SB Nation - Patrick Patterson

Interview With Joseph Lacy, Author of "Mountain Reign"

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:58:16 -0000

Mountain Reign front cover

As a nice tie-in to Roy Williams' comments in my previous post, I present here an interview with Joseph Lacy.

Joseph Lacy is a first-time author of a new book about basketball called Mountain Reign,which he describes as "...a hardscrabble coming-of-age tale about coal country teens struggling to make it to the state basketball finals in Rupp-era Lexington. It has sort of a 'Hoosiers meets October Sky' feel."

The interview with Joe about Mountain Reign follows the jump.

Mandatory full disclosure: I have been sent a free copy of Joe's novel, and no other financial or in-kind consideration whatsoever. This interview was my promise to him before he offered to provide a copy, and I have no financial interest in the novel, either directly or indirectly except as disclosed herein. The purpose of this interview is to make our readers familiar with a new novel about a subject that may interest them.

Tru: How many books have you written?

Mountain Reign is my first novel, and you always hope that people don’t say the new baby’s ears are too big. Previously, I wrote a biography of Ohio native Jim Foulkes, MD. I joined Jim on his mission hospital rounds in the bush country of Mukinge, Zambia (south central Africa) and the seeds of To Africa with Love: A Bush Doc’s Story were planted then.   I also compiled a series of inspirational gift books in a "Prescription" series, including Prescription for Life. I did a satisfying cover story for Iron Master on the life story of my uncle, Ronald Coleman Lacy. Ron was the greatest all-around athlete I’ve ever seen. I’ve also written quite a bit in the medical field, and am currently working on two medical thrillers, Shadow’s Call and Pearl Dive.

Tru: What was the inspiration behind Mountain Reign?

For my money, Hoosiers is the best sports movie ever. So why fictionalize Kentucky basketball when we have dozens of Hoosiers-like tales? Instead of telling one story, I took slivers of many and coupled it with the spirit of Kentucky basketball and came up with Mountain Reign.

I grew up with basketballs bouncing around my ears (Lexington-born, UK alumnus), and gained great inspiration from watching a lot of fabulous players, notably college basketball players. Patrick Patterson and Jeff Sheppard come to mind, but also classic ones, such as Dan Issel, Jamal Mashburn, Pete Maravich, Roger Harden, Tony Delk, Jack Givens, and Rex Chapman. Basketball is a birthright in Kentucky.

As well, I was raised by wonderful Appalachian grandparents and my Hazard-born Uncle Ron. Their profound love and example influence me to this day, and a lot of the hardiness is found in the characters of Mountain Reign.

Appalachia’s story is one of a hardscrabble life and the quality of that life depended upon a man or woman’s independence and self-sufficiency. I set the book in 1950. At that time, the severe terrain and isolation of this population left many of these mountain communities unlike any found elsewhere in the world.

Much of Appalachian writing diverges into stereotype or romantic legend. I wanted neither. I wrote about a sturdy people who happened to be Appalachian. The creative center of Mountain Reign is people. As well, the rich landscape of the Appalachian Mountains presents as a character in itself. Add a little basketball to the mix, then put the reader behind the eyes of teenagers (who can get away with speaking their minds more so than what the domesticated tongues of adults might speak), and you some interesting stuff.

Tru: Were any of your characters inspired by UK players, past or present? If so which characters and which players?

High school players, of course, will not have the polish college players have. In fact, I did not choose one particular player to model my characters after, but took facets from many. And quite a few of those facets came from lesser-sung players.

When Hazelwood’s pint-sized point guard (Stub) barrels down court dribbling the ball like he’s squashing bugs, readers will see a little guy with a big desire to win. UK fans will hopefully see a composite—Dicky Beal, Anthony Epps, or even Ron Lacy, a UK football player (running back under Bear Bryant, an Army All-Star basketball player, and former Mr. America). These guys had motors that didn’t quit. If John Wall had played at Kentucky before I’d finished Mountain Reign, there would probably be a sliver of him in there, too. With Wall, you're tempted to use Ali’s famous line: "Keep the camera moving, ‘cause I'm kinda fast."

Hazelwood plays scrappy, in-your-face defense. I hope readers see slivers of Anthony Epps, Jay Shidler, Cliff Hawkins, Saul Smith, Travis Ford, and Sean Woods.

In Mountain Reign, even some of the opponents have a UK essence. For example, a city player who "looks like he has cantaloupe halves strapped where his calves should have been" muscles his way in the paint with his NFL-style frame (think James Lee) to torment foes with his silky shots (insert Jack Givens or Louie Dampier).

When other characters stroke polished textbook shots, I hope the readers see in their mind’s eye images of Kevin Grevey, Jodie Meeks, and Troy McKinley. When the hometown player sets a rock-solid box out, here’s hoping visions of Charles Hurt, Dan Issel, or Patrick Patterson leap to their minds.   A dribbler blurs through the defense like gale through a corn field, and I hope they ask—was that Roger Harden or Rajon Rondo? Derek Anderson or Wayne Turner? Larry Conley or Ralph Beard?

But most importantly, I hope the reader sees in Mountain Reign the concept of team. Slade (the coach) knows he has a team, and thinks: His boys were playmakers…all elbows and scabbed knees on defense. But not one was authentic hotshot material. Slade prayed that when his opponent looked down his bench, they would see a ratty string of boys they would underestimate.

Role players often are the crucial cement that molds really good teams. Mountain Reign is full of players who exude hustle, who are comfortable in their own skin and use solid fundamentals—who better to embody the team concept than Jeff Brassow, Chuck Hayes, Ronnie Lyons, John Pelphrey, or Richie Farmer. Those guys were as comfortable scraping their chins against the floor chasing loose balls as shooting baskets in warm-ups. The same can be said for other mountain floor burns—Wah Wah Jones, Reggie Hanson, Joe Stepp, Johnny Cox, and Don Mills.

While every UK era has its many stars to draw from, one thing doesn’t change from year to year—Kentucky strives for team. I love what former UNC coach Frank McGuire said: "Kentucky has found the secret of basketball—five guys playing together." That’s what Mountain Reign is all about.

