Wildcats Thunder Blog

Video: UK Coach John Calipari previews UK-LSU

2012-01-27T17:34:00.000-06:00

Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Kentucky Men’s Basketball
January 27, 2012
Pre-LSU Media Opportunity

UK Head Coach John Calipari

On LSU holding teams under 60…
“They’re big and their guards are good. (Anthony) Hickey is outstanding, tough, hard-nosed, they have two of him. They have their leading scorer, who is 6-5, back. Johnny O’Bryant who is a McDonald’s All-American, they have the kid from Iowa State that is 7-foot, he’s good. They have two other big kids; they are a very good team. The good news is, for preparation, they play a lot like Georgia, Mark (Fox) worked for coach (LSU head coach Trent Johnson). A lot of the stuff when we go over it we will have seen it. That’s why yesterday I didn’t use any time in our practice, usually I would say let’s hit their stuff a little bit, we did a few of the drills that match it but none of the walk-through stuff.”

On recruiting in-state product Anthony Hickey …
“It’s not about that, he’s good enough, there is no question but we took Marquis Teague. When you do that, unless you just want to load up on kids, here’s what happens, what if he comes here, maybe he is better than Marquis, maybe he’s not, and if he’s not and he’s not playing, is that fair to him? Maybe he would be good enough to beat out Marquis Teague, is that fair to Marquis Teague? I just think that when you go through this process of recruiting, I’ve made mistakes before. I remember when we played Connecticut and when I saw my man out of high school, I said he was too small, I’m not sure he is good enough. Guess what, he was good enough. Hickey is really good. I’ll same the thing, the other side of it is you take a guy that should be going to Western (Kentucky University) or Murray (State) and you just take him to take him when he could go there and be a starter and do x-y-z and you take him because you want to have a Kentucky kid on your team. I’m not doing that, I just refuse to do that. I’ll take walk-ons that way but I’m not taking a player that way, I don’t feel comfortable with that. Hickey is good enough, he is an SEC player and a starting point guard, I just saw him against Mississippi State make four 3s in a row to end the game. He’s not afraid, he could play here, there isn’t any question, he’s not afraid, he’s a battler, he is good.”

On Marquis Teague making the balance of the team work …
“Important but the one thing, this is a hard one for you all to understand, we have to keep working on making the extra pass. You say, ‘well Cal you have seven guys that have over 100 shots. There is no team in the country that has seven guys with over 100 shots.’ There isn’t one and here is what I would say, what happens is, because guys are only taking 10-9-8-11 shots, the extra pass becomes a little bit harder than it would if four or three guys are taking all your shots. We just have to continue to work on that, make that extra pass. The balance we have does make it difficult. Darius (Miller), offensively, he could go for 30, Kyle Wiltjer could go for 30, Doron Lamb could go for (30), you have a bunch of guys that could bust out for 30. Terrence Jones could go for 30, we just have to keep playing the game and whoever has it going, go to him, last game it was Darius and the guys found him and got him shot.”

On Marquis Teague carrying himself better than he was earlier in the year…
“What happens to these young people, if they don’t let you define them, let us kind of present you, define how you are going to play, when they are arguing the point they think they can play like they did in high school and when it doesn’t work it rattles them. Then they don’t know if they are if they are good enough, then they start questioning if they can play, well you can play but just not the way you are playing. That’s the hard thing, most guys have to get hit in the mouth and they say, ‘alright it ain’t working the way I want to do this, let me do this.’ Let me say this, every once in a while they will go back and check it to make sure they are right or wrong. They’ll go and have their kind of game and they’ll look bad again and you’ll say, ‘why did they do that?’ Because they just have to check and see if they can do it their way. Most of these players, they are letting us present them and define their games for them. All we try to do is play to our strengths, play to your strengths; we’ll work on your weaknesses in here but right now let’s do what we do. The biggest thing with Marquis Teague that he is doing better is he is defending and rebound, you all want to look at his offense, he is defending and rebounding. He’s not stopping, he is going in and getting balls, he had seven rebounds. He has seven rebounds we’ll outrebound the other team by double digits. But there are games he gets no rebounds and doesn’t even attempt, that is the old high school, I’m not going in there because if I go in there and they miss then I can’t get a lay-up so I’m going to just take off. It’s not just him; there are a lot of high school guys doing that.”

On being 3-0 in SEC road games …
“They have all been good games. Georgia came out and made six out of eight whatever they did. Tennessee came out and we were down in that game, Auburn came out and we were down in that game. They all come at us, they are all big games and the teams are going to play well. It’s good for us, it makes us better. I expect LSU to play a great game, I expect them to come out and play better than they have all year. (They will) be physical, run their stuff, execute, they’ll play fast but they want it to be, a lot of times you say they are holding people under 60, it’s because they are scoring a little bit over 60. A team that holds it can keep the other team from scoring more. If you are playing faster the other team is going to score more because they are going to get more opportunities. But they do a good job of controlling the games, similar to Georgia.”

On Kentucky being on its own level …
“You always want to be on your own playing field. One of the reasons we don’t have to talk about another program or I don’t even have to worry about who is recruiting a guy is because I don’t care. I tell the family when we come in, ‘you will not hear me or my staff talk about another program and if we do talk about another program it will be positive about that coach or that program.’ We don’t worry about anybody else, if the kid wants something like this then we will get him and if they look at this and say it is too much then they aren’t coming here. What you try to do in all that you are doing is separate so that you are on a playing field where you present yourself and ask the kid if it is something he’d like or not. In everything you do, whether it’s facilities, academics, in the community, social media, connecting your fans. I’ve said that since I’ve been here, you’re at Kentucky, let’s get this separated. Why are we on all these TV games? Because we rate so high, we rate highest in the country. Everybody wants to watch us.

Kentucky vs LSU.....A Preview

2012-01-26T17:00:00.000-06:00

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs LSU 1/28/12 Saturday 4PM (SEC Network)
Kentucky leads the series 80-24

LSU

Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Enrollment: 27,992
Arena: 13,215

Head Coach: Trent Johnson
Career Record: 208-170 (55.0%) 12 seasons
At LSU: 49-49 (50%) 3 seasons

2010-11 Record: 11-21
2010-11 SEC Record: 3-13
Postseason: None

2011-12 Record: 12-8
2011-12 SEC Record: 2-4

LSU 96 Nicholls 74
Coastal Carolina 71 LSU 63
Northeastern 88 LSU 82
LSU 76 Western Kentucky 57
LSU 59 Georgia Tech 50
South Alabama 79 LSU 75 (OT)
LSU 59 Houston 58
LSU 55 Rutgers 50
LSU 64 Boise St. 45
LSU 66 UC Irvine 59
LSU 67 Marquette 59
LSU 67 N.Texas 58
LSU 69 Grambling 37
Virginia 57 LSU 52
LSU 81 Ole Miss 55
Alabama 69 LSU 53
Arkansas 69 LSU 60
LSU 65 Auburn 58 (OT)
Florida 76 LSU 64
Mississippi St. 76 LSU 71

LSU Stats

PPG-67.0
FG%-40.6%
3 PT.%-33.4% (5.5)
FT%-70.7%
RPG-38.6 (+2.1)
APG-12.6
TO’s-13.2
SPG-7.7
BPG-3.7

Probable Starting Lineup

Justin Hamilton-C 7’0” Jr……………………………..14.1 PPG
Andre Stringer-G 5’9” Soph…………………………...10.4 PPG
Anthony Hickey-G 5’11” Fr……………………………9.6 PPG
Ralston Turner-F 6’6” Soph……………………………8.8 PPG
Storm Warren-F 6’7” Sr………………………………..8.2 PPG

Coach Trent Johnson first year at LSU was highly successful…..as he won 27 games….won the SEC championship….and made the NCAA. However, the past two seasons have been a disaster….LSU is 22-41 and 5-27 in the SEC. As expected, LSU fans are not happy and this season is important to coach Johnson.

LSU added transfer 7’0” Justin Hamilton from Iowa St. along with Anthony Hickey, Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and they both have been a huge plus for the Tigers. Hamilton is the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker. In a recent game against Florida, Hamilton scored 27 points against the Gators. Hickey is off to a solid start as a freshman starter leading the team in assists and steals while scoring at nearly 10 points PG. Andre Stringer leads LSU in perimeter shooting hitting 36.6%.

Although LSU stumbled early this season with a bad loss to Coastal Carolina, the Tigers have played much better with wins over Georgia Tech, Rutgers and Marquette. Already, in SEC conference play, LSU has shown to be a much more competitive team than the past two years and have won both home SEC games.

Importantly, LSU has recently opened a new beautiful basketball practice facility revealing the schools determination to be a top level SEC team. This season, LSU will not be the pushover that UK found last season, but still lack the talent to defeat the Cats even in home friendly Pete Maravich arena.

Kentucky arrives in Baton Rouge fresh off a win over Georgia in Athens. The Cats played very well in the 1st half hitting 56% from the field and 60% from the perimeter.
Unfortunately, UK’s offense stumbled in the 2nd half scoring only 19 points….while shooting a pitiful 30% from the field.

Still, there were a number of positives in the Georgia game. It was great to see Miller, Lamb and Wiltjer shooting very well from the perimeter. In fact, kudos to Darius Miller who had a terrific offensive game scoring 19 points. Davis and MKG were both solid on the boards snaring 11 rebounds apiece….as UK dominated the boards. Teague did a nice job running the offense with zero TO’s.

Hopefully, the Cats can get Anthony Davis more involved in the offense…..as Davis played 39 minutes and had only two shots. Also, UK needs Teague to improve his shooting as he continues to struggle from the perimeter. Importantly,Terrence Jones is giving good effort on the defensive end and rebounding well, however, he still has work to do on improving his offense.

