Basketball Time in the Bluegrass has HUGE Implications Saturday

KEYS TO KENTUCKY VICTORY-
With the Cats facing another must-win at Rupp Arena, Kentucky prepares to face off with the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols are equally in need for a win and therefore should be close to the end.

As the game holds major implications for the nearing Selection Sunday(3 weeks away), here is what Kentucky must do to get the victory…

1) Set Screens- It was just two months ago that Jodie Meeks ripped the Tennessee Volunteers for a Kentucky record 54 points. It is no secret that the Vols do not want to be embarrassed again by Meeks and will be covering him more intensly than he has seen all season. It is important to get the junior from Georgia going early and often and therefore the Cats must set screens to open up shots. With ball screens, Kentucky should be able to find ways to get the ball into Jodie Meeks’ hands.

2) Patterson must come back- Over a week ago, Patrick Patterson landed wrong coming down with a rebound against the Gators and has been MIA ever since. The rehab process is slow and as of Thursday, Coach Billy Gillispie was unsure if Patterson would be ready to go Saturday. If P-squared can come back, he should be the difference maker in the game. Patterson is averaging nearly 2 blocks, 9 rebounds, and 17.8 points per game. Without the sophomore standout, the Wildcats went 1-1…they need him Saturday if they want to win.

3) If you have a shot…take it!- I keep going back to the first half of the Florida game two weeks ago. The Cats tossed around the ball and it wound up in point guard Michael Porter’s hands at the top of the key. Collectively the fans urged him to shoot the open three, but he hesitated, passed it off and eventually led to a turnover. Kentucky so heavily relies on Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks, no other player seems to want to take a shot. It will be a given that the Tennessee defense will go all out to stop Jodie Meeks and so someone else must take some shots. The key to the game is for the players that aren’t named Patterson and Meeks to take initiative to shoot the ball.

-Prediction-

Kentucky 68

Tennessee 80

- Tennessee is coming off an embarrassing double digit loss to Ole Miss. The last time the Cats faced off with Tennessee in Knoxville, the Vols were embarrassed. With a lot to prove, I think it will be Bruce Pearl's team that will want it more and come out with the victory.

Four Way Tie in SEC EAST....again

You lose, we all lose.

Just one day after Kentucky fell one game behind Tennessee and South Carolina for 1st in the SEC Eastern division, both the Vols and Gamecocks found ways to lose.

Tennessee was dominated by Ole Miss 81-65. The Volunteers were outrebounded, outshot, and outplayed. With the loss, the game with the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena Saturday is a must win for both teams, if they are not wanting to sweat out selection Sunday in nearly a month.

The cute pick, a youthful South Carolina Gamecocks also fell Wednesday night to Mississippi State 75-70. The Gamecocks led at halftime but were outplayed in the 2nd half for a Bulldog victory.

Now, with both teams losing ahead of the Cats, there is once again a four way tie atop the SEC East with Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee all knotted up with four losses.
In the remaining weeks, each team plays each other one more time.

The margin for error for all the East teams has once again tightened and so promises to be an exciting last month of the SEC season.

SEC - East

Florida 7-4
South Carolina 7-4
Kentucky 7-4
Tennessee 7-4
Vanderbilt 5- 6
Georgia 1-10

Cats Can't Leave Nashville with a Win

Kentucky Loses Steam--

Is Vanderbilt’s Memorial Coliseum a house of horrors for the Cats? It might be, as the Wildcats entered the gym Tuesday night on a roll winning two crucial SEC games, only to lose mightily at the hands to the Vanderbilt Commodores 77-64 last night.

Kentucky’s loss to Vanderbilt is the fourth straight in Nashville and now places the Cats in yet another hole in the SEC East.

The game started bad and ended worse. The Patrick Patterson-less Wildcats appeared to be a step behind the ‘Dores all day.

Kentucky committed 13 fouls in the opening 20 minutes and finished with a season high 29 fouls. The immense amount of fouls sent Vanderbilt to the line where they took advantage of the mistake-prone Cats. Vandy shot 80% from the free throw line.

Not only was Vanderbilt capitalizing on the Cats constant fouls but was also able to dominate down low—out rebounding Kentucky 31-23.

