Hartford at Kentucky, 29 December 2009

It was the first matchup in history for the Hartford Hawks and the Kentucky Wildcats on 29 December 2009.  The Wildcats came out the gates running behind John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.  John Wall had 11 assists in the first half and DeMarcus Cousins was close to a double-double at the half.  Ramon Harris started for the Wildcats in place of Eric Bledsoe who sat out with a sore knee.  The score at half-time was 57-31 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

The second half proved to be no different for the Kentucky Wildcats as they cruised the whole way behind John Wall and the supporting cast.  John Wall finished with 16 assists that broke the all-time assists record in a game held by Travis Ford (15) for Kentucky.  The final score of the basketball game was 104-61 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats as they get over the 100 point mark for the third time this season.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 9 points, 16 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
DeMarcus Cousins - 19 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Darnell Dodson - 19 points, 8 rebounds
Darius Miller - 16 points, 5 assists
Patrick Patterson - 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Ramon Harris - 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

The Wildcats only committed 7 turnovers while having 30 assists on 41 field goals made.  The Cats shot 60% from the field and made 14 three pointers.  UK starts the new year off against in-state rival Louisville on 2 January 2009 at 3:30 p.m. (EST).  The Wildcats have 14 wins and 0 losses on the season and have a chance to go into SEC play undefeated if they can get by the Cardinals on Saturday.

Long Beach State at Kentucky, 23 December 2009

The first half of the basketball game for the Kentucky Wildcats against the Long Beach St. 49ers started sluggish.  The 49ers took an early lead and Kentucky was able to come back, but UK was unable to get any significant lead of their own.  Plagued by foul trouble, including 2 fouls for John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson, the Cats found themselves tied with Long Beach St by a score of 37-37 at half-time due to 3 of the 5 Kentucky starters having to sit out important minutes.

The second half started out with both teams trading baskets and keeping the game close until halfway into the second half.  Long Beach State started racking up the fouls and the Kentucky players were knocking down their free throws.  Behind Wall, Bledsoe, Cousins, and Patterson, the Wildcats were able to get a double-digit lead and maintain it the rest of the second half.  The final score of the basketball game was 86-73 in favor of the UK Wildcats. 

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 19 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals
Patrick Patterson - 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals
DeMarcus Cousins - 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Eric Bledsoe - 11 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
Darius Miller - 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
Ramon Harris - 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
Darnell Dodson - 5 points, 1 rebound

Kentucky was a bit sluggish in this game, probably due to the celebration of their 2,00oth win or maybe due to the players looking forward to getting home for the holidays.  Either way, Kentucky was able to overcome and finished strong when it mattered.  The Cats are now 13-0 on the season.  Their next game is against the Hartford Hawks on 29 December 2009 at 7:00 p.m. (EST).

Kentucky gets to Win 2,000 by Beating Drexel in Rupp Arena

It didn’t take John Wall and the Kentucky Wildcats long to end the game in the first half against the Drexel Dragons to secure their two thousandth win (most in College basketball history).  DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson dominated the paint while John Wall dished and made exciting plays (including a guaranteed ESPN top 10 play).  DeAndre Liggins was a factor in the first half, knocking down two 3-pointers and looking better than ever on the court with his hustle.  The basketball game was over fairly early in the first half and the Kentucky Wildcats went into half-time with a 56-20 lead over Drexel.

The Cats started the second half strong and were just cruising to victory 2,000.  About half-way into the second half, the starters for Kentucky were replaced with the bench players in order to give them some minutes in a historic moment in time.   In the final minute of the basketball game, the Wildcat bench players started to dawn a t-shirt with a logo of “UK2K’, which I’m sure will be found in stores soon.  The final score of the game was 88-44 in favor of the Wildcats.  Congrats on win 2,000 to all the Big Blue fans of Big Blue Nation!

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
DeMarcus Cousins - 18 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals
John Wall - 16 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds (4 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 18 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal
Ramon Harris - 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Josh Harrellson - 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks
DeAndre Liggins - 6 points
Jon Hood - 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Darnell Dodson - 4 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
Daniel Orton - 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Perry Stevenson - 3 rebounds, 2 blocks

UK shot over 50% from the field, including 9 of 13 from 3-pointers.  The Cats also shot 89.5% from the free throw line, going 17 for 19 from the stripe.  The Wildcats added 20 assists with only 14 turnovers as well as 7 steals and 6 blocks.  The Kentucky Wildcats’ next basketball game is on 23 December 2009 at 1:00 p.m. versus the Long Beach State 49ers in Rupp Arena.