All in all, any road win is a positive, but UK still needs improvement on both offense and defense. The Cats should defeat LSU by 12 points.
GO CATS!

Photo of New UK Uniforms

2012-01-25T12:38:00.000-06:00

Here's a better picture from the Nike web site, I still don't like it with the gray. Nike should have stuck with the traditional BLUE and WHITE..

New UK basketball uniforms

2012-01-25T11:51:00.003-06:00

Mr.Nezzer
WT Executive Moderator

OK, from the picture I sure as heck hope they are not gray with just blue trim......I know the color is probably called platinum but no matter how shiny it is, it will still look gray. Sorry, UK's uniforms should be Blue and White.....period. They can make the uniforms out of recycled puppies for all I care just as long as the colors are Blue and White, the trademark of UK sports.

Another thing, why do they come out with new uniforms, mid-season, why not the start of the season??? I understand all of the elite PR crap but UK is already an elite team, they don't need super duper uper hyper charged fuel injected uniforms that are gray with just a hint of blue. Below is the release info on the new uniforms. Below is the release info on the new uniforms.

UK is one of nine schools who will get New Nike Hyper Elite Platinum jerseys, according to a release. UK will debut the jerseys at home against Tennessee on Jan. 31.

From the release:

The fabric of the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum shorts are made from 100 percent recycled polyester while the jersey fabric is made from at least 96% recycled polyester. Both short and jersey are tailored for the optimal efficiency of movement and are five percent lighter than the previous Nike Hyper Elite uniform. Featuring laser-cut bonded logos, a sharp platinum design as well as prominent accent colors, the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms are sure to shine on the court.

Video: UK Coach John Calipari on UK's win at UGA

2012-01-25T09:34:00.001-06:00

Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: UK Darius Miller on his big night at UGA

2012-01-25T09:33:00.000-06:00

Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: Anthony Davis on UK's win at UGA

2012-01-25T09:29:00.000-06:00

Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on UK's win at UGA

2012-01-25T09:26:00.000-06:00

Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Photos: UK Hoops vs Florida

2012-01-24T07:26:00.002-06:00

Video: John Calipari on UK's No. 1 ranking, trip to Georgia

2012-01-23T14:45:00.000-06:00

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari talked about the Wildcats being ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USAToday college basketball polls as well as previewing the team's trip to Georgia. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: UK Players Jones, Kidd-Gilchrist, Wiltjer pre-Georgia game Interviews

2012-01-23T14:08:00.001-06:00

UK players Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kyle Wiltjer talks about upcoming game at Georgia. Video's courtesy of uknationofblue

UK Hoops Bria Goss named SEC Freshman of the Week

2012-01-23T12:53:00.000-06:00

SEC Freshman of the Week
Bria Goss • Kentucky
Guard • Indianapolis, Ind.

• Scored a career-high 22 points, including a career-high tying three 3-pointers, in UK’s 69-64 road win at No. 15/14 Georgia. It marked UK’s first win in Stegeman Coliseum since 2008.
• Scored 17 of her team- and career-high 22 points at Georgia in the second half, rallying the Wildcats from a 10-point second half deficit.
• While her shot wasn’t falling vs. Florida, Goss relied on her defense to help push UK to victory, taking a team-high three charges and grabbing a team- and career-high nine rebounds.
• Hit both of her free throws with 22.8 seconds left to help preserve UK’s victory over Florida.
• Averaged a team-high 14.0 points per game in UK’s two wins which helped the Cats tie the best start in program history through the first 20 games.

SEC Men's Basketball Standings 1/23/12

2012-01-23T12:48:00.001-06:00

Southeastern	Conf	All
Kentucky (1)	5-0	19-1

Vanderbilt	4-1	14-5

Florida (14)	3-1	15-4

Mississippi St. (18)	3-2	16-4

Mississippi	3-2	13-6

Arkansas	2-2	14-5

Alabama	2-3	13-6

LSU	2-3	12-7

Auburn	2-3	12-7

Tennessee	1-3	9-10

Georgia	1-4	10-9

South Carolina	0-4	8-10

SEC Women's Basketball Standings 1/23/12

2012-01-23T12:46:00.007-06:00

Southeastern	Conf	All
Kentucky (6)	7-0	18-2

Tennessee (7)	5-1	14-4

Georgia (17)	5-2	16-4

South Carolina	4-3	15-5

LSU	4-3	13-6

Mississippi St.	3-3	13-6

Arkansas	3-4	14-5

Florida	3-4	13-7

Vanderbilt	2-4	14-5

Mississippi	2-5	12-8

Auburn	2-5	10-10

Alabama	0-6	10-10

AP/Coaches Poll 1/23/12

2012-01-23T11:27:00.002-06:00

AP Top 25

1. Kentucky (61)
2. Missouri (2)
3. Syracuse (2)
4. Ohio St.
5. Kansas
6. Baylor
7. North Carolina
8. Duke
9. Georgetown
10. Michigan St.
11. Murray St.
12. UNLV
13. San Diego St.
14. Florida
15. Creighton
16. Indiana
17. Marquette
18. Mississippi St.
19. Virginia
20. Michigan
21. St. Mary's
22. Kansas St.
23. Florida St.
24. Connecticut
25. Wisconsin

Dropped Out:No. 22 Illinois, No. 23 Louisville

Others Receiving Votes:West Virginia 96, Gonzaga 82, Vanderbilt 40, Louisville 35, Harvard 32, Wichita St. 28, Cincinnati 20, Illinois 11, Middle Tenn. St. 9, Dayton 3, Iona 2, Long Beach St. 1

USA Today/ESPN

1. Kentucky (31)
2. Missouri
3. Ohio St.
4. Syracuse
5. Kansas
6. Duke
7. Baylor
8. North Carolina
9. Murray St.
10. Georgetown
11. Michigan St.
12. San Diego St.
13. Florida
14. Creighton
15. UNLV
16. Mississippi St.
17. Indiana
18. Marquette
19. Connecticut
20. St. Mary's
21. Virginia
22. Michigan
23. Harvard
24. Kansas St.
25. Wisconsin

Dropped Out:No. 21 Louisville, No. 25 Illinois

Others Receiving Votes:Louisville 49, Florida St. 41, Gonzaga 34, West Virginia 33, Wichita St. 29, Middle Tenn. St. 28, Vanderbilt 20, Nevada 12, Illinois 6, Cincinnati 4, Southern Miss 3, UCF 3, Iowa St. 2, New Mexico 1, Dayton 1

SEC Basketball Games for 1/24/1-1/28/12

2012-01-23T08:09:00.007-06:00

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24TH

Tennessee at Vanderbilt 7:00 PM ESPNU
Kentucky at Georgia 9:00 PM ESPN

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25TH

Alabama at South Carolina 8:00 PM SEC Network
LSU at Mississippi St. 8:00 PM SEC Network
Auburn at Arkansas 9:00 PM CSS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26TH

Florida at Ole Miss 7:00 PM ESPN/2

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28TH

Arkansas at Alabama 1:30 PM SEC Network
Mississippi St. at Florida 1:30 PM SEC Network
Middle Tennessee at Vanderbilt 2:00 PM
Kentucky at LSU 4:00 PM SEC Network
Auburn at Tennessee 6:00 PM ESPN2
South Carolina at Ole Miss 7:00 PM FSN

SEC Women's BB Games for 1/23/12-1/29/12

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

MONDAY, JANUARY 23RD

Tennessee at Notre Dame 7:00 PM ESPN2

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26TH

Kentucky at Auburn 7:00 PM
Ole Miss at South Carolina 7:00 PM FSN
Arkansas at Mississippi St. 8:00 PM
Georgia at Vanderbilt 9:00 PM CSS
Tennessee at Alabama 9:00 PM FSN

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29TH

Alabama at Kentucky 2:00 PM CSS
Auburn at Ole Miss 2:00 PM FSN
Mississippi St. at South Carolina 2:00 PM SEC Network
Florida at Arkansas 3:00 PM
LSU at Vanderbilt 3:00 PM
Tennessee at Georgia 5:00 PM ESPN2

Kentucky vs Georgia....A Preview

2012-01-23T00:18:00.001-06:00

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs Georgia 1/24/12 Tuesday 9PM (ESPN)
UK leads the series 113-25

Georgia

Location: Athens, Ga
Enrollment: 34,677
Arena: 10,523

Head Coach: Mark Fox
Career Record: 158-72 (68.7%) 7 seasons
At Georgia: 35-29 (54.7%) 2 seasons

2010-11 Record: 21-12
2010-11 SEC Record: 9-7
Postseason: NCAA 0-1

2011-12 Record: 10-9
2011-12 SEC Record: 1-4

Georgia 62 Wofford 49
Georgia 63 Bowling Green 54
Georgia 72 South Dakota St. 61
California 70 Georgia 46
Georgia 61 Notre Dame 57
Xavier 70 Georgia 56
Colorado 70 Georgia 68
Cincinnati 57 Georgia 51
Georgia Tech 68 Georgia 56
Georgia 63 Southern Cal 59
Georgia 72 Mercer 58
Georgia 64 Furman 50
Georgia 92 Winthrop 86 (OT)
Georgia 58 Delaware St. 51
Alabama 74 Georgia 59
Florida 70 Georgia 48
Vandy 77 Georgia 66
Georgia 57 Tennessee 53 (OT)
Ole Miss 66 Georgia 63

Georgia Stats

PPG-61.9
FG%-39.9%
3 PT%-31.9% (6.6 PG)
FT%-69.1%
RPG-33.0 (-2.4)
APG-11.3
TO's-11.1
SPG-6.3
BPG-3.8

Probable Starting Lineup

Ken Caldwell-Pope-G 6'4" Fr................14.7 PPG
Dustin Ware-G 5'11" Sr........................7.7 PPG
Donte' Williams-F 6'9" Soph..................7.7 PPG
Gerald Robinson-G 6'1" Sr....................13.8 PPG
Nemania Djurisic-F 6'8" Fr.....................6.5 PPG

Georgia suffered a huge loss when Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie left early for the NBA. Thompkins and Leslie were 1st and 2nd in both team scoring and rebounds. Coach Mark Fox who has done a good job in rebuilding the Georgia program over the past two years has had to adjust to losing the high flying athletic ability of Thompkins and Leslie...and focus on establishing a solid defense while finding scoring from other players. This season, it's the guards who are doing most of the scoring with highly rated freshman Ken Calwell-Pope leading the Bulldogs in scoring. Also, guard Gerald Robinson has stepped up in his scoring and leads in assists. Dustin Ware leads in perimeter scoring hitting 37.0%

Georgia does have a win over Notre Dame and a recent win over Tennessee, but are struggling in the SEC with a 1-4 record. Certainly, Georgia can be dangerous at home, but this season they simply don't have the athletes in the paint and depend on outside shooting for most of their points.

