The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Blue/White Game Edition

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 10:03 AM EDT in News Comment 39 comments

The man. Patrick Patterson.

Okay, 'Cat fans, here we go. The Blue/White game is tonight, and we will learn a lot more about this team than we learned at Big Blue Madness, which essentially amounted to, "Josh Harrellson can shoot the ball and nobody else can do anything but dunk." Hopefully, we will see something more meaningful tonight.

I am really anxious to see this team in a more formal game setting where there is something at stake. As ~~good~~ talented as these guys are supposed to be, I want to see some of that talent express itself tonight. I want some reason to believe that this team can be molded into a national contender. I want to see what all the fuss is about.

It should be exciting, and of course, A Sea of Blue will have an open game thread for this game just like every other, so come one, come all, and join us tonight as we begin to experience the 2009-2010 season in earnest.

Now, for the news:

UK Basketball News

Crop of recruits help Patterson, boost UK's shot at national title - USATODAY.com
One of those things is to unchain himself from the post. He does not want to have to feel for the rim as a back-to-the basket scorer but actually see the rim facing the basket. NBA scouts, who stand under the basket to get a more accurate measure of a player, consider Patterson closer to 6-8 than 6-9, and they want to see him face up with what they consider small forward length.

It will be interesting to see if Patterson can bring this kind of game to the team. He hasn't shown much of it so far. Hat tip: Bluegrass State Basketball
Basketball Preview: Degree, NCAA tournament keep Patterson from NBA | The Kentucky Kernel
This season's subtext is all about Patrick Patterson.
Cats' Big Cuz has big potential to be force in post | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
DeMarcus is the fun one.

Big Cuz? He is, in Cousins' own words, "pretty mean."

He elaborated, but it's unfit for print.

Okay, but just keep it clean on the court.
Basketball Preview: New coach gives sophomore a second chance at UK | The Kentucky Kernel
Faced with a decision of whether or not to come back, Liggins sought his family’s advice.

Go back, they told him. Do everything right this time.

Good call.
Dodson likes team’s chemistry, talent | Vaught's Views
I like the chemistry, to. So far, that is. The Blue/White game will tell us much more.

UK Football News

UK Football: SEC honors Gonzalez: AMNews.com
We can't honor members of the o-line enough this year.
State-Journal.com - Don't expect runaway win when Kentucky, Mississippi State meet
This will be a close game between two very well-matched teams. Don't believe me? Just look at the stats.
Cats gear up for Miss. State ground game | KentuckySports.com
Sure, UK is giving up 174.1 yards a game on the ground. But that number is somewhat deceiving. Take away Florida's 362-yard rushing performance in a 41-7 loss on Sept. 26, and the Cats' average is a more respectable 142.8.

I think opponents fail to account for cases like Florida, where a team throws in a clunker. You have to watch those, it can give you a deceiving sense of security.
No blackout on field for Cats | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
Rich Brooks made one thing clear on Tuesday: Saturday's University of Kentucky "blackout" game against Mississippi State is strictly for the fans. Before he fielded a question or updated injuries, the UK coach told the media after practice that the Wildcats will be wearing their traditional look for Saturday's game.

Good for you, Coach. Good for us, too. We don't need distractions, we need a victory.
Seasons hinge on UK-MSU rivalry | KentuckySports.com
"I think, when you're in the lower half of the league historically, to get to the upper half, you not only have to knock off some of those big boys up there, you have to knock off the guys that are like you," Brooks said. "And Mississippi State and Kentucky have been like each other for quite a while, and the team that has won has had the edge up on being able to climb that ladder a little bit."

It's hard to really overstate how big this game is. UK wins this one, and it looks like the fourth straight bowl is a done deal. Lose, and UK has serious work to do.
Anything but Gatorade: BLACKOUTS ARE FOR FUN, NOT FOOTBALL
What he says.

Other UK Sports News

None today

NCAA Sports News

Rush The Court " Adam Zagoria on Kyrie Irving, Recruiting, and Social Networking
Interesting interview. Lots of hot-button issues hit with respect to recruiting and reporting of commitments.
Pat Forde: Chance to bash the SEC has likely passed - ESPN
"This is a tough league for freshmen, I can tell [Calipari] that from experience," Stallings said. "Not that he needs me to tell him anything.

"We started three freshmen a year ago. If he can win the league starting three freshmen, then he's as good a coach as I think he is and those freshmen are as good as advertised."

Fair enough.

