Kentucky vs. UCLA Pre-View

After what seems like a month off, Kentucky is finally back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago, Il. Their opponent in the Sports Classic is arguably the most storied college basketball team of all-time, UCLA.

If you're a college basketball fan whether it be a casual fan or a die hard fan, you need no introduction to UCLA. They have the most championships (11), some of the most famous college basketball players in the history of the game, and probably the most famous coach in John Wooden who was responsible for 10 of the 11 championships. From 1964 to 1970, the Bruins won 7 straight championships, a record that will never be broken. Also, from 1971 to 1974, UCLA won 88 straight game, another feat that will never be matched. So to say that they are the most storied program is an understatement.

Now, it's 2014 and the UCLA that you will see tomorrow is nowhere near what they were throughout the 70's and thank God for that. The Bruins come into the game with an 8-3 record with their three losses coming at the hands of Oklahoma (75-65), North Carolina (78-56) and Gonzaga (87-74). 

Here's a look at what the Cats will be matched up against tomorrow in Chi-Town...

The one stat that stands out is UCLA's 42 rebounds per game. Even though Kentucky is one of if not the tallest team in the country, they struggle to rebound the ball on the defensive end of the floor. They have to keep the Bruins off the offensive glass and limit their second chance points.  Also, as it is in every game, they will have to guard the perimeter because if you have followed Kentucky at all during lifetime you know there is always some random guy who comes in and gets hot from deep and sets a career high in points.

Now that the stats are out of the way, let's take a look at UCLA's roster....

UCLA has some size down low so it will be interesting to watch Kentucky's bigs and see how they battle on the inside. It  also looks as if they have some size at the guard position as well so this could be a pretty decent match-up.

Here's a look at the history between two of college basketballs greatest traditions...

(history facts provided by BigBlueHistory.com it's a GREAT website so, check it out.)

Tomorrow should be a good game, a game Kentucky should win fairly convincingly. So, tune in tomorrow at 3:30 on CBS to watch the Cats battle the Bruins, it should be a good one...

The IMPRESSIVE Transformation of Anthony Davis

I know the picture isn't of the best of quality, but you get the idea.

Dayum, son...

Tyler Ulis vs. Andrew Harrison, ESPN Says Who's better

When John Calipari started the season talking about implementing the "platoon system", the first thing he said he wanted to avoid was pitting players against one another. He didn't want people to judge the two "platoons" as two different teams. But, when you watch the games, it's no secret that each unit has a different style of play. The "Blue Platoon" (the starting platoon) has a more methodical approach to the game. They run set plays and try to get the best shot possible. That's not surprising seeing as how they are the older more experienced squad. The "White Platoon" is a different story entirely....

When the second group hits the floor, the intensity one both ends of the floor pick up tremendously. On the defensive end, they play in your face, aggravating defenses that, for lack of a better word, just pisses the opponent off. With that style of defense, it immediately leads to offense. Several times throughout the game when the second squad is on the floor, they will force a turnover that will more times than not lead to an easy bucket on the other end. They are just pure energy the entire time they're on the floor. Calipari can ask fans and media alike NOT to judge the two "platoons" as two different teams but it's going to happen and ESPN did just that... Sort of...

The World Wide Leader in Sports posted this stat on Twitter showing how the offense is more efficient when Tyler Ulis is on the floor...

Now, I'm not saying the Ulis is the better of the two point guards, but it sure does seem like the game is ran a lot smoother with the 5'9" guard at the helm. He is quicker, can stay in front of his man better on defense and find the open man just as good as his counter part. He is leading the team in assists and it's no surprise especially when you look at what he did against UNC, 8 assists, 3 turnovers and three points. That's just impressive when you consider the type of defense Carolina played all night long.

Now, it wouldn't be fair to not give Andrew's stats for the same game for a comparison. Harrison finished the game with 11 points, 5 assists and 3 turnovers. Another good stat line  and one that any team in the country would take from their point guard in a game like yesterdays.

As you can see, both guards are good at what they do and make everyone else around them better as well. The thing is, Harrison and Ulis play two entirely different games at the same position so comparing the two is absurd. Andrew can do things on the floor that Tyler can only dream about and the same with Ulis. Don't you think Tyler would love to muscle his way to the rim with brute strength the way Andrew does? Don't you think that Andrew would love to have Ulis' quickness and ability to stay in a guys face on defense? Sure, they both would love to be able to do everything, but the fact of the matter is, they can't. They each have their own skill set and are damn good using them. We shouldn't compare the two to find out who's better, instead, we should be thankful to have both players on the same team, don't you think?