UK arrives in Athens off a very difficult win over a very tough Alabama team that played very well. The Cats struggled from the charity line, especially in the 1st half and missed 13 FT's for the game. Fortunately, UK made some vital FT's at the end of the game.

The Cats, quite frankly, were lucky to escape an upset as they missed far too many close in basket attempts.....were outmuscled in the paint and out rebounded....and played spotty defense at times. Obviously, UK still has a lot of improving on both offense and defense. Bottom line....as coach Cal has said.....teams are going to challenge UK in the paint with physical play and these young Cats need to meet that challenge with tougher play in the paint. One positive was that UK only had 8 TO's. I see a UK win over a less talented and less physical Georgia team by 14 points. GO CATS!

Video: UK Hoops Coach Mitchell pre-Florida interview

2012-01-22T00:02:00.002-06:00

UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell talks about the upcoming home game with the Gators, big wins on the road, Bria Goss' honesty, among other things. Video's courtesy of uksportsinfo.com

Video: UK Coach Calipari Post-Alabama Presser

2012-01-21T15:36:00.000-06:00

John Calipari talks after defeating Alabama 77-71: In a much shorter than usual post-game press conference, Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari talks about defeating Alabama 77-71 Jan. 21, 2012 in Rupp Arena. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: UK players on UK's 77-71 win over Alabama

2012-01-21T15:27:00.001-06:00

UK players Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on UK's 77-71 win over Alabama. Video's courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: Alabama coach, players on losing to Kentucky

2012-01-21T15:15:00.001-06:00

Alabama basketball coach Anthony Grant and players Trevor Releford, left, and JaMychal Green talk about the team's 77-71 road loss to Kentucky, Jan. 21, 2012.Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Photos: UK Basketball vs Alabama 1/20/12

2012-01-21T14:59:00.000-06:00

Video: Derek Willis commits to Kentucky

2012-01-20T20:06:00.000-06:00

Derek Willis of the 2013 class commits to Kentucky. Video courtesy of Rivals.Yahoo.com

2013 UK recruit Derek Willis Commits to Kentucky

2012-01-20T16:30:00.002-06:00

Derek Willis a 6-8 power forward of the 2013 class from Bullitt East High School, has just announced his commitment to the University of Kentucky. Willis said, "Kentucky is just the best fit for me and that's why I chose them," Willis chose UK over Purdue. Willis is UK's first commit for the 2013 class. Scout.com analyst Evan Daniels: “He runs the floor so well, is a solid athlete and has a legit jump shot that extends to 22 feet. For a guy his size he handles the ball well, can push the break and is capable of scoring with both hands around the basket.”
Here's a Derek Willis Highlight clip below:

Video: UK Coach Calipari, Players preview Alabama

2012-01-20T15:20:00.000-06:00

UK Coach John Calipari and Anthony Davis, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller previews Saturday's 12PM UK-Alabama game on CBS. Video's courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: Archie Goodwin Highlights From The Bass Pro TOC

2012-01-20T14:07:00.000-06:00

Archie Goodwin Highlights From The Bass Pro TOC. Video courtesy of prepforce.com

Kentucky vs Alabama....A Preview

2012-01-19T12:42:00.001-06:00

Kentucky vs Alabama…1/21/12
Saturday 12PMEST/11:00AMCST (CBS)
Kentucky leads the series 101-36

Alabama

Location: Tucaloosa,Ala.
Enrollment: 30,232
Arena: 15,316

Head Coach: Anthony Grant
Career Record: 118-52 (69.4%) 5 Seasons
At Alabama: 42-27 (60.9%) 2 Seasons

2010-11 Record: 25-12
2010-11 SEC Record: 12-4
Postseason: 4-1 NIT (Lost in final)

2011-12 Record: 13-4
2011-12 SEC Record: 2-1

Alabama 64 N. Florida 44
Alabama 74 Oakland 57
Alabama 62 Maryland 42
Alabama 70 Wichita St. 60
Alabama 65 Purdue 56
Alabama 82 Alabama A&M 45
Alabama 72 VCU 64
Georgetown 57 Alabama 55
Dayton 74 Alabama 62
Alabama 62 Detroit 54
Kansas St. 71 Alabama 58
Alabama 69 Oklahoma St. 52
Alabama 72 Jacksonville 55
Alabama 73 Georgia Tech 48
Alabama 74 Georgia 59
Alabama 69 LSU 53
Mississippi St. 56 Alabama 52

Alabama Stats

PPG-66.8
FG%-47.0%
3 PT%-27.1% (3.8PG)
FT%-71.3%
RPG-35.8 (+3.1)
APG-13.6
TO’s-12.5
SPG-7.1
BPG-4.6

Probable Starting Lineup

JaMychal Green-F 6’8” Sr…………………………14.2 PPG
Tony Mitchell-F 6’6” Jr……………………………14.5 PPG
Trevor Lacey-G 6’3” Fr…………………………….7.5 PPG
Trevor Releford-G 6’1” Soph………………………12.5 PPG
Levi Randolph-G 6’5” Fr……………………………6.1 PPG

Other Key Players

Nick Jacobs-F 6’8” Fr……………………………….5.3 PPG
Andrew Steele-G 6’4” Jr…………………………….6.5 PPG

Coach Anthony Grant was very disappointed that Bama didn’t receive an NCAA invitation last season despite finishing with a 12-4 SEC record. The problem was that the Tide had a very weak non-conference schedule. Grant made certain he corrected that this season by scheduling much tougher non conference opponents such as Georgetown, Oklahoma St, Georgia Tech, Dayton, VCU and Kansas St.. In addition, Grant brought in three top 50 rated freshmen.

Alabama returns two of the best players in the SEC in JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell and both are the leading scorers averaging 14 PPG. Mitchell leads the team in blocks and rebounds. Two highly recruited freshmen, Levi Randolph and Trevor Lacey, have cracked the starting lineup. UK fans will remember Lacey who was recruited by the Cats for his long range accuracy. However, thus far Lacey has struggled from the perimeter hitting only 15-54 for 27.8%. In fact, the entire team is only hitting 27.1% from the 3 point line.

A signature of Anthony Grant teams is hard nose defense and he is rebuilding the Alabama basketball program. This is a good Bama team with improving talent and some key experience on the frontline with Green and Mitchell. The Crimson Tide have some solid wins this season…..defeating Maryland, Purdue, Oklahoma St. and Georgia Tech.

UK is coming off one of their best performances of the season in defeating Arkansas. The Cats saw Anthony Davis break the season record in blocks with much of the season still left. Davis was simply outstanding offensively and defensively. Terrence Jones continues to improve his game with a solid performance against the Razorbacks. Importantly, Teague had perhaps his best overall game as PG at UK by handing out 9 assists while effectively running the offense. Overall, it was a very good team performance and kept UK’s 46 home winning streak alive. Perhaps the only negative is that the Cats need to do a better job of hitting shots from the perimeter.

Alabama will present a tougher challenge than Arkansas as they are bigger and more talented. Coach Cal will be especially looking for Teague and Jones to continue to improve their game. I see a 12 point UK win over Alabama. GO CATS!

Video: UK Coach Calipari, Players Post-Arkansas Press Conference

2012-01-18T13:04:00.001-06:00

University of Kentucky Coach John Calipari, UK Senior Darius Miller, Sophomore Terrence Jones, Freshman Anthony Davis and Freshman Marquis Teague talks to the media after UK's 86-63 win over Arkansas on January 17, 2012. Video's courtesy of uksportsinfo.com

Photos: UK Basketball vs Arkansas 1/17/12

2012-01-18T07:43:00.000-06:00

Photos: UK Freshman Anthony Davis breaks blocks record

2012-01-18T01:31:00.003-06:00

UK freshman Anthony Davis breaks UK single season blocks record against Arkansas passing Andre Riddick(1993-94) & Melvin Turpin(1983-84) each tied with 83 blocks. Davis ties Riddick, Turpin and breaks record in the same game finishing with a overall total of 89 blocks for the season with half the season to go.

