Most of the Shabazz Muhammad news that's fit to print in recent weeks has been pro-UCLA. First, a Scout.com report ($) indicated that Muhammad, along with fellow Kentucky target Tony Parker, was leaning towards the Bruins. Then, a FOX Sports West story quoted Muhammad as saying:

"Losing is a bad thing to do, but UCLA is a good program. I like Ben Howland and Coach (Phil) Mathews but they're still there and I'm still looking at them really hard."

Even with all the rumors swirling, Kentucky head coach John Calipari isn't giving up. Coach Cal swung by Las Vegas recently to watch Muhammad (who plays for Bishop Gorman), along with Anthony Bennett (who plays for nearby Findlay Prep). After Calipari's visit, Nation of Blue's Garrett Tucker caught up with Muhammad's father, Ron Holmes, to ask about the rumors. Holmes refuted the notion that Muhammad has already decided to sign with UCLA.

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Click here for an explanation of how the DSS is charted and what the ratings and box score represent.

The Kentucky Wildcats faced their biggest road challenge since playing at Indiana back in December and emerged with a big win against a determined Vanderbilt team. Defensively the game featured all the elements that we've come to expect from the Cats - excellent field goal defense and very few free throw attempts for the opponent along with a few forced turnovers and some not-so-great defensive rebounding (particularly in the first half).

Calipari wanted the Cats to force Vanderbilt to the interior and in the first half that seemed to be what the Commodores wanted to do to as they repeatedly dumped the ball inside to Festus Ezeli. Anthony Davis played well (also, water is wet) and the other Cats applied considerable pressure on the perimeter to force tough shots from that area. The result was a terrific defensive stand in the first half that saw Vanderbilt struggle to a 76.7 Offensive Efficiency.

In the second half the Cats backed off the swarming defense that marked the first half and the Commodores were able to knock down some long 3's that included a 10 possession stretch early in the second half where they went 4 of 5 from distance. That got them back in the game, but the rest of the half was marked by spotty shooting and an inability to string together perimeter shots thanks to the Cats' defensive pressure. In the second half the Commodores offensive efficiency improved considerably to 129.0. They were held scoreless over their last 7 possessions though when UK put the game away.

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After a satisfying victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gym Saturday, the Cats will take the coming weekdays off to prepare for their final five regular season games. With a pause in the schedule, let's take a minute to reset where Kentucky is and where they'd like to be over the coming weeks.

1. At 11-0 in the conference with three home games remaining, the Kentucky Wildcats are a lead pipe cinch to win the SEC and take the #1 seed in its post-season tournament. UK's closest competitor, the Florida Gators, were swept this week but remain second overall at 7-3. Sure, the Cats have loftier goals, but winning the league still bears mention. You can go ahead and plan your SEC tournament weekend now, as Kentucky will play at noon on each of March 9, 10 and 11 as long as it advances.

2. With the Ohio St. Buckeye's loss to the Michigan St. Spartans yesterday, there is now some separation between Syracuse, Kentucky and the rest of the candidates for #1 NCAA seeds. The Missouri Tigers are looking good at 23-2 overall with recent wins over Kansas and Baylor. Beyond that, the picture is muddled, with Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas in front. Despite 2 losses this week, Baylor is still in the mix at 21-4 and Sparty's win at Ohio State puts it in the conversation at 20-5.

That's a lot of tradition at the top. Very cool.

3. Assuming UK doesn't collapse and remains on the one seed line, my next question is who ends up #2 in its bracket. The NCAA has not done the Cats any favors since Cal took over as Head Coach. That isn't an accusation, it is a fact. I've have one eye on this as a potential storyline. That is why I'm rooting for North Carolina to right the ship and earn a #1 seed. Yes, I know we've already beaten the Tar Heels and are much better than we were when we first played. Personally, though, I want no part of them before the Final Four. UNC is still the second most talented team in the country and starts 3-4 NBA-ready players. Those teams almost always do well in the tournament. If the NCAA is looking to give UK the finger, no better way than to put UNC in our bracket.

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There are games that you live for. This was one of them.

Congratulations to the Vanderbilt Commodores for an outstanding game of basketball. Vandy fans will tell you that they played poorly in the first half, and we must agree because it is true. The Commodores made a ton of errors in the first half and discovered, to their ultimate woe, that they could not guard Kentucky one-on-one. It was a lesson painfully earned.

But learn it they did, and in the second half, the Commodores showed the proper respect for the talent of Kentucky by going to a zone defense. It didn't change the ultimate outcome, but it did change the entire complexion of the game, giving Vandy enough room to maneuver. And maneuver they did, shooting lights-out from the perimeter, including a 28-footer from John Jenkins (who has no theoretical limit on his range) that raised the challenge to a level unseen by the Wildcats in a long time.

I cannot praise Vanderbilt's determination enough. They were singularly amazing, and I have rarely seen a team so willing to accept instruction from their coaching staff as Vandy's players did. I have nothing but respect for this Vanderbilt team, and had this outcome been reversed, I would not be disappointed. This was a tough game from a tough, mature team, and frankly, the last thing I want to do is disrespect such a determined. and skilled, opponent.

