SB Nation - Jared Carter

What Losing Jodie Meeks to the NBA Means

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:01:57 -0000

Uh oh. 3-point shooting could FAIL next year ...

Jodie Meeks' decision to stay in the NBA draft is probably the best thing for him, but it is definitely not the best thing for the Kentucky Wildcats next year. This puts UK in a real pickle when it comes to outside shooting. Let's take a look at the leading 3-point shooters from last year:

Name	3pt Field Goals
Name	3pt Field Goals Made	3pt Field Goals Attempted	3pt Field Goal Percentage	% of 3 point shots made	Remaining
Jodie Meeks	117	288	40.60%	57.92%
Michael Porter	32	97	33.00%	15.84%
Darius Miller	18	55	32.70%	8.91%	8.91%
DeAndre Liggins	12	51	23.50%	5.94%	5.94%
Ramon Harris	6	25	24.00%	2.97%	2.97%
Josh Harrellson	5	15	33.30%	2.48%	2.48%
Landon Slone	4	15	26.70%	1.98%
Perry Stevenson	3	10	30.00%	1.49%	1.49%
A.J. Stewart	2	5	40.00%	0.99%
Mark Halsell	1	1	100.00%	0.50%
Mark Krebs	1	4	25.00%	0.50%	0.50%
Dwight Perry	1	2	50.00%	0.50%	0.50%
Jared Carter	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Kevin Galloway	0	4	0.00%	0.00%
Patrick Patterson	0	1	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
*Totals*	*202*			*100.00%*	*22.77%*

Now, just let that chart roll around in your mind for a few minutes.

If that doesn't cause you a moment of panic, I don't know what will. UK is losing 78% of the team's three-point scoring from last year, and bringing in only one player, Darnell Dodson, who is somewhat known for his shooting. Jon Hood is also a decent 3-point shooter, but he is much more like Michael Porter in that respect than Jodie Meeks. What does that say to every coach in college basketball? That's right, boys and girls -- we are going to get a lot of practice playing against zone defenses next year, or seriously sagging man-to-man from teams that eschew the zone. Why would you not force a team with a profile like next year's Wildcats to put up the three ball rather than pass it in to huge post studs or allow a lightning-quick Wall or Bledsoe to get to the rack by playing man-to-man?

So Calipari is now faced with an interesting challenge, and probably one that he does not relish. The Dribble Drive Motion Offense depends on good three-point shooting to function well. Without it, man-to-man defenses will be sagging into the middle like crazy, and zones will be as passive as they want to be. Heck, the perimeter players might even be touching fingertips with each other daring UK to shoot.

This really changes things, folks. Anyone who understands basketball knows that, too. With Meeks on the perimeter, other teams had real problems -- he could spread the floor by acting as a decoy, opening up driving lanes and making it hard on everybody, even if he never put up a shot that wasn't unopposed. Now, every 3-point shot is going to be largely unopposed, because that's what opponents will want UK to take, not slash to the rim for a layup or a dish to Patterson, Orton or Cousins.

The old Chinese curse comes back to the fore. We are living in interesting times, unless Dodson is better than I think he is, or Hood suddenly develops into Rex Chapman.

Georgia 90, Kentucky 85: Postmortem

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:48:04 -0000

This is the ghost of Truzenzuex. The corporeal Truzenzuzex has spread himself on the wind, and passed into memory.

Congratulations to the Georgia Bulldogs on a magnificent victory. They had absolutely nothing to play for but pride, and that was apparently all they needed to beat a completely feckless Kentucky team tonight. It wasn't that UK played bad -- statistics will probably say we played OK. But Georgia was terrific, and they earned a great victory tonight. Sadly, I doubt anyone in Georgia will notice, so it falls on me to sing their praises. Great job, Dawgs. Well done.

And now comes the hard part.

I could sit here and type all night and not get everything dealt with, so I'm not even going to try. I am just going to write a lament -- a lament for a team that could have been, a lament for one of the worst seasons I can remember no matter what happens next, and a lament for the state of the Big Blue Nation. It is in shambles, there is nothing left but wreckage. The recriminations will terrible, the reaction, swift.

I consider myself a mature person, and even though I shout and curse during games, I try to show restraint and class no matter what the outcome. It would be helpful if everyone else in the BBN would eschew their righteous anger and join me, but I fully expect that will not happen. For those who cannot control themselves, I pray you go elsewhere. For those who can, please join me in a moment of silence for a season which once looked promising, but now cannot be rescued, even by a miracle run in the SEC tournament.

I don't know who to feel worse for -- Patrick Patterson or Jared Carter. Carter gets the unfortunate distinction of being the senior who was honored on one of Kentucky's most ignominious nights. I don't mean my comments to demean or minimize the impressive and praiseworthy efforts of the Bulldogs. But hopefully, Georgia fans reading this will understand what was on the line, what the Georgia team had done, and what needed to happen for Kentucky to rescue the season.

I said a few days back that I retained no hopes for this season, and that is so. This loss finds me completely numb and impervious to pain. If someone brought in a knife and cut off one of my limbs, I would scarcely notice. This season has been something I hope to never be able to remember in my dotage. Not Alzheimer's, mind you, but a little dementia might be a good thing.

I don't know how Billy Gillispie recovers from this. I know Kentucky cannot fire him after two years without doing more damage to the program, and frankly, I don't think he deserves to be fired. But those who desire to get rid of him now have a strong case. I don't agree, but my arguments have sadly been reduced to, "It just ain't right to fire somebody after two years." That's it.

I'm not going to review what the team did, or the things that happened. They are pretty much irrelevant. There comes a time when the only thing that matters is the outcome, and this is one of those times. For all the players, the ones who played hard and the ones who did not, it is sackcloth and ashes. For the Big Blue Nation, it is self-flagellation for the foreseeable future. The players get off lucky. My back is already bloody.

