Kentucky basketball seems to be back to the point where it’s fun to think about where they belong in the national standings.  I know I feel like UK can be competitive with almost anybody, and over the coming weeks, I believe that Kentucky’s rankings will begin to reflect that.

By far the most visible national rankings are those that appear on the ESPN Bottom Line and in the newspapers: the ESPN/USA Today and AP Polls.  With UK and Jodie Meeks occupying center stage nationally after the mid-week shellacking of Tennessee on the road, there seemed to be some momentum behind the notion that the ‘Cats would enter these two rankings today after receiving no votes the previous week.  It proved to be too big of a leap, though, as UK came in at 28th in the AP Poll and 34th in the Coaches Poll.    read more at www.straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/kentucky-rankings-breakdown-11909/

Sunday afternoon’s 68-45 win over Georgia may not have been the most enthralling SEC game you will see this season, but it was a very business-like performance by Kentucky, and it’s nice to have a team good enough to have a team that “takes care of business” and wins by 23.  As gritty and determined last year’s Cats were, they certainly did not have the luxury of many (if any comfortable wins in conference.  As a matter of fact, can you recall how many games UK won against conference opponents by double digits?  The answer: one.  UK beat Alabama 62-52 in Rupp Arena for their only one of the season. read more at www.straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/post-uk-georgia-thoughts/

Coming off of one of the most impressive Kentucky victories in quite a while the Cats must now turn their attention to the Georgia Bulldogs. The same Georgia Bulldogs that upset the Cats last season with a last second heave by Zac Swansey (that kid you worked in the rec gym) in the SEC Tournament. The same Bulldogs who somehow won like eight games in four days to win the SEC Tournament and earn a spot in the Big Dance. The very same Bulldogs that are coached by Dennis Felton, who many thought was destined to be fired before their miraculous run in Atlanta.  read more at www.straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/georgia-bulldogs-pinkie-breakdown/

I debated this evening whether I would write my postgame thoughts late tonight or just sleep and do it tomorrow.  Jodie Meeks made my decision pretty easy, because I think the permanent grin I have on my face right now is going to make it pretty difficult to fall asleep.   read more about Meeks and the Cats at www.straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/post-uk-tennessee-thoughts-that-meeks-guy-is-decent/

Last season the Cats and Vols clashed in their first match-up of the season at Rupp Arena on January 22. The Vols entered the game with a 17-1 record, while the Cats had just lost two in a row and had seven wins and nine losses. However, the Volunteers quickly found out how that wins at Rupp are not easy to come by as they fell 72-66. Patrick Patterson and Perry Stevenson both nearly finished with double doubles. In their second contest in Knoxville the Vols barely escaped, 63-60, even though the Cats were playing without Patterson.  read more at straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/tennessee-volunteers-breakdown/

On  the Billy Gillispie Show last night, Coach Gillispie, when talking about Patterson’s lackluster game against the ‘Dores, placed some of the blame for Patterson’s off game on the fact that he is “dealing with some ligament damage in his fingers”.  The latest news today is that Patterson hurt both fingers in practice leading up to the Vandy game, and they were taped together due to swelling. read more at straitpinkie.com

www.straitpinkie.com

On Monday night at the Hall of Freedom, the Louisville Cardinals welcome the Fighting Harangodys of Notre Dame in a big time match up of nationally ranked teams. Louisville (11-3, 2-0 Big East) is coming off a huge road win at Villanova this past Saturday and looks to keep that momentum going against a high-powered Notre Dame offensive team. The Fighting Irish are led by Luke Harangody, the 2007-2008 Big East Player of the Year, but is best known here at the Pinkie for looking like a young Norm Peterson. Despite appearing to be highly unathletic, Harangody is averaging over 24 points and 12 rebounds per game, and he went off for 40 points against the Cardinals last year in the Hall of Freedom.  read more at straitpinkie.com.

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cards/louisville-vs-notre-dame-preview/

Things got a little nerve wracking at the end, but today Kentucky got just the win they needed in beating the Vanderbilt Commodores in both team’s SEC opener 70-60.  UK built a 20 point lead with an excellent stretch of play at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, but Vandy wouldn’t quit, cutting the lead down to 6 with about a minute and half left, before the Cats settled down and extended the margin back to 10.  read more at straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/post-uk-vandy-thoughts/

Vanderbilt enters SEC play riding a six game winning streak and they have won by an average of 23.3 points in those games. It is their longest winning streak since they won seven in a row during the 2007-08 season. They have compiled an 11-3 record so far this season with losses against Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and at Georgia Tech. The Commodores do not really have any wins that stand out. In their last contest they did however defeat Massachusetts on the road, 78-48.  read more at straitpinkie.com.