In my book, one of the guys shares his money with his destitute teammates. Not to stretch this analogy too far, but when Jamal Mashburn donated $500,000 from his salary before playing one NBA game, that kind of generosity gets your attention.

Also, you have to remember, up to only a few years ago, the closest modern touchstone to boys’ basketball in the 50s was girls’ basketball. I made sure to attend a high school girls’ game at a small school (Class A) to get a little feel for finesse and teamwork.

Tru: Is this the first book you have written with a basketball theme?

Mountain Reign is my first book with a basketball theme.

Tru: Why did you pick the mountains of Eastern Kentucky during the Adolph Rupp era as the setting?

The Appalachian players were the rootstock of Kentucky basketball during this era. And this, at a time when UK was amassing a perennial basketball dynasty, with All-Americans coming off the bench. Rupp would often quote the Bible: "I look unto the hills, whence comes my help."

Also, in 1950 television had yet to homogenize the culture. The time period and geography made for an amazing abundance of rich-textured themes. Living off the land. The blessing/curse of coal veining through the mountains. Segregation. Elizabethan dialect that is a somewhat close to what Shakespeare or Chaucer spoke.

Tru: Which character, if any, will Kentucky fans find most familiar?

Hopefully, they will see glimpses of many players, not just one. What basketball lovers will find familiar is that the boys between these pages love basketball as much as they do. This beautiful game was made to be played well, and to be played well it must be played fast, and be played as a team.

Really, none of the hometown team in Mountain Reign is good enough to play at UK. But what they're really good at is being a team. As an aside, there’s a scene where the coach drives the winding roads to meet an old retired coach from Clay County, Bippy Skyland, for advice. He’s not exactly a Bobby Keith, but they would have liked each other.

Tru: What, if anything, was the most difficult thing about writing Mountain Reign?

On a writerly level, you always worry about the balance of the elements (description, narrative summary, dialogue) used in storytelling. You want your history and facts to be right, but you don’t want to use a ton of research, because it comes off as a data dump and/or authorial boasting, which pulls a reader out of the story. That’s one reason why I couldn't mention all forty-nine of Kentucky’s Appalachian counties (nor many of their great players) between the pages of the book by name—but their spirit is there.

Today, of course, kids of all stripes play ball together. But at that time, you had two Kentucky high school leagues, one white, one black (KHSAA and KHSAL). Then, blacks and whites did not officially play together. Fiction allows you to have a little fun—so I had a black team scrimmage the hometown white team in preparation for a tournament. I didn’t want to rabbit-trail too much from the dominant theme of the book, but I thought this was an important scene (pre-civil rights America). To get a feel for this, I spoke with Henry Lee Logan, the first African-American to play basketball at a predominantly white institution (Western Carolina University) in the southeastern US. As well, I had a friend (an African-American MD who played college ball in the south) read the excerpt for suggestions.

Additionally, one of my main characters is a Melungeon, someone not quite black, someone not quite white. (Try googling "Melungeon" for an interesting read). I interviewed a nurse I work with who is part-Melungeon. Suffice it to say, the self-reliant Melungeon’s skin is not only dark, it’s pretty thick, too. Toughness comes in all shades of skin color.

What do I want people to get out of the book? The enjoyment of a satisfying read and an appreciation for that which is the creative center of Mountain Reign—the Appalachian people.

You can read Mountain Reign reviews or pick up a copy at Amazon.com or Abebooks.com. Lacy is having a book signing at December 19th, (Saturday) from 2-4 pm at Borders Books, Crestview Hills Town Center, Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

Hoosier Headlines for December 13, 2009: postgame coverage of Indiana's loss to Kentucky, plus football and Big Ten expansion.

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

3 days ago: Kentucky forward DeMarcus Cousins reacts after hitting a shot and getting fouled during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. Kentucky won 90-73. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Hoosiers run out of gas (Post-Tribune)
"Energized by a raucous Assembly Hall crowd, which IU coach Tom Crean called "one of the most incredible atmospheres" he has ever been a part of, the Hoosiers (4-5) jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first half and trailed Kentucky by just one at the break."
Wildcats need run to stop Creek, IU (The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.)
"A year ago, we play at Kentucky (a 72-54 loss), it was a stunned locker room," Indiana coach Tom Crean said. "This year, we play Kentucky, it’s a hurt locker room. That’s progress to me."
Wildcats' growl grows | TIM ETHRIDGE COLUMN (Evansville Courier & Press)
"I want to tell the people of Indiana, we’re not any better than that," said Calipari. "That’s all we have that’s a February effort we put together. They got our best. "This was a statement game for our guys. We came into a hostile environment, got punched in the mouth early, but we stayed on our feet and came back at them. So this was a great learning step for us."
Different philosophies on display (The Indianapolis Star)
Warning: Bob Kravitz column.
Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com - Effort vs. Wildcats shows how far Hoosiers have come
"Tom Crean has two measures for judging his team’s progress: as compared to last year and as compared to last week. By either measure, Indiana is getting better, even if it doesn’t always show up in the win column."

IU's Crean teaches until the bitter end against UK (The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN)
"One last timeout. Why not? The game was lost, the teaching wasn’t. Indiana coach Tom Crean had a point to make with 80 seconds left against Kentucky and he gathered the Hoosiers around him, diagramming a play, pushing his message from mouthwash range, driving details great teams understand."

Column: Cats pass nerves test in first road game (The Kentucky Kernel)
"For the first time this year, UK played an opponent on its home floor. And UK’s schedulers didn’t ease into that first road game, either. Assembly Hall is one of basketball’s most hostile environments, stemming largely from a fiercely loyal fan base and a creative (if not a bit ruthlessly over the top) student section, even while coach Tom Crean and the Hoosiers are up to their eyebrows in rebuilding."

Kentucky 90, Indiana 73: Postmortem (A Sea Of Blue)
"Congrats to the Indiana Hoosiers for playing a great first half of college basketball. Maurice Creek is definitely the real deal, and Tom Crean has this team playing at a high level considering how few true big people they have on the roster. Indiana is a team on the rise, and Tom Crean is quite likely a future Hall of Famer. This series will get much tougher for UK in very short order, I predict."