Other News of Interest

Prince's role with Pistons might change | KentuckySports.com

The Daily Schadenfreude

Duke basketball's Goodfellas poster - The Dagger - NCAAB - Yahoo! Sports
1. Both Duke basketball players and the guys from Goodfellas get special treatment from authority figures, whether they wear badges or stripes.

2. Fortunes of the movie's characters and basketball team peak in the middle and then collapse down the stretch.

3. Main characters will be anonymous in a few years (Henry Hill went into witness protection, Jon Scheyer will go into NBDL).

Heh. Hat tip: Truth About Duke
Pitino not just blowing smoke; Cards playing with fire against Tigers | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
"We know it's going to be a very close game; we'll probably be trailing most of the game," Pitino said. "The fans are going to say, ‘Oh, here he goes again,' but … Georgetown has given us fits every time we played them."

Is it even possible for Pitino to get any weirder?
Memo to Duke: Salvage Your Dignity - Casual Hoya
Duke Blue Devils debut the worst promo ever.

Heh.

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Comments

still not sure i understand why a black out....

and not a blue out…guess i am old school

only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team

by memphis wildcat on Oct 28, 2009 11:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Me, too.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Because...

It’s Halloween, so they thought Black.

by UK1972 on Oct 28, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great links in today's news

Heh, we all like the color BLUE…..
Yogi Bear "Big Cuz’ should provide a lot of excitement…..Just how many points can we score tonight? It should be interesting to see scoring and blocks……
dUKe? Blah…..
Money will always make the big decisions…….
PPat is the man……
and now I must say,
GO BIG BLUE !!! :-)

Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!

by a2d2 on Oct 28, 2009 12:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'll fourth the motion

Black is a cool color (?) for uniforms. UC’s uniforms are very nice. Even the Reds have put more black in their wardrobe.

But there’s no consistent history of UK wearing black. That stadium is going to resemble MSU’s dark maroon more than Kentucky Blue.

Thank goodness, Orange isn’t the color of the moment. We’d lose Cal.

No matter where you're at, there you are

by cincyblue on Oct 28, 2009 12:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Heh.

Me too! :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The NFL!

These things are like kids “sagging” their pants, if they knew the story behind the fad, maybe they wouldn’t think it’s something to do. They see the NFL every Sunday with the “throwback” unforms and think that’s cool. Many don’t realize it’s just another way for the NFL to make money.

That said, it would be neat to see some of UK’s throwbacks but the obvious expense not to mention not having the NFL’s ability to sell the heck out them probably would preclude that possiblity. That seemed to be one of Coach Brook’s reasons for not going with the black.

by UKlvrJM on Oct 28, 2009 12:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Black-Blue......who cares.....as long as we beat MissSt......

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Oct 28, 2009 1:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Right.

The game is all I care about, ultimately. But black uniforms? Ugh. I didn’t like it much with the basketball team, and I’m glad we aren’t doing it with the football team.

I’m okay with having done it to honor Keightley, but I hope we never have to see them again. :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I suppose MSU will be all "Black... and..., Blue" at the end of the game?

Get it? yuch yuch, har har – I slay myself :)

Sorry, dead horse, move on :-)

No matter where you're at, there you are

by cincyblue on Oct 28, 2009 1:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Amen!

by Grasslands1 on Oct 28, 2009 1:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Deceptive Data

I disagree with your point about throwing out data from the Florida game. By the same token, why shouldn’t you throw out a great performance against Miami (OH)?

by Clay Mason on Oct 28, 2009 1:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well ...

… maybe “throw out” is too strong. Perhaps “look askance at” might have been better.

Games like Florida can often make the stats look deceptively bad or good, for the purposes of comparing the teams. Whenever a team has an unusually good or bad game impacting their overall stats, I always find it useful to take that into account.

Your mileage may vary. :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's fair statistical analysis

To throw out the best and worst performances, I believe.

"The IQ of a mob is the IQ of its most stupid member divided by the number of mobsters." --Terry Pratchett

by Ontherocks on Oct 28, 2009 5:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Wildcats to practice at Freedom Hall?

Louisville basketball has kept that state-owned dump operating years after it should have been razed, and this is the thanks they get? Typical.

I’m looking forward to the downtown arena and the exclusivity that comes with it.

by don'tshootmei'macard on Oct 28, 2009 2:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Haha!

