This Vid is to cool watching The King hanging with the Cats.

27
Cats Return To SEC Road at LSU

In the wake of their loss to South Carolina, the Kentucky Wildcats have responded with back to back double digit wins over Vanderbilt and Mississippi at Rupp Arena. Based on their bodies of work, MISSISSIPPI and Vanderbilt should both receive at large bids to March Madness in about 5 weeks reinforcing a conclusion that the Cats’ loss was an anomaly in an outstanding season.

While double digit wins over prominent conference opponents is always nice, the fact remains that the Cats established superiority early in both games, only to allow each of them to hang around within striking distance throughout the second halves of these games. This is a tendency that has manifested many times this season, and a tendency that this team really needs to eliminate.

Next up for the Cats will be LSU at the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. The Maravich Assembly Center bears the name of one of LSU’s all time great players, Pistol Pete Maravich, who played in the 1968, 69, and 70 seasons and scored over 3,600 total points and averaged over 44 points per game during his 3 year collegiate career. However, as prolific a scorer as Pistol Pete was, he never played on an LSU team that could beat his Kentucky counterparts, led by Dan Issel, Mike Casey, and Mike Pratt.

Pistol Pete is not the only great LSU player to wage battle on the hardwood against the Wildcats. In the early 1950s, LSU featured Bob Pettit. In the early 1970s [1970], it was Pistol Pete. Then, in the early 90s, LSU featured Shaquille O’Neal. This season, 2010, the LSU Tigers feature Tasmin Mitchell. Just like prior episodes in this rivalry, Tasmin Mitchell is no more likely, and perhaps less likely, to leave his encounter with Kentucky with a win.

Every 20 years more or less for LSU, they seem to present an outstanding talent. However, over the years, even these special players have not enjoyed great, sustained success against their Wildcat counterparts. This time around, the Cats will put their #3 national ranking on the line and match that against LSU’s rapidly disappearing pride. On Thursday night, following LSU’s 5 point loss to Tennessee in Baton Rouge, the LSU coaches and players admitted that despite “only” losing to Tennessee by 5 points, LSU was 0-8 in SEC play and 9-13 overall, saying “it is what it is.” Coming close provides little to no solace under the circumstances of this LSU season.

Kentucky on the other hand has licked the wounds left by the South Carolina upset 10 days ago, and brings a 21-1 record into this game, including a 6-1 SEC record. This game at the Maravich Assembly Center provides the Cats with their best opportunity among their remaining road games to get a treasured SEC road win. For that reason, this trip to LSU is really in the must win category for the Cats.

LSU will bring an 9-13; 0-8 record into this game. The Tigers finished their nonconference schedule 9-5 with losses to UConn [#48] by 26 points and Arizona State [#25] by 19 on a Neutral court, at Xavier [#21] by 24 points and at Washington State [#107] by 1 point in overtime, and at home to Utah [#118] by 2 points. LSU’s most impressive win to date has been by 11 points over Indiana State [#154].

LSU has averaged 63.1 ppg on 64.5 possessions per game, 0.977 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 65.8 ppg on 64.7 possessions, 1.017 ppp. LSU’s turnover rate through 22 games is 19.6% while their opponents have committed turnovers on 18.3% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, LSU has grabbed a decent 36.5% of their own misses but LSU has allowed their opponents to get 32.4% of their missed shots.

Kentucky has averaged 82.4 ppg on 72.3 possessions per game, 1.139 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 66.4 ppg on 71.7 possessions, 0.926 ppp. UK’s turnover rate through 14 games is 21.1% while their opponents have committed turnovers on only 20.5% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, the Cats have grabbed a very powerful, but declining 43.5% of their own misses and limited their opponents to only 31.7% of their missed shots.

Based on this data for LSU and the Cats for the 2009-10 season, the NGE analysis indicates a 11-point win for the Cats, 77-66 in a game that will be played at a pace about 68 possessions for Kentucky and 68 possessions for LSU. The NGE analysis indicates an offensive efficiency of about 1.13 ppp with a defensive efficiency of about 0.97 ppp range. The pre-game magic number is 73 points.