Rick Bozich: Even Calipari impressed with Wildcats (The Courier-Journal)

Cats 10-0 after beating Hoosiers 90-73 (Lexington Herald Leader)
"Prior to this convincing crunching of the Hoosiers, Calipari had consistently poured water on UK's best start to a season since 1992-93. UK's play merited a .500 record, he kept grumbling."

Young Cats turn in veteran performance (Lexington Herald Leader)
"It had played in a quirky chandelier-filled ballroom in Cancun. It had played against a defending national championship team in Rupp. It had played before Pat Riley, Michael Douglas, Oscar Robertson and the like against some Big East bangers at Madison Square Garden. But it had not played before a group of rabid Midwesterners, chafed by the cold, crammed into their own gym, out for blue blood. "This place," said Patrick Patterson, the veteran Cat, "is as loud, if not louder than Rupp."

Cal pooh-poohs perfection (Lexington Herald Leader)

Alvarez: Big Ten will push for expansion (ESPN)
IU doesn't play again until Saturday, so I'll have more to say about the expansion issue this week.

Kentucky 90, Indiana 73 (The Hoosier Scoop)

Second half run, rebounding too much for Hoosiers (Inside the Hall)

College Hoops Go-Round: December 13

Chris Dobbertean — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:05:56 -0000

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

3 days ago: Alabama's Senario Hillman (21) and Purdue's Mark Wohlford (30) fight for a loose ball during an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

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It was an extremely busy Saturday of college basketball action. Let me get this recap started with the ranked teams who were in action.

No. 4 Kentucky pulled away from Indiana in the second half, thanks to Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Patterson, 90-73.
No. 22 Butler won their first game against a ranked opponent, knocking off No. 13 Ohio State, 74-66.
No. 1 Kansas had no trouble with La Salle in Kansas City, prevailing 90-65.
No. 2 Texas stayed unbeaten by crushing Texas State, 87-54.
No. 20 Wisconsin took Dairlyand BCS bragging rights by knocking off Marquette, 72-63.
Kansas State rolled past previously unbeaten and 18th-ranked UNLV at Orleans Arena, 95-80.
No. 6 West Virginia beat Coppin State, 69-43.
No. 5 Purdue had to mount a comeback to beat an inspired Alabama squad, 73-65.
New Mexico knocked off No. 19 Texas A&M in Houston, 84-81, to remain unbeaten. The Lobos should get into the polls this week.
Davidson was no match for No. 21 Gonzaga in Seattle, falling 103-91.
No. 11 North Carolina handled Presbyterian, 103-64.
No. 15 Georgetown knocked off No. 17 Washington, 74-66, in game one of the Wooden Classic. It wasn't as close as the score indicates.
Mississippi State (who may very well be ranked Monday) embarrassed UCLA in game two, 72-54.

After the jump, I'll have more scores and a look ahead to Sunday.

In other action Saturday

Louisville dropped their second straight home contest, and second straight to a team from North Carolina, falling 91-83 to dangerous Western Carolina.
Seton Hall got into a shootout with VMI in Newark, winning 134-107, thanks to 40 from Jamel Jackson.
Mississippi was down at halftime to McNeese State, but pulled away in the second to win 83-67.
Murray State won at East Tennessee State, 61-57.
Creighton fell at George Mason, 75-72.
Northern Iowa rolled past Siena in another BracketBusters rematch, 82-65.
Oklahoma knocked off Utah for the second straight year, but they needed overtime to get a 78-73 victory.
Minnesota had no trouble with St. Joseph's, winning 97-74.
Duquesne beat Robert Morris in a Pittsburgh-area battle, 59-54.
VCU knocked off Richmond in the Black and Blue game, 65-57.
Iona upset Providence, 82-73.
St. Mary's won at Oregon, 81-76.
The Pac 10's woes continue as Oregon State fell at Nebraska, 50-44.
Portland beat Denver, 72-62.
Wyoming beat Big Sky contender Northern Colorado, 76-70.
Colorado State knocked off another, Montana, 62-61.
Virginia Tech edged Penn State in State College, 66-64.
Loyola Marymount upset Notre Dame, 87-85.
San Diego State cruised past Arizona, 63-46.
BYU won at Fresno State, beating former coach Steve Cleveland's squad, 72-67.

As there was a lot of action yesterday, I couldn't list every score here. If you don't see your school's game, click on any of the score links. You'll find a rundown of all of Saturday's action on the right side of the page.

Sunday is a bit quieter, with only two ranked teams on TV. Both face intracity rivals.

No. 3 Villanova visits Temple (CBS CS, 3) in another Big Five test.
No. 19 Cincinnati also heads across town to face Xavier (ESPNU, 7) in what is always an entertaining battle.

Also on TV today:

Detroit at Michigan (Big Ten, 12)
Western Michigan at Illinois (Big Ten, 2)
Green Bay at Oakland (FS Detroit/FCS Atlantic/Full Court, 4:30)
Rhode Island at Boston College (FSN, 6:45): The Eagles look to rebound from their loss to Harvard.

For games that will only be telecast locally, like St. Francis (NY) at No. 7 Syracuse and Niagara at Illinois State, visit Matt Sarz' College Sports on TV site.

Kentucky Wilcats 90, Indiana Hoosiers 73: UK dominates after a competitive first half.

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:31:21 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

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The Hoosiers allowed their fans to dream for a while on Saturday, but after IU pulled ahead 48-47 early in the second half, Kentucky went on an 18-0 run and never looked back. While John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson were as good as advertised, Eric Bledsoe shot 4-5 from three and led Kentucky with 23 points. On the IU side, freshman Maurice Creek scored a career-high 31 points but was the only Hoosier to score in double figures.

I'll be back later with a more detailed look. The good news is that for over 20 minutes of basketball, IU (thanks to some great shooting) hung with one of the most talented teams in the country. On the other hand, most of the second half illustrated how far IU has to go in talent and experience. Now, the Hoosiers enter the easiest stretch of their schedule, facing North Carolina Central, Loyola of Maryland, and Bryant to finish the non-conference schedule. After that, IU opens the Big Ten on New Year's Eve, at home, against a struggling Michigan team. Given the depth of the Big Ten, even an NIT bid will be a tall order, but it all starts with the next three games.

