A Sea Of Blue: FanPosts

GOG 2009 #04

2009-11-20T20:59:43Z

So here's a question for you. If UK were to ever run one of those half-time contests where a student gets to take a half-court shot to win a million dollars or some such, is he allowed to have some players on the floor to guard him to improve his chances of making it? Just wondering.

GOG #00 contains information about the game.
Info about Rider
Congratulations to dancoo626 for winning GOG#03! This was a low-scoring GOG, thanks to DeMarcus Cousins's stubborn refusal to pick up fouls and SHS's stubborn refusal to miss three point shots. Special shoutout to BigSkyCat for being the only person to pick Cousins to lead the team in scoring for the game.

GOG 2009 #04: Rider [Max 36 points]

Who wins? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect]
What is the margin of victory (regardless of who wins)? [4 pts if correct, 3 pts within one, 2 pts within two, 1 pt within three]
Who leads UK in scoring? [3 pts]
Patrick Patterson has hit a three pointer in each of the first three games. Does the streak continue against Rider? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect]
UK has struggled shooting free throws in the games that count. Does UK shoot 70% or better as a team from the line? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect]
Despite "only" grabbing 9 rebounds against SHS, Patterson is still averaging a double-double early in the season. Is he still averaging a double-double after the Rider game? (Note that Patterson needs 0 points and 9 rebounds to continue averaging a double-double) [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect]
How many Rider players hit 3 or more 3 point shots? [3 pts]
Does Rider as a team hit 10 or more 3 point shots against the Cats? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect]
DeMarcus Cousins has picked up 5, 3, and 1 foul in his first three games respectively. He can't get -1 fouls to continue the trend, so I expect him to commit a foul that gets tagged on someone else (watch your back Daniel Orton!). Cousins has had an outstanding game and a half. Predict his made field goals/rebounds/steals. [2 pts each]
Calipari mentioned Ramon Harris as one guy he was pleased with after he grabbed 5 boards in 12 minutes against SHS and was vocal on the floor. He suggested that Harris would see more floor time as a result. Predict Harris's minutes/rebounds/steals+blocks. [2 pts each]
UK got big time games from the starters, but no scoring from the bench. How many bench players score in the game? How many total bench points? [3 pts each]
Speaking of the starters, it was the first time in almost two years that UK had three players score 20+ points in a game (the last time was against FIU in 2007 I believe). How many players score 20 points or more? [3 pts]

Deadline for answers is tip-off at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 21.

Programming Note: Due to UK's next two games being back-to-back and Thanksgiving holidays, I'm going to combine both games into a single GOG.

another Big Blue basketball news site.

2009-11-20T18:37:30Z

A friend and I just started a UK basketball blog/news site. We'll write features and news stories. We're working really hard on it. It's still in it's beginning stages, so there's not a lot there right now, but that should change soon. We're proud of it though, so please check it out:

http://ukcatscratches.blogspot.com.

You can also fan Cat Scratches on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/ukcatscratches.

The SEC In Bowls

2009-11-20T15:02:48Z

Cats vs South Florida? Why not?

There is some interesting match-ups to consider if it actually worked out this way.

Probably won't but someting to ponder.

RANDY ROSETTA'S POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS
BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Championship Game Florida vs. Texas
Sugar Bowl Alabama vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl Ohio State vs. Oregon
Fiesta Bowl Penn State vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl Georgia Tech vs. TCU
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE GAMES
Capital One Bowl Ole Miss vs. Iowa
Outback Bowl Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Cotton Bowl LSU vs. Oklahoma State
Chick-fil-A Bowl Georgia vs. Clemson
Music City Bowl Arkansas vs. Miami
Liberty Bowl Auburn vs. Southern Miss
Independence Bowl South Carolina vs. Iowa State
Papajohns.com Bowl Kentucky vs. South Florida

Small Rotation...

2009-11-20T06:46:43Z

Bearkats vs Wildcats boxscore

Is it just me or is Coach Cal using a very limited rotation this year...I really don't see how Liggins isn't getting more minutes. We are gonna have to get some of these bench guys more minutes before we get to the conference schedule...I'm really hoping some of you will comment on this, or offer your opinions on the topic...And Wall is dribbling too much. 6 turnovers a game against an opponent like Sam Houston is just not gonna cut it...a tough SEC defense would force 10 out of the kid...We're a long way from being a top five team...I don't think i'd put us in the top 25 right now.

