Kentucky to Hold Open Practice on Friday in Indy

Members of the Big Blue Nation have the chance to watch top-ranked Kentucky practice inside Lucas Oil Stadium ahead of the Wildcats’ national semifinal rematch with Wisconsin. The Wildcats will take the Final Four floor for their open practice on Friday beginning at approximately 3 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 11 a.m.

Michigan State will have the first open practice session from 12-12:50 p.m., Duke will take the court from 1-1:50 p.m. and Wisconsin will practice from 2-2:50 p.m. 

Fans who attend the Final Four open practices on Friday will have the opportunity to hear from each head coach after their sessions and engage in on-court promotions. The day concludes with the College All Star-Game tipping off at 4:30 p.m. in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Friday’s open practice will be one of many events for fans to experience in Indianapolis other than the Final Four games themselves. 

The NCAA will also host the March Madness Music Festival on Friday and Saturday with acts such as Rihanna (Saturday), Imagine Dragons and Weezer (both on Friday) scheduled to perform at White River State Park. Admission is free.

Saturday’s pregame events include the Road to the Final Four 5K, with the race beginning at 8 a.m. at the NCAA Hall of Champions. The NCAA will also host youth basketball clinics at local gyms and at Final Four Fan Fest at the Indiana Convention Center with check-in beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Fan Fest will take place from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets for Fan Fest are on sale now.

Here is a list of events and their times for your information. This is going to be a fun weekend and if you are lucky enough to attend, you should try to take in all the festivities you can.

Calipari Named NABC National Coach of The Year

For the third time in his career, John Calipari has been named National Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Calipari moved into second place alone for the most all-time NABC Coach of the Year honors. John Wooden earned the award five times.

Calipari previously won the award in 1996 while at Massachusetts and in 2009 at Memphis. Tuesday’s announcement marked the first time Calipari has garnered the honor while at Kentucky.

Calipari has led UK into a second straight Final Four this season, and the fourth in the last five years on the back of a 38-0 record. Kentucky is the first team to enter the Final Four undefeated since 1991.

Calipari’s 2014-15 Wildcats tied his 2007-08 Memphis team and his 2011-12 national championship Kentucky team’s NCAA Division I record for single-season wins (38) with Saturday’s Elite Eight win over Notre Dame on Saturday.

Kentucky also set the school record for home wins with 19 this season.

Kentucky has spent 19 straight weeks at No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 this season, tied for the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history. UK now owns the NCAA Division I record for most appearances at No. 1 in the AP poll in a single season at 19.

Calipari was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year for the second time in his career earlier this season. He was also Sporting News National Coach of the Year, and is one of four finalists for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year.

He is also one of 12 finalists eligible to go in to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September. The Class of 2015 will be announced on Monday at a press conference in Indianapolis, prior to the national championship game.

Kentucky PRE-Final Four Press Conference QUOTES

#2, Aaron Harrison, G

On if it bothered him of how people’s perception of their lifestyles in the classroom and having fun on the court at the same time changed over time ... “It didn’t bother us because we knew it wasn’t the truth. We know a lot of people say things about us and make their own theories about us, but it’s not true. We’re just student athletes like everyone else. We are required to go to class and make the grades. We’re just like every other program in that sense.”

On people seeing their close games this year as them being vulnerable ...
“There’s been great teams, obviously, and I think every great team has been in close games. Nobody has run through a whole tournament, series or anything. You have to prove how to win tough games, to be a great team. The close calls that we’ve had this season helped us win the last game and other close games before that. I think it’s made us a stronger team.”

On his thoughts of motivation from losing last year in the championship game and how he thinks Wisconsin is using their loss to Kentucky last year as motivation ... “When you get this close into the Final Four, everyone is motivated. I think that we have a chip on our shoulder and have a lot to prove. I’m not sure how other teams feel, but I know we’re as motivated as we’ve ever been and even more. We’re just going out and trying to win games, make statements, and play as hard as we can.”

On how this Final Four feels compared to last year’s ...
“I think last year we were just excited to be there. This year we’re not going to be satisfied with just the feeling. We’re just going up there to win.”

On the development of Tyler Ulis this season ...
“It’s tough being here overall and Tyler, being the small guy, is obviously tough. Everybody knows he’s a tough kid. He’s overcome so many people saying he’s too small and things like that. He’s a big reason we’re in the Final Four and a big part of our team. He’s a great player.”

On Willie Cauley-Stein playing in the game vs. Wisconsin this year as opposed to being hurt last year ...
“Having Willie on the floor is obviously a huge help. He’s probably the best defender I’ve ever seen in person. He’s a big help.”

On how it’s tough being here at Kentucky ...
“Just in general. Everything you do is under a microscope. You’re just overly criticized. It’s tough being a young man here, but it’s not a bad place to be obviously. We have a great amount of fun.”

On how late in games you have to shift from unselfish play to a ‘I have to score’ mentality ...
“It’s a role you have to play. Karl (Towns) had it going obviously. Nobody could stop him. We just kept feeding him. For me, I had the feeling that my team needed a momentum change so I wanted to be that. That’s just what you do when you have a lot of great guys that can do that. It’s the benefit of being on a great team with other great players.”

#44, Dakari Johnson, C

On the definition of Kentucky defense ...
“Playing with energy and just helping each other out on defense and just having each other’s back.”

On which game felt the closest to getting away (losing) ...
“Probably just the last game (vs. Notre Dame) and you know it being so close you know guys just stepped up and made plays.”

On if the talk earlier in the year of Kentucky ruining college basketball bothered you and how you feel now its swinging the other way with making grades and playing unselfishly ... “We weren’t bothered by it because we knew what really what the deal was. We did everything everybody else does basically. We just stayed together and didn’t listen to it.”

On the philosophy of the rotations when Coach uses different combinations based on matchups and situations and how you have adjusted ... “That’s what makes him such a good coach. He knows what’s best for us. He’s going to do everything for the team to win. He’s going to put the guys in there that are going to battle and just compete.”

On going into this final four compared to last year ...
“Last year it wasn’t expected. This year it’s expected from us so you know we are going out there to win and last year it kind of just felt like we were happy to be there.”

On playing against this matchup last year without Willie Cauley-Stein and how having him this year will change things or do differently ... “It’s going to be great. He matches up well with the guys they have on the floor. It gives us just another weapon that we didn’t have last year.”


#12, Karl-Anthony Towns, F

On your definition of Kentucky defense ...
"Energy. (Everything) starts with energy and just make sure that we get contested shots at all times, no open shots, and just help each other out as much as possible."

On the problems that Frank Kaminsky creates for opponents ...
"Kaminsky is a great player and it is going to be just one competitive game. I really can't wait to play."

On staying poised and winning close games throughout the year ...
"I think it's implemented in us through our years of playing basketball. It's just always trying to win every game that we possibly play at any given cost. I think it has also been learned this year a little bit in learning to find ways to win by out smarting opponents in clutch time. I think that’s what we've done a great job of this year is when the game gets really tight, we step up as a team and we come together instead of falling apart from each other."

On the journey of where this team was in October to where this team is now ...
"In October it is hard to think of being 38-0 in the Final Four. It's never been done before and obviously coming in I knew my brothers had a great amount of talent but we never knew we were going to gel so well and the season was going to go the way it went. We are blessed for this opportunity and we want to try to end the season with no regrets and that is what we are trying to do." 

Willie Cauley-Stein Named John R. Wooden All-American

 Kentucky junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein, already considered a consensus All-American by the NCAA, was tabbed a 2015 John R. Wooden All-American on Monday. Cauley-Stein was one of 10 Wooden All-Americans announced on a 30-minute show on ESPNU on Monday.

Selected by nearly 1,000 national college basketball media members and the former award winners, the Wooden All-American team is made up of the 10 student-athletes who were the top vote-getters for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the top player in college basketball. Voting took place from March 16-23 and voters could take the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament into consideration.

All 10 players are considered finalists for the Wooden Award, which will be presented April 10 on ESPN2 from Club Nokia in Los Angeles on the first-ever ESPN College Basketball Awards Show.

This year’s 10 Wooden All-Americans are, alphabetically: Ron Baker (Wichita State), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Jahlil Okafor (Duke), D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State), Seth Tuttle (Northern Iowa), Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga) and Delon Wright (Utah). Cauley-Stein, Grant, Kaminsky, Okafor and Russell have been invited to the awards show in Los Angeles.

