In the spirit of Darnell Dodson

I, Michael Toon am declaring for the NBA Draft.

According to the Draft Express DeMarcus Cousins says Darnell Dodson is “declaring for the draft.”

With April Fools Day tomorrow it could be a hoax but there is also scuttlebutt that says Dodson is transferring along with Jon Hood possibly.

Get ready for a very active offseason. It's a very fluid situation to say the least so stay tuned to BBNR.

Daniel Orton testing the waters...

Big Dan will test the NBA draft waters, but will not hire an agent, his father (and countless others) said tonight. Of course, since he's not hiring an agent, he can still withdraw his name from the draft and return to UK if he doesn't like what he's hearing before the deadline.

UPDATE: It seems Papa Orton might have jumped the gun a bit. Here's what Daniel just said... "I have not declared for the NBA Draft. I’m currently weighing my options and will make a decision prior to the deadline."

In other rumors, it seems Darnell Dodson could be leaving the program. Reports are rampant tonight that Dodson might test the NBA draft waters and plans to leave Kentucky either way. Who know's what to believe anymore, especially since we're only a few hours away from April 1st, the day of practical jokes and laughable lies. This Dodson rumor certainly fits the bill.

More later...

Burger Boys

Gotta love the ESPN guys featuring, you guessed it, Duke and UNC in their star watch. In their defense, Irving and Barnes are two great players, and right after that they went into the real story. The uncommitted talent. If they dig a little deeper, hopefully they will see something most of these uncommitted players have in common... Interest in the University of Kentucky. That is why we are all tuned in right now, for a little bit of a glimpse of the future. (Although don't get too worked up about the results, this time last year we heard how Demarus Cousins might be a bust.)

* As you would expect, the game is up and down early. Kyrie Irving is apparently the only player in this game, as that is all that Jay Williams is talking about.

* Melo looks very impressive early. Apparently there is some law mandating good basketball players named Melo to attend Syracuse.

* Hard to know what is actually going on in the game, as the announcers aren't really talking about what is going on right now. Pretty sure this play by play guy can't tell them apart so he is just going to talk about UNC and Duke the whole game. That, and there is probably a shock collar which initiates every three minutes Duke/UNC isn't mentioned.... Can't complain too much, they talk about UK a lot too.. Still, get it together play by play guy.

* Kendall Marshall might get nominated for the overrated guy going to UNC or Duke award. Not sure yet, but there is one or more of those every year.

* Nice Dunk from Leslie, followed by a dunk from his teammate Selby. Hope they play together for UK next year, although sounds like Selby might be a Kansas lean.

* I like the big guy Young that is going to Florida. Going to bring some of that nastiness they have been missing the last few years.

* Leslie is showing off some impressive athleticism, and he doesn't look like a great Free Throw shooter. Should fit in with UK great. I still want him to come to UK, would be a great fit in the Dribble Drive.

* Apparently our whole team is leaving. Rumors running rampant that we are going to have a mass exodus. Going to have lots of scholly's available. I like our chances of getting a lot of the guys in this game with Cal at the helm. Right now Miller, Liggins, Hood and Harrelson are the only players looking like they will back. Add in the two commitments (Kanter & Poole) and we have 6 scholarship players I feel good will be there next year. And I am not even worried about that.

* Sounds like Wall, Bledsoe and Cousins are in attendance. Hopefully they can talk to some of these guys looking at UK.

* Patric Young is going to give us some problems as a Gator. CJ Leslie is going to give whoever he goes against problems too. CJ has all the tools you would want for a NBA small forward. I could see him and Terrance Jones on the court at the same time too.

* Now Jay Williams is recruiting CJ to NC State. Good luck with that. I just can't see Cal missing on too many of these guys. He is too good, and we have too much to sell these guys. One of those selling points is sitting court side. John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and Demarcus Cousins. Future millionaires. That recruits itself.

* Hard to tell what was going on for much of the first half with the announcers recruiting kids to the ACC instead of calling the game... I don't even get bothered by this stuff anymore. Cal is bigger than all that, and his ability to put guys in the pro's is going to get us a ton of talent regardless of anything some announcer has to say.

Bruce Willis was rooting for UK...

I saw this on KSR earlier today, and thought I'd post it too. Bruce Willis lived in Paducah, Kentucky for a little while, while he was working on the film "In Country" and it seems his love for Kentucky might live on in his heart today. If I'm not mistaken, Bruce and Demi's first child, Rumor, was born in Paducah, as well. At any rate, he was bummed about Kentucky's loss in the Elite 8, and that's pretty cool. What can I say... misery loves company.

SCREW YOU JODIE MEEKS (the soured Toondog Final Four preview)

My original assignment this week was to write about my thoughts on the upcoming Final Four. Well, here it is. It sucks.

When we started the 2010 NCAA Tournament we had a galaxy of future potential NBA starts facing off in the Final Four; Aldrich vs. Cousins, Turner vs. Wall, Wesley Johnsons vs. Turner, Monroe vs. Turner, etc. and so forth.

What are we stuck with?? Howard vs. Morgan?? Eubanks vs. Singler?? Mack vs. Scheyer??? NO THANKS.

I will peek in every now and then on CBS and see what the score is but I cannot watch the Final Four without one nagging, inescapable thought and feeling gnawing at my heart and soul and that is this: Screw you Jodie Meeks.

Yeah, you heard me. Screw you Jodie Meeks. I will admit the rest of this is going to sound like sour apples, but let me vent and get this off my chest. If Jodie Meeks returns to this year’s ballclub, the Cats may not lose a game the whole year. This team was missing one thing, a consistent three point shooter and Meeks fit the bill.

I could understand Meeks’ decision if he was going to be a lottery pick, was going to make the big bucks, was going to get playing time. However, none of that is happening for Jodie at this point. He was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded mid season to the 76ers, going from a bad situation to a morbidly desperate situation.

Instead of going for National Championship #8 for Kentucky, he is collecting DNP’s (Did Not Plays) for the lowly 76ers. A player’s draft status is defined in March and if Meeks had a big performance in the 2010 Tourney he would be a lottery pick and more selfishly for Kentucky fans, be on a National Championship winning Kentucky team. It wasn’t like he was going to have shots taken away from him by Bledsoe and Wall. As we seen in the West Virginia game there were plenty of threes and shots to be had. We just had that gaping hole at the 3 spot that couldn’t shoot straight, and the role that Meeks would have embraced and dominated!