GOG 2009 #03

2009-11-19T00:31:43Z

Well, that Miami game was more exciting than I think most anyone not name John Calipari wanted to see. The Cats now face an experienced Sam Houston St team which should prove to be another solid opponent and a good opportunity for the Cats to learn more about themselves.

GOG #00 contains information about the game.
Here is info on Sam Houston St.
Congratulations to SpartanWildcat for winning GOG #02! ~~I don't have the full results ready to post, but I should have them updated either later tonight or tomorrow.~~ Results are updated. Follow the link to see them.

Scoring Change: One of the difficult things about writing the GOG is to come up with questions in which there is a reasonable chance for people to guess the correct outcome. Even before the first GOG I knew that guessing the score for each team would prove to be rather difficult and I've been bouncing around various ways to score that type of question because let's face it - a game where you guess the outcome of a basketball game that *doesn't* include guessing the score is pretty lame, but I also want it to be fair. After some thought I've come up with the following scoring system:

"Guess the score" questions will be worth anywhere from 1 to 4 points based on how close to the actual score a guess is. Getting the score exactly correct will be worth 4 points. A guess within one of the actual score will be worth 3 point, within two will be worth 2 points, and within three will be worth 1 point. Ex: If you predict UK will score 75 points and UNC will score 43 points and UK scores 76 and UNC scores 40, then you would get 3 points for the UK score (within one) and 1 point for the UNC score (within three).

GOG 2009 #03: Sam Houston St [Max 32 points]

Who wins? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect] UK
How many points will UK score? [4 pts if correct, 3 pts within one, 2 pts within two, 1 pt within three] 102
How many points will SHS score? [4 pts if correct, 3 pts within one, 2 pts within two, 1 pt within three] 92
Who leads UK in scoring for the game? [3 pts] DeMarcus Cousins
According to Calipari's post game radio interview we can expect to see John Hood make his debut Thursday night, making this the third straight game that a freshman has made their debut. Predict his minutes/points/made three pointers. [2 pts each] 8/0/0
Calipari also said that he needs to deepen his bench and get more guys to play. How many UK players play 10+ minutes? [3 pts] 7 players saw 10+ minutes
SHS has a pretty small team and UK has dominated the boards in each of its first two games. How many Offensive Rebounds for the Cats? [3 pts] 13 off. boards for the Cats
What SHS does do very well is steal the ball, with 25 in their first two games and four players each with 4 or 5 steals. Handling the ball has been an issue so far on the season for UK. How many steals for SHS? [3 pts] 14 steals for the Bearkats
John Wall and Eric Bledsoe have combined for 12 assists. For SHS Drae Murray and Josten Crow have combined for 25 assists on the season. Which duo dishes out more dimes? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect] Wall and Bledsoe had 12 assists, Murray and Crow had 7
DeMarcus Cousins has struggled with foul trouble in the first halves of games, but in the second half against Miami was very active and only picked up a single no-no. Does Cousins pick up two (or more) fouls in the first half? How many fouls does he get for the entire game? First question: [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect] Second question: [3 pts] Remarkably, Cousins only had 1 foul the entire game.

Deadline for answers is tip-off at 7:00 PM on Thursday, November 19.

Results:

Congratulations to dancoo626 for winning GOG #03! This was a low scoring GOG as you can see and that happens from time to time. I blame Patterson for deciding not to lead the team in scoring.

Mean	2.69
St. Dev	2.21
Median	3
Mode	4

GOG #03 Rank	UserName	# of GOGs	GOG #03	TOTAL PTS	Rank by PTS	AVERAGE	Rank by AVG
1	dancoo626	3	7	17	3	0.172	7
2	btcoop71	1	6	6	14	0.188	3
3	a2d2	3	4	18	1	0.182	4
3	bluelaw	2	4	12	7	0.176	6
3	EagleTDL	2	4	9	9	0.132	11
3	BigSkyCat	3	4	9	9	0.091	14
7	Ontherocks	3	3	16	4	0.162	9
7	Wild Weasel	3	3	13	6	0.131	12
7	GoLightning	2	3	11	8	0.162	8
10	SpartanWildcat	2	2	14	5	0.206	2
10	RandomGuy0	2	2	8	11	0.118	13
12	floundringaround	3	1	7	12	0.071	16
12	UKWildCatFanatic	2	1	5	15	0.074	15
12	Ken Howlett	1	1	1	18	0.031	17
15	Acdixon	3	-1	18	1	0.182	4
15	JLeverenz	3	-1	2	17	0.020	18
	hoboat33	1		7	12	0.226	1
	yearofthecat	1		5	15	0.139	10

UK football notes, 11/18

2009-11-18T21:01:05Z

Peters named SEC's Defensive Lineman of the Week. Yay!