P.S. Did John Calipari really call this game "Indiana's Super Bowl"? GFY, you crooked greaseball. We've got 22 games left. [EDIT: Welcome, Wildcat Nation readers. The difference between what I do here and what writers in more formal settings such as newspapers do is that this is a fan-driven site. I try to add plenty of substance, and try to look at my team and others in an objective way, but I also don't feel the need to hold back when I have an opinion. I don't like Calipari, I think he's a crook and a jerk, and I think he'll have you guys on probation within five years. I know what it's like to rationalize the hiring of a crooked coach, so I don't expect you to agree with me...yet. But congrats on a nice win by an excellent team.]

Kentucky 90, Indiana 73: Postmortem

Truzenzuzex — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:37:10 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Board domination, thy name is Patrick Patterson.

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I'm taking a big, deep drought of the "John Wall as Player of the Year" Kool-Aid today, because he earned it. Blue raspberry. Mmmm. Good.

Congrats to the Indiana Hoosiers for playing a great first half of college basketball. Maurice Creek is definitely the real deal, and Tom Crean has this team playing at a high level considering how few true big people they have on the roster. Indiana is a team on the rise, and Tom Crean is quite likely a future Hall of Famer. This series will get much tougher for UK in very short order, I predict.

I loved the atmosphere in Assembly Hall today, it was truly excellent. The fans turned out in droves to see this great game, and they deserve all sorts of kudos for creating a terrific atmosphere for this storied rivalry.

There is no doubt whatsoever that this was the best game Kentucky has played this year, by a very wide margin. Almost everybody got involved offensively, due in no small part to the outstanding play of John Wall, which I'll talk more about later. I was very pleased by the way the 'Cats communicated and shared the basketball, and I have no doubt that Calipari was pleased as well. What the coaching staff will not be pleased at was the poor defense in the first half. To Coach Cal's credit, he motivated the team to a much better defensive second half, which resulted in the kind of dominating victory that should reasonably have been expected by a team as talented as this UK group.

More after the jump.

Here are my observations:

John Wall showed today that he can learn lessons, and will trust his teammates. This was, barring his relatively poor defense, simply an outstanding game for the superstar freshman. I could not be more pleased with how he played, and how well he passed the basketball. When Wall plays like that, I don't think Kentucky can lose. Penetrate and kick, and let your teammates score. Great stuff.
Eric Bledsoe has really worked hard on his shot, and it paid off in spades today. He was white-hot from the perimeter, and played by far his best game as a Wildcat. Bledsoe played great defense on Maurice Creek in the second half, and that was a big reason that UK won going away.
Patrick Patterson was again the man, and I am glad to see him get more touches than he did in the UConn game. He made the most of them. And he did a great job on the glass as well with eight boards.
DeMarcus Cousins was absolutely a beast in the post today. Easily his best game, competition consideration included, that he has played so far.
Ramon Harris -- Five big rebounds, three of them offensive. I still wish he could score, but he brings a lot of good energy to the team when he is in, and his judgement is very sound.
Daniel Orton was a little off this game. That's okay, he has been a difference maker in most games, and he is entitled to a clunker now and then.
Darnell Dodson played better today than in a long while on both ends of the floor. We need his length and shooting.
Darius Miller should have done more on the boards, but he had the second most assists on the team with four. Seven points, four assists, three rebounds and zero turnovers in 18 minutes is a good line.
Our team rebounding was really awesome, and blockouts were terrific.
Our team defense was not awesome. It was pretty good in the second half, though.
I loved Calipari giving a disappointed Cousins noogies to cheer him up. It worked perfectly.
Don't know what Cal said at halftime to change our defensive fortunes, but he should bottle it and keep it with him at all times.

No question, the best offense UK has played all year, and decent D in the second half. There are a lot of good things and fewer than normal bad things to take away from this game. I am very excited to see some really good, high-quality basketball, and see it for more than five or ten minutes. Any UK fan who saw this game has got to be pleased, not just with the outcome, but with the process.

More, please.

Kentucky Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers: Pre-Game Analysis

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:29:49 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Eric Bledsoe is due for a performance versus the Hoosiers.

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It's time again for the border war -- the Kentucky Wildcats head north to challenge the Indiana Hoosiers in one of the longest-running and best rivalries between two schools in the nation.

This game is simply chock full of tradition and great games, from the 1975 classic in the NCAA Mideast Regional Finals to the 1998 overtime game in Freedom Hall, this series has been full of twists, turns, blowouts and close games. I believe this will likely be the last time UK faces Indiana with a prohibitive advantage in talent, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Kentucky has a small advantage in all-time wins versus the Hoosiers, 29-23, with our last loss to the Crimson and Cream back in 2007 at the hands of Cell Phone Kelvin Sampson's second and final Indiana team that included Eric Gordon and D.J. White. IU creamed the 'Cats that day, 70-51.

The Hoosiers are in the process of rebuilding a team decimated after Sampson's firing and subsequent defection of players to the NBA, loss to disciplinary actions and just plain thrown out. What was left wasn't pretty, and the proud Hoosiers suffered through a 6-25 season in 2008-09, the worst I can ever remember at IU.

But with a strong recruiting class and some solid returning players, the Crimson and Cream are playing much better basketball now than last year, just coming off a huge win over the Pittsburgh Panthers in Madison Square Garden. That victory brought the Hoosier's record this year to 4-4, and although they don't figure to challenge for the Big Ten crown or even an NCAA berth this year, they have a good team that will only get better as the younger players get experience. And we know that Tom Crean is a fine coach, having owned UK the last two times he played us while coach at Marquette.

Today, I had a nice long Q&A with Scott at Crimsoncast, which you can find linked here for your listening pleasure. It was a wide-ranging discussion about the rivalry that you may find interesting.

More after the jump.

Four Factors Analysis

As usual, we will begin our pre-game with the analysis of the Four Factors to Winning, compiled in this nice, interactive dashboard by A Sea of Blue member sylvar.