Cats vs. Carolina FINAL OFFICIAL Box-Score

Cats Crush Carolina 84-70

For those who were worrying (my self included) about the team having a poor showing after getting the bad news about Alex can rest easy now.  The Cats were just as dominate in this game as they were against Kansas or any other team that they have faced this year. The game was never in doubt as the Cats turned to their defense to set the tone for the rest of the game.

Defensively, Kentucky was Kentucky as usual, but it was on the offensive end were things looked better than it has all season long. Coming into the game, Kentucky was averaging a little more than 28% from three, but that didn't stop the Cats from heating up from the floor. For the game, Kentucky shot the three at a 47% clip going 7-15 from deep thanks to the hot hands of Devin Booker (3-3 from deep) and Aaron Harrison (3-7 from three) that pretty much sealed the deal for the Cats.

Carolina (particularly Marcus Paige who hit 4 threes in the second half) found their outside shot in the second half, but it was to little to late as by that time, Kentucky had built a lead as large as 18 which proved to be too much to overcome for the Tar Heels.

Kentucky moves to 11-0 on the season while sending Carolina home with a 6-2 record after today.

Kentucky vs. North Carolina Pre-View

Now that you've had time to deal with and mourn the loss of Alex Poythress to a freak accident (torn ACL) in yesterdays practice, it's time to talk about tomorrows game.

North Carolina will invade Rupp Arena tomorrow afternoon looking to hand the Cats their first loss of the season. I haven't watched UNC very much this year, but I do understand that they have a pretty good inside game. The thing is, we have an excellent inside game and a pretty good outside game, so this one is tough to call to be honest. Before the loss of Alex, I would've told you that Kentucky would win this game in more than convincing fashion now, I'm not sure how it will turn out. 

Alex didn't bring a whole lot on the offensive end of things averaging just a little over 5 points per game, but what he brought on the defensive end will be hard to replace no matter who fills the void. Let's take a look at the options Cal has at his disposal...

One option is Derek Willis. Yes, it's true he can shoot, feed the post and blend in nicely on offense, but his lack of defensive ability is something that will rear it's ugly head in certain match-ups. There's no question Willis can play, hell, he's probably a starter at any other school, but until now, he wasn't going to see much playing time at Kentucky this season. Now, he can expect his minutes to go up as the season goes along.

Another option is filling Alex's spot with Devin Booker. With Booker you get the best of both worlds, sort of. He can flat out shoot the ball, create his own shot in the lane and find the open man when he can't get open. He plays above average defense, but he lacks the shot blocking ability that Poythress had. On paper, Booker would be the best option out of the two for that particular position. Yes there are other ways Calipari can handle the loss, but my guess is you will see a lot more playing time for these two young men in the coming months.

Let's take a look at what Kentucky will face tomorrow in Rupp...

Now, here's a look at the Tar Heel's Roster...

As you can see, UNC has some size that are putting up some very good numbers. It will be a test for Kentucky to say the least.

Here's some interesting facts about the Heel's when watching tomorrow's game...

Carolina is actually one of the few schools who have a winning record against the Cats. They lead the all-time series with a record of 23-13 which includes seven wins in the last ten meetings.

Roy Williams has piled up seven wins over number one ranked opponents during his career which is tied for the best in college basketball history with former Maryland coach, Gary Williams.

North Carolina has beaten the top ranked team in the AP Poll 13 times which is more than any other team in college basketball history.

Roy Williams has a career record of 8-7 against Kentucky, 7-4 while coaching at UNC and 1-3 when he coached at Kansas.

Carolina will be looking for their third win over a ranked team this season when they play Kentucky tomorrow. They have already beaten then ranked No. 22 UCLA and No. 18 Florida in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in late November.

Now, here's some facts about the Cats you may or may not know heading into tomorrows game...

Calipari is just one of two coaches in history (the other being Frank McGuire) to lead three different programs to a No. 1 ranking.

Cal is 72-9 (.889) as the top-ranked coach in the country.

Calipari is 31-4 when his team is at the top as UK's head coach.

Calipari has coached six of his last eight teams to the No. 1 ranking and this year makes the seventh time he's accomplished that feat.