Kentucky now is looking up at both South Carolina and Tennessee in the East Division. With the SEC already thought to be a down conference, each loss is more and more costly. The Cats now must face a seemingly, ‘Back-on-track’ Tennessee Volunteer team that has won their last 2 games.

Tennessee Game will be nationally televised on CBS Saturday, Tip at 1 p.m EST

Kentucky and Vanderbilt--Round 2

Ugliness. In a word, ugliness can describe the scene a year ago in Nashville.

It was in Nashville, that the Kentucky Wildcats suffered the most embarrassing, lopsided loss in the Billy Gillespie era losing to the Commodores by 41 points.

Kentucky scored only 11 in the first half and at the final gun the score- 93-52. This year however, the teams and situation is different.

The Cats head to Nashville with a little confidence, swagger, and mindset that they have turned this season around.

The turnaround began last week with a last second three point shot by Jodie Meeks to knock off the Gators and then Saturday, Kentucky dominated the Razorbacks in Fayetteville. Meeks, again was unstoppable scoring 45 points.

With the Cats hitting stride again, they travel to Nashville. The opponent—Vanderbilt, has struggled immensely this season. Losing shooter Shan Foster has proved to be a huge loss for the ‘Dores, as they appear to be headed to a tournament-less season for the first time in 3 years.

The struggling Dore team is led by sophomore big man A.J Ogilvy.

Ogilvy was injured when the Cats last met in January, but should be a key to victory for either team.

According to Billy Gillespie yesterday, the coach was less than optimistic about his big man Patrick Patterson, who injured his foot one week ago and sidelined him in Arkansas.

“He did not seem to be where I wanted him to be”, said Gillespie.

Without Patterson in the line up, the Cats will be overmatched downlow. Without Patterson’s presence, the Cats loss rebound power, blocked shot capabilities, and the second scorer.

As Jay Bilas pointed out, “You look at Kentucky’s numbers and their third option has shot less than half the times of Kentucky’s second leading scorer.”

Meaning, that Kentucky is going to be in trouble today, if Jodie Meeks can be stopped and Patterson out, the supporting cast is less than sufficient.

It will be key, for Kentucky to get Jodie Meeks going early. The long shots will be key due to Kentucky being overmatched below the basket.

Kentucky takes on Vanderbilt at 9 pm on ESPN

Kentucky faces Arkansas

The age-old quote in American literature by F. Scott Gerald says, “There are no second acts in American lives.”

This quote has been used in every sport, with various teams and in various multitudes.
Kentucky basketball can also attempt to disprove the monacre through the remainder of the season.

The Wildcats began SEC play undefeated and reached the national rankings at #24 in the nation.

Then, the Cats fell to a porous Ole Miss, last in the last seconds at home against South Carolina, and were outplayed at home by Mississippi State. The three straight losses had a lot of the

Wildcats questioning themselves and their chances to make a statement to the nation that the program is back on the rise.

When Tuesday came around, Big Blue was in dire need for a win. The season rested on the showdown with the Florida Gators, whom they had lost 7 of 8 against.

Back and forth the game went, until the final seconds Jodie Meeks hit a three point shot to win the game and maybe even save Kentucky’s season.

Following the emotional win, the Cats now head to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Arkansas had little hopes at the beginning of the season, having lost four of five starters. But this young team shocked the nation early by defeating two top-10 teams in a week—Oklahoma and Texas.

But following the huge wins, the Razorbacks fell back down to earth, losing all but one game in SEC play. Pig-Su- eee is 1-8 in conference play and averages 75 points a game.

The Razorbacks have traditionally given the Cats trouble in Fayetteville, the series is knotted at 4-4 in the Bud Walton Arena.

The Cats do have their hands full with the Razorbacks, but another win will be another step in disproving; “There are no second acts in American lives.”

For Big Blue nation, they can only hope.

Game tips off at 1 pm on CBS.

Kentucky faced a must win Tuesday night and with less than 20 seconds left, the score was tied at 65
Kentucky had the ball.

Of course the last shot would go to Kentucky’s shooter and SEC’s leading scorer- Jodie Meeks.

The capacity crowd, ESPN’s national audience, and the Florida Gators all knew it.

But somehow, as the seconds ticked away Meeks threw up an ugly shot which landed in the basket.

