Kentucky Wildcats Men’s Basketball - Blue vs. White Game 2009

This year’s Kentucky Wildcats Men’s Basketball blue vs. white game was interesting to watch.  While the incoming freshman showed signs of greatness, it was also obvious that much more practice is needed before the season starts.  John Wall was a beast on driving the basketball.  He will definitely succeed in the dribble drive offense this season.

Patrick Patterson showed significant signs of improvement in his drive.  It seems that last year, he was more of an “under the basket scorer and rebounder”.  In the blue and white game, Patterson actually drove to the basket a few times with success.  Whether this would actually happen in a real game remains to be seen, but it was an eye opener on how much Patrick has worked in the off-season. 

Josh Harrelson was a big surprise to everyone.  He was hitting threes, hustling up and down the court.  He is showing that he wants to compete for a spot in the lineup.  Hopefully he can carry that motivation into the season and give us some much needed support off the bench.

Jon Hood was doing as expected with his range of shots.  He will probably be one of the perimeter shooters that UK will look for often in the “dribble-drive offense”.  In the blue/white game, he shot the ball well from mid-range and behind the arc.

Eric Bledsoe was really competing as well.  He really has under-rated quickness.  If he does or doesn’t start, Bledsoe will still be a huge asset to this year and our quest to a national championship.  The best thing about him is that he will probably be around after John Wall goes pro, “as expected”, after this year is over and done with.

DeMarcus Cousins was a beast on the inside!  He was doing as expected with his rebounding, put-backs, and dunking.  He looks to have a good medium-range game as well.  Cousins and Patterson will compliment each other well when they are on the court together.

The players that kind of disappointed me were Perry Stevenson, Daniel Orton, and Darius Miller.  Maybe their playing time wasn’t significant enough and that’s why it seemed that they didn’t contribute much in the game.  I still expect that all three will be contributing factors in the regular-season basketball games.

It’s still early and practice makes perfect.  When the regular season basketball games start, we should see a big improvement.  Calapari will have the players ready!  Let’s get ready for a fun and hopefully, memorable season!