Video: 2013 UK Prospect Kuran Iverson on favorites

2012-01-17T15:52:00.000-06:00

Kuran Iverson, the Rivals No. 3 small forward in the Class of 2013, says Kentucky and UConn are his favorites. Video courtesy of FiveStarBasketball.com.
video platform video management video solutions video player

NCAA Women's AP/USA Today Top 25 Basketball Poll 1/17/12

2012-01-17T13:01:00.000-06:00

AP Top 25

1. Baylor (39)
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Duke
6. Kentucky
7. Rutgers
8. Maryland
9. Tennessee
10. Ohio St.
11. Miami (FL)
12. Green Bay
13. Purdue
14. Texas A&M
15. Georgia
16. Delaware
17. Texas Tech
18. Louisville
19. Georgetown
20. Nebraska
21. DePaul
22. Penn St.
23. Kansas St.
24. North Carolina
25. Vanderbilt

Dropped Out:No. 23 Gonzaga, No. 24 South Carolina

Others Receiving Votes:Gonzaga 41, LSU 20, Georgia Tech 10, South Carolina 7, Kansas 4, Oklahoma 2, St. Bonaventure 2, Michigan St. 2, Hofstra 2, USC 1, St. Mary's 1, BYU 1, Princeton 1

USA Today/ESPN

1. Baylor (31)
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Duke
6. Kentucky
7. Maryland
8. Rutgers
9. Tennessee
10. Miami (FL)
11. Green Bay
12. Ohio St.
13. Texas A&M
14. Georgia
15. Louisville
16. Delaware
17. Georgetown
18. Purdue
19. DePaul
20. Texas Tech
21. Penn St.
22. Vanderbilt
22. Kansas St.
24. Nebraska
25. Gonzaga

Dropped Out:No. 21 North Carolina

Others Receiving Votes:Georgia Tech 27, Kansas 21, North Carolina 13, Middle Tenn. St. 10, South Carolina 6, Fla Gulf Coast 6, Michigan 4, Florida 3, Texas 2, USC 1

SEC Men's Basketball Games for 1/17/12-1/21/12

2012-01-17T00:23:00.005-06:00

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17TH

Auburn at LSU 7:00 PM ESPNU
Arkansas at Kentucky 9:00 PM ESPN

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18TH

Tennessee at Georgia 8:00 PM SEC Network
Mississippi St. at Ole Miss 9:00 PM CSS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19TH

Vanderbilt at Alabama 7:00 PM ESPN/2

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21ST

Alabama at Kentucky 12:00 PM CBS Sports
South Carolina at Auburn 1:30 PM SEC Network
Michigan at Arkansas 2:00 PM CBS Sports
Connecticut at Tennessee 4:00 PM
Ole Miss at Georgia 4:00 PM SEC Network
LSU at Florida 6:00 PM FSN
Mississippi St. at Vanderbilt 7:00 PM ESPN2

Video: UK Coach Calipari Calipari previews UK-Arkansas

2012-01-16T22:41:00.000-06:00

UK Coach John Calipari previews Tuesday UK-Arkansas game on ESPN at 9PMEST. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: Terrence Jones previews UK-Arkansas

2012-01-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

Terrence Jones previews Tuesday UK-Arkansas game on ESPN at 9PMEST. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: Marquis Teague previews UK-Arkansas

2012-01-16T22:34:00.000-06:00

Marquis Teague previews Tuesday UK-Arkansas game on ESPN at 9PMEST. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: 2012 UK Prospect Shabazz Muhammad Hoophall Classic Highlights/Interview

2012-01-16T18:22:00.000-06:00

2012 UK Prospect Shabazz Muhammad Hoophall Classic Highlights & Interview. Video courtesy of masslive.com

AP/Coaches Men's BB Poll 1/16/12

2012-01-16T12:34:00.000-06:00

AP Top 25

1. Syracuse (60)
2. Kentucky (4)
3. Baylor (1)
4. Duke
5. Missouri
6. Ohio St.
7. Kansas
8. North Carolina
9. Michigan St.
10. Georgetown
11. Indiana
12. Murray St.
13. Connecticut
14. UNLV
15. Virginia
16. San Diego St.
17. Florida
18. Mississippi St.
19. Creighton
20. Michigan
21. Marquette
22. Illinois
23. Louisville
24. St. Mary's
25. Kansas St.

Dropped Out:No. 21 Gonzaga, No. 24 Seton Hall

Others Receiving Votes:Vanderbilt 101, Wisconsin 90, Seton Hall 79, Gonzaga 64, New Mexico 61, Harvard 22, Cincinnati 17, West Virginia 16, Stanford 16, Alabama 10, Wichita St. 3, Iona 2, Wagner 1, Florida St. 1, Northwestern 1

USA Today/ESPN

1. Syracuse (31)
2. Kentucky
3. Baylor
4. Duke
5. Missouri
6. Ohio St.
7. Kansas
8. North Carolina
9. Michigan St.
10. Murray St.
11. Connecticut
12. Georgetown
13. Indiana
14. Florida
15. Mississippi St.
16. San Diego St.
17. Virginia
18. Creighton
19. Michigan
20. UNLV
21. Louisville
22. Marquette
23. St. Mary's
24. Harvard
25. Illinois

Dropped Out:No. 18 Kansas St., No. 23 Gonzaga

Others Receiving Votes:Vanderbilt 47, Kansas St. 46, New Mexico 41, Wisconsin 27, Gonzaga 21, Middle Tenn. St. 21, Seton Hall 16, Wichita St. 13, West Virginia 13, Alabama 7, Nevada 3, California 2, BYU 1

SEC Men's Basketball Standings 1/16/12

2012-01-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

Southeastern	Conf	All
Kentucky (2)	3-0	17-1

Vanderbilt	3-0	13-4

Mississippi St. (18)	2-1	15-3

Florida (17)	2-1	14-4

Arkansas	2-1	13-4

Alabama	2-1	13-4

LSU	1-2	11-6

Mississippi	1-2	11-6

Auburn	1-2	11-6

Tennessee	1-2	8-9

Georgia	0-3	9-8

South Carolina	0-3	8-9

SEC Women's Basketball Standings 1/16/12

2012-01-16T12:26:00.000-06:00

Southeastern	Conf	All
Kentucky (9)	5-0	16-2

Georgia (19)	4-1	15-3

Tennessee (6)	4-1	13-4

LSU	4-1	13-4

South Carolina (24)	3-2	14-4

Vanderbilt (25)	2-2	14-3

Mississippi	2-3	12-6

Florida	2-3	12-6

Mississippi St.	1-3	11-6

Arkansas	1-4	12-5

Auburn	1-4	9-9

Alabama	0-5	10-9

Anthony Davis named SEC Freshman of the Week 1/16/12

2012-01-16T12:09:00.000-06:00

Anthony Davis named SEC Freshman of the Week 1/16/12

Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-10, 222-pound freshman forward from Chicago, Ill., was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, 2.5 steals and two assists in wins at Auburn and at Tennessee. Davis tallied eight blocks on the week moving him to within one block of the UK single-season record after only 18 games. He helped lead the Cats in a come-from-behind wins on the road, scoring game-high 14 points at Auburn and a game-high 18 points at Tennessee. He has scored in double-figures in seven-straight games and eight of the last nine.

A’dia Mathies named SEC Women's Player of the Week 1/16/12

2012-01-16T12:04:00.000-06:00

SEC Women's Player of the Week 1/16/12
A’dia Mathies • Kentucky
Junior • Guard • Louisville, Ky.

• Averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.5 steals per game.
• Scored a career-high 34 points in UK’s win of No. 6/7 Tennessee.
• Also grabbed nine rebounds, one shy of tying a career high, to go along with two assists, two blocks and two steals.
• Hit the game-winning shot vs. Tennessee with 4.2 seconds left to give UK its first 4-0 start in conference play in program history and its third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season, the first time the program has done that since 1982-83.
• Tied a career high with three blocks at No. 24/RV South Carolina, while also getting three steals.

Photos: UK Cheerleaders win 19th national championship

2012-01-16T12:00:00.000-06:00

The UK Cheerleading team won the UCA National Championship for the 19th time.

Kentucky vs Arkansas.....A Preview

2012-01-15T18:32:00.000-06:00

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs Arkansas 1/17/12 Tuesday 9PM (ESPN)
UK leads the series 24-8

Arkansas Razorbacks

Location: Fayetteville, Ark
Enrollment: 21,406
Arena: 19,200

Head Coach: Mike Anderson
Career Record: 200-97 (67.3%) 9 seasons
1st year at Arkansas

2010-11 Record: 18-13
2010-11 SEC Record: 7-9
Postseason: None

2011-12 Record: 13-4
2011-12 SEC Record: 2-1

Arkansas 83 USC Upstate 63
Arkansas 91 Oakland 68
Houston 87 Arkansas 78
Arkansas 67 Utah Valley 59
Arkansas 86 Grambling St. 44
Arkansas 97 Miss. Valley St. 64
U Conn 75 Arkansas 62
Oklahoma 78 Arkansas 63
Arkansas 62 SE Louisiana 55
Arkansas 71 Eastern Ky. 57
Arkansas 77 Louisiana Tech 63
Arkansas 80 Charlotte 67
Arkansas 77 Texas Southern 49
Arkansas 83 Savannah St. 66
Ole Miss 71 Arkansas 63
Arkansas 98 Miss. St. 88
Arkansas 69 LSU 60

Arkansas Stats

PPG-76.9
FG%-44.0%
3 PT%-34.8%
FT%-69.0%
RPG-37.9 (-0.9)
APG-15.2
TO’s-13.5
SPG-9.3
BPG-6.4

Probable Starting Lineup

Mardracus Wade-G 6’2” Soph………………………..11.0 PPG
Rickey Scott-G 6’3” Soph…………………………….9.8 PPG
Julysses Nobles-G 6’1” Jr……………………………..9.4 PPG
Devonta Aaron-F 6’8” Fr…………………………...…5.9 PPG
Michael Sanchez-F 6’8” Sr……………………………4.6 PPG

Other Key Players

BJ Young-G 6’3” Fr……………………………………15.0 PPG
Hunter Mickelson-F 6’10” Fr…………………………..4.6 PPG
Rashad Madden-G 6’5” Fr………………………...……7.3 PPG
Marvell Waithe-F 6’9” Sr………………………………6.4 PPG

Arkansas fired John Pelphrey after 3 years and a lackluster 25-39 SEC record and zero NCAA appearances. In fairness to Pelphrey, he inherited a bad situation at Arkansas and had a stellar recruiting class coming in…..but, too many empty seats at games along with growing impatience from Razorback fans sealed Pelphrey’s fate.

