Lately, one topic that has been on mind a bunch is how John Calipari is going to distribute playing time. I posted an article last week about what I thought UK’s rotation would look like, so check that out if you haven’t already.

All the talent that John Calipari has brought in his first months will give John Calipari something UK never had last year: flexibility. John Calipari is going to be able to bend and stretch his rotation to play about any kind of lineup you could ever want to play and do it with some serious, high level talent. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some lineups that we could see next year and some of the strengths and weaknesses of each:

The Starters

John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins

Wall, Miller, and Patterson are all but set to start in my mind, but I think this group of five is the most likely to take the floor against Morehead State in mid-November. It’s a bit non-traditional in that there are two point guards on the floor, but John Wall’s size and athleticism and Bledsoe’s build and athleticism allow each to guard a 1 or 2 if necessary.

The obvious strengths here are ball handling and passing. With how sketch the ball handling in the backcourt was for so much of last season, the upgrade is tremendous. Miller was arguably the best ball handler by the end of last year and he’s the tertiary ball handler in this lineup. Also, DeMarcus Cousins is very good on the dribble and as a passer for a big man, so it’s hard to see this group making many turnovers.

These five could also be a terror in a full court press. Wall and Bledsoe are about as quick as they come and Darius Miller’s length and athleticism would present some serious problems.

The only clear weakness you can point to is shooting. Miller is the best option from the perimeter and he was not consistent until the end of last season. I’ve said it before, but expect this kind of lineup to see zones over and over and over until Wall or Bledsoe shows an outside shot.

The Traditional

John Wall
Darnell Dodson
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins

This lineup features the traditional mold of two wing players with one point and presumably would not struggle as much against a zone (assuming Dodson can stroke it like he reportedly can). It could potentially be exposed by an opponent with two penetrating guards since Dodson and Miller could struggle against a smaller player.

If the starting lineup I offered earlier turns out to struggle due to lack of shooting in some games, this kind of lineup (with Wall and Bledsoe interchanging and Patterson, Cousins, and Daniel Orton splitting time) could be the one that becomes the default.

The Dribble-Drive Special

John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Darnell Dodson
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson

Darius Miller showed in New Zealand that he can play some post defense on a 4 man and John Calipari’s 4′s are typically called on to play more like 3′s. I think this is a lineup you will definitely see next year, especially with how many SEC teams play smaller, three guard lineups.

The rare team that has a traditional post up 4 man would be difficult to deal with for this lineup, but I think this group would play well together.

The Humvee

John Wall
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins
Daniel Orton

The dribble drive isn’t made for this kind of lineup, but if John Calipari wants to absolutely clean the glass, he could go with this group. Patterson will be called on to develop his ball skills and I’m sure Calipari will want him to be able to play like a 3 by the end of the year, so it’s not stretch to think he may be put in that spot. Besides, can you imagine Patterson posting up a small forward?

The weaknesses here are shooting and defensive matchups. Patterson would likely have some trouble playing his guy straight up on the dribble and Miller may struggle with a 2.

The Freshmen

John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Jon Hood
DeMarcus Cousins
Daniel Orton

OK, you probably won’t see this lineup often, if ever, but I just wanted to remind you how good the freshman class is.

Veteran Presence

John Wall
Darius Miller
Ramon Harris
Patrick Patterson
Perry Stevenson

I haven’t included Stevenson or Harris in a lineup yet and I think we can expect Harris and Stevenson to get some time (especially Harris).

The Victory Lap

DeAndre Liggins
Jon Hood
Ramon Harris
Perry Stevenson
Josh Harrellson

Hopefully we’ll be seeing this group a bunch with 20+ point leads, with a little Dwight Perry or Mark Krebs sprinkled in.

The Billy G

Michael Porter
Jon Hood
Ramon Harris
Perry Stevenson
Daniel Orton

Ladies and gentleman, your starting lineup for the 2009-2010 Kentucky Wildcats had Billy Gillispie kept his job. I don’t even know, what’s the name of the tournament that teams that miss the NIT play in?  The CBI or something?

I just threw up in my mouth looking at that.