Looking at the offensive efficiency, we see that in all but the very first game, Kentucky has been far more efficient offensively than the Hoosiers. In fact, the Hoosiers have struggled at times this year, and even in their last game, a victory over a good team, they managed to achieve only 97.7 points/100 possessions. UK, on the other hand, had an OE of 110.6 in a tough, low-scoring battle with UConn. You can see the dial pointer well in the red for Indiana (the ranges use last year's top ten for scale), and Kentucky's is just below the green.

Defensively, Indiana is much better than they are offensively. As you can see, IU is allowing only 3.4 points/100 possessions more than Kentucky is, and both teams have been on a very even trend lately. So much like UConn, the Hoosiers are a solid defensive squad. Unlike UConn, the Hoosiers have trouble putting the ball in the basket.

Moving on to the Four Factors themselves, we see that UK is creeping up toward the kind of effective FG% they will need to reach the Great Eight at least in March, well over 50%. The Hoosiers are laboring around 47%, and that is an area they will need to improve to be competitive with the 'Cats.

Turnover-wise, the Hoosiers take better care of the ball, but not by much. Offensive rebounding is a mismatch, and will likely represent the statistic that will get the Crimson and Cream blown out if they allow the kind of disparity represented by the trend so far. Surprisingly, the Hoosiers are good at getting to the free throw line, and that is not a statistic that UK usually loses.

Defensively, the teams are very close to equal (remember lower is better for defensive eFG%). Indiana has been forcing more turnovers lately, but they give up way too many offensive rebounds. The Hoosiers also do not mind sending teams to the line, which could be a blessing or a curse for the Wildcats, depending on who they foul.

In the miscellaneous category, the Hoosiers are shooting 35.5% from three versus UK's 36.8%, and the Wildcats actually take more threes than the Hoosiers do per field goal try, which I find a bit surprising. Also somewhat surprising is that the Hoosiers actually play at a higher tempo, on average, than the Wildcats.

Next, we'll look at the players for the Hoosiers, and their stats:

Indiana Hoosiers Basketball Roster

	#	Pos.	Comments	W	H	College
Kory Barnett	-	F	-	186	6-6	sophomore
Bobby Capobianco	23	F	Spot minutes	230	6-9	freshman
Maurice Creek	3	G	Starter	200	6-5	freshman
Devan Dumes	33	G	Major reserve	188	6-2	senior
Derek Elston	32	F	Major reserve	220	6-9	freshman
Brett Finkelmeier	4	G	-	188	6-1	junior
Steven Gambles	24	F	-	220	6-4	senior
Jordan Hulls	1	G	Major reserve	170	6-0	freshman
Tijan Jobe	40	C	Spot minutes	255	7-0	senior
Verdell Jones III	12	G	Starter	176	6-5	sophomore
Daniel Moore	11	G	Spot minutes	167	5-11	sophomore
Bawa Muniru	15	C	-	260	6-10	freshman
Tom Pritchard	25	F	Starter	242	6-9	sophomore
Jeremiah Rivers	5	G	Starter	210	6-5	junior
Matt Roth	30	G	-	186	6-3	sophomore
Christian Watford	2	F	Starter	215	6-8	freshman

Indiana Statistics

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Maurice Creek	8	25.5	5.5	11.4	48.4	2.1	5.4	39.5	2.5	3.6	69.0	1.9	2.3	4.1	2.0	1.3	1.5	0.5	1.8	15.6
Christian Watford	8	26.8	3.9	9.5	40.8	0.4	1.1	33.3	5.1	6.4	80.4	1.6	4.9	6.5	0.6	2.5	1.3	1.1	2.4	13.3
Verdell Jones III	8	28.5	4.8	12.1	39.2	0.4	1.6	23.1	2.6	4.3	61.8	1.0	2.8	3.8	3.1	2.3	1.4	0.6	1.6	12.5
Derek Elston	8	17.6	3.1	6.3	50.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.9	1.8	50.0	2.1	2.6	4.8	0.5	1.1	1.3	0.1	2.1	7.6
Jeremiah Rivers	8	29.3	2.3	5.8	39.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	2.8	4.8	57.9	1.1	4.6	5.8	4.4	4.0	1.0	0.6	2.5	7.3
Devan Dumes	8	15.9	1.5	5.0	30.0	1.0	2.8	36.4	1.0	1.6	61.5	0.5	1.8	2.3	1.4	1.9	1.1	0.1	1.6	5.0
Tom Pritchard	8	17.9	1.9	3.1	60.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.8	64.3	1.6	1.6	3.3	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.6	3.8	4.9
Jordan Hulls	8	15.0	0.8	2.5	30.0	0.5	1.5	33.3	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	1.4	0.6	0.5	0.0	1.5	2.8
Matt Roth	2	5.5	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	1.0	1.0	100.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.0
Bobby Capobianco	8	9.3	0.8	2.1	35.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.8	50.0	1.0	1.1	2.1	0.3	0.6	0.4	0.0	1.9	1.9
Daniel Moore	6	5.7	0.3	0.5	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.2	71.4	0.2	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.0	1.0	1.5
Tijan Jobe	8	6.8	0.4	0.4	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.4	1.5	0.8
Bawa Muniru	4	3.5	0.3	0.8	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	25.0	0.8	0.3	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8	0.8
Kory Barnett	2	2.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Brett Finkelmeier	2	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Steven Gambles	2	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Position Analysis: Point guard

The starting point guard for the Hoosiers is Jeremiah Rivers. Rivers is a transfer from Georgetown, and the son of NBA player and coach Doc Rivers. Rivers is a tall point, even taller than John Wall at 6'5". Rivers is a good ballhandler and passer, and a very good defender, although he is not ultra-athletic. Rivers does not shoot much from outside, and has only attempted a single three-point shot all year. He prefers to use his size and slash to the basket. Rivers leads the team in assists, and doesn't score a lot.

Rivers' defensive prowess will be severely tested against John Wall. Rivers does have good size to work with, but he is not even in the same universe with Wall when it comes to speed with the ball and the ability to finish at the rim. But Rivers is a very smart player, a coach's son, and he knows how to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. This will be a very interesting matchup.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Shooting guard

You may remember the name Verdell Jones from back during the Billy Gillispie days. Kentucky recruited Jones, although somewhat indifferently, and he was on the UK recruiting board right up to the very end, when he chose Indiana.