To qualify as a Wooden All-American, all student-athletes must prove to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and are maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average.

Cauley-Stein became Kentucky’s 25th consensus First Team All-American on Monday after the Associated Press and National Association of Basketball Coaches selected the 7-foot junior as a first-teamer. The NCAA recognizes the Sporting News, AP, NABC and United States Basketball Writers Association All-America teams in considering consensus All-Americans. Cauley-Stein was named a First Team All-American by the USBWA and Sporting News earlier this season.

Cauley-Stein has been one of the main forces behind Kentucky’s historic 38-0 season. Averaging 9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, UK is the first team in NCAA Division I history to post a 38-0 record.

One of the nation’s most effective defenders, Cauley-Stein leads the nation’s top-ranked field-goal percentage defense in steals (46) while ranking second in blocked shots (65).

Cauley-Stein’s value has shined brightest in UK’s most difficult games. Against ranked competition, the Olathe, Kan., native leads UK in scoring average (10.6) and rebounding average (8.1).

In addition to the aforementioned All-America honors, Cauley-Stein has also collected the following honors:

·         SEC Tournament MVP

·         NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team

·         All-SEC First Team (coaches and AP)

·         SEC Defensive Player of the Year (coaches)

·         USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy finalist

·         Naismith Trophy finalist

·         Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalist

·         USBWA District IV Player of the Year

Willie Cauley-Stein Named First Team All-American

Willie Cauley-Stein became Kentucky’s 25th consensus First Team All-American on Monday after the Associated Press and National Association of Basketball Coaches each selected the 7-foot junior as a first-teamer.

The NCAA recognizes the Sporting News, AP, NABC and United States Basketball Writers Association All-America teams in considering consensus All-Americans.

Cauley-Stein was named a First Team All-American by the USBWA and Sporting News earlier this season.

Now with 25 consensus First Team All-American selections in its history, Kentucky tied Purdue and North Carolina for the second most consensus First Team All-Americans all-time. Kansas has the most with 28.

Karl-Anthony Towns was also named to the AP and NABC’s Second Team on Monday. Towns became a consensus Second Team All-American as he was also a Third Team All-America selection by the Sporting News.

                                                                             
Cauley-Stein has been one of the leading contributors throughout Kentucky’s 38-0 season so far. He averages 9.1 points per game to go with 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks.

Cauley-Stein is the first AP first-team All-America selection to average less than 10 points per game.

In nine wins over ranked opponents he averaged team highs in points (10.6) and rebounds (8.1).

One of the nation’s most effective defenders, Cauley-Stein leads UK in steals (65) while ranking second in blocked shots (65) on the nation’s top-ranked field-goal percentage defense.

This season Cauley-Stein has been a First Team All-Southeastern Conference selection and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and was named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament Team.

Averaging 25.8 minutes per game as part of UK’s platoon system, Cauley-Stein’s numbers are more impressive when viewed on a pro-rated basis, as he averaged 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.9 steals per 40 minutes.

Capable of guarding all five positions, Cauley-Stein is the only 7-footer in the country to rank in the top 215 nationally in steals per game. His length came into play in Saturday’s Midwest Regional Final when he altered multiple Notre Dame shots down the stretch.

Earlier this season, Cauley-Stein became the first player in school history to collect 200 or more career blocks and 100 or more career steals. He's also one of eight players in program history to have 500 or more rebounds, 100 or more blocks, and 75 or more steals.

Towns leads UK with eight double-doubles this year. Having averaged 10.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, Towns stepped up his scoring down the stretch in the Elite Eight scoring a career-high 25 points while also notching career highs in assists (four) and steals (two) in what to-date was the biggest game of his career.

Towns was named Midwest Region MVP last weekend.

He was also SEC Freshman of the Year, First Team All-SEC and a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Anthony Davis was UK’s last consensus First Team All-America selection, in 2012.

Julius Randle was a Third Team All-America selection by the AP and NABC last season.

Since 1984, the NCAA has applied a standardized point system to those teams designated as "major" All-American teams to determine consensus teams. The point system consists of three points for first team, two points for second team and one point for third team.

The top five totals plus ties are first team and the next five plus ties are second team.

Final OFFICIAL Kentucky vs. Notre Dame Box-Score

Northeast Ohio UK Alumni Pre-Game Gathering Before WVU Game

Northeast Ohio UK Alumni Club hosting NCAA pre-game gathering

The Northeast Ohio UK Alumni Club will host a pregame gathering beginning at 4 p.m., Thursday, March 26, at Corner Alley, 402 Euclid Ave., in Cleveland, Ohio, prior to Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against West Virginia.

Admission is $5 at the door and includes a $5 coupon good for merchandise purchases, access to the VIP and Alumni Room areas inside Corner Alley and a raffle ticket for UK and Cleveland flare items. The UK Band and UK Cheerleaders will perform at approximately 6:45 p.m. If UK advances to the next round, a repeat event will take place Saturday, March 28. Patrons will be admitted on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

A Couple of Post Game Pics and a Few Funny Comments

As soon as the game started, you could tell that Cincinnati and their fans fully expected to win todays game. Now, there's nothing wrong with being confident, but when the only way you have a chance to win is to thug it up the way they did, then your not going to be very successful. The funniest thing to come out of today besides the above picture of a Bearcat fans' sign is some of the post game comments made by Cincy players... Here's just a sample.

When asked how hard it was to shoot over Kentucky's bigs...

"I didn't think it was that hard to be honest."

I guess this guy completely forgot about the nine blocks during the course of the game.

Another comment made in the post game and this one may be my favorite...

"Kentucky is very beatable, you just can't give them anything easy. We lost because of a couple mental lapses, it definitely wasn't anything they done."

You don't need my comments here, that's just funny.

Now, I have to admit, I'm not a big shoe\sneaker fan like a lot of people are, but, I would like to have a pair of shoes like Tyler Ulis has here. Those things are beyond AWESOME!!!

Kentucky vs. Cincinnati OFFICIAL Final Box-Score

Cats Outlast Cincinnati 64-51; Move on To Sweet Sixteen

Kentucky started this game sluggish much like they did against Hampton in the first round. Also like the first round, the Cats woke up and destroyed the Bearcats the way they should have. And to be honest, Cincinnati deserved it.

The Bearcats took a note from Arkansas book and tried to thug it up and it worked for a while. Every few minutes, Octavious Ellis was drawing a foul (flopping is more like it) on someone or running his mouth in their ear trying to get in their heads. Credit to him because it worked for a few minutes, but Kentucky quickly regained composure and done what they usually do and manhandled the Bearcats.

This was a very pretty game, but no one expected it to be, but a win is a win and Kentucky advances to the round of 16 in Cleveland while improving their record to 36-0.

Willie Cauley-Stein Named Finalist For Naismith Trophy

Kentucky forward Willie Cauley-Stein is one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the national player of the year.

Cauley-Stein joins Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor as the remaining candidates for the award. The four finalists were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, which based selections on individual performances throughout the 2014-15 men’s college basketball regular season.

The winner of the Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year will be revealed during Final Four weekend, on April 5 in Indianapolis.

For the 11th consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to vote for who they believe should be the 2015 Naismith Trophy winner. Beginning March 23 and running through April 4, fans can cast their vote at NaismithVote.com. The fan vote represents 25 percent of the selection process, more than any other college basketball award.

Cauley-Stein has been one of UK’s top contributors during its historic 34-0 run that’s led up to the NCAA Tournament. The 7-footer averages 9.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 25.5 minutes of action.

A force on the defensive end, Cauley-Stein leads UK’s in steals (44) while ranking second in blocked shots (56) for the nation’s top-ranked field-goal percentage defensive team. Capable of guarding all five positions, Cauley-Stein is the only 7-footer in the country to rank in the top 215 nationally in steals per game.

The Olathe, Kan., native has been particularly good in Kentucky’s biggest games, averaging a team-high 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds vs. UK’s seven ranked opponents.

Earlier this season, Cauley-Stein became the first player in school history to collect 200 or more career blocks and 100 or more career steals. He’s also one of just eight players in program history with 500 or more rebounds, 100 or more blocks, and 75 or more steals.

In addition to being named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Cauley-Stein has already earned several other honors this postseason, including:

·         United States Basketball Writers Association First Team All-American

·         Sporting New First Team All-American

·         USBWA District IV Player of the Year

·         Southeastern Conference Tournament MVP

·         SEC Defensive Player of the Year

·         All-SEC First Team

·         USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Finalist

·         John R. Wooden Award Finalist

·         Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalist

UK Alumni NCAA Pre-Game Gathering in Louisville

Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club hosting NCAA pre-game gathering

The Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club will host a pre-game gathering beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at Patrick O’Shea’s, 123 W. Main St., next to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville prior to Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament opener against Hampton.

There is no charge for this event, and patrons will be admitted on a first come, first serve basis. The UK Band and UK Cheerleaders will perform outside the venue at approximately 6:30 p.m., contingent on weather. If UK advances to the next round, a repeat event will take place Saturday, March 21. For questions about the event, contact Jill Smith at 859-257-8906 or jhsmith@uky.edu.

The UK Alumni Association is a membership supported organization committed to fostering lifelong engagement among alumni, friends, the association and the university. For more information about the UK Alumni Association or to become a member, visit www.ukalumni.net or call 1-800-269-2586.

Karl Anthony-Towns Earns USBWA Freshman All-America Honors

 Kentucky men’s basketball’s Karl-Anthony Towns earned Freshman All-America honors from the United States Basketball Writers Association on Tuesday.

Towns, who has led the Wildcats with seven double-doubles this season, is averaging 9.7 points, a team-high 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks through 34 games so far.

The Piscataway, N.J., native has gotten better as the season has progressed, posting five double-doubles over his last 13 games. He is UK’s leading scorer (12.2 per game) in the last five games.

He was named the Associated Press and Coaches’ SEC Freshman of the Year, as well as a third team All-American by the Sporting News. He was also named First Team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Towns joins Julius Randle (2014), Nerlens Noel (2013), Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight (2011) and DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall (2010) to earn USBWA Freshman All-America accolades under the direction of John Calipari.

Cal Named Finalist For Naismith Coach of The Year

For the seventh time during his illustrious career, Kentucky head coach John Calipari is a finalist for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year award, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Tuesday.

Calipari is a two-time winner of the award, having earned the honor in 2008 as head coach at Memphis and in 1996 while at Massachusetts. He’s been tabbed a finalist in five additional seasons – including 2015, 2012 and 2010 while at the helm of the Wildcats.

UK’s head coach is joined on the ballot by Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan and Jay Wright of Villanova.

The finalists were determined by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, which based its criteria on the coaches’ performances to this point in the 2014-15 men’s college basketball season. The Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year will be announced on April 5, at the Naismith Awards Brunch Delivered in Indianapolis.

Kentucky is off to a perfect 34-0 start after claiming the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season and tournament championship. It was the third regular-season crown and the third tournament title under Calipari’s direction. Calipari has led the Wildcats to their best start in school history, best start for an SEC team, longest overall winning streak in school history and his personal overall longest winning streak.

UK went 31-0 in the regular season – the first among power five conference teams since Indiana achieved the feat during the 1975-76 season.  The Wildcats head into the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed, assigned to the Midwest Region.

Calipari has already hauled in National Coach of the Year honors by Sporting News and is the United States Basketball Writers Association’s District IV Coach of the Year. Furthermore, he is the SEC’s Coach of the Year per the Associated Press and the league’s coaches.

Calipari Named AP SEC Coach of The Year; Karl Anthony-Towns Named SEC Freshman of The Year

Mirroring many of the coaches’ selections when the Southeastern Conference announced its postseason awards last week, several Wildcats raked in honors Monday when the Associated Press announced its All-SEC teams.

Headlining the awards were John Calipari and Karl-Anthony Towns, who won SEC Coach of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year, respectively. It’s the third time Calipari has been named the SEC Coach of the Year by the AP and the second time he’s won both the AP honor and the coaches’ pick in the same season.

Calipari has led Kentucky to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and SEC championships in both the regular season and conference tournament. Among the most notable achievements the Wildcats have notched under Calipari’s watch this season include the best start ever by an SEC team, the longest overall winning streak in school history and becoming one of just three teams ever to go 34-0.

Towns, who has led the Wildcats with seven double-doubles this season, was named the AP’s Freshman of the Year after averaging 9.7 points, a team-high 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks through 34 games so far. The Piscataway, N.J., native has gotten better as the season has gone on, posting five double-doubles over his last 13 games.

