Kentucky Earns a Number One Seed in the East, NCAA Tournament 2010

The brackets are out for the 2010 NCAA Tournament and Kentucky has earned the second Number 1 seed of the Tournament.  Kentucky was placed in the East Region and their first opponent will be East Tennessee St of the Atlantic Sun Conference.  The game will be played on Thursday, the 18th of March at 7:15 p.m. (EST).

If the Wildcats win their first game, they would have an interesting match-up in the second round against either Texas or Wake Forest.  West Virginia comes in as the number 2 seed in the East Region.  Other notable teams in the East Region include: Wisconsin, Temple, Marquette, New Mexico, Clemson, and Missouri.

The four number one teams in the tournament include: Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and Syracuse.

Kentucky Beats Mississippi State in a Thriller, SEC Tournament Championship, 14 March 2010

Kentucky came into the game looking for their first SEC Tournament Championship since 2004, while Mississippi State looked to repeat as champions to secure a bid for the NCAA Tournament.  The game started as a close game and continued that way throughout the game.  Neither team could gather a big lead in the first half, but Mississippi St held on to a 4-point lead at half-time by a score of 35-31.

The Wildcats came out in the second half and quickly tied the basketball game.  The game continued to be close down the stretch.  The Wildcats couldn’t pull away and neither could the Bulldogs.  The game was very similar to the one played in Mississippi early this year that went into overtime.  Mississippi St. held a 3-point lead in the final seconds, but due to a miss at the free-throw line of a one and one, Kentucky had the ball down 3 points with about 10 seconds left in the game.  After an inbound from a time-out, Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe pushed the ball down the court and Mississippi State quickly fouled him to prevent a 3-point shot from getting off.  Now, Bledsoe is at the line shooting two shots.  The first free throw goes through the net.  The score is now 64-62 in favor of the Bulldogs.  Does Bledsoe miss the second on purpose?  Well, that’s exactly what he did.  The ball bounced off the rim to the right and John Wall was able to track it down with about 4 seconds left in the game.  Wall took a forced, defended shot that ended up being an air-ball, but Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins was in the right place at the right time.  Cousins grabbed the rebound, put the ball off the backboard with only .1 seconds left in the game.  Game tied at 64-64 at the end of regulation!  The referees double-checked to make sure that Cousin’s shot counted and it did!

In the overtime, Kentucky quickly gained a 2-point lead, but Mississippi St. came back and took a lead of their own.  Kentucky got the lead back and held the lead by 2 points within the last minute.  Kentucky had the ball, in John Wall’s hand, letting the shot-clock run down.  Wall started to make his move with only 10 seconds left on the shot clock.  Wall drove the ball to the middle of the free throw line, kicked it out to Ramon Harris, but Harris hesitated on the 3-pointer.  Wall quickly ran back behind the 3-point line and received the ball back from Ramon Harris.  The shot clock was only at 3 seconds when John Wall went up to attempt a 3-pointer.  Anticipating that he would get fouled, he readjusted in mid-air, leaned to his right, and took the shot.  Somehow, the shot clanked the rim twice and went through the net.  In a miraculous shot by John Wall, Kentucky now had a 3-point lead with about 26 seconds left in the game.  Mississippi State brought the ball down the court, down by a score of 74-69.  Miss St. attempted several shots, rebounded several times, and finally hit a 2-point shot with only 6 seconds left.  The score was now 74-71 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats with only 6 seconds left.  After a timeout-Kentucky inbounded the ball and Mississippi State immediately fouled DeMarcus Cousins.  Cousins came down, missed the first free throw, but made the second to push the score to 75-71.  Mississippi State pushed the ball down the court, shot a three-pointer and made it, but time expired as the ball went through the hoop, making the final score of the game, 75-74 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Kentucky Wildcats are your Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions of 2010!!

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Eric Bledsoe - 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block
John Wall - 17 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals
Patrick Patterson - 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
DeMarcus Cousins - 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist
Daniel Orton - 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
DeAndre Liggins - 4 points, 1 assist
Darnell Dodson - 3 points, 5 rebounds

John Wall was the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament, but DeMarcus Cousins proved to be the hero for Kentucky.  This is Kentucky’s 26th SEC Tournament Championship.  The Wildcats can now sit back and find out where they are going to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, where they should be a number one seed with ease.