However, I assume Meeks made the best decision possible for he and his family, or he thought he would have the share the limelight with the new freshmen coming in and Patterson as well. Either way, the bottom line is with Kentucky out of the Final Four and Meeks collecting splinters in his rear in the Illadelph, the decision is a no brainer. It was the wrong one.

Happy Final Four kiddos.

The Rule of 88...

Butler is going to win the National Title this year; it's basically written in the stars. And here's why...

In 1988, Kansas was a six seed, and no one's favorite to win it all. In the second round, they met a scrappy and determined Murray State team that took them to the wire, before Kansas pulled it out in the closing seconds. Kansas rode the momentum of that game all the way to the Final Four, which just happened to take place in Kansas's back yard of Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas eventually went on to win the National Title.

Flash forward to 2010. Butler is a five seed, and no one's favorite to win it all. In the second round, they met a scrappy and determined Murray State team that took them to the wire, before Butler pulled it out in the closing seconds. Butler rode the momentum of that game all the way to the Final Four, which just happens to be taking place in Butler's back yard of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Kinda' weird, huh? You just can't make this stuff up, folks. Now, of course, Butler has to do their part by beating two more teams, but you kinda see how they're a team of destiny right now. They'll play Michigan State on Saturday, and if they win, will face the winner of the Duke-West Virginia game on Monday.

It's a tall order for Butler, to be sure, but the Bulldogs have proven they can beat anyone by beating both Syracuse and Kansas State on their way to the Final Four. They won't see anything in the Final Four that they haven't seen (and beaten) already, so the Bulldogs shouldn't be intimidated by any of the other three teams they'll compete with for the National Title.

So, when Butler enjoys their one (and probably only) shining moment this weekend, just remember you heard it here first folks. The Rule of 88 has spoken: Butler will win it all.


Note: Special thanks to our friends over at the Travis Turner Sports Show for coining the name "The Rule of 88". We had already discussed this little tidbit, and scheduled this article to talk about the interesting connections between this year's tourney and the one in 1988, but they're the one that came up with the catchy name, so we borrowed it from them.

Joker talks more about Operation Win...

UK Hoops fall in Elite 8...

Similar to the men's team loss to West Virginia, the UK Hoops squad stormed out to an early lead, only to watch as their opponents rallied to go ahead by halftime. Oklahoma opened the second half on a 15-5 run, then scored 11 straight points to jump ahead 69-50 with 6:30 left. The Wildcats just couldn't get enough shots to fall, or defensive stops, to make a comeback.

Victoria Dunlap had 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead Kentucky (28-8), which was seeking its first trip to the Final Four. The Wildcats stunned top-seeded Nebraska to reach their first regional final since 1982, but they couldn't complete the Big 12 sweep in Kansas City.

Still, we congratulate UK Hoops for a historic season. It's awesome to think where this program is heading in the future.

The recruiting pieces are starting to fall...

Today has been a very interesting day in Columbus, Ohio as the McDonald All-Stars continue to prepare for their game tomorrow night. The news of the day started to unfold when Jodie Demling reported on his blog that CJ Leslie told him that Cal has said he's losing 5 guys to the NBA draft. Chad Fisher later confirmed that Doron Lamb said that Cal told him the same thing.

If that does happen, it appears that the only returning players will be Miller, Liggins, Dodson, Hood and Harrellson. Wow, that's a tough pill to swallow folks; it really is. But wait, there's good news today too...

Jonathan Givony of NBA Draft Express, who usually has good info, tweeted today that he believes CJ Leslie and Brandon Knight are both locks to join Coach Cal in Lexington. That would mean that Cal would assemble another Top 5 Class with three 5-Star recruits (Kanter, Leslie, Knight) and one 4-Star (Poole).

Also, Cal said on his radio show last night that he plans to add 5 or 6 new recruits, which means that there could be one or two more additions other than the rumored Knight and Leslie. So while the mass exodus to the NBA is most likely a reality, it seems Cal is very close to restocking the Big Blue cupboards already.

Either way, we can probably start saying goodbye to some kids that have truly been all-time UK greats, while saying hello to another batch of kids that will continue to return UK to glory and restore order to the galaxy.

As the carousel turns...

Man, its nice not having to worry about our coach leaving or getting fired, or worrying in turn about what new coach will take the throne of Big Blue Nation and whether or not he's the right fit. But still, one thing I enjoy about April (before baseball takes over most of my attention) is watching the coaching carousel spin around frantically on the college basketball landscape.

Today, St. John's hired Steve Lavin, better known as one of the few College Basketball analysts on ESPN that actually knew what he was talking about. Before that, he was the head coach at UCLA, where he coached the Bruins to the NCAA tournament six times in seven seasons, including one Elite Eight appearance and five trips to the Sweet 16. I always thought he was a pretty good coach but never quite lived up to UCLA's lofty and often unrealistic expectations; which lead to his firing in 2003 after his only losing season on the job. At St. John's, he inherits a veteran ball club that could surprise some people in the Big East next season. We wish him well.

Also today, UTEP (former home to Billy Clyde himself) hired Tim Floyd to replace Tony Barbee who took over at Auburn. Floyd comes back to the school where he once served as an assistant under Don Haskins. Of course, Floyd left USC after allegations were made that he paid OJ Mayo's handler $1,000 for his recruitment to USC. Floyd has denied the allegations, but USC imposed its own sanctions anyway.

Floyd has a pretty impressive resume, which includes several stops in both the college ranks and the NBA. While he's a risk because of his past, UTEP felt like grabbing the big name was worth it, and they're probably right. The Miners went 26-7 this year and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Under Floyd's leadership, look for UTEP to challenge Memphis as the toast of the C-USA.

More stuff later... stay tuned.

Spring Football Starts Tomorrow...

Joker Phillips and his Operation Win project is about to kick it up another notch tomorrow when Spring Practice officially begins. Here's your chance to get an early sneak peak at the newest version of Kentucky football...

Schedule: Practices held at the Nutter Training Facility unless noted otherwise. Practices might be moved indoors to the Nutter Field House in case of bad weather.