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/vanderbilt-commodores-breakdown/

I know you guys are playing for the real thing on Thursday but you are getting absolutely obliterated by the potatoes of Boise State in the playoff poll on straitpinkie.com.  It is like 90 to 20...you have to at least try and make this thing respectable.  Don't allow this crushing to be a precursor for Thursday Night.  You gotta rep the SEC.  So vote for the Gators at straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/2008-straitpinkiecom-college-football-champeenship/#comments

On Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., the Cardinals return to Freedom Hall to face Alabama-Birmingham, coached by former Indiana head coach Mike Davis.

The Hoosier connection does not end there. Senior guard Robert Vaden spent two seasons at IU under Davis, where he started every game, and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2005.

This season, Vaden leads the Blazers with 19.4 ppg, 14 stl, and 37.2 mpg, all team-highs. Senior forward Lawrence Kinnard has also started every game this year, and leads the team in rebounding with 9.1 rpg.

Saturday’s game will be the toughest home test thus far in the season. The Blazers are outscoring their opponents by 7.5 points per game, and have a signature win at Arizona in the regional final of the NIT Season Tipoff. Once at Madison Square Garden for the semifinals, UAB fell by 10 vs. Oklahoma and 6 vs. Boston College.  read more at straitpinkie.com

www.straitpinkie.com

Mike Jarvis returns to coaching after spending the last few seasons as an analyst for ESPN and inherits a FAU program that went 15-18 last year. The Owls have only made one postseason appearance since moving to Division I 15 years ago so Jarvis, who previously lived 10 minutes from the FAU campus, is a perfect fit. He is one of only eight active coaches who have recorded at least 100 victories at three difference schools (Boston, George Washington, St. John’s). He took St. John’s to the elite eight in 1999 before being fired abruptly during the 2003 season as a result of multiple scandals.

The Owls got off to their best start in their 15-year Division I  history this season with a 3-1 record. However, since that hot start they have dropped 7 of 8.  read more at straitpinkie.com

www.straitpinkie.com

The Tennessee State Tigers enter tonight’s game at Rupp with a 3-6 record and have lost four of their last five.  Their lone victories on the season have come at home against Northern Illinois and Miles and at Southeast Missouri State. In their last game they lost at Alabama 75-66.

The Cats and Tigers have met three times in their history with Kentucky winning all three games.  The last time they played was on December 30, 2002 and the Cats won 115-87.  Read more at straitpinkie.com

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/tennessee-state-fightin-oprahs-breakdown/

With the weather the way it was you knew this would be a defensive struggle.  With the weather the way it was you knew that Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ken Dorsey would be handing the ball off the entire game.  With the weather the way it was you hoped that Cedric Benson would have a better game than Jamal Lewis.  With the weather the way it was you figured two scores would win it.  WIth the weather the way it was you figured that if you could get a defensive score you would be in good shape. read more at straitpinkie.com

www.straitpinkie.com

“Guess who’s back? Back again. Tubby’s back. Tell a friend.” -Eminem (Except the part about Tubby)

That song has been stuck in my head when thinking about tomorrow’s matchup between the Cards and Minnesota Golden Gophers at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

For the record, I was a  Tubby fan.  He made me tolerate the Cats in a way I never felt when Coach Pitino was there, or since with Coach Gillespie.  With him, you knew what team you were going to be facing.  He demanded toughness at all times on defense, and his guys never gave up.  Some of my friends that are UK supporters like to bash on his later recruiting troubles, but think about how different the Cats would have been had Randolph Morris not bolted to the Knicks...read more at straitpinkie.com

www.straitpinkie.com

I was at the Longwood game a few weekends ago, and I sat behind a woman who seemed to forget why I think we (at least I hope this goes for all of us) are fans of UK in the first place.  She was constantly worked up over players not doing what she thought they should be doing, and when the team or a player did execute a play, she treated it more like “well, finally” than “good job”.  I cannot imagine the game was a fun experience for her, and I know that fun is the reason I am loyal to UK.  read more at www.straitpinkie.com

www.straitpinkie.com

The pinkie would like to congratulate Victor Anderson on being named Big East football Rookie of the Year. Anderson, a local product from St. Xavier high school, rushed for 1,047 yards and scored 8 touchdowns while averaging 87.2 yards per game in his freshman campaign with his hometown team.  For more on the story click below.

http://www.straitpinkie.com/http:/www.straitpinkie.com/sports/anderson-named-big-east-football-rookie-of-the-year/