Kentucky owns an all-time record of 188-27 (.874) as the nations top-ranked team. They have also won 28 of its last 30 contests as the AP's top team.

There, that should be enough information for you to occupy your brain until tomorrows showdown with UNC.

Kentucky's Pre-UNC Press Conference QUOTES

Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari

On being in shock about Alex Poythress’ injury ...
“Well first of all I didn’t think he had a tear. He went down and yelled, but the doc after, and even the way he was walking, it didn’t swell that much. Just--it’s something I don’t know about. I’ve only had – other than Nerlens (Noel), which was the backboard – I’ve only had one other guy do it. Then you’re kind of shocked when you’re first told. My concern wasn’t to do with anything else other than him. And I can remember having to sit down with Nerlens in the same way to tell him, ‘You’re fine. You’re insured if something goes crazy. You have plenty of time if you choose to train and be ready to put your name in the draft, or you come back for another year and you will have your masters. You’re going to graduate in May.’ So I said ‘this hurts our team, but you’re fine.’ “

On how the injury affects the team ...
“I told the guys, I’ve done this a long time, and when you have someone who can do things that other players cannot do – Anthony Davis, a Derrick Rose that’s just so fast and could do things – well, Alex was a beast. He made blocks that normal players, like, ‘Where did that come from?’ Or a rebound or a dunk. I don’t know if it was Wisconsin (2014 Elite Eight), somebody threw him a bad pass and he still dunked it. Things that people can’t do, he could do. And they all came at great times. I can remember last year (against) Louisville, in a three-minute span it was ridiculous. So now we’re different. You don’t have that guy you can play poorly and he will go do something to get you back in the game.”

On if Poythress still has a role with the team ...
“I just want him to be in a great frame of mind so that he heals. My son talked to him last night. I’ve had all kind(s) of calls from different people. There will be people that will get in touch that have had the same surgery that have done well so he understands because most of it is your mindset that this is going to be a blessing. I can remember Derrick Rose texted me when it happened to him and just said, ‘Coach I’m looking at this. I was supposed to slow down, supposed to really look at myself and I’m gonna do that and I’m gonna come back stronger than ever.’ That’s what he texted me. I was looking for the text today because I wanted to send it to Alex, but I think it’s in my other phone. But it’s just a tough deal. It’s like your own son. When Brad had it done and I was at the hospital with him, (I) didn’t want to tell him. It’s just a hard deal.”

On Devin Booker’s injury ...
“They practiced yesterday surprisingly.”

On why that’s surprising ...
“No, I’m just teasing.”

On Poythress’ injury and how it will affect the team and season ... 
“We don’t know yet. We have to play games, we’ll see.”

On Willie Cauley-Stein’s relationship with Alex Poythress ...
“Well, it’s just, things like this can bring people together or it can break people apart. But you have to be more responsible and you have to add a little more to your game. When Nerlens went down we didn’t have that mentality, that makeup, we weren’t able to do it. We are going to find out if this team has the ability to do it.”

On if he is still going to stick with the platoons ... “I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t spend any time thinking team last night. And this morning I met with some of the guys to talk things through. So we will figure out what (we have to do). We haven’t practiced yet so I don’t really know.”

On how challenging it is for the team to get ready for a game two days after the injury ... “Hard. It’s a hard deal. I mean, it’s hard for all of us. Our practice yesterday just went “phew” and I was in and out the whole time trying to check on him. I mean, this is all part of it things happen that you have to deal with and you have to respond to. Next man up and all of that – and it’s all great coach speak – but the reality of it is the fear and the anxiety and all of the other stuff that Alex has and we have for him. You know, it just zaps you. It zapped me. I mean it zapped my wife last night. It brought back memories of what she had to deal with Brad.”

On how a player’s life can change suddenly with an injury ...
“All of us. It’s everybody. Kenney Payne said, ‘Don’t waste a moment.’ That was his message to the guys. We just have such a great group of kids and I want every one of them to do well. I want the next man to step up. I want him to be ready for the opportunity. We don’t know if he will be. We’ll do some things in practice and see what things look like. It’s a tough deal. You have a game like this. Let me say one thing to our fans: We have the classiest fans in the world. They would never charge the court. I don’t care if it’s number one versus number two. They would never charge the court. Two, cheer for us. No signs. This program is a storied program and deserves our respect so be respectful. It’s a great series. When we go to North Carolina they’re respectful. That’s what makes this a unique thing. I would say again, cheer for us, be the classy fans you always are, be respectful – no signs, none of that stuff. We don’t need it here. This is going to be a terrific basketball game. They should be 8-0. In the game they lost to Butler, they had every chance to win. In the game they lost to Iowa, they had the game and Iowa made a couple plays down the stretch and beat them. They could easily be 8-0. This could be another top-10 team we’re playing with a different bounce of the ball.”