Consequently, I researched a little bit into how minutes were distributed for John Calipari’s last 4 teams as the head coach of the Tigers. What I found is that Calipari has been very consistent in the depth of his rotation and his starting lineup. I consider a player “in the rotation when he averages over 10 minutes per game and plays in a majority of the team’s games:

2008-2009:
-9 man rotation
-5 players started at least 27 of team’s 37 games
-Same 5 players averaged at least 25 mpg
-1 player averaged more than 30.2 minutes

2007-2008:
-9 man rotation
-5 players started at least 33 of team’s 40 games
-Same 5 players averaged at least 25 mpg
-No player played more than 29.5 mpg

2006-2007:
-8 man rotation
-5 players started at least 35 of team’s 37 games
-7 players played at least 20 mpg
-No player played more than 28 mpg

2005-2006
-9 man rotation
-6 players started at least 21 of team’s 37 games
-Each of those 6 played at least 21.1 mpg
-No player played more than 27.3 mpg

As you can see, Calipari has used a 9 man rotation in 3 of the past 4 seasons and has found a pretty consistent starting lineup by the end of each year. Calipari’s starters generally get the bulk of the minutes and the 3 or 4 players off the bench play around 15 minutes a game. Also, in 2008-2009 Calipari had 2 players play 30 minutes a game (Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier), and that was the only time he had a player play that many minutes in the last 4 seasons.

I believe we can expect basically the same the same during the upcoming season. Let’s take a look at the 9 men who I believe will fit into this rotation. Players in bold are expected starters.

John Wall – G
Eric Bledsoe – G
Darius Miller – G/F
Patrick Patterson – F
DeMarcus Cousins – F/C
Daniel Orton – F/C
Ramon Harris – F
Darnell Dodson – G/F
DeAndre Liggins – G/F

The 3 players that I do not believe will factor into the rotation are Perry Stevenson, Josh Harrellson, and Jon Hood. I think each will get chances early in the year as Calipari learns his team, but I see the rotation shaking out like this.

Some will also argue against Ramon Harris factoring in the rotation, but Calipari has reportedly liked his defense. If you look at Calipari’s last 4 Memphis teams, it has been Antonio Anderson who has led the team in minutes the past 4 years. His defense got him minutes even though he average double figures just once. For this reason, I think you will see Ramon Harris on the court this year.

I also think DeAndre Liggins will be a part of the rotation because of his ability to play point guard in case Bledsoe and Wall are on the bench and the small forward position due to his size. I see him playing 15 minutes or so per game.

I also think that it is likely that 6 players on this years roster will play at least 20 minutes a game (5 starters plus Daniel Orton). You will notice that I include only 3 natural post players in the rotation. Patrick Patterson figures to play 30 minutes a game at either the 4 or 5 (maybe even the 3 from time to time), which leaves 50 minutes at those two positions. I think Orton and Cousins will get the vast majority of those minutes.

Also, people who have not been hearing reports about the pickup games in Lexington may be surprised to see Eric Bledsoe along John Wall in my forecasted backcourt. Bledsoe has been a revelation in these games, giving John Wall everything he wants and more. I think Bledsoe and Wall will be able to play very effectively together, although you have to imagine that a lineup with Wall and Bledsoe will see plenty of zone defense. That will put pressure on Darius Miller or whoever is playing the 3 to hit the outside shot. Even so, can you imagine a bigger upgrade in ballhandling in the backcourt from last season with these 2 playing together? Bring on the ball pressure!

Let’s take a look at how I see the minutes being divvied up at each position when UK plays a close game. Expect the 3 players not listed in the rotation to steal a minute or 2 here or there, but for simplicity’s sake I have excluded them.

PG – Wall (25), Bledsoe (10), Liggins (5)
SG – Bledsoe (13), Miller (10), Wall (5) Dodson (5), Liggins (7)
SF – Miller (15), Dodson (10), Liggins (7), Harris (8)
PF – Patterson (25), Cousins (5), Orton (5), Harris/Miller (5)
C – Cousins (17), Orton (17), Patterson (6)

Comment below if you disagree with any of this!