Wed. March 31 Practice 9 - 11:20 a.m., open to media and public
Fri. April 2 Practice 9 - 11:20 a.m., open to media and public
Sat. April 3 Practice 9 - 11:20 a.m., open to media and public
Mon. April 5 Practice 9 - 11:20 a.m., open to media and public
Wed. April 7 Practice 9 - 11:20 a.m., open to media and public
Fri. April 9 Practice 9 - 11:20 a.m., open to media and public
Sat. April 10 Practice time TBA, open to media and public
Mon. April 12 Practice closed
Wed. April 14 Practice closed
Fri. April 16 Practice closed
Sat. April 17 Practice closed
Mon. April 19 Practice closed
Wed. April 21 Practice closed
Fri. April 23 Practice closed
Sat. April 24 Blue/White Spring Game, 1:00 p.m. Commonwealth Stadium

GO BIG BLUE!

Rewind: A Year to Remember...

Tuesday Morning Notes

Gomez here...

A few notes to get our day started here...

:: Tonight, Matthew Mitchell and his Wildcats are going for the program's first Final Four at 8:00 PM CST, and the game can be seen on ESPN. If you haven't watched this year's UK Hoops team, you should. They're an extremely fun team to watch, and they really get after it on both ends of the court. Tune in tonight and root on these young ladies as they try to make history.

:: On Mike and Mike this morning, Greenie said that Oregon has offered Tubby Smith their head coaching job but Tubby hasn't accepted the job, or even said how interested he might be. Some close to Tubby seem to think he'll stay at Minnesota. Tom Izzo is also on the Oregon wish list, but no one really thinks they have a shot at him, which might be why they're making a run at Tubby. However, rumor has it that Oregon boosters are piling up the cash for Izzo, so you'd think he has to at least listen to the offer. If he were to take the job, he would replace our own Coach Cal as the highest paid coach in America... somewhere around $4.5 million a year.

:: Meanwhile, Billy G is still in the running for the Houston job and has interviewed there a couple of times already. As the coaching carousel continues to swing this off-season, more and more jobs will continue to open up, so it'll be interesting to see where these guys end up, if anywhere at all. At the very least we know Tubby already has a job, but whether or not Clyde gets another chance to coach this quickly remains to be seen. Of course, this really doesn't have any bearing on the UK program, but its something to pass the time with, nonetheless.

:: Of course, what everyone in Kentucky really wants to know is who will stay and who will go from this year's Kentucky team. Unfortunately, we have no new news, and anything we report at this point would be pure guess work. So, we're just going to say hang on for a few more days, and we're sure the announcements will start trickling out. Yesterday, Cole Aldrich of Kansas, Manny Harris of Michigan, and Herb Pope of Seton Hall announced their intentions to enter the NBA draft this summer, so it's just a matter of time before other names join the growing list of departures to the next level.

:: Still no confirming announcements from the recruiting trail either. Kentucky still remains in the mix for Brandon Knight, CJ Leslie, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Josh Selby, and all of these kids still have Kentucky on their short list. They will join Stacey Poole and Enes Kanter if they decide to become a Wildcat, and would also help Kentucky to back-to-back top 5 recruiting classes. If we do have the mass exodus that most people expect, the ole' cliche will once again be in order for Big Blue Nation: With Cal, we don't rebuild... we just reload.

Well that's all for now, folks. Stay tuned for more news and views throughout the day.

GO BIG BLUE!

Wall and Cousins receive more honors...

"Another indication of just how special this year's team was: John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have been named 1st Team AP All-Americans, becoming the first-ever freshman duo named to the AP 1st Team. What an accomplishment for those two young men!" - John Calipari

Indeed, Coach Cal. Indeed.

The Knight Watch...

Circle your calendars for April 14. This is the expected date of Brandon Knight's official announcement of where he intends to go to college. Right now, he's not hinting at any leaders.

But we're thinking Kentucky.

Final Thoughts...

Gomez here...

Since Mike and JLee have posted some of their final thoughts on the men's basketball season, I thought I'd do the same, although I'm a couple of days late to the wake. That's fitting though, because I needed a couple of days to let this soak in and to gain some true perspective on what just took place over the past five months or so. So here we go... Gomez's final thoughts.

On the West Virginia Game...
Our poor free throw shooting cost us the game, period. We played like junk, but still only lost by seven. Meanwhile, we missed 13 free throws. Sure, we also shot 12% from 3 point range (4 out of 32), turned the ball over 16 times, and only managed 10 assists, but if we hit our free throws at a better percentage, we win this game. Our suspect free throw shooting was going to catch us eventually, and it finally did on Saturday.

West Virginia was by far the best team we'd played all year, and our young Cats weren't ready for them. We came out with that little run in the first half, took a seven point lead, and it looked like another blow out could be in the works. However, the Mountaineers came back with great shooting, tough defense, and confident energy. In other words, they didn't roll over a play dead for us, and because of that, our team got knocked back on their heels a little bit. Even Coach Cal admitted that our lack of experience was very apparent for the first time since early in the season. Our freshmen just picked the wrong time to play like freshmen.

On the NCAA Tournament as a whole...
I'm still angry about Duke's cake walk to the Final Four. They played Pine Bluff, Cal, Purdue and Baylor. What a joke. Duke was the fourth #1 seed, therefore, should have received the hardest path to the Final Four, not the easiest. West Virginia should have been their #2 seed, not Kentucky's. There's no excuse for our poor play against WVU, but still, Duke's bye to the Final Four is confusing, frustrating, and down right wrong. I hope West Virginia beats them by 50 points on Saturday, sending the rat back to his hole for a few months.

On Kentucky's impressive season...

:: 35-3 overall record
:: 14-2 SEC record
:: SEC regular season Champs
:: SEC Tournament Champs
:: Cancun Challenge Champs
:: SEC Player of the Year: John Wall
:: SEC Fresman of the Year: DeMarcus Cousins
:: John Wall and DeMarcus: First Team All-America (AP)

Those are just a few of the accomplishments this year's team can boast, just one year removed from an NIT appearance. To be mad or sad about not making the Final Four or winning it all would be silly and immature. As Coach Cal said after the game, an awesome foundation has been laid, and Kentucky basketball is once again heading in the right direction. Its been too long since we could say that, so lets not pout too long, folks...