Yeah, there you go. Just deserts. :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you didnt think someone like Cal would take advantage of that??

c’mon card

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Oct 28, 2009 2:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Blue-White Game

Anyone know if this is televised anywhere? I would even take a scrambled internet feed if one exists.

Xbox Live Gamertag: hoopchi

by hoopchi on Oct 28, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

From UKAthletics Site

It will be viewable on the UKAthletics site, as well as the BBSN affiliates around the state, as well as Fox Sports South stations. Hopefully one of these will work for you, but it all depends on where you are.

by aidanpryde18 on Oct 28, 2009 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks.

Looks like Fox South may have it in Augusta, GA. Yipppeeeee!

Xbox Live Gamertag: hoopchi

by hoopchi on Oct 28, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tipton

I can only imagine what Jerry will find negative to write about after the Blue-White practice.

by UK1972 on Oct 28, 2009 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ol' Jerry is blogging today

that according to NCAA spokesperson Schuh, tonight’s game is an intra-squad scrimmage, and the NCAA bylaw cites playing against an outside opponent. But the bylaw also says a player cannot compete in a school’s uniform, so I don’t know…..Here is a link, read it for yourself….LOL :-)
Can Wall play tonight?

Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!

by a2d2 on Oct 28, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for that, a2

If Wall plays and is later found ineligible, does the NCAA make us forfeit the 2009 Blue-White game? LOL

by Acdixon on Oct 28, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha!

And the hits just keep on coming!! :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

does that mean that the loser can protest the outcome??

because if Wall plays and his team wins, and it is found that they used an ineligible player…..???

But what if Wall’s team loses?…..Does that mean his teammates have grounds for a protest?

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Oct 28, 2009 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fox Sports South definitely has it in Kentucky.....I assume thats all over the south

it is on their ALTERNATE channel

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Oct 28, 2009 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How can I watch the game without cable?

Will it be available on any internet site? I can’t seem to find it in the usual places (espn360, yahoo)

by tyler cottrell on Oct 28, 2009 4:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah ...

… I think so, at the UK athletics site.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Never mind

After scouring the internet with no luck, I found that it will be on regular TV.

Channel 27 at 7!!!!

by tyler cottrell on Oct 28, 2009 5:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I am curious about one thing Tru, you are more than happy to see John Clay

talk about how this Wildcat Coal Lodge thing is all about money. You even seem to let out a nice little cheer there in the link. So Why do you have such a serious problem with it when a big part of us here at ASOB begin to complain about the NCAA, The SEC, and the schools interest in the money above all else??

You applaud someone who points out that the naming rights to a field, or a building are about money. Yet, when some of us point out the hypocrisy that is collegiate althletics and its governing and participating bodies and their love for the almighty dollar above all else, you seem to jump at the chance to defend them and their practices with your assessment that “they can always go to Europe”……

It is all part and parcel Tru, and you cannot separate the two, as much as your powers of deductive reasoning seem to want to.

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Oct 28, 2009 6:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well ...

… I think once again, you are conflating unrelated things into some kind of huge “money is evil” thing. Money isn’t evil, it is an inanimate object, a trade good, if you will.

I also find that many people impute evil where none may exist. The NCAA, college athletics, all of it is imperfect and flawed, but at its core, it is just good fun. Sometimes, we take it way too seriously.

Another way to look at it is this — without the money, college athletics would have died years ago, or be seen by nobody. It would be one big intramural deal that only a few students cared about, pretty much like amateur golf is these days. Nobody but die-hard golfers care about the most of the USGA championships, but a whole lot of people care about the U.S. Open.

And of course you can separate the things you call “part and parcel”. Of course you can. Conflating them is the mistake. And my powers of deductive (and inductive) reasoning are peerless. :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But why the cheer for Clay???

If the money is not evil according to you, shouldnt you be offended at Clay’s assessment of the situation??

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Oct 28, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope.

Did you read it? Here was his conclusion:

It’s not about sports, or fossil fuels or future energy. It’s certainly not about honoring the past. It’s business.

He’s exactly right.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And when I used that analogy, I was shunned as promoting

a “conspiracy” I believe it was??…..Or that I was using the term “business” to make things seem more negative….

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Oct 28, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well ...

… you used it in a slightly different context, like business is a bad thing, or so I understood it.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Oct 28, 2009 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Offended at Clay's assessment of the situation ABC?

The situation is about the money. We all know it. Without the name they want, there would be no money. That is a stipulation of the gift, isn’t it?:-)

Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!

by a2d2 on Oct 28, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs