With word coming today that Randall Cobb and Chris Matthews being named the starting WR’s for the season opener against Miami OH, I would like to present to you a good video of Matthews to watch. We all know what Cobb can do already so I will just let you feast your eye’s on what Matthews has to offer the BBN!

Cobb and Matthews will be the starters with Kyrus Lanxter and Gene McCaskill being the first 2 back-up’s.

I have been blasted on a live blog by non other than Matt Jones himself, and by others on another site for making the statement that this is the year that the Cats FINALLY beat UT. Matt went on to tell me that there is no way that UK will beat UT and that it just wont happen. I on the other hand don’t believe that UK has no chance and on here I am getting the chance to tell everyone why I believe UT will go down this year.

First off, if not for Randell Cobb going down last year, along with Lyons and Locke earlier in the year, last year would have been the year. I was actually at that game last year sittin in the UT student Section decked out in my UK gear lmao, cause my wife’s cousin attends UT and trust me they were scared. Until Cobb went down we were in the game, actually for the biggest part of the first half we were in the lead. Secondly and probably even more important, while UT did get a new coach and now more energy towards their program Kiffin is not and I repeat is not Calipari so don’t expect a really quick turn around. Thirdly, from what I am hearing half of their freshman may not be eligible because of recruiting rules being broken (actually only a couple of players), and not just that but Kiffin is in some deep do-do over some of the things he has done in recruiting and other things. Last but not least, UK plays UT at home this year and while that has not made a difference in the past I believe this year will be different because our players know that they can win the big games now and they are thirsty to do it some more. Don’t forget that Micah Johnson and a few ohters have a score to settle with some UT players over a incident over the summer, Johnson is one man I wouldn’t want to make mad.

All in all I see UK beating UT this year and I am going to put a prediction score on here and say UK 24, UT 20. I also believe UK finishes 4th in the East ahead of UT by one spot, I have received some comments from ppl who don’t agree with me on that one either but I will have more on that one later.

If you watched Kentucky Basketball last season the first word that comes to mind when you hear the name Deandre Liggins is BUST, that could all change now. Coming out of high school in the Windy City, Deandre Liggins was highly touted, rated as high as a 5* in some rankings, the expectations among the UK faithful were through the roof, but then came the odd substitution patterns of Billy Clyde, mixed with limited playing time and the erratic behavior of Liggins, his talent never shined through, and he was written off by most fans as a over hyped dud, but we may have been wrong.

 During pickup games last month one of the main things to stick out in my mind, was the vast improvement of Liggins, he looked like a different player than the out of control PG from last season, but I wrote it off as a lack of evaluation skills on my part, but then last week in a interview on ESPN radio Coach Calipari said that Deandre Liggins would surprise everyone this season, so once again my genius was confirmed (sarcasm), but obviously coach can see signs of the potential that Liggins showed in high school.

Deandre Liggins may have seen his last days as a point guard with the talented John Wall and Eric Bledsoe in the fold, and Cal recruiting every PG in the known universe, but with Deandre’s speed and ball handling skills, he could create a multitude of match up problems for defenders on the wing, and with UK’s lack of a true SG, minutes could be earned at the 2 guard spot. If you watch tape on Liggins from high school you see a player loaded with confidence, that will be the main factor if he is to turn his UK career around, and Cal is a master of motivation and instilling confidence in young players.

Whether we see a new Deandre Liggins emerge this year remains to be seen, but it is one more intriguing possibility in this new era of UK hoops.

Has there ever been a more hyped freshman coming to the University of Kentucky than John Wall, Maybe King Rex to the instate crowd, but Nationally I cant ever recall another player arriving with this much pomp and pageantry.

The question is whether Wall can live up to the hype ? And the answer barring injury is without a doubt. Wall is a phenom, rarely if ever have I seen a PG with his mix of electric speed and freakish athleticism, he is bar none the fastest PG in America from baseline to baseline, and he plays above the rim more than any lead guard in recent memory, yes even Derrick Rose.

John Wall’s skill package is unmatched by any current player in the college game, now I realize he is only a freshman and he will face the struggles that come with that, and he will be playing against far tougher competition than he is accustomed to, But his game is mature beyond its years.

We have already discussed his unreal speed and crazy hops, but John excels just as much at other area’s of the game, it is virtually impossible for defenders to stay in front of Wall, he can use either hand, and drive left or right with the same proficiency, he is as crafty and creative a passer as I have seen at his age, and his decision making and ability to put teammates in the proper position to score are attributes most often found in seasoned point guards, the thing that is most often over looked about John is his abilities on the other side of the ball, the kid is an absolute terror on the defensive end, when John’s on defense havoc ensues, from lighting quick steals, to jaw dropping blocked shots, to just generally harassing everyone who touches the ball, his effort on D is a rare and refreshing sight to see, in  this age of pampered superstars, who think their to good to play hard defensively.

The weaknesses in John Wall’s game are few,  but the one of most concern is his perimeter shooting, although he has shown improvement of late, he lacks the consistency beyond the arc, he has shown a mid range pull up that could be dangerous if it continues to develop.

The question mark on next years squad is how Coach Calipari  will use this amazing talent, it is easy to see that the two best guards on this team are both freshmen point guards, neither of which is a knock down shooter, will he play with both on the court together, or will he use players like Darius Miller or Darnell Dodson who are more natural small forwards, at the two guard spot. Eric Bledsoe may be the more natural PG, but it is hard to imagine Cal not wanting the ball in Wall’s hands as much as possible. but regardless even with a gaping hole at shooting guard, having to point men of Wall and Bledsoe’s caliber is a good problem to have.

John Wall will almost assuredly only play at UK for one year, but it should be one hell of a ride.

By now everyone has seen plenty of tape on John Wall, but I never get tired of watching this kid, so here’s some highlights

Darius Miller has a golden opportunity, with the departure of Jodie Meeks, he will get the chance to shine, many already thought he would step up this year and be a key component at the SF position, but Cal is now saying that Darius will take Jodie’s spot and we will be fine. Those are big shoe’s to fill, but just the confidence that coach is showing in Darius will help him a hundred fold.

I truly believe that Gillispie was in his head so much that we didnt see half of Millers potential, he played nervous, and was tentative on offense, I went back and watched some old film on Darius, and read the scouting reports from his senior year, In all the breakdowns I read, it described Darius as having a Smooth stroke on the perimeter, I saw it on the tapes, we didnt see this last year, we saw a serious hitch in the (gitty up) stroke, we saw a kid trying to guide the ball in the basket, and not releasing naturally, also in high school Darius would explode to the basket, last season even when he was effective, he seemed unsure of himself, and afraid to go full steam on the play.  But having a sociopath for a coach can have that effect. TRUE DAT.

Calipari is known as a motivator, and his style encourages kids to show their skills, as he puts it, to unleash their potential, and Darius has potential in spades. Gillispie’s overly structured style hindered Miller, and his aggressive overbearing demeanor intimidated  all the younger players, I look for Darius to play this year like a new man, and with the talent surrounding him, he will have alot of open looks and continue to gain confidence. And although I dont think he will be the scorer Meeks was he will bring other intangibles to the 2 guard spot, like great size, strength, rebounding, and improved ball handling. I said it on the day Darius committed to the Cats and I believe it now more than ever, Darius will be a STAR before he is done.

Here’s a short video from his Mason County days, look no hitch ma !