The Cats of the gridiron became bowl-eligible with a big win at Vanderbilt last week. As far as venues go, if UK loses to both Georgia and Tennesse, it is likely they will travel to Shreveport for postseason play. One victory could mean Nashville's Music City Bowl, while a sweep may land them the Outback Bowl in Tampa.
Cats D-tackle Corey Peters was named the SEC's Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance, which included five tackles (1.5 for loss) and a quarterback pressure.
Quarterback Mike Hartline had surgery on Tuesday to repair cartilage damage in his knee. Hartline was 2-6 for 10 yards in a limited role on Saturday. He was expected to miss the remainder of the season, but the procedure didn't actually reveal any damage to the cartilage. Rich Brooks is calling it a bone bruise instead, and is anticipating Hartline to be available for any bowl game.
The SEC gauntlet is taking its toll on other key players for UK's Saturday tilt at Georgia. Randall Cobb was forced to leave practice early on Wednesday, and is now questionable becuase of a bruised shoulder. Georgia's got their own issues as well: star wideout A.J. Green will miss the contest, also with an injured shoulder. Green left the Bulldogs' game two weeks ago against Auburn, and missed last week's game vs. Tennessee Tech.
Saturday's game will be televised from Athens in ESPN2, and kickoff is set for 7:45.
UK's final home game vs. Tennessee has been picked up by ESPNU, and will kick off at 7:00 the night of November 28.
John Wall for Heisman! Who's with me?

see all of my stuff at:

Lexington Sports Examiner

The Tournament Lasts All Year This Year

2009-11-18T14:55:26Z

Nervous after the Miami game? Worried because another 3pt shooter rolled into Rupp and blasted away at the Cats? Think we may be expecting too much? Well, get prepared, because this is going to be a season-long NCAA Tournament. March Madness begins earlier and earlier every year. This year it started in June.

Watched some comments about the Miami game on ASOB and a lot of other websites the last couple of days and got to wondering if some of us ARE really as nuts as our critics think we are. But that's no more true than us being a group of illiterate rednecks. What has happened is that teams have figured out that they have to start playing for March from game one. We have been going crazy ever since John Calipari's arrival, but we really hit fever pitch when this incredible recruiting class started inking letters and donning Wildcats merchandise. Over the last two days, we were tested sternly by Miami of Ohio, Kansas got a good case of comeuppance from an unranked Memphis team which was supposed to be decimated by the departure of our beloved John Calipari, and a group of unknowns at Gonzaga made a hard run at Michigan State. No one is going to be immune to this. There won't be anymore undefeated teams for an entire season, because the talent levels have risen in all areas of college basketball. Every team, no matter how low on the rankings chart , is going to show up with their shoes laced tight and their A-game for us, as well as everyone else. Even a completely dilapidated squad at Arkansas pushed Louisville for a half. One player like a Rotnei Clarke, or that young man from Miami can get hot and make your life as a coach miserable. As fans we might as well get used to the idea that no one is going to sluogh off when we show up. The Charlie Coles press conference was hilarious, as he was quite entertaining at pointing out that his team should have never been in that game. Unfortunately for Charlie, most of us were smart enough to see that John Wall has to learn where he can and where he cannot go with a basketball, and where he goes.....we go.