Towns joined fellow Wildcat Willie Cauley-Stein on the eight-man All-SEC First Team, which featured three ties for the final spot. Cauley-Stein, who was named a First Team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association and Sporting News, is averaging 9.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals in 25.5 minutes of action.

Capable of guarding all five positions, Cauley-Stein has been at his best against Kentucky’s toughest competition. He leads the Wildcats in scoring (11.6 points per game) and rebounding (8.4) in UK’s seven games vs. ranked competition. The junior from Olathe, Kan., averaged 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks en route to SEC Tournament MVP honors last week.

Sophomore guard Aaron Harrison was selected for the five-man second team after leading the Wildcats in scoring (11.3 points) this season. Harrison, who has posted a team-leading 21 games in double figures this year, has knocked down 53 3-point field goals on the year and recorded 42 steals, both second best on the team. Harrison has turned up his game for the postseason, averaging 12.0 points in the SEC Tournament.

Freshman guard Devin Booker earned All-SEC Honorable Mention honors from the AP in recognition of his  sensational freshman season. Booker is averaging 10.5 points and leads the team with 54 3-point field goals on a 42.9-percent success rate. The coaches’ pick for the SEC Sixth Man of the Year has led UK in scoring a team-high-tying eight times this season.

Cauley-Stein Named First Team All-America by USBWA

Kentucky men’s basketball’s Willie Cauley-Stein has been named First Team All-America by the United States Basketball Writers Association.

Cauley-Stein was named a First Team All-American by the Sporting News last week.

                                                                             
The 7-0 junior from Olathe, Kan., has been one of the leading contributors throughout Kentucky’s 34-0 season so far. He averages 9.3 points per game to go with 6.4 rebounds.

He’s also been a key figure on the defensive end of the floor, leading UK in steals (44) while ranking second in blocked shots on the nation’s top-ranked field-goal percentage defense.

He was named the USBWA's District IV Player of the Year, was a First Team All-SEC selection and SEC Defensive Player of the Year last week. He also earned SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

In seven wins over ranked opponents he averaged team highs in points (11.6) and rebounds (8.4).

Averaging 25.5 minutes per game as part of UK’s platoon system, Cauley-Steins numbers are more impressive when viewed on a pro-rated basis per 40-minute game as he averaged 14.6 points, 10.1 rebounds 2.6 blocks and 2.0 steals.

Capable of guarding all five positions, Cauley-Stein is the only 7-footer in the country to rank in the top 215 nationally in steals per game.

Earlier this season, Cauley-Stein became the first player in school history to collect 200 or more career blocks and 100 or more career steals. He's also one of just eight players in program history 500 or more rebounds, 100 or more blocks, and 75 or more steals.

The NCAA recognizes the Sporting News, AP, NABC and USBWA All-America teams in considering consensus All-Americans.

Also, Willie Cauley-Stein is the first UK player to be named USBWA First Team All-America since Anthony Davis in 2012.

Calipari Was On ESPN's Bracketology Special

Coach Cal was on ESPN to answer some questions about the bracket they were dealt.



Here's Cal's quotes on ESPN's Breacketology Special...



"Every bracket is hard. How many wins or losses you have right now does not matter, Everybody is 0-0 now. I just want my team to be the best version of themselves. 

We forgot to cut down the nets in Nashville. We walk off the court and someone said "you forgot to cut down the nets". We were rushing to get on a plane to get back to the house. 

I'll be disappointed if we show up and we're not ready to play. But, if we're at our best and someone is playing out of their minds, then there is nothing you can do. I think I have the best team and the best players, but that doesn't mean we are going to win. It's one and done now. Everyone is 0-0 starting right now.

I've got really good players."

Of course this is just the highlights of the interview, but Cal was being "Swaggy Cal" and when he is "Swaggy Cal",  you know he likes his chances going into the tournament.

Bring on Thursday and Manhattan.

Duke's Region Is Absurdly Easy

As per usual, Duke's region is a COMPLETE joke. The toughest team in the South Region is Gonzaga? Really? ABSURD.......

Quick Look At Kentucky's Midwest Region

Kentucky actually got a pretty good draw here, folks. The only one's that I see in this region that could be a small problem is 3rd seeded Notre Dame and of course 2nd seeded Kansas. Other than that, you can't really complain about this region... Oh, and of course West Virginia found their way into the Cats' region once again. Ah well....