It's only about 200 days, 7 hours, 56 minutes and 7 seconds until Midnight Madness 2010, and then we'll get to do this all over again.

I, for one, can't wait.

OTL: The fall of Antoine Walker

UK Hoops advance to Elite 8

The quicker, more athletic Kentucky Wildcats ended Nebraska's record-breaking season.
A'dia Mathies scored 21 points and fourth-seeded Kentucky roared past the top-seed Cornhuskers 76-67 on Sunday night and into the finals of the Kansas City Regional.

The Wildcats (28-7), extending their school-record win total, opened the second half on an 11-1 run and led by as many as 19 points over the Big 12 champion Huskers, who saw an abrupt end to the most successful season in the history of their own program.

Several thousand red-clad Nebraska fans tried to help fuel a late rally by the Huskers (32-2) when Lindsey Moore's 3-pointer cut the lead to 68-56 with 3:52 to go. But the Wildcats, picked 11th in the Southeastern Conference preseason poll, held on to make their first regional final, where they'll meet Oklahoma.

"They came out and got us on our heals," said Nebraska coach Connie Yori. "We just couldn't get back to who we were all season until the latter part of the game."

Dominique Kelley had 22 points for Nebraska and Kelsey Griffin added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Victoria Dunlop, the SEC player of the year, had 18 points and seven rebounds for Kentucky and Keyla Snowden had 13 points, including 3 of 4 3-pointers.

But it was Kentucky's quick, swarming pressure defense that made the difference. The Huskers, taller and more experienced, knew the Wildcats would harass them with pressure and quickness, but they still had to take shots they did not want to shoot and make passes they did not want to make.

"They did everything we asked of them tonight," said Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell. "We just wanted to play with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy, a lot of effort. That's been our formula for success all season."

Time heals all wounds...

Sunday was not a good day for Big Blue Nation. We awoke with not only a rainy morning to greet us, but also the realization that Saturday's game wasn't just a nightmare but a grim reality. I spent the few first hours of my day trying to do anything that would take my mind off the tournament and my eyes away from the television. Yet, when the first of the final two elite games tipped off, I found myself back in the friendly confines of my office glued to the set. I was rewarded with two pretty good NCAA basketball games, even though one of them saw those nasty Blue Devils punching their ticket to the Final Four.

It wasn't the exciting games today that eased my mind, if anything it made me more frustrated that our team wasn't one of the teams that would be on the grand stage of the Final Four next weekend in Indy, a destination that many of us thought would be the perfect ending to what was nearly a storybook season. Instead it was a random glance at the calendar that filled my heart with hope. Then I reflected with a bit of perspective on what this team accomplished this season and the journey that started a year ago Sunday with the firing of Billy G.

Don't get me wrong, I am still upset with the way we went out last night; but one game does not make a season. This season saw the Cats win the SEC regular season championship, reach the 2K mark in all time wins, a season sweep of our biggest non-conference rivals (Louisville, North Carolina and Indiana), a SEC Tournament Championship and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. How can anyone say this season is a failure because we we had a bad shooting night in Syracuse? If someone had told me a year ago that this year's team would've accomplished all that it did, then I would've told them they should check themselves in to the State Hospital in Hopkinsville.

This team should be remembered proudly of putting Kentucky back in it's rightful spot among the elite of college basketball. What Coach Cal did this season was remarkable. He secured a base on which his era will be built on. We say thank you to all of the players who will graduate and those that are likely to move on to the NBA knowing they have left this program better than they found it.

As we look toward the near future, it's very uncertain as to how the cards will fall. As Mike pointed out earlier, there are still a number of players who could return and several 5 star recruits who could join Kanter and Poole in our freshman class. The puzzle will start to work itself out very soon as Brandon Knight, who is Cal's primary recruiting focus, will choose his school of choice in the coming weeks. Also in the mix are Selby, Leslie, Lamb and Jones, all high-quality players that Cal is gunning for.

Even with all these questions one things remain true, Coach Cal is our coach. As he continues to rebuild the proud brand that is Kentucky Basketball, you can rest assured that time will heal the wounds of last night's game and that brighter days are still ahead.

Now what?

It ended quicker than we would have liked, but now its time to turn out thoughts to the future, and its decidedly hazy.

After last night's game, the five Kentucky players that are being forecasted for the NBA draft were all mum on whether or not they'll actually make the move to the next level. That's to be expected, of course, and it only probably gives us false hope that all of these kids could decide to return to make a run for a national title, but the questions still remain unanswered.

Patterson, Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe and Orton all said they would take some time to think about whether or not they should return to Kentucky go on to the next level. Of course, John Calipari could urge some of these kids to move on while advising some to return, but Coach Cal wasn't ready to talk about that either. So consider this issue tabled for now.

Of course, on the flip side is the question of what recruits will come to Kentucky. Several big names are still on the board, such as Brandon Knight and CJ Leslie, but these guys are probably going to wait to see who's going to the NBA and who could decide to return to their school for another season.

You have to think that Wall and Cousins are gone for sure, as both are projected in the top 6 or 7 picks. Patterson is also most likely gone too. Bledsoe and Orton are those that are on the fence because where they might go in the draft is uncertain. If Bledsoe and Orton were both to return, and if Cal can work his recruiting magic and bring in some of those key guys to replace the NBA departures, Kentucky could still be a top 10 team next season.

But all of these questions remain unanswered and most likely will for a few more weeks. If nothing else, it gives us fans something to think about as we nurse our wounds and look towards the future.

Last night's loss hurts, but the future of our program is still very bright, regardless of what happens with the revolving door of our roster.

Wildcats talk about loss, end of season...

This hurts...

Tonight, Kentucky lost to West Virginia 73-66, thus ending their amazing season at 35-3. It was a special season, and we're going to take some time reflect on that later, but right now, this really hurts.

Cats fall in Elite 8...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Country road, take me home.

Or better yet, Indianapolis.

It's almost heaven, West Virginia. The Mountaineers are off to the Final Four for the first time since 1959.

Joe Mazzulla scored a career-high 17 points in his first start of the season and West Virginia handled a cold-shooting Kentucky team stocked with future NBA players almost from the opening tip for a 73-66 victory in the East Regional final Saturday.

Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins, back with his alma mater, is in the Final Four for the first time since taking Cincinnati in 1992. It's an even longer stretch for West Virginia - Jerry West was the star of the team 51 years ago, and not yet a Hall of Famer or NBA logo.

The young Wildcats could have used West's famous shooting touch in this one. They were awful from 3-point range, missing their first 20 attempts and finishing a stunning 4 of 32 (12.5 percent). DeAndre Liggins finally hit a 3 with 3:29 left to end the drought, but by then it was too late.

READ MORE

Elite 8 predictions...

The Elite 8 is set and action resumes later today when Butler and Kansas State tip off, followed by Kentucky and West Virginia. Tomorrow, Tennessee and Michigan State play first and then Duke and Baylor will round out the last game of the fourth round.

I'm not sure anyone on the planet predicted that these 8 teams would be remaining at this point in the tournament, but they are, so now its time to start making predictions. In honor of the elite 8, we're breaking out the magic 8 ball to help with the process.

Game one: Butler vs. Kansas State
After Butler struggled with Murray State in the second round and Syracuse just plain demolished Gonzaga, I didn't think there's was much of a chance the Bulldogs would have an answer for the Orange in the Sweet 16. And I guess that's a perfect example of how difficult it is to predict these games. Still, in this game I don't see Butler being able to stop the guard tandem of Pullen and Clemente or the inside play of Kelly and Samuels. I predict a comfortable win by the Wildcats in game 1 today. I asked the 8 ball if I was right and it said "Signs point to yes." Okay, me and the spirits are in sync so far. Cool.

Game two: West Virginia vs. Kentucky
For some reason, I was more concerned about the Cornell game than I was this one. Maybe it was just the hype of the media making Cornell out to be a team of destiny, but there was just something I felt uneasy about. Of course, about halfway through the first half, that uneasiness lifted and the Wildcats put Cornell in their rightful place. Tonight, Kentucky will have their hands full, but I really think they'll get the job done in a game that won't be that close down the stretch. West Virginia is playing without their starting point guard, Truck Bryant, who averaged 10 points and 3 assists this season. While Butler is their true bread and butter, its hard to play without your quarterback, especially when John Wall is on the other team. Kentucky by 11. Magic 8 ball says "Outlook good." 2 for 2 baby. I'm on a roll.

Game three: Tennessee and Michigan State
If Tennessee can beat Ohio State, they can beat Michigan State, especially since the Spartans are playing without Lucas. The Vols have been impressive since they received that humbling beat down from Kentucky in the SEC tournament, and I think that continues over tomorrow against MSU. I say Tennessee by 5. Magic 8 ball says "Cannot predict now." Uh oh, this one is still in question, I guess, because the spirit of the magic 8 ball is not exactly agreeing with me. Oh well, what does this silly piece of plastic really know anyway? Yikes... a picture just fell off the wall and a fire started by itself in the fireplace. I better be careful with this last one. I don't want another remake of the Amityville Horror going on in living room or anything.

Game four: Baylor and Duke
I really hate predicting Duke to win because it almost feels like I'm rooting for them, which would never (ever, ever, ever) happen. Still, I really think the Blue Devils will win this game going away, and we'll have an epic Kentucky-Duke match-up in the Final Four. While I don't want any good fortune to come the Blue Devils way, I have to say that a UK-Duke game in the Final Four really intrigues me, and I think we'd kill em. The 8 ball says "Without a doubt" and this silly piece of plastic really knows his stuff!

So there ya have it folks. Make your predictions below...

Happy Birthday, Larry Vaught!

We wanted to take this opportunity to wish Mr. Larry Vaught a very happy birthday!

When we first started this little site last year, Larry was one of the first guys I met in the press room at Rupp Arena, and he was awesome from the word go. I told him about how I used to read his work on Cats Pause years ago, and how I've continued reading his work online over the years that followed, and how much I've always enjoyed doing so. He was very gracious, provided me with his card and told me to stay in touch. Since then, he's posted an article on his blog about The Big Blue Nation Report, helping drive people to our site to check it out for themselves. He's also been nice enough to use his Twitter feed to link some of our better interviews and articles here at BBNR. I can honestly say that his early support is one of the reasons our site started getting hits and has been able to maintain them over the past few months.

If you don't read Larry Vaught's stuff, you should. I feel funny saying that because I imagine anyone that takes the time to look at our site most likely reads his, as well, but there's a chance that one or two of you still don't, so just consider that some helpful advice. Larry Vaught is what Jimmy Dykes would call "on time and on target" with his information about Kentucky athletics. Visit his site here, and you'll quickly see that he's one of the best at what he does.

Again, happy birthday, Larry! You deserve it.

Sincerely,
Michael Lee and the whole BBNR gang

PS: In the photo above, Larry is the one on the left.

Cats talk about NCAA run...

Hatorade: Breakfast of Champions

Cinderella broke her a heel on that glass slipper, with some assistance from some tenacious defense from the Cats. Against any other team, we would have been united behind Cornell. They were the Ivy League sweetheart, with a bunch ugly white guys and eight seniors that played in a league that doesn't provide athletic scholarships. There was a lot there to like, but not if you were a UK fan. I was able to channel my disdain for MSNBC's (and Cornell alum) Keith Olberman to help me get through this game.

Another source of contentment was how the way the game was treated by the media. UK was cast by some as hired gun mercenaries, making a mockery of the term student athlete, and Cornell as righteous examples of how the game used to, and should still be. All of that was too bad, as it should have been about one thing; basketball.

Whatever you want to say about Cornell, they were a good basketball team. The sum was greater than the parts, but they accomplished a lot and deserve some credit. A lot of teams, like Wake Forest did Saturday, would have packed it in after getting down 16 points. Cornell fought back, and as Jay Bilas would say, "put some game pressure on these young Wildcats." Congratulations to them on a great season.

I heard before the game that UK would fold if this game got close. I heard experts such as Doug Gottlieb say he would like Cornell's chance's in a close game at the end. I am not sure if you can consider what Cornell did in the second half as "close", but whatever you want to call it the Cats pulled out another close game at the end. I keep hearing talking heads tell me that Kentucky's lack of experience is going to catch up to them, but don't hear so much about the will to win we see on display night in and night out.