It's difficult to explain what it's like being a blogger in this time. I can honestly say that if I could ethically do it, I would abandon this blog for at least two months, maybe more. But I can't, and it wouldn't be right, not only to SB Nation, but to all those who have come to stand and defend a fan's right not to be continuously subjected to hateful invective, and to rationally discuss the Wildcats, however deep and bottomless the pit may seem. Right now, it looks like we'll all be falling forever through the dark ...

Tomorrow, I'm sure my perspective will be better. I am confident of it. Perhaps this is a karmic burden that UK somehow accumulated in the 1990's that we have not yet properly worked off. Perhaps it is Tubby Smith praying to JoBu that UK fans suffer the misery many of them inflicted on him at times. Perhaps it is Rick Pitino asking the Pope to pray for a little Big Blue misery. Perhaps I'm just making stuff up, but that's what I do.

Anyway, discuss to your heart's content, but do remember my rules of civility. I will not relax them just because all of you are as miserable as I. I'll leave you with this -- I think we have fairly earned what we have coming from the press and media. Steel yourselves for the worst, because if you suppose this is it, you are engaging in wishful thinking.

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Georgia Bulldogs: Gameday Breakdown

Ken Howlett — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:47:41 -0000

Senior Night at Kentucky (19-10, 8-6) is always special. This year it's not only special, but a win versus SEC East cellar-dweller Georgia (11-18, 2-12) is an absolute necessity if UK is to have any chance at all of making the NCAA Tournament. A loss tonight would most certainly relegate UK to the NIT, absent the SEC Tournament trophy being brought back to Lexington.

Tonight's 8:00 EST match-up between the 'Cats and Bulldogs will serve as a Rupp Arena send-off for UK center Jared Carter. Will it also be the last game in UK's hallowed hall for Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks? Well, that will be determined after the season. But Jared, through his hard work, diligence, and excellent behavior deserves all the respect and admiration afforded an All-America.

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie had this to say about Carter:

"He's been great. It's very difficult for a player, no matter what class he's in, to not be able to play much. Jared has been here for so long. He came here with such high aspirations, and I know he approached this season and last season with high expectations. For not having played more, he has the best attitude I've ever seen. He's worked hard and continues to get better. He's just been a joy to be around and a joy to coach. I think his teammates love him to death, and he's been a really good member of our team."

Now, on to the 'Dogs -- Georgia is 2-3 in their last five games, with victories over Florida and Vanderbilt. With interim head coach Pete Herrmann (yes, David Robinson's coach at Navy) taking over for the deposed Dennis Felton, Georgia has been playing with nothing to lose; they have been playing loose and free. That is always dangerous for an opponent, especially one playing for it's Tournament life.

Georgia Personnel -- Stats for all games & conference play

Terrance Woodbury: 6'7" 221 lb senior G/F -- He averages 13.6 points (14th in the SEC), 4.6 rebounds,1.2 assists, and 2.8 turnovers per game. He shoots 39.5% from the field, 32.8% from the three-point line (41-125), and 83.3% from the free throw line (2nd in the SEC).

In conference play Woodbury is averaging 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He's also averaging 2.7 turnovers per game. He shoots 39.5% from the field, 33.8% from beyond the arc (24-71), and 80.0% from the free throw line -- He scored 32 points in Georgia's win over Florida, but since that game on February 14, he's made only 14-40 field goal attempts (35.0%), and only 4-13 threes (30.8%). He's nabbed nine offensive rebounds in his last four games. In UK's 68-45 victory in Athens earlier in the year Woodbury scored 8 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out one assist, and had four turnovers.

Howard "Trey" Thompkins: 6'8" 245 lb freshman forward -- He averages 12.5 points, 7.2 rebounds (11th in the SEC), 1.1 blocks (12th in the SEC), and 2.4 turnovers per game. He also grabs 2.0 offensive boards per game. Thompkins shoots 43.0% from the floor, 37.7% from the three-point line (29-77), and 72.5% from the charity stripe.

In SEC play he averages 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds (2.1 off. boards), and 2.4 turnovers per game. He's making 38.8% of his field goal attempts, 28.3% of his threes (13-46), and 72.0% of his free throws -- Thompkins has recorded 26 rebounds in his last three games (five offensive). He's also committed nine turnovers in his last three games. In his last five games he's 4-14 from the three-point line (28.6%), but he has made nine of his last 10 free throw tries. In Georgia's last game, versus Arkansas, he was 9-13 from the field (2-4 threes), and scored 20 points in 27 minutes. He's recorded three double-doubles on the year, and he's had three double-digit rebounding games in SEC play (versus Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss). Last time out against UK, Thompkins scored seven points on 3-9 shooting (1-2 threes), he grabbed three rebounds, had one steal, and three turnovers.

Dustin Ware: 5'11" 185 lb freshman guard -- Ware averages 7.1 points, 3.3 assists (8th in the SEC), 2.3 turnovers, and 1.7 rebounds per game. He shoots 36.3% from the field, 36.4% from behind the arc (36-99), and 64.6% from the free throw line.

In league play Ware averages 8.4 points, 3.7 assists (2.4 turnovers), and 1.8 rebounds per game. He shoots 37.7% from the floor, 38.3% from the three-point line (13-46), and 62.5% from the free throw line -- Since going 1-13 from behind the arc in back-to-back games versus South Carolina and Tennessee, Ware has made 11-21 three-point shots in his last five games (52.4%). Overall, in his last five games he's made 18-38 shots (47.4%), and dished out 25 assists to only eight turnovers. This after turning the ball over 10 times versus South Carolina on February 7. He's scored in double figures in his last five games, averaging 10.8 points per game. Versus UK in January, he scored seven points (2-8 FG's, 2-5 threes), dished out four dimes (one turnover), and had three steals.

