Don't make Kentucky angry...

Kentucky has been a sleeping giant for a few years now. Since the double overtime loss to Michigan State in the 2005 regional finals, Kentucky has only been a ghost of the once proud program that dominated the Southeastern Conference, and at times, all of College Basketball in the 1990's. Tubby Smith's tenure had its ups and downs after the 1998 national championship, but his final two seasons were painful to watch. After he resigned and retreated to the less stressful confines of Minnesota basketball, Billy Clyde Gillispie was brought in to rebuild Kentucky basketball to it's former glory; but, we all know how that went.

Enters John Calipari, the coach that took both UMass and Memphis from the cellar of their mid-major conferences to #1 national rankings and Final Four appearances. However, there's a cloud of doubt hanging over the coach due to past infractions handed down from the NCAA. Forget the fact that the Coach has never been linked to either of the infractions, they happened under his watch, and the naysayers won't let anyone forget it. Because of this, Cal most likely has something to prove once and for all... win and win big at Kentucky, and without even the faintest hint of a gray area.

Yes, the sleeping giant is stirring, and it's best not to make him angry. However, it might be too late... and if it is, the SEC, as well as the rest of the College Basketball universe, had better watch out.

For more thoughts on this notion of an angry and determined Kentucky basketball program, read this article by the excellent Larry Vaught.

New Depth Chart

Click to enlarge...

09-10 'Cats pose with the Keightly Family

Gomez here... Coach Cal arranged this picture of this year's team with the Keightly family. A nice gesture from a classy coach who truly loved Mr. Wildcat. More news and views later...

Sunday Night Headlines

If you haven't noticed, it's sorta been a slow weekend around here. We haven't gotten in the habit of just posting useless junk just for the sake of posting useless junk, but we'll always be sure to post fun, entertaining and informative information when it becomes available to us, IF we think it's worth your time. Now a few headlines...

The football team had their last scrimmage yesterday and are entering their last week of preparation for the new season. Coach Brooks saw plenty of positives and negatives and is very aware of the amount of work that needs to be done in order for this team to be competitive in the SEC. Check out this video for some brief remarks from the coach (thanks to our man, Tom Leach!)...


On the basketball front, Cal and the staff are continuing their individual workouts, and everyone is getting more excited with each passing day. By everyone, I mean coaches, players, and fans. While September means college football for everywhere else in the country, in Kentucky, it means we're oh so close to midnight madness. If your wait for the madness is as painful as ours, try satisfying your basketball craving with a brief look at the SEC from Andy Katz. Lots of talk about Cal and his Cats.

As you all know, this week was a crazy week for Kentucky coaches, both past and present. No, I'm not talking about Eddie Sutton, Tubby Smith, and Joe B Hall's wild fishing trip... I'm of course talking about Calipari, Pitino, and Billy Clyde. DeCourcy over at the Sporting News has some worth reading remarks on the trio of coaches. It should be noted that in our opinion, DeCourcy is one of the most sensible and fair writers on the College Basketball landscape.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new work week, and I have a busy week ahead of me. Besides my full time job, I have a number of obligations that will tie me up even more than usual. A long time friend of mine (an excellent writer and fellow blue-bleeder) has joined the team and will be writing alot this week to cover for my absence. He posts under the name Gomez, because he has a high paying government job where national secruity is often at risk and he doesn't want to roll the dice. He had posted some already under my name, but since his writing is pretty darn good, I didn't bother to tell anyone the truth. I have no doubt that he'll quickly become one of your favorite writers on here. If there's anything earth shattering announced, I'll show up and post when I can. However, as President Palmer would say, in the meantime, you're in good hands.

That's it for tonight, Big Blue Nation. Good night and good luck.

You Only Get One First Impression

As you now know, Coach Calipari will be arriving at Paducah's Carson Center on September 7th. The Big Blue Nation Report would like to hear what you would first say to Coach Cal if you had the chance to meet him. Please leave your feedback in the comments section.

Saturday Notes and Links...

I've got a busy day ahead of me, so I'm jumping right in...

:: The football squad will be having their last preseason scrimmage game today before the season officially begins next Saturday. We'll try to post some notes and highlights from the game as soon as we have them. Meanwhile, it was announced earlier this week that Aaron Boyd will redshirt this season. Click here to read about these tidbits and for complete UK football coverage.

