Monday night's game coming off a 75-69 overtime victory against Florida at home on Thursday. The Commodores were led by junior forward Tiffany Clarke's 18-point, 17-rebound double-double. Sophomores Jasmine Lister (16 points), Christina Foggie (15 points) and Stephanie Holzer (14 points) also reached double figures in scoring.

Vanderbilt has been led this season by Foggie, who is averaging 18.0 points per game, the most in the SEC. Foggie has done much of her damage from beyond the arc, shooting an SEC-best 43.7 percent from 3-point range and knocking down an SEC-best 2.8 3-pointers per game. Clarke leads the Commodores on the glass with 7.6 rebounds per game, the fifth best average in the league. Holzer isn't far behind, averaging 7.4 boards per game, the sixth best mark in the SEC.

The Commodores have won six of their last seven games and are tied for fourth in the SEC standings with an 8-5 mark.

This is the 44th meeting in the all-time series with Vanderbilt. The Commodores lead the series 27-16 overall, including a slight 10-9 advantage in Lexington. UK won all three meetings vs. the Commodores last season, including a 78-68 victory in Memorial Coliseum.

Single-game reserved tickets are available at a cost of $7 for all ages. General admission tickets for adults are also $7 while single-game general admission tickets for seniors and children (18 and under, 65 and over) are only $4. Age 5 and under, along with UK students, faculty and staff are admitted free, while supplies last.

If not able to attend the game, it can be heard on the UK IMG Sports Radio Network. Fans can also follow the UK Hoops team on Twitter at @UKHoopCats and use #UKHoops to comment on the game.

 

 

 

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UK Players Comments After Beating Ole Miss

Players comments after UK beat Ole Miss 77-62 to go to 26-1.

#3, Terrence Jones, F

On the play of Miller and Wiltjer...
"I think we got a deep team and Coach (Calipari) can go to a lot of guys. A lot of guys have confidence to step in and fill that role. Kyle (Wiltjer) and Darius (MilleR) pretty much always do a good job."

On Kyle Wiltjer's improvement ...
"He's been going to practice an hour early and working out with us. He's just improving and it's showing in the game."

On the boost the dunk of Darius Miller gave the team ...
"It just gave us more energy, got the crowd more into and it makes the team feel, especially in this building, like the whole game just shifted. It just helps us and gives us a lot of energy."

#33, Kyle Wiltjer, G

On what he wanted to do when he gets in the game ...
"I knew they were in a zone. We've been doing a lot of zone stuff and Coach Cal said to be in the middle and be ready to either pass it down to Terrence or be ready to score. I got a couple nice, little easy baskets in the first couple minutes I was in. I just wanted to be aggressive offensively and shoot my open shots."

On his defense ...
"I've just learned a lot from the coaching staff. They really emphasize me playing good defense. It's a lot more angles than I anticipated coming into college. You don't have to be the quickest, strongest guy; you just have to be ready every play and got to be there for the charge, help side and being able to talk. It makes it a lot easier having such a good coaching staff."

On Ole Miss' size ...
"There's a lot of strong guys in college. We have a lot of very good defensive schemes. When they get the ball in the post, we usually trap in the post and it really takes a lot of pressure off of me. Really it helps when you've got the best shot-blocker in the country having your backside."

#20 Doron Lamb, So., G

On how they played coming off of a week off ...
"We started off a little hot, then we got down a little bit in the middle of the first half and they made a couple of buckets and tied the ballgame up. Then Kyle (Wiltjer) came in and made big shots for us, got it up to about 10 points and we started from there."

On how many weapons they have when Kyle (Wiltjer) comes in and scores 10 in the first half...
"We have a full team. We got a lot of great players on our team. When Kyle (Wiltjer) comes in and gives us points and rebounds, we're way better and we did that today. He made a couple of 3-balls that we needed down the stretch and we need that from now on."

On playing the majority of the first half without Michael (Kidd-Gilchrist) and Anthony (Davis) ...
"We have to learn how to play without Anthony (Davis) sometimes, because we never know when he's going to be in foul trouble. He may be in foul trouble in the tournament, so we have to learn how to play with(out) him and Terrence (JoneS) had to foul sometime. Eloy (Vargas) came in and gave us a little bit of minutes. We played great, I think, without Anthony. Kyle came in and gave us great minutes. And in the second half, we started from there without Anthony back in.