Corey Butler: 6'3" 195 lb senior guard -- Butler comes in averaging 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He makes 40.1% of his shots, 35.7% of his trey attempts (30-84), and 69.4% of his free throws.

In SEC play Butler is averaging 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists (2.2 turnovers), and 1.1 steals per game. He shooting 32.8% from the field, 21.2% from the three-point line (7-33), and 74.3% from the free throw line -- In his last four games Butler has made only 5-21 field goal attempts (23.8%), and 1-7 three-pointers (14.3%). He's recorded zero assists in his last 51 minutes played, covering two games. He has eight steals in his last five games. In the earlier game versus UK, Butler scored five points (2-5 FG's, 0-3 threes), grabbed three rebounds and committed three turnovers.

Zac Swansey: 6'1" 179 lb sophomore guard -- He's averaging 4.5 points, 3.0 assists (2.1 turnovers), 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He's shooting 37.0% from the field, 25.6% from the three-point line (10-39), and 50.0% from the free throw line.

In league play Swansey is averaging 2.6 points, 1.7 assists (1.9 turnovers), and 1.0 rebounds per game. He's making 28.0% of his shots, 12.5% of his three-point attempts (2-16), and 77.8% of his free throws -- Since making 5-9 shots versus South Carolina on February 7, Swansey has made only two of his last 15 shots from the field in his last seven games (13.3%). He's made only 1-13 threes in his last 13 games (7.7%). Versus UK earlier in the year, he scored four points (2-5 field goals), dished out three assists, had one turnover and two steals.

Albert Jackson: 6'10" 265 lb junior F/C -- The Earlington, Kentucky native is averaging 4.5 points, 3.8 rebounds (1.6 off. reb.), and .9 blocks per game. He's making 46.7% of his shots, and 58.1% of his free throws.

In SEC play Jackson is averaging 4.5 points, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He's making 43.5% of his field goals attempts, and 47.4% of his free throws (9-19) -- Jackson has made five of his last 10 shots over the last two games. He recorded six offensive boards versus South Carolina on February 7. He's made only four of his last 12 free throws (33.3%). Last time out against UK, Jackson scored two points, on 1-4 shooting. He also grabbed two rebounds, had two steals, and two turnovers.

Chris Barnes: 6'7" 250 lb sophomore forward -- Barnes is averaging 4.0 points, and 3.9 rebounds per game. He shoots 54.8% from the field, and 41.0% from the free throw line.

In conference play he's averaging 3.5 points, and 3.6 rebounds per game. He's shooting 60.5% from the field, but only 17.6% from the charity stripe (3-17) -- In his last two games he's made 7-9 field goal attempts (77.8%) in 39 minutes played. His previous two games he attempted zero shots in 33 minutes played. He had five turnovers in 20 minutes versus Arkansas on March 1. He's made only two of his last 13 free throw attempts (eight games). Against UK in January, Barnes scored five points on 2-3 shooting, grabbed three rebounds, committed one turnover, and blocked one shot.

Jeremy Price: 6'8" 264 lb sophomore forward -- Price averages 5.4 points, and 3.0 rebounds per game. He shoots 43.8% from the floor, 40.0% from beyond the arc (2-5), and 52.2% from the free throw line.

In league play Price is averaging 3.4 points, and 1.7 rebounds per game. He's shooting 40.5% from the field, and 46.2% from the free throw line (6-13) -- Price has played only 32 minutes in Georgia's last five games. In those games he's only 1-10 from the field. In the 11 games previous, Price was 30-54 from the field (55.6%), while averaging 19 minutes per game. He recorded three assists versus 'Bama on January 31, but in the six games since he's dished out zero dimes. Versus UK in the earlier game, Price scored three points (1-8), nabbed three rebounds, and had one steal, but he committed four turnovers.

Georgia Team Stats -- Overall (SEC Rank in Parenthesis)

Georgia Opponents

Points Per Game -- 64.7 (12) 69.1 (6)

Field Goal% -- 41.4 (12) 42.6 (7)

Free Throw% -- 62.8 (11) 67.0 (6)

3-Point% -- 33.7 (7) 31.7 (1)

Rebound Margin -- +.1 (10)

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 12.3 (7) 12.7 (8)

Off. Reb.% -- 33.4 (9) 33.5 (8)

Def. Reb.% -- 66.5 (8) 66.6 (9)

Assists Per Game -- 13.1 (6) 14.2 (9)

Steals Per Game -- 7.6 (6) 9.0 (12)

Turnovers Per Game -- 17.3 (2) 14.9 (7)

Blocks Per Game -- 3.8 (7) 3.9 (9)

Georgia Team Stats -- Conference Games Only (SEC rank in parenthesis)

Georgia Opponents

Points Per Game -- 60.7(12) 74.2 (8)

Field Goal% -- 39.1 (12) 45.4 (8)

Free Throw% -- 64.0 (9) 68.0 (6)

3-Point% -- 32.4 (9) 33.8 (7)

Rebound Margin -- -1.9 (12)

Off. Reb.Per Game -- 11.9 (7) 12.4 (8)

Off. Reb.% -- 31.6 (9) 34.2 (7)

Def. Reb.% -- 65.8 (7) 68.4 (9)

Assists Per Game -- 11.8 (8) 14.9 (10)

Steals Per Game -- 6.9 (7) 8.9 (12)

Turnovers Per Game -- 17.9 (1) 12.9 (4)

Blocks Per Game -- 2.2 (12) 4.1 (6)

'Dog Bites

In beating Vanderbilt on February 25, Georgia held the Commodores to only 31.4% shooting ... Vandy was 6-23 from the three-point line ... Georgia has made 14 of their last 35 three-point attempts (40.0%) ... Their last four opponents have made only 23.4% of their threes (25-85) ... Georgia committed 24 turnovers versus South Carolina, and 25 versus Tennessee ... Georgia beat Florida on Valentine's Day by shooting 57.4% from the field (14-26 three-pointers), while committing only 13 turnovers ... 10 of UGA's SEC opponents have shot over 45.0% from the field ... As a team Georgia has made only 14 of their last 25 free throws (56.0%) ... Over their last four games, Georgia is averaging 58.5 points per game ... They have also been out-rebounded by 36 boards over their last four games ... The 'Dogs 88 points versus Florida was their biggest point production since scoring 98 against N.C. A&T on December 28 ... Against Ole Miss, Georgia shot only 25.0% for the game (14-56) ... Georgia has shot north of 35.0% from the three-point line five times in SEC play.

