Saturday, December 31, 2011

2013 five star point guard Kasey Hill verbally commits to the Florida Gators
Rick Pitino endorsed the continuation of the UK-Louisville game
Mark Story calls Anthony Davis a one-man S.W.A.T. team
Having his mother Cindy in the stands was an added Christmas present for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Chane Behanan’s performance against UK typified University of Louisville freshmen in the rivalry game
Terrence Jones feels like he’s making strides to get back into the flow of the game and mentally overcoming the injury
Josh Harrellson was extremely effective as Amar'e Stoudemire's enormous stand-in against Sacramento
Eric Crawford says Calipari is playing with blue chips and Rick Pitino, with some notable exceptions, is playing with blue-light specials
If the LSU-Alabama football matchup can be all about great D, so can a high-level basketball game
Calipari has not let Rick Pitino forget who’s the boss these days
Bragging rights belong in Lexington for at least another year and credit Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as the main reason why
UK in the top five for 2013 four star point guard Aquille Carr
UK beats Louisville 69-62- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has 24 points and 19 rebounds
Alex Poythress scored 46 points and had 18 rebounds in the Hickman County tournament championship third-place game
Since becoming the Louisville coach in 2001-02, Rick Pitino has coached four players who went on to become first-round NBA Draft picks, while Calipari produced five first-round picks his very first season at UK
Assistant general manager Allan Houston doesn't foresee the New York Knicks sending Josh Harrellson down to the Erie BayHawks anytime soon
Peyton Siva doesn’t believe Anthony Davis’ presence will greatly alter his game and says trying to finish over and around Gorgui Dieng is kind of the same
Marquis Teague is thankful that this time the game against Louisville is at home
CBS' Seth Davis says he's always sensed there’s more of a hostility coming from Calipari toward Rick Pitino, whereas Pitino has looked at Calipari as more of a nuisance
Calipari would welcome continuing good shooting by Darius Miller
UK makes the final five list of 2013 five star small forward Troy Williams, who will be in Lexington for today's game

Friday, December 30, 2011

Doron Lamb knows the Louisville game is one of high stakes for fans of both teams, but is taking an even-keel approach to the yearly showdown
Patrick Patterson was cleared to make his season debut tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies
Chane Behanan and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist remain good friends
The UK-Louisville rivalry is as much about the two rabid fan bases as it is the players
Saturday's high-noon showdown at a rabid Rupp Arena marks year three of the Calipari-Pitino era of the UK-U of L basketball rivalry
Calipari and Rick Pitino don't exchange Christmas cards
Darius Miller admitted that the Wildcats had a few mental mistakes against Lamar, but remains confident the Cats will recover against the Cardinals
ESPN's Andy Katz says the players that Calipari knows will likely produce on a given night are Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Doron Lamb
From a personnel standpoint, Chane Behanan views the game against UK like many he’s played before

Thursday, December 29, 2011

ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford says everyone agrees Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a lottery pick now
Eric Crawford would give UK the edge at every position except point guard and predicts they will defeat Louisville 81-69
Shabazz Muhammad said he noticed Mike Krzyzewski sitting courtside inside the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Thursday
ESPN's Jimmy Dykes says Louisville will extend pressure and try to wear down Marquis Teague
Terrence Jones knows things have to change and do so in a hurry by Saturday afternoon
ESPN's Doug Gottlieb predicts Perry Jones will be the number one pick in the NBA Draft and Anthony Davis will be fourth
The spotlight is always on Shabazz Muhammad these days
Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said Brandon Knight won't start Friday's game in Boston and will continue to come off the bench for the immediate future
2014 recruit Theo Pinson says he’s being courted by UK
Terrence Jones admitted he’s still playing cautious because of the injury
For this Kentucky team to be all that this Kentucky team can be, Terrence Jones has to play to his potential
Calipari sounded practically Billy Gillispie-ish in tearing down most of what his players did in this game as they improved to 12-1 heading into Saturday’s matchup with Louisville
Khem Birch told CBS that he will transfer to Florida, UNLV, Gonzaga, Washington, Xavier or New Mexico State
There is plenty of time for John Wall to be great, but he'll have to do most of it on his own, unlike other recent elite point guards
Calipari's words were incisive and his tone was annoyed after the Louisville game
Darius Miller is trying to downplay the significance of the Louisville game to the freshmen, even as he realizes how much attention it garners
Terrence Jones' mysterious performance at Indiana 18 days ago remains just that: a mystery
Several NBA scouts tell Rick Bozich the only first-round NBA draft picks on the KFC Yum! Center court last night played for Georgetown
Willie Cauley is a finalist for the Get Busy Livin’ kpreps.com Kansas player of the year award
Now that he’s back in the floor, Terrence Jones is looking forward to Saturday’s showdown against instate rival Louisville
Lamar coach Pat Knight, whose team played Louisville earlier this season, said UK will have an edge in athleticism over the Cardinals at every position