Jones is another tall guard at 6'5", but at only 176#, he is very slight of build. Jones is a very hard-working and intelligent player. He is reasonably athletic and shoots a solid percentage from three, even though he doesn't put the three-point shot up all that much. Jones is also a very good passer at over 3 assists/game, against just over two turnovers.

The matchup between Jones and Eric Bledsoe is one of length versus athleticism. Defensively, I think Jones has a slight advantage on Bledsoe due to his very long arms and size. Defensively, I think Bledsoe comes out on top. Overall, Bledsoe is the more talented player.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Small Forward

Freshman Maurice Creek starts at the wing for the Crimson and Cream. Creek is actually an off-guard rather than a true wing, so Indiana, in effect, is starting three guards.

Creek is a skilled player, a Rivals 4*, and quite dangerous offensively. Creek is leading the Hoosiers in scoring at over 15 points/contest and is a 40% shooter from deep. Creek is also a good passer, leads the team in steals, and is a very good athlete.

Darius Miller is significantly taller than Creek, but Creek is quicker off the bounce and will challenge Miller's defensive skills. Defensively, Creek will have to contend with a much taller and longer player, and if Miller can regain his shooting form after a poor offensive outing against UConn, Creek will be hard pressed to contain him. Overall, this is a fairly close matchup, but Miller's extra year of experience and solid fundamentals give him the edge.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position analysis: Power Forward

Christian Watford is the power forward for the Hoosiers and the star of Tom Crean's excellent 2009 recruiting class. I saw Watford play in the Derby Festival Classic game, and even though he is highly unconventional, he is extremely fast and athletic, can really get up in the air, and seems to invent new ways to get the ball in the basket every single time out.

Watford is second on the team in scoring at 13+ points per game, and leads Indiana in rebounding at 6.5/game. Watford is also a respectable 3-point shooter, and is capable of taking bigger players off the dribble.

Against Patrick Patterson, Watford will struggle in the role of post player. Patterson is bigger, stronger, and just as athletic, but unlike UConn's more ponderous power forwards, Patterson will have to make his living closer to the basket. He is not quick enough to take Watford off the bounce, and Watford is a long, tough matchup on the perimeter.

But Watford cannot match Patterson's experience, skill, and versatility. Patterson is also the superior defensive player and rebounder.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Center

Tom Pritchard starts at center for the Hoosiers, and he is a big body at 6'9"/240#. Pritchard is not a particularly good rebounder for a man his size, nor is he a scorer at just under 5 points per game. Pritchard is slow-footed and not very athletic, but he does take up space down low.

Pritchard, unfortunately, is over-matched by the bigger, stronger, longer and quicker DeMarcus Cousins. Pritchard plays good, tough defense as evidenced by his tendency to get into foul trouble, but Cousins is a very tough matchup for him. If Indiana tries to stay man-to-man (which I doubt they will), the 'Cats should try to get Cousins the ball every time in the post. He will force IU to double-team, and an open shot should be the result.

Advantage: Kentucky

Bench Analysis

Indiana has a couple of solid bench players in freshmen Derek Elston and Jordan Hulls, as well as senior Devan Dumes. These men are all nice players that can shoot, but IU has little bench size and their depth is as painfully young as Kentucky's

Advantage: Kentucky

Overall analysis

The Indiana Hoosiers are a young group, but their young talent is just not as good as UK's this year. Tom Crean has the nucleus of a very nice team, but he is one or two recruiting classes away from getting the Hoosiers back into contention in the Big Ten, let alone nationally.

Indiana plays very good, fundamental basketball and Kentucky will need to be aware of their length and athleticism, which is better than many think. They are a good defensive team who will force UK to beat them with better offense. Even though the Hoosiers are young, they are not the type of team who beats themselves.

UK's size, talent and athleticism will prove too much for Indiana. Crean will not be able to send his big guards to the glass for fear of a John Wall-lead runout, and that's likely to happen anyway. Defensively, the Hoosiers are going to be forced into a zone, and since they are already a poor rebounding team, second-chance points and putbacks are likely to be a frequent occurrence on missed UK shots.

The Hooisers are getting their groove back, but this year, they are no match for the young 'Cats.

Projected score: Kentucky 78, Indiana 63

Indiana Hoosiers vs. Kentucky Wildcats (preview)

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:51:35 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

about 1 month ago: Kentucky's John Wall (11) drives past Clarion's Paul McQueen, left, and teammate Jordan Lessane during the first half of their NCAA exhibition college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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Kentucky Wildcats
Current record: 9-0
Current RPI: 23
Current Sagarin: 10
Current Pomeroy: 58
2008-09 record: 22-14 (8-8), lost to Notre Dame in NIT
2008-09 RPI: 79
2008-09 Sagarin: 51
2008-09 Pomeroy: 52
Pomeroy scouting report
Series: Kentucky leads 29-23
TV: Noon Saturday, CBS
Blog: A Sea of Blue

Ah, Kentucky. IU's premier non-conference rivalry resumes on Saturday at noon. The Kentucky series highlights a substantial divide in the IU fan base. In my experience, fans from northern and central Indiana overwhelmingly consider Purdue to be IU's biggest rival, but at a certain point south (State Road 44? US 50? The beginning of the 812 area code?), IU fans consider the Wildcats IU's most hated enemy. As noted above, Kentucky has a lead in the series, thanks to a 13-4 lead by Kentucky since 1991. IU has won twice in the last four years, including the game two years ago at Assembly Hall. Of course, from 1991-2005, the series was played at neutral sites (the RCA Dome in Indianapolis and Freedom Hall in Louisville) with the tickets divided roughly evenly. Because of a scheduling conflict in Louisville, the series moved back to the campuses in 2006. Kentucky last won in Bloomington in 1981 and has lost five consecutive games at Assembly Hall. Extending the homecourt streak to 6 will be a formidable task for the Hoosiers. Kentucky is 9-0. UK dominated the relatively challenge-free first seven games of the schedule, but proved their legitimacy by beating North Carolina last weekend and Connecticut last night.