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There was an intriguing question posed by UK1972 in the South Carolina DSS about how the presence of Coach Calipari affects the Wildcat defense from the first half to the second.

How does UK defensive % compare when they are playing defense in front of Cal...as opposed to the half when they are not? Offensively the same question?

I think this is a fascinating question because it seems obvious that a team should play better when they are on the same side of the court as their head coach - on defense in the 1st half and offense in the 2nd half. This question is particularly apropos as UK prepares to play in one of the unique venues in college sports Saturday night.

Fortunately, thanks to the DSS I was able to easily put together the relevant numbers and look at how the UK offensive and defensive efficiency changes from the 1st half to the second.

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Finally, it is time for the Kentucky Wildcats to go on a road trip and face a foe that is amongst the top of the SEC pecking order. This, Wildcats fans, is what we have been waiting for.

Nothing proves your mettle like going into one of the toughest arenas in the world and facing a talented basketball team. A lot of the time this season, Kentucky has vastly out-talented their opponents, requiring less than their best performance to secure victory. They haven't all been easy, by any means, but it has been a while since Kentucky was seriously challenged.

Memorial Gymnasium is the graveyard of many hopeful road trips for Kentucky. It was there that Patrick Patterson, Joe Crawford, Ramel Bradley & Co. suffered their worst beating in recent memory at the hands of the Shan Foster-led Commodores. That was a defeat I'll never forget, and the memory of it serves as a warning in my heart of what can sometimes happen in Nashville.

Of course, Kentucky has delivered even worse beatings to Vanderbilt, but this doesn't look like a year when either team is likely to get hammered in this game. That likely means a close contest, at least most of the way. Kentucky has performed so well lately that it appears almost inevitable for them to have something of a let-down, but I'm confident John Calipari will have them as ready as they can be for this big game.

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The 2012 McDonald's All-American rosters were announced today on ESPNU. Two of Kentucky's signees, shooting guard Archie Goodwin (Sylvan Hills, AR) and small forward Alex Poythress (Clarksville, TN), made the team. Poythress will represent the East squad in the game, which will be played on March 28 in Chicago, while Goodwin will play for the West. Both were also previously announced as participants in the Jordan Brand Classic, another prestigious high school All-Star game.

The McDonald's All-American game is the longest running and most well-known of the All-Star games, and Kentucky has been well represented in recent years. Last year, all four of Kentucky's current freshmen--Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, and Kyle Wiltjer--played in the game.

Kentucky isn't done recruiting 2012 kids, and could still add another McDonald's All-American or two to its recruiting class. In fact, head coach John Calipari is currently recruiting all five McDonald's players that are currently undecided. Amile Jefferson and Tony Parker, teammates with Poythress on the East team, are two names on Kentucky's radar. From the West, Shabazz Muhammad and Anthony Bennett are the two prospects that have been most closely linked with Kentucky. West player Devonta Pollard has also expressed interest in taking an official visit to Kentucky in the near future.

Jefferson has expressed interest in committing shortly, with Duke and NC State rumored to be the two finalists, but the remaining four players likely will remain uncommitted when the game is played. Aside from Jefferson, none of the four seniors have completed taking their official visits. Muhammad took his official to Lexington for Big Blue Madness, while Parker, Bennett, and Pollard all remain candidates for a visit this spring.

One notable name that is missing is Nerlens Noel, who recently reclassified to the 2012 class and took over the #1 overall spot on many 2012 recruiting Top 100 boards. The selection committee for the McDonald's All-American game has notoriously disallowed any fifth-year high school seniors from participating. Noel, who would have been a fifth-year senior next year, is technically now considered a fourth-year senior. However, his reclassification apparently did not take place in time for his inclusion in the game.

For a complete list of game participants, check out the McDonald's All-American game's official website.

[Editor's note: That picture will make sense after the jump, I promise.]

Larry Vaught has an interview with Anthony Davis on his site today that includes this exchange:

Question: Did Kentucky want to send message with a big win over a ranked team?
Davis: "No. We just went out there and played hard and did all the things that we were told to do. We came out and executed and started off a little slow, but we always do that. Then we came out and got the win."

This is a very mature statement for the young star, and my respect for both his basketball and PR IQ are growing by the moment.

Anthony Davis knows, I think, that the quickest way to lose your edge is worrying about what is going on in the national college basketball picture. To him, the Florida affair was just a basketball game that needed winning, not some kind of drama thing with North Carolina, Ohio St.., or Syracuse.

When players are able to leave the drama to bloggers and pundits and focus on the fundamentals of good basketball, guess what you get? Good basketball. It truly amazes me, and it doesn't get said often enough, the character of the young men Coach Cal has been able to recruit to Kentucky. These players are doing us, the Commonwealth, and the program, proud -- not just by winning basketball games, but by refusing to believe or listen to the hype, or what others hope they'll say.

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