Kentucky

[Letsroll1200]

It's time to move on and the season is not lost after two games. I believe this team stay united and gets on a roll in the SEC. Fans show up and show out for Kentucky! MA is going to get this team on track starting with Kentucky Tuesday night.

[BleedsBlue]

It's time to move on and the season is not lost after two games. I believe this team stay united and gets on a roll in the SEC. Fans show up and show out for Kentucky! MA is going to get this team on track starting with Kentucky Tuesday night.

You all have had success in recent years against my Cats at BWA.  I would not be shocked to see the streak continue.  Tough venue to win as an opposing team.  Good luck.

[Oliver]

You all have had success in recent years against my Cats at BWA.  I would not be shocked to see the streak continue.  Tough venue to win as an opposing team.  Good luck.

You will win.  Congrats ahead of time

[code red]

I hate to say this but I believe it to be true.  If we don't win Tues.  I can see a scenario in which this thing starts to spiral badly.  Back to back road games...as I have stated before the Hogs need to be above .500 the next 6.  Well, 0-1 start.

[CallThemHawgs!]

I hate to say this but I believe it to be true.  If we don't win Tues.  I can see a scenario in which this thing starts to spiral badly.  Back to back road games...as I have stated before the Hogs need to be above .500 the next 6.  Well, 0-1 start.

If we dont beat the Cats at home, we could be looking at an 0-5 start in SEC play.

[Hooch]

You will win.  Congrats ahead of time

Thought you were done?

I'm done too.  Same crap every year.  Counting down the days until Baseball

[Oliver]

Thought you were done?

I am.  Won't watch another game the rest of the season.

[razorbackchamps94]

Wildcats win by 6 or more

[code red]

If we dont beat the Cats at home, we could be looking at an 0-5 start in SEC play.

Yep....I am not sold on this program and the way it is being managed.  I see no improvement.  I think we all have waited.

[jbcarol]

Kentucky (12-3, 2-0):  Best Win: Louisville  Worst Losses: Baylor in Arlington; North Carolina in Chapel Hill
                                                        PPG   RPG  3P%
Julius Randle, 6-9, 250, Fr PF                 17   10-12  0         
James Young, 6-6, 215, Fr SG-SF            14    4.5    32
Andrew Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr SG            14     3      27
Aaron Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr PG            10-12   3     35
Willie Cauley-Stein, 7-0, 244, So PF         9      8    N/A  4 BPG, 1 SPG
Alex Poythress, 6-8, 239, So F                 6     6      33
Dakari Johnson, 7-0, 263, Fr C                 4     3     N/A
Dominique Hawkins, 6-0, 193, Fr G         1.5    1      14

Kentucky is led by Freshman PF Julius Randle, a projected lottery pick. Strong with good touch on the block, teams generally try to ensure he does not get the ball.  He recently has cramped up in games due to physicality and potential anxiety of having to carry this team on his shoulders. Hard worker on the offensive and defensive boards. He has dinosaur arms so he is not a shot blocking threat.  He tends to stay out of foul trouble. Cal brought him in on promise he would develop his perimeter game. He does not have a reliable long range shot.  When he works outside or is on the bench, it opens the middle for the Harrison twins to drive.

James Young is a Freshman McD All-American and projected NBA first round pick. He is a good all-around "2" or "3" including getting his share of rebounds when Randle is out or Cauley-Stein is out of position.  His outside shot has fallen off since the exhibition season. Kentucky is shooting below 30% from behind the arc as a team.  With the interior attention to Randle and Cauley-Stein, the shots are there. He has been praised for not letting his cold streak affect his overall game.

Harrison twins have pouted since UK signed Randle and on virtually every missed shot or foul call since. Good ball handlers against pressure, they work together. UK's turnovers tend to be careless rather than forced. Their scoring and overall play has picked up since the semester break and coinciding with Randle's bench time. With Young, UK has a tall and long backcourt but they are slower than Cal's teams of the past. They try to avoid fouls to protect their playing time giving up unchallenged layups in transition and on drives.