Not surprisingly, Arkansas turned to one of their own……Mike Anderson who was an assistant under Nolan Richardson from 1985-2002. Anderson then left to coach UAB and did a superb job in coaching UAB to a 89-41 record in 6 years….then has coached Missouri over the past 3 years to a very solid 111-57 record. In 9 years as a head coach
Anderson has taken UAB and Missouri to 6 NCAA’s ….and made it to an Elite 8 once.
Arkansas fans like the uptempo offense and often pressing defense….and the Razorbacks are off to very good start under Anderson.

Arkansas, unfortunately, lost, 6’7 Jr. Marshawn Powell, their best player after just 2 games to a torn ACL. The Razorbacks are led in scoring by freshman BJ Young who often comes off the bench. Young has hit 28-64 perimeter shots for a very solid 43.8%. However, Mardracus Wade has shot even better from the 3 point line hitting 36-73 for a fantastic 49.3%. Julysses Nobles leads the team in assists while rebounding has been done by committee by several players. Hunter Mickelson, 6’10” freshman, comes off the bench and leads the Razorbacks in blocks with 47.

Coach Anderson often goes deep in his bench playing 8-9 players to keep defensive pressure on opponents. The Razorbacks are averaging 9.3 steals PG. There is young talent on Arkansas and coach Anderson has his team playing in a similar manner as his mentor, Nolan Richardson. As Anderson brings in more talented recruits that are very athletic and can press….look for future Razorback teams to be more talented and much better.

UK escaped Knoxville with a hard earned 65-62 win. It was the Cat’s solid defense that kept UK in the game as their offense sputtered. Make no mistake, this was a big win against a solid Tennessee team that played very physical basketball. Once again, MKG and Davis made key plays offensively and defensively. UK’s two best perimeter shooters, Miller and Lamb, were missing in action….in fact, overall team shooting has been disappointing. While UK’s defense is playing well overall, it is exceedingly important for the Cat’s to develop a much more efficient offense and start making more shots….if they want to continue winning on the road. In addition, as coach Cal has pointed out, this UK team must match the physical play of it’s opponents.

Arkansas will be a tough opponent in Rupp arena…..and will force UK to handle the ball against the press. UK should win by 10 points! GO CATS!

Video: UK Signee Archie Goodwin Highlights From The Bass Pro TOC

2012-01-15T18:26:00.001-06:00

Video: UK Coach Calipari, Kidd-Gilchrist on UK's win at Tennessee

2012-01-14T16:26:00.000-06:00

UK Coach Calipari and freshman Kidd-Gilchrist on UK's 65-62 win at Tennessee. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.

Video: Anthony Davis on UK's win at Tennessee

2012-01-14T16:20:00.000-06:00

UK freshman Anthony Davis on UK's 65-62 win at Tennessee. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.

Photos: UK Basketball vs Tennessee 1/14/12

2012-01-14T16:08:00.000-06:00

Video: UK Coach Calipari, players Pre-Tennessee Press Conference

2012-01-13T17:03:00.000-06:00

UK Coach John Calipari and UK players Doron Lamb, Anthony Davis, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist talk about the upcoming SEC game in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday Jan. 14,2012 on ESPN at 12:00PM-EST/11:00AM-CST. Video's courtesy of uknationofblue.

Kentucky vs Tennessee......A Preview

2012-01-13T16:04:00.007-06:00

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs Tennessee 1/14/12 Saturday-12pm-EST/11am-CST (ESPN)
Kentucky leads the series 146-66.

Tennessee Vols

Location: Knoxville, Tenn
Enrollment: 27,523
Arena: 21,678

Head Coach: Cuonzo Martin
Career Record: 61-41 (59.8%) 3 seasons
At Tennessee-First season

2010-11 Record: 19-15
2010-11 SEC Record: 8-8
Postseason: 0-1 NCAA

2011-12 Record: 8-8
2011-12 SEC Record: 1-1

Tennessee 92 UNC Greensboro 63
Tennessee 85 Louisiana Monroe 62
Duke 77 Tennessee 67
Memphis 99 Tennessee 97
Tennessee 86 Chaminade 60
Oakland 89 Tennessee 81
Pittsburgh 61 Tennessee 56
Austin Peay 74 Tennessee 70
College of Charleston 71 Tennessee 65
Tennessee 72 UNC Ashville 68
Tennessee 66 ESTU 63
Tennessee 86 Citadel 55
Tennessee 76 Chattanooga 63
Memphis 69 Tennessee 51
Tennessee 67 Florida 56
Mississippi St. 62 Tennessee 58

Tennessee Stats

PPG-73.4
FG%-46.2%
3 PT%-38.0% (8.1PG)
FT%-69.8%
RPG-36.2 (+3.2)
APG-14.3
TO’s-13.1
SPG-5.9
BPG-4.9

Probable Starting Lineup

Trae Golden-G 6’1” Soph………………………….14.9 PPG
Jeronne Maymon-F 6’7” Jr……………………..….11.3 PPG
Jordan McRae-F 6’5” Soph…………………….….10.4 PPG
Cameron Tatum-GG 6’7” Sr…………………….….8.9 PPG
Kenny Hall-F 6’9” Jr…………………………….....….7.3 PPG

Other Key Players

Sylar McBee-G 6’3” Jr……………………………….....6.3 PPG
Renaldo Woodridge-F 6’9” Sr…………………..….6.1 PPG
Josh Richardson-G 6’6” Fr…………………………...3.0 PPG

Tennessee now has a new coach in Cuonzo Martin after Bruce Pearl was fired. Martin played at Purdue from 91-95 under Gene Keady….Martin was then an assistant under both Keady and Matt Painter from 2000-2008 so he garnered great experience from two very good coaches. For the past 3 years, Martin has been a successful coach at Missouri St where he greatly improved their program.

Coach Martin inherited a Tennessee team that lost 4 solid starters in Scotty Hopson, Tobias Harris, Melvin Goins and John Fields plus 4 other players including Brian Williams. Despite those losses, Martin has the Vols playing much better than anyone expected. While Pearl’s Vols were more upbeat offensively, Martin has focused on playing tough hardnose defense….which was evident in the Vols recent win over Florida.
Frankly, despite losing much of their scoring, this year’s Vols team is playing pretty solid offensively and shooting very well from the perimeter hitting 37.5% and averaging 8 perimeter shots PG.

Cameron Tatum leads the team from the perimeter hitting 41%. Trae Golden runs the point and leads in assists with 81…… Jeronne Maymon leads the team in rebounds while Kenny Hall leads in blocks.

The Vols just had a tough loss at Mississippi St. 62-58. UT had an opportunity to tie or win in the final seconds, but turned the ball over. This Tennessee team will be a very competitive team in the SEC this season.

Kentucky arrives in Knoxville off a hard fought game against Auburn on the road. The Cats found out that coach Cal was right on target when he warned them that opposing SEC teams will fill their arenas and often play their very best against UK….Auburn did just that. Auburn utilized an effective zone defense which many UK opponents will also likely use this SEC season. The Cats pulled away toward the end of the game, but missed shots and poor rebounding kept the Tigers in the game.

Last season, UK lost 6 road SEC games and this season could be as bad if the young Cats don’t come to play for 40 minutes on the road. UK will find a tough Tennessee opponent Saturday in Knoxville and they must play tough defense, rebound better, and make shots.

It’s not rocket science, but winning on the road demands that the Cats bring a high level of energy and match the passion of their opponents. I see a tough game in Knoxville with UK pulling out a 7 point win. GO CATS!

Photos: UK Hoops vs. Tennessee 1/12/12

2012-01-13T16:00:00.000-06:00

Video: UK Coach Matthew Mitchell & UK Hoops Players Post-Tennessee Presser

2012-01-12T21:53:00.000-06:00

UK Women's basketball Coach Matthew Mitchell and UK Hoops players Adia Mathies and Keyla Snowden talk to the media after Kentucky's 61-60 win against #6 Tennessee in Memorial Coliseum. Videos courtesy of uksportsinfo.com

Video: UK Coach Calipari, Players Post-Auburn Press Conference

2012-01-12T08:42:00.010-06:00

UK Coach Calipari along with UK players Davis and Lamb on UK's win at Auburn. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

SEC Basketball Games for 1/11/1-1/14/12

2012-01-11T13:57:00.003-06:00

Here is this weeks SEC Men's basketball games with game time, TV info and live stream feeds.