On how Darius Miller's dunk or any dunk like that can change a game...
"A dunk like that when the crowd gets into it can change the whole game really. The crowd got into it when Darius (Miller) made that dunk and we got on a run on that stretch and Kyle (Wiltjer) made a couple of 3-pointers that we needed to get us up in the lead."

#1, Darius Miller, G

On his first-half dunk...
"I don't know. I haven't seen it yet. It felt pretty good. It was fun. It's always good when something happens to you like that, excite my team and help get us going. They were doing a good job of making us uncomfortable and playing really good. I guess we needed something to jumpstart us and I guess it worked. It always feels good to have a good play."

On Kyle Wiltjer's performance...
"Kyle is always a threat to score. We look for him to score. He did a good job in knocking down shots and opening up the defense for us so every time he comes into the game we try to give him shots. We know he will always knock them down. He did a great job of coming in and helping us get going today."

On the team's 3-point shooting ability...
"We are definitely confident in our 3-point shooting. We do not feel like that is a weakness at all. When teams give them to us, we are confident that we are going to knock them down. Like Coach Cal said, it's not the main thing that we do or what we look to win games off of, but if it's there we'll take it."

 

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Cal's Comments After UK Wins 77-62

Cats are 26-1 after beating Ole Miss 77-62. Cal's comments after the game.

Q.Coach (Andy) Kennedy said this Kentucky team is the best team he's seen as a head coach here in the league; what do you think?
COACH CALIPARI: I've got a pretty good team. You know, I haven't been here that long, so I don't know. I've been here three years and I've had three pretty good teams, and they are all different.

Let me say this: They played well. I mean, I've watched a lot of tape. They played well. They had guys make shots that had not made shots and they made them. They were physical going to the rim. They made baskets. They shot 47 percent against us, including 60 from the 3. People have not done that to us.
You know, I'm happy we out rebounded them because that's a terrific rebounding team but they didn't have many offensive rebounds because they didn't miss many shots; didn't have many opportunities to rebound.  So I would say this to you: If they play like that to finish out, they are going to be fine.

Q. The stretch in the first half when you had Anthony (Davis) on the bench and you also had Michael (Kidd-Gilchrist) get in foul trouble, you've been talking about that's a situation you thought your team could grow and respond and show you some things; is that a good learning experience for this team?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, we are going to watch tape and figure out what happened, because again, if Anthony is out, then who is going to block shots? Somebody in there better. Or Kyle better take charges.

Now I will say this: Kyle played great today. He was outstanding. And the reason we had a lead at halftime was because of Kyle Wiltjer, in the middle of the zone, he made shots, he defended well. He took a charge. I mean, he played well today. And it just shows you what I keep saying. We really probably have seven starters. He plays different. He definitely stretches the defense. He's pretty good. So you know, it gave Kyle a chance to step up and play and he played well.

Q. When you look at the stat sheet and you see ten 3 pointers, do you say 3 pointers bailed us out today or 3 pointers is just as much a part of our offense?
COACH CALIPARI: You have got to understand, they were giving us that shot, versus letting us get near the rim. In the middle of the zone, they were not giving us the lob to Anthony Davis; they were back.

So you know, you talk about Jeremy Lin, he scored, scored, scored, because the other teams were saying, make him score and beat us, and he did. So then they came back and said, no, we are not letting him score, and he had 13 assists. That's basically this. You just whatever they are giving you, you've got to take.  I've got a terrific three point shooting team, I really do. But we just don't take a whole lot of 3s because we don't have to. I like 3s; I love dunks.

Q. You mentioned the physical play of Ole Miss, how do you think your kids responded to that? Because they kind of took it to you.
COACH CALIPARI: I thought we all did pretty well. I thought Terrence (Jones) played pretty well, a double double. I think we had a couple break downs, but I think Michael did fine, physically he got pushed once or twice. I thought Anthony did fine. I love the fact that Kyle was in that kind of game and held his own, knowing that he's got to, to stay on the court. But it was you know; it was a good game for us that way.

Q. Coach, kind of mentioned it, but how much do you see foul trouble specifically with Anthony as a possible Achilles heel for you guys?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, I think he ended up with two fouls and I think he's probably in minutes played, if you look through the country, I bet you he's up in the high, least amount of fouls in minutes played.