We played a very inspired second half Monday night, but more than that, we played a very determined second half, and that is what it will take to get through this non-stop tournament environment all year long. Are we going to see more really hot shooters? You Bet. They have them at almost every school now. They may be someone we keep on our radar, or they may be complete unknowns. But we have to play them, and play them all with that determination that Demarcus, John, Patrick, Eric, and Co. showed. And yes, Coach Cal is going to have fun with us as fans this year, and every year by toying with us about who he knows we can beat and who he doesn't. Truth is he knows we are capable of beating anyone, but anymore everyone is capable of beating anyone. Just ask Jarvis Vanardo and Mississippi State, I guarantee someone on that team took Rider for granted. Could have been the Coach, could have been a player. But make no mistake, they are all going to come out of the woodowork this year, hoping to get a shot a the title, and we don't even have it yet. We became complacent about teams the last few years, and thought that the WILDCATS written across our jerseys would intimidate them. When that didnt happen, we claimed it was inferior talent, or inferior coaching, and maybe it was. But putting that fear back into teams is not going to be easy, and it will take time. So enjoy this circus atmosphere this year, because it will be there every game, mostly because all of the questions have not yet been answered, and partly because well, to be honest, we haven't seen it in a while. This may very well turn out to be a 38-40 game tournament. Luckily for us it isnt single elimination until March and April.

Would Wall's shot merit a "Golden Spike?"

2009-11-18T08:09:31Z

On his official website, Coach Cal has a "Golden Spike" section where he discusses the spikes in the floor @ Memorial Coliseum and mentions possibly driving a few into the floor at Rupp.

The name "Golden Spike" is derived from the legendary nails, or "spikes," that were part of the old floors at Alumni Gym and Memorial Coliseum. The spikes represented significant shots in UK history...Some day I would like to see a GOLDEN SPIKE driven into the floor at Rupp Arena for something fantastic that one of our Wildcats accomplishes on the floor in our storied building.

So what does everyone think? Would Wall's jumper qualify? Arguments against include that it was an early season game against a small-name opponent and that it was an early season game with little-to-no impact on postseason play. On the other hand, this may be the shot that truly signifies the beginning of big things for both Wall and our Wildcats. I have a distinct feeling that it will be one of those "I remember where I was when..." shots (sort of the anti-Laettner shot). Also, IF (and this is a HUGE if) the Cats were to make it through the rest of the season undefeated, we may look back and realize that this shot may have been a season-changer in more ways than we realize now. Besides, for a kid who is likely going to make dozens of game-winning shots at UK and in the league, this is where we saw it first. So what does everyone think? Will we still be talking about this shot with our kids and grandkids? Would it merit a "Golden Spike?"

Poll

Would John Wall's game-winning shot against the Miami (OH) Redhawks merit a golden spike in the floor of Rupp Arena?

Roy Williams talks recruiting, Wall

2009-11-18T05:37:11Z

Some interesting comments from Roy (last week):

Q: Obviously, the recruiting battle you had to go through to get Henson – along with plenty of your other players – was intense. What are your feelings about the process you have to go through to land a top player these days? Toward the end of your career at Kansas, you expressed frustration at the "seediness" of the recruiting game.

A: I still get those feelings sometimes, but not like I had at that time. What I’ve tried to continue to do is to make good judgments about people and to try to recruit kids like Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison. There are so many great players out there. I just choose to try not to recruit in situations that I think have the possibility of being unpleasant. Since Nick, Kirk and Drew Gooden came along, I haven’t been involved in very many bad recruiting situations. We’ve lost some guys. Delvon Roe – we thought we had him. We thought it was a done deal, the whole bit. We ended up losing him. We’ve lost some other kids, but at least it hasn’t been the messy kind of thing that it was getting to be a couple of years ago.

Q: Why didn’t you make more of an effort to recruit John Wall, the nation’s No. 1-ranked player who signed with Kentucky? He’s from Chapel Hill.

A: That gets so much publicity here. A friend of mine who is also a friend of his asked me to call him [during the Final Four] and talk to him about the recruiting process. I made one phone call to him and that was it. He’s the best point-guard prospect I’ve seen since Jason Kidd. I love the way he plays. It was a tough situation for us with so many other things going on, so we chose not to go there. But he’s the best point-guard prospect I’ve seen since Jason Kidd – just a tremendous, tremendous player.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-williamsqa111609&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

For what it's worth UGA's A.J. Green will be out vs. UK

2009-11-17T21:52:46Z

Mark Richt confirmed today in his weekly press conference, "A.J. will not play this week [vs. UK] for sure, and we're not certain after that." A.J. Green went out of last weekends game vs. Auburn with a shoulder injury and did not return. Green has lead the SEC in receiving yards for most of the season and is currently second in the league. Prior to the Auburn game Green carried the load for UGA's offense and I would have thought they would really be screwed without him. However, UGA rallied to put up 31 points after A.J. Green left the game! This forced them to run the ball which really worked in their favor because UGA was living and dying by the deep ball. If you had asked my opinion before last weekend I would have picked UK beat UGA with or without A.J. Green because they were so one dimensional. Now, after seeing the balanced attack Green's absence forced them into, I think it may prove to be a tougher match up for UK without him in the lineup. What do you think?