:: Andy Katz's blog has some interesting insight into the first few days of individual workouts for the basketball team. It seems Calipari really likes this team, but also sees plenty of room for improvement. Click the link above to visit Andy's site... scroll down a bit to read the comments about UK.

:: Next year's number one recruit, Brandon Knight, has narrowed the list down some, and Kentucky is still on there. However, he does not seem really anywhere close to a final decisicion.

:: Extreme western Kentucky, an often forgotten and overlooked portion of BigBlueNation, is certainly hopping as of late. Tom Leach was in Paducah on Friday promoting his new book, Coach Cal is coming on Labor Day to visit the Carson Center, and Mid-Continent University is hosting a UK themed weekend in October. There's never been a better time for Western Kentucky residents to follow the UK program so up close and personal. You better enjoy it while you can.

More later today... enjoy your Saturday.

Billy G's only hope as an assistant?

Gomez here... Andy Katz says Billy G's only hope of returning to coaching is most likely as an assistant.

Of course, every good coach needs a drunk on the bench...

Friday Quick Clicks. . .

Rick Pitino is struggling folks. Two days after his rambling press conference, people continue to turn on the once "white knight" of the bluegrass. There may not be any harsher commentary than one written by Greg Couch over at Fan House. If you haven't seen it, it's worth the read.

Here's a nice article about the football Cats' offensive line. As the article states, it's probably the deepest offensive line Brooks has had since being in Lexington which could help an offense that struggled at times last season.

Another article about the grid iron as the Lexington Herald scouts the Cat's running back options.

And finally...for those of you following Tom Leach's book tour here is a nice article about his recent stop in Radcliff. Thanks to the fine folks in Hardin County for the heads up.

Cal coming to Paducah

Chris here... In case you didn't know, Coach Cal is coming to the Carson Center in Paducah on Labor Day. The doors open at 5 PM and the event starts at 6 PM. Tickets will be $5 to $20 and all proceeds will go to the McCracken County United Way. Tickets go on sale on Monday, August 31 at the Carson Center Box Office and their website.

Football Update

Today wasn't a great day on the football field. Several UK Football related Twitter accounts have mentioned that this morning's practice was less than successful. Here's a few samples...


Randall Cobb: "horrible practice today- that's unacceptable. Gotta come back hard tm"

Coach Brooks: "Practice started slow and they need to get used to morning practice now. School and early morning work. New schedule!! Need better focus."

Matt May: "Rich Brooks is ready for game day... LIKE NOW!"

Clearly, the beginning of classes and the move to morning practices have shaken the team's focus a bit. It could be worse (ask Pitino or Clyde), but Coach is ready to get to gameday and end the long, and sometimes grueling, process that is the fall football practice preseason.

Cal is back on the court...

Click here for a good read about Coach Cal's week. It's nice to get our minds off of the Pitino/Billy Clyde madness for a few minutes. There's some good quotes from Cal and the players, including some minor responses to the Memphis situation. More later... stay tuned.

Billy Clyde has lost it...

If the allegations of DUI prove to be true, they are yet another example that former UK coach Billy Gillispie is not in touch with the real world. (Check out his latest mugshot on the left.) Our former coach didn't foresee the consequences of his various prickly actions. He behaved like Bobby Knight, but without the winning track record. He apparently lived in a world where recruiting and toughness were all that it really took to 'cut down some nets.'

There were various instances and rumors of mistreatment of UK players, belittling sideline reporters (even The Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach), and his inability to rub elbows with the right people, not to mention the rampant rumors about his night life. All of this led to a complete lack of any good will from those that controlled his fate, especially considering he had done nothing to produce wins on the basketball floor, either. So, he was fired, and rightfully so.

Had Billy G just licked his wounds, taken what money UK was willing to give him, and then quietly caught the first train out of town, he might already be coaching somewhere by now. However, he instead chose to sue UK, continue to bar hop every night in Lexington and Louisville, and then pose for pictures with dolled up girls half his age. The icing on the cake is this DUI arrest in Kentucky. Keep in mind, he was only back in town to negotiate his settlement with UK, in the hopes he could get some more money out of them. I'm guessing getting busted for a DUI at 3 AM wasn't a part of that strategy.

Billy, it's time you just say "I got whipped!" and leave Kentucky for good. Yes, you've certainly taken a beating in recent months, only this time, it's not from the likes of Gardner Webb, VMI, or a crappy NIT field. It's a whipping from your own boneheaded mistakes.