BRING IT ON.....

Kentucky vs. Arkansas Post-Game Notes

Kentucky vs. Arkansas, Men’s Basketball – Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn., March 15, 2015

FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 78, Arkansas 63

Team records: Kentucky is 34-0, Arkansas is 26-8.

Kentucky leads the series 27-11. Earlier this season, UK defeated Arkansas 84-67 in Lexington

With 34 consecutive victories …

It extends the longest win streak in Kentucky history. 

It extended the longest season-opening win streak for any team in SEC history.

It extended the longest win streak for a John Calipari-coached team.

Kentucky is 211-27 all-time when ranked No. 1 and has won 56 of the last 58 games as The Associated Press top-ranked team.

Calipari has led three schools to a No. 1 ranking (Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky) and has a 100-9 record as the top-ranked coach, including 59-4 at UK. 

Calipari is now 186-37 (.834) as head coach at Kentucky, the best winning percentage of any coach in UK history.

Next for the Wildcats: UK awaits its NCAA Tournament destination, which will be announced Sunday night.

In the SEC Tournament:

Kentucky has an all-time record of 124-25 (.839) in SEC Tournament games.

UK has won 28 tourney titles with a 28-10 record in championship games.

Willie Cauley-Stein was named the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after totaling 42 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocked shots over the three days. His averages for the three games were 14 points, seven rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

The Most Valuable Player Award was instituted in 1979 at the tourney renewal. A Kentucky player has won the MVP 16 times, most recently Darius Miller in 2011.

Today’s attendance was 20,315, most ever for an SEC Tournament game in this arena. This was the fifth time the event has been held in this building.

Team Notes:

UK shot 51 percent from the field (25 of 49).  It is the 11^th time this season, and the second game in a row, that the Wildcats have made at least 50 percent.

UK shot 58.3 percent from three-point land, 7 of 12.  It is the fourth game this season, and second in a row, that the Wildcats made at least half their shots from long range.

Kentucky shot 77.8 percent from the foul line, 21 of 27. The Wildcats have made 77.9 percent at the charity stripe over the last 10 games (187 of 240).

UK was never behind today. The Wildcats have trailed for only 178:56 of a possible 1,375 minutes this season.

Arkansas won bench points today, 27-20.  This was the first game this season that UK did not win the bench points.  

Kentucky’s streak of 934 consecutive games with a 3-pointer was extended when Andrew Harrison connected on the first possession of the game.

First-Half Facts:

Kentucky’s opening lineup featured Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Trey Lyles, Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein for the 15^th time this season.

On the first three possessions, UK got threes from Andrew Harrison sandwiched around two Cauley-Stein foul shots, giving the Wildcats an 8-0 lead and prompting an Arkansas timeout at 18:21.

Arkansas rallied to tie it at 10, 12, 14 and finally at 19 with 10 minutes to go in the half.

From that point, UK closed the half on a 22-6 run, making seven straight field goal attempts at one stretch and all six free throws.  

Halftime score was 41-25 and the 25 points scored by Arkansas tied their lowest half of the season.

Second-Half Story:

Kentucky started the second half with Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, Andrew Harrison, Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Arkansas steadily ate into the UK advantage, getting within nine points on four occasions, the last at 54-45 with 9:47 to go.

At that point, UK put the game away with an 11-2 run, bulging the lead to 65-47 with 6:23 to play.

UK led by as many as 21 points before coasting to the 78-63 win.

Player Notes:

Willie Cauley-Stein had 15 points and 10 rebounds, his third double-double of the season.

He was named the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after totaling 42 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocked shots over the three days. His averages for the three games were 14 points, seven rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

Andrew Harrison also led the Wildcats in scoring with 15 points. It is his 14^th double-figure scoring game of the season.

Aaron Harrison sparked the first half performance with eight points and six assists in the opening stanza.  He finished with 11 points and six assists, his team-leading 21^st double-figure game of the season.

Trey Lyles scored nine points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

Tyler Ulis played another solid game with eight points and six assists in a career-high 34 minutes. He has become more of a scoring presence recently, averaging 6.7 points over the last nine games. He has averaged 4.1 assists over the last nine games, leading UK in that category in six of the last seven games.