Kentucky vs. Transylvania Preview

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, it's time once again to preview Kentucky's next opponent on the basketball court. So let's not waste any time and get right to it. The first game, although it's an exhibition is Transylvania University...

Location: Lexington, Kentucky (the two teams are so close that Transy actually WALKS to Rupp Arena the day of the game)

Est: 1780

Type: Private

Students: 1,110

Athletics: NCAA Divison III, HCAC

Colors: Crimson/White

Mascot: Pioneers

School Motto: In That Light, We Pass On The Light

An interesting side note... Thomas Jefferson, yes that Thomas Jefferson once made this statement to a friend in a letter when he was governor of Virginia.... "If we are to go a begging anywhere for education, I would rather it should be to Kentucky than any other state." Sure he made that statement in reference to Transylvania, but I'd like to think he was talking about Kentucky as whole.

NOTABLE ALUMNI:

Stephen F. Austin: Founder of the state of Texas.

Cy Barger: Major League Baseball Player

Ned Beatty: Actor

John C. Breckinridge: Vice President of the United States, Secretary of War; Confederate States of America.

Jefferson Davis: President of the Confederate States of America; Transferred to West Point.

John Calvin McCoy: Founder of Kansas City, Missouri

James S. Rollins: Missouri politician, "Father of the University of Missouri".

George Shannon: Member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition

Throughout the history of this series the Cats and the Pioneers have faced off a total of 5 times with the Cats winning 4 out of 5. The last loss came in the very first match-up on 1-20-1911 by a score of 18-23 The most recent clash saw Kentucky win going away 74-28 on 11-5-2012.

While this season looks like it will be a route, probably one of the biggest in the history of the series, you still can't help but feel a little nervous before a game like this one. I mean, how hard would it be to deal with a loss to Transy with a loaded roster such as the one Kentucky has put together this season.

Besides the nerves that I am probably alone in having, it's good to see these two teams face each other. It brings a lot of attention to the community and state and gives the guys that play for Transy a chance to play against a National power house, something that they will remember for the rest of their lives, in Rupp Arena no less. So let's get ready to tip the exhibition season off this Friday night and get this much awaited season underway.

John Calipari Gives Back

LEXINGTON, Ky. – UK head men’s basketball coach John Calipari will provide the actual 2014 spring semester in-state or out-of-state undergraduate tuition amount for two lucky students who attend Tuesday’s annual Blue-White Scrimmage in Rupp Arena.

 

Students currently enrolled at the University of Kentucky can sign-up at the regular student entrance at Rupp Arena, behind Section 34. They must present a valid UK student ID and be signed up before 7 p.m. ET. Gates open at 6 p.m. ET.

 

The winners will be randomly selected and announced at the completion of the scrimmage and MUST be present to win.

 

In the event of a graduate/professional student winner, the spring semester in-state or out-of-state undergraduate tuition amount will be applied.

 

Upper level tickets are still available for $5 and can be purchased online throughTicketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at800.745.3000. Tickets will also be sold in person at the UK Ticket Office between the hours of 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. ET or by calling800.928.2287. Fans can also obtain tickets by calling or in-person at the Rupp Arena Box Office(859.233.3535) starting at 10 a.m. ET, or by visiting statewide Ticketmaster outlets. For outlet locations, go toTicketmaster.com.

Blackmon Jr. to decide this week?

James Blackmon Jr. the # 23 ranked player in the class of 2014 has finished up his visit to Indiana, a school that he decommitted from earlier this year and hopes to have a decision sometime this week. As many of you know, Blackmon Jr. is high up on Calipari's wish list for 2014.

Before his visit to Indiana this past weekend, many thought Kentucky was the leader for his services and now that his visit is over, it seems many still feel the same. It will be interesting to see where he'll go considering he has committed to Indiana once before and his father, James Blackmon Sr. is a former Wildcat himself. So there is many things pulling him in both directions.

Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader is reporting that Blackmon Jr. and his family has been exploring announcing his decision on ESPN. For the record, Roberts who also runs a Kentucky recruiting blog NextCats.com also believes that Blackmon will end up at Kentucky.

Nerlens Noel; Will He Play This Season, Or Won't He?

Every Kentucky fan can recall where he/she was when they witnessed the gruesome images of Nerlens Noel's knee injury against the Florida Gators. It was the moment we all knew that the CATS season was bound to take a turn for the worse.

Fast-forward a few months and you will see where the Philadelphia 76ers coach, Brett Brown stated that Noel would more than likely miss his rookie season entirely instead of being able to play around Christmas like we all originally thought. But, it seems as Nerlens' agent, Andy Miller doesn't agree according to the following statement he gave to SNY.tv...

"I think it's premature to make any determination at this point. He will continue to follow rehab protocol and we will take each day one step at a time."

That statement goes against this statement Brett Brown gave according to ESPN.com.....