Written by: Austin Martin

My take on the Pitino presser...

I wanted to do a blog post about my initial feelings on the UK bball schedule and talk about how many games I thought the football and basketball teams would win. But then, BAM, crazy came out of left field and really took ahold.

Let me temper this by saying this is only opinion, not fact. It is meant to be humorous and not in anyway slander anyone. I’m just reacting to an event that actually took place. Let me start off by saying I love Rick Pitino. The 96 team he assembled was the best team in college basketball history. I am glad for everything he gave me as a UK fan. I did jump on the bandwagon and throw some hate his way when he started at Louisville, but that dissipated slowly. Now I just choose to root against Louisville but not hate the man that brought me a ton of joy. He has also given us a fair share of comedy. Before this scandal I thought he would never top the white linen suit he had to change at halftime because he was sweating and it was becoming see-through. He had gone from a championship coach to a college girl on Spring Break after her 3rd Margarita.

Then this whole story hit. I'll be honest, as a fan of comedy and train wrecks this brought me a ton of glee. Our former coach, that had antagonized UK fans by going to their in-state rival, was just getting annihilated in the headlines, and it was hilarious to watch. I don't watch soap operas but this was playing out like one, and it was a beautiful mess. Depending on how much you chose to believe of the rumors and reports it was just breathtaking (its kinda' fun to just believe it all, even if all evidence points to the contrary). In fact the joke "pulling a Pitino" is my new favorite catch-phrase to throw out when I see a couple getting a little too affectionate at a restaurant.

Now let’s get down to the business of today. I'll try to avoid reusing anything I heard on Bill Simmons Podcast and just keep everything to the presser but there was some great stuff from him as well. Especially about how weird it is that the woman he had an affair with married his equipment manager and good friend, so they would be seeing a lot of each other I guess.

Pitino steps up to the mike and decides that there will be no questions, he's just gonna let the crazy flow.

From the beginning, he said: "I said I wouldn’t talk about this," -- Probably not the best idea; he seemed a little underprepared and had apparently been told not to talk by EVERYONE. But when he stepped to the mike I was on the edge of my seat. He keeps saying I'm a proud New Yorker--what does that even mean? I don’t even have a joke here, that really made no sense to me.

He is pretty upset about Ted Kennedy dying and the lack of reporting on that--I'm not making light of a disease but when a hard drinking, hard living 77 year old man with a terminal illness dies it’s still breaking news, and I'm sure that was reported earlier in the day, but it’s not a "everybody stop talking about everything else" story. Pitino really should have had this happen during the Michael Jackson freak-out. Picked the wrong deceased celebrity, so it seems. Why would Pitino think the Louisville papers would not cover something about the Louisville basketball coach? There is more than 1 page in the paper. Why would sports writers in Kentucky want to break the Ted Kennedy story? And why is he surprised that people are more interested in a high profile sex scandal. Apparently, he’s never read the news…ever. We have loved this stuff since Washington was president. We love a good sex scandal and this has everything... a crazy woman, a high profile guy, some cover up stuff, some inside stuff, lots of juicy details.

And I know he is worried about his wife, but maybe, just maybe, that means he shouldn’t have done anything with another woman. Maybe she is upset because her husband cheated, not because some tapes got out. And honestly I would have had no idea about the tapes unless there was some crazy press conference telling me not to talk about them.

Speaking of the tapes from Ms. Sypher, would anyone have given them an ounce of credibility? I'm sure people would have written about them or let people know what they said, but it would have been dismissed in 2 days. Now, it just seems like its starting back up a freak show that was already dying down.

Then, Pitino spends a lot of time trying to discredit the woman who has already been discredited by everyone. We all know she lied to get her name out there and get famous and tried to extort him which is pretty shady. But that’s what crazy people do. That's what you get when you hook up with a real life crazy person. They usually aren't the discreet, "yea let’s keep this between us types". They are more the Fatal Attraction types. Pitino is lucky he didn't end up with a boiled rabbit. I know what it’s like. It seems like a lot of the girls I attract are crazy people (could be they are all crazy but I'm sure there are like at least 7 that are sane, jk ladies its gotta be in the tens) But it’s always a memorable experience. You always get some kind of wild story to tell your friends who may or may not believe you. But we all know that those are the kind of people that don't play by rational rules and can't be reasoned with. Of course she tried to extort him and is doing interviews to get her name out there...She's crazy. It seems like Rick would be better off letting her spew her nonsense to just kill her credibility than to go hardcore on the offensive. It almost makes it seems like there is something said there that struck a nerve, that he wants to deny a little too quickly (just opinion but that’s how it possibly looks).