So you know, it could happen. And it's like any other team; if Fab Melo goes down and has foul trouble, Syracuse isn't as good. You can go just right down the line. If Thomas Robinson is foul trouble, guess what, Kansas is not as good. The same with Ohio State; big man is out, they are not the same team. Obviously with Anthony not in, we are not the same, but we do have a talented team, even when he's not on the floor.

Q. You were talking about teams don't do this to you shooting the ball as well as they did. Did you have any lag on defense that allowed that?
COACH CALIPARI: I'll watch the tape and I'll figure out, you know, we are handed down. That means if they shot this high percentage, they got layups. Whether it be breakaways if you look at it, there must have been, you know, eight or nine layups, which is eight for eight. That doesn't happen to us very often.

Q. Can you talk about Darius's play today?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, I think I thought he played well. I think the dunk is one of the biggest plays I've seen him make. My point is, if you can do that, why don't you do that all the time. Why isn't that you?

You know, I look to Doron Lamb. You are playing well but when you go to the rim and get bumped, you don't ever make that basket. That's the differencebetween you being special, being that lottery pick that you should be, and not.

And you know, it's the same thing with Terrence. Terrence, this is what you should be every game we play. It should be a double double. Without an excuse, I don't want to hear it, you should be a double double, you're a top five player.

And as we get closer to guys playing near their potential, that's when this team will take off again.

Q. With today's win, you guys are now 12 0 in the SEC. Have you talked at all about running the table and - finishing the year (undefeated in SEC play)?
COACH CALIPARI: No, we are just trying to get better. Here is what happens. There's two things I try to do. One, we are staying in the moment, like right now. I wanted them to enjoy this game, because Mississippi played a great basketball game.  Then, the second part of it is, we'll watch tape, we'll learn from this game and when this game is done, move on. 

We are allowed to lose. This isn't football. You don't lose the national title in February. So you can lose. My point is, are we getting better. If we are getting better and we take an L, it's okay.

The second thing is, you know, as a coach, when things are not going well, you try to take responsibility so they know, just go play. Even if you're not great, play, I'll take the hit.

And so those are some things we are just trying to do. This is a young team. We start three freshmen, Kyle Wiltjer is a fourth freshman, think about that. So four freshmen, two sophomores and Darius Miller who basically played today.

Q. What sort of lift did Kyle give you in the first half when Anthony did have the two fouls?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, what he did was he came in and he's not afraid. He played aggressive. He made shots. He got in the middle of the zone. He kicked it out from there. He made a shot in there. He was terrific.

Q. Can you talk about Marquis' play over the last seven game stretch? I know he's averaging about six (assists) in the last six and had another 8 tonight.
COACH CALIPARI: He's playing I told him, you missed a bunch of shots today. I don't really care. That's not why you're here. You're here to run this team, and as long as you run this team well, we're happy.

You know, we have been really on him hard not to get layups blocked, so he went in there today and he shot it. The guy tipped it, but it was not blocked and it went to the rim and we tip-dunked it. You know, he's getting us involved in offense.

The only thing he did in this game and he's a freshman, he doesn't know. They switched the big man on him. Well, the big man knows he can't guard you. The only thing he can do is take a stab at the ball, so you don't mess with the ball. You get it by him and clip him so he fouls you. He messed with it off the knee behind the back twice and he tipped it away from him. Those are all those teaching points that we need to stay on to just keep him moving at that next level.

Q. Andy Kennedy, saying he was a basketball Jones, compares your teams to the UNLV teams that almost went back to back in the '90s, and he says the only thing that could stop you quite possibly is your own execution or foul trouble. What's your take on that?
COACH CALIPARI: Or somebody making 15 3s against you, something like that could happen and you don't get another chance to get them, it's one and done.  I think we have got a good team. I'm not satisfied. I'm happy, but I'm not satisfied at all. I just want us to keep climbing, and then we'll see how good we can be. If at the end of the day, we'll see if we have the best team. If we don't, someone else is better than us.

Q. The home winning streak reached 50 games today; what is your reaction to that and how does it make you feel that you've been able to sustain that?
COACH CALIPARI: Well, it's the first I've thought of it. It is 50? That's a lot of games.  I made an executive decision with the radio group outside, the 9,000 people that stay after, if we lose, I do not sign one ball. So you guys better cheer your guts out for us to win.  If I walk in there after an L, no balls get signed. So now I'll be out there signing 200 basketballs before I leave the building.