“That was the first time since I was in eighth grade that I made the game winning shot”, said Jodie Meeks.

The miraculous shot put the Wildcats up 3 with less than 10 seconds to go. Keep the ball out of Florida’s playmaker Nick Calathes’ hand and the Cats would win and all would be happy in the Bluegrass.

However, as Florida drove the court, Calathes threw up a three point shot of his own, missed but was fouled. Three free throws—for Florida’s leading scorer—made overtime a guarantee.

“After the foul I thought we would go to overtime. Calathes is a great player that normally makes those shots”, said Meeks after the game.

But, Calathes missed the first, the second, and the third.

Kentucky won 68-65, forced a four way tie atop the SEC East, and snapped a three game losing streak.

Following the game, outside the Florida Gator locker room, words of anger reverberated out of the Florida locker room. A frustrated Billy Donnavan screamed at his team and his players shared their displeasure with the outcome.

Keeping his head down, lacking eye contact, and obviously frustrated, Nick Calathes who scored 33 points in the game explained; “I would rather have scored 5 points and won.”

Kentucky showed heart and seemed to come together Tuesday night.

With Patrick Patterson unable to find his shot down low and Jodie Meeks unable produce all the offensive production, the rest of the Cats were able to pick up the slack.
Josh Harrelson, Kevin Galloway, and Michael Porter(Yes, Michael Porter), scored in double digits to help the Cats ge the victory.

The most impressive player had to be Kevin Galloway. The freshman drove the floor and made his way to the basket with such confidence all game. His play helped spark Kentucky’s late 10-0 run late in the fourth quarter.

The win was huge for the Wildcats as they are now in a four-way tie for first place in the SEC East. Kentucky’s back in the NCAA possible teams to make the big tournament in March and seem primed to make a run the remainder of the season.

Showdown in the Bluegrass!

KEYS TO KENTUCKY WIN-

With three straight losses and Kentucky status going from contender to pretender, Tuesday, it is essential for the Cats to get back on track.

1) Guard the picks- Billy Donovan’s Gators are a notorious pick and roll team. A majority of their points come off screens. Kentucky must stick with a strong defensive attack, get off the screens, and guard their men.

2) Be Physical- As Gator radio voice, Mark Wise sums up, the Gators do not have a real post presence. Lacking a big man, Kentucky must get the ball down low, be physical, and dominate the boards. Florida’s lack of size has them ranked in the bottom of the SEC in rebounds per game.

3) Hit the shots around the perimeter- This season, the Gators have struggled in guarding teams that shoot well outside—Florida State, Tennessee, and Syracuse. Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks needs to be on the mark, as he has shown to be explosive from behind the arc.

4) Team Up- Patrick Patterson said that the team needed to come together and be a family. Family…well, after Mississippi State, family was NOT the word used with this team as chairs, words, and pointed fingers were flying. This game is a true test to the team’s character as they face adversity and a must win situation.

A lot must happen for the Cats to win against the Gators tomorrow. The Wildcats must be on the mark and regain the first half of their SEC play, that had them reach #24 in the polls and dominate opponents by a margin of 15.2 points a game. The Gators are a formidable opponent and will be a good litmus test for Kentucky’s chances to reach the Big Dance that is 5 weeks away!

Prediction

Kentucky 82

Florida 79

Florida v Kentucky has a lot riding on the game...

As Saturday concluded and Tennessee lost to the lowly Auburn Tigers, there is now, no doubt in my mind that maybe two or three teams will make the NCAA tournament.

With the SEC a clear laughing stock, basketball wise, Kentucky is fighting for a slot to the dance, which might only take a few bids from their conference.

Coming in with a three game losing streak, everyone is looking answers.

“We need to come together, regroup, and get back to being a family,” said Patrick Patterson.

The sentiment of “family” was not shown following the loss to Mississippi State last Tuesday night. Following the loss in which they were clearly dominated, a locker room mutiny occurred. Chairs were thrown, voices were raised, and fingers were pointed. Obviously frustrated, the Wildcats are at a cross roads and are in need for answers quickly.

Cats must regain composure and it must start Tuesday night against the Florida Gators.