Say what you want about Kentucky, but they find a way to win. They can win any way you want to play them. Want to play ugly and grind the game to a halt? We can beat you that way. Please, be our guest in trying to play with us in transition. Ask Wake Forest, or anybody else who is dumb enough to play that way how that turned out for them. The talking heads can have their hatorade, none of it is going mean anything if the Cats keep doing what they have done all year long... Win

As has been the case all season, our biggest opponent is ourselves. We can control the game with sustained defensive effort. Forget shooting, both free throw and from distance. Forget the Dribble Drive. We can win with 40 minutes of effort on defense, period. Anything that goes right in the half court offense is simply icing on the cake. As long as we can get shots up without turning the ball over for fast break points to the opposition, defense alone is good enough for this team to cut down some nets.

Hopefully, we can have our cake and eat it too these next three games. We have looked locked in so far, and it is hard to see that concentration breaking as the stakes are raised. West Virginia could be the best team left in the tournament, and our toughest test to date. They were deserving of a #1 seed, and really should never have been placed in our bracket. They are the lone representative of the Big East left in the tournament, and they will probably be the crowd favorite on Saturday. With all that being said, they can't hold our jock strap if we come out with a focused effort on both sides of the ball.

If you haven't noticed, not a lot of people outside the Big Blue Nation like us right now. Kentucky is the villain to most sports fans, and that is a spot I relish. People fear the Blue again. The saying Envy our Past: Fear our Future that donned so many blue shirts before this season is proving prophetic. It is a lot of fun to feel the hatred from all sides, because it is just proof that we own them. All the snide comments from media or opposing fans isn't going to keep a star recruit from making his commitment, or put any points on the board for our opposition. To be hated is the greatest compliment of all, and something I hope we are able to get used to around here. Time to get ready for West Virginia. Expect more coverage coming up, and until then GO BIG BLUE!

Cats take Cornell to school...

It wasn't always pretty, but the Wildcats (35-2) got the job done tonight, defeating Cornell 62 to 45. The Big Red rushed out to a 10-2 lead, but Kentucky used a 30-6 run to finish the first half, and Cornell never recovered.

In the second half, Cornell did play better defense and protected the ball better, but struggled to shoot the ball against Kentucky's stifling defense.

Kentucky will now face Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers (30-6) on Saturday to determine which team will advance to the Final Four.

Oh and Syracuse lost, so yeah, it was a great night.

More tomorrow... stay tuned!

Hype building towards gametime...

The coverage leading up to this game has been amazing. We've had a great deal of the national media getting in the corner of Cornell and pumping them up as the little engine that could, a rag tag bunch of hardworking smart kids destined to win. Meanwhile, Kentucky has been portrayed as a bunch of kids that couldn't care any less about their studies and are lead by a slimy coach willing to do anything to win.

Maybe Matt Jones of KSR said it best when he wondered why the media keeps talking about how hard the Cornell players work in class or how quickly they can solve a Rubik's Cube puzzle, and fail to mention anything about the positive things the Wildcats have done off the court... you know the same kids that raised more than a million dollars for Haitian relief efforts, visit children in the hospital on a regular basis, or made a teenage fan's dreams come true on her 16th birthday? No mention of that... only how awesome Cornell is and how evil Kentucky is comparison.

But maybe that's what the media is paid to do, hype up games with a clear hero and villain, and with some games that might be difficult, but not with this one. You have a #1 seed team with NBA players against a #12 seeded team that doesn't even offer athletic scholarships. Throw out the elitism/racist debate... those are just the facts and its easy to see why both the casual fans and national media are getting behind Cornell. To be honest, if this was Cornell against Kansas, Syracuse, Michigan State or Ohio State, I'd probably be rooting for them too.

With all of that said, in less than two hours, none of the silliness we've heard (or contributed to) this week will matter. Ten players will take court and will determine who's the better team on this night. I've gone on the record to say that I truly believe Kentucky will win comfortably. A few weeks ago, I might not have felt that way, especially after squeaking by Alabama and Mississippi State in the SEC tournament. However, during the first two games of the NCAA tournament, Kentucky has been a team on a mission, a mission to prove both the naysayers and haters wrong. Yes, they're young and inexperienced, but they're also good (REALLY good), and they're more than capable of winning this tournament. Anyone that didn't believe that a few weeks ago certainly should after watching the Wildcats put on an absolute clinic during those opening round games in New Orleans.

Tonight, they'll have to prove everyone else wrong... again; and I, for one, think they will rise to occasion once more. Cornell might be better in the classroom or solving the Rubik's Cube in record times, but they still trail the Wildcats in one key area... basketball.

And tonight, that's all that matter.

Players talk Cornell...

What to do until game time?

Gomez here...

Looking for something to do until game time? Me too. Here's a few suggestions...

1.) Hit the driving range with Billy G and enjoy some fruity cocktails.

2.) Hang out in the Olive Garden restroom in the hopes of having a word with Rick Pitino and/or his mistress of the week.

3.) Dream about Kentucky's roster next season if everyone decides to come back for one more year.

4.) Try to think of how many holes will have to be filled in the new roster if they don't.

5.) Facebook Brandon Knight and ask him what the hold up is.

6.) Watch Hooisers on Bluray.

7.) Induce sleep by reading Pat Forde's ESPN.com columns and then take a nap.

8.) Try to figure out how we're going to stop the Mark Coury express tonight. Did you know he once started for Kentucky and now comes off the bench at Cornell!? Amazing.

9.) Simulate tonight's game on EA's College Basketball game by pwning some kid on Xbox Live.

10.) Bid on this eBay auction of a 1998 Championship Ring. We're guessing Cameron Mills is in a bind and needs the money.

Just a few ideas... 12 hours until tip off! Use your time wisely!

What we're up against...

We've poked some fun at Cornell this week.... their star Mark Coury, their lack of a good mascot, and every one's favorite Cornell alum, Andy Bernard. That's just in our nature, folks. If we were playing Temple or Wisconsin tomorrow night instead, jokes would have been made at their expense, as well.

With that said, I think we all know that Cornell is a decent team, and they'll come ready to play tomorrow night. They'll also have the backing of the majority of people in attendance. Playing in Cornell's backyard (Syracuse is only about an hour away from the Cornell campus), expect their faithful to be loud and proud. Meanwhile, you'll have everyone else in the building rooting for the underdog. I'm sure we'll have our typical strong following there, but for all intents and purposes, this will be like a road game for our team, especially when compared to the support we had in the SEC tournament and the opening rounds in New Orleans.

