Wednesday, February 29, 2012
September 4
Hi.I’ve never made an announcement like this before, and it feels very awkward and shouty to do it through a computer screen, so please be nice and pretend that we’re sitting in your living room. I’ll give you a minute to get settled.The thing is, I’ve been working on my manuscript, yes, yes, but I’ve also been working on something else. That something else has made it difficult, actually, to
Video: John Calipari previews UK's 2012 Senior Night game
UK Coach John Calipari previews UK's 2012 Senior Night game against Georgia.Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.
Pre-Georgia Media Opportunity - Feb. 29, 2012
Head Coach John Calipari
On the seniors …
“You have two players and people who have come to this program in different circumstances. Darius (Miller)’s case, rough freshman year, new coach comes in with a bunch of new players, adapts, changes his game, accepts new players and then responds and gets better every year. He will be an NBA player, no doubt in my mind. There is no college player that has played with more NBA players than him. Eloy (Vargas) comes here and again, plays on a team with some pretty good players and has been waiting his turn. Like I’ve told you before, I’ve had scouts come to me like, ‘is this another Josh (Harrellson)?’ we’re not getting to see him because he is playing behind the spider-man (Anthony Davis) there. My hope is he gets the opportunity to go to Portsmouth and show himself and at the end of this year as we finish it out, including this game Thursday, that he shows people, hey I’m Swen Nater, played behind (Bill) Walton, all the sudden has an 11-year career. When I said he’d be a professional, he will be a professional, it may not be the NBA and it may be the NBA. Someone is going to like his size and what he does. They are both going to graduate which is neat. They have both done the work they need to do and they have stayed out of trouble. Last night I get a call at 11:20 and Eloy Vargas is on the treadmill, last night at 11:20. He is waiting for his opportunity, that’s hard now, it’s easy to be out there playing, it’s hard when you are standing there waiting for your opportunity and working hard every day.”
On what he tells scouts when they ask about Eloy …
“What I say is, you have a 6’10, 6’11 player who can rebound and run the court and is more skilled than you think. You look in the NBA, how many big guys are there, they have 30 teams. You look at all these teams in Europe, if he chooses to do this he will continue to play.”
On Darius Miller late in games …
“It’s not been calming, he’s just changed. I got on him because he was 1-13 on free throws after someone calls a timeout and he has to go shoot a free throw. I told him, you know why, because you sit there and think too much then you go out there and almost shoot an air ball. Well the last game there was a timeout and he made one and he said, ‘did you notice I made that free throw after the timeout.’ When you let him know, he responds and he has responded for this team. Like I said, we have six starters and he has started some of the games and if he’s not the sixth man of the year you have to show me who it will be. He’s awfully good.”
On how much Eloy will play against Georgia …
“I’m going to try to play him as many minutes as I can which is what I always do with the seniors on senior night.”
On Darius being a “glue” guy …
“It means he does everything the team needs him to do, he completes everybody. He’s not competing, he’s completing. He’ll do, if he needs to rebound, defend, he’ll play some guard, and he’ll play some forward, whatever position we ask him, he just completes everybody.”
On what he saw from Darius when he became the coach at UK …
“Well when I first got here, of the all the players that I watched and this is before the freshman class came in, he had a better feel for the dribble drive than anybody there and I was pleasantly surprised. Then I said, ‘how much did he play?’ ‘Two minutes a game.’ What? So obviously there were two different styles of play. I liked what I saw and obviously he has just gotten mentally and physically tougher. All these kids are on different time tables. Just because a young man stays three years, four years doesn’t mean the guy that’s one or two years (is better). No, they are just on different time tables. When you talk about us having three guys in that ‘Rise’ game and no other school had more than one, I hope that’s every year. Which means, not only are they leaving to go to the league, they are performing, Josh Harrellson. When you look at that and a guy like Darius, it has taken him some time but at the end of the day he is going to be in the position he wants to be in.”
On Darius Miller getting an opportunity to play more …
“There is no such thing in any program that I have coached that says it is my turn. It doesn’t matter if you are a sophomore, junior or senior. There is no such thing that says it is my turn. Either you play or he plays. There is no real emotion about it. We are trying to put the best team on the floor and the best players on the floor. You like to reward, but at the end of the day, it is about performance and you know, it’s like he was playing in front of guys my first year here and then some guys were playing in front of him. That’s just how it goes. There is no ‘my turn’. If you have that kind of program, you don’t have that competitive fire within; you’re not going to reach the height of your team in my opinion.”