Historically, Florida Gator basketball did not strike fear in the heart of the Big Blue faithful; the Wildcats have dominated the series winning 85 and only losing 31 times.

But in the past four years, Kentucky has been outmanned, out played, and out willed by Billy Donavan’s team.

Florida has won 7 of 8 games against the Cats and blames the 8th game (last year which Kentucky won at the end of the regular season), to the reason for them missing the NCAA tournament.

With a new basketball rivalry emerging, two teams in turmoil, someone will have to make a statement and for a legitimate case to make the dance in March.

This game means a whole lot for both schools.

Game time Tuesday 9 pm ESPN

Three in a row—Kentucky Falls to Mississippi State 66-57

For the third time in as many games the Kentucky Wildcats once again fell. This time Mississippi State was able to handle the Wildcats, just as Ole Miss and South Carolina did---slowing down Jodie Meeks and forcing Kentucky to win in other ways.

The shutting down of Meeks, has proved to be key for Kentucky opponents. In the last 3 games Meeks is well below his points per game average with only 18 points a game. That falls nearly 8 points below his average during the win streak that saw the Cats stock rise to #24 in the nation just a week ago.

If Kentucky is to get back on the winning track they will be forced to find some other type of offensive production. Big Blue is now 3rd in the SEC East trailing Tennessee, South Carolina, and the Florida Gators.

The Rebels seemed to find the answer to defeat the Wildcats and teams have used the same formula.

Coach Billy Gillespie now has a week’s worth of time to try and find an answer before the Florida Gators come to Rupp.

Kentucky Loses Two Straight and Needs Answers

Just a week after being ranked in the AP poll, Kentucky has lost two straight and is looking to rebound against a tough Mississippi State team.

The past two meetings with the Bulldogs, the Wildcats have struggled; losing both in 2007 in the SEC tournament and last year in Starkville.

Following the loss to South Carolina, Kentucky players and Coach Billy Gillespie were visibly upset with their performance and lack of quality play.

“You bet I am mad,” said Jodie Meeks after the game.

“We aren’t going to win too many more games with the way we handle the ball,” said Coach Gillespie.

And Patrick Patterson also summed up his frustrations with, “We aren’t doing the right things to win games.”
Now with a two game losing streak how will the Cats rebound?

They have faced adversity before, as they started the season 0-2 by being dominated by VMI and North Carolina. Following the two losses, the Wildcats did go on a tear winning 15 of 17 games.

Once again, Kentucky has hit a snag losing another two games in sucession. The once unbeaten in coference team needs to get better as a team.

National pundits, local media, and South Sporting News blog has been saying for weeks the Kentucky Wildcats need to find a third scorer, they need to limit turnovers, they need to stop relying solely on Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson.

And win after win, it seemed that although they needed to be more complete, Kentucky seemingly was doing enough to win and win handily over opponents. Now, Kentucky has been exposed, Jodie Meeks has been limited, and no one anywhere else on the court feels the need to step up.

Someone will have to step up Tuesday, or the Wildcats will fall further down the ladder in the SEC.

Game tips off Tuesday @ 7pm.

KEYS TO VICTORY-
1) Slow the Pace- South Carolina is a fast pace, score-at-will team. The last time Kentucky played a team with that style they lost---VMI. Kentucky must focus on getting the ball down low to Patrick Patterson and Perry Stevenson. The slowing of pace, will get South Carolina’s three-point hungry team to slow down.

2) Play Smart- The Wildcats seem to lack basketball IQ. They turn the ball over 20 times a game and have been lucky enough to not be caught by the negative differential. If Kentucky is to take control of the SEC, they need to limit turnovers….

PREDICTION—
Kentucky is coming off a loss that is either a wake-up call or the truth. The Cats lead the overall series with the Gamecocks going 41-7 and 22-1 in Lexington. BUT history rarely plays a factor in the ‘here-and –now’ and so that is why I am less than optimistic for the Wildcat chances today.
The Gamecocks are playing very well right now and want to make a real statement. A win would create a three way tie in second place and a ½ game edge over the Wildcats and Gators….

KENTUCKY- 70

SOUTH CAROLINA- 74

Kentucky hosts Gamecocks

Gamecocks head to Lexington with something to prove

Fresh off the loss to the less athletic Ole Miss Rebels, the Wildcats begin a three game home stand with an upstart South Carolina Gamecocks squad that is riding a three game win streak.