Cornell is lead by senior forward Ryan Wittman. Although he's 6'7", don't expect the kid to be banging with Patterson and Cousins down low. He's more comfortable away from the basket, usually raining threes from beyond the arc. On the season, he's shooting an impressive 43% from out there, and because of that, he's not afraid to pull the trigger early and often. In a game earlier this season, Wittman shot 17 three-pointers, connecting on 7 of them, in Cornell's overtime victory over Davidson. If he gets on fire tomorrow night, it could be a long evening and disappointing end to our post-season run.

However, The Big Red do have a guy that will bang down low, and no, it isn't Mark Coury. 7'0" and 265 lb center Jeff Foote is averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds a game. He's not terribly gifted, but he's big, and sometimes, that's all you need. Still, I like DeMarcus' chances with him one on one. Still, Foote is good at dishing the rock to open shooters, so the Kentucky defense will have to be ready at all times. Of course, that goes without saying, but open shooters have been a problem for our team before.

Running the Big Red offense is senior point guard, Louis Dale. Like Wittman, Dale is a gifted shooter, hitting nearly 40% from 3 point range on the season. Averaging 5 assists a ball game, Dale can also move the ball around pretty well. At 5'11" he has little chance of driving the ball in too deep, but has proven he can make a quick stop for a mid range jumper. Wall and Bledsoe will have to stick right with him. After the game, they should be able to tell Coach Cal what type of gum he's chewing.

This trio will not be intimiated by the Wildcats, and whether they should be or not is irrelevant. Cornell has already played some high quality opponents this season, so Kentucky won't be able to throw much at them that they haven't seen already. Here's an impressive list of some of their non-conference opponents so far this season: Alabama, Seaton Hall, Davidson, UMass, Kansas, Syracuse, Temple and Wisconsin.

With all that said, I don't think Cornell has enough talent to hang with Kentucky for a full forty minutes. However, it is March after all, and they don't call it madness for nothing.

Let's be real about Mark Coury...

Remember when Mark Coury started for Kentucky during Billy Clyde's first season at Kentucky? We all thought it was silly, but knew that Clyde was trying to send the message to the other (better) players that if you play hard in practice, you get to play on gameday. In most games, Coury would start, play a few useless minutes, and then ride the pine for the remainder of the game. Keep in mind, Coury came to Kentucky under Tubby Smith and was a walk-on from day one. No one (including Coury himself most likely) thought the kid would play any kind of major role in the grand scheme of things at UK.

However, this article doesn't quite describe it that way, glossing over the details to make Coury sound like he was good enough to start at Kentucky but now has to ride the bench at Cornell. Truth be told, Coury couldn't make the squad as a manager on this year's Kentucky team, much less be a starter. We have NBA players riding the pine, and touted recruits like Jon Hood, seeing only the last few minutes of basketball games that are already well in hand. Honestly, Coury would have been sent packing almost immediately, had he stuck around.

But Coury left so he could study at an Ivy League school, something very few people have the opportunity to do. While his limited role at Kentucky might have opened the door, Coury is making the most of it, and kudos to him for that. However, please stop with this "starter for Kentucky now on the bench at Cornell" talk because it just doesn't jive with the facts. If anything, it only proves how talent deficient Kentucky was before John Calipari took over the program last April.

Coury a starter at Kentucky? Not this year.

Wednesday Quick Clicks...

:: Forde breaks down the winners & losers of tourney's first 2 rounds
:: Larry Vaught takes a closer look at Enes Kanter
:: UK's Darius Miller peaking at right time
:: Fox Sports says UK's lack of experience is only a myth
:: Kentucky has to be the favorite now to win it all
:: Self says Henry most likely ready for NBA
:: Georgia Tech's Hewitt could be heading to St. John's


More later...

WVU a man down...

"There's a tradition in tournament play not to talk about the next step until you've climbed the one in front of you." - Coach Norman Dale

Okay, so I'm going to break one of coach Dale's rules here, but only for a brief moment. As you may or may not have heard, West Virginia's starting point guard, Truck Bryant, broke his foot in practice yesterday and will miss the remainder of the tournament. Austin mentioned this last night, but its worth repeating since most people are picking Kentucky and WVU to play in the Regional Final on Saturday.

Its hard to lose your starting point guard at any point in the season, but especially in March. Huggy Bear's path to the Final Four just got a little tougher. With that said, they should be able to handle Washington before Kentucky puts them out of their misery on Saturday.

More later... stay tuned.

Tuesday's News: Big Recruiting Day For UK

Couple big news stories today involving the Cats. First, we got a big commitment from Turkish big man Enes Kanter. It is a little bit of a mixed bag taking Kanter. Poking around the internet, which admittedly isn't always the most reliable of sources, you get the feel that he is going to be an impact player... if he can get eligible. With Cousins, and possibly Orton leaving after this year, it is a no brainer to take somebody as talented as Kanter.Besides his eligibility issues, he is said to be seeking the fast track to the NBA. Here is just one of the articles that mentions Kanter's desire to be one and done.

You never know what you are going to get with Freshman, and how they are going to adapt their game to the next level, but everything on this kid points to him being a legit NBA prospect. There is the NBA lockout looming after next season that might make Kanter's one and done wishes unwise, thus giving us two years from the Big Enes. But like I said, Kanter has to get eligible first. The Turkish kid for West Virginia was in a similar situation and had to sit out 20 games this year. Who knows just how similar the situations were, and with the NCAA you never know.

I don't buy the crowd that says UK wouldn't take him if they had no concerns with his eligibility. There isn't a lot of downside in taking Kanter even if he would have to set out a substantial period of time. We are going to have as many as Eight scholarships available this offseason, and there is no way we are going to use them all. With Harrelson likely to be the only Senior next season, you have to believe we are going to hold several scholarships for Gilchrest, Quincy Miller, and whoever else in 2011. Why not take the chance on Kanter?