26
Cats Host #20 Mississippi

As a result of the Cats’ loss on the road to South Carolina, a sweep of Vanderbilt and holding serve at Rupp Arena became essential elements for the Cats to win the SEC regular season in 2010. On Saturday, the Cats took care of the first half of their necessary Vanderbilt sweep with a 13 point home court win. It is a fact that the Cats emerged from the starting blocks into a full sprint to build an early double digit lead, and it is a fact that Vanderbilt never found a way to cut that lead back into single digits, once UK established it. It is also a fact that for about 30 minutes of the game, the lead fluctuated between 11 and 19 points.

However, the Cats established their biggest lead of the game in the first half, and they were never able to extend that 19 point lead to 20 points or more despite multiple opportunities to do just that in each half. The first half against Vanderbilt was impressive at the offensive end of the floor, 49 points in 36 possessions [1.361 ppp] on offense. However, defensively the Cats allowed Vanderbilt to score 34 points on 36 possessions [0.944 ppp] which is well above UK’s season average defensive efficiency.

Nevertheless, a 15 point lead at the half against a ranked opponent, on the strength of that impressive offensive outburst was impressive. The second half, however, had a different ring to it at both ends of the court. This is why Kentucky could not put this Vanderbilt team away earlier, and allowed Vanderbilt to flirt with getting back into the game with several opportunities to cut the deficit back into single digits. In that second half, the Cats managed to score 36 points on 34 possessions, less than their season average and considerably less than the first half performance in this game. All while allowing Vanderbilt to score 38 points on 36 possessions, again much worse defensively than the season average and worse that a ho hum first half in this game.

The result was the 13 point, 85-72 final score. However, with a consistent effort throughout the full 40 minutes, or with a defensive effort on par with the offensive effort, the Cats could have put Vanderbilt away before halftime, and never let them off the mat.

Yes, the Cats did manage to hand Vanderbilt their first SEC loss of this season, and in so doing pull themselves into a “tie” with Vanderbilt for the lead in the SEC. That coupled with recent losses by SEC West leaders Mississippi and Mississippi State to Arkansas this past week propel UK and Vanderbilt into the front seat of the SEC 2010 Express, but Vanderbilt remains behind the wheel despite UK’s win on Saturday by virtue of its road wins at USC and Tennessee, and UK’s road loss at USC with trips to Vanderbilt and Tennessee yet to come.

Kentucky must not only hold serve the rest of the year at Rupp, it must beat Vanderbilt in Nashville later this month to secure the SEC 2010 Championship.

On Tuesday night, the Cats must take their next step toward that SEC Championship when they host Mississippi.
Mississippi will bring an 16-5; 4-3 record into this game. The Rebels finished their non-conference schedule 12-2 with losses to Villanova [#13] by 12 on a Neutral court, and at West Virginia [#6] by 10. However, Mississippi opened play in the SEC this year with a home loss to arch rival Mississippi State [#37] by 5, and lost at Tennessee [#25] by 2 in overtime. While their home loss to Miss. St. certainly put them behind the 8 ball after just one game, their loss at Tennessee was not fatal. Sunday, the Rebels lost to Arkansas at home by 7 points, essentially taking themselves out of any serious position to win the SEC regular season championship this season without running the table from this point forward.

Mississippi has averaged 80.9 ppg on 72.5 possessions per game, 1.116 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 69.3 ppg on 72.1 possessions, 0.961 ppp. Mississippi’s turnover rate through 19 games is 17.1% while their opponents have committed turnovers on 20.8% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, Mississippi has grabbed a decent 35.4% of their own misses but OLE MISS has allowed their opponents to get 35.4% of their missed shots.

Kentucky has averaged 82.2 ppg on 72.2 possessions per game, 1.139 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 66.0 ppg on 71.7 possessions, 0.921 ppp. UK’s turnover rate through 14 games is 21.0% while their opponents have committed turnovers on only 20.5% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, the Cats have grabbed a very powerful, but declining 43.5% of their own misses and limited their opponents to only 31.4% of their missed shots.

Based on this data for Mississippi and the Cats for the 2009-10 season, the NGE analysis indicates a 12-point win for the Cats, 83-71 in a game that will be played at a pace about 72 possessions for Kentucky and 72 possessions for Mississippi. The NGE analysis indicates an offensive efficiency of about 1.15 ppp with a defensive efficiency of about 0.98 ppp range. The pre-game magic number is 78 points.

C’mon how damn cool is it to is it to have The King Lebron James chillin at Rupp, sporting blue and white, watching his favorite College team play some hoops. When he made the Y at half time the fans exploded, it was really a cool moment to witness, and just think how much this immpresses reccruits to see that the greatest player on the planet is a UK fan.

