The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Tournament Eve Edition
by Truzenzuzex on Mar 16, 2010 7:33 PM EDT
in News
49 comments
The NCAA Tournament gets underway tonight with the play-in game, and in earnest on Thursday.
- Tournament stats and facts - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
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East Region preview: How vulnerable are John Wall and Kentucky? - The Dagger - NCAAB Blog - Yahoo! Sports
I know some Big Blue fans are going to disagree, but UK is vulnerable in this region. Kentucky CAN beat all these teams, but can they go through five games without losing to one of them? We're going to find out just how tough Wall & Co. really are. -
NCAA caves to TV pressure by going easy on Duke - KansasCity.com
Wow. Now Duke is the reason for questionable seeding decisions. How can they be "ratings gold" and be so universally reviled? I suppose Whitlock will be answering that question next. -
So what did the Orange do wrong to get seated behind Duke at the NCAA Tournament's table? |
More selection angst. -
Geoff Calkins: Memphis' rooting interest? Anybody but you-know-who " The Commercial Appeal
It's hard to blame Memphis for the schadenfreude, and we have engaged in more than our share over the years. -
Fighting words: Put up your Duke degrees | KentuckySports.com
"In March, there's one big difference between Rand Paul and Trey Grayson," says the ad, which then shows an unflattering picture of Paul with a caption that says "I'm Rand Paul and I'm a Duke Blue Devil."
Using Duke hate as a political talking point? Only in Kentucky.
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Mad about Cousins - College Basketball - Rivals.com
What an awesome piece by Jason King. Simply amazing. Must-read. -
Wall, Calipari lead Kentucky to sweep of AP awards | WHAS11 Louisville, Kentucky and Indiana News | News
Love it. Well, the AP recognizes good coaching when they see it, even if the SEC coaches don't. :-) -
Getting The Calls: An SEC Statistical Breakdown " MrSEC.com
Pretty interesting analysis. -
Vitale: Expect Kentucky to cut down the nets in Indianapolis - USATODAY.com
Kiss of death? :-) -
Intentional Foul " Tiger Confirms Masters Return, Twitter Erupts
Heh. Very funny. Well, what a circus Augusta is going to be this year. - Eric Crawford | UK drives its way back to Big Dance | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
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Why not Billy Gillispie??? - HawkeyeNation Forum
Some interesting comments here. -
CatsPause.com - Women get No. 4 seed in Louisville
Congrats to the Hoops team! -
John Calipari talks tourney, UK fans and ABBA - Page 2 - ESPN
Did you know Cal was a fan of ABBA? Now you do. - UK Notebook: Calipari warns of tough road ahead: AMNews.com
- Coaching Carousel Begins in Earnest – Lutz out at Charlotte | StateFans Nation
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Deacon Dump 3/16: Predictions and Early Lines - Blogger So Dear
A few interesting comments on Kentucky here. - Kentucky Makes Record 50th NCAA Tournament Appearance - KENTUCKY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
- When will Brandon Knight decide?
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Using pythag to pick an NCAA Tournament bracket - Rocky Top Talk
More statistical fun and games. -
WhatIfSports.com Bracket Preview - 2010 March Madness
Now this is interesting. I'd love to get a look at their algorithm, because it shows Baylor beating UK in the Final Four, which I really don't quite buy. But it is interesting. -
Does fate want Kansas to lose? - Beyond the Arc - msnbc.com
Fate, eh? Heh. -
Basketball Prospectus | Articles | Tournament Preview: Kentucky in the East
Behold one vehemently stacked region. The Midwest has garnered all of the headlines over the past 36 hours in terms of being tough, and not without reason. But Kentucky is a good deal younger than the Jayhawks, and opponents like Wisconsin, West Virginia and Temple won't go quietly. Barring the kind of total bracket collapse we haven't seen in years, I for one will be impressed and persuaded if John Calipari's team runs this gauntlet and makes it to Indy.
UK has a tough road, no doubt about it. But anything short of a championship is just varying degrees of failure.
- WVLK’s Glover explains why Cats will win it all in Indianapolis | Vaught's Views
- NCAA tournament: 64 truths noted by Tim Keown - ESPN
- NCAA Tournament Is A "Blessing"
- Kentucky Upset No. 5 Alabama with Five Runs in the Sixth - KENTUCKY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
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Prediction: Talent takes title | KentuckySports.com
Heh. Well, I hope he's right. -
A feast in the East | College Hoops Journal
Kentucky is young, stupid and ridiculously talented. Should I waste words on this? Does it matter? Probably. But Kentucky plays on emotion. Biggest key: avoid falling behind by as many as 10 points. If that happens in the second half of any opponent second round and beyond, I question UK’s ability to fight back. Damn are they fun, though.