Kentucky Cruises Past Tennessee in SEC Semifinals, 13 March 2010

The Volunteers came in as only one of two teams to edge out Kentucky in the regular season, but Kentucky would have none of it today.  Kentucky led early, and the Wildcats led by even more late in the game.  The Wildcats pulled out on Tennessee early in the game behind John Wall’s offense.  DeMarcus Cousins came alive, in the midst of a game with 4 technical fouls and one ejection on the Tennessee side, only one of those technicals on Cousins though.  The score at the half was 32-19 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

The second half was more and more of Kentucky’s offense and defense.  The Cats kept building their lead throughout the game.  Even though Patrick Patterson was silent today, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and John Wall was not.  The Freshman Trio helped Kentucky build their huge lead and frustrated Tennessee to the “T”.  The final score of the game was 74-45 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
DeMarcus Cousins - 19 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 1 assist
Eric Bledsoe - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
John Wall - 14 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds
Darnell Dodson - 8 points, 4 rebounds
Darius Miller - 5 points, 1 assist
Patrick Patterson - 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

The Wildcats will face either the Vanderbilt Commodores or the Mississippi St. Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament Championship game tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. (EST) just before Selection Sunday.

Kentucky Holds Off Alabama Behind Wall and Patterson, 12 March 2010

It was the first game of an SEC Tournament for about half the Kentucky basketball players and the Alabama Crimson Tide showed them what it’s all about.  The Tide jumped out to an early lead on Kentucky in the first half of the basketball game.  Alabama had just survived South Carolina the day before and should have been sluggish, but they came with fresh legs while Kentucky proved to be the sluggish team in the first half.  Alabama led by as much as 11 points in the first half, but behind a mini-run by Kentucky, the lead for the Crimson Tide was only 5 at half-time by a score of 35-30, due in part to Darnell Dodson’s (UK) 3-pointer as time expired in the half.

In the second half, John Wall and Patrick Patterson turned up the heat.  John Wall became the leader that Kentucky needed and Patrick Patterson became the go-to-guy while DeMarcus Cousins was not having a good game.  Patterson, Wall scored 40+ points in the game between them, leading Kentucky back to overtake the lead from Alabama in the second half.  After Kentucky regained the lead, the Cats never gave it up, but Alabama still fought and kept the game close all the way to the end.  The final score of the game was 73-67 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Patrick Patterson - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block
Eric Bledsoe - 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
DeMarcus Cousins - 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist
Perry Stevenson - 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block
Darius Miller - 4 points, 2 rebounds

The Kentucky Wildcats will face the Tennessee Volunteers tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. (EST).  The Volunteers were only 1 of 2 teams to beat the Wildcats this year as all Kentucky fans know.  This would be a sweet revenge for the Wildcats, but it will be tough and the Cats must do a better job against Tennessee than they diplayed against the Crimson Tide today.  It should prove to be a good game and hopefully Wall and Patterson can continue their good play into tomorrow’s game.

Kentucky Takes Care of Florida on Senior Day, 7 March 2010

It was Senior Day in Rupp Arena, so naturally, the Seniors for the Kentucky Wildcats started the game.  The Seniors honored were Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson, and Ramon Harris.  Patrick Patterson was also honored since he will be graduating in May of this year.  Now, on to the game.

The Florida Gators came into Kentucky on the bubble watch for the NCAA Tournament.  A win against the Kentucky Wildcats would probably put them in the tournament, but it wasn’t meant to be on Kentucky’s Senior Day.  The Wildcats took the lead from the opening tip and never looked back.  The Wildcats eventually built an 18-point lead in the first half, but the Gators were able to cut it to 10 points at half-time by a score of 41-31 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

In the second half, the Gators started to chip away at Kentucky’s lead.  The lead dwindled all the way down to 2 points, but that was as far as the Gators could cut the lead to.  Behind John Wall, Kentucky was able to maintain a lead in the game to finish the season out with a win.  The final score of the game was 74-66 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.  The Wildcats finish the regular season out with a 29 win, 2 loss record and will be the #1 seed in the SEC Tournament Championship next weekend.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Darius Miller - 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Eric Bledsoe - 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Patrick Patterson - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks
John Wall - 11 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds
Darnell Dodson - 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
DeMarcus Cousins - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Daniel Orton - 2 points, 4 blocks, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

The Kentucky Wildcats finish a perfect 18-0 in Rupp Arena for this season.  The Cats will have a first round bye in the SEC Tournament next week and will face either South Carolina or Alabama in their first game of the tournament.  The Wildcats are almost a lock for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, depending on how they do in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Kentucky Routes Georgia, 3 March 2010

After losing to the Tennessee Volunteers last week, the Kentucky Wildcats looked to get back on track in Georgia against the Bulldogs on Wednesday night.  The game started with the two teams going back and forth for most of the first half.  Neither team could run away with the game and the Kentucky Wildcats finished with a lead at the half by a score of 40-36.