"I doubt, everybody doubts that he's going to play this year. We don't want to waste this year. I think form a skill perspective, it's an opportunity for us to break down his shot, really work on his free throws and start a little bit from ground zero."

This story is definitely worth keeping an eye on to see how everything plays out. But, as always we wish Noel a fast and speedy recovery...

Andrew Harrison added to Cousy Award watch list

Andrew Harrison has been added to the Bob Cousy Award watch list. Bring on the season folks...

Calipari Talks About His Players Returning For NBA Pre-Season Game In Rupp

John Calipari talked a little bit today about his former players which he lovingly refers to as "sons" that will play an NBA pre-season game tonight in Rupp Arena.

"It's always great to have my "sons" come back home. And to have the opportunity to see them living out their dreams makes it even more special. 

Anthony (Davis) has matured so much physically and mentally even after just one season in New Orleans. They're a young team so they'll have an opportunity to grow together. 

John (Wall) has shown what he's capable of, closing out last season strong. And now he's got a max deal, but he's shown how special he is off the floor by donating $1 million to charity. 

Darius (Miller) is hurt right now but I think when he comes back he will add versatility to the Pelicans on both ends of the floor and add to a great rookie season. "

Again, I'm ending this post with a quote from Cal's speech last night, the same quote I ended last nights post with....

"At Kentucky we don't just play college basketball, we ARE college basketball"

A Rundown Of Big Blue Madness

(photo by: @UKAthleticsNews)

Just so you know, Big Blue Corner was supposed to be in attendance at BBM tonight, but car trouble prevented us from attending. I can't begin to explain how good of a mood that put me in for the rest of the evening...

Before Madness got started we were forced to watch Rob Bromley and Co. for the first 20 minutes of the televised broadcast, but then came the video of the campers scrambling for their spot in "Tent City" to camp-out for BBM tickets. It's no wonder Calipari says "Y'all are crazy"

If you had the TV on mute waiting for the festivities to start, then you should've been following the Madness updates on Twitter. Besides the entertainment that continuously came across the twitter feed you would know that John Wall and the Wizards along with Anthony Davis and the Pelicans were in attendance for the event with some of them being quoted as saying "this is crazy", welcome to Kentucky Basketball fellas.

Again, the night started off with a performance from UK women's coach, Mathew Mitchell that brought the crowd to it's feet with him appearing dressed as James Brown dancing to "I Got You" and just like that ending up sporting a pair glasses and a sport coat dancing to Britney Spears "Hit Me Baby One More Time". As much energy John Calipari has brought to  Kentucky MENS Basketball, Mathew Mitchell has done the same for the women's program. Both of these coaches are EXCELLENT at selling the UK brand and representing the university in a positive light.

I'm gonna skip highlighting the women's portion (NO DISRESPECT INTENDED, had to leave the house for a bit) of the evening and dive straight into what you have been waiting for since what seems like an eternity...

The mens portion of the night opened with one of the most stern, hardcore, passionate and heart felt speech that John Calipari has ever given. The crowd never left their feet as he talked about how proud he was of every single one of his players including Anthony Davis, John Wall and Darius Miller who were all present and was greeted by an ear shattering roar. By the time Cal had wrapped up his speech that reminded you of the Gettysburg Address because of the passion behind it, I myself was ready to say "Hell with it, Give me a jersey I'll suit up." Once again, Calipari DOES NOT disappoint.

The player introductions was definitely something to see. You don't realize just how big this team is until you see them being announced along with their height. This team is going to be crazy big and long, and if they ever decide to put on a press, good luck trying to go around or throw over that. One thing we did learn during intros is that Jarrod Polson is the best dancer on this team, pretty impressive.

This group looked focused from the get go and the rest of the night did not disappoint.

The beginning was pretty much what it is every year, just more talent than before. We saw lots of nerves, senseless shots, no defense and a lot of fun being had amongst the guys. That is exactly what this night was meant for. The one thing that was different is the fact you could see the potential of this team and you didn't have to look no further than 6'9" Julius Randle's drive, coast to coast with a behind the back twist and a hard, rim rattling dunk at the other end. This kid just sweats talent and expects others to wipe it off the floor.

Derek Willis showed something that I didn't know he had and that was somewhat of an outside shot, that will be handy if he could improve on it.  Every single player looked good, but the freshman didn't disappoint if you take into consideration that this is really just a practice and no seriousness is given by the players or coaches. Just judging by the looks of this team, things could be interesting going forward if everyone learns their role, puts egos aside and plays as a team. If all that happens, other teams should be put on notice, this team is not to be taken lightly and yes I'm looking at you Mr. Patrick Young.

I'll close with a quote from Calipari's speech tonight   "WE DON'T JUST PLAY COLLEGE BASKETBALL, WE ARE COLLEGE BASKETBALL"-- John Calipari