West Virginia Versus Kentucky in the Elite Eight, 27 March 2010

In the only 1-2 seed matchup in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats (1) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (2) matched up well against each other.  Both teams are known for their defense, but Kentucky has a slight edge on the offensive end.

The game started with both teams doing opposite things to keep in the basketball game.  West Virginia couldn’t seem to miss from behind the three point line, going 8 for 15 in the first half, but didn’t have a single point from 2-pointers.  The Kentucky Wildcats were on the opposite end, not being able to hit a 3-pointer in the first half, going 0 for 8 from three-pointers, getting all their points from 2-pointers and the free throw line.  The score at the end of the first half was 28-26 in favor of the West Virginia Mountaineers, a low-scoring game as expected with these 2 great defensive teams.

In the second half, Kentucky continued to be cold from the 3-point line and couldn’t seem to make a free throw either.  West Virginia was able to start getting easy layups on the inside and pushed their lead out to 16 points.  Kentucky made a run late in the game, but was unable to make a full comeback.  The final score of the game was 73-66 in favor of the West Virginia Mountaineers as Kentucky’s run ends at the elite eight.  Duke is the only number 1 seed left in the tournament.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
John Wall - 19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 1 block (5 turnovers)
DeMarcus Cousins - 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist (5 turnovers)
Patrick Patterson - 8 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
DeAndre Liggins - 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
Eric Bledsoe - 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Darnell Dodson - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block

Congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats and John Calapari’s first season as the head coach.  While Kentucky was unable to get to the final four for a shot at the championship, this season was by far a huge improvement from 2009.  Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future Cats!

David vs Goliath, Kentucky Too Much for Cornell, 25 March 2010

The game has been hyped all week, deemed as the David vs Goliath matchup of the NCAA Tournament thus far.  Cornell versus the all-mighty Kentucky, but the truth is that Cornell has much more experience, starting 4 seniors in their lineup.

Cornell came out on fire, jumping up by a 10-2 lead in the first 5 minutes of the basketball game, but Kentucky went on a 30-6 run to end the first half and doubled up Cornell at half-time by a score of 32-16.  Kentucky was able to penetrate and dish to the paint.  The Wildcats were also superb on defense, getting a lot of open runouts due to steals on the defensive end.

Kentucky started out the second half cold as ice, allowing Cornell to cut into the lead.  The lead, at one point, was cut all the way down to 6 points, but Kentucky took over late in the game to pull out the win and advance to the Elite Eight.  The final score of the game was 62-45 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
DeMarcus Cousins - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals
Eric Bledsoe - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Patrick Patterson - 9 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals
Darius Miller - 9 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds
John Wall - 8 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

The Kentucky Wildcats will face up against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, 27 March 2010, at a time to be announced.

A 1, 2, 3 Punch of Upsets, Could Kentucky get by Wake Forest, 20 March 2010

On a day of upsets, 1 Kansas, 2 Villanova, and 3 New Mexico all saw their seasons come to an earlier end than expected.  Could Kentucky get by the upset bug against Wake Forest and move on to their first sweet sixteen since 2005?

Wake Forest started the game on fire and quickly gathered a 5-point lead, but Kentucky came right back and made it a back and forth game.  The game was tied 19-19 with about 11 minutes left in the first half, when Wake Forest’s star player, Aminu picked up his third personal foul.  He had to head to the bench and the Kentucky Wildcats took over the game to take a huge lead, 44-28, into halftime.  Darius Miller was on fire in the first half to lead the Wildcats.

Kentucky started the second half on fire as a team and quickly walked away with the game, leading by 20+ points the rest of the way through.  Darius Miller finished with a season high of 20 points.  DeMarcus Cousins was able to get out of his slump with 19 points.  Eric Bledsoe followed up his career-high night against ETSU with 13 points against Wake Forest and John Wall was just, well, being John Wall.  The final score of the game was 90-60 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Darius Miller - 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
DeMarcus Cousins - 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist, 1 steal
John Wall - 14 points, 7 assists (5 turnovers)
Eric Bledsoe - 13 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Daniel Orton - 6 points, 1 block, 1 steal
Patrick Patterson - 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist
DeAndre Liggins - 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

The Kentucky Wildcats will play either Wisconsin or Cornell in the sweet sixteen next week.  The Wisconsin/Cornell game will be decided tomorrow, 21 March 2010.

Kentucky Wildcats Handle East Tennessee State Easily, NCAA Tournament, 18 March 2010

The Kentucky Wildcats started their first game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament rather slowly, but that only lasted a few minutes until the Cats portrayed total dominance.  Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe were both in double-figures in points half-way through the first half.  Both finished the first half having 15 points each.  Kentucky led the game at half-time by a score of 54-26.

The second half started with Kentucky pushing the lead even further out behind a career night from Eric Bledsoe.  He had already toppled his previous career-high with 15 minutes left in the game.  John Wall was finding everyone with his passing ability.  Eric Bledsoe couldn’t seem to miss from behind the three-point line, breaking Tony Delk’s record for Kentucky of seven 3-pointers in a NCAA Tournament game.  Bledsoe made eight 3-pointers in this game, finishing the game with 29 points.  The final score of the basketball game was 100-71 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Eric Bledsoe - 29 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
Patrick Patterson - 22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
John Wall - 17 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds
Daniel Orton - 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist
DeMarcus Cousins - 5 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists
Ramon Harris - 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Darius Miller - 5 points, 1 rebound
DeAndre Liggins - 4 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Darnell Dodson - 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Kentucky will await the winner of the Texas - Wake Forest game later on tonight.  The Wildcats’ next game will be on Saturday, 20 March 2010 at a time to be  determined.

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.

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