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

UK beats Lamar 86-64- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scores 18 points
DeAndre Liggins is developing a reputation as a tenacious player
2013 recruit Julius Randle says Calipari sees similarities between himself and Terrence Jones
Former St. Johns commitment Ricardo Gathers has talked with Archie Goodwin about playing together at UK
Patrick Patterson was able to get back to practice as he recovers from ankle surgery during the offseason
Like the rest of his teammates, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is ready to return to the court
Some of the NBA's biggest stars and other veterans have shared bits of wisdom with DeMarcus Cousins
Calipari is looking for his Kentucky Wildcats to play harder on a more consistent basis and play with more toughness- mentally and physically
UK isn't looking past Lamar to their Saturday showdown with fourth-ranked Louisville
UK is one of nine schools that 2013 recruit Chris Walker is considering

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Patrick Patterson is still experiencing pain in his left ankle with the Rockets citing no timetable for him to play
Anthony Davis is just starting to get comfortable inside his taffy physique -- his version of a superhero suit
Kentucky needs to get past this Lamar Cardinals tuneup on Wednesday to set the stage for a real Cardinals throw-down
Pat Knight says his father Bob will not attend Lamar's game at Kentucky Wednesday night and that he's not a big fan of UK
Calipari attributed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's effectiveness to diligence
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is focused on a different sort of "Tebowing"
Kentucky has one final tuneup before a major showdown for which it hopes Terrence Jones will be ready
Rick Pitino says he won't coach past the 2016-2017 season when his current contract ends at Louisville

Sam Malone has an upbeat attitude about his knee injury and has a great support system



Monday, December 26, 2011

UK has 15 players in the NBA, which is tied with UCLA for the second largest amount
The cameras may have been rolling, but Calipari either forgot about them or didn’t care about their presence
UK's online practice is almost like an unofficial visit without the expenses- it's innovative and wise
Southern Miss senior guard Darnell Dodson was named a Co-Conference USA Basketball Player of the Week today
Brandon Knight will come off the bench for Detroit in their opening game against Indiana
DeMarcus Cousins knows all improvements for the Sacramento Kings begin with him
New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni says he will give Josh Harrellson more than the nine minutes he saw against Boston in their next game against Golden State

Sunday, December 25, 2011

UK plans to stream its basketball practice live on Monday
Daniel Orton and DeAndre Liggins did not dress Sunday for Orlando's game against Oklahoma City
John Wall has learned a few things about what it takes to win
No matter how the circumstances may have changed around John Wall, he hasn’t lost focus
2014 sophomore recruit Jahlil Okafor doesn't appear to have UK in his top four list of schools
Enes Kanter is shy, but loosening up around his Utah Jazz teammates
Bob Knight’s son Pat is bringing his team Lamar to Lexington on Wednesday
The smart money would be on Kentucky ending its series with North Carolina
The holiday season has been recruiting season for Rick Pitino and Calipari

