Gomez here...Its Monday, which is a depressing thought, but there's a few reasons we can be happy today. For one, we got January out of the way, which is always nice. January is like the Monday of the new year... cold, dark and depressing. But February is a little brighter, with it's longer days and somewhat milder temperatures, and for all you hopeless romantics out there, Valentine's Day. Oh yeah, don't forget about Bill Murray's favorite holiday... Groundhog Day and mine, Super Bowl Sunday. Yes, February is a treasure of fun, so lets open up and dive in!
Another thing February brings is the home stretch of the college basketball season, when the NCAA bubbles begin to either build or bust, and the real teams begin to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. At this point, Kentucky is 20-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC, and is putting themselves into a position to capture a number one seed. The Wildcats rebounded nicely from their first loss, beating a nationally ranked team by 13 points on Saturday. To be honest, Vanderbilt was never really in the game, and UK probably should have blown them out. However, missed free throws and foul trouble kept the Dores within striking distance for most of the game. The refs zapped the game of any real fun, as I found myself nodding off during the second half. Thank you, zebras, for hijacking what should have been a fun game.
Kentucky now plays another nationally ranked team on Tuesday, when Ole Miss (16-4) comes to town. This is the third game in a row that Kentucky has been on ESPN, which is some really nice coverage for the program right here at a crucial recruiting time. If you don't think high school kids count to see how many times their potential teams are on ESPN, think again. They want to go where they can be seen and Kentucky is certainly one of the most watched teams in America.
The Cats should handle the Rebs on Tuesday, but let's not count the chickens before they've hatched. Ole Miss is coming off a tough loss to Arkansas, a team that seems to be righting the ship, which is good for Pelphrey. The Hawgs beat Mississippi State by 5 points on Thursday and then travelled to Ole Miss on Sunday and beat them by 7. They could be a Dark Horse in the SEC West, which is a statement that would have been absolutely insane this time last week. It just goes a long way to show you just how difficult predicting college basketball can be this time of year. At any rate, Ole Miss has shown they can ball it up with the best of them, and they'll be looking to rebound from their latest loss, and what better platform for such a goal than Super Tuesday on ESPN? Look for both teams to be ready to play.
In Knoxville last night, Tennessee squeaked out another close game over the Gators. Tennessee might have come back down to earth a little bit since their out of body experience following the Tyler Smith situation, but they're still finding ways to win. Florida is also showing heart and grit no matter what team they face. When you factor in the always improving Georgia Bulldogs, you have one of the toughest conference divisions (SEC East) in all of college basketball, even if it doesn't get the respect it deserves.
On the women's side of the coin, Coach Mitchell continues to lead his Lady Cats to an outstanding season. Our Gals in Blue are 18-3 overall and 6-2 in the SEC and should move up in the national rankings. Currently, they're #23, but deserve better. Let's hope they start getting the respect they so clearly deserve.
Well, that's all for now... the responsibilities of a new week are calling my name. Check back later for more news and views.
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