Not even 36 hours after John Calipari was hired to become the 22nd head coach in program history, Calipari held his first practice Thursday night at the Joe Craft Center. Cat Scratches had an exclusive look at Kentucky’s first practice under Calipari. Here are some observations from the Wildcats’ first workout:

-Practice started at 8:30 p.m. and lasted about an hour and a half. Per NCAA regulations, teams are allowed two hours of drill instruction per week until April 15.
-The entire 2008-09 roster was there, including senior Jared Carter.
The practice was extremely instructional. Calipari’s demeanor was pretty intense, but he doesn’t teach by yelling, calling out players, stomping his feet or any of that. He was very hands on and very talkative. Calipari would stop drills if he didn’t see what he liked, but he also didn’t hesitate to stop practice and single out a player if he was doing something right.
-Dribble, dribble, dribble. Calipari mentioned his love and philosophy for the Dribble Drive Motion Offense in his introductory news conference, and he wasted no time implementing it in his first practice. The first hour was dedicated solely to dribbling and driving the ball to the bucket. Calipari started the players off with different dribble-drive layup drills, and then increased the number of defenders as practice wore on until they finished with a three-on-two drill.
-Of course, the main component of the Dribble Drive Motion Offense is dribbling. The only negative I drew from the practice was the Wildcats’ sloppiness in handling the ball. I heard Calipari say a couple of times that they were going to have to get much better handling the ball. 
-Calipari wants them to play extremely fast. He doesn’t want any hesitation when they have the ball and he even stopped a few players a couple of times for slowing up. No matter who has it – Calipari said he’s going to teach everybody, post players included, to drive it like they were guards – he wants them taking it straight to the basket as fast as they can for a layup or lob pass.
-One of the biggest things I took out of practice was Calipari’s message of simplicity. He said he’s not running the And 1 team and wants to make the game as simple as possible for them.
-Calipari likes the ball in the air. The only bounce he likes is when it comes to dribbling. He’s not against bounce passes all together, but he doesn’t like wrap-around passes or bounce passes underneath the basket because guards can come in and pick them off.
-As much as the practice was about the dribble drive, it was also about layups. Calipari said the point of the offense was to get easy layups. Part of that, he said, is they have to make all of them. UK missed quite a few in practice, and Calipari said they’ll eventually chart every single shot in practice, from layups to 3-pointers to half-court shots. He said if you can’t make them in practice, you won’t be able to make them in the game.
-Just an observation, but I believe Darius Miller is going to flourish in Calipari’s system. I thought he had a phenomenal first practice under Calipari, and the coach even praised him one time for his ability to drive the ball to the basket. Calipari told Miller he was going to “drive his brain out” playing for him.
-Kyle Macy came by practice and watched the entire session. Calipari came over during and after practice to shake Macy’s hand and talk with him for a few minutes.
-And finally, practice was extremely upbeat. The guys were constantly clapping, very attentive and looked like they were just having a good time.

This has to feel like a fresh start for these guys. I am sure there are some guys who feel threatened, and rightfully so, but all in all, I imagine this is a pretty big boost.

The thing that jumps out at me reading this is the focus on dribbling and layups. Lindsey mentioned that Coach Cal is going to be teaching everyone to penetrate like a guard. Like I said last night, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson have some improving to do in this area, and I believe they will.

Two guys who have to be wondering what their roles will be are Michael Porter and Ramon Harris. Both have ball-handling issues, and Porter has lay-up issues. Of the individual meetings Coach Cal is holding today, Porter’s may be the longest.

Reason for optimism, though, comes from Darius Miller, who I felt certain would be a great success under Calipari even before hearing this report from practice. This kid is going to be tremendous.

Roster Locks

Patrick Patterson, Jr., PF/C-This guy is a fit for any college roster. If he decides to return to school (which, by all indications, he seems likely to do), he will be a major part of what UK does next year. You can go ahead and pencil him for a double-double most nights next year.

I think Patterson has perhaps the most to gain from playing under Calipari. Out of necessity, he has played the 5 for UK since he arrived on campus, but next year, UK figures to get at least one other post presence which will allow him to move to his natural position (and the one he’ll play at the next level), the 4. Coach Cal’s offense calls for four guys with the ability to take the ball to the basket and hit shots from the outside. If Patterson can grow into a 4 that has that inside-outside ability, his NBA stock will soar. I can’t wait to see Patterson play on next year’s team.