After a couple of lackluster years under the leadership of Billy Gillispie, Kentucky fired him and hired John Calipari away from Memphis. Calipari is, his supporters would have us believe, simply the unluckiest man in the history of college basketball. Despite no inclination toward cheating himself (and it is true that he's never been personally implicated by the NCAA), Calipari is the only coach in NCAA history who has had two NCAA Final Four appearances vacated. His run to the 1996 Final Four while the coach at Massachusetts was vacated because star Marcus Camby had received gifts from an agent. His 2008 NCAA runner-up finish with Memphis was vacated because of Derrick Rose's SAT score was invalidated, and Rose might have been rule ineligible for a second reason: his hanger-on brother was allowed to travel on the team's private jet. In fairness to Kentucky, the Memphis issues arose after Cal was hired.

Of course, IU gave up much of the moral high ground, and a long-standing tradition of making fun of Kentucky's sordid history, by hiring Kelvin Sampson when he was under NCAA investigation, a move further exacerbated by his commission of similar violations at IU. Still, IU could rationalize the Sampson hire by pointing to its (now formerly) spotless NCAA compliance record as say, "we'll keep him in line." Kentucky? Not so much. A program with a history of corruption hired a coach who often finds himself surrounded by scandal, if not directly implicated in it. And for now, it's working. Perhaps Cal's reputation is deserved. Perhaps this game will end up in IU's win column a few years down the road instead of tomorrow. Time will tell.

Kentucky is putting an outstanding team on the court:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
John Wall	9	30.8	5.6	9.9	56.2	0.7	1.9	35.3	5.1	6.3	80.7	0.8	2.7	3.4	6.2	4.2	2.7	0.6	2.0	16.9
Patrick Patterson	9	32.0	6.8	10.6	64.2	0.8	1.8	43.8	2.2	3.8	58.8	3.8	5.7	9.4	0.7	1.1	0.2	1.1	1.0	16.6
DeMarcus Cousins	9	21.3	5.4	10.4	52.1	0.1	0.2	50.0	3.2	6.1	52.7	3.7	4.7	8.3	0.3	2.0	0.6	2.1	3.6	14.2
Eric Bledsoe	9	28.6	3.1	7.4	41.8	1.3	2.8	48.0	2.2	2.8	80.0	0.1	2.1	2.2	3.2	3.8	1.3	0.6	2.6	9.8
Darnell Dodson	6	19.3	3.3	7.0	47.6	1.8	4.8	37.9	0.3	0.8	40.0	1.0	1.8	2.8	1.2	1.3	0.5	0.3	1.2	8.8
Darius Miller	9	29.3	2.7	7.1	37.5	1.6	4.3	35.9	0.9	1.0	88.9	1.1	2.1	3.2	1.8	1.1	0.9	0.4	2.3	7.8
Daniel Orton	9	13.8	1.2	2.7	45.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.6	2.4	63.6	1.3	1.9	3.2	0.8	1.3	0.9	1.8	2.9	4.0
Ramon Harris	9	17.4	0.6	2.3	23.8	0.0	0.9	0.0	0.7	1.2	54.5	1.2	2.8	4.0	1.1	1.4	0.7	0.2	0.9	1.8
Josh Harrellson	8	5.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.5	0.6	1.1	0.0	0.3	0.1	0.4	0.4	1.4
Perry Stevenson	9	7.4	0.1	0.4	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.9	62.5	0.3	1.3	1.7	0.3	0.4	0.1	0.6	0.3	0.8
Jon Hood	4	8.5	0.3	1.3	20.0	0.3	0.8	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.8
Mark Krebs	4	2.3	0.0	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0

The Wildcats are let by a strong nucleus that includes two freshmen, point guard John Wall and forward Demarcus Cousins, both of whom committed to Kentucky after Calipari was hired. Wall's offensive numbers are outstanding for a freshman. Although he's a guard, he's shooting 52 percent from the field overall in addition to 35 percent from three point range, and he averages 6.2 assists per game (although he is averaging 4 turnovers per game as well). On the defensive end, he is averaging 2.7 steals per game, so he will present a formidable challenge for IU's guards on both ends of the court. Cousins is shooting over 50 percent from the field and is a force as a rebounder. Finally, junior Patrick Patterson is the most valuable holdover form the Gillispie era and is shooting 64 percent from the field and averaging nearly 10 rebounds a game to go with his 16.6 points per game.

Kentucky's Pomeroy numbers are not overwhelmingly good at this point, although it is quite early. The most impressive numbers on Kentucky's offense are offensive rebounding (42.6%, #10) and two point shooting (54%, #27). Given IU's strength in forcing turnovers, however, the Hoosiers can be heartened by UK's 23.9 turnover percentage (#291). For comparison, IU is at 21.3 in that category: not great, but much improved. UK's turnover percentage is trending in the right direction, however. On the defensive side, Kentucky has been really good, thanks in part to strong interior defense. UK is #2 in the nation in block percentage and #16 in two point field goal defense. Given IU's propensity toward having shots blocked (13 percent, #319), this could be a problem.

IU, after its best win of the Crean era, faces a substantial challenge. Kentucky is loaded, and the Wildcat defense will present significant problems for IU. At first blush, this strikes me as a game that in which both teams are in better shape defensively than offensively. Can IU exploit Kentucky turnovers? Can IU actually get a shot off inside the arc? All good questions, but at least after Tuesday's win, it doesn't seem crazy to hope for, if not expect, a good result.

Why John Wall could be bad for college basketball

SFBE.NF — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:39:02 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

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When Carmelo Anthony was a freshman at Syracuse, and captivated the nation by single-handedly bringing the 2003 NCAA National Championship to upstate New York, there were no blogs, Billy Edelin was a budding star, and my thoughts on the state of college basketball took a back seat to my careful planning of clandestine meetings replete with hard alcohol to be shared among my high school friends.

But now I am older, blog on an aging laptop, get drunk with my parents, and am realizing that John Wall is severely exposing a sad truth: the overall talent on display in college basketball is unimpressive.

Tonight Wall put up 25 points along with six steals in a fantastic win over UCONN, all part of an electrifying atmosphere at MSG. The problem here is Wall has come in to poop on his peers for one season, all with the intent of peacing to the pros come springtime, forgetting that college basketball even exists. It stinks, but has just become part of the deal for us fans.