On Darius Miller playing better off the bench …
“It didn’t matter if it was he or Doron (Lamb). And it still doesn’t matter. If Doron is in, and he’s not playing, then he’s out. If Terrence (Jones) is not playing, he will go in at the four and we will go small. My point guard threw it away two times in 2:30, then you’re out. Then he went in, and Doron moved to point. This is about performance and it is day-to-day. We talked today about this team in general. I told (assistant coach) John Robic, how many bad practice days have we had? We have probably had over 100 practice days. Maybe one or two, and it’s hard for me to remember. How many games did we just play flat this year? I don’t really remember any. These kids are not machines and they are not computers. They are trying. They know they are up against it every game they play. Someone is going to come out and try to blow their brains out. I’m really proud of all of these guys. Leadership on this team, you think about it, whether it’s Darius (Miller) coming off the bench or Eloy (Vargas) not playing a whole lot. They haven’t affected us, except in a positive way. They have both been positive in how they have done this. I really want them to do well.”
On Anthony Davis being a Player of the Year candidate …
“I think there are some other worthy candidates too, but I am going to be biased and at the end of the year, he is going to take 200 shots less than all of those guys that they are considering; 200 shots less, yet probably has more of an impact on any of these games. And that’s not taking away anything from anybody else because, you know, those other guys are just as deserving. He has had a special year. What he has done defensively for us, what he has done offensively for us, and he has done it in a way where he is not selfish in anyway. He has taken 200 less shots. That’s a big number now. You’re talking about averaging five more points a game, maybe six. The best thing for my team is to pass it more and get it less, and he is fine with that.”
Pre-Georgia Media Opportunity - Feb. 29, 2012
Head Coach John Calipari
On the seniors …
“You have two players and people who have come to this program in different circumstances. Darius (Miller)’s case, rough freshman year, new coach comes in with a bunch of new players, adapts, changes his game, accepts new players and then responds and gets better every year. He will be an NBA player, no doubt in my mind. There is no college player that has played with more NBA players than him. Eloy (Vargas) comes here and again, plays on a team with some pretty good players and has been waiting his turn. Like I’ve told you before, I’ve had scouts come to me like, ‘is this another Josh (Harrellson)?’ we’re not getting to see him because he is playing behind the spider-man (Anthony Davis) there. My hope is he gets the opportunity to go to Portsmouth and show himself and at the end of this year as we finish it out, including this game Thursday, that he shows people, hey I’m Swen Nater, played behind (Bill) Walton, all the sudden has an 11-year career. When I said he’d be a professional, he will be a professional, it may not be the NBA and it may be the NBA. Someone is going to like his size and what he does. They are both going to graduate which is neat. They have both done the work they need to do and they have stayed out of trouble. Last night I get a call at 11:20 and Eloy Vargas is on the treadmill, last night at 11:20. He is waiting for his opportunity, that’s hard now, it’s easy to be out there playing, it’s hard when you are standing there waiting for your opportunity and working hard every day.”
On what he tells scouts when they ask about Eloy …
“What I say is, you have a 6’10, 6’11 player who can rebound and run the court and is more skilled than you think. You look in the NBA, how many big guys are there, they have 30 teams. You look at all these teams in Europe, if he chooses to do this he will continue to play.”
On Darius Miller late in games …
“It’s not been calming, he’s just changed. I got on him because he was 1-13 on free throws after someone calls a timeout and he has to go shoot a free throw. I told him, you know why, because you sit there and think too much then you go out there and almost shoot an air ball. Well the last game there was a timeout and he made one and he said, ‘did you notice I made that free throw after the timeout.’ When you let him know, he responds and he has responded for this team. Like I said, we have six starters and he has started some of the games and if he’s not the sixth man of the year you have to show me who it will be. He’s awfully good.”
On how much Eloy will play against Georgia …
“I’m going to try to play him as many minutes as I can which is what I always do with the seniors on senior night.”
On Darius being a “glue” guy …
“It means he does everything the team needs him to do, he completes everybody. He’s not competing, he’s completing. He’ll do, if he needs to rebound, defend, he’ll play some guard, and he’ll play some forward, whatever position we ask him, he just completes everybody.”
On what he saw from Darius when he became the coach at UK …
“Well when I first got here, of the all the players that I watched and this is before the freshman class came in, he had a better feel for the dribble drive than anybody there and I was pleasantly surprised. Then I said, ‘how much did he play?’ ‘Two minutes a game.’ What? So obviously there were two different styles of play. I liked what I saw and obviously he has just gotten mentally and physically tougher. All these kids are on different time tables. Just because a young man stays three years, four years doesn’t mean the guy that’s one or two years (is better). No, they are just on different time tables. When you talk about us having three guys in that ‘Rise’ game and no other school had more than one, I hope that’s every year. Which means, not only are they leaving to go to the league, they are performing, Josh Harrellson. When you look at that and a guy like Darius, it has taken him some time but at the end of the day he is going to be in the position he wants to be in.”