Heh. I think he's got us nailed.
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The Onion: Kentucky Violated NCAA Rules When Recruiting Basketball-Playing Dog (VIDEO)
You have got to watch this video. If you don't laugh at this, check your pulse. -
Vegas Likes Kentucky over West Virginia in NCAA East
Let's hope they're right.
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Technically This Is UK's 51st NCAA Appearance
20 by Rupp (in 34 years of NCAA tourney).
10 by Hall (in 13 years).
3 by Sutton (in 4 years) but 1988 doesn’t “count” due to NCAA sanctions.
6 by Pitino (in 8 years).
10 by Tubby (in 10 years).
1 by Gillispie (in 2 years).
And now 1 by Calipari.
by FortyYearCatFan on Mar 16, 2010 8:07 PM EDT reply actions
Coach Cal's Taste In Music
ABBA and KISS? Let’s just say I am glad he is a better judge of basketball talent! Wow, Patrick Patterson just turned 21 and has more mature taste in music :-)
Oh well, he may be no Queen but he’s dancin’ !!!
ABC
What is an “ABBA and KISS”? I remember the ABA and I sure remember kissing. They have never made it to the CMA awards!
Happy Days are here again The sky is all ways BLUE again Happy days are here again !
I'm with you
beats that noise they call music these days.
yeah,
I really like ABBA, too, and I was born in 1975, thank-you-very-much. : ) Not so much a Kiss fan, but I do appreciate the outrageousness that is Gene Simmons. I mean, how can you not?
My mother was a rabid ABBA fan when I was growing up (well, that and the Bee Gees, but we aren’t talking about them here) and anyway, would put them on and turn the volume waaaay up on a Saturday morning when she was cleaning house or whatever. I can probably recite more than a respectable amount of their lyrics and every time I hear ABBA or even hear about them being mentioned it always takes me back to those days and makes me think of my incredibly beautiful and amazing mother. Funny how music is the trigger of so many memories. Good call, Coach, ABBA is cool. ; )
"bring a tear and a big smile"
Why yes, blue oregon, that piece by Jason King did bring a tear and a smile. However did you know it would? : )
I have read an embarrassing amount of articles on DeMarcus (and anything UK-related for that matter) and had read some of the things in the piece before, but most of this piece was new stuff that hadn’t been mentioned earlier, so it was great. The new information and insight into Cousins coupled with what I believe to be the accurate portrayal of Cousins was so incredibly awesome and I think it’s great that the national media is noticing what a gem we have here in DeMarcus and that they want to spread the word to thousands. Everyone should see what I and what I hope are the majority of UK fans see — DeMarcus is just a sweet, fun-loving kid with a ton of personality who just so happens to kick some serious ass on the basketball court.
And, you know what else I find so awesome? The reason writers like Jason King are noticing Cousins and writing pieces like this is because Cousins did it himself. He is totally proving all the naysayers wrong AND DOING IT HIMSELF. Fans and coaches can only scream from the rafters and defend their players so much, but really, the object of critism or those who are unfairly getting a bad reputation (in this case DeMarcus), well, ultimately, they are the ones who must change people’s minds and DeMarcus has, and continues to do that. Good for him! : )
You were born ...
… the year I graduated from high school. That was a good year. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I grew up on ABBA
My mother was a product of the 60’s and 70’s and ABBA was her favorite music so all I heard growing up were ABBA records, tapes and eventually CDs. I saw Mamma Mia! in Vegas and loved it, saw the movie and loved it, love singing the songs…in fact I just started the Mamma Mia! soundtrack up…yeah I know that is sad for a 20 something guy to admit :)
"Come test me every day if you want," says Pujols, "Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught."
OK, OK ...Long live Swedish pop and Make-up!
Though, somehow, I can hear taunting like that waged against Dirk when he talked about the Night Rider’s music.
UK in Indy rocking Fernando :-)
" There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando"
Texas Tough
..But this team plays better against opponents they feel worthy! I like our chances…I do.
Oh ...
… I’m very sorry to hear that. My prayers go out to him and his family.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
The foul stats article ......
was interesting, but I would like to see how many deliberate fouls teams committed in the last few minutes. Kentucky had overall about 4 more fouls committed by oponents , and about 6 more at home. How many of those were in the final minutes as teams were hoping for misses?