Cauley-Stein is an athletic former HS WR, who is fun to watch. He is not an option on offense unless left alone on the weak side. He has good hands and will throw down a lob pass. A tall and long shot blocker, teams are trying to draw him away from the basket in UK's man-to-man. Cauley-Stein then becomes a long defender near the top of the key. He made a clean steal, 3/4 court drive and slam yesterday at Vanderbilt. He shoots below 50% from the FT line. At 66.3%, UK is 264th in FT accuracy.

Poythress is the sixth man, "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" until recently. Asserting himself more physically, he is scoring on put backs, and has a good interior jumper.

Hawkins is a State Tournament hero who earned a late scholarship and apparently does what Cal wants in practice (harrass the Harrison twins). He gets 10-12 mpg and has a standing "don't shoot" order.

Dakari Johnson is Cauley-Stein's sub recently dipping under the Bigger's line (10-12 mpg). Cal, perhaps flying too close to the sun, has buried two McD's AA players on the bench so no one else can have them.

If desperate for outside shooting, Cal will call on his Kentucky players off the end of the bench. Polson, a small guard (think Cameron Mills with less touch), hit a couple of big threes against Vandy. 6-9 Fr. Derek Willis (Scott Padgett with less interior skills) could hit the 3 in the exhibition season but missed a couple against Vandy. Cal gave him positive attention for his effort.

McD AA 6-9 leaper, Marcus Lee may as well have his image on a milk carton. Lee started some games early, so Cal could claim he started five freshmen and to win the opening tip. He would come out at the first break in action, often not to be seen again.

Young is the only player to average over 30 mpg thus far.  Will the pressure cause fatigue or will UK throw over it and create a dunk fest for Randle and Cauley-Stein? The three 6-6 guards have a good handle. Their mental toughness and poor free throw shooting will be put to the test on the road. Randle is a likely candidate to cramp up in the Bud.

State attempted to literally punch UK in the mouth. They held the lead in the first half and were able to draw an intentional foul on a Harrison. They were not able to get Randle nor Cauley-Stein to take the bait. UK blew them out of Rupp in the second half.

[BleedsBlue]

Kentucky (12-3, 2-0):  Best Win: Louisville  Worst Losses: Baylor in Arlington; North Carolina in Chapel Hill
                                                        PPG   RPG  3P%
Julius Randle, 6-9, 250, Fr PF                 17   10-12  0         
James Young, 6-6, 215, Fr SG-SF            14    4.5    32
Andrew Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr SG            14     3      27
Aaron Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr PG            10-12   3     35
Willie Cauley-Stein, 7-0, 244, So PF         9      8    N/A  4 BPG, 1 SPG
Alex Poythress, 6-8, 239, So F                 6     6      33
Dakari Johnson, 7-0, 263, Fr C                 4     3     N/A
Dominique Hawkins, 6-0, 193, Fr G         1.5    1      14

Kentucky is led by Freshman PF Julius Randle, a projected lottery pick. Strong with good touch on the block, teams generally try to ensure he does not get the ball.  He recently has cramped up in games due to physicality and potential anxiety of having to carry this team on his shoulders. Hard worker on the offensive and defensive boards. He has dinosaur arms so he is not a shot blocking threat.  He tends to stay out of foul trouble. Cal brought him in on promise he would develop his perimeter game. He does not have a reliable long range shot.  When he works outside or is on the bench, it opens the middle for the Harrison twins to drive.

James Young is a Freshman McD All-American and projected NBA first round pick. He is a good all-around "2" or "3" including getting his share of rebounds when Randle is out or Cauley-Stein is out of position.  His outside shot has fallen off since the exhibition season. Kentucky is shooting below 30% from behind the arc as a team.  With the interior attention to Randle and Cauley-Stein, the shots are there. He has been praised for not letting his cold streak affect his overall game.

Harrison twins have pouted since UK signed Randle and on virtually every missed shot or foul call since. Good ball handlers against pressure, they work together. UK's turnovers tend to be careless rather than forced. Their scoring and overall play has picked up since the semester break and coinciding with Randle's bench time. With Young, UK has a tall and long backcourt but they are slower than Cal's teams of the past. They try to avoid fouls to protect their playing time giving up unchallenged layups in transition and on drives.