Sharing The Wildcats Through Today's Technology

2009-11-17T21:50:44Z

via kentuckysportsradio.com

Note : I cannot help the fact that these ladies may be viewing another UK blog site. It was the best pic I could find. But heh, you get the picture. :-)

During last night's Open-Game Thread it occurred to me how much fun it was for everyone to be able to come together in a special place to share our team's accomplishments . Some of us are here to watch the game via the web, while some are here to listen to the game and enjoy other die-hard fans. Mainly, we are at home and at work (we will never ever tell :-)) Occasionally, some of us are even at the game and log on here to comment via mobile. Isn't today's modern era a great way for the BBN to celebrate our return to the top of that mountain?

I do not know exactly where our members come from. There is a general idea. I know we have folks joining in from The Big Apple to Big Sky Country and a lot of places in between. We also have one(?) member from Central America . I am positive we have regular posts that even come from other places around the globe. Sure, we may all wish that we could be in Rupp Arena with 24,000 screaming fans, each and every time the 'Cats play, but for different reasons that is not possible.

So what do we do, game after game? We all find our front-row seat here at A Sea of Blue to cheer on our favorite team. And cheer we certainly do. We enjoy each others company, we share links with others to get a better view of the game and we always support our team. The eRupption Zone may be roaring, but so are we. We know that while many of us are viewing the game alone, we are not alone at all. We are UK Wildcat fans and we will always have someone to share these great feelings with no matter where we are.

So gang, I would first like to use this fanpost for anyone to share their best found sites to view the game on-line either streaming or delayed. If you want to post a link, I am positive it will greatly appreciated. Can you say, bookmarked?!! Also, only if you want, you can tell us from where you usually join us. You do not have to be specific at all, maybe just a general location point. We are all here for one purpose. To share the love of our team, together. And in case you didn't know, I am in Kentucky. :-)

And now I must shut up and conclude with a........GO BIG BLUE !!!

It's R-E-S-P-E-C-T Time For The Football Cats

2009-11-16T16:14:39Z

Winning the final two games of the season could bring it about.

The word we hear from Coach Brooks early in the year, respect, could come to the Blue Grass with two wins to finish the regular season.

Both Georgia and Tennessee are struggling, at least by their own standarts, to have a successful season. The Cats could cause the Bulldogs to settle for a State of Tennessee type bowl if they win in Athens. Not exactly what Richt and Crew had in mind before the season started.

The same could be said for Tenfnessee. A probable win over Vanderbilt will get them to six wins. I doubt they would be all that fired up to go the Nashville or Memhis to spend the holiday season.

This is the time for the Cats to step up and go for the gusto.

Think it will happen?

GOG 2009 #02

2009-11-15T20:28:41Z

The season is underway and UK exorcised the demons of VMI by winning their opener. Now they'll have the simultaneous opportunity to overcome the ghosts of Gardner-Webb and schools named Miami when they face Miami(OH) (henceforth referred to simply as "Miami") in the second game of the season.

GOG #00 contains information about the game.

GOG #01 has been updated with correct answers and scores. Congratulations to Acdixon for winning! Follow the link for the full results.