UK 68, UGA 45

Georgia shot only 31.1% from the field (19-61), and 18.8% from behind the arc (3-16). They did record 10 steals, but they committed 19 turnovers. The Bulldogs grabbed 15 offensive rebounds for a 35.7% conversion rate.

For UK, Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks combined to shoot 15-31 from the field, and scored 37 of UK's 68 points. Kevin Galloway, in only 10 minutes of action, dished out four assists and committed zero turnovers. Perry Stevenson's line looked good -- 4-6 FG's (13 points), six rebounds, and two blocks, all in 25 minutes. DeAndre Liggins also dished out four assists.

For the complete boxscore, go here.

CliffsNotes Analysis -- Facts of Life Edition

Georgia doesn't shoot the ball particularly well, they don't rebound the ball particularly well, they don't take care of the ball particularly well, and they don't defend particularly well. What the 'Dogs do is give up a lot of points, a lot of good shots, and a lot of wins to their opponents.

Kentucky has to win ... must win ... has no choice but to win ... in order to pull the Big Blue Nation back from the brink of self-destruction.

Since the beginning of SEC play in 1933, UK has lost three games in a row, twice within the conference season, only three times -- '67, '76, and 2006. Coming off losses to South Carolina and LSU, and UK's earlier three game SEC slide, the 'Cats are in danger of adding '09 to the list.

It's just a fact of life that Kentucky needs a win. I don't care how it's done ... just win!

How's that for an analysis?

GOOD LUCK JARED CARTER -- YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT 'CAT!

Thanks for reading, and 'Go Cats!

Virginia Military Institute @ Kentucky: Stats, facts, and analysis

Truzenzuzex — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:29:14 -0000

The Keydets of Virginia Military Institute (VMI) march into Lexington on Friday for a tilt with the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena at 7:00 PM. This represents the official launch of the 2008-09 season and the first game on the schedule that counts. Obviously, VMI is a relatively weaker team designed to help Kentucky round out their form before mixing it up with the big boys, but we have had bad experiences with so-called "easy" games before (the most famous of which will go unnamed and unmentioned here).

Here is a little background on VMI:

Location: Lexington, Virginia
Enrollment: 1400
Mascot/Colors: Keydets/Red, Yellow and White
All-time record: 754-1344 (36%)
UK was the last Keydet NCAA tournament opponent in 1976-1977, a Kentucky victory
Head coach: Duggar Baucom
Conference Affiliation: Big South
Returning 4 starters and 9 lettermen from last year's 5th place Big South team

A look at the Keydets

Impressive facts

The VMI Keydets are one of the highest-scoring teams in college basketball, and averaged over 100 points per game in the 2006-07 season. Over the past two seasons, the Keydets have scored in triple digits on 25 separate occasions. The Keydets have lead the nation the last two years in 3-point shots made. Defensively, the Keydets have led the nation for the last two seasons.

The bottom line is, the Keydets play basketball at a relentless pace. To give you an idea of how relentless, their adjusted pace numbers from Kenpom.com for the 06-07 and 07-08 are 90.9 and 79.7 respectively. Compare that to Kentucky's numbers of 67.6 and 65.5. If UK continues to run the floor like they have for the two most recent exhibition games, this could turn into an amazing track meet where any score is possible.

A few more items of interest from the VMI Media Guide -- Record last year when:

Leading at the half -- 10-3
Opponent shoots less than 50% -- 11-3
Scoring 90 or more -- 11-2
Scoring less than 80 -- 0-6
Scoring less than 90 -- 3-13

Statistically speaking

We are going to look at last years stat comparison. It isn't all that valid this year, particularly since Kentucky is such a different type of team. The Keydets, however, return mostly intact from last year, and I think the stats comparison from last year will illustrate a few things. Statistics courtesy of StatSheet.com:

