Kentucky Bounces Back Against Vanderbilt, 30 January 2010

The Vanderbilt Commodores came into Rupp Arena undefeated in SEC play (5-0) and riding a 10-game win streak.  The Kentucky Wildcats looked to bounce back after their first loss of the season at South Carolina on Tuesday.  LeBron James was in Rupp Arena to watch the game today.  LeBron is reportedly close with UK Freshman star, John Wall, and also close with Coach Calapari.  The talk of the day was, will Kentucky come out like a team looking to make a statement after their first loss.  The Wildcats answered that question quickly!  The Cats broke the game open early and lingered around a 15-point lead throughout most of the first half.  DeMarcus Cousins was huge in the early moments of the game, but got into foul trouble about half-way through the first half and sat the rest of the half.  The Cats had a 15-point lead at half-time, leading by a score of 49-34.

The second half was pretty much even between the teams, neither of them really putting up a good run against the other.  Kentucky was able to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the second half, never leading by less than 10 points.  DeMarcus Cousins and Darnell Dodson (started the game for UK) led the way in points with John Wall dishing out the basketball.  The final score of the game was 85-72 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
DeMarcus Cousins - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Darnell Dodson - 16 points, 7 rebounds
John Wall - 13 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal (7 turnovers)
Eric Bledsoe - 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Patrick Patterson - 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks (4 turnovers)
DeAndre Liggins - 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Kentucky is looking for a good fit at the small forward position and it seems as though Darnell Dodson can fill that hole if he can play every game like he did today.  DeAndre Liggins also had a good game off the bench with 9 points and 4 rebounds.  Kentucky made a statement on the boards, outrebounding Vanderbilt (39-21).  Kentucky shot well from behind the 3-point line, going 12 for 23 for a percentage of 52%.  The Wildcats’ next game is on Tuesday night at home versus Ole Miss, 2 February 2010 at 7:00 p.m. (EST).

Kentucky’s New Number One Ranking Short Lived Against South Carolina, 26 January 2010

The Kentucky Wildcats came into South Carolina ranked number one in the country for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.  The South Carolina Gamecocks came into the game having a mediocre season with a record of 11 wins, 8 losses and 2 wins, 3 losses in the Southeastern Conference.  The game started at a fast pace, which favored Kentucky, but it quickly slowed.  The first half was plagued with turnovers, including 3 apiece from John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and DeMarcus Cousins of Kentucky.  DeMarcus Cousins (UK) was the only threat on offense from the Cats, scoring 10 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the first half.  The next leading scorers of the half for the Cats were John Wall, Darnell Dodson, and Patrick Patterson with 5 points each.  South Carolina’s Devan Downey led the way for SC, scoring 13 of their 26 points in the first half.  Kentucky had a slight lead at half-time with a score of 29-26.

The second half started slow and to South Carolina’s advantage.  The Kentucky Wildcats could not find an answer for Devan Downey, who was a one-man team throughout the whole basketball game.   The game was close throughout the second half and DeMarcus Cousins (UK) kept Kentucky in the game throughout with John Wall picking up the slack in the end, but, the Wildcats could not stop Devan Downey.  Devan Downey (SC) finished the game with 30 points, almost half of SC’s total points for the game.  The Wildcats kept the game close to the end, but could not pull off the win on the road.  The final score of the basketball game was 68-62 in favor of the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
DeMarcus Cousins - 27 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks (3 turnovers)
John Wall - 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal (4 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 5 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Darnell Dodson - 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Eric Bledsoe - 4 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds (5 turnovers)
Daniel Orton - 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Without the play of DeMarcus Cousins for Kentucky, South Carolina might have blown UK out.  Besides Cousins and Wall (late in the game), no one else decided to show up for Kentucky on offense, after assuming the number one ranking in the nation just yesterday.  Maybe it was all too much for the players, dealing with the Haiti relief efforts, to gaining the number one ranking, or maybe it was just inexperience that finally rared it’s ugly head.  Either way, Kentucky finally lost today, but not all is lost.  No one should have expected the Wildcats to go undefeated on the season and a loss mid-season really doesn’t mean anything.  The Cats will get back in practice, figure out where they went wrong and get their heads together.  This WILL STILL BE a strong team to beat when March rolls around.

Kentucky’s next game is at home against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, 30 January 2010, at 4:00 p.m. (EST).