Austin Peay at Kentucky, 19 December 2009

 The Austin Peay Governors were able to hang with the Kentucky Wildcats for the first few minutes of the basketball game, but Kentucky started to pull away shortly after that.  The most notable story for the Kentucky Wildcats was the fact that DeAndre Liggins was finally seeing some minutes for the first time all year.  DeAndre Liggins did play the last few seconds of the Indiana game, but nothing significant.  Kentucky was able to take a lead of 49-35 into half-time.

In the second half, the Austin Peay Governors started to make a run and John Wall hurt his knee on a play at half-court.  Wall would sit out for a few minutes and then return.  After John Wall’s return, he ended up with a cut above his right eye and needed a band-aid, but played the rest of the second half.  Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins both looked great and over-matched the inside game of Austin Peay.  The Wildcats finally pulled away for good behind Wall, Patterson, and Cousins.  The final score of the basketball game was 90-69 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Patrick Patterson - 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
DeMarcus Cousins - 19 points, 8 rebounds
John Wall - 17 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block (6 turnovers)
Darius Miller - 11 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Eric Bledsoe - 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist (3 turnovers)
Daniel Orton - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Darnell Dodson - 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks

DeAndre Liggins played 12 minutes in the basketball game for the Cats.  He had 2 points on 1 of 2 shooting from the field.  He also added 1 rebound and 1 assists.  It’s nice to see Liggins in the lineup again.  Kentucky’s next game is versus Drexel in Rupp on Monday, 21 December 2009, at 7:00 p.m. (EST).  The Kentucky Wildcats and John Calapari will attempt to make history in this upcoming game.  If UK wins, they will be the first team to make it to 2,000 wins in men’s college basketball.  GO BIG BLUE!!

Kentucky at Indiana, 12 December 2009

The Indiana Hoosiers came out strong against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half of the basketball game.  Indiana gave Kentucky a taste of it’s own medicine, but Kentucky responded really well.  UK kept a steady pace throughout the first half and was able to take a small lead.  The first half was intense on both sides and Kentucky handled the pressure well in a hostile environment in Indiana.  The Wildcats led at the half by a score of 42-41.

Kentucky proved to own the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half.  Indiana attempted to hang with the Kentucky Wildcats, but there was just too much talent on the court for Kentucky.  The Wildcats built a huge lead and never looked back.  The final score of the basketball game was 90-73 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Eric Bledsoe - 23 points, 1 assist, 1 steal (5 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 19 points, 11 rebounds
John Wall - 11 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal (no turnovers)
DeMarcus Cousins - 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
Darnell Dodson - 10 points, 2 rebounds
Darius Miller - 7 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Ramon Harris - 4 points, 6 rebounds

The Kentucky Wildcats are now 10-0 on the season, coming away with wins against UNC, UConn, and Indiana in this stretch of ball.  UK has some cupcakes coming up, but UK still has to play with a lot of intensity before the SEC games start.  After getting past all the big foes, UK can’t let their guard down and let a mid-major beat them, so they need to stay focused.  The Wildcats next game is at home versus Austin Peay on 19 December, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.

Kentucky vs Connecticut, Madison Square Garden, 9 December 2009

Kentucky started the basketball game just the same as they did against North Carolina, going up by 12 points in the early minutes, but Connecticut was able to withstand the run.  After Kentucky’s 12-0 run, Connecticut went on a run of their own, putting up 29 points against Kentucky’s mere 11 points for the rest of the half.  The story of the half was foul trouble.  Kentucky had 12 fouls in the first half, including the following players with 2 fouls each: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Ramon Harris, Darnell Dodson and Daniel Orton.  UConn was able to take and maintain the lead throughout the rest of the first half.  Connecticut led by a score of 29-23 at half-time.  Kentucky did not hit a 3-pointer in the first half, going 0 for 4 from behind the line.