I don't expect we will know anything concrete in regards to Enes Kanter anytime soon. Knowing the NCAA, they aren't going to get any hurry. Hopefully UK's lawyers can work their magic like they did with Randolph Morris and get him eligible ASAP. Draftexpress has their doubts about his chances of gaining eligibility, but these things tend to work themselves out. Rumor is that some people in Turkey aren't happy that he left the country and could complicate things with his eligibility. As Doug Gottlieb would say, this is a very fluid situation. At any rate, it should give fans something to worry about over the summer, which is nice.

I still say Brandon Knight is the most important piece to the recruiting puzzle. In the NCAA's, as with any other level of basketball for that matter, you absolutely have to have solid Point Guard play. Brandon Knight would be more than solid, as he would probably be a top five point in all of college basketball. As they did with the Kanter story, Dave Telep of Scout.com broke news today that Florida dropped out of the race for Brandon Knight. Florida was presumed to be the stiffest competition for Knight's services. Now that the Gators are out of consideration, you have to love where UK is with this kid.

If the recent speculation about Bledsoe being one and done are true, Knight is the key for UK being a very competitive team year. Without Knight we could see a UNC like decline next season. Adding Knight ensures the Cats drop off won't be so steep. You still can't help but take a step back with the losing four or five NBA talents, but I can live with a solid season while we rebuild the empire for a 2012 title run. Knight, Poole, and Kanter would be an outstanding second recruiting haul for Calipari, and knowing Cal, he probably isn't done yet. We can't pencil in Knight just yet, but every tea leaf and smoke signal is pointing to the Cats.

In less UK related news, but still relevant, West Virginia's starting point guard Darrly Bryant broke his foot in practice today and is going to miss the rest of the tournament. He is the second starting point guard to see his season end too soon, as Kalin Lucas suffered a similar fate when he ruptured his achiles tendon. Tough break for Huggins and West Virginia. Personally, I was always more afraid of Cornell than West Virgina. Nobody is going to hang with us on talent anyway. Smart play and outside shooting are your best bets at keeping it close with us, and that is something Cornell has in spades. Still, tough break for the Mountaineers, and hopefully this is the last injury to hit the tournament field. Always a tough loss when you lose a guy with a nickname as cool as "The Truck".

Enes Kanter commits to UK...

Reported by everyone from Jody Demling to Evan Daniels, Turkish sensation Enes Kanter will apparently be a Wildcat next season. He's also known as the "Psycho Killer of Basketball" which is pretty awesome.

The dominoes are starting to fall...

The Big Red?

Gomez here...

So... Kentucky plays Cornell on Thursday for the opportunity to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2005. Since this is something every UK fan has been waiting for since Cal's name was announced as the new coach of Kentucky, I think its worth getting to know Cornell a little better.

Cornell's nickname is known simply as The Big Red. However, their mascot is a bear. How silly is that? For a school that prides themselves on being smart and all, that's an epic fail. So, I've decided to help them find a new mascot for the remainder of their NCAA tournament appearance, which should only be about another forty minutes or so.


1.) Big Red is awesome because not only is it a basketball team, it's also an awesome piece of gum! When I was in high school, a plenty pack of Big Red could score you almost anything... from a date with a hot cheerleader to a contra-band smoke in the boy's room. Of course, it also lead to a longer stay in the dentist office, so I guess we took the good with the bad. I'm guessing the Cornell team chews this stuff like truck drivers do Beech Nut, which is alot. I think it would be really cool to see someone dressed up like a stick of gum on the sideline. I suggest they give the role to Mark Coury.


2.) Who can talk about the Big Red without talking about America's #1 red soda since 1937!? Who cares if it tastes like a combination of cough medicine and red ink? I wonder if this stuff is what the Cornell managers use to fill up their team's Gatorade coolers. I bet it is; and if it isn't, it certainly should be. Seriously though, who wouldn't want to see a huge can of cola roaming the sidelines at the NCAA tournament? Nothing says Ivy League class like a can of soda that's most consumed by southern red necks with no taste in beverages... or anything else for that matter.


3.) The Big Red is also the mascot of Western Kentucky University. He looks like a reject from Sesame Street, but still certainly epitomizes the very idea of something being both big and red. Cornell should consider borrowing this big, red, ugly mess for their Sweet 16 appearance. Of course, being from Kentucky, the creature might rebel against its handler, resulting in something that will be shown on Spike TV's "When Mascots Attack!" Still, I think its worth the risk.


4.) How can you talk about the big red without talking about Clifford... THE BIG RED DOG? This guy is awesome. If I were Cornell, I'd march out Clifford to center court for every game. He'd be a huge hit! Of course, if WKU's Big Red was there, there would most likely be some competitive tension in the air, which should only give more reason for Cornell to make the call to Clifford's agent.


5.) Satan is a bad guy, but he'd still be a pretty cool mascot for Cornell. I mean, I hate satan and whoever is playing Kentucky, so why not combine the two for Thursday night? Yup, makes sense to me, so that gets my vote. What says you?

Lady Cats still dancing...

The undersized fourth-seeded Wildcats raced past bigger - and slightly slower - fifth-seeded Michigan State 70-52 on Monday in the second round of the NCAA women's tournament.

Victoria Dunlap, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, shook off an upset stomach to lead Kentucky (27-7) with 21 points as the Wildcats moved into the round of 16 for the first time in 28 years.

Dunlap needed to be treated with IV fluids before the game and landed awkwardly on her right ankle late in the first half, not that it stopped her from making 9-of-13 field goals and snagging eight rebounds.

"I just believe that she was attacking," said Michigan State forward Lykendra Johnson. "She just kept attacking our post players and never stopped."

The Spartans were looking for their second straight trip to the regional semifinals and fourth in the last six years. Yet Michigan State had little answer for Kentucky's relentless pressure, which forced the Spartans into 18 turnovers and harassed them into 35 percent shooting.

Kalisha Keane led Michigan State with 10 points. The Spartans' point total was their lowest ever in the NCAA tournament. They scored 57 in a loss to Rutgers in 2007.

"The kids I thought really committed to pressuring the basketball and that's what we had to do," said Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell. "I thought we could force Michigan State into taking some shots we don't normally take."

The last time the Wildcats made the round of 16 was 1982, when they advanced to the regional finals before falling to Louisiana Tech. Kentucky hadn't made it past the second round since the tournament expanded to 64 teams.