It’s an uncomfortable fact but John Calipari is 1-3 against Steve Alford in the last four games. That includes a home loss, an away loss, a neutral court loss, and the lone win was in the Sweet 16 last year.
Once dominant against the Blue Bloods in the non-conference, Cal has started to falter a bit in that arena, particularly against Kansas and UCLA. Of course this is directly correlated to the Kentucky Wildcats being young every season.
Kentucky is now 1-2 against the Power 5 this season with one more crack at getting a win before SEC play starts. As bad as Louisville has looked at times this season, Kentucky hasn’t looked much better. There were times in last night’s loss where UCLA did whatever they wanted to against the Cats’ defense.
Tweet of the Day
This is the first time leading into the UofL uk game that my TL is full of fans convincing the other base why they’ll assuredly win. Nobody feels confident in this one.
— TBG (@ThatBoysGood) December 23, 2017
He’s spot on. I’m not sure either side has much confidence in their team. To be perfectly honest with you I think the talent is about equal but Louisville has two seniors and two juniors starting. Put Rick Pitino on the sideline for the Cards and I think I’m picking Louisville. But since it’s David Padgett, I’ll pick Cal in that battles ten times out of ten.
Quickies
Quade Green’s struggles exemplify the freshman experience | Lexington Herald Leader- Quade just seemed out of sync,” Calipari said. “And I don’t know why. Both on offense and defense. It wasn’t his night, and we needed him to make some baskets. We really did.” Kentucky really missed Quade Green last night. If he had the game he usually does, Kentucky wins.
Kentucky’s struggles shouldn’t be a surprise | SEC Country- Part of the reason why Kentucky lost is that UCLA played above their heads which was a surprise. Kentucky’s mental mistakes were not a surprise. They start five freshmen and the sixth man is a sophomore.
Game of runs go to the UCLA Bruins | CoachCal.com- The killer run was the 18-2 spurt the Bruins started at the end of the first half and extended to the second. After that, Kentucky was in trouble. Every time they would cut the lead or tie it, Aaron Holliday or Thomas Welsh had a three as an answer.
What went wrong? | KSR- The list is rather long but the main culprit is the porous defense. The Bruins have struggled to score at times this season and they looked like an offensive juggernaut.
Kentucky’s many flaws laid bare | CBS Sports- Yes, Kentucky made some mistakes, they’re not perfect, but I think this team is much closer to being good than it is being bad. The next three games are extremely important in order to prove me right.
An early look at UK vs. UofL | WDRB- These teams are strikingly similar when you compare the numbers. The best win between them is Kentucky’s victory over Virginia Tech. Louisville is about a middle of the road basketball team right now. But so is Kentucky.
Teams say Packers violated IR rule | ESPN- Aaron Rodgers was back last week. The Packers lost. He wasn’t back last night. The Packers lost. NFL teams are questioning Rodgers’ one game return because Green Bay put him back on IR. It’s a mess.
Jamal Murray and Trey Lyles snap Warriors 11 game winning streak | ESPN- Lyles had 15 points and Murray had 14 in the 96-81 win on the road.
Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins get the best of Bam Adebayo | ESPN- The Pelicans downed the Heat thanks to a combined 33 points and 13 rebounds between AD and Boogie. Bam had nine points and seven rebounds in the loss.
5 great but debatable Holiday Films (Die Hard is a Christmas Movie) | PBS- YES DIE HARD IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE STOP DEBATING IT.
NORAD Santa Tracker | CNN- Make sure you keep up with Santa’s movements throughout the day and night in order to make sure you and the little tykes are in bed before the Big Man comes down the chimney!
30 Best Christmas Songs of All Time | Esquire- This is a great list. Create a playlist, make some cookies, and enjoy your family.
Have a Merry Christmas Eve, Big Blue Nation.