	Kentucy Wildcats		VMI Keydets		Comments
School Information
Conference	SEC		Big South
State	KY		VA
Founded	1865		1839
School Type	Public		Public
Enrollment	26545		1400
Rankings
Conf Standing	2		5
AP Rank	0		0
RPI	0.57		0.43
RPI Rank	57		274		No comparison in comp last year.
SOS	0.57		0.44
SOS Rank	19		321
Wins & Losses
Overall	18-13	(58.1%)	14-15	(48.3%)	None of this is particularly relevant this year.
Home	14-4	(77.8%)	8-6	(57.1%)
Away	4-6	(40.0%)	6-7	(46.2%)
Neutral	0-3	(0.0%)	0-2	(0.0%)
Conference	12-4	(75.0%)	6-8	(42.9%)
Top 25	2-5	(28.6%)	0-0	(0.0%)
Blowout (> 19)	5-1	(83.3%)	6-2	(75.0%)
Close (< 6)	6-4	(60.0%)	4-5	(44.4%)
Overtime	1-2	(33.3%)	1-3	(25.0%)
NCAA Tourney	0-1	(0.0%)	0-0	(0.0%)
Scoring		Nat. Rnk		Nat. Rnk
Points	2124	195	2649	28	VMI can really score.
Points Per Game	68.5	180	91.3	1	Yikes!
Shooting		Nat. Rnk		Nat. Rnk
FG Made	735	205	945	23
FG Att	1566	293	2125	17
FG Pct	46.9	40	44.5	142	These guys don't mind missing a lot.
FT Made	472	125	423	196
FT Att	644	173	611	204
FT Pct	73.3	51	69.2	163	Not as good as you would expect.
3pt FG Made	182	246	336	4	Wow. Now, UK has had trouble with mad bomber teams before this one. This will really tell if UK has improved their 3-pt. Defense
3pt FG Att	493	294	1045	1
3pt FG Pct	36.9	91	32.2	280
Rebounds		Nat. Rnk		Nat. Rnk
Rebounds	1107	248	1238	124	Lots of rebounds available for this team.
Reb Per Game	35.7	252	42.7	19	Really good offensive rebounding.
Off Rebs	301	281	433	41
Off Rebs Per Game	9.7	281	14.9	11
Def Rebs	737	166	683	236
Def Rebs Per Game	23.8	117	23.6	135
Assists, Steals, & Blocks		Nat. Rnk		Nat. Rnk
Assists	395	212	518	40	Good passing team, but lots of shots.
Assists Per Game	12.7	202	17.9	5	Good passing team, but lots of shots.
Steals	206	184	369	1	Best stealing team in the nation last year.
Steals Per Game	6.6	171	12.7	1	Best stealing team in the nation last year.
Blocks	149	47	77	260	Short guys can't block shots.
Blocks Per Game	4.8	35	2.7	227	Short guys can't block shots.
Turnovers & Fouls		Nat. Rnk		Nat. Rnk
Turnovers	490	91	463	153
TO Per Game	15.8	72	16	65
Fouls	584	178	521	298	Wow. Lots and lots of fouls for both teams.
Fouls Per Game	18.8	149	18	206	Another hack-a-thon?

Players

The Keydets return four starters, but the one player who did leave is two-time Division I leading scorer Reggie Williams, who averaged 27.8 points/9.7 rebounds per game for the Keydets last year. I think that might ... matter a bit, don't you?

Anyway, here are the main guys expected to see time against the Wildcats.

Player	YR	P	GP	GS	FG%	3FG%	FT%	Per Game Averages
Player	YR	P	GP	GS	FG%	3FG%	FT%	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	Comments
C. Holmes	Jr	G	29	27	44.4	36	70.9	30.9	18.3	4.3	2.5	2.1	2.4	0.4	All-Big South
T. Holmes	Jr	G	29	15	41	27	77.3	27.5	15.6	5.9	2.8	2.7	2.2	0.6	Leading Rebounder
W. Bell	Jr	F	28	22	54.5	41.4	67.1	26.4	8.2	5.8	1.8	2	1.6	0.6
A. Lonon	So	G	28	27	51.1	18.2	64.9	22.8	4.2	1.4	3.5	2.5	2.1	0	Assist leader
C. Josey	So	G	27	9	45.9	21.4	43.8	10.6	1.6	2.8	0.4	0.9	0.2	0

Returning Starter

In addition, the Keydets return sophomore guard Austin Kenon, who averaged 12.3 points last year. All other returners averaged in single digits. The Keydets also have five new freshman players, some of whom had impressive high-school careers, including Michael Sparks from Lexington Tates Creek. An interesting side note is that Sparks surpassed Darrin Horn of South Carolina (nee Western Kentucky) as the leading scorer in Tates Creek history, so this kid is liable to be good.

The tallest player the Keydets have on the roster is 7'0"/245# center Stephen Sargent, who was red shirted last year. I don't know if he will be in the starting lineup for the UK game or not. The Keydets have a couple of other players who are in the 6'6-6'7 range, but generally they are a smaller team than Kentucky.

Analysis

This team, in many ways, is the ideal warm-up for North Carolina -- very high possession team, constant pressure defense, very up-tempo. The Keydets are kind of like a North Carolina team on fast-forward, and their constant 3-point shooting will provide all kinds of opportunities for the Wildcats to prove how well they have mastered defending the 3-point shot.

Lest you think this is just a run-and-gun team, take note of their assists last year. VMI averaged almost 18 assists, and are a very unselfish team. What they are not is a particularly skilled team other than at shooting the 3, and they don't shoot a good percentage from there. For example, Liberty, who Kentucky beat convincingly, wiped out the Keydets 103-88. The Keydets later got revenge, but this team is not really as dangerous in reality as they appear on paper, although they are more athletic than you might think. VMI plays the kind of style that will provide an interesting test for the Wildcats and should provide an entertaining game for the fans. If Kentucky can hold them under 60 points, it will reflect very well on UK's defensive intensity.

VMI really tested Winthrop, which was a pretty good team last year, early in the season. So this style can produce some drama, even though Winthrop throttled them in the return engagement. The rebounding statistics look more impressive than they are, because VMI plays at such a high pace, there are more rebounds available.

In the final analysis, there is really no reason why Kentucky should not handle the Keydets easily. The 'Cats are much longer, more athletic and skilled. The Keydets will give us trouble with their three-point shooting and fast-paced style, and with Kentucky's deeper roster, there will be no more attempts to really slow down games other than to generally manage the pace to keep the defensive intensity high. The transition from a very deliberate style to a more up-tempo style looked easy against the much weaker Division II teams we faced, but the Keydets are used to playing nothing but this style and Kentucky must be mindful of the pace and stick to their knitting on defense.