Cauley-Stein is an athletic former HS WR, who is fun to watch. He is not an option on offense unless left alone on the weak side. He has good hands and will throw down a lob pass. A tall and long shot blocker, teams are trying to draw him away from the basket in UK's man-to-man. Cauley-Stein then becomes a long defender near the top of the key. He made a clean steal, 3/4 court drive and slam yesterday at Vanderbilt. He shoots below 50% from the FT line. At 66.3%, UK is 264th in FT accuracy.

Poythress is the sixth man, "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" until recently. Asserting himself more physically, he is scoring on put backs, and has a good interior jumper.

Hawkins is a State Tournament hero who earned a late scholarship and apparently does what Cal wants in practice (harrass the Harrison twins). He gets 10-12 mpg and has a standing "don't shoot" order.

Dakari Johnson is Cauley-Stein's sub recently dipping under the Bigger's line (10-12 mpg). Cal, perhaps flying too close to the sun, has buried two McD's AA players on the bench so no one else can have them.

If desperate for outside shooting, Cal will call on his Kentucky players off the end of the bench. Polson, a small guard (think Cameron Mills with less touch), hit a couple of big threes against Vandy. 6-9 Fr. Derek Willis (Scott Padgett with less interior skills) could hit the 3 in the exhibition season but missed a couple against Vandy. Cal gave him positive attention for his effort.

McD AA 6-9 leaper, Marcus Lee may as well have his image on a milk carton. Lee started some games early, so Cal could claim he started five freshmen and to win the opening tip. He would come out at the first break in action, often not to be seen again.

Young is the only player to average over 30 mpg thus far.  Will the pressure cause fatigue or will UK throw over it and create a dunk fest for Randle and Cauley-Stein? The three 6-6 guards have a good handle. Their mental toughness and poor free throw shooting will be put to the test on the road. Randle is a likely candidate to cramp up in the Bud.

State attempted to literally punch UK in the mouth. They held the lead in the first half and were able to draw an intentional foul on a Harrison. They were not able to get Randle nor Cauley-Stein to take the bait. UK blew them out of Rupp in the second half.

Nice scouting report JB.

Free throw shooting:  below average
3pt shooting: below average
Offensive rebounding: above average
Defensive rebounding: average
Half court defense: above average
Transition defense: below average

My prediction: whichever team brings their A game wins- toss up.

[hogman99]

Kentucky (12-3, 2-0):  Best Win: Louisville  Worst Losses: Baylor in Arlington; North Carolina in Chapel Hill
                                                        PPG   RPG  3P%
Julius Randle, 6-9, 250, Fr PF                 17   10-12  0         
James Young, 6-6, 215, Fr SG-SF            14    4.5    32
Andrew Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr SG            14     3      27
Aaron Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr PG            10-12   3     35
Willie Cauley-Stein, 7-0, 244, So PF         9      8    N/A  4 BPG, 1 SPG
Alex Poythress, 6-8, 239, So F                 6     6      33
Dakari Johnson, 7-0, 263, Fr C                 4     3     N/A
Dominique Hawkins, 6-0, 193, Fr G         1.5    1      14

Kentucky is led by Freshman PF Julius Randle, a projected lottery pick. Strong with good touch on the block, teams generally try to ensure he does not get the ball.  He recently has cramped up in games due to physicality and potential anxiety of having to carry this team on his shoulders. Hard worker on the offensive and defensive boards. He has dinosaur arms so he is not a shot blocking threat.  He tends to stay out of foul trouble. Cal brought him in on promise he would develop his perimeter game. He does not have a reliable long range shot.  When he works outside or is on the bench, it opens the middle for the Harrison twins to drive.

James Young is a Freshman McD All-American and projected NBA first round pick. He is a good all-around "2" or "3" including getting his share of rebounds when Randle is out or Cauley-Stein is out of position.  His outside shot has fallen off since the exhibition season. Kentucky is shooting below 30% from behind the arc as a team.  With the interior attention to Randle and Cauley-Stein, the shots are there. He has been praised for not letting his cold streak affect his overall game.

