Vanderbilt @ Kentucky: Open Game Thread
Vanderbilt Commodores at Kentucky Wildcats, Jan 10, 2009 2:00 PM EST
This is the official A Sea of Blue open game thread for the Vanderbilt Commodores @ Kentucky Wildcats basketball game at Rupp Arena, Saturday, January 10th @ 2:00 PM.
Particulars of this game are as follows:
- TV: Live on Raycom (details)
- Gametracker live stats
- Audio (Requires Microsoft Silverlight)
- Radio
- Yahoo! audio
- Game preview
This is the first game of the SEC season, and as such, it is huge. We all have heard that the SEC is down this year, and that is supported to some degree by the performance of SEC teams in the out-of-conference portion of the schedule. That means that UK will likely have relatively few opportunities to make a big statement by upsetting top-ranked teams, so we'll have to settle for the second-best thing -- defeating good but unranked teams both at home and away.
Vanderbilt represents such a good but unranked team, and even though the Commodores lost their leading scorer and several other critical players to graduation, they return a solid core of players in Jermaine Beal and A.J. Ogilvy, and have some good young talent to compliment them. The Commodores will be a tough out, and even though we out-athlete them, they are a cohesive team with a high basketball IQ. They are fully capable of beating Kentucky at home, which would represent a mild upset at the moment.
Things Kentucky needs to do well to win:
- Live inside. Ogilvy is a solid defender, but he should be no match for the much-improved version of Patrick Patterson we have seen lately. If we can get Ogilvy in foul trouble, this game will be much easier.
- Defend the three. Vanderbilt can really shoot the ball from the perimeter.
- Deny the wing pass. Ogilvy is talented enough to get Patterson in foul trouble if he gets the ball deep in the post, and he is a very effective post scorer.
- Attack the rim. We are quicker and more athletic than Vandy, and we need to get to the line as much as possible.
- Take care of the ball. No elucidation required.
Things that will make it hard for Kentucky to win:
- Allow Vanderbilt to get off to a fast start. We have struggled every time we get behind big early.
- Live turnovers. Live turnovers are deadly. See here for more.
- Jacking up three pointers. Vanderbilt will likely tempt us to do that. We much resist with patience.
- Allow Beal lane penetration. Vanderbilt sets the standard for drive and kick to open shooters, and teams that have done that well have beaten Kentucky all year.
- Lose the rebounding battle. Kentucky has been tough on the boards all year, and today is not the time to stop.
Unlike Louisville, Vanderbilt does not have an athletic advantage on us at any position other than point guard, and then only while Michael Porter is in. UK is longer, taller, and more talented than the 'Dores, although not by a wide margin. If the Wildcats can rachet up the intensity on defense early, it will auger very much to their advantage. There is also the ugly beat-down Vandy gave UK last year to consider at Memorial Gym. The Wildcat players have not forgotten that embarassing episode, and it will no doubt serve as motivation for this game.
This is a big game. Win this, and UK can start building a case for inclusion in the top 25. This game won't get us there, but it does represent the kind of quality conference win that UK will need a lot of to get a respectable seed in March.
Go, 'Cats!
191 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
yahoo live feed
here’s all the games, including today’s: http://sports.yahoo.com/top/collegebroadcast/teams/jps
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Jan 10, 2009 1:35 PM EST reply actions
I`d love
to see 1 game with Rupp full of students….I think there is around 23 or 24 thousand students at UK
by String Music on Jan 10, 2009 2:21 PM EST up reply actions
why didn't he just dribble across the line?
there was no one near him when he picked up his dribble after one dribble.
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Jan 10, 2009 2:27 PM EST up reply actions
no idea
they’ve been doing it a lot. instead of just bringing the ball up, they take a dribble and then pass across. i know why, but most of the time there’s no one close by, and they’re not anywhere near getting into trouble by getting doubled.
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Jan 10, 2009 2:49 PM EST up reply actions
Offensively, we look like we don't know how to attack their zone defense...
…is it because we don’t play zone, and thus don’t practice against it?
Well, on the bright side..
we have more points at this point in the game than the last time we played them.
well, THAT'S something
we can be happy about
by blue kentucky girl on Jan 10, 2009 2:38 PM EST up reply actions
I don't think that's right. Around the 10 minute mark Tom Hammond said we had 6.
Gametracker seems to be slow.
Porter...
Has got to fight through these picks. No excuse for him to get lost on that last basket.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
who hit the last three?
Stevenson? I’m listening at work and I missed it.
by blue kentucky girl on Jan 10, 2009 2:47 PM EST reply actions
ahhhhh Harrelson
I knew it was someone who didn’t shoot the 3 alot,,,thanks so much
by blue kentucky girl on Jan 10, 2009 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
harrellson
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Jan 10, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
Cold.
Man, are we cold or what?
Poor Miller. But he is working hard on the glass.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Miller is trying hard
… but he has no luck at all. That one shot looked like it was going in.
GBB!!!
In the "BCG who knows" category....
L Slone played pretty well in 2 straight games and barely saw the court against UL and has not played yet today
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
what happened, what happened??
stupid work making me unable to pay full attention to the game—why was Porter’s shot crazy? On the radio they were like ’prayers are answered!"
by blue kentucky girl on Jan 10, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions
and it was a fadeaway
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Jan 10, 2009 2:55 PM EST up reply actions
cats played well without PP
defense pickep the last 10 minutes…just 7 vandy points.
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Jan 10, 2009 2:54 PM EST reply actions
Well.