 

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Kentucky 77 Ole Miss 62

Kyle Wilter and Darius Miller gave UK a shot of energy that they really needed.

After the Cats went up 18-8 shooting 50%, the Cats and the crowd got quiet.  Ole Miss, playing with no confidence wakes up and takes a 2 point lead, 31-29 on a dunk by DeMarco Cox after a Darius Miller turnover.

Miller wakes up the crowd with one of his best dunks ever to tie the game at 31.

Wiltjer hits his first four shots, two from downtown.  His three makes it 34-31 UK.

Miller then hits two 3's in a row to make it 40-34 UK.

Lamb hits one from downtown and it's 43-34.

Cats lead 43-35 at the half.

Miller and Wiltjer lead UK with 10.

Terrence Henry leads all scorers with 16.

In the second half, UK gave up only 2 points to Henry.

Balanced scoring was the key for UK.  5 Cats were in double figures.

Terrence Jones gets his first double-double of the year ith 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Doron Lamb had 14.

Kyle Wiltjer had one three in the second half to finish with 13.

Darius Miller had 13.

And Anthony Davis who was in foul trouble in the first half finishes with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Cats go to 26-1 winning 77-62.

 

 

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Why Did Cal Cry?

There are those who believe a team like UK, who is 25-1,  needs to lose a game to get hungry again, and then make a post season run that takes them all the way.

"That's true after the Indiana game we got very hungry," says Doron Lamb. "We told ourselves we don't want to lose no more."

For today, Cal isn't worried about his team being hungry.

"They are just zeroed in on me saying telling us how to get better," says Cal.

"What do we have to do. And it's a neat thing. I've got, this is a unique team to have this many guys and have them get a long and have the skill set that we have. We are winning all the games. It just means that it's fun to try and come to work everyday and it's run to try and teach. They want to learn. There is not a whole lot of back and forth. And, I'm still getting on guys."

The players not only take Cal's yelling, but they are convinced it's good for them. The freshman are told not to listen to Cal's tone, but pay attention to his words, which is how you get better.

To Darius Miller. The first time Cal saw Darius as the Kentucky coach, he cried. No he didn't cry because of Darius, but Cal cried.

"And I walked in that gym, without an assistant coach, I had a football team out there. I had like 21 players on the team. I had never seen that in my life. They started playing and the one that impressed me the most was Darius. And then I came in this room on the side where they have couches and I cried. I called the AD (athletics director) back in Memphis and said will you take me back.

Cal being Cal, had a quick comeback when it comes to what his former Athletics Director said.

"He laughed and said too bad, I didn't want you anyway."

 

 

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Friday Night Scores, Feb. 17