Saturday, December 24, 2011

John Clay predicts Terrence Jones will be on the floor Wednesday night
Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal said that while Chuck Hayes was gone, players broke huddles by saying "Chuck," to remind everybody what he brought to this team and the attitude you have to bring to work every day

Friday, December 23, 2011

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been the glue of UK's team

Jabari Parker's father believes Calipari benefits from being sort of a basketball celebrity
Contract extension talks between Tubby Smith and Minnesota are on a prolonged hiatus
Billy Gillispie purchased 500 turkeys today and is giving them away at a United Food store in Lubbock
Jarnell Stokes committed to Tennessee
Chuck Hayes' new contract with the Sacramento Kings will pay him $1 million more than his previous deal
Rick Pitino and Calipari were at the UIC Pavillion Thursday night to watch 2013 recruit Jabari Parker
John Clay says Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been UK's pre-Christmas MVP
NBAdraft.net projects Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb as the top two picks in 2012
Jerry Meyer from Rivals.com says UK is the current leader for Shabazz Muhammad
Thousands of UK basketball fans cheered as some of America's heroes were honored at halftime of Thursday's game between the Wildcats and Loyola
It looks like DeAndre Liggins will be on the Orlando Magic’s roster to open the season
After seeing Kentucky in person, Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos thinks the Wildcats are definitely an Elite Eight team
Brandon Knight has the potential to be a star in the NBA
While he's unlikely to get many starts with Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups ahead of him, Eric Bledsoe's still expecting big things from himself
The Washington Wizards are in no danger of losing John Wall soon

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Kyle Wiltjer is an offensive asset, but also a defensive liability
Chuck Hayes was cleared by doctors from the Cleveland Clinic after a series of heart tests
New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni announced last night that Josh Harrellson will be a part of his regular-season rotation
UK beat Loyola (Md.) 87-63 on Thursday for the Wildcats' 42nd straight win at home- Kyle Wiltjer scored 24 points
Getting Terrence Jones fully healthy may be one thing Calipari will want during the Christmas break
Four star shooting guard Torian Graham has re-committed to North Carolina State
Brandon Knight has blended in well with his teammates
Sam Malone is still performing his primary function for the Wildcats: keeping things light
Anthony Davis can't wait to go home for Christmas
All that’s left standing between UK and a happy holiday is this afternoon’s matinee against Loyola (MD)
Orlando Antigua was in the house at King of the Bluegrass championship game taking in Bullitt East and Ballard

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Twany Beckham is playing catch up with the rest of his Kentucky teammates
Tubby Smith's son G.G. was hired onto the staff at Loyola, which plays UK on Thursday
Sam Malone put a fourth major knee injury into perspective
Darius Miller could make a second straight start in place of Jones after scoring 17 points Tuesday
Doron Lamb has emerged as UK’s best offensive option
Like postal service employees and Santa's elves, the Christmas season is a time of extra work for the Kentucky basketball team
Alex Poythress was named State Farm Holiday Tournament MVP for Clarksville Northeast after averaging 37 points per game and playing every minute of the State Farm Classic tournament
CBSSports.com's critical examination of UK's transition offense
Shabazz Muhammad says he's looking at Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, Arizona, Kansas and UNLV
Terrrence Jones did not practice with the team on Wednesday and is unlikely to play in the Wildcats' game against Loyola (MD) on Thursday
Darius Miller has tweaked his shooting form, which also has resulted in better production from the perimeter
Brandon Knight has shown great promise in two exhibition games against the Cavs
Nerlens Noel says he's 90 percent sure that he won't reclassify to the class of 2012