Do you remember that incredible class of 2007? Freshman Michael Beasley and Kevin Love were first-team All-Americans, Derrick Rose dominated the second and third weekends of the tournament, and Eric Gordon led the Big 10 in scoring. Just one year before that, Kevin Durant casually averaged 29 points-per-game during conference play and logged 20 games of 30 points or more. Meanwhile, Greg Oden showed up in Columbus for just two-thirds of the season and led the Buckeyes to the title game against Florida. Each one of these players, as you know, came to college for one season with no interest in returning for a second taste. And the whole gig was far too easy for them.

We're relying on 17- and 18-year-old players to generate the majority of excitement and hype for this great sport. You know there was another explosive point guard on the floor tonight? His name was Kemba Walker, a sophomore. Nobody seemed to care. After being ignored by his teammates for the first 25 minutes of the game, Patrick Patterson showed he's one of the country's best big men. But he's a junior, which is so "out" this season. Why aren't we looking to market the players we know are in this relationship for the long run?

If the NCAA bigwigs are watching, I hope they recognize their brand of basketball is in trouble. They need to get on the phone with The League and have a say in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Somehow, someway, we need to ensure that blue chip freshman committing to play college basketball stick around for two seasons. That's all I ask. If they can't summon themselves to do that, then effyou! Go play in Europe, wait to turn 20 and get drafted by the Sacramento Kings, a dismal franchise never seen on national television.

We need help, because Blue Jesus and his disciples will continue to betray fans of the college game.

Kentucky 64, Connecticut 61 -- Postmortem

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:29:51 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Josh Harrellson made one good play tonight, and this is it.

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What. A. Game.

We may be saying that a lot this year. I have no idea why, but at no time during this game did I ever worry about losing. Why? I can only suppose that perhaps John Wall is the reincarnation of the Buddha, and all I can think of is Zen.

Great effort by the Connecticut Huskies. They were what we knew they would be -- tough and determined. Jerome Dyson was incredible, Kemba Walker was amazing, Gavin Edwards outplayed everybody on both teams -- except one. John Wall. The Huskies were awesome, just amazing, but not amazing enough this time.

For Kentucky, well, we saw exactly what John Calipari implied we should see -- a really bad team having really good stretches because of their talent. Once again, UK had one more good stretch in this game than the opponent, a now-familiar theme for the 2009 Wildcats.

I have to confess, I really wanted Calipari to go zone. But as he has said, and perhaps I should acquiesce to (not a chance), "I am the coach, let me do my job." Okay, Coach, but forgive me if I sit in my armchair and disagree. It's what we do here in the Bluegrass State, and if you are going to kanoodle the job here at Kentucky, this is just another part of what you have so enthusiastically embraced. Deal with it.

Moving along, I was not concerned going in down six to the Huskies at the half. I want to stop right there and ask you all, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation -- when was the last time you could have imagined that we could go into half time down six points versus the UConn Huskies in Madison Square Garden and not be concerned? It has been a very, very long time, certainly the better part of a decade at least. That, in and of itself, is a wonderful thing.

More after the jump.

Here are the things that jump out at me:

Bad Cuz, Good Cuz, all in the same game. Nothing to see here. Move along.
John Wall. Well, what can you say? He was pretty good, but then, he always is. But he had a stretch in the first half where he looked very much like the freshman he is.
Patrick Patterson -- Warrior of warriors. I have no idea how severe his ankle sprain is, but I get the impression he would have gone back in with a compound fracture -- he was going to make sure this game was won, and physical maladies be damned. And largely because of his leadership, the 'Cats did win.
Eric Bledsoe had an off night, particularly defensively. It wasn't lack of effort, really, just lack of experience. He will get a lot better, and his effort was very good.
Darius Miller just took a step back tonight. He didn't look confident, his shot was flat, and the more he missed, the worse he played. But he had a great game defensively against Stanley Robinson, who was almost never a factor.
Darnell Dodson made a couple of big shots, but he played abysmally overall, particularly on defense. He is much better than that.
Daniel Orton did what he always does -- play harder than anybody. This time, he fouled out. He will have better days, and this day was better than it looked.
Ramon Harris is such a great effort player, but he sure does need some kind of offensive game. Big free throw at the end, though. And a ton of rebounds.
Josh Harrellson made one good play and then laid down flat. C'mon, Josh, you can do this.
Perry Stevenson gave some good minutes, and did what he was in there to do.
Are the oddsmakers any good or what? They had UK +2. Scary.
That 12-0 run showed what could happen, just like the 28-2 run last week did. If the 'Cats can ever learn to sustain the effort, look out Indianapolis.
Calipari did a great job. Then again, John Wall can make an average coach look like a genius. Fortunately, he didn't have to tonight.
Where the heck did our offensive rebounding go? On vacation to Hawaii, apparently.

That's it. It's late. I'm finishing up a taste of Four Roses for a nightcap. Up next -- the Hoosiers.

Tonight's Picks

SFBE.NF — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:24:10 -0000

Ouch! GMU's Sherrod Wright had a 3 pointer at the buzzer, which barely covered the spread and gave us a paltry 1 for 3 start. Like they say, you win some and you lose some. Tossing some back on the table, we're back at it again:

#3 Villanova (-13.5) over St. Joes: Villanova should cruise past St. Joes in this lopsided Big 5 matchup. Phil Martelli's bunch has lost four straight and their isn't much light at the end of the tunnel. Watch for Villanova's backcourt, mainly Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher, to dominate from beyond the arc.

#4 Kentucky (+2) over #12 UConn: More appointment television coming to you live from Madison Square Garden. Kentucky proved it can hang with the big boys after toughing out its victory over UNC and UConn proved the opposite with their loss to Duke earlier this year. I'll take the Wildcats with Patrick Patterson and John Wall all day long.

WI-Green Bay (+5) over #23 Wisconsin: Wisconsin is definitely the better team in this matchup, but the Phoenix already have eight wins worth of experience going into this game. I like this spread for Green Bay over the Badgers because of the home court advantage in this cheese state rivalry.