Kentucky Beats Arkansas at Home, 23 January 2010

The Kentucky Wildcats came into the game on a week’s rest while the Arkansas Razorbacks’ last game was only two days ago.  It was thought that the Wildcats would come out flat due to their time off the court, but they came out ready to play.  The Cats got off to a great start, going up early and they never let up.  John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson had solid first halves.  Wall and Cousins finished the half with double-digit points and Patterson was not far behind with 9 points.  Daniel Orton had 3 blocks in the first half.  The score at half-time was 57-27 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

 During the half, Coach John Calipari was questioned about the team and what they need to do in the second half.  Coach Calipari stressed the fact that the Kentucky players need to play the whole 20 minutes of a half and not just 13-14 minutes.  The UK players must have heard his half-time interview because they started the second half on a tear, going on a 14-0 run to start the half.  Kentucky’s lead ballooned to more than 40 points, but the UK starters left the game and Arkansas made a mini-run to make the final score somewhat respectable.  The final score of the game was 101-70 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.  Darius Miller had a huge second half, DeMarcus Cousins finished the game with a double-double, and John Wall finished close to his average in points and assists.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Darius Miller - 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
John Wall - 16 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 3 rebounds
DeMarcus Cousins - 16 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Eric Bledsoe - 10 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block (6 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 9 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block
Daniel Orton - 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 steal
Perry Stevenson - 6 points, 2 rebounds
Darnell Dodson - 6 points
Josh Harrellson - 4  points, 4 rebounds
DeAndre Liggins - 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal

The Kentucky Wildcats will undoubtedly be the number one team in the country come Monday.  The Wildcats are undefeated with a record of 19 wins and no losses.  UK’s next basketball game is on the road at South Carolina.  The game starts at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, 26 January 2010.

Kentucky Escapes with a Win in Auburn, 16 January 2010

A balanced scoring effort helped the Kentucky Wildcats come away with a win at Auburn on the 16th of January, 2010.  The first half started as everyone would have expected, with Kentucky grabbing a double-digit lead that they held going into half-time.  Just when it seemed that the Wildcats were on their way to an easy victory, the Auburn Tigers had something to say about that in the second half.  Kentucky held a 39-26 lead going into the second half, but Auburn came storming back.

The Kentucky Wildcats were very sloppy with the basketball in the second half and the Tigers capitalized on the miscues.  The Auburn Tigers started lighting it up from behind the three-point line and found themselves in their first tie of the game with about 10 minutes left (60-60), but that was as close as they could get and was never able to take the lead.  Although Kentucky played sloppy down the stretch, they were still able to grind it out and finish the game with the win.  The final score of the basketball game was 72-67 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
DeMarcus Cousins - 16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks
John Wall - 13 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds (7 turnovers)
Eric Bledsoe - 13 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals (3 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
DeAndre Liggins - 5 points, 3 rebounds
Perry Stevenson - 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Daniel Orton - 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist
Darius Miller - 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks

This was another tough road game for the Kentucky Wildcats, but the Cats were able to come away with the win to stay undefeated (18-0).  Credit goes to Auburn for putting up such a fight in the second half to make it a game.  The Kentucky Wildcats next basketball game is at home versus the Arkansas Razorbacks on the 23rd of January, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. (EST).

Florida Fights, but Kentucky Overcomes to Win, 12 January 2010

Kentucky (16-0) came into Florida (11-4) after a sluggish win at home in their last basketball game against the Georgia Bulldogs.  Florida started the season with eight straight wins, but have lost four of their last 7 games.  Although the Florida Gators have been in a slump, it is still difficult to beat the Gators on their home-court.  The game started with the Florida Gators scoring the first seven points as the Wildcats couldn’t seem to get the ball in the basket.  Kentucky finally settled down and got back into the game, but still could not seem to hit a shot in close.  In the half, the game was back and forth between both teams until the Cats started pulling away slightly.  The highlight of the half was when Daniel Orton (UK) blocked three consecutive shots on the same Florida possession.  The Kentucky Wildcats led at half-time by a score of 38 to 31 behind Eric Bledsoe’s 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting.