On Darius Miller getting an opportunity to play more …
“There is no such thing in any program that I have coached that says it is my turn. It doesn’t matter if you are a sophomore, junior or senior. There is no such thing that says it is my turn. Either you play or he plays. There is no real emotion about it. We are trying to put the best team on the floor and the best players on the floor. You like to reward, but at the end of the day, it is about performance and you know, it’s like he was playing in front of guys my first year here and then some guys were playing in front of him. That’s just how it goes. There is no ‘my turn’. If you have that kind of program, you don’t have that competitive fire within; you’re not going to reach the height of your team in my opinion.”
On Darius Miller playing better off the bench …
“It didn’t matter if it was he or Doron (Lamb). And it still doesn’t matter. If Doron is in, and he’s not playing, then he’s out. If Terrence (Jones) is not playing, he will go in at the four and we will go small. My point guard threw it away two times in 2:30, then you’re out. Then he went in, and Doron moved to point. This is about performance and it is day-to-day. We talked today about this team in general. I told (assistant coach) John Robic, how many bad practice days have we had? We have probably had over 100 practice days. Maybe one or two, and it’s hard for me to remember. How many games did we just play flat this year? I don’t really remember any. These kids are not machines and they are not computers. They are trying. They know they are up against it every game they play. Someone is going to come out and try to blow their brains out. I’m really proud of all of these guys. Leadership on this team, you think about it, whether it’s Darius (Miller) coming off the bench or Eloy (Vargas) not playing a whole lot. They haven’t affected us, except in a positive way. They have both been positive in how they have done this. I really want them to do well.”
On Anthony Davis being a Player of the Year candidate …
“I think there are some other worthy candidates too, but I am going to be biased and at the end of the year, he is going to take 200 shots less than all of those guys that they are considering; 200 shots less, yet probably has more of an impact on any of these games. And that’s not taking away anything from anybody else because, you know, those other guys are just as deserving. He has had a special year. What he has done defensively for us, what he has done offensively for us, and he has done it in a way where he is not selfish in anyway. He has taken 200 less shots. That’s a big number now. You’re talking about averaging five more points a game, maybe six. The best thing for my team is to pass it more and get it less, and he is fine with that.”
Video: UK Senior Darius Miller previews Thursday's UK 2012 Senior Night game
UK Senior Darius Miller on his UK career and UK's 2012 Senior Night game Thursday on ESPN against the Georgia Bulldogs.. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.
Pre-Georgia Media Opportunity - Feb. 29, 2012
Darius Miller
On what will go through his mind as his last home game winds down …
“I can imagine it’ll be emotional for me. I’ve been here for, like you said, a while. I had a lot of good memories, met a lot of great people, great coaching staff. I can imagine it being emotional for me.”
On what it has been like to be the one constant player for four years …
“It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve met a lot of great guys, a lot of great players that I’ve had the chance to play with. I still talk to everybody to this day. I feel like they’re my brothers. It’s been a great experience and I can say I’m blessed to be a part of something like that.”
On what it will be like having his last game in Rupp Arena …
“I think it will be a lot of fun. I’m happy I get to experience it with some guys like these that I’m really close with. Like I said, it might be a little emotional for me. I don’t know. It should be a lot of fun. Hopefully we have a great game and come out with a win.”
On whether he knows why he excels towards the end of games …
“Honestly, I don’t know. I feel like the whole team does a great job of focusing in on it at the end of the game, trying to make big plays for us to win. We all focus on the same thing, which is winning. I think we do a great job when it’s crunch time.”
On what he thinks about being referred to as the “glue guy” for the team …
“I’m happy with that, especially to be on a team with this much talent. I have great teammates and for them to say that about me, I’m happy about it. I’m grateful to be talked about in that way. It’s a great honor.”
On the lows and the highs of his career at UK …
“My freshman year was kind of rough, as you all know, going to the NIT and stuff like that. I feel like we had a pretty good team. We had pretty good talent on the team, but like you said we were kind of disappointed with how we finished out. The past couple of years it’s been a great experience. We’ve had a really good team. Like I said really great teammates and a great coaching staff. If we can finish out this last game on a win, I’d be extremely happy.”
On whether he was worried about what would happen to him when Coach Calipari got hired …
“I think all of us were, the guys that were here and they guys that planned on staying. I think we were all worried about what was going to happen. We had been pretty close so we were wondering if we were going to get split up. Like I said, I’m happy I got to stay and he chose me to stay so it’s been a great experience so far.”
Pre-Georgia Media Opportunity - Feb. 29, 2012
Darius Miller
On what will go through his mind as his last home game winds down …
“I can imagine it’ll be emotional for me. I’ve been here for, like you said, a while. I had a lot of good memories, met a lot of great people, great coaching staff. I can imagine it being emotional for me.”