Onion
The best part of that is the questions raised about “Rex” and “Mr. Boots.”
Love it!
It's time. . .
Cousins Piece Is Good
Cousins has so quickly become one of my favorite players of all time. I truly believe he is going to be a great NBA Center. But more than his ability, he has a will to win and a personality and seems like a good teammate. He has taken on the task of being a Kentucky Wildcat and I can see him being a part of that the rest of his life.
I am looking forward to watching him dominate in this tournament and beyond.
I just want his mother and siblings to be taken care of
"Come test me every day if you want," says Pujols, "Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught."
Just went
through the bracket for the first time…….my oh my……….Duke/Cuse have easy going……..I couldn’t help but to put them in the final four………such an easy road. One thing I noticed though……..much like 2003……….Wisconsin in the sweet sixteen/Marquette in the Elite Eight to make it to the final four :)………eeks.
am tempted to go with cuse as well..
however, their big man is still not practicing and espn believe coach jim might have pulled one over on the committee by saying he would be good to go at practice by today….
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Mar 17, 2010 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Nah I couldn't put them in
I have the Cards knocking off Dukie and the Racers knocking off Cuse and I really don’t think either is that large of a statism pick. UofL hasn’t played up to expectations this year and I think if they beat Cal they could easily knock off Duke, the bias I have for them though is that I have them going all the way to the FF and I do doubt they can handle Baylor or Villanova if htey face them. As for the Racers I picked them over Vandy before the passing of their guard’s mother but I still think they will win, and maybe even more so, then I think UTEP over Butler is very likely and the Racers over UTEP will be a fun game if it happens. Then you get a Cuse Racer game (if Cuse makes it that far) and I really think the Orange have been struggling lately and could easily be upset by any team.
"Come test me every day if you want," says Pujols, "Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught."
Mama Mia Here I go Again
Fate, I hear you calling
So I can’t come home right now
Me and the boys are playing
In front of an Indy crowd
Look up in the rafters
We know just what to do
I can hear them calling
Fate, Go Big Blue
Eight Go Big BLue
by LyricSmith on Mar 16, 2010 11:52 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I'm picking an Upset.....
I think KU will go dwn to either Tennessee (the Kool-Aid will step up again) or Oklahoma State, or to Ohio Statei n the Final Four….
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
--Jesus Christ
I picked Georgetown over OSU and then KU
"Come test me every day if you want," says Pujols, "Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught."
In case you missed it
see if you can find a replay of last night’s UNC-William and Mary NIT game. I watched the entire second half, and the offensive system employed by William and Mary is nothing if not entertaining. Every shot is either a three or from three feet out and closer. (They made 16 3’s in the game!) The only bad thing about the game was the outcome, but if you’ve got an hour or two to kill, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Ok
I want to throw out a completely crazy idea to you all and see what reaction it gets.
I was thinking last night and I realized that no matter what happens from here on out, short of being the first 1 to lose to a 16, I don’t really care how the season ends up. Whether they win the Championship or lose to Texas in the second round, this team has accomplished the only goal I could ever truly ask of it. They have brought the fun and passion back to the State.
Versus the depths we were in this time last year, I can not be happier. Having a team on the court that deserves to wear the jersey, plays with enthusiasm and are truly having fun is so much nicer than what we dealt with the last couple of years.
I will hate to see us lose, if only because I know that players like Cousins, Wall and Patterson will probably never don the jersey again. I will hate to see them lose because I know that their desire to win is immense and they will be dejected over the loss. Personally though, nothing is wiping the smile off of my face from this years memories.
What do you all think, is it really such a horrible fate if this team doesn’t win the tournament? How upset will you be.
Not very.
As long as UK plays well, and plays hard, I won’t get too upset.
I get upset when UK is not relevant. I get upset when everybody in the sports world is asking “whatever happened to Kentucky?” I get upset when teams like UNC and U of L win 30+ games per year and are #1 seeds and UK goes to the NIT as a #4 seed. I get upset when UK’s odds of winning a national championship are hundreds to one in March.
I get upset when UK has only one 5* player on the squad. I get upset when the best player in a UK recruiting class isn’t in the top 25. I get upset when Kentucky gets beat at Vanderbilt by 40 points. I get upset when Kansas or UNC are favored by double digits over UK in Rupp Arena. I get upset when UK can’t even be competitive in the second round of the tournament.