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

On the day he learned he'd gotten all A's for the fall semester, Sam Malone tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis were at least a couple of the early risers of the Breakfast Club
Kentucky rolled to an 82-50 victory over outmanned Samford Tuesday night in Rupp Arena- Doron Lamb scored 26 points
Sam Malone tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at the end of Saturday’s game against Chattanooga
Jarnell Stokes plans to announce his college decision next Monday and is reportedly trying to decide between Florida, Memphis and Tennessee
Doron Lamb has been putting in the extra time to get better and its showing
Alex Poythress had a career-high 47 points, 18 rebounds and blocked nine shots in Northeast's 79-69 double-OT win over LaVergne in the State Farm Holiday Tournament
The city of Lexington is pressing on with a plan to renovate Rupp Arena
Enes Kanter certainly surprised in his Utah Jazz debut
While his team is on holiday break from classes and thus allowed by the NCAA to have unlimited practices, it’s all about Kentucky
The Breakfast Club is Calipari's attempt to create dialogue
A career 38 percent three-point shooter going into this season, Darius Miller is only averaging 24.2 percent this year
Josh Harrellson is hoping to bring a little country to the Big Apple


Monday, December 19, 2011

Nerlens Noel's teammates think he should go to UK, but the No. 1 center in the Class of 2013 wants to take his time
Samford has never faced Kentucky, which improved to 18-0 all-time against Southern Conference teams with Saturday's win over Chattanooga
Calipari doesn't expect Terrence Jones to practice on Monday and is unsure if he will play on Tuesday
Chuck Hayes failed his physical exam and his contract with the Sacramento Kings has been voided
Calipari tells ESPN's Andy Katz Terrence Jones had swelling and the finger is black and blue, but he should be fine
Although Terrence Jones appears to be in a sophomore slump, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist believes he will return at full force when he recovers from the injury

Sunday, December 18, 2011

SEC rivals will now come into Nashville confident that they can win unless Vanderbilt does something to change that fast
The Orlando Magic have until January 25th to determine whether they will pick up their third-year option on Daniel Orton
Calipari lauded the point guard play of Marquis Teague in the Wildcats' victory over Chattanooga on Saturday night
Calipari wants to give Kyle Wiltjer more options to score rather than settling for perimeter baskets, but he also wants the freshman to pull the trigger when he's open from long range
UK says Terrence Jones is day-to-day, and Calipari said he didn’t know how long Jones might be out
2013 recruit Derek Willis attended the Memphis-Louisville game on Saturday

Saturday, December 17, 2011

UK beats Chattanooga 87-62- Doron Lamb scores 24 points
The final seven weeks of the regular-season figure to dramatically improve Kentucky's strength of schedule
Jeff Sheppard fears he is responsible for discombobulating Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball fans everywhere
If history is any guide, UK fans will find something to bemoan
Duke, Kentucky, UCLA and UNLV are the four schools that stand out to Shabazz Muhammad
Anthony Davis can't wait to get back on the court
Two sources tell the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette they would not be surprised if Khem Birch is talked out of his decision to transfer once he returns home


Calipari simply hopes to see signs that his young team learned some lessons from its Hoosier heartbreaker
Recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer says UCLA is losing ground in Shabazz Muhammad's recruitment as a result of its struggles

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Chicago Bulls waive Keith Bogans
UK Basketball (8-1) is a 32 point favorite hosting Chattanooga
Calipari likened Terrence Jones to DeMarcus Cousins, whose missteps two seasons ago prompted many questions
Calipari says several good things have come from the Cats' loss to Indiana, which served as a wake up call
Calipari says Twany Beckham will not play point guard position and Jarrod Polson has a better grasp of that role
UK is involved with Chris Obekpa, the 6-foot-9 shot-blocker from Our Savior New American
Calipari isn't worried about Terrence Jones' bad game
Calipari doesn't answer any mail that doesn’t have a return address with a name on it
Khem Birch is leaving Pittsburgh after just 10 games and informed CBSSports.com that he does not have a new list and has not decided on his next destination
Practices leading up to the game against the Hoosiers weren’t tough enough — so Calipari fixed that this week
The Orlando Sentinel says it's doubtful that Daniel Orton gets on the floor much this season, if at all
Southern Miss men’s basketball player Darnell Dodson has been reinstated to the team
Eric Bledsoe's chances of becoming more than an NBA journeyman just tripled because of the Chris Paul trade
Brandon Knight isn't concerned about Kyrie Irving
Chattanooga will bring its 3-7 record to a lion’s den filled with Wildcats on Saturday night
It appears that Daniel Orton will receive another redshirt season in Orlando
DeMarcus Cousins is ready to make opponents the only punch-line this season
NBA veteran and analyst for ESPN Radio Will Perdue says as of today Terrence Jones made a mistake by not going in the NBA draft last year
A recent heart exam on Chuck Hayes shows an abnormality that will require further testing