There should be little the Keydets can do to stop Kentucky from scoring on offense other than using ball pressure to create turnovers. Alas, the 'Cats have proven susceptible to turnovers again early this year, and you can bet the Keydets will not be unaware of this tendency. Patterson, Stevenson, Harrellson and even Carter should be too much for the Keydets inside, and that figures to be where UK goes to get most of thier work done against VMI. There are also likely to be a high number of fouls called in this game as both teams tend to foul liberally.

In the end, this is a game which could be a blowout or one of those games where the Big Blue Faithful are wringing their hands, much like the OBU game. Hopefully, Billy Gillispie will have the Wildcats much more prepared for this one, and we'll see a return of the impressive play we saw against Missouri-St. Louis.

Ouachita Baptist @ Kentucky (Exhibition): Post Mortem

Truzenzuzex — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:48:44 -0000

Never let it be said that the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist came into Rupp Arena with stars in their eyes and fear in their heart. The Division II Tigers came in with a very similar style to Kentucky's -- hard-nosed defense and deadly three-point shooting. Coach Charlie Schaef's charges came into the Wildcat's lair and gave a good effort in a very physical game. Ultimately, the Wildcats prevailed, 94-72.

I must say that the officials made a mess of this contest, calling touch fouls and all sorts of ticky-tack junk that completely disrupted the flow of the game. It got so bad that coach Gillispie finally lost his cool and managed to draw a technical foul in an exhibition game. That, folks, is something you don't see every day, but I can honestly say that these officials well and truly deserved whatever abuse both coaches gave them.

As for the Wildcats, they displayed none of the professional, workmanlike attitude evident in their fist exhibition game on Monday. It was replaced by erratic, almost frenetic offense and the kind of defense they played early last season. Despite the fact that Perry Stevenson almost recorded a triple-double and had 20 rebounds, this game was anything but a thing of beauty.

Patrick Patterson still looks a step slow and an inch low on his vertical to me. He just isn't as explosive as he was last year, and that is clearly due to the long period of time he had rehabbing that ankle. Josh Harrellson was ineffective today, and rarely saw the floor due to some early defensive breakdowns which, as we all know, is the key to spending lots of time as a spectator with a great seat on a Billy Gillispie-coached team. DeAndre Liggins was somewhat erratic at first, but he got it going with some nice defense and some decent offense later on. Jodie Meeks was pretty much the same as usual, and actually played some pretty solid defense in this game.

I thought Mark Krebs and Landon Slone did some good work out there, and Jared Carter, too, until he foolishly fouled a three-point shooter, which drew an immediate hook from the coach. But ultimately, what will rankle most Wildcat fans about this game is the ridiculous number of turnovers by Kentucky. It got better in the second half, but the first half was a comedy of errors and reminded me very much of our outing against Gardener-Webb, albeit only for a short time. It got better in the end, but not nearly good enough to make this a celebration of a better-than-expected team.

All in all, this was a pedestrian effort at its best and an ugly mess at its worst. It is the kind of game you expect from a young team playing against a much older one, even taking into account the difference in skill and athleticism. There will be many opportunities for improvement to be found reviewing this tape, and I am confident coach Gillispie will avail himself of every single one of them.

Missouri-St. Louis Tritons vs. The Kentucky Wildcats: Post mortem

Truzenzuzex — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:33:52 -0000

First of all, thanks to the Tritons from the University of Missouri-St. Louis for coming in and giving it all they had tonight. Obviously, UMSL was a vastly over-matched team. They had many new players and are a Division II school, so we really can't take many deep lessons away from this game. But in the micro view, we saw some things, most of them encouraging.

Patrick Patterson was impressive of course, but we expected that to happen. Jodie Meeks ran amok, as I said he likely would. The Wildcats were vastly superior to the Tritons in speed, athleticism and skill, as expected. No surprises, nothing new under the sun.

Except ... well, a surprisingly cohesive offense that, unlike last year at this time, looked very much like it had a purpose. For heaven's sake, the offense looked ... well, for lack of a better word, intentional. Like they were doing it on purpose, instead of at random and without a clue, like last year. The defense was intense -- long, lean, quick and consistent. The second team played just as hard, intense, and almost as proficiently as the first team. In short, it looked like a University of Kentucky basketball team is supposed to look, even if they are facing a tougher team in practice every day than they did tonight.

What I liked was the intensity of this group, the lack of a desire to deviate into showmanship. No fancy passes, no reckless shots, nothing but consistent, fundamental basketball played by a bunch of skillful guys. It was very much a best of old school basketball mixed with modern athleticism. It was fast when it needed to be, and deliberate when appropriate. In an unusual twist, neither the offense nor the defense seemed out of sync when the pace changed, something that I have seen all to often in teams that either like to press the pace or play a deliberate style. In two words, it was opportunistic and steady.

Obviously, much of the success of this effort was caused by the size of the mismatch, so all the forgoing observations probably have no relevance to ultimate reality. Still, this is the time of the season to really get excited, scarf up some calories and get our passion into overdrive before we face the inevitable, and early, test of how good this team really is, in the form of the consensus #1 team in America at their place in 15 days in front of a nationally televised audience. If the 'Cats are not ready, they will be exposed in an affair that most of us will still be trying hard to forget by Thanksgiving.