GOG 2009 #02: Miami (OH) [Max 36 points]

Who wins? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect] UK
How many points will UK score? [3 pts] 72
How many points will Miami score? [3 pts] 70
The last time UK faced Miami, a young freshman named Perry Stevenson announced his presence with authority (as the kids say) by blocking 7 shots in 35 minutes. Predict his blocks/rebounds/steals. [2 pts each] 1/1/0
UK committed 24 turnovers in their first game, a nearly identical number to what they committed in the first exhibition game (23 TO). In the second exhibition with Wall on the floor the turnover number was much, much better (12 TO). How many turnovers does UK commit? [3 pts] 15 turnovers
Speaking of Wall, he makes his debut Monday one game after Bledsoe set the freshman debut scoring record. Predict Wall's points/assists/turnovers. [2 pts each] 19/5/5
Does Wall break Bledsoe's freshman debut scoring record of 24 points? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect] No
Darnell Dodson showed us on Friday night that he is not shy about taking shots. How many shots does he attempt? [3 pts] 4 shots
Patrick Patterson was awesome and kicked off his junior season in fine form with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Does Patterson get another double-double against Miami? [ +1 if correct, -1 if incorrect] Yes
UK destroyed Morehead St on the boards 43-24. What is UK's rebound margin against Miami? [3 pts] +12 rebound margin
Three Point Watch Game 2: UK made 4 threes against MSU, but took a lot of bad shots in the process. How many threes does UK make and how many three point attempts to they need to make them? [3 pts each] 6 of 11

Deadline for answers is tip-off at 7:00 PM on Monday. November 16.

Results:

Congratulations to SpartanWildcat for winning GOG #02! Below are scores for this GOG, total score, and average.

Mean	6.2
St. Dev	3.0284367
Median	5
Mode	5

GOG #02 Rank	UserName	# of GOGs	GOG #02	TOTAL PTS	Rank by PTS	AVERAGE	Rk by AVG
1	SpartanWildcat	1	12	5	12	0.139	9
2	a2d2	2	10	19	1	0.284	1
3	Ontherocks	2	9	0	14	0.000	14
3	Acdixon	2	9	8	5	0.119	10
5	GoLightning	1	8	10	2	0.278	2
5	bluelaw	1	8	10	2	0.278	2
7	RandomGuy0	1	6	8	5	0.222	4
8	yearofthecat	1	5	7	7	0.194	5
8	EagleTDL	1	5	7	7	0.194	5
8	Wild Weasel	2	5	0	14	0.000	14
8	dancoo626	2	5	0	14	0.000	14
12	UKWildCatFanatic	1	4	6	9	0.167	7
13	JLeverenz	2	3	6	9	0.090	11
13	BigSkyCat	2	3	6	9	0.090	11
15	floundringaround	2	1	4	13	0.060	13
	hoboat33	1		10	2	0.149	8

Defending Kentucky -- Again

2009-11-15T17:07:15Z

Kent Sterling of 1070 TheFan in Indianapolis went and defended his unethical rant against Kentucky basketball again the other day. The comment system on their blog is irretrievably broken, so I will make my response here. Thanks to Bluegrass State Basketball for bringing it to my attention.

Sterling makes the following points about the arguments that UK fans apparently threw back at his original piece:

1: Racism before 1970 is okay because everyone was a racist back then
2. Cheating is okay because everyone does it
3. Winning is the most important thing in college basketball
4. John Calipari bears no responsibility for UMass or Memphis issuers that led to their Final Four appearances being stricken

I'll take those on, plus the rest, after the jump.

Racism before 1970 is okay because everyone was a racist back then.

Racism was never okay, but the charge of racism against Adolph Rupp is both unfair and largely inaccurate. I would also point out that there is nobody associated with Adolph Rupp's regime currently in the UK leadership, and we have had a black basketball head coach and will shortly have a black football head coach, one of relatively few FBS schools in America who can say that.

Is Mr. Sterling really willing to demonstrate the same loathing for everyone in America who had views back in the 1950's and before we would consider racist now? I do wonder if his own attitudes, assuming he was alive back then, would survive the same scrutiny?

Does the passing of time and changing of attitudes mean nothing? Even if we uncritically accept his assertion that UK was institutionally racist in the Rupp Era (which I don't), why is his scorn reserved only for Kentucky and not include other schools around the land who had the same problem at the same time? That's unfair, and unfair always equals unethical.
Cheating is okay because everybody does it.

This is a case of Mr. Sterling twisting the words of his commenters. What most of the commenters were really saying is, "Why single out Kentucky for cheating when many other schools have cheated also?" That is not the same thing as Mr. Sterling accuses them of. Sterling is being unfair again.