I personally don't believe a thing Sypher says, I’m not even sure that’s her real name. But this thing is playing out like Jerry Springer; next thing you know, we'll find out she was a guy all along. I expect to see her on the next Dancing with the Stars, SCANDAL edition. With Jessica Hahn, Monica Lewinsky, Darva Konger, the runaway bride, the Brazilian girl that the SC Gov went "hiking in the Ozarks" to see, and many more. I apologize to all the scandal ladies I left out, but it’s late and I don't read Us magazine or the Enquirer.

And He wants this to go to trial--REALLY???? REALLLY??? yeah cause he seems to love when things get out in the public record. Wouldn’t he want this to go away quietly even if he didn't do anything just so he could stop talking about it?

Pitino ends the conference with a statement that this hasn't effect recruiting at all--well good for you Rick. I'm sure the school being a laughing stock and the coach going off and having to defend himself in press conferences every few weeks will have no adverse effect on the parents of your recruits. Even if it doesn't that's the only thing I would have talked about, just said there is a lot of stuff being reported or said and it’s not true, I'm here to talk about basketball and that is going fine. It would have been better to be calm and collected or just ignore the tapes all together and wait for the trial he keeps calling for.

Also on that last statement. He seems to be yelling, almost like he is trying to convince himself, the Louisville brass or the reporters who cover the team. Why not just show them it’s going well, they will report what they see. I know he is thinking, if we lose a recruit they will blame the scandal but seriously, just go out there and get recruits. Actually...don't do that, forget I said anything. Keep having press conferences, have 1 a week, have 1 a day.

In the end we don't know the whole truth and probably never will. There will keep being rumors and leaks and things to talk about but it will be tough to take them at face value. All we do know for sure is this, if the UK-UofL game wasn't already the most anticipated of the year with all the other story lines (2 great teams w/ great players, Cal vs. Rick, the usual rivalry) it definitely is now. Just to see how players, coaches, and especially fans react. It could be the most hostile environment ever with the most ammunition ever. Who knows how it will play out, but frankly, I can't wait to find out.

Billy G busted for DUI

Billy G was busted for DUI earlier this morning in Central Kentucky... his third DUI in the past ten years.

SEC's Stock on the Rise

In these tough economic times, safe and secure investments can be hard to come by. I submit to those looking for a stock that is on the rise, you should look no further than Southeastern Conference Basketball. SEC Basketball has seen its stock slip in recent years, but is on the verge of rivaling the success normally reserved for the gridiron. The nature of college basketball dominance is a bit more cyclical that the perennial dominant SEC Fooseball, but those cycles of success are about to feature the SEC more prominently.

Every power conference starts with at least one blue-chip program that can bring in the best players and generate the most fan support. In my estimation there are only a handful of programs that can claim to be true Blue Chippers: UK, UNC, Duke, UCLA, Indiana, and Kansas. Don't believe you need a flag bearer to carry a conference to national prominence? The SEC and Big Ten's decade of decline just so happened to coincide with the decline of Kentucky and Indiana basketball. These are good examples of the Blue Chip theory.

These power brokers can't carry a conference on their own, but they serve as a measuring stick to second tier programs. These second tier programs come and go. Some are more relevant than others. At the top of this group are programs like UConn, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Michigan State, Texas, Arizona and Florida. These programs are fully capable of winning at the highest level, and are capable of challenging the top tier teams on a consistent basis. The quality of these programs will end up determining the overall strength of the conference. The shear size of the Big East has afforded them the ability to stave off down years and makes them somewhat of an exception to the rule. They have seven or eight programs that can feel this role any given year, and are almost always going to have legitimate Final Four contenders. Give any other conference four quality BCS teams and you would see the same result. An example would be the SEC adding Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. That would make for a perennially stacked basketball conference similar to the Big East.