But before I/we start waving a white flag, there is an awful lot to be encouraged about. This is a much more talented team than I expected, and I expected a lot. The summer has been particularly kind to Michael Porter and Josh Harrellson, and that will be my segue into general player evaluations:

Patrick Patterson -- he still looks a step slow and an inch short on his vertical, but his intensity is just as powerful. All he needs is a few games to get his mojo back 100%.
Michael Porter -- Physically, he is now ready to play point guard in the SEC. Mentally, I'm not quite sold. His shot did not look good tonight, and his defense was good but not great against inferior competition.
Ramon Harris -- Tremendously improved in every area, but most noticeably ballhandling. Defensive genius.
Perry Stevenson -- His confidence with the ball in his hands is vastly improved, but he still tends to disappear a bit on offense. He needs to be more assertive. Defensively, he is still an eraser.
Jodie Meeks -- This kid is frightening in his ability to put the ball in the basket. His defense needs significant improvement, as does his desire to take the ball to the hole. But frankly, even if he never learns to play great defense, he is an amazing scorer and athlete.
Josh Harrellson -- If this game is any indication, we could have another Scott Padgett on our hands. It's remarkable how similar his game is to Padget's. Harrelson's offensive footwork was fine, but he was often out of position on defense.
DeAndre Liggins -- Still raw, but his skill and talent are remarkable. He made some fantastic passes from the wing, and just as I said in previous posts, loves to advance the ball rapidly with the pass. He can dribble and rebound a little, too. Defensively, he is inconsistent, but it's clear he's working hard and will be a very good defender.
Jared Carter -- Improved, but I am not sure how much of an impact he will have. He still has work to do on both sides of the ball.
Darius Miller -- He was great. I did not expect him to be that good, but he surely was excellent in almost every phase. His defense could be better, but it was pretty darn good.
Kevin Galloway -- He played some of the best defense I saw, very aggressive and sharp. Got beat once off the dribble, so he isn't Ramon Harris yet, but he raised his stock with Gillispie tonight if he continues to give that kind of defensive effort.
Donald Williams -- Looked lost, needs time.
A.J. Stewart -- Absent for whatever reason.

OK, we'll have more on this later. Have fun with it. This game was just an exhibition, but feel free to be enthusiastic. Basketball season is here. I am content.

Missouri-St. Louis Tritons vs. The Kentucky Wildcats: Open Game Thread

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:00:06 -0000

I won't be doing any deep, serious analysis of this exhibition game, but lets take a quick look at some of the facts about our opponent tonight:

Name -- University of Missouri-St. Louis
Location -- St. Louis, Missouri
Enrollment -- 16,000
Affiliation -- NCAA Division II
Head Coach -- Chris Pilz
Colors -- Red and Gold
Conference -- Great Lakes Valley (Same as Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana)
Overall record -- 496/552 (.473)
Record last year -- 9/18 (.333)
Last 20-win season -- 1990-91 (22/6)
Mascot -- Tritons (Changed from Rivermen last year)
Has never played Kentucky before, but notable historical victims include Arkansas once, Missouri State 5 times and St. Louis twice.

Chris Pilz has several Division I transfers on this team, including Sky Frazier (Missouri State, 6'10"/225#), Paul Paradoski (Southeast Missouri State, 6'0"/165) and Jason Black (Samford, 6'4"/200#). The top returning scorer for UMSL is forward David Ward, a senior and 3-year starter for the Tritons. Paul De Chellis is another senior starter. This team will be very senior-laden in diametric opposition to the young Kentucky Wildcats. Larricus Brown and Cody Kliethermes are both shooters who can make the long shot.

In case some of you were were wondering about Josh Harrellson, who comes from that area, he did consider going to UMSL after moving on from Southwestern Illinois College and getting his release from Western Illinois.

This game should be a mismatch both size and talent-wise, as you would expect for an exhibition game. Sky Frazier is the Tritons' tallest player at 6'10",but back issues will likely sideline their biggest starter, 6'9" Adam Kaatman. Kentucky can field a team that would simply tower over the smaller Tritons having no player shorter than 6'6", but I doubt we will see much of that.

I expect Michael Porter to start at the point, along with Patterson, Stevenson, Harris and Meeks, assuming Harris is fully recovered from the knee injury. If not, we could see Darius Miller start at the three, or Meeks slide over and DeAndre Liggins take the other guard. Who would be the PG in that lineup? Probably a little of both.

Gillispie will likely want to get the ball inside to Patterson a lot, and expect to see quite a bit of the high-low with Stevenson and Harrellson. I keep hearing a lot of muted praise from various locations about Jared Carter's play, so I expect him to see some significant minutes tonight. I think Gillispie will want to know early if Carter is going to compete, and Jared needs to have some confidence in his game ability going in to the season if he is to contribute at all. I am still wary of expectations that Carter may be productive, but at the same time, I was encouraged by what I saw in the Blue-White game and what I am hearing from those with inside sources.

I fully expect Jodie Meeks to run amok tonight, much as he did in the Blue-White game on Saturday. He is simply too athletic for the Tritons, even though they will be smaller and quicker in general than the 'Cats. I have no idea how the Tritons expect to oppose Patterson and Stevenson or even Harrellson, and my expectation is that they will try some double teams that result in back-door dunks by Kentucky.

I am anxious to see how some of UK's JUCO transfers and freshmen attack on defense. This is going to be the key to playing time, as it is for almost any good coach, and with so much playing time potentially up in the air, I expect to see them really get after the defense, and therefore I expect a lot of fouls. That may sound like a bad thing, but if there aren't a lot of fouls, I don't think Gillispie will be very happy with the intensity that the Wildcats bring. It takes a while to learn how to really guard hard without fouling, and so that figures to be an interesting subplot to tonight's game.

Another thing I would like to see is Liggins put up a few more shots. He shot the ball a bit better than I expected in the Blue-White game, and his mechanics looked rather more sound than I had seen from him in the past. I would also like to see both he and Kevin Galloway attack more off the dribble than they did in the Blue-White game.

Ok, that's about all for me, add your comments below and enjoy the game. Go Cats!

Kentucky has a practice open to the media for the first time since 1992

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:55:10 -0000

UK had a practice today that was open to the media. I'm sure you will be hearing a lot about it from the guys who were there, but from what I have read so far, let me just tell you who I think did well and who did not:

First, Gillispie seems to have a very high-energy practice routine from the reports I have read, with very little time for rest. I don't think that surprises anyone but from reading the reports, the practices are extremely well-organized and precise, moving from one drill to the next with great speed and intensity.