Cheating is always reprehensible and unethical, and Kentucky has done more than its share of cheating. But Mr. Sterling is saying that UK's past cheating, which is 20 years in the rear-view mirror, mean that it will cheat again and intends to do so with John Calipari. That is not only the logical fallacy known as the "Gambler's Fallacy," but it is intentionally unfair to UK and imputes ill intent not whatsoever in evidence. The cheaters were fired and replaced. UK has been clean a long time. How is this not a credit to UK, rather than a warning sign? Kent Sterling cannot tell us, because his only interest is in attacking Kentucky, not decrying cheating.
Winning is the most important thing in college basketball.

It absolutely is. That is demonstrable by the fact that so many institutions pay millions of dollars to coaches to win games. Vince Lombardi's famous quote, "If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?" would seem to apply. That does not mean winning by any means is defensible. It does not mean that graduating players (something Calipar's record is very strong on) does not matter. It does not mean cheating is okay as long as you win and don't get caught.

But the money tells the tale. Should it be that way? No, in my opinion. But even if Sterling and I may not like it, it is a fact.
John Calipari bears no responsibility for UMass or Memphis issuers that led to their Final Four appearances being stricken.

Responsibility cannot exist without control, or where deception exists (this obviously does not include self-deception or incompetence). In the case of UMass, Calipari was deceived by Camby, and his association with agents carefully hidden from the coach and the school. When Calipari found out, he reported Camby's actions to the NCAA. Calipari faithfully discharged his duties as coach in this case, and is innocent of wrongdoing. Mr. Sterling's attempt to paint him as being responsible regardless of the circumstances is again unfair, and hence, unethical.

In the Rose case, the NCAA assumed responsibility for the qualification of Derrick Rose to play college basketball by its establishment of the NCAA Clearinghouse. Rose's alleged cheating happened before he enrolled at Memphis, and before Coach Calipari could fairly be assumed to have control of the player, not to mention the fact that the alleged cheating occurred in Detroit, not in Memphis.

If Memphis had been responsible for determining the veractity of college entrance exams for student athletes, some responsibility might be rationally imputed to Memphis and Calipari. Since the NCAA assumed that responsibility for itself, neither Memphis nor Calipari can be held in any way responsible for Rose's alleged misconduct, and the NCAA findings do not find that Memphis behaved improperly -- rather, they applied the doctrine of strict liability, rendering a finding of responsibility irrelevant.

The fact that the NCAA did not implicate John Calipari in either case is further proof that they understand what a coach should be responsible for, even if people like Sterling apparently don't.

Sterling goes on to say this:

Thanks to the people of Kentucky for the education. Situational ethics should be embraced, and hating people because of the color of their skin is acceptable when everyone else thinks it. Okay, I've seen the light. I'm ready to move to Kentucky and erect signs welcoming others to the Blue Grass State - "Now Entering Kentucky - Proud Home of Racists (prior to 1970); Ethics Conveniently Optional".

You know, I don't think I need to point out what is wrong with this paragraph, but I will anyway. There is a verse in the Bible that says, "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

Before commenting on the ethical faux pas of others, it's fairly important you make sure you are not doing so in an unethical manner. Sterling's two diatribes violate many tenets of ethics, not the least of which is fairness, civility, self-restraint, equity, forgiveness and a process that fairly looks at all sides of the issues on which he is commenting.

Sterling's sarcasm, deliberately fallacious reasoning and lack of enabling virtues (fairness, civility, self-restraint, equity, forgiveness, etc.) display the complete failure of his own ethics in this article. His comments are intentionally vile, and should be rejected by reasonable sports fans.

winning out = 2nd place in east

2009-11-15T13:50:23Z

i am posting from my phone as we are still in nashville to see titans game after taking in uk vandy game. anyway from what i can tell if the football team wins out we would tie for 2nd at 4 and 4 with uga. by way of head to head tie breaker we would come in second. does anyone else see it that way and if so can you believe we are still playing for second this late in season

Anyone Notice that Rider Beat Miss State?

2009-11-14T15:14:32Z

I don't actually even know who Rider is or where they hail from, but I do know they are on our schedule here quickly and they beat #19 Miss St. 88-74 last night. They shot 51% from the field, 62% from the 3, making ten 3's and only turned the ball over 6 times in the game. Did anyone see this game?