Jan. 11 Wednesday

Arkansas at Ole Miss 8:00 p.m. SEC Network ESPN3.com
Kentucky at Auburn 8:00 p.m. SEC Network ESPN3.com
LSU at Alabama 9:00 p.m. CSS ESPN3.com

Jan. 12 Thursday

Tennessee at Mississippi State 9:00 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2 ESPN3.com

Jan. 14 Saturday

Kentucky at Tennessee Noon ESPN ESPN3.com
Ole Miss at Auburn 1:30 p.m. SEC Network ESPN3.com
Alabama at Mississippi State 4:00 p.m. SEC Network ESPN3.com
Georgia at Vanderbilt 4:00 p.m. SEC Network ESPN3.com
Florida at South Carolina 7:00 p.m. CSS ESPN3.com
LSU at Arkansas 9:00 p.m. FSN ESPN3.com

Video: UK Coach Cailapri, Marquis Teague and Twany Beckham Pre-Auburn Press Conference

2012-01-10T14:59:00.001-06:00

UK Coach John Caliapari,and UK players Marquis Teague, Twany Beckham talk about upcoming game on Wednesday at Auburn and how important Darius is to the team. The UK vs Auburn game will be on The SEC Network. Video courtesy of uknationofblue

NCAA Women's AP/USA Today Top 25 Basketball Poll 1/10/12

2012-01-10T12:46:00.000-06:00

AP Top 25

1. Baylor (39)
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Maryland
6. Tennessee
7. Duke
8. Rutgers
9. Kentucky
10. Texas Tech
11. Ohio St.
12. Texas A&M
13. Miami (FL)
14. Green Bay
15. Nebraska
16. Louisville
17. Purdue
18. Georgetown
19. Georgia
20. Delaware
21. DePaul
22. North Carolina
23. Gonzaga
24. South Carolina
25. Vanderbilt

Dropped Out:No. 22 Penn St., No. 23 Texas

Others Receiving Votes:Penn St. 59, LSU 34, Georgia Tech 15, Kansas St. 13, Michigan St. 7, Michigan 4, Kansas 4, St. John's 2, Texas 2, St. Bonaventure 1

USA Today/ESPN

1. Baylor (31)
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Stanford
5. Maryland
6. Duke
7. Tennessee
8. Kentucky
9. Rutgers
10. Texas A&M
11. Miami (FL)
12. Green Bay
13. Ohio St.
14. Texas Tech
15. Louisville
16. Georgia
17. Georgetown
18. Delaware
19. DePaul
20. Purdue
21. North Carolina
22. Gonzaga
23. Nebraska
24. Vanderbilt
25. Penn St.

Dropped Out:No. 25 Texas

Others Receiving Votes:South Carolina 55, Michigan 19, Kansas St. 8, Kansas 5, Georgia Tech 5, Texas 3, Fla Gulf Coast 2, St. John's 2, West Virginia 1, Middle Tenn. St. 1

Kentucky vs Auburn......A Preview

2012-01-09T15:41:00.000-06:00

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs Auburn 1/11/12 Wednesday 8PM (SEC Network)
UK leads series 85-17

Auburn Tigers

Location: Auburn, Ala
Enrollment: 24,078
Arena: 9,600

Head Coach: Tony Barber
Career Record: 93-72 (56.4%) 5 seasons
At Auburn: 11-20 (35.5%) 1 season

2010-11 Record: 11-20
2010-11 SEC Record: 4-12
Postseason Record: None

2011-12 Record: 10-5
2011-12 SEC Record: 0-1

Auburn 84 McNeese St. 62
Auburn 68 Kennesaw St. 55
Auburn 78 Nicholls St. 57
Auburn 72 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 59
Seton Hall 81 Auburn 59
Auburn 52 S. Florida 40
Auburn 84 N. Florida 71
Auburn 76 Florida A&M 69
Auburn 65 Hawaii 62
Long Beach St. 64 Auburn 43
UTEP 83 Auburn 76
Auburn 78 Georgia Southern 75
Auburn 67 Bethune-Cookman 41
Florida St. 85 Auburn 56
Vandy 65 Auburn 35

Auburn Stats

PPG-66.2
FG%-43.8%
3 PT.%=32.5%(5.2PG)
FT%-64.7%
RPG-35.0 (+0.5)
APG-13.7
TO’s-14.1
SPG-6.9
BPG-5.9

Probable Starting Lineup

Kenny Gabriel-F 6’8” Sr………………………...11.9 PPG
Rob Chubb-C 6’10” Jr…………………………….9.7 PPG
Varez Ward-G 6’2” Soph………………………....9.2 PPG
Chris Denson-G 6’2” Soph………………………10.7 PPG
Frankie Sullivan-G 6’1” Jr……………………….11.5 PPG

Second year coach, Tony Barbee, welcomes back 4 starters plus transfer from Texas, Varez Ward…..and also 2 other transfers and 3 freshmen. Senior Kenny Gabriel does it all….leading scorer….also, leads in rebounds with 7.8 PG….plus he leads the team in blocks with 41 and steals with 22. Frankie Sullivan leads the Tigers from the perimeter hitting 30-81 for 37% along with Kenny Gabriel and Chris Denson who both hit 37%-38%. Transfer Varez Ward leads the Tigers in assists with 4.1 PG, but struggles from the perimeter hitting only 29%.One problem that coach Barbee certainly wants to correct is to improve the Tigers FT shooting which is a dismal 64.7%

There is optimism that coach Barbee will turn the Auburn program around and thus far there is no question that Barbee has the Tigers playing hard. Auburn had a nice win over Seton Hall, but an ugly loss to Vandy to open the SEC season. Coach Barbee knows that for Auburn to step forward he will need to add a lot more talent.

Kentucky played pretty well in their SEC opener against South Carolina. A huge plus was seeing Terrence Jones play his best game after struggling in recent games. Hopefully, this is the start of Jones returning to form….as the Cats need his toughness in the paint and more scoring. In addition, UK saw an improved Teague who did a nice job in directing the offense while making very few mistakes. Obviously, having Teague effectively run the offense as coach wants is a big key to UK’s future success in the NCAA tourney. Seeing positive comments from Teague along with a solid performance makes coach Cal and UK fans very happy. On the negative side, coach Cal wasn’t happy that the Cats got out rebounded and too often beat for 50-50 balls.

As Cal has said on many occasions…..UK is every team’s Super Bowl. You can bet that Auburn will play hard with great energy…..and despite overall poor fan support…..look for a full house when the Cats come to Auburn. Unquestionably, UK has much more talent than Auburn, but road games are seldom easy…..I look for UK to defeat Auburn by 14 points. GO CATS!

Photos: UK Hoops vs. Miss. State

2012-01-09T13:36:00.001-06:00

AP/Coaches Poll 1/9/12

2012-01-09T13:26:00.000-06:00

AP Top 25

1. Syracuse (60)
2. Kentucky (5)
3. North Carolina
4. Baylor
5. Ohio St.
6. Michigan St.
7. Indiana
8. Duke
9. Missouri
10. Kansas
11. Georgetown
12. UNLV
13. Michigan
14. Louisville
15. Murray St.
16. Virginia
17. Connecticut
18. Kansas St.
19. Florida
20. Mississippi St.
21. Gonzaga
22. San Diego St.
23. Creighton
24. Seton Hall
25. Marquette

Dropped Out:No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 22 Harvard

Others Receiving Votes:Wisconsin 97, Alabama 40, Vanderbilt 37, West Virginia 33, New Mexico 28, St. Mary's 18, Harvard 16, Illinois 14, Arkansas 11, Stanford 9, Saint Louis 7, Dayton 2, Wagner 1, Iowa St. 1

USA Today/ESPN

1. Syracuse (30)
2. Kentucky (1)
3. North Carolina
4. Baylor
5. Ohio St.
6. Duke
7. Michigan St.
8. Indiana
9. Missouri
10. Kansas
11. Georgetown
12. UNLV
13. Michigan
14. Murray St.
15. Louisville
16. Connecticut
17. Virginia
18. Kansas St.
19. Florida
20. Mississippi St.
21. Creighton
22. San Diego St.
23. Gonzaga
24. Marquette
25. Harvard

Dropped Out:No. 19 Wisconsin

Others Receiving Votes:Wisconsin 43, St. Mary's 39, Seton Hall 36, Vanderbilt 33, New Mexico 25, Middle Tenn. St. 20, Alabama 18, West Virginia 9, Southern Miss 8, Wichita St. 5, Stanford 5, Illinois 4, Dayton 4, Nevada 1, Iowa St. 1

SEC Men's Basketball Standings 1/9/11

2012-01-09T11:08:00.004-06:00

Southeastern	Conf	All
Kentucky (2)	1-0	15-1

Arkansas	1-0	12-3

Alabama	1-0	12-3

LSU	1-0	11-4

Vanderbilt	1-0	11-4

Tennessee	1-0	8-7

Mississippi St. (15)	0-1	13-3

Florida (13)	0-1	12-4

Mississippi	0-1	10-5

Auburn	0-1	10-5

Georgia	0-1	9-6

South Carolina	0-1	8-7

SEC Women's Basketball Standings 1/9/12

2012-01-09T11:00:00.003-06:00

Kentucky (9) 3-0 14-2
South Carolina (24) 3-0 14-2
Tennessee (6) 3-0 12-3
LSU 3-0 12-3
Georgia (19) 2-1 13-3
Vanderbilt (25) 1-1 13-2
Florida 1-2 11-5
Auburn 1-2 9-7
Mississippi St. 0-2 10-5
Arkansas 0-3 11-4
Mississippi 0-3 10-6
Alabama 0-3 10-7

Video: 2012 UK signee Alex Poythress after his 42-point game in Lexington

2012-01-08T11:47:00.000-06:00

Kentucky signee Alex Poythress after his 42-point game in Lexington. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.

Video: 2012 UK signee Archie Goodwin on 37-point effort in loss to LexCath

2012-01-08T11:42:00.000-06:00

Kentucky signee Archie Goodwin on his visit to Lexington; 37-point effort in loss to LexCath. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Video: UK Coach Calipari, Players Post-South Carolina Press Conference

2012-01-07T19:43:00.000-06:00

UK Coach Calipari, Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones and Marquis Teague talks about 79-64 SEC opener win over South Carolina in post game presser. Video courtesy of uknationofblue.