Harrison twins have pouted since UK signed Randle and on virtually every missed shot or foul call since. Good ball handlers against pressure, they work together. UK's turnovers tend to be careless rather than forced. Their scoring and overall play has picked up since the semester break and coinciding with Randle's bench time. With Young, UK has a tall and long backcourt but they are slower than Cal's teams of the past. They try to avoid fouls to protect their playing time giving up unchallenged layups in transition and on drives.

Cauley-Stein is an athletic former HS WR, who is fun to watch. He is not an option on offense unless left alone on the weak side. He has good hands and will throw down a lob pass. A tall and long shot blocker, teams are trying to draw him away from the basket in UK's man-to-man. Cauley-Stein then becomes a long defender near the top of the key. He made a clean steal, 3/4 court drive and slam yesterday at Vanderbilt. He shoots below 50% from the FT line. At 66.3%, UK is 264th in FT accuracy.

Poythress is the sixth man, "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" until recently. Asserting himself more physically, he is scoring on put backs, and has a good interior jumper.

Hawkins is a State Tournament hero who earned a late scholarship and apparently does what Cal wants in practice (harrass the Harrison twins). He gets 10-12 mpg and has a standing "don't shoot" order.

Dakari Johnson is Cauley-Stein's sub recently dipping under the Bigger's line (10-12 mpg). Cal, perhaps flying too close to the sun, has buried two McD's AA players on the bench so no one else can have them.

If desperate for outside shooting, Cal will call on his Kentucky players off the end of the bench. Polson, a small guard (think Cameron Mills with less touch), hit a couple of big threes against Vandy. 6-9 Fr. Derek Willis (Scott Padgett with less interior skills) could hit the 3 in the exhibition season but missed a couple against Vandy. Cal gave him positive attention for his effort.

McD AA 6-9 leaper, Marcus Lee may as well have his image on a milk carton. Lee started some games early, so Cal could claim he started five freshmen and to win the opening tip. He would come out at the first break in action, often not to be seen again.

Young is the only player to average over 30 mpg thus far.  Will the pressure cause fatigue or will UK throw over it and create a dunk fest for Randle and Cauley-Stein? The three 6-6 guards have a good handle. Their mental toughness and poor free throw shooting will be put to the test on the road. Randle is a likely candidate to cramp up in the Bud.

State attempted to literally punch UK in the mouth. They held the lead in the first half and were able to draw an intentional foul on a Harrison. They were not able to get Randle nor Cauley-Stein to take the bait. UK blew them out of Rupp in the second half.

Very detailed preview of UK, but I'm more concerned about how our coaches and players will react to the last 2 games.  More of the same or in game adjustments based on the game we will be currently playing?

[jbcarol]

NASHVILLE — After cramps limited freshman star Julius Randle again Saturday, Kentucky Coach John Calipari acknowledged that stress and anxiety might be a factor.

Earlier this season, former UK star Tony Delk said he believed that the pressures of being a lead player for a highly regarded team and the prospect of entering the upcoming NBA Draft caused him to repeatedly cramp as a senior.

Cramps limited Randle to 21 minutes against Louisville on Dec. 28. When asked if another episode of cramps might be caused by stress, Calipari said, "It could be. I don't know.

"All I told him is if I don't see you running right, I'm playing Alex (Poythress). Either run or you're coming out."

Calipari noted that Randle faces an unusual physical toll in games, too.

"You have to understand, he's in a dogfight," Calipari said in his post-game news conference. "I think he is the only college player when he catches the ball, he's got three guys on him. ... He's not just running up and down the court. He's, like, in a football game."

Randle, no lightweight at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, must exert himself physically in games.

"There's some anxiety," Calipari said. "That could play into it. But he's doing fine."

Ever the coach who wants more and more, Calipari said he'd like to see Randle dunk on more shots around the basket. In one memorable play against Vandy, Randle grabbed an offensive rebound in traffic, then fired a bullet pass post-to-post that Poythress could not handle.

"I wanted him to dunk a couple balls," Calipari said. "But it's hard to dunk when guys are all over you. Body to body. It's hard."