They were ahead at the half and led the rest of the game. Miss. State's stats look decent to me; they shot 42% field and 37% for ten threes; 12 turnovers. Varnardo played almost the whole game, doing his thing with 7 blocked shots... So who is Rider and are they really that good? Or is this a reminder about the importance of shot selection on the 3?

Former Gillispie target Rotnei Clark sets SEC record for 3 pointers

2009-11-14T14:55:29Z

Rotnei Clark hits on 13-17 threes as Arkansas wins 130-68 over Alcorn State. The former Gillispie recruit and Willie Warren chum scored 51 points. Pelphry has a gem in that one. I remember watching the grainy Youtube videos of him a couple summers ago when Gillispie was still new and fresh to us. Its a shame we missed out on him, he's the kind of zone-buster that Calipari could really use right about now.

Congratulations to Rotnei.

DeAndre Liggins, Where is He?

2009-11-14T06:22:46Z

Hello All,

You all may have already talked about this on here, but I have been away for a while. I was just wondering if anyone knew what the deal is with DeAndre Liggins? I didn't see him in any of the exhibition games and he didn't get any playing time again tonight. Is he injured or does he just not fit what Kentucky needs right now? I understand that there isn't much playing time to go around, but I expected to see him at least for about 5 minutes or so per game. Any thoughts on this?

Kbb

Calipari Express — Baggage Included

2009-11-14T05:01:24Z

Well, John Calipari has made the liberal big time. It was one thing to be written about by SI and ESPN, to have your name splashed across the top of The Sporting News and lede CBS Sportsline and be addressed by your enemies in the Commercial-Appeal and Orlando Sentinel. But you haven't made it until the "Gray Lady" says so, until "all the news that's fit to print" includes news about you. UK's basketball coach appears in today's New York Times and as the title indicates the story includes just about all the tidbits you'd expect: UK's checkered past, the travails of the last two coaches, the broken Big Dance string, the obligatory items on vacated Final Fours, recent small transgressions by John Wall and the dismissed staffer, plus, on the positive — well as positive as The Times can be — side, the fan worship, Twitter followers, and kind words from Joe B and surprisingly Memphis and Amherst (by way of Huntington). Considering the source, it's a pretty good piece.

This week its Tarot Card predictions

2009-11-14T03:23:08Z

via www.tarotscard.com

Last week we tried looking in our Crystal Balls and that prove fruitless for me (and really uncomfortable). This week we're using Tarot Cards to divine the winning score for this weekend's pigskin lovefest with Vanderbilt a few blocks from the fondly and foggily remembered Printer's Alley.

As the season wears on it should be easier and easier to gauge teams based on their past performance just like thoroughbreds. It just doesn't work that way, neither team is a thoroughbred. Regardless, I've got a horse in this race and I'm going to pick them to win - not just because it's my horse but because it's the better horse.

Which Vandy team will show up - the one that played inspired against Florida last week or the one that lost to Army (!?!?). I really haven't watched Vandy this year except for last week's game and know less about them than any team in the SEC. They have a highly respected coach; in fact, Bobby Johnson shares the distinction with Papa Brooks of being the most liked coaches among their peers - well, duh; and I really like to play one on one against my ten year old. But I digress. Outside of Coach Johnson not much press has been put out on Vandy's pluses. Scanning through their stats is incredible. Out of about 60 entries on the stat sheet Vandy has the higher number in ten (10) and some are beauts - First Downs Passing, of course, they're always playing from behind; Yards Lost Rushing, oops; Average Yards Per Rush, now that is worrisome; Passing Attempts, see first item; Kick Off Return/Yardage, another bad stat to "lead" in; Kick Return Average, experience helps; Fumbles, ouch; Penalties, ouch again; Punts, no mas! no mas!; and Sacks, oy vey!

Now if Kentucky brings their heart from the Auburn game and stoke the fire in their belly with the disappointment from the MSU game, they can finally beat a team they way should have beat Louisville, like a rented mule. Newton continues to improve, Matthews learns to play harder and with passion, the O-Line continues its' greatness, Lindley returns with a bang, Cobb cures cancer and saves the rain forest and Hartline mops up with a score in the 4th.

Final score: Kentucky 38, Vandy 10 and we're bowling.

Now take your shot.

(Please note: Last week's winner was Tru; however, he retains no bragging rights since he didn't even get to watch the game while blowing his retirement money at Churchill.)