On what it has been like to be the one constant player for four years …
“It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve met a lot of great guys, a lot of great players that I’ve had the chance to play with. I still talk to everybody to this day. I feel like they’re my brothers. It’s been a great experience and I can say I’m blessed to be a part of something like that.”
On what it will be like having his last game in Rupp Arena …
“I think it will be a lot of fun. I’m happy I get to experience it with some guys like these that I’m really close with. Like I said, it might be a little emotional for me. I don’t know. It should be a lot of fun. Hopefully we have a great game and come out with a win.”
On whether he knows why he excels towards the end of games …
“Honestly, I don’t know. I feel like the whole team does a great job of focusing in on it at the end of the game, trying to make big plays for us to win. We all focus on the same thing, which is winning. I think we do a great job when it’s crunch time.”
On what he thinks about being referred to as the “glue guy” for the team …
“I’m happy with that, especially to be on a team with this much talent. I have great teammates and for them to say that about me, I’m happy about it. I’m grateful to be talked about in that way. It’s a great honor.”
On the lows and the highs of his career at UK …
“My freshman year was kind of rough, as you all know, going to the NIT and stuff like that. I feel like we had a pretty good team. We had pretty good talent on the team, but like you said we were kind of disappointed with how we finished out. The past couple of years it’s been a great experience. We’ve had a really good team. Like I said really great teammates and a great coaching staff. If we can finish out this last game on a win, I’d be extremely happy.”
On whether he was worried about what would happen to him when Coach Calipari got hired …
“I think all of us were, the guys that were here and they guys that planned on staying. I think we were all worried about what was going to happen. We had been pretty close so we were wondering if we were going to get split up. Like I said, I’m happy I got to stay and he chose me to stay so it’s been a great experience so far.”
Video: UK Senior Eloy Vargas previews Thursday's UK 2012 Senior Night game
UK Senior Eloy Vargas on his UK career and UK's 2012 Senior Night game Thursday on ESPN against the Georgia Bulldogs. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.
Pre-Georgia Media Opportunity - Feb. 29, 2012
Eloy Vargas
On what it’s been like to be a Kentucky Wildcat …
“Well it’s been great to be here in this program and being in Kentucky. It’s the best program in the world right now in college. So being a part of this program has been tremendous.”
On if he might possibly be another Josh Harrellson …
“Well I think it’s a compliment for me in that this is my first time hearing him say that about me and what I’m doing - like trying to be focused and trying to play my best and do the right thing on the court and off the court and in practice trying to get better.”
On if it ever gets frustrating not getting much playing time …
“Nah, I’m good because every time we win, everybody wins. It’s Kentucky and this is a family. It’s not about self, it’s about us.”
On the best thing about being a part of this program …
“Being in front of Coach Cal, teaching me how to be a better player and a better person, and me pushing myself like before I came over here; I rarely saw how hard you had to work to be on the court, so I think I’ve learned a lot from being here and being a part of this program.”
On how he thinks Kentucky fans will remember him …
“I don’t know how they’re going to remember, but I know I was part of the Final Four, so they will probably remember me, so that’ll be nice.”
On what the rest of the season holds …
“This is where the fun begins now. You don’t know what’s going to happen. This is going to be a long season. We’ve got about five more weeks left and you don’t know what can happen. Somebody can get in foul trouble and I can maybe come out and do the right thing and make a play for the team and we can come out with a win.”
Pre-Georgia Media Opportunity - Feb. 29, 2012
Eloy Vargas
On what it’s been like to be a Kentucky Wildcat …
“Well it’s been great to be here in this program and being in Kentucky. It’s the best program in the world right now in college. So being a part of this program has been tremendous.”
On if he might possibly be another Josh Harrellson …
“Well I think it’s a compliment for me in that this is my first time hearing him say that about me and what I’m doing - like trying to be focused and trying to play my best and do the right thing on the court and off the court and in practice trying to get better.”
On if it ever gets frustrating not getting much playing time …
“Nah, I’m good because every time we win, everybody wins. It’s Kentucky and this is a family. It’s not about self, it’s about us.”
On the best thing about being a part of this program …
“Being in front of Coach Cal, teaching me how to be a better player and a better person, and me pushing myself like before I came over here; I rarely saw how hard you had to work to be on the court, so I think I’ve learned a lot from being here and being a part of this program.”
On how he thinks Kentucky fans will remember him …
“I don’t know how they’re going to remember, but I know I was part of the Final Four, so they will probably remember me, so that’ll be nice.”