UK really closed out the half well. Getting a short lead after being down by eight with Patterson on the pine, I really can’t complain.
Miller and Liggins couldn’t put the ball in the basket if it were double it’s current diameter.
What about P-Steve putting the ball on the floor? Is he trying to audition for the 3 spot?
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
difference between miller and liggins
both are missing, but miller is taking good shots. they’re just not falling…like the reverse layup.
i wish i could call the shots liggins took bad shots, but i need something stronger. he was just basically just throwing the ball at the rim.
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Jan 10, 2009 2:58 PM EST up reply actions
Liggins ...
… is playing well on defense, but offensively he is out of control.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
He makes a lot of careless passes and his shot selection is very poor
I hope he can pick it up in the 2nd half. We need him to play smarter and with more confidence.
GBB!!!
He took two good shots.
The rest were bad.
He is just so … disorganized or something. He has plenty of skill, but he just can’t keep himself from doing crazy, irresponsible things on offense.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I just wish he would give up shooting for a while.
And passes over 10 feet, as well. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
lucky shot, but huge :-)
We really needed that. We’ve got the momentum. We need to start the 2nd half the way we ended the 1st half.
GBB!!!
Hopefully
this will be one of the 12 or 13 turnover games….sad to hope that but we know the alternative…somewhere around 30
overall I thought it was an ugly half of basketball for both teams....
I’ll take this lead and be happy
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
It was very ugly.
But I’ll take the result without complaint. We need Patterson to man up in the second half.
Nice minutes in relief by Josh Harrellson. Stewart tried, but I he really didn’t get anything done on either end of the floor.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Good.
You can make a nice donation to the furtherance of A Sea of Blue. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Our newcomers
Liggins, Miller, Harrelson and Galloway have been disappointing this season. I’d really thought they’d be contributing much more and at least two of them would be consistently starting. Time to pick it up in conference play.
Two months (!). Two weeks. Two pencils.
by Thomas Hunt Morgan on Jan 10, 2009 3:03 PM EST reply actions
We can only hope.
At least Harrellson and Miller made positive contributions. Liggins did as much bad as he did good, maybe more.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I think..
Harrellson has played well when he’s on the floor. Galloway donesn’t get off the bench. As for Liggins and Miller, I would agree, they’ve been disappointing.
I wish ...
… Michael Porter would put up a shot from the top of the key. They are leaving him alone out there, and we need to get them out of that zone.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Porter ...
… can shoot the ball. I wonder why he won’t?
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I wouldnt fault him for taking an open shot....who knows he might make it...:))
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
I think Porter and Harris play too tentative on offense.
Both players neeed to look for their shot a little more.
GBB!!!
Harris needs to get to the rim more.
He can do it.
But he made a nice open jumper from the corner.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
pound the boards, guard the 3 and execute on offense and this is in the bag
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
Meeks ...
… is doing a good job of driving the ball to the basket. He needs to keep that up, apparently, he’s the only one who can.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Good question
I was wondering that on Stewart`s Goaltending call earlier
by String Music on Jan 10, 2009 3:15 PM EST up reply actions
Free throw story...
Vandy has taken 10 free throws to the Cats 4. It would seem that we’re not being agressive enough and/or driving the ball to the basket. We need to get the ball inside to Patterson.
Here we go!
But what was that banker by Meeks?
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Wow.
We tried to give them a chance, but in the end, we got it done.
Uneven game, but a nice start to the SEC season.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Gillispie Undefeated in SEC at Home
Runs his record to 9-0 at Rupp. No small feat.
Two months (!). Two weeks. Two pencils.
by Thomas Hunt Morgan on Jan 10, 2009 4:07 PM EST reply actions
I'll have the post-game comment up in about 90 minutes.
I have to go to run a few errands.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Nice win
I`ve seen most of the SEC play this season and I think Arkansas is the team to beat. They are the most consistent.. so far
I had completely forgotten
The 2 OT’s in Rupp last year to win only by 6! This team has always been on my dangerous list. Back in the early to mid 80’s seems I remember they were always dangerous from 3 pt land and liked to play a slowed down game more than now. I don’t even remember who the Coach was at the time. Fogler? I am too lazy.
I looked it up on wikipedia b/c I was curious
And it looks like CM Newton was there in the 80s, which I don’t even remember (cause I was a child at the time I guess) and then Fogler came in 89. And then it was Jan Van Breda Kolff from 93-99—I had totally forgotten about him! I have mentioned how Vandy has always been a team I’ve especially disliked, at least considering they’re not one of our big rivals, but I also agree with you—I’ve always considered them vaguely dangerous even on those years when they haven’t been especially good. My impression of them year to year was that they were always a team that would consistently knock their their free throws and could get hot from 3 and sneak up and beat you.
by blue kentucky girl on Jan 10, 2009 10:40 PM EST up reply actions
Thanks for the info blue girl.
I had totally forgotten about C.M. coaching at Vandy. That has been 20 years ago. Hey I do remember him being the AD at UK.
Nice to know my loss of memory is just age and not Alzies :-)
Nice game..
UK overcame an absolutely terrible performance from the bench.
Meeks is playing like an all-american; he was tremedous today. Don’t let the shooting % today fool you; when you look at elite scorers like Meeks, the first thing you do is look at what they did from the charity stripe and again he was stellar.
I will spare all of you my Porter commentary because ti would just be repetitiuos of me. :)
by MyBloodRunsBlue on Jan 10, 2009 5:57 PM EST reply actions

by 