In the second half, the Wildcats came out on a mission.  The Kentucky Wildcats went on a 12 to nothing scoring run to start the second half and never looked back.  Kentucky was able to maintain a double-digit lead for the rest of the basketball game (minus a split-second when they led by only 9) to win the game with ease.  The final score of the game was 80-68 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 24 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Patrick Patterson - 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals
Darnell Dodson - 11 points, 2 rebounds
DeMarcus Cousins - 6 points, 6 blocks, 4 rebounds
Eric Bledsoe - 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist
Daniel Orton - 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
DeAndre Liggins - 5 points, 1 steal

Kentucky was able to get the shooting back on track after finishing this game with a 54% field goal percentage.  Kentucky’s big men were outstanding in this game, recording 12 blocks.  The Wildcats as a team had a season high in blocks with 14. 

Kentucky’s next and final regular season game will be at home on Senior night against the Florida Gators.  That game will be played on Sunday, the 7th of March 2010, at noon.

Kentucky Fights Hard, But Loses to Tennessee, 27 February 2010

Kentucky came in on an 8-game win streak while the Tennessee Volunteers had been sliding lately.  The game started off with Kentucky scoring the first 4 points, but that’s when it all started to turn around.  Tennessee went on a run and found themselves up by double-digits for most of the half.  The score at half-time was 40-29 in favor of the Tennessee Volunteers.

Tennessee started the second half maintaining and eventually building their lead.  The Tennessee Volunteers went up by as much as 19 points before Kentucky made their run.  Kentucky was able to tie the game at 65 in the late minutes of the game, but couldn’t get another point the rest of the way.  Tennessee won the game by a score of 74-65 over the Number 2 ranked Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists (5 turnovers)
DeMarcus Cousins - 15 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
Patrick Patterson - 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks
Eric Bledsoe - 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist (3 turnovers)
Darius Miller - 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 assist

The refs didn’t help the Cats out much with some of their bad calls, but the main reason Kentucky lost this game was their poor field goal shooting.  The Cats only shot 35% from the field, including a meer 9% from 3-point land (2 of 22).   This is not a huge loss for the Cats, they are still good for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Especially if they can finish the rest of their season strong.

The Cats’ next game is on the road again, against the Georgia Bulldogs at 8:00p.m. on March 3rd, 2010.

Kentucky Gets Revenge Against South Carolina, 25 February 2010

The South Carolina GameCocks have been the only team able to beat the Kentucky Wildcats so far this year, but that was in South Carolina.  Tonight’s game was held in Rupp Arena, so could Kentucky get their revenge?

The basketball game started with the Kentucky Wildcats on a mission.  The Wildcats were able to get a small lead and carry that all the way to half-time.  The lead would have been 14 points at half-time by the Cats, but Devan Downy (SC) was able to hit a deep 3-pointer as time expired in the first half.  Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins were leaders for the Cats at half-time.

Kentucky started the second half holding strong, but Devan Downey started to get hot.  Downey had a stretch where he scored 7 straight points for the South Carolina GameCocks.  The GameCocks were able to get back in the game behind Downey.  Kentucky let the lead dwindle to 6 before they went on a spurt to put the game away with about 7 minutes left in the game.  The Wildcats cruised the rest of the way through the game.  The final score of the game was 82-61 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Patrick Patterson - 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals
DeMarcus Cousins - 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists
John Wall - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals (6 turnovers)
Daniel Orton - 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Eric Bledsoe - 8 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks
Darius Miller - 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
DeAndre Liggins - 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist

The Kentucky Wildcats looked good in their revenge against South Carolina.  The Cats shot 50% from the field and 75% from the free throw line in an easy win against the GameCocks.  Devan Downey (South Carolina) was still able to get 26 points in the game, but it didn’t matter.  The Wildcats go to 27-1 overall and 12-1 in the SEC.

The Wildcats next game is at Tennessee against the Volunteers on Saturday, 27 February 2010.  The game is set to kick-off around 12:00p.m. (EST).

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