The Wildcats continued to gradually pull away in the second half until they found themselves with a 15 point lead.  Just when the game seemed to be over, the Gators’ Walker hit what seemed like three 3-pointers in a row and the Wildcats saw their lead deminish and the game was eventually tied at 72-72.  That was as close as Florida would get though, because Kentucky went on a run in the last few minutes of the game to take the lead for good and finished the game strong.  The final score of the game was 89-77 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Eric Bledsoe - 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals (3 turnovers)
John Wall - 19 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 block
Patrick Patterson - 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
DeMarcus Cousins - 13 points, 5 rebounds
Darius Miller - 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Darnell Dodson - 6 points, 1 rebound
Daniel Orton - 2 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks

This was a tough road game for the Kentucky Wildcats, but the Cats were able to rise above and get the win.  The Wildcats shot 51% from the field and 39% from behind the 3-point line, helping them secure the win.  Both, the Wildcats and the Gators, finished the game with only 10 turnovers.  The Wildcats were tested in a hostile environment with a rowdy crowd, but was able to overcome.  Kentucky’s next game is on the road as well, when they go into Auburn on 16 January, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. (EST).

Kentucky Squeezes by Georgia at Home in Rupp Arena, 9 January 2010

The Georgia Bulldogs came into Rupp Arena having won 4 of their last 5 games, including a huge win against ranked Georgia Tech in their last basketball game.  The Kentucky Wildcats came in still undefeated on the season and looking for win number 16.  Kentucky started strong behind Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins and built an eleven point lead, but the Bulldogs were able to get back into the game behind Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins.  The score at half-time was in Georgia’s favor by 1 point (35-34) against the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Georgia Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats started off the second half taking the lead back and forth.  Neither team was able to grab an in-surmountable lead all game.  The basketball game was tight going into the final minute, but Kentucky was able to pull away behind free throw shooting to win the game.  The final score of the basketball game was 76-68 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 17 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal (3 turnovers)
DeMarcus Cousins - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks (4 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Eric Bledsoe - 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
DeAndre Liggins - 6 points, 3 steals
Darius Miller - 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Daniel Orton - 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block

It was a hard-fought win for the Kentucky Wildcats, who were not good behind the 3-point line, going 2-14 for 14%.  The cats were also out-rebounded and the Georgia Bulldogs had 1 more assist, but UK was able to force 26 turnovers while only committing 14.  The Kentucky Wildcats’ next game will be a tough test on the road versus the Florida Gators on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 at 9:00 p.m. (EST).

Kentucky gets by Louisville, 2 January 2010

The Louisville Cardinals came into Rupp Arena riding a five game win streak while the Kentucky Wildcats were 14 and 0 on the season, but this basketball game would prove to be anything but a normal game.  The game started off chippy with Eric Bledsoe (UK) getting a foul in the first eight seconds of the game and tensions were high.  Then, on a hustle play, DeMarcus Cousins got into a tussle on the floor on a lose ball where he did deliberately elbow the Louisville Cardinal player.  Two Cardinals players were hit with technicals and DeMarcus Cousins was hit with an unsportsman-like technical.  This was all in the first 45 seconds of the game.  What else would you expect in an in-state rivalry game against two competitive teams playing for respect and for the rights to the Bluegrass.  Eventually, everything settled down and basketball was played.  Neither team was great in the first half, while the Kentucky Wildcats were a little better, but not by much.  The half was low-scoring, ending with Kentucky having 27 points and the Cardinals only having 19 points.

The second half of basketball started to become more competitive.  Kentucky continued to have a double-digit lead in the beginning, but Louisville eventually came back and took the lead.  Louisville went up by one point, but Kentucky responded and put the game away behind John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.  The final score of the basketball game was 71-62 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
DeMarcus Cousins - 18 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
John Wall - 17 points, 4 assists, 2 steals (5 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 17 points, 4 rebounds
Eric Bledsoe - 12 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals (4 turnovers)

The Kentucky Wildcats were horrible from behind the 3-point line, hitting only 2 of 14 shots attempted for 14%, but did manage to shoot 46% overall from the field.  The Wildcats held the Louisville Cardinals to only 32% from the field.  The Wildcats forced 18 turnovers, but also turned the ball over 18 times.  Rebounding was even between the teams, both teams had 36.  With emotions running so high in this rivalry, it was nice to see Kentucky grind out the win.  The Cats next game is the start of their SEC play, playing the Georgia Bulldogs in Rupp Arena on 9 January 2010 at 4:00 p.m. (EST).