Kentucky Sports: Sunday Brunch -- Rivalry Fallout Edition

Kentucky loses to Louisville. Many pundits see more silver lining than cloud. All I see is a loss, but I am forced to admit that this may have been the best game Kentucky played all year for 35 of the 40 minutes.

Tweet of the Morning:

Since Andrew Harrison was injured on Dec. 7, Aaron Harrison is averaging 30.0 points over 10 games bit.ly/VqeSGm

— Ben Roberts (@NextCats) December 30, 2012

I hate to say this, and you'd be right to mock me, but I can't wait until the Louisville game next year.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky basketball

• Kentucky is playing like the 2010-11 Final Four team, plus other takeaways //- ESPN

  It was something of a tribute to John Calipari that he could lose all five starters from last season and still enter 2012-13 with his Kentucky team ranked No. 3 in the nation. Let's call that one extreme opinion regarding the Wildcats.

  At the other extreme, of course, is the fact that UK was dropped from the rankings entirely after losing consecutive games at Notre Dame and at home against Baylor. At this writing the Wildcats are still unranked in the AP poll. (That won't last.)

  I can't read the whole thing, but this says exactly what I'm thinking.

• Did referees miss Kentucky pulling a switcheroo at the free throw line? // The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
  No idea. Could be, I guess, but I kind of doubt it.

• Tom's Take: Moving Forward // Tom Leach

  Alex Poythress remains the biggest mystery on this team. He showed a spark in the first half when he managed seven points and four rebounds (although most, if not all of those came in the first five or so minutes of the game). In the second half, Poythress was missing in what action he got.

  Absolutely right. Alex Poythress is my least favorite player on the team right now, and not because he is a bad guy, but because he is the biggest thing holding this team back right now. He needs to find his game, and his passion.

• My job is to love each individual player - CoachCal.com

  I think it’s important that I spend individual time, whether that’s pre- or post-practice, with each of our guys. Last week I personally worked with Archie and Ryan before we practiced. Starting today, Alex and I will also have pre-practice workouts.

  Good. Yes, very good.

• Cats fall at Louisville in an optimistic loss // Examiner.com

  Aside from a few glaring weaknesses, Kentucky looked good. They played hard and they played for 40 minutes. Suffice it to say, they look as if they’re figuring it out. SEC play is just around the corner, which will be the truest testament of how good this team really is and can be.

  More "silver lining" stuff. I guess it's right, I'm just not willing to look at losing to Louisville as anything other than big-time bad.

• Kentucky Sports Radio // Why the win for Louisville means more than the loss for Kentucky

  This was never Kentucky’s game to win; it was always Louisville’s to lose. And give them credit, they didn’t give it away even though they tried. But the very nature of the game, the motivations behind each mindset, paints a pretty clear picture of what this rivalry is, at least over the past few years: Kentucky’s playground.

  True. Annoying, but true.

• The ‘Big Blue’ sky isn’t falling // The Kentucky Kernel
  Just what I wanted today -- someone to blow sunshine up my backside. Not.

• Leading by 17, Louisville staggers to finish line in holding off Kentucky // The Sun Herald

  Oddly for such a compelling game, regret abounded.

  Now THIS is a ray of sunshine.
• Kentucky Sports Radio // Seth Davis and Dickie V. know what’s up.

• Calipari, Cats react to narrow rivlary loss // Kyle Tucker – UK Beat

  ON POYTHRESS TODAY: "He just didn’t do anything. The reason I took him out the last time. There was a rebound right in front of him that was his ball, that he kind of went after but didn’t, instead of grabbing it and tip-dunking it, so that we get back in the game, he let the other guy grab it. ‘You’re out.’ … I know he’s trying harder than you, so you gotta sit."

  AARRGGHH!

• Kentucky Sports Radio // Kentucky Free Throw Dance Explained

  The folks at UK have explained what happened on the free throw dance in the first half versus Louisville. The foul was called on Russ Smith of Louisville, but the UK bench assumed the referee called the foul on the Poythress drive.

  About what I figured. The referees messed up, UK didn't try to pull a fast one.

• Ten observations from 2012's final Saturday - Men's College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

  Kentucky showed some encouraging signs in Saturday’s loss, mainly at the point guard spot, where Ryan Harrow finished with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He did not commit a turnover in 39 minutes. But he also had just three assists. Even when Harrow is playing well, it’s clear that this UK team doesn’t have much of a shot to repeat as NCAA champions.

  I'd be hard-pressed to argue with this today, so I won't. We'll have to see this team make far more progress toward their potential to make any significant noise in March, and the SEC does look like a challenge, albeit not a particularly big one due more to the league's weakness than Kentucky's strength.

• John Calipari Pulled a Switch-a-roo to Get a Better Shooter at the Foul Line, and the Refs Missed It [Video] // The Big Lead

  The refs completely miss it, as does everyone on Louisville. Poythress made one of two free throws.

  No, the refs didn't "miss it." They incorrectly sent Poythress to the line, not UK. Why has everything that goes wrong got to be John Calipari doing something nefariious? Douche.

• No. 5: Kentucky Earns Calipari His First National Championship // Team Speed Kills

  And then, there are some pairings that make stomachs sink all around the country. Nick Saban going to Alabama was one, and John Calipari going to Kentucky was another. When you team up a proven, elite coach with a historic power, championships feel more inevitable than anything.

  Nice.

Other UK sports

• Walker Leads Hoops in Romp Over Alcorn State // UKAthletics.com

Links posts

• Kentucky Sports Radio // Sunday Morning Links
• Big Blue Links // John Clay's Sidelines
• SEC Links // John Clay's Sidelines
• Tom Leach // Sunday Links

College football

• Saturday college football bowl recaps: Comebacks are fun, and so is near-perfection - SBNation.com

  26. Sack rate on pass attempts by Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz. He attempted to throw 38 times, but he only got the pass off 28 times. Texas brought him down 10 times, and in a bowl season full of incredible defensive end performances (SMU's Margus Hunt, BYU's Ziggy Ansah, San Jose State's Travis Johnson), Texas' Alex Okafor is now the leader in the clubhouse with this stat line: 6.5 tackles, five tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble.

  Gotta give Mack Brown credit - when he's under pressure, he knows how to finish.

Other sports news

• Declan Sullivan’s Family Responds to Death By Not Pointing Fingers // NYTimes.com

  "I resist that because to forgive means you’ve assigned blame," he said. "And not to say this could not have been prevented, but I don’t feel anybody knowingly acted recklessly and caused the accident. Or that anybody in the football program said, ‘We are willing to risk lives for the sake of Notre Dame football.’

  Very good story about the young man who died at Notre Dame after a wind gust caused a crane collapse.

• Hornets Lose to the Raptors // At The Hive

  Anthony Davis. Wow. Goosebumps all around. 25 points. 11 of 20 from the field. 3 of 3 from the line. 9 rebounds. 2 TOs. 1 steal. 3 blocks (and countless good rotations and challenges). All while playing 34 minutes in a 53 minute game. He did all that in an 87 possession/48 minute game. Wow. No words.

  Big return game for AD.

• Wizards’ John Wall takes ‘a step forward’ in practice // Washington Post
  Good to hear.

• Randall Cobb injury: Packers WR out vs. Vikings // SBNation.com
  Bummer.