Video: UK Coach Calipari, Terrence Jones and Darius Miller Pre-South Carolina Press Conference

2012-01-06T18:01:00.014-06:00

UK Coach John Calipari talks about the upcoming game with South Carolina, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's injury status, Terrence Jones, and the deal with the state legislature. UK Sophomore Terrence Jones talks about the team going into conference play, his pinky, and the upcoming contest with South Carolina. UK Senior Darius Miller talks about the upcoming SEC game with South Carolina. Video courtesy of uknationofblue

Video: UK Hoops Post Game Interviews After Win vs Arkansas

2012-01-06T11:17:00.000-06:00

UK Hoops Head Coach Matthew Mitchell, joined by Adia Mathies and Azia Bishop, talks about his team's win over SEC foe Arkansas. Video courtesy of uksportsinfo.com

Kentucky vs South Carolina.....A Preview

2012-01-05T00:55:00.000-06:00

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs South Carolina 1/7/12 Saturday 4PM-EST/3PM-CST
(SEC Network)
Kentucky leads the series 44-10

South Carolina Gamecocks

Location: Columbia, SC
Enrollment: 29,957
Arena: 18,000

Head Coach: Darrin Horn
Career Record: 161-90 (64.1%) 8 seasons
At SC: 50-42 (54.3%) 3 seasons

2010-11 Record: 14-16
2010-11 SEC Record: 5-11
2010-11 Postseason: None

2011-12 Record: 8-6

SC 75 W. Carolina 50
Elon 58 SC 53
Tenn. St. 64 SC 63
SC 61 Miss. Valley St. 57
North Carolina 87 SC 62
Southern Cal 63 SC 60
Providence 76 SC 67
SC 58 Clemson 55
SC 66 Presbyterian 58
Ohio St. 74 SC 66
SC 62 Southern Louisiana 43
SC 57 Woffard 45
SC 72 USC Upstate 66
SC 79 SC St. 51

SC Stats

PPG-64.4
FG%-43.0%
3 PT.%-34.5% (6.6)
FT%-68.8%
RPG-33.3 (+1.4)
APG-10.9
TO’s-13.1
SPG-7.0
BPG-5.6

Probable Starting Lineup

Malik Cooke-F 6’6” Sr……………………..13.1 PPG
Anthony Gill-F 6’8” Fr……………………..8.4 PPG
Demontre Harris-F 6’9” So…………………5.7 PPG
Lakeem Jackson-F 6’5” Jr…………………..5.3 PPG
Eric Smith-G 5’11” Sr………………………6.8 PPG

Other Key Players

R.J. Slawson-F 6’8” So………………………6.1 PPG
Bruce Ellington-G 5’9” So…………………...9.4 PPG

It’s no secret that coach Horn is increasingly under the gun in Columbia as his 3 year record is disappointing. Although Horn did lose a very good starter in Muldrow….he has 4 starters returning plus some freshmen….one of which, Anthony Gill, who has cracked the starting lineup and playing well.

Horn was disappointed when Bruce Ellington opted to play football at SC this season and he was missed greatly early this season when SC went 2-5 without Ellington. However, Ellington returned for the Clemson game and the Gamecocks have won 6-7 since his return…..only losing to Ohio State by 8 points.

SC starts 2 seniors and a junior and the Gamecocks have good size. The return of 5’9” dynamo Ellington has significantly improved the team. Ellington is cat quick….runs the offense and shoots 42.9% from the perimeter. Malik Cooke is the leading scorer and is a complete player….leading the team in steals with 28 while leading in rebounds along with Anthony Gill….and leads in assists with Lakeem Jackson. Demontre Harris leads in blocks with 30.

Certainly, the 8-6 record is misleading…..this is a far different and much improved SC team with the return of Ellington. This SC team will be a tougher opponent as they start SEC play against UK in Lexington.

UK followed up it’s big win over UL with an extremely poor and uninspired 1st half against a 5-10 Ark-Little Rock team….actually trailing at the half. Although, the Cats played much better in the 2nd half and won going away…..this game underscored some negative issues that UK needs to straighten out ASAP.

Although no one questions the great individual talent on this UK team, the Cats are too often struggling in their offense. For whatever reason, Teague has simply not run the Cats effectively. While certainly excuses can be made that Teague is a freshman still learning the point at UK…..the worry is that Teague is not showing the kind of improvement that we all expected after 15 games. In addition, there appears to be increasing evidence that Teague is too often ignoring Cal’s instructions. Coach Cal, while not throwing Teague under the bus, has made comments that reveal his frustration with Teague’s overall performance at PG…..even pointing out that UK played better in the last game with Teague on the bench. It may be that Teague needs to take a seat on the bench more often until he starts running the team as Cal has instructed. Certainly, Lamb and Miller would add more firepower to UK’s lineup, but the Cats still need Teague to be effective if they want to make a deep run in the NCAA. Teague has the tools, but it’s his negative attitude that is holding him back. If only Teague would understand that his job as PG is to bring the ball up…..get the Cats in their offense….and get the ball to the open man…..and not just look to score! There are 16 SEC games ahead and we can only hope that we see Teague bring forth a new positive attitude and effectively execute the offense as Cal wants.

While Teague is a major problem, the fault is not all his. This UK team needs to start playing tough hardnose basketball for 40 minutes. They need to significantly improve their ball handling…..there are far too many poor decisions on passes and too many TO’s recently. UK has in MKG a role model on the kind of energy and effort that players wearing the Kentucky jersey should exhibit throughout games.

Fortunately, there is still half the season left to correct these and other issues. If this team pulls together and Teague plays to his potential at PG, this could be a very special year!

It all starts with SC this Saturday at Rupp arena….and let’s hope the Cats come to play with a chip on their shoulder…..play hardnose defense…..and run the offense efficiently.
As Cal has said, the SEC will be tough this season…..there are a number of good solid opponents….and they all will be tough in their home arena where there will almost always be sell out crowds to welcome UK.

I remain confident that Cal will have the Cats playing great basketball and Teague will finally be the PG we all expected.

I see a UK team defeat SC by 12 points at Rupp arena. GO CATS!

Photos: UK Basketball vs UALR

2012-01-04T11:02:00.000-06:00

Video: John Calipari Unhappy and speaks on the win over UALR

2012-01-03T21:32:00.000-06:00

John Calipari unhappy when his players act tired. Video's courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari speaks after the Wildcats, despite trailing at the end of the first half, put away the University of Arkansas -Little Rock in Freedom Hall, Jan. 3, 2012.

Video: UK players talk after defeating Little Rock

2012-01-03T21:25:00.000-06:00

Kentucky basketball players Anthony Davis and Darius Miller talk after the Cats take down Little Rock 73-51 in Freedom Hall. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com

UK vs Arkansas-Little Rock TV & Live Stream Info

2012-01-03T12:58:00.000-06:00

Tonight’s game will be televised on the UK IMG Sports Network live for those who live in Kentucky. FoxSportsSouth will carry the game on delayed basis at 11:00PM-CST/10:00PM-CST. List of possible stream links below the TV info..

Here's three possible links along with ESPN3's link to tonight's game for those that can't get the games.

Funchester's Live Game Stream Link

JustinTV(JTBLUE1972) Live Game Stream Link

JustinTV(Gamer6961) Live Game Stream Link

ESPN3

SEC Men's Basketball Standings 1/3/12

2012-01-03T12:36:00.000-06:00

Southeastern	Conf	All
Kentucky (2)	0-0	13-1

Mississippi St. (15)	0-0	13-2

Florida (13)	0-0	11-3

Arkansas	0-0	10-3

Auburn	0-0	10-3

Alabama	0-0	10-3

Vanderbilt	0-0	10-4

LSU	0-0	10-4

Mississippi	0-0	9-4

Georgia	0-0	9-5

Tennessee	0-0	7-6

South Carolina	0-0	7-6

SEC Women's Basketball Standings 1/3/12

2012-01-03T12:32:00.000-06:00

Southeastern	Conf	All
South Carolina	1-0	12-2

Georgia (16)	1-0	12-2

Kentucky (11)	1-0	12-2

LSU	1-0	10-3

Tennessee (6)	1-0	9-3

Vanderbilt (24)	0-0	12-1

Mississippi St.	0-0	10-3

Arkansas	0-1	11-2

Florida	0-1	10-4

Mississippi	0-1	10-4

Alabama	0-1	10-5

Auburn	0-1	8-6

NCAA Women's AP/USA Today Top 25 Basketball Poll 1/3/12

2012-01-03T12:01:00.006-06:00

AP Top 25

1. Baylor (39)
2. Connecticut
3. Notre Dame
4. Stanford
5. Maryland
6. Tennessee
7. Duke
8. Ohio St.
9. Texas A&M
10. Rutgers
11. Kentucky
12. Miami (FL)
13. Texas Tech
14. Louisville
15. Georgetown
16. Georgia
17. Green Bay
18. Purdue
19. Nebraska
20. DePaul
21. Delaware
22. Penn St.
23. Texas
24. Vanderbilt
25. North Carolina

Dropped Out:None

Others Receiving Votes:Gonzaga 12, Virginia 11, LSU 6, South Carolina 3, Georgia Tech 2, Colorado 1, Kansas 1, Michigan 1

USA Today/ESPN

1. Baylor (30)
2. Connecticut (1)
3. Notre Dame
4. Stanford
5. Maryland
6. Kentucky
7. Duke
8. Tennessee
9. Texas A&M
10. Miami (FL)
11. Rutgers
12. Ohio St.
13. Louisville
14. Green Bay
15. Georgia
16. Georgetown
17. Penn St.
18. Texas Tech
19. DePaul
20. Delaware
21. Vanderbilt
21. Purdue
23. North Carolina
24. Gonzaga
25. Texas

Dropped Out:None

Others Receiving Votes:Nebraska 32, Kansas 15, Georgia Tech 13, California 10, Michigan 8, South Carolina 3, Villanova 1, BYU 1, Duquesne 1

Video: Calipari talks to media about playing in Louisville

2012-01-02T15:33:00.000-06:00

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari talks to media: Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari says he wants to keep playing a game in Lousiville but only if the fans show up. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.