Kentucky was ranked , for the first time in two years, Monday. The Wildcats were at #24 in the AP top-25 poll and 28th in the ESPN?USA Today poll. However, Tuesday’s loss will kick them out of the poll likely for the remainder of the season.

Kentucky’s stuggles Tuesday were an accumulation of the struggles and poor play in the week prior. Kentucky nearly lost to both Auburn and Alabama due to poor exectution on offense, lacking of a third scorer, and turnovers.

Tuesday, Ole Miss held junior guard Jodie Meeks in check and was able to force the Wildcats to just 38% shooting percentage from the field. With the poor shooting and lacking the presence of Jodie Meeks, the Cats were outplayed and overmatched.

Now, with the Wildcats in a three way tie in the SEC East with Florida and Tennessee, they have no more room for error. The Gamecocks should be a formidable opponent for the Cats. South Carolina is 2nd in the SEC in scorings per game.

The reason for the high scores for the Gamecocks is because of their ability to shoot the three-ball. South Carolina shoots nearly 40% from behind the arc leading the SEC in that category.

If South Carolina is to pull another SEC upset (they have already beaten Florida to begin their current win streak), they must stop one of Kentucky’s main scorers and continue their hot scoring.

The game will match the two leading scorers in the conference with Jodie Meeks for Kentucky and junior Devon Downey for South Carolina.

Game begins @ 3 pm EST.

Ole Miss Tackles a Win over the WIldcats

One day. Exactly one day the Wildcats were ranked. That will likely be all for the Cats as the unthinkable occurred Tuesday night.

After receiving national respect(a #24 AP Poll ranking) and being deemed the top team of the SEC, the unthinkable happened in Oxford—Kentucky fell to the Rebels 85-80, snapping a nine game win streak over Mississippi, and ending an unbeaten mark in conference play.

When asked Monday of how much longer the Wildcats would last as an unbeaten SEC school, Coach Billy Gillespie said, “It’s not going to last much longer if we continue to do that(make turnovers).”

And their win streak ended up not lasting. Kentucky struggled to get into a groove.

Mississippi stopped scoring standout Jodie Meeks by holding him to six points in the first half and forcing him to make bad decisions which forced Meeks to go 0 for 6 from the field.

With Meeks’ early struggles, the Wildcats were able to hold their own early. The Cats entered halftime with a narrow 39-37 lead.

The Cats were also limiting turnovers. After two straight nights of having more than 20 turnovers, Kentucky took care of the ball only turning the ball over 10 times.

However, the Wildcats struggled were not linked to an inability to hold onto the ball but the ability to keep up with an Ole Miss team effort.

Four of the starting five for the rebels scored in double digits. With such an output of scoring, the Cats were unable to contend with, basically, two players—Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks.

Meeks and Patterson ended the game combining 45 of the Wildcats 80 points. With a lack of production from the rest of the team, Kentucky could not make it and ended up losing their first in conference play.

With the loss, Kentucky, like every other team in the SEC has at least one loss. And now, there is a three way heaping tie in the East division with Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky all with one loss.

Kentucky’s next opponent will not be an easy bounce back game. The Cats will return to Rupp to take on an upstart South Carolina Gamecock team that has their eyes set on shaking up the SEC East landscape. They have beaten the Gators and sit in second place with two conference losses.

Keys To 6-0...

KEYS TO VICTORY

1) Support Continues…- Against Alabama, Patrick Patterson was obviously not having a good day. He shot only twice in the first half and ended the game with a season low of 6 total points. With Patterson struggling, the Wildcats supporting players were able to pick up the slack, something Wildcat-fans have wanted all year. Perry Stevenson appeared to have regained his last season form by scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 boards. Also freshman DeAndre Liggins played exceptionally scoring 11 points of his own. For the Wildcats to continue their dominant play in the SEC, they need more contribution from the supporting cast. Look for more Perry, Liggins, and maybe some others to have a big one tonight.

2) Keep the scores coming- With Kentucky now in the top-25 and playing in a conference with no other ranked teams, it is important for the Wildcats to win in style. The Cats have beat teams, on average, by 15.2 points a game. Look for Big Blue to have little trouble scoring in Oxford.

