Kentucky vs Notre Dame in 2009 NIT Quarterfinals

The Kentucky Wildcats’ next game is versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame on Wednesday (25 March 2009) at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) in the NIT Quarterfinals.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 20-14 overall and were 8-10 in the Big East Conference.  ND has one of the best players in the country, which is Luke Harangody averaging 23 points and almost 12 rebounds per game.  Notre Dame also has many other players that can score at any given time in the basketball game.

The Kentucky Wildcats will need a much better game from Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson to win this game.  Jodie Meeks is only averaging 17.5 points per game in the NIT, down from 24 points per game for the season.  Patterson’s numbers are also down as he is only averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds per game in the NIT, down from 18 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on the season.  The Wildcats need a lot of balanced scoring and will need more players to step up in this game.  Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris, and Darius Miller are the likely candidates that have the ability to come up with a big game.

In my opinion, this is going to be the hardest team to beat that the Wildcats have played in the 2009 NIT so far.  If Kentucky can get scoring from more than just Meeks and Patterson, then it should go our way, but Notre Dame will come to play and it should be a great basketball game.

Kentucky vs Creighton, 2009 NIT Second Round

The Kentucky Wildcats play the Creighton Bluejays on Monday, 23 March 2009 at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) in the 2009 NIT second round.

The Creighton Bluejays sit at 27-7 and were co-champions of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season at 14-4 in conference play.  Many people believed that Creighton should have been an NCAA Tournament team and maybe they should have, but a few unexpected wins by teams such as Mississippi St in their respective Conference Tournaments probably put the Bluejays out of the NCAA Tournament.

The Jays will get a chance to prove themselves as they face Kentucky next.  Creighton does have a good team, but if the Kentucky Wildcats bring their agame, then we should be moving on to the third round of the NIT.  This should be a good basketball game!

Kentucky vs UNLV, 2009 NIT First Round

The Kentucky Wildcats play the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels tonight (17 March 2009) on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. (EST) in the first round of the NIT Tournament.

The Wildcats find themselves in unfamiliar territory as they have been a participant in the NCAA Tournament since 1991 (17 year streak) until this year.  Some fans and maybe even a few players are not too happy with the decision of playing in the NIT, but it may prove to be a good idea if the Cats can make a run through the tournament and win it.  On the other end, if UK finds itself with an early exit from the tourney, then that would really crush the fan base and cause some conversations about wanting Billy Gillispie’s head in “Big Blue Nation”.

Personally, I believe it to be a controversial move that can prove to be great or a bust, but isn’t that the way it always goes.  For example, if someone puts up a crazy shot in the final few seconds of a basketball game to win it, they either hit or miss.  If the player hits the shot, he/she is a hero, but if they miss the shot, then they are talked about and the question comes up of why they took the shot, if it was a bad shot, etc.

Being a “True Blue” fan, whether I agree with the decision or not, I will be watching the basketball game just like the rest of the fans.  I encourage all to watch the game and root for the Cats even if you aren’t in total agreement with the decision to play in the NIT, especially at such a low seed (#4) that was given to UK by the Committee.  All that we can do is cheer and hope that the team does well.  We can worry about all the other discussions and rumors, such as the Coach’s status, players transferring, and players going to the NBA later when all is said and done with the season.

Kentucky vs LSU, SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, 13 March 2009

The Kentucky Wildcats have made it through the first day of the SEC Tournament of 2009.  Now comes the hard part.  Kentucky will play the LSU Tigers tomorrow (13 March 2009) at 1:00 p.m. (EST).

If you can remember, it wasn’t too long ago literally, Louisiana St came into Rupp Arena and pulled out a 73-70 win on a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the game.  That basketball game was played on Saturday, February 28th, 2009.  The Wildcats were up by 10 points in the second half and blew the lead with carelessness to allow the LSU Tigers to come back and get the win.

The Cats hope this game will play out different.  Louisiana State is considered the powerhouse of a down-season SEC.  LSU is the Southeastern Conference, regular season champions.  If the Kentucky Wildcats can match the intensity that they had today, then it could be a very fun basketball game to watch.  Tune in tomorrow and root for the Cats as they play the role of “David against Goliath”.

SEC Tournament, Kentucky vs Mississippi, 12 March 2009

The season is finally over and now on to the Tournaments.  Kentucky is playing on the first day of the tournament due to a fourth place finish in the SEC Eastern Division.  Kentucky’s opponent is the Ole Miss Rebels on 12 March 2009, at 1:00 p.m. (EST).  The SEC Tournament is being held in Tampa, Florida.

The Kentucky Wildcats hope to make a run through the SEC Tournament to secure a bid for the NCAA Tournament.  The way it is looking, that is the only way that Kentucky would be accepted to the big dance.  I believe if the Cats could make it to the SEC Championship game, then that would be enough to secure a 10 or 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Most analysts only have 2 or maybe 3 at the most from the SEC going to the NCAA Tournament at the moment.  The majority pick LSU, Tennessee, and South Carolina to be in the NCAA Tournament.  On the outside, looking in, are Florida, Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi St, and Vanderbilt.