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Two former Pittsburgh standouts took to Twitter to address rumors of Khem Birch's rumored transfer to Kentucky
Charles Barkley says he isn't sold on Anthony Davis as the number one pick in next year's NBA Draft and would instead choose Harrison Barnes
Alex Poythress made the preseason watch list for the Naismith High School Player of the Year
If words of encouragement from Ashley Judd herself aren't enough to get Jones out of whatever funk he was in at Indiana, nothing will
UCLA is strong in the hunt for Shabazz Muhammad
Jeff Overton, a former Indiana University golfer and 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team member, was reportedly arrested after the Indiana-Kentucky basketball game on Saturday by Bloomington police
New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni says Josh Harrellson has looked really good in practice thus far
Shabazz Muhammad says there are no changes on his college list
Former UK commitment Michael Avery verbally commits to Sonoma State University
After racking up 18 turnovers and only 11 assists in his first four games, Marquis Teague has 27 assists and only eight turnovers the past five games

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Brandon Knight is already making an impression on a Detroit team eager for a fresh start
Mississippi State transfer Twany Beckham is eligible to play in Kentucky's next game, Saturday night against Chattanooga
One source close to the recruitment tells Zagsblogs they believe Jarnell Stokes will land at Tennessee
Alex Poythress is averaging more than 30 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks this season
A source within the athletic department said Darnell Dodson will be in uniform for Southern Miss in their game against Ole Miss


Detroit Pistons scouts, coach Lawrence Frank and Platinum Equity partner Bob Wentworth were transfixed by Brandon Knight's work ethic and endurance
Tom Crean attended 2013 recruit Derek Willis' game on Tuesday

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Similar to his game, there is something decidedly old school about DeMarcus Cousins
3.5 million people watched Saturday's tilt between the Wildcats and Indiana, which is a massive pull for college basketball
Jeff Goodman from CBSSports.com says NBA scouts are divided on Terrence Jones, largely due to his inconsistency and also his body language on the court
ESPN's Chad Ford polled a number of top NBA executives over the weekend after the Indiana game and Anthony Davis was still number one on all of their draft boards
Tim Tebow is so big that Rick Pitino is getting asked about him
Steve Masiello has already exceeded last season's win total at Manhattan and we're not even midway through December
UK Senior associate AD/communications DeWayne Peevy says Calipari often reminds his players to conduct themselves properly
Patrick Patterson, who would be in line to be the Rockets' starting power forward, is being held out of training camp indefinitely while recovering from offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle
Calipari acknowledged that, the lack of production aside, Terrence Jones did not make a good impression on anyone who watched the game on Saturday
Enes Kanter’s willingness to learn and receptiveness to hard work are early positives
Calipari says UK's mentality in Saturday’s loss at Indiana was a result of poor preparation

Monday, December 12, 2011

Rick Bozich says Louisville figures to be 13-0 when they arrive in Rupp Arena on New Year’s Eve, but there’s considerable debate about how good Rick Pitino’s team is
Whatever is next for Rupp Arena, UK apparently won’t be involved in raising the money to fund it
2013 five star recruit Chris Thomas now lists Xavier, Kentucky, Florida, Missouri and Iowa State as his top five
It looks like DeAndre Liggins quickly caught Stan Van Gundy's attention