Speaking of recruits the most explosive player in the country was in attendence today, CJ (baby KG) Leslie, I want this kid BAD.

The Cats had a great bounce back performance today, after the loss earlier in the week, the refs kept this game from ever getting into a good flow with alot of picky calls, but the Cats dominated on every level, their half court offense was the best of the season, the fact that UK had no fast break points and still controled a good Vanderbilt team is impressive.

Here is a bold statement for you, Demarcus Cousins is the best bigman in the country, and it’s really not even close, Cole Aldridge can’t hold his jock, and Greg Monroe is just to inconsistent, Big Cuz brings it every night, and just has mad skillz.

Darnell Dobson was great today, hitting 4 threes at key moments, the wing spot is were this team is really missing production and if Darnell could produce on a regular basis this team would be hard to handle.

Patrick Patterson was better today but I still would like to see him in the post much more , he seems passive and he needs to demand the ball.

The Cats need to keep up the momentum as Tuesday night they play a very dangerous Ole Miss squad.

Go Cats.

25
Cats Limp Home From USC To Take On SEC Leader Vanderbilt

Well, we now know with complete certainty that the Kentucky Wildcats will NOT run the table this season, as the South Carolina Gamecocks captured the moment on Tuesday night to hand this group of Wildcats their first loss of the season, dropping the #1 ranked UK team to 19-1, and more importantly at this time of year, 4-1 in the SEC. Vanderbilt will waltz into Rupp Arena on Saturday with their perfect SEC start, 5-0, intact after they waltzed out of Knoxville on Wednesday night with a huge SEC road win, their third in this young conference season.

The SEC wars are usually defined by who gets the most wins on the SEC road, and using that sole criteria, Vandy leads this race after 1/3 of the SEC season with 3 and the Cats are nipping at their heels with 2. Holding serve at Rupp is critical for the Cats, doubly so in this game, because a loss will hand Vandy their 4th road win, leaving them in a commanding position moving forward.

If Kentucky wants to win the SEC regular season championship, it must defeat Vandy at Rupp on Saturday. It is as simple as that. Saturday’s game, therefore, is the most important game for the Cats of all the games played thus far. Lose at home to Vandy, and the Cats not only must run the table on all remaining games, but must hope for help along the way from someone to hand Vandy a second loss, e.g. Kentucky’s ability to win the SEC depends upon others, and not just the Cats. Beat Vandy on Saturday, and the Cats have their own fate in their hands, e.g. by sweeping Vandy with a win in Nashville next month.

Vanderbilt will bring an 16-3; 5-0 record into this game. The Commodores finished their nonconference schedule 11-3 with losses to Cincinnati [#58] by 9 on a Neutral court, at Illinois [#49] by 11, and to Western Kentucky [#145] by 7 at a “Semi-Home” venue. In the SEC, Vandy has beaten Florida and Auburn at home and Alabama, South Caroliina, and Tennessee on the road. VANDY’s most impressive wins this season have been over Missouri [#12] by 6 points at home, and Wednesday night’s 9 point win at Tennessee [#20].

Vanderbilt has averaged 79.5 ppg on 71.4 possessions per game, 1.113 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 66.9 ppg on 70.6 possessions, 0.949 ppp. Vanderbilt’s turnover rate through 19 games is 19.7% while their opponents have committed turnovers on 19.8% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, Vanderbilt has grabbed a decent 34.3% of their own misses but VANDY has allowed their opponents to get 33.7% of their missed shots.

Kentucky has averaged 82.1 ppg on 72.2 possessions per game, 1.137 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 65.7 ppg on 71.6 possessions, 0.918 ppp. UK’s turnover rate through 14 games is 20.9% while their opponents have committed turnovers on only 20.5% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, the Cats have grabbed a very powerful, but declining 43.2% of their own misses and limited their opponents to only 32.0% of their missed shots.

Based on this data for Vanderbilt and the Cats for the 2009-10 season, the NGE analysis indicates an 9-point win for the Cats, 80-71 in a game that will be played at a pace about 72 possessions for Kentucky and 72 possessions for Vanderbilt. The NGE analysis indicates an offensive efficiency of about 1.11 ppp with a defensive efficiency of about 0.99 ppp range. The pre-game magic number is 76 points.