So now to the players. Players doing particularly well at practice today were Porter, Patterson, Meeks, Liggins, Miller, and Stevenson.

Players who were said to have had the most criticism at practice today were Galloway and A.J. Stewart.

Everyone else is somewhere in between.

I want to point out, probably unnecessarily, that a second-hand report from an early practice means absolutely nothing, and it would truly be worthy of Miss Cleo if I tried to read anything season-wise into what was said to have happened today. But part of what we do here is speculate about all things Wildcat, so I think I can be forgiven for giving some impressions with the caveat that they are probably wrong. I won't talk about all the players, just a few that seem relevant right now.

My impression is that Carter is making headway. That is entirely unexpected, as I have gone from a Carter hopeful to a skeptic. This does little to change that, as he clearly didn't stand out, but that in itself is a positive since some of those who did stood out in a very negative way.

My impression is that DeAndre Liggins is everything he is supposed to be, and more. He will not be starting early in the season, I think, but he will be earning plenty of minutes. His intensity seems to be lower than it should be, but that is likely the transition to college basketball.

Patrick Patterson is still not back to 100% basketball-wise, nor from a conditioning standpoint. Meeks is much further along, which is no surprise, since his surgery had a much shorter recovery time.

A year in the system has done a lot of good for some players, and not as much as we would hope for others, especially A.J. Stewart. He still seems to be struggling to get in the right places, and that is somewhat discouraging. For Galloway, I am less concerned -- he is transitioning from a program that played a wildly different style than Gillispie, and he is just going through a transition. He'll get it soon enough, I expect.

Josh Harrellson may take a while to become effective. It is clear that this level of basketball is uncomfortable for him right now, but he should get better. He certainly seems to have the will and desire to compete, and that is always good.

So there we go -- my impressions based on second-hand reports of a practice. If you are a gambling man, I recommend you bet against me being right about any of this, since there is a bunch of between-the-lines reading going on, and I didn't see one second of the actual practice itself. Be that as it may, the season is closing in, and next week, it will be here.

Kentucky Basketball: Where we are in the big picture

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:20:49 -0000

There are a ton of UK sites that has recruiting as their raison d'être, and A Sea of Blue is not among them. That isn't to say that we don't pay attention or care about recruiting -- we do -- but our purpose here is to offer opinion and analysis of the facts surrounding Kentucky sports, provide opportunity for members and readers to comment on, or think about, or to post their own thoughts about in the FanPosts.

We don't get too caught up in recruiting because we simply don't have the resources necessary to cover it effectively, and we aren't trying to compete with those that do. Instead, what we try to do here is analyze what the recruiting news we receive might mean to Kentucky, and offer insights about how the players might be utilized, what we can expect, etc. Of course, all of that is just opinion, and we want that to be understood.

With that in mind, I want to briefly look at where Kentucky is roster-wise, and what is/may be happening to change that over the coming year or so. Right now, UK has it's full allotment of scholarships offered and accepted, so our roster for 2008-2009 looks like this:

Name	Position	Class
Darius Miller	SF	Freshman
Kevin Gallow	CG/SF	Junior
Michael Porter	CG	Junior
A.J. Stewart	CF	Sophomore
Perry Stevenson	PF	Junior
Ramon Harris	SF	Junior
Jodie Meeks	SG/SF	Junior
Matt Pilgrim	PF	Sophomore
DeAndre Liggins	PG	Freshman
Jared Carter	C	Senior
Patrick Patterson	PF	Sophomore
Josh Harrellson	PF/C	Sophomore
Donald Williams	CG	Freshman

This is our full compliment of 13 scholarships allowed by NCAA rules. As you can see, we are very heavy in the forward position with only one true center and one true point guard. We have 4 combo guards who are capable of playing either position (DeAndre Liggins could probably fit into this category as well, but in the current lineup, I don't expect to see him there). Kevin Galloway could also play point guard, but in my opinion, I don't think you will see him there much, if at all.

For next year, we will be losing two players -- one for certain and one to early entry. I don't think there is any way barring an injury or a sophomore slump that Patrick Patterson stays for his junior year. After having one injury requiring surgical intervention, I think the will not want to risk his future on another, and assuming he is a lock for a first-round pick, I fully expect him to declare for the draft.

That will leave two scholarships available for next year, barring transfer. Right now, we have both those scholarships filled for 2009-10 by G.J. Villarino and John Hood. Marc Maggard has assured us that Donald Williams' offer is only for this year, and that he will not have a scholarship next year. I have made the only comments I will make about that scenario here, and for the purposes of this article, I am going to assume that is actually the case. Also for the purposes of this article, I am going to assume that fact will lead Williams to transfer to another school.

Given all this, it looks like we will have a third scholarship available for 2009-10, and right now, a reasonable person would conclude that scholarship is being held for Daniel Orton, which would give us a full compliment for 2009-10. Essentially, we would be trading Patterson, Carter and Williams for Villarino, Hood and Orton. In that scenario, we would address two needs -- one at point guard and one at center. We would theoretically return a much older group of forwards and guards, and that team would likely be a highly-ranked bunch capable of making a deep run into March.

Now, I am not casting aspersions on this year's team -- they may well wind up playing late in the spring as well, but right now, we just don't know enough about the newcomers to make that kind of judgment. But next year, barring defections and injuries, UK will have a senior-laden team with tons of leadership potential and some extremely talented newcomers to add depth.

All this leads me to believe that the future of Kentucky basketball is very bright, indeed. Of course, there are any number of things that could happen to derail this rosy scenario, but if we are fortunate, we could wind up with a realistic contender for another national championship as soon as next year.