Vanderbilt Coach Kevin Stallings lauded Willie Cauley-Stein, who led UK with 15 points. He also tied Aaron Harrison and Randle for a team high of two steals.

"Sometimes you watch film and there's a guy that stands out to you and you really like how he plays," Stallings said. "I really like what you see from him on tape. He just plays hard. He's a guy you don't have to run any plays for. He's still going to give you a great stat line and great production."

Calipari noted that Aaron Harrison held the ball too long at times and called time out to chew him out with :17 to go and action right in front of the UK bench on the end line.

On cramping, John Wall also cramped up in games early in his lone season at UK.

[BleedsBlue]

Very detailed preview of UK, but I'm more concerned about how our coaches and players will react to the last 2 games.  More of the same or in game adjustments based on the game we will be currently playing?

Hogman99,
I don't know how long you have been following the Hogs-Cats basketball series, but I promise you UA will be psyched for this game.  Always have.  Tuesday night will be no exception.  Good luck.

[hogman99]

Hogman99,
I don't know how long you have been following the Hogs-Cats basketball series, but I promise you UA will be psyched for this game.  Always have.  Tuesday night will be no exception.  Good luck.

I have been following it since the Final Four game in 1978.  No doudt UA will be psyched, I just worry about how we react as the game is played.  The biggest difference between UF and UK that could work in the Hogs favor is the youth at the guard spot for UK vs. the experience guards for UF.

I just watched #20 Iowa beat #3 Ohio St at Ohio St by double digits.  We have a long way to go to be at that level, where we once were.   

[Breems]

I hope we can outcoach and outrebound them.

[BleedsBlue]

I have been following it since the Final Four game in 1978.  No doudt UA will be psyched, I just worry about how we react as the game is played.  The biggest difference between UF and UK that could work in the Hogs favor is the youth at the guard spot for UK vs. the experience guards for UF.



I just watched #20 Iowa beat #3 Ohio St at Ohio St by double digits.  We have a long way to go to be at that level, where we once were.   

Oh yeah, the '78 game at the Checker Dome.  Remember that Final 4 very well.  Then your loss to Bird's Indiana State's team in '79.  2 tough back to back losses in the NCAAT.
We have youth everywhere you look.  4 freshmen 1 soph plus bench is 3 fresh.  Hard for me to see the Harrison twins as one and dones.  Don't get me started on that subject.

[reddogjcss]

I got tickets and will be rooting for our Razorbacks!

[Hawg Red]

Always a good game when Kentucky comes to town. Our guys will show up. If we can get a win here, they might be able to carry over to the Georgia game but UGA's playing well right now and we suck on the road. Still not giving up hope for that game just yet. But really just focused on the Cats. Will be a tall order. They're big and talented and they have a couple guards that could give us trouble.

[BleedsBlue]

Always a good game when Kentucky comes to town. Our guys will show up. If we can get a win here, they might be able to carry over to the Georgia game but UGA's playing well right now and we suck on the road. Still not giving up hope for that game just yet. But really just focused on the Cats. Will be a tall order. They're big and talented and they have a couple guards that could give us trouble.

Many on our boards are predicting a Hog win.  This team is too young in my opinion.  Even our NT 2012 team had 2 soph and a senior.  Other than Cauley-Stein our top 8 are all freshmen.  Freshmen playing at BWA for the first time is not a good combination regardless of the talent level.

[Hoggish1]

You all have had success in recent years against my Cats at BWA.  I would not be shocked to see the streak continue.  Tough venue to win as an opposing team.  Good luck.

This may be the year we win the games we are supposed to. If that happens, we will go deep into the NCAA...

[FearTheTusk91]

It's going to be an exciting one in my household; I'm a U of A grad and my wife is a UK grad.  We both watch just about every game for both team, and we're both pretty much fans of each other's school.

But for two nights a year, we have to bleed red and bleed blue exclusively.  The trash talk gets intense.   

I won't be surprised by any outcome...the Cats are obviously more talented, taller, and are improving at an incredible rate, but if Bud Walton is packed and pumped, it could be (other than North Carolina) the toughest environment they've played in so far.