3) Continue to build- College sports in general are about growth. This is Billy Gillespie’s second year as Kentucky’s head man and things appear to be going well for the program. Each win and milestone reached this season will continue the growing process for the Kentucky basketball program. For the Wildcats to return to the promise land and get that elusive #8, Kentucky needs to continue playing hard and taking steps for future years and recruits.

Kentucky #24 in AP Poll, 28th in USA/ESPN Poll

How Sweet it is…

Kentucky is 5-0 in a down SEC and has finally gotten a little bit of national respect. In the latest AP Poll for the top-25 teams, the Kentucky Wildcats are ranked as the 24th team in the nation.

The Wildcats have not been ranked since the 2007 preseason poll, which listed the Cats in the low twenties.

Kentucky is also third in vote getters for the USA/ESPN top-25 poll. The third vote getter means that USA Today and ESPN feel that Kentucky should be ranked at 28 nationally.

As the hype machine continues in the bluegrass, the Cats can only add to their resume this week as they prepare to take on a dismal Mississippi Rebels team in Oxford.

Ole Miss has lost three straight conference games and is last or near last in the conference in every statistical category. Add the Rebels dismal play to a historical disadvantage; the Cats hold a 95-11 overall record against Ole Miss, and chalk up another win for the Cats…

Game time Tuesday @ 7 p.m. EST

Kentucky Stays Unbeaten

Kentucky finds a Way

In the second of the Alabama schools, Kentucky took down the Crimson Tide 61-51 to become 5-0 in conference play.

The first half of play, Kentucky looked abysmal. Shooting 30.8% from the field and leaving the court off an Alabama last second jump shot, the Cats entered the half down 25-19.

In the first half, sophomore stand out Patrick Patterson was virtually invisible shooting just two shots and only scoring 2 total points. His lack of scores and Kentucky’s ineptitude on offense (they had 9 turnovers) looked to be too much to overcome in the 2nd half.

But, somehow and someway, Kentucky came out of the break on a tear. Scoring sensation Jodie Meeks again went on the offensive and put the Wildcats on his back by scoring 27 points.
Kentucky also played stellar defense against the Tide, holding Alabama to just 29.3% from the field all game long. And forcing 18 turnovers

With Patterson obviously ailing from a hand injury, the Big Blue supporting cast emerged.
None was more evident than Perry Stevenson, whom seemed to regain his last season form-- by being a force down low. Stevenson scored 16 points, added 12 rebounds, and blocked 1 shot.

Also emerging and coming into his own was true freshman Darius Miller. Miller scored 11
points and added 3 assists, a steal, and a block.

The emergence of the Cats supporting cast, with Patterson down, was very encouraging for the Big Blue faithful. If the Wildcats can get consistency from these players the Wildcats could be a very formidable opponent as we near the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky is 5-0 in conference play and the past 5 times that has happened, Kentucky has went onto to at least a share of the SEC title. There is a lot of season left, but the Cats are the on the top of the East division and conference as a whole.

Next up for the Cats is yet another West division road game against the Ole Miss Rebels.

KEYS TO VICTORY-

1) Limit Turnovers- The story of the season has yet to bite the Wildcats, however, if this team wants to get where they want to go; an SEC Championship and a run in the NCAA tournament, Kentucky must take better care of the ball. Big Blue averages a -2.7 turnover differential and is ranked at the bottom of the conference in this category.
2) Keep Riding Jodie Meeks- The junior guard out of Georgia has really been something special this season. Meeks is third in the nation averaging 26 points per game. Kentucky needs to continue letting Meeks shoot and shoot often.
3) Block those shots!- Kentucky is ranked in the top-10 nationally in this category. Both Patrick Patterson have frustrated opponents by blocking shots.

**Kentucky has been dominant over the SEC thus far this season. The Wildcats are beating opponents by an average of 15 points a game. Alabama is clearly on the rebound in losing senior leader Ronald Steele for the rest of the season. If the Cats can go up early, the Tide should falter and give the Cats their 5th straight win.**

PROJECTION
Kentucky- 75

Alabama- 60

Kentucky Heads to Alabama

The Wildcats roll into Coleman Arena in Tuscaloosa the hottest team in the SEC with a show down with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Entering the season, it was the Tide were chosen to win the West division behind the sure shooting and leadership of Ronald Steele. However, Steele recently left the team and the program in search of an identity.