 UK started the second half with better intensity than the finish of the first half.  Kentucky started to chip away at UConn’s lead until it was eventually a Kentucky lead about midway through the second half.  Then the battle began.  Both teams were playing hard and neither team could pull away from the other.  The winner of the game would yet again end up being determined in the last minute of the game.  UConn found themselves with a 1 point lead with only 40+ seconds left and Kentucky had the ball.  A set play out of a timeout would have Darius Miller passing John Wall the ball as Wall drove to the hoop.  Wall would get fouled and hit the shot in a spectacular clutch play with only 30 seconds left.  He would end up making the free throw to put the Cats up by 2.  UConn would miss their next shot with 13 seconds left and Ramon Harris (UK) snagged the rebound.  Harris was fouled and hit 1 of 2 of his free throw attempts.  UConn had one shot left (actually got 2 shots) to tie the game, but would come up short.  Kentucky came away with the win by a score of 64-61 to extend their unbeaten record to 9 wins this season.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 25 points, 2 assists, 6 steals (6 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
DeMarcus Cousins - 10 points, 11 rebounds
Darnell Dodson - 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Eric Bledsoe - 4 points, 4 assists (no turnovers)

John Wall scored 12 of the last 15 UK points at the end of the basketball game.  It is probably safe to say that without “John Wall”, the Wildcats record would probably be something more like 6 wins, 3 losses instead of 9 wins and no losses.  John Wall is on a whole other level than most College basketball players.  He does have a turnover issue that should get better as he gets more in tune with the College basketball game and how it’s played.  Kentucky did not have much production in this game outside of John Wall, Patrick Patterson, and DeMarcus Cousins, but still found a way to win another close game.  These close games will hopefully give the Cats experience that can be used when March rolls around.

The next basketball game for the Kentucky Wildcats is on Saturday, 12 December 2009 against the Indiana Hoosiers in Indiana at 12:00 p.m.  This is Kentucky’s chance to start the season at 10-0, but don’t sleep on the Hoosiers.  They just beat a very good Pittsburgh team and should not be taken lightly.  GO CATS!

North Carolina at Kentucky, 5 December 2009

Two of the most storied college basketball programs went head to head on Saturday, speaking of Kentucky and North Carolina.  With Kentucky having the most all-time wins in men’s college basketball at 1,995, North Carolina is second at 1,991.  All the hype surrounding this game has been heard throughout the college basketball world for the last few weeks, including which team would make it to 2,000 wins all-time first.  It was sure to be one of the greatest basketball games of the season.

Kentucky, from the opening tip, started the game with electrifying energy.  John Wall was amazing and did not look like a Freshman at all.  Kentucky played exceptional defense and went on a 30-2 in the first half after North Carolina started the game with a 9-2 lead.  Minus a few careless turnovers, Kentucky played a near-flawless half of basketball.  Kentucky led at half-time by a score of 43-28.  John Wall finished the first half with 13 points and 5 assists.  Patrick Patterson had 11 points and 5 rebounds at the end of the first half.

Just a minute into the second half, John Wall had to leave the game due to cramps.  He would return about 8 minutes later after heading back to the bench from the locker room, but he just wasn’t the same John Wall of the first half.  He was slower and not aggressive, probably due to the cramping still affecting him.  North Carolina was able to keep chipping away at the lead and Kentucky only led by 2 points with about 40 seconds left in the game, but UNC was unable to capitalize on their comeback.  Kentucky led by 5 points with only 4 seconds left, Graves (North Carolina) came down the court and hit a 3 pointer as time expired to make the final score of the game at 68-66 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Patrick Patterson - 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block
John Wall - 16 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals (7 turnovers)
Darnell Dodson - 9 points, 5 rebounds
Eric Bledsoe - 9 points, 2 assists (4 turnovers)
Darius Miller - 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
DeMarcus Cousins - 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block

In closing, the Kentucky Wildcats had an outstanding first half of basketball, but Mr. Hyde reared his ugly head in the second half.  Credit Kentucky to be able to weather the storm and hold off North Carolina in the second half, after John Wall left the game.  Kentucky did just enough in the second half to come away with a win.  This will give lots for Coach Calapari to improve on before the next game of basketball.  UK’s next game is versus Connecticut on 9 December, 2009 at 9:30 p.m. (EST).