As exciting as the Florida game was, it should be a great one.   :razorback:

[MikePiazza]

Need an even livelier crowd than there was for Florida. I'm talking 18,500-19,000.

If you care about this basketball program, show up and be loud. Maybe your noise will cause a UK turnover or help Qualls get back into a groove or Alandise Harris be smarter with the ball in his hands late in the game.

It's a must-win.

[hawgbawb]

I'm callings a Hogs win for this one.

[Kenny Dowell Loggains]

No matter the line, I'll take UK and the points.  If you want free money you'll do the same.

[Hooch]

No matter the line, I'll take UK and the points.  If you want free money you'll do the same.

I'll take you up on that. 100 bucks, you got Kentucky.

[Rooster Hogburn]

Need an even livelier crowd than there was for Florida. I'm talking 18,500-19,000.

If you care about this basketball program, show up and be loud. Maybe your noise will cause a UK turnover or help Qualls get back into a groove or Alandise Harris be smarter with the ball in his hands late in the game.

It's a must-win.

THIS! +1

[dddollars]

We need a good crowd. Unfortunately with the loss on Saturday and an 8PM Tuesday start time I think we are only going to see 17-18K at best.

[Hawg Red]

We need a good crowd. Unfortunately with the loss on Saturday and an 8PM Tuesday start time I think we are only going to see 17-18K at best.

That's still a good crowd, by this season's standards.

[HawgAdvocate]

That's still a good crowd, by this season's standards.

No doubt about it. I was extremely impressed with the turnout for Florida.

[ishankem]

Kentucky (12-3, 2-0):  Best Win: Louisville  Worst Losses: Baylor in Arlington; North Carolina in Chapel Hill
                                                        PPG   RPG  3P%
Julius Randle, 6-9, 250, Fr PF                 17   10-12  0         
James Young, 6-6, 215, Fr SG-SF            14    4.5    32
Andrew Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr SG            14     3      27
Aaron Harrison, 6-6, 218, Fr PG            10-12   3     35
Willie Cauley-Stein, 7-0, 244, So PF         9      8    N/A  4 BPG, 1 SPG
Alex Poythress, 6-8, 239, So F                 6     6      33
Dakari Johnson, 7-0, 263, Fr C                 4     3     N/A
Dominique Hawkins, 6-0, 193, Fr G         1.5    1      14

Kentucky is led by Freshman PF Julius Randle, a projected lottery pick. Strong with good touch on the block, teams generally try to ensure he does not get the ball.  He recently has cramped up in games due to physicality and potential anxiety of having to carry this team on his shoulders. Hard worker on the offensive and defensive boards. He has dinosaur arms so he is not a shot blocking threat.  He tends to stay out of foul trouble. Cal brought him in on promise he would develop his perimeter game. He does not have a reliable long range shot.  When he works outside or is on the bench, it opens the middle for the Harrison twins to drive.

James Young is a Freshman McD All-American and projected NBA first round pick. He is a good all-around "2" or "3" including getting his share of rebounds when Randle is out or Cauley-Stein is out of position.  His outside shot has fallen off since the exhibition season. Kentucky is shooting below 30% from behind the arc as a team.  With the interior attention to Randle and Cauley-Stein, the shots are there. He has been praised for not letting his cold streak affect his overall game.

Harrison twins have pouted since UK signed Randle and on virtually every missed shot or foul call since. Good ball handlers against pressure, they work together. UK's turnovers tend to be careless rather than forced. Their scoring and overall play has picked up since the semester break and coinciding with Randle's bench time. With Young, UK has a tall and long backcourt but they are slower than Cal's teams of the past. They try to avoid fouls to protect their playing time giving up unchallenged layups in transition and on drives.

Cauley-Stein is an athletic former HS WR, who is fun to watch. He is not an option on offense unless left alone on the weak side. He has good hands and will throw down a lob pass. A tall and long shot blocker, teams are trying to draw him away from the basket in UK's man-to-man. Cauley-Stein then becomes a long defender near the top of the key. He made a clean steal, 3/4 court drive and slam yesterday at Vanderbilt. He shoots below 50% from the FT line. At 66.3%, UK is 264th in FT accuracy.