On what the rest of the season holds …
“This is where the fun begins now. You don’t know what’s going to happen. This is going to be a long season. We’ve got about five more weeks left and you don’t know what can happen. Somebody can get in foul trouble and I can maybe come out and do the right thing and make a play for the team and we can come out with a win.”
UK’s Mathies, Goss, Snowden earns SEC top awards
First Team All-SEC
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
All-Freshman Team
Bria Goss, Kentucky
All-Defensive Team
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Player of the Year
A’dia Mathies, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
Bria Goss, Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Co-6th Woman of the Year
Keyla Snowden, Kentucky
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Kentucky vs Georgia Rd 2 "2012 Senior Night".....A Preview
Location: Athens,Ga
Enrollment: 34,677
Arena: 10,523
Head Coach: Mark Fox
Career Record: 158-72 (68.7%) 7 seasons
At Georgia: 35-29 (54.7%) 2 seasons
2010-11 Record: 21-12
2010-11 SEC Record: 9-7
2010-11 Postseason: 0-1 NCAA
2011-12 Record: 13-15
2011-12 SEC Record: 4-10
Georgia 62 Wofford 49
Georgia 63 Bowling Green 54
Georgia 72 South Dakota St. 61
California 70 Georgia 46
Georgia 61 Notre Dame 57
Xavier 70 Georgia 56
Colorado 70 Georgia 68
Cincinnati 57 Georgia 51
Georgia Tech 68 Georgia 56
Georgia 63 Southern Cal 59
Georgia 72 Mercer 58
Georgia 64 Furman 50
Georgia 92 Winthrop 86 (OT)
Georgia 58 Delaware St. 51
Alabama 74 Georgia 59
Florida 70 Georgia 48
Vanderbilt 77 Georgia 66
Georgia 57 Tennessee 53 (OT)
Ole Miss 66 Georgia 63
Kentucky 57 Georgia 44
Auburn 59 Georgia 51
Tennessee 73 Georgia 62
Georgia 81 Arkansas 59
Georgia Miss St. 68
South Carolina 57 Georgia 56
Vanderbilt 61 Georgia 52
LSU 61 Georgia 53
Georgia 76 Florida 62
Probable Starting Lineup
Marcus Thornton-F 6’7” Soph……………..…….……3.0 PPG
Donte Williams-F 6’9” Soph…………………..………7.6 PPG
Ken Caldwell-Pope-G 6’4” Fr…………………..……..13.9 PPG
Dustin Ware-G 5’11” Sr……………………………….8.0 PPG
Gerald Robinson-G 6’1” Sr……………………………14.3 PPG
Another Possible Starter
Nemanja Djurisic-F 6’8” Fr…………………………..7.0 PPG
.
Georgia Stats
PPG-62.0
FG%-39.7%
3 PT%-32.0% (6.6 PG)
FT%-69.2%
RPG-33.4 (-1.3)
APG-10.9
TO’s-10.5
SPG-6.4
BPG-3.5
This has been a disappointing year for Georgia who obviously never recovered from the loss Trevis Leslie and Trey Thompkins who opted for the NBA after last season. The Bulldogs have a losing record overall and are only 4-10 in the SEC. However, it would be a mistake to not respect this Georgia team as an opponent as there are some good players on the team…..especially freshman Ken Caldwell-Pope. Ask Florida which just lost by 14 points to the Bulldogs.
Georgia is led in scoring by senior Gerald Robinson and freshman Caldwell-Pope. Donte Williams leads the team in rebounds….Caldwell Pope leads in steals….and Gerald Robinson leads in assists.
A big problem for this Georgia team is overall poor shooting. The Bulldogs are hitting less than 40% of their shots from the field and only 32% from the perimeter. Only freshman Nemanja Djurisic is shooting well from long range hitting 38.8%.
Obviously, Georgia’s only hope for a post season tourney would be to upset UK and make a successful run in the SEC tourney. The Bulldogs lost to UK in Athens 57-44 so they will have a huge task ahead to defeat UK in Rupp arena where they have their last 50 games.
UK has thus far successfully navigated the toughest part of their SEC schedule defeating Florida….then Vandy at Nashville….then Miss.St at Starkville and Vandy again at Rupp arena. The Cats are playing well offensively and defensively….and are shooting a very good 48.8% from the field….and a solid 37.6% from the perimeter. Also importantly, UK has continued to improve their FT shooting hitting 72.4% with all the starters shooting above 71% except for Jones at 65.8%. This UK team has been a very unselfish team with 4 starters scoring in double figures and Teague and Miller scoring at 9.8 and 9.9 respectfully.