BOYS

Adair Co. 77, Hart Co. 60

Allen Central 74, Magoffin Co. 72

Anderson Co. 64, Franklin Co. 63

Apollo 71, Hopkins Co. Central 60

Belfry 70, Mingo Central, W.Va. 69

Bellevue 81, Calvary Christian 47

Berea 48, Paris 47

Bethlehem 80, Lou. Holy Cross 54

Betsy Layne 60, Jenkins 50

Boone Co. 82, Dixie Heights 80

Bryan Station 76, Elizabethtown 51

Buckhorn 57, Knott Co. Central 55

Bullitt Central 76, Lou. Atherton 71

Burgin 63, Eminence 37

Central Hardin 72, Meade Co. 61

Collins 52, Woodford Co. 48

Conner 49, Newport Central Catholic 47

Corbin 80, Harlan 60

Covington Holy Cross 75, St. Henry 52

Dawson Springs 64, Fort Campbell 60, OT

East Jessamine 89, Danville 64

East Ridge 60, Johnson Central 59

Gallatin Co. 72, Shelby Co. 57

Garrard Co. 59, McCreary Central 45

Grayson Co. 78, Hancock Co. 69

Green Co. 65, Cumberland Co. 62

Greenwood 49, Edmonson Co. 25

Harrison Co. 54, Montgomery Co. 53

Henderson Co. 53, Owensboro 50

Highlands 57, Beechwood 42

Holmes 53, Pendleton Co. 48

Hopkinsville 70, Logan Co. 61

Ironton St. Joseph, Ohio 75, Rose Hill Christian 69

John Hardin 64, Taylor Co. 57

Knox Central 49, North Laurel 39

LaRue Co. 71, Marion Co. 66

Lexington Catholic 81, Wayne Co. 63

Lincoln Co. 69, Casey Co. 31

Livingston Central 60, Caldwell Co. 58

Lou. Ballard 74, Lou. Male 51

Lou. Christian Academy 70, Lex. Lafayette 66

Lou. Collegiate 65, Spencer Co. 55

Lou. Doss 76, Lou. Valley 42

Lou. Eastern 86, Lou. Shawnee 53

Lou. Fairdale 75, Lou. Western 39

Lou. Fern Creek 57, Lou. Butler 49

Lou. Iroquois 65, Lou. Waggener 44

Lou. Jeffersontown 63, Lou. Southern 54

Lou. Moore 73, Lou. Pleasure Ridge Park 72

Lou. St. Xavier 73, Lou. DuPont Manual 64

Lou. Trinity 61, Jeffersonville, Ind. 54

Ludlow 51, Dayton 48

Madison Central 69, Cov. Catholic 61

Madison Southern 82, Frankfort 78

Mason Co. 83, Nicholas Co. 44

Model 74, Lynn Camp 46

Murray 59, Carlisle Co. 57

Nelson Co. 47, Campbellsville 41

North Bullitt 79, Trimble Co. 67

North Oldham 47, Boyle Co. 40

Owsley Co. 75, Jackson City 46

Perry Co. Central 71, Sheldon Clark 45

Powell Co. 62, Hazard 57

Prestonsburg 67, Paintsville 59

Reidland 67, Fulton Co. 49

Russell 59, Ashland Blazer 55

Ryle 63, Tates Creek 62, OT

Scott 55, Cooper 39

South Laurel 58, Rockcastle Co. 52

Southwestern 66, Mercer Co. 46

University Heights 68, Crittenden Co. 42

Western Hills 49, Lex. Sayre 46

Whitefield Academy 70, Fort Knox 48

Wolfe Co. 54, Lee Co. 53

KCAC Tournament
Evangel Christian 57, Lou. Portland Christian 46

 