As for the basketball game, Ole Miss has already won the only meeting against Kentucky this year.  The final score of that game was 85-80 in Mississippi on the 27th of January 2009.  Look for this game to be a lot more meaningful and we all hope that the outcome is different.  If Kentucky does win the game, then they have a tough road ahead because LSU awaits the winner of the Kentucky/Mississippi basketball game.

It’s now or never (at least this year) for the Cats to make their case for the NCAA Tournament.  If we see an early exit from the SEC Tournament, look for the NIT to come a calling.  The question is, will the Wildcats accept a bid to the NIT?  I believe that they would if that was the only option.

Everybody get your game-faces on and let’s go out and pull a Georgia!!!

Kentucky vs. Top SEC Team - LSU, Saturday, 28 Feb 2009

The Kentucky Wildcats’ next basketball game is at home versus the Louisiana State Tigers on Saturday, 28 February 2009, at 4:00 p.m. (EST).

LSU comes in at the top of the Southeastern Conference with only 1 loss and 12 wins in the SEC.  They are currently 24-4 overall.

What does Kentucky do to win this game?
It does help that this basketball game will be played in Rupp Arena, but that just isn’t going to be enough to secure a win and to keep the Cats in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid.  The Tigers are 12 and 1 in the SEC for a reason and that reason is that they are a good basketball team.  So, what does Kentucky need to do to win?  Here we go! 

Jodie Meeks needs to really be agressive in this game.  If He has to force up some of his shots, so be it.  He is good enough as a shooter that He can actually make a good percentage of forced shots.  Jodie needs to get 30+ points at a reasonable to good field goal percentage rate.

Patrick Patterson needs to establish himself in the paint.  Yes, he did get 28 points and 12 rebounds in the loss at South Carolina, but he also had 6 shots blocked.  He needs to find a way to prevent his shots from getting blocked.  He has a good semi-hook shot that could work or maybe some pump fakes would help as well.  He needs to have 20+ points and 10+ rebounds.

Perry Stevenson…where has Perry gone?  He’s really not been a factor at all in the last couple of games.  Maybe this will be his breakout game.  He needs to show up with 10+ points and 10+ rebounds.

CAN WE GET A BENCH PLAYER????????????????????????  We really need a sixth man that can produce!  Who will it be?  DeAndre Liggins, Darius Miller, Josh Harrellson??  I believe that the best fit for the sixth man has to be Darius Miller.  He doesn’t interrupt the offense when he is placed in the game because he is a natural scorer.  He has proven that he can have a big game.  He is possibly lacking confidence or it could be due to inconsistent playing time.

There we have it.  I’ll shut up now and just like everybody else, get ready for the big game tomorrow and cross my fingers.  I hope to have a positive report tomorrow evening after the basketball game.

Kentucky Wildcats vs South Carolina Gamecocks, 25 Feb 2009

The Kentucky Wildcats’ next game is versus the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in South Carolina on Wed. 25 February 2009, at 7:00 p.m. (EST).

As most may recall, the Gamecocks defeated the Wildcats on a runner with only 3 seconds left in the game on 31 January 2009 at Rupp Arena.  The final score of that basketball game was 78-77.

For the Cats to be successful in this game, Jodie Meeks must put up 25+ points, Patrick Patterson must come up big with 20+ points, and we need a third scorer to get at least 15+ points.  Our hopefuls for a third scorer are either Perry Stevenson, Darius Miller, or Kevin Galloway.  If Michael Porter could give us another 9 points and one of the guys listed above could give us about 10+ points, then we would be in good shape with that as well.

It is going to be tough since the Gamecocks beat us at home and now, we have to return the favor and beat them at home.  There is a lot riding on this basketball game.  It is a battle of first place in the Southeastern Conference “East Division”.  Currently, Kentucky sits at the top, tied with Florida and South Carolina with 8-4 records in the SEC.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee, 21 Feb 2009

Kentucky’s next game is at home versus the Tennessee Volunteers on 21 Feb 2009, at 1:00 p.m. (EST).

Kentucky hopes that they can get another performance out of Jodie Meeks like the one He put on in Tennessee last month when he broke Kentuckys’ single game scoring record with 54 points.

This is a pivital game for the Wildcats as they sit atop the East in the SEC, but 3 other teams also sit there with them.  The following teams are in first place with 7-4 records: Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Kentucky has a chance to seal their own fate because they have all of these teams remaining on their schedule for the year, starting with Tennessee.  If the Cats can win out, then they would win the East in the Southeastern Conference, but that is much easier said then done.

We will see how they fair against Tennessee and take it one game at a time.

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