I think everyone agrees that Kentucky is now fully capable of carrying the torch for the SEC year in and year out during the Calipari Era. It is the programs around them that are just as much a part of this rising stock. Florida was dominant for a stretch, but they still weren't equipped to win on the same level as the Blue Chip programs. They are perfectly casted as the Robin to our Batman. Or maybe the Scarecrow... I will have to let one of the Lee Brothers hammer out the details on that analogy. But the Cats are definitely Batman. We will be breaking down the SEC in detail a little later. Coaching, fertile recruiting grounds, the new television deal with ESPN, and the arrival of Batman (aka Calipari) are just some of the reasons the SEC is back in a big way. In the days that come I will provide a little insight into each school's future prospects... Not as detailed as our preseason preview, but something to talk about in the meantime.

Slick Rick Update

SportsCenter just reported on the Pitino press conference. ESPN actually had Pat Forde on to talk about it, and he had some somewhat critical words for his buddy, basically calling today's press conference a misstep and bad idea. ESPN anchor Steve Levy even disclosed that Pat Forde was Pitino's co-author. Has Pat Forde finally turned the corner on how he's going to handle this saga? No, not really. Forde did manage to throw in that Sypher's allegations have been discredited by the authorities and Pitino has been cleared of any wrongdoings... in case you didn't know.

At any rate, Forde was right about one thing, today's presser was a horrible idea. All it served to do was throw the fiasco back on the front page of every sports related newspaper, sports show, blog and twitter account in the country. Way to go, Rick. In case you haven't seen the press conference yet (AKA: Pitino's further descent into madness), check it out below.

Pitino presser this afternoon at 2 PM CST

I just received word that Slick Rick is having a press conference today at 3 PM EST. No word yet as to why, but these unplanned pressers are usually to announce some major news. Stay tuned...

UPDATE: The presser was not worth a darn. If Rick hopes to let the Sypher situation fade away, he needs to meet it head on by answering the media's questions. Period.

Cal updates his blog...

If you're a member of coachcal.com, you should check out our coach's latest blog. He's very excited about finally getting some time with his new team and preparing for the upcoming season. Last night, he had individual meetings with his players and they took the annual team photos. Today, he begins individual workouts, and he promises to keep us updated on how that goes.

Mark Krebs earns final scholarship

As was expected, Cal has given the final available scholarship to Mark Krebs. Congrats Mark!

That leaves a total of zero walk-ons for this year's squad.

More later...

Wall and Bledsoe prepared to dominate...

John Wall was the recruit with all the hype. He was the guy getting slammed with offers from every major school from every major conference as a 15 year old kid. He was also the kid to be projected as the number one pick in the 2010 NBA draft while still playing high school ball for The Word of God Christian Academy in North Carolina. And then, as if the hype wasn't high enough already, the video of him dunking all over Jerry Stackhouse made headlines on every sports show in the country. Yeah, John Wall is the truth.

Yet, in the midst of this hype and speculation, another name has gathered some attention, and it just so happens to belong to another freshman point guard from Kentucky... Eric Bledsoe. Rumor has it, Bledsoe has played just as well as Wall in the summer pick-up games, and some have even gone so far as to say he's been the better all around player. Yeah, if you didn't know Wall from Bledsoe from Adam, you might walk away from watching one of these games without knowing which one was the number one recruit, Wall or Bledsoe.

This is an exciting notion for UK fans. It is quite possible that Wall and Bledsoe will both start, and end up being the best backcourt in all of college basketball. While I'm a big fan of Michael Porter and wish him the best in his future endeavors, the upgrade we're getting at the point is such a major improvement, there's really no words to describe just how good it is. They will play right away and will dominate nearly every match-up they see, and yes, you can bank on it.

If there is one glaring liability the two have, it would be that neither are particularly good at jump shooting. In my mind, that's why Jodie Meeks's departure to the NBA probably moved Kentucky from a preseason #1 ranking to a #2 or #3, or perhaps, even a little lower. Kentucky will see a lot of zone defense; the kind that clog the lane around Patterson and Cousins and force the others to shoot from the outside. With Meeks, that would have been just fine; without him, it could be the difference between an 8th NCAA Title or just a solid Sweet 16 finish. (After what we've endured in recent years, a Sweet 16 finish would still be a step in the right direction!)

But there's still no denying the quality of play that Kentucky can expect from the guard position, even without the prolific shooting of Jodie Meeks. Ultimately, that's why John Calipari is so excited about this team, and why they could eventually end up cutting down alot of nets next March.