With Steele’s departure the Tide have lost 2 of 3 games. In those losses, the Tide appeared outmatched and undermanned. But Wednesday night, Alabama was able to revamp and win against Ole Miss.

Head Coach for Alabama, Mike Gottfried needs this win and wants to build some momentum which was lost due to the Steele departure.

“We had a good win against Ole Miss and we need to make sure we continue to improve” said Gottfried on Thursday.

Alabama does have some playmakers on offense including senior guard Alonzo Gee. Gee is the team’s leading scorer averaging 14.3 points and grabbing nearly 8 rebounds a game.

Complementing Gee and finding his niche as Steele’s replacement is junior Mikhail Torrance who scored 24 games against the Rebels Wednesday and has averaged 22.7 points a game in the past three games.

Alabama should prove to be strong competition for the unbeaten Cats. Although Kentucky is on a roll, they appeared drained against Auburn and everyone knows that how hard it is to go unbeaten in conference play.

GAME BEGINS @ 3 pm EST.

Kentucky Wins Again, and Covets 1st place in SEC

The game was ugly. Kentucky played sloppy and kept a lesser-qualitied Auburn Tigers in the game from start to finish, but when it counted the Wildcats pulled out another conference win 73-64 to become the only unbeaten team in conference play.

The first half went back and forth between the two teams and Auburn would have entered the half with a one point lead, but off a rebound and the seconds weaning, Patrick Patterson drove the ball half way down the court tossed the ball to Ramon Harris in stride to make a layup as the buzzer went off to take a 34-33 lead into the half.

Out of the half, Kentucky jumped out early with two 3-point shots made by Jodie Meeks with in the first minute. The Cats pulled ahead even more with a jump shot by Patrick Patterson. But, again sloppy play, mishandling of the ball in transition, and poor passing allowed the Tigers back into the game.

The Cats turned the ball over an atrocious 22 times and even allowed the Tigers to take lead 48-46 half way through the second half.

Again, however, with Kentucky trailing, the two stars for the Wildcats shined brightly, creating their own shots, playing stellar defense, and taking over the game.

Jodie Meeks ended the game with 31 points and went 5 for 8 from the 3-point line. Meeks’ 31 was the smaller part of the story today, as sophomore forward Patrick Patterson stole the show.
Patrick Patterson dominated the game for the Cats and put his team on his back to carry the Wildcats to a victory.

Patterson had a double-double in the first half and finished the game with 21 points and 18 rebounds.

“Pat was a beast. This was probably the best game we have seen of him all year,” said Coach Billy Gillespie after the game.

And the word ‘beast’ was repeated in the opposing locker room with Auburn’s Jeff Lebo echoing the sentiment, “Patrick Patterson is a heck of an athlete. He dominated the game…he is just a beast.”

Patterson willed his Wildcats to the narrow victory and now sees hois team atop the SEC as the only unbeaten team in conference.

With a 4-0 start Billy Gillespie knows there is still a lot of work to do, however said of the game, “It was a good win for us.”

Kentucky Keys to Win over Auburn

--KEYS TO VICTORY—

1) Play Hard- One thing the Cats have done in the past few weeks is play hard. Diving on the floor, hustling on the defensive end, and battling for rebounds, Kentucky has played tenatious. Their opponent, the Auburn Tigers are weak inside and TOUGHNESS is key to continue on the winning path.

2) Limit Turnovers- The Auburn Tigers are not great at much, BUT they do lead the SEC averaging 10.5 steals per game. Kentucky plays carelessly with the ball and needs to tighten up against a less talented team.

3) Find that 3rd Guy- It’s late in the season and pretty much, you are what you are. But in a hopeful since, someone other than Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson need to make a presence on the offensive end.

---Kentucky has the edge in every statistical category and is playing hotter than anyone else in the nation. With the Wildcats now eyeing a possible SEC title and national ranking, Kentucky must come out and dominate again.

-FINAL PREDICTION-

KENTUCKY- 78
AUBURN- 57