GIRLS

Adair Co. 59, Hart Co. 54

Anderson Co. 67, Franklin Co. 26

Apollo 55, Madisonville-North Hopkins 40

Ashland Blazer 66, East Carter 51

Barbourville 66, Williamsburg 59

Beechwood 58, Bellevue 31

Bishop Brossart 53, St. Patrick 45

Boone Co. 67, Dixie Heights 36

Bourbon Co. 64, Rose Hill Christian 32

Boyd Co. 62, West Carter 47

Bryan Station 57, Harrison Co. 55, OT

Bullitt Central 60, Lou. Atherton 35

Burgin 65, Eminence 19

Christian Co. 51, Russellville 33

Conner 82, Scott 53

Danville 79, North Laurel 62

Elizabethtown 80, Muhlenberg County 63

Fort Knox 54, Whitefield Academy 48

Frankfort 58, Nicholas Co. 45

George Rogers Clark 57, West Jessamine 35

Grayson Co. 65, Hancock Co. 51

Green Co. 94, Cumberland Co. 23

Greenup Co. 56, Bath Co. 44

Greenwood 76, Edmonson Co. 46

Harlan 53, Corbin 38

Harlan Co. 64, Knox Central 46

Henderson Co. 60, Owensboro 39

Lawrence Co. 66, Betsy Layne 46

Lafayette 72, Western Hills 27

Lexington Catholic 56, Newport Central Catholic 27

Lincoln Co. 65, Casey Co. 35

Lou. Ballard 63, Lou. Male 38

Lou. Butler 79, Lou. Fern Creek 45

Lou. Collegiate 61, Spencer Co. 35

Lou. Eastern 71, Lou. Shawnee 30

Lou. Holy Cross 65, Bethlehem 39

Lou. Jeffersontown 68, Lou. Southern 30

Lou. Pleasure Ridge Park 59, Lou. Moore 57

Lou. Valley 67, Lou. Doss 41

Lou. Waggener 43, Lou. Iroquois 37

Lou. Western 60, Lou. Fairdale 33

Lyon Co. 59, Hopkins Co. Central 37

Magoffin Co. 58, Belfry 39

McCreary Central 50, Garrard Co. 49

Model 40, Lynn Camp 27

North Bullitt 61, Trimble Co. 49

Ohio Co. 69, Breckinridge Co. 60

Owen Co. 69, Grant Co. 37

Perry Co. Central 84, Owsley Co. 28

Pikeville 66, Allen Central 57

Powell Co. 69, Hazard 60

Pulaski Co. 80, Boyle Co. 58

Reidland 62, Fulton Co. 29

Rockcastle Co. 67, South Laurel 45

Rowan Co. 67, Fairview 14

Scott Co. 93, Pendleton Co. 52

Shelby Valley 56, Paintsville 45

Simon Kenton 61, Highlands 50

Somerset 55, Monticello 52

South Oldham 64, Lou. Presentation 53

St. Mary 52, Community Christian (Paducah) 46

Tates Creek 45, Henry Clay 33

Wayne Co. 78, Oneida Baptist 17

Webster Co. 61, Crittenden Co. 38

Whitley Co. 72, Bell Co. 47

Woodford Co. 63, Paris 42

KCAC Tournament
Lou. Portland Christian 44, Christian Fellowship 11

Spectrum All A
Montgomery Co. 63, Mason Co. 47

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

 

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Does Joker Have His New Wide Receiver Coach?

Pat Washington is expected to work for Randy Sanders for the second time.

FootballScoop.com is reporting that the former East Carolina running game coordinator/outside receivers will replace Tee Martin as UK's wide receiver coach. Martin left UK for USC.

Washington had been with East Carolina for a little over a month after coaching running backs at Southern Miss from 2009-11.

He coached wide outs at Tennessee from 1995-2005.

Tennessee won the national title in 1998 with Tee Martin as the starting quarterback.

Randy Sanders, a quarterback for Tennessee, was an assistant at his school from 1991-2005. That included being the offensive coordinator from 1999-2005.

Washington and Tee Martin are both from Mobile, Alabama. He played quarterback at Auburn and has also coaches at TCU, Baylor, and Mississippi State.

A UK official said they can't confirm a coaching hire until a week after the job has been posted.

Washington coached some big name receivers at Tennessee. They include Donte' Stallworth, Peerless Price, Marcus Nash, Joey Kent and Cedrick Wilson. The top four wide outs in UT history played for Washington. He helped produce 11 NFL draft picks while he was at UT.

Washington was the starting quarterback for Auburn during his last two years there in 1984-85.  He was 17-8 for the Tigers as their starter.

 

 

 

 

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3 Straight Losses For Matthew Mitchell's Cats

UK Hoops Head Coach Matthew Mitchell is trying to get his team to bounce back three straight losses. Mitchell talked before practice Friday afternoon.

Opening statement...
"We have a huge game coming up Monday night with Vanderbilt. We have obviously been through a tough spot here - a tough patch of basketball. Our team really needs our fans to come out Monday night. I know it's a late tip, but this team has been terrific at home and we've had a great season up to this point at home in Memorial and we need a big crowd for a very, very important game against Vanderbilt. They are a tough opponent, a very good opponent, and we'll have to prepare very hard over the next couple days to get ready for it. I just want everybody to know what a big game it is and I hope everybody will come out and watch us play and we'll be working hard to get ready for it."

On Kentucky's current three-game losing streak and what has caused it...
"It'd be hard to tell you exactly. It's a combination of the players allowing their confidence to drop as shots have not. It's been a challenge for us as coaches to get them to continue to weather the storm and play hard and not let offense affect defense, and last night we absolutely let that happen in the first half. If we just could have found a way to hang in there in the first half, you saw what happened in the second half. We played with the kind of defensive effort you would expect our team to play with, but we just failed to do that for about 12 crucial minutes in the first half. We acted as if the game was over. I think as a coach what you have to do is when you're winning it's not always as great as it looks, and when you're losing it's not as bad as it looks. What I'm excited about is we have a lot of really good players, young players that we're going to get to practice with over the next couple days and get the ship on the right course. It's just been three tough road games, we didn't shoot the ball particularly well and then last night we didn't play with very good effort in the first half and dug ourselves too big of a hole to get out of. In the second half we really turned it around. We shot 60 percent, made some layups and played with great defensive effort and that's what you have to build on going into this game with Vanderbilt. You have to, if you can, not put the three games together and think about what we have to do just to win on Monday, and it's tough. They're young kids trying to stay competitive in this conference. It's tough, but I think we'll get there."