Video: UK players Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Twany Beckham talks to to media talk

2012-01-02T15:19:00.002-06:00

Kentucky basketball's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Twany Beckham talks to to media on Jan. 2. Video's courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.

Kentucky vs Arkansas-Little Rock....A Preview

2012-01-02T15:04:00.000-06:00

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs Arkansas- Little Rock 1/3/12 Tuesday 7PM/6PM (Fox South)
First meeting between the two schools.

Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (Sun Belt Conference)

Location: Little Rock, Ark
Enrollment: 13,167
Arena: 5,600

Head Coach: Steve Shields
Career Record: 132-112 (54.1%) 9 Seasons

2010-11 Record: 19-17
2010-11 Sun Belt: 7-9
2010-11 Postseason: NCAA-0-1

2011-12 Record: 5-10
2011-12 Sun Belt: 2-2

Tulsa 65 ALR 49
ALR 72 Northeastern St. 66
ALR 75 IUPUI 70
E. Michigan 62 ALR 51
Milwaukee 59 ALR 54
Northwestern St. 80 ALR 65
SMU 69 ALR 63 (OT)
ALR 102 Philander Smith 59
Missouri St. 68 ALR 60
Oral Roberts 58 ALR 55
Louisiana Tech 71 ALR 68
Illinois St. 72 ALR 65
ALR 69 North Texas 66
ALR 66 Denver 59

ALR Stats

PPG-64.1
FG%-41.4%
3 PT%-31.5%
FT%-71.5%
RPG-34.3
APG-10.5
TO’s-13.7
SPG-6.2
BPG-2.7

Probable Starting Lineup

Will Neighbour F-6’10” Soph……………………..12.0 PPG
D’Andre Williams G-5”10” Sr……………………..11.7 PPG
Chuck Guy G-5’10” Soph………………………….10.3 PPG
Courtney Jackson F-6’6” Sr……………………….. 6.8 PPG
Taggart Lockhart F-6’5” Fr…………………………4.5PPG

Last season despite losing 4 of their final 5 regular season Sun Belt games, ALR won 4 Sun Belt tourney games to go to the NCAA. Unfortunately, the Trojans lost their two best players from last season, but are hoping that the incoming freshmen along with returning players will make them competitive again in the Sun Belt. Thus far, although losing 10 games this season, ALR has been very competitive in most of the losses….and they have opened the Sun Belt schedule with two wins.

ALR is lead in scoring by Will Neighbour who also leads the team in perimeter shooting hitting 42.2%….in addition, he also leads in rebounds and blocks. Williams leads the Trojans in assists with 4.1 PG while Jackson leads in steals.

ALR is a small team that simply doesn’t match up with Kentucky in talent and is outmatch at every position.

Kentucky is coming off a big win over rival Louisville. The game was marred by a tremendous number of fouls on both teams and coach Cal was forced to use some combinations that had not played together. This was a very physical game with both teams playing tough defense…..the result was poor shooting by both teams.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a spectacular game with 24 points, 19 rebounds and not a single TO in 39 minutes on the floor. There is no question that MKG is a truly great player who is indeed a coach’s dream….he is a winner who gives 100% on both offense and defense. Anthony Davis made his presence known when on the floor with 10 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals…..this despite sitting out much of the 1st half with 2 fouls. Amazingly, Davis, despite struggling at the foul line this season, hit 12-13 FT’s.

Although, Terrence Jones continued to struggle offensively, it was great to see Jones play hard on defense and grab 11 important rebounds and garner 3 steals.

Unfortunately, there were concerns that came out of the UL win….very poor shooting from Miller, Teague, Jones and Lamb….they were 5-32 together and were a miserable 3-16 from the perimeter. In addition, a fear many UK fans had regarding UK handling the UL press came true….as the Cats had 21 TO’s with Miller contributing 8 TO’s.

The positives for UK were the great FT shooting and the Cats dominance on the boards.
While it was great to see UK defeat a good UL team, this game revealed a number of weaknesses that this UK team must improve on if they are to make a great run in the NCAA tourney. A key concern is Teague’s willingness to listen to coach Cal and run the point as Cal wants. A very revealing comment from coach Cal in his post game comments was that Teague chose to not follow coach Cal’s instructions. This is totally unacceptable behavior from any player, especially a PG. No one questions that Teague is a talented player, but he must run the team as coach Cal demands or sit on the bench. We all understand that Teague is a freshman PG still learning and that mistakes will happen, but mistakes caused by Teague ignoring Cal’s instructions cannot be tolerated!

This game against ALR is UK’s last tuneup before SEC games. Let’s hope that UK improves it’s shooting eye and handles the ball better….and that we see Teague run the point like Cal wants.

UK should defeat ALR by at least 20 points. GO CATS!

UK Sweep SEC Player/Freshman of the Week Awards

2012-01-02T14:51:00.000-06:00

The UK men's basketball team swept the Southeastern Conference weekly awards Monday. UK freshmen Kidd-Gilchrist was named SEC Player of the Week and Anthony Davis was named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a 6-foot-7, 232-pound freshman guard from Somerdale, N.J., was named SEC Player of the Week after averaging 21.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in wins over Lamar and fourth-ranked Louisville. Kidd-Gilchrist followed his career-high 18-point night against Lamar with a career-game against intrastate rival Louisville, where he posted his second career double-double with career highs in points (24) and rebounds (19). For his efforts against UofL, he was named the game's MVP by the Bluegrass Sports Commission. His 19 rebounds was a UK-UofL series record.

Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-10, 222-pound freshman forward from Chicago, Ill., was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 14.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, six blocks, 1.5 steals and one assist in wins over Lamar and fourth-ranked Louisville. Davis blocked 12 shots on the week and is on pace to destroy the UK single season blocks record. He hit a career-high 12 free throws in the win over Louisville, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds while blocking six shots for the second-straight game and tying his career high in steals with three.

ESPN.com Named UK's Kidd-Gilchrist Player Of The Week

2012-01-02T14:37:00.000-06:00

UK freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was named as Player of the Week by ESPN's Andy Katz following his 24 point, 19 rebound performance in UK's 69-62 win over rival Louisville Saturday afternoon.

Here is the ESPN Player of the week: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, UK insert:

I was in the studio Saturday night, and every time we ran through the Kentucky-Louisville highlights, MKG was in the middle of an offensive play. Kidd-Gilchrist was really something special in UK's rivalry win. He played 39 minutes, scored 24 points and grabbed 19 -- yes, 19 -- rebounds in the Cats' 69-62 victory over the Cardinals. Kidd-Gilchrist also scored 18 points in limited time against Lamar earlier in the week.

Kentucky coach John Calipari has plenty of options offensively but doesn't always know what he's going to get from each player. He knows what he's going to get from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The freshman forward, a constant bundle of energy, continues to be one of the toughest matchups at his position with his length and ability to put the basketball on the floor.

The races for SEC player of the year and SEC and National freshman of the year are just beginning. MKG is making his case to be included in both of them.

-- Andy Katz

AP/Coaches Poll 1/2/12

2012-01-02T14:23:00.000-06:00

AP Top 25

1. Syracuse (60)
2. Kentucky (5)
3. North Carolina
4. Baylor
5. Duke
6. Ohio St.
7. Missouri
8. Connecticut
9. Georgetown
10. Michigan St.
11. Louisville
12. Indiana
13. Florida
14. Kansas
15. Mississippi St.
16. Michigan
17. UNLV
18. Wisconsin
19. Murray St.
20. Marquette
21. Virginia
22. Harvard
23. Kansas St.
24. San Diego St.
25. Gonzaga

Dropped Out:No. 21 Creighton, No. 22 Pittsburgh

Others Receiving Votes:Creighton 86, Ohio 28, Stanford 12, Vanderbilt 8, Xavier 8, Pittsburgh 8, Saint Louis 6, Purdue 6, New Mexico 6, Cincinnati 6, Texas A&M 4, St. Mary's 3, Seton Hall 2, California 2, Wagner 1, Alabama 1

USA Today/ESPN

1. Syracuse (30)
2. Kentucky (1)
3. Duke
4. North Carolina
5. Baylor
6. Missouri
7. Ohio St.
8. Connecticut
9. Georgetown
10. Louisville
11. Michigan St.
12. Indiana
13. Michigan
14. Florida
15. Kansas
16. Mississippi St.
17. UNLV
18. Murray St.
19. Wisconsin
20. Marquette
21. Harvard
22. Kansas St.
23. Virginia
24. Creighton
25. San Diego St.

Dropped Out:No. 22 Pittsburgh

Others Receiving Votes:Gonzaga 57, St. Mary's 17, Vanderbilt 16, New Mexico 9, Middle Tenn. St. 9, Stanford 7, Pittsburgh 6, Seton Hall 3, Purdue 3, Alabama 3, Southern Miss 2, Saint Louis 2, Illinois 1