The Georgia game will be the last home game at Rupp arena this season and it will be senior day. Darius Miller has had a terrific career at UK and it will be sad to see him leave after 4 years wearing the Blue and White. Eloy Vargus, a transfer from Florida, has given some solid minutes as a backup center for his 2 years at UK. Cat fans wish both of these fine young men a wonderful future!
I look for a great game from the Cats as they add to their nation leading undefeated home game victories. UK wins by 17 points! GO CATS!
NCAA Women's Top 25 Poll 2/28/12
1. Baylor (40)
2. Stanford
3. Notre Dame
4. Connecticut
5. Duke
6. Maryland
7. Miami (FL)
8. Delaware
9. Penn St.
10. Kentucky
11. Green Bay
12. Georgetown
13. Tennessee
14. Ohio St.
15. Georgia Tech
16. Georgia
17. Texas A&M
18. St. John's
19. St. Bonaventure
20. Louisville
21. Purdue
22. Gonzaga
23. Rutgers
24. Nebraska
25. South Carolina
Dropped Out:No. 21 DePaul
Others Receiving Votes:Princeton 45, Arkansas 36, DePaul 34, West Virginia 25, California 25, Middle Tenn. St. 15, Fla Gulf Coast 8, Vanderbilt 6, Iowa 3, Oklahoma 2, Fresno St. 2
USA Today/ESPN
1. Baylor (31)
2. Stanford
3. Notre Dame
4. Connecticut
5. Maryland
6. Duke
7. Miami (FL)
8. Delaware
9. Kentucky
10. Tennessee
11. Green Bay
12. Penn St.
13. Texas A&M
14. Georgetown
15. Georgia
16. Ohio St.
17. Louisville
18. Georgia Tech
19. Rutgers
20. Gonzaga
21. St. John's
22. St. Bonaventure
23. DePaul
24. Nebraska
25. Purdue
Dropped Out:No. 24 Vanderbilt
Others Receiving Votes:Middle Tenn. St. 25, Vanderbilt 18, Fla Gulf Coast 17, California 14, Princeton 11, West Virginia 8, Arkansas 7, South Carolina 7, UTEP 5, LSU 2
Monday, February 27, 2012
SEC Men's Basketball Standings 2/27/12
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AP/Coaches Poll 2/27/12
1. Kentucky
2. Syracuse
3. Kansas
4. Duke
5. Michigan State
6. North Carolina
7. Missouri
8. Marquette
9. Baylor
10. Ohio State
11. Georgetown
12. Murray State
13. Michigan
14. Wisconsin
15. Wichita State
16. Florida
17. UNLV
18. Indiana
19. Louisville
20. Notre Dame
21. San Diego State
22. Florida State
23. Temple
24. Virginia
25. Creighton
Others Receiving Votes:Gonzaga (23-5) 115; Iowa State (21-8) 80; St. Mary's (25-5) 62; New Mexico (22-6) 60; Drexel (25-5) 41; Vanderbilt (20-9) 23; Virginia Commonwealth (25-6) 9; Long Beach State (21-7) 8; Brigham Young (24-7) 6; Harvard (24-4) 5; Memphis (21-8) 5; California (23-7) 3; Purdue (19-10) 3; Kansas State (19-9) 2; Southern Miss (23-6) 2; Alabama (19-9) 1
Coaches Poll
1. Kentucky
2. Syracuse
3. Duke
4. Kansas
5. Michigan State
6. North Carolina
7. Marquette
8. Missouri
9. Murray State
10. Baylor
11. Ohio State
12. Georgetown
13. Florida
14. Wichita State
15. Wisconsin
16. Michigan
17. UNLV
18. Louisville
19. Notre Dame
20. Indiana
21. St. Mary's
22. Florida State
23. San Diego State
24. Creighton
25. Temple
Others Receiving Votes:Gonzaga (23-5) 48; Drexel (25-5) 30; Virginia (21-7) 30; New Mexico (22-6) 23; Vanderbilt (20-9) 13; Iowa State (21-8) 8; Middle Tennessee (25-5) 8; Long Beach State (21-7) 6; Kansas State (19-9) 5; Mississippi State (19-10) 5; Washington (20-8) 2; Harvard (24-4) 1; Memphis (21-8) 1; Weber State (23-4) 1; Nevada (23-5) 1; Virginia Commonwealth (25-6) 1; California (23-7) 1
UK Sweep SEC Player/Freshman of the Week Awards 2/27/12
SEC Men's Hoops Players Of The Week
Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-10, 222-pound freshman forward from Chicago, Ill., was named SEC Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and two steals in wins at Mississippi State and over Vanderbilt. Davis posted his first double-double of the week in UK’s come-from-behind victory at Mississippi State. His 13th double-double of the year came in Kentucky’s victory over Vanderbilt. Davis scored a career-high 28 points to go with 11 rebounds and five blocked shots. Davis hit 91 pct. of his shots on the day the highest single-game pct. (min. 10 att.) for UK since the 1994-95 season.
Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a 6-foot-7, 232-pound freshman guard from Somerdale, N.J., was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in wins at Mississippi State and over Vanderbilt. Kidd-Gilchrist scored a team-high 18 points while grabbing 10 rebounds in UK’s win at Mississippi State. Kidd-Gilchrist then pulled down eight rebounds in UK’s win over Vanderbilt.
Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-10, 222-pound freshman forward from Chicago, Ill., was named SEC Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and two steals in wins at Mississippi State and over Vanderbilt. Davis posted his first double-double of the week in UK’s come-from-behind victory at Mississippi State. His 13th double-double of the year came in Kentucky’s victory over Vanderbilt. Davis scored a career-high 28 points to go with 11 rebounds and five blocked shots. Davis hit 91 pct. of his shots on the day the highest single-game pct. (min. 10 att.) for UK since the 1994-95 season.
Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a 6-foot-7, 232-pound freshman guard from Somerdale, N.J., was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in wins at Mississippi State and over Vanderbilt. Kidd-Gilchrist scored a team-high 18 points while grabbing 10 rebounds in UK’s win at Mississippi State. Kidd-Gilchrist then pulled down eight rebounds in UK’s win over Vanderbilt.
Bria Goss Named SEC Freshman of the Week 2/27/12
Bria Goss • Kentucky
Guard • Indianapolis, Ind.
• Averaged 11. 3 points per game in UK’s three wins last week in helping UK win the regular season championship title.
• Scored in double digits in two of the three wins, ranking second on the team in scoring.
• Found her way to the free-throw line a team-high 14 in three games, hitting 12 for a 85.7 percent clip.
• Was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the win over Mississippi State.
• Passed out a team-high tying three assists vs. RV/No. 24 Vanderbilt.
• Scored her 21st double-figure scoring game vs. South Carolina, the fourth most in UK freshman history.
• Swiped a steal in all three games.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
UK Hoops 2012 SEC Women's Basketball Champions
Kentucky (24-5, 13-3 SEC) now prepares for SEC Tournament play at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn on March 1-4, 2012. But first the UK Hoops to Celebrate SEC Title Sunday Night in Memorial, Admission is free and doors open at 6 p.m.ET. Congratulation Coach Matthew Mitchell, Staff and players on winning the regular season SEC Championship. Best of Luck in post season play and GO CATS!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Video: UK Coach John Calipari on defeating Vanderbilt 83-74
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari talks about UK's home win over Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis' huge game. Coach Cal also talks about NCAA Tournament seeding and where he feels the Wildcats and Commodores are at this time. - Feb. 25, 2012 Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com
Video: Darius Miller on UK's 83-74 win over Vanderbilt
Darius Miller on UK's 83-74 win over Vanderbilt 2/25/2012. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com
Video: Terrence Jones on UK's 83-74 win over Vanderbilt
Terrence Jones on UK's 83-74 win over Vanderbilt 2/25/2012. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com
Video: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on UK's 83-74 win over Vandy
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on UK's 83-74 win over Vanderbilt 2/25/2012. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com
Friday, February 24, 2012
Video: UK Coach John Calipari previews Saturday's UK-Vanderbilt rematch
UK Coach John Calipari talks about Saturday's rematch between the Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt Commodores in Rupp Arena. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com
Video: UK Freshman Anthony Davis on UK-Vandy, whether Cats need a loss
UK Freshman Anthony Davis on UK-Vandy, whether Cats need a loss. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.