On how tough the Southeastern Conference is...
"I think it's always a tough conference and it's interesting to see a lot of (teams) have similar records right now. Nobody's out running away with it and there's a lot of teams grouped up there at the top. It's a very good conference."

On if he thinks teams have started to figure Kentucky out by the second time they play them...
"I think that is part of it. I think teams have made good adjustments and I think we are in a spot where we just need to counter those adjustments and that's a lot on my shoulders and that's a lot on our staff making sure we have a good plan. Then, it is important for our players to understand that things just don't happen just because you've built a reputation. You can lose that reputation very fast if you don't do the required work. I don't think it is overly complicated here. We just need to have a real solid couple of days of work here defensively and get ready for Vandy."

On balancing building confidence up and pointing out what needs to be improved on...
"You stick with the first principle of our program: honesty. I don't think you artificially can manufacture confidence. I think that's the wrong road to go down. I think that it is a great opportunity for us in this time of adversity, as much as adversity can be related to playing basketball. It's a tough time for our basketball team, but it's a great, great opportunity for our kids to understand that when things don't go great, you just have to continue to work and you have to have faith in yourself. We have some really good players. I was encouraged with the fight we showed because it looked like we were on the borderline of quitting last night. They got it together and they played real hard. I think we're just going to devote our time with these kids over the next couple of days and if they've ever needed me they need me now. I have to stay with them and work with them and that's my job is to encourage them. We'll build confidence by playing good basketball. My job right now is to hang in there with them and they've done a great job, we have a really good team, we have a chance to get even better over the next couple of days. It's a tough time right now but we need to put that behind us. A win would do a world of good as far as building confidence. I think that's where the confidence is going to come from."

On Vanderbilt...
"They are a really good team. (They have) five starters they can put on the floor who can score, and score at a high level. Christina Foggie is one of the top offensive players in the conference. (She's) such a great shooter, really, really tough player who we have to do a good job of guarding. They have great size inside and those kids work really hard. I think we need to do the very best we can to getting back to running on offense. I think you'll see us do that on Monday night. We're going to work hard to see if we can get the tempo going. We just have not pushed the ball the last couple of games. We're going to address that in practice and see if we can get that going. Vanderbilt is a tough, tough team that has a lot of offensive firepower."

On why he thinks they played the way they did in the first half against Alabama...
"If I knew the exact answer to that we would try to see if we could prevent it. I think last night what happened as far as the first half, is we started missing easy shots again and I think they got very discouraged. We've been talking so much about it and all I can tell you is we have to learn from it again. I told them after the game, ‘Maybe the next time that you have some struggles you won't fall apart.' If we had just hung in there in the first half and not just really laid down there for a few crucial minutes to dig that big of a hole, maybe the next time you'll understand - and this is what I try to tell them all the time - you're good enough to weather any storm that comes your way in a basketball game. But listen, it's so much easier for me to say it than for the kids to do it out there on the court. You have to realize we're still a work in progress with these kids. They've done a great job up to this point. I just think when we started missing a few shots it was more like, ‘Here we go again.' That's the disappointing part. But listen, we'll just bring them in today, we'll look at more examples of why you need to hang in there. Last night, the second half should hopefully be a lesson to us that no matter how far we get down if you can just hang in there it will turn for you at some point. That'll be the lesson we'll learn from some point."

On if he believes the team has gotten tired from its pressure defense each game...
"For me, I think where the focus needs to be on us is our basketball execution. I think for the players sometimes they start looking for something in the atmosphere that's happening or why are things happening instead of staying focused. There were reasons why Alabama was driving the ball to the bucket and it had to do with our stance, our position and our intensity. That's where I'm going to try to keep the focus. We don't have anybody playing huge minutes. We just came off of a bye week a couple weeks ago. I don't think for one second we're done physically or we're worn out or tired. I think we've hit a very difficult stretch that's been hard for this particular team to handle mentally. We have 10 of our 13 as sophomores or freshmen. This is just a great time for them to learn and a great time for them to check how strong their character is. I'm really optimistic about our team and what we can do Monday night."

On fatigue being a factor...
"Not a factor at all from a physical standpoint. If you all can read people's minds then you're ahead of me, so I won't speak for our players, but I just think that right now this is a tough time, we're going to stick together here and I think our basketball team is going to do some great things down the stretch."

 

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