On both teams’ struggles from behind the 3-point line and how it will affect the game ...
“I would tell you probably like Columbia. They were the worst 3-point shooting team and they made their first four. I would expect that to happen. It’s all out the window. We’re a good shooting team. They have good shooters. Both of us will hopefully shoot better. I hope we shoot better this game and they shoot better the game after that.”

On the team’s reaction to the news about Poythress ...
“Guys cried. I talked to them. You had guys that cried. It was devastating. They know even in their own mind, ‘What if that was me? What if I had to deal with that?’ These kids get so close. This is a unique situation here because only former players know what these guys are going through. Even the former players, when there was no social media, no Internet, no cell phones, it was a different deal. Right now these guys are in vacuum and they’re together. They have to be together. They have to be for each other because the clutter around them is crazy. We talked about that before practice yesterday. Some of them are dealing with clutter. Lose yourself in the team, do what you’re supposed to do, do what you’re capable of doing, and do what we’re asking you to do. Nobody’s asking you to do anything you’re not capable of. Those are the kinds of things these guys have to address every day, yet the only person(s) that would know what they’re going through is each other.”

On if Alex will be at the UNC game ...
“I don’t know. I just texted him back and forth, but I don’t know.”

On what factors he weighs in terms of keeping the platoons together as a unit and possibly moving people in ... “We’ll figure some stuff out in practice, see what we look at.”

On what types of things they will do in practice to figure that out ...
“Just practicing. I’ll watch and get a feel for it. I also don’t want to throw guys to the wolves. I don’t want to do that to them. That’s not fair. But we’ll figure it out. The only thing I can tell you is it’ll be with these players in mind. In other words, how do you give all the kids their opportunity, yet how do you make this fair so that the kids that are on the floor have a true chance of playing well because the guys on the court with them can do this? Some of this is going to be just throwing them (out there). At some point, ‘Alright, let’s try this lineup and see how they work.’ And I’ve got to be willing to do it. I told you there’s going to be some ups and downs; we’ll probably get dinged some. I hope not Saturday, but it could be Saturday.”

On if he grabbed any player after they got the Poythress news to tell them they might need them ...
“They all—I didn’t do it that way. I grabbed all together and talked to them about it. We addressed it together and then they went over and met him when he got back, watched a ballgame with him last night and ate. This is our team deal with this. It’s not fair to try to put it on one player.”

On if this is one of the worst things as a coach you can talk to your players about ...
“Yeah, it is. Thank goodness I haven’t had to do it many times. I mean, I’ve had to do it a couple times. Programs go on. This program is going to be the same 50 years from now, but it’s what the program does for these kids. And then in this case, what would this injury do, how do we make sure he’s in a great frame of mind to understand you can come back stronger, you can come back quicker, you can come back faster. You have options to do what you want. We’re hurt by this. You’re fine. Now, you owe it to yourself and everyone else to do what you’re supposed to do – the surgery, the rehab and all the other things – and Alex will. I mean, Alex wanted to go to class last night. This kid’s crazy. I said, ‘Stop

with the class! Relax for a minute.’ He’s going to graduate in three years, come back and get your master’s, your doctorate. If he wanted to quote redshirt him we could. He’s only played eight games. He could be the president of the university before he leaves.”


Junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein

On Alex Poythress’ injury ...
“It’s tough to see your brother – we’ve been through a lot together – go down with a freak injury like that.”

On what happened ...
“We were scrimmaging, normal stuff, and he was going for a fast-break layup and just fell. Everything else just, we thought he was fine. He could bend his leg and he wasn’t feeling typical ACL injury pain, and they told us after he got the MRI that it was torn.”

On the best thing he can do to help Poythress as a friend ...
“Just be in his presence a lot. I know for me, I understand how he’s feeling. Like you get hurt like that, it feels like everything’s just coming down on you, especially in basketball (where) you’ve got stuff you’re trying to accomplish here, not only me and him together, but us as a whole team. Just to have that kind of just end and not knowing what’s going to come next is the worst part.”