Video: UK Senior Darius Miller previews Saturday's UK-Vandy rematch in Rupp Arena
UK Senior Darius Miller previews Saturday's UK-Vandy rematch in Rupp Arena at 12pm. Video courtesy of Courier-Journal.com.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Kentucky vs Vanderbilt - Rd 2.....A Preview
WT Administrator
Kentucky vs Vanderbilt….2/25/12 Saturday 12 Noon..(CBS)
Vanderbilt Commodores
Location: Nashville
Enrollment: 6,750
Arena: 14,316
Head Coach: Kevin Stallings
Career Record: 359-211 (63.0%) 18 seasons
At Vandy: 236-148 (61.5%) 12 seasons
2010-11 Record: 23-11
2010-11 SEC Record: 9-7
2010-11 Postseason: NCAA 0-1
2011-12 Record: 20-8
2011-12 SEC Record: 9-4
Vandy 78 Oregon 64
Cleveland St. 71 Vandy 58
Vandy 80 Bucknell 68
Vandy 86 N.C. St. 79
Vandy 64 Oregon St. 62
Vandy 95 Monmonth 73
Xavier 82 Vandy 70 (OT)
Louisville 62 Vandy 60 (OT)
Vandy 87 Davidson 83
Indiana St. 61 Vandy 55
Vandy 99 Longwood 71
Vandy 89 Lafayette 58
Vandy 74 Marquette 57
Vandy 69 Miami, OH 62
Vandy 65 Auburn 35
Vandy 67 South Carolina 57
Vandy 77 Georgia 66
Vandy 69 Alabama 59
Mississippi St. 78 Vandy 77 (OT)
Vandy 65 Tennessee 47
Vandy 84 Middle Tennessee St. 77
Arkansas 82 Vandy 74
Florida 73 Vandy 65
Vandy 76 LSU 61
Kentucky 69 Vandy 63
Vandy 102 Ole Miss 76
Vandy 61 Georgia 52
Vandy 59 South Carolina 48
Probable Starting Lineup
Lance Goulbourne-F 6’8” Sr………………….…8.8 PPG
Jeffery Taylor-F 6’7” Sr…………………………17.3 PPG
Festus Ezeli-C 6’11” Sr………………………….10.1 PPG
Brad Tinsley-G 6’3” Sr…………………………..8.9 PPG
John Jenkins-G 6’4” Jr…………………………..20.1 PPG
Vandy Stats
PPG-73.9
FG%-46.6%
3 PT%-39.8% (8.8 PG)
FT%-70.8%
RPG-35.0 (+1.7)
APG-13.3
TO’s-13.9
SPG-6.0
BPG-4.4
UK Stats
PPG-77.6
FG%-48.5%
3 PT%-38.1% (5.8 PG)
FT%-72.1%
RPG-39.3 (+7.3)
APG-13.5
TO’s-11.8
SPG-6.5
BPG-9.1
Vandy arrives in Rupp arena having won 4 of their last 5 SEC games….with their only loss being to UK at home. However, overall this has been a disappointing year for the senior laden Dores. Vandy has talent, experience and great perimeter shooters, but despite all that….they have under achieved this season. A big reason for Vandy’s disappointing year is that this team is not a very good defensive team. Still, this Vandy team is a good and dangerous team because they have terrific perimeter shooters and average 9 perimeter shots PG.
Vandy is led by John Jenkins and Jeffrey Taylor in scoring….both very good players. Jenkins has hit 105-228 for an excellent 46.1% from long range while Taylor has nailed 53-114 for an equal excellent 46.5% Taylor also leads in steals with 35 and is 2nd only to
Lance Goulbourne who leads in rebounds with 8.8 rebounds PG. Brad Tinsley leads the team with 4.4 assists PG while Festus Ezeli gives the Dores a solid defensive presence in the paint with 39 blocks.
Obviously, any team that shoots great from the perimeter is always dangerous and Vandy will come into Rupp arena to try for a big upset.
Kentucky remains undefeated in the SEC, but got a big scare in Starkville when Miss St played a tremendous 1st half while UK had arguably their worst half performance of the season and were behind 13 points at halftime. This is what happens when you couple poor floor decisions with a failure to compete. Fortunately, the Cats came back in the 2nd half and played with great intensity, terrific defense and great heart and won a big game on the road against a good opponent.
Hopefully, UK learned a valuable lesson in the Miss. St. game as they look toward the NCAA tourney….they simply can’t afford to not compete for a half (as coach Cal said about the Cats 1st half performance) and hope to overcome big deficits against the best teams in college basketball.
Coach Cal will be looking for the Cats to come out from the opening tipoff and play with great intensity against Vandy. This is a great UK team and while they may have some less than stellar shooting games….it is imperative that UK play consistent great defense….which they have done in the vast majority of games this season.
I look for UK to play a great game against Vandy and win by 12 points. GO CATS!
Video: UK Coach Mitchell, players on Senior Night win over South Carolina
UK Hoops Head Coach Matthew Mitchell and UK Hoops players Bria Goss, A'dia Mathies, and Keyla Snowden talk to the media after their win over South Carolina in Memorial Coliseum on Senior Night. Video's courtesy of uksportsinfo.com
Video: UK Hoops 2012 Senior Night
UK Hoops Senior's Crystal Riley, Keyla Snowden and Amber Smith are honored before their final home game in Memorial Coliseum. Now take off your hat, and stand for My Old Kentucky Home. Video courtesy of uksportsinfo.com
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Video: UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell, Players Senior Night Preview against South Carolima
UK hoops head coach Matthew Mitchell talks about senior night and South Carolina. UK Hoops Seniors players Keyla Snowden, Crystal Riley and Amber Smith at Wednesday's Press Conference discuss Thursday's senior night against South Carolina. Video's courtesy of KyKernel.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