But this team, we know, is capable of winning it all. It may stumble — they are young, and young teams are more likely than experienced teams to stub their toe. I can live with that. I won’t like it much, but I won’t be upset for very long. There is always next year, and unlike recent history, I don’t live in fear of next year.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
by Truzenzuzex on Mar 17, 2010 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions
i would agree....
i no longer fear that the light at the end of the tunnel is the NIT freight train headed my way but i know it is the light shinning on banner #8 somewhere sooner rather than later…
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Mar 17, 2010 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Cool
That’s what I was thinking. I believe that many people not in the UK circle expect UK fans to resume the wailing and gnashing of teeth if UK doesn’t win it all this year. I didn’t think that would largely be the case.
Of course there is always the small contingent that won’t be happy that we didn’t win by enough in the Championship even if we do win. The Miserables as Calipari terms them.
You put it well Tru, knowing that we won’t be chewing our fingernails hoping for a surprise recruiting blessing at the last minute to save our upcoming season. The sense of calm really is something that has been missing for a long time.
by aidanpryde18 on Mar 17, 2010 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions
March Madness Takes Hold of Kentucky Politics
"Come test me every day if you want," says Pujols, "Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught."
When I saw the posting and something about degrees I thought some one was going to go into the article in USA Today about the graduation percentages of the schools playing in the toiurnament.
Comparing some of the schools to Duke’s, Utah State’s, Vanderbilt’s and several others shows the true seperation between the student/athletics and the been there/done that schools.
I have be correctly accused of having a 'football fetish'. You know, someone who doesn't think football is the warm up sport to basketball season.
There is one more thing that needs to be accounted for there Paris.....
I believe that the coaching carousel at UK has led to at least a portion of their reduced grad rates. When you have 3 coaches in 4 years, grad rates will suffer. I believe that the grad rate should be tied somehow to the time the coach has been with the school. Player turnover leads to reduced grad rates.But you do make a good point about there needing to be something done.
I AM THE CAT......The Cat In The Hat!!!
I was just looking at the schools we liked to be grouped with when it comes to success in basketball.
Louisville was the only one I’ve seen below us so far. Indiana who has had a few different coaches in the last few years didn’t seem to suffer too much when it came to graduate rate. kansas State was fairly high and they’ve changed coaches recently.
I’m not picking on any program and i’m sure they all have a reason for their graduation rating being were it is. But the guy did have a good point. If you can’t graduate 2 out of 5, especially with the added tutoring all these schools have there needs to be some punishment for being just a factory to fulfill the needs of the fans. A lot of these guys don’t go on to the pros and as we’ve seen recently, in the ticket procurement scam some were running, things don’t always turn out positively.
When a young man signs with a school he probably expects to either go to the pros from that school or get a degree from said insitution. I know a scholarship is a year to year deal but being showed the door for a prospect who is probably a one and done or best two year commitment seems a little slanted in the university’s favor.
I have be correctly accused of having a 'football fetish'. You know, someone who doesn't think football is the warm up sport to basketball season.
Sports is revenue.
Schools need revenue. Graduating students can’t compete with the easy money of sports. There will be no punishment. Besides, 100% of non-athletes do not graduate.
But you have to admit when UNLV has a higher graduation rate than you do, well, its time to evaluate the situation!
I have be correctly accused of having a 'football fetish'. You know, someone who doesn't think football is the warm up sport to basketball season.
Maybe its time you evaluate the news source before crying "Wolf"
If you go here you’ll find the latest (2007 – 2008) NCAA APR rates for schools. This number takes into account student transfers, early exit for professional sports, etc.
BTW – you will notice UNLV is very low (30th – 40th percentile) while UK is high (90th – 100th percentile) and for the latest data UNLV would be receiving sanctions if not corrected during this latest report period which should be out in May.
That seems to be a little more accurate. I didnt think we were hurting as bad as this guy was making it out to be.
I guess if you dont go to Harvard you dont get an education in his book. I am all for tying education into athletics. I think if you take the education portion out of the equation you just have a semi-pro league instead of a college. And when a young student-athlete excells at both academics and athletics, it is time to step up and recognize them (thank you Coach for doing that this year). We cannot separate the two. Adjusting for the one and dones, and those who leave college early for professional sports is fine in my book. And you see more and more of them coming back to school at some point, getting their degree and graduating.
I AM THE CAT......The Cat In The Hat!!!
I agree with the premise
that the graduation rates are low and also feel there is much more that needs to be done to emphasize the academic side of the athletics equation. Not just basketball but all college athletes should be beat over the head with the facts. The odds are overwhelming, they are not going to go pro – get your education!
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