On how Poythress helped him last year when he got hurt ...
“We were actually roommates then. Now we’re suite-mates. You know, you’ve got to go into the other room, but we were in the same room last year, so he was there a lot. He would be there and we would watch movies or TV shows or play (video games). He was just there a lot. It meant a lot to me that he was just there to be there. He didn’t have to be. That’s what everybody has to do now, especially with this kind of injury, just be there and let him know we’re thinking about him.”

On if he goes out of his way to make sure Poythress feels like a part of the team ...
“I will, but right now you don’t want to smother him at this point because it’s only going to make it worse. (He) kind of wants to be around his family right now. I’m just being here for him, stepping in, (seeing) if he’s good, do you need anything, and then kind of just letting him chill. A lot of it, you do want to be alone at first, and then once you start feeling really good where you can start moving again, that’s when you want people around you. So other than that, (I’m) always texting him, seeing if he needs something or wants to watch TV or anything like that.”

On how this affects the team ...
“It kind of ruins our platoons a little bit – or a lot. Nobody can make the plays that he makes. He’s a freak athlete. (He) does special things you can’t replace. So now we’ve just got to figure out how to play

differently. That’s going to be the biggest thing is how we’re going play now, what lineups are we going to use if we still use the platoon system, and if we do, just make it work.”

On if he’s said anything to Poythress yet ... “Not about it, just kind of being in his room and stuff like that. I know how it is; you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t really want to think about it.”

On comparing losing Nerlens Noel and losing Poythress ...
“It’s the beginning of the season. With Nerlens it was right in the middle and we didn’t have any type of depth, so that’s the big difference to what we have now. We’ve got multiple guys that could play. Then, we didn’t anybody that could fill (Noel’s) spot.”

On what the team’s reaction to this injury says about Poythress’ impact on the team ...
“I mean he’s just that older brother. He’s the good brother that’s always doing the right stuff, got his grades right, and like, it’s just crazy. Like why’s this got to happen to a dude who just does everything right and definitely doesn’t deserve to go down with an injury like this?”

On if it makes him think about how quickly things can change ...
“For sure. That’s how you have to play the game anyways. Just to see it firsthand like that, to happen to somebody close to you, is always devastating.”


Sophomore center Dakari Johnson

On what the mood is like ...
“Everybody is a little down right now. We had a late night yesterday just hanging around Alex, seeing how he was feeling, stuff like that; trying to pick his spirits up. We now have to look forward to practice and get ready for our game tomorrow.”

On what losing him does to the team on the court ...
“It’s big. He is a very good defender, he’s athletic and a great leader. He’s one of the upperclassmen so he really leads us. It’s a big loss.”

On yesterday and what happened during practice ...
“It was a regular practice. We were competing against each other, scrimmaging, and it was kind of just a freak accident. It just happened. At first we didn’t think it was too bad, but then Coach texted us later and had a meeting with us where he told us the news. He came back to the lodge and all of us were there for him.”

On what Alex was saying to them ...
“He wasn’t really saying anything. He was very emotional – everybody was emotional at that time. We

didn’t know what to say. We just tried to pick his spirits up. He’s going to be good no matter what. That’s what we tried to really tell him.”

On if Derek Willis will fill Alex’s shoes ...
“We really haven’t talked about anything. We just have been trying to help Alex out right now. We really haven’t even talked about our game plan or anything. That’s probably what we’re going to do at this practice.”

On if this will be something that’s difficult for them to put behind them ...
“It’s motivation at its best. We have to play hard for him. It’s adversity. Adversity is going to hit. He went down, but we have to pick it up, play for him and play our hardest out there.”

On if there’s a payback mentality vs. North Carolina after last year’s game ...
“Last year was last year. This is a new year. We’re just going to have to go into it and compete, everybody play their hardest, and go out there and get a win.”

On them having some recent experience dealing with big injuries ...
“I don’t think we would call ourselves experienced. Everything happens for a reason. It’s a good thing we have a lot of depth and guys who can fill in. Nobody is going to do the things Alex can do. We’re just going to all have to step up.”

On some of the things they will miss with Alex not on the floor ...
“Athleticism. He’s the most athletic player in the country. He makes plays that regular people can’t make. We’re just going to have to step up – everybody’s going to have to step up.”