Poythress is the sixth man, "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" until recently. Asserting himself more physically, he is scoring on put backs, and has a good interior jumper.

Hawkins is a State Tournament hero who earned a late scholarship and apparently does what Cal wants in practice (harrass the Harrison twins). He gets 10-12 mpg and has a standing "don't shoot" order.

Dakari Johnson is Cauley-Stein's sub recently dipping under the Bigger's line (10-12 mpg). Cal, perhaps flying too close to the sun, has buried two McD's AA players on the bench so no one else can have them.

If desperate for outside shooting, Cal will call on his Kentucky players off the end of the bench. Polson, a small guard (think Cameron Mills with less touch), hit a couple of big threes against Vandy. 6-9 Fr. Derek Willis (Scott Padgett with less interior skills) could hit the 3 in the exhibition season but missed a couple against Vandy. Cal gave him positive attention for his effort.

McD AA 6-9 leaper, Marcus Lee may as well have his image on a milk carton. Lee started some games early, so Cal could claim he started five freshmen and to win the opening tip. He would come out at the first break in action, often not to be seen again.

Young is the only player to average over 30 mpg thus far.  Will the pressure cause fatigue or will UK throw over it and create a dunk fest for Randle and Cauley-Stein? The three 6-6 guards have a good handle. Their mental toughness and poor free throw shooting will be put to the test on the road. Randle is a likely candidate to cramp up in the Bud.

State attempted to literally punch UK in the mouth. They held the lead in the first half and were able to draw an intentional foul on a Harrison. They were not able to get Randle nor Cauley-Stein to take the bait. UK blew them out of Rupp in the second half.

Nobody needs to read!

Cats win by 10

[BleedsBlue]

It's going to be an exciting one in my household; I'm a U of A grad and my wife is a UK grad.  We both watch just about every game for both team, and we're both pretty much fans of each other's school.

But for two nights a year, we have to bleed red and bleed blue exclusively.  The trash talk gets intense.   

I won't be surprised by any outcome...the Cats are obviously more talented, taller, and are improving at an incredible rate, but if Bud Walton is packed and pumped, it could be (other than North Carolina) the toughest environment they've played in so far.

As exciting as the Florida game was, it should be a great one.   :razorback:

Do you two watch on the same TV?  I might want tickets to watch that!  

PS. Don't kid yourself.  Playing at UNC is NOTHING compared to the BWA environment.  Toughest arena in the country for an opposing team IMHO.

[Dominicanhog]

hate being Eor, but losing is wearing me down .... I think we play hard but something similar to Florida happens in the end..... we're just a few pieces short to make that step up where we want to be. These are great games for our young guys to gain experience.....

Caveat: our guards catch lighting in a bottle and score..... Kiko, Scott, Wade, Bell, Gulley have got to score 15-20 a night for us to be a good team, it ain't happened yet.

[FearTheTusk91]

Do you two watch on the same TV?  I might want tickets to watch that!  

PS. Don't kid yourself.  Playing at UNC is NOTHING compared to the BWA environment.  Toughest arena in the country for an opposing team IMHO.

We do, every year it tows the line between friendly banter and contention, haha.  But after that game it's back to cheering for both.

And I would have thought the same, too, about UNC, and I think historically that's the case, but after watching the Cats play there, it seemed like an incredibly loud, tough place to play (at least on that day).

[4me2know]

I am.  Won't watch another game the rest of the season.

Bye

[Hoggish1]

Sometimes you have to lose a home game to get better, overall.  The Florida game may actually work to our advantage.  We will play well at home.  Now MA needs to see they play on the road with more intensity.

Start with a home victory against KY and carry it through the season regardless of where the game is.

[Hawg Red]

Sometimes you have to lose a home game to get better, overall. The Florida game may actually work to our advantage.  We will play well at home.  Now MA needs to see they play on the road with more intensity.

Start with a home victory against KY and carry it through the season regardless of where the game is.

Can someone explain how this works to me? What about losing that game will make us better overall?

All I see is the potential to lose confidence at home.

[MikePiazza]

Can someone explain how this works to me? What about losing that game will make us better overall?

All I see is the potential to lose confidence at home.

It doesn't make much sense at face value, but after losing to Syracuse close last year (an eventual Final Four team), the Hogs didn't lose again in BWA until Saturday.

So maybe the poster has a point.

[Hawg Red]

It doesn't make much sense at face value, but after losing to Syracuse close last year (an eventual Final Four team), the Hogs didn't lose again in BWA until Saturday.

So maybe the poster has a point.

Or maybe we just got better as the season progressed like many teams do and we didn't face another player that had a career game against us at BWA like James Southerland did.

[jbcarol]

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketball-2/kentucky-is-a-1-point-favorite-over-arkansas

Kentucky is 1-9-2 against the spread in its last 12 road games while Arkansas is 12-4 against the spread in its last 16 home games.

[FearTheTusk91]

Can someone explain how this works to me? What about losing that game will make us better overall?

All I see is the potential to lose confidence at home.

If you remember the 2012 UK National Championship team, they only had two losses: one during the regular season at Indiana, and the second against Vanderbilt in the SEC tourney.  I think, and a lot of Cats fans do too, that the loss against Vandy before starting NCAAT play got them motivated and prepared them to win it all.  Now, they were a great team, and they very well might have won it all without that loss, but I think it motivated them to get their rears in gear.

[BleedsBlue]

http://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketball-2/kentucky-is-a-1-point-favorite-over-arkansas

Kentucky is 1-9-2 against the spread in its last 12 road games while Arkansas is 12-4 against the spread in its last 16 home games.

A sign of a young team on the road.  Not to mention that most of those road games were played by a disfunctional NIT team last year. Nevertheless, should be a great game.  Good luck.

[Hawg Red]

If you remember the 2012 UK National Championship team, they only had two losses: one during the regular season at Indiana, and the second against Vanderbilt in the SEC tourney.  I think, and a lot of Cats fans do too, that the loss against Vandy before starting NCAAT play got them motivated and prepared them to win it all.  Now, they were a great team, and they very well might have won it all without that loss, but I think it motivated them to get their rears in gear.

Annnnd.....how would this relate to a team like Arkansas? How were we possibly lacking motivation? You should be alarmed if you think this team needed to be motivated after getting waxed by A&M.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Sadly, I'm not even excited about this game.   The powers that be need to turn things around or the Hogs  will  continue to lose the interest of their customer base.

[MikePiazza]

Sadly, I'm not even excited about this game.   The powers that be need to turn things around or the Hogs  will  continue to lose the interest of their customer base.

How can you not be excited? It's a top 15 team and a rival and it's CALIPARI! They used to move this game to Super Bowl Sunday!

[ThisTeetsTaken]

How can you not be excited? It's a top 15 team and a rival and it's CALIPARI! They used to move this game to Super Bowl Sunday!

Because I expect us to lose.  Because I've gotten so used to us losing.

[-Blu]

Because I expect us to lose.  Because I've gotten so used to us losing.

What?  You must be thinking this is the football team or this game is being played at Rupp Arena.  The last 2 years we've been arguably one of the best teams in the country at defending our home court.  Only top top 10 teams have been able to come into Bud Walton arena the past 2 years and get a win.

If you can't get excited about tonight's game, then I don't know what to tell you.

[ArrowSupporter]

How can you not be excited? It's a top 15 team and a rival and it's CALIPARI! They used to move this game to Super Bowl Sunday!

Yes, they used to. I think you just made his point for him.

[ArrowSupporter]

What?  You must be thinking this is the football team or this game is being played at Rupp Arena.  The last 2 years we've been arguably one of the best teams in the country at defending our home court.  Only top top 10 teams have been able to come into Bud Walton arena the past 2 years and get a win.

If you can't get excited about tonight's game, then I don't know what to tell you.

I can give you three characters why he is not excited, A&M

[bphi11ips]

Looking forward to watching another Razorbacks game against Kentucky in BWA, as always.

Hogs looking to get over the hump with a talented young team and Ky Madden beginning to fulfill his potential. 

Go Hogs!