Jodie Meeks, Sr., SG-Obviously, the Second Team All-American has a ride and a starting spot if he makes the decision to return. The spacing that Calipari’s offense (as well as the help he should get from newcomers) should generate a lot easier looks for Jodie next year. He may not get the chance to score 24 a night like he did in 2008-2009, but I think he stands to have a much better all around season.

I also look for Jodie to show some significant improvement in taking the ball to the basket in Calipari’s dribble drive offense, simply because he will need to. Jodie, last year, even though he was tremendous, was still not strong with the ball in traffic. He needs to get better to thrive next year and for the next level.

Darius Miller, So., SF-There is no doubt Darius will be on next year’s roster, barring some unforeseen occurrence. I can’t wait to see how Darius plays with the weight of Billy Gillispie of his shoulders. He seemed encumbered by him all year. He was the best guy on last year’s team off the dribble, which bodes well for his role next year. Also boding well for Darius is the fact that when Rob Bromley asked Coach Cal in his interview with him after the presser on Wednesday what he knew about the players he was inheriting, the only other player besides Jodie and Patrick was Darius. I look for Darius to win a starting spot next year, even if UK brings Xavier Henry.

Perry Stevenson, Sr., PF-Perry is the one guy besides the above three that I would be SHOCKED not to see on the roster next year. He’s certainly earned the chance by dealing with 3 coaches in 4 years and always acting with class. I don’t expect Perry to start, but he will be a moderate contributor off the bench who can find some space on offense, grab a board, and block a shot.

On the Bubble

Matt Pilgrim, RS Jr., PF-I have heard raves about Pilgrim in terms of rebounding and athleticism. I have also heard he can face up a little bit, which is a must if he wants to play next year. Transferring is not an option, because he has but two years of eligibility left and has already burned his redshirt. I’m not completely sure what to expect out of him, but expect to see him on the team.

Kevin Galloway, Sr., PG, SF-Kevin has only one year of eligibility left, so transferring is not an option for him. Really the only way I think he is absent from the roster next year is if he fails to qualify academically, which, given his past, is not out of the question. We know Kevin has talent. He’s a big time athlete and he pretty much took over the Florida game in Rupp. His game seems pretty well suited for the dribble drive motion, provided he improves his decision-making. I also look for some improvement simply because I expect him to have a more defined role.

DeAndre Liggins, So., PG/SF-I think Calipari is a much better coach for DeAndre than Gillispie, and he has a much better chance to be a success at UK because of him. However, I do not think it is out of the question that he decides to transfer. If he does not show Coach Cal what he wants to see out of him, you can be sure Calipari will recommend a transfer.

Ramon Harris, Sr., SF-This is another guy who has probably earned his spot for his senior year, and it would be a shame if he does not get a chance to play it out. I would put him in the “lock” category, but with his medical issues, I think it could go either way for Ramon. If he does play, I think his role will be significantly diminished from last year. His ball-handling is mediocre at best, his shooting is mediocre at best, and while he has shown the ability to be a solid rebounder and glue guy, he wasn’t the same after his injuries. He played well during the NIT, but then had another setback against Notre Dame.

Michael Porter, Sr., PG/SG-The last of the UK seniors, and, in my opinion, the least likely to return. He is married with a child on the way, so life is moving on past playing basketball for him, not to mention the fact that he is on track to graduate in May. The prospect of a merely playing a role next year, mixed with the fact that he has coaching aspirations, may drive him to seek a graduate assistant role next season. It’s also possible that he could find an academic scholarship or aid, because that process is much easier as a grad student.

Likely Gone

Josh Harrellson, Jr., PF/C-I don’t think Jorts fits in the dribble drive at all. Also, UK looks to be deep (and getting deeper) in the front court next year, and Harrellson doesn’t figure to see the floor much. I think he can be a nice player somewhere, but I don’t think that place is UK.

AJ Stewart, JR., SF/PF-AJ could be better suited for Calipari’s style of play, but I don’t see him sticking under Calipari. He needs to go to a smaller school where he can showcase some of his offensive skills (which have developed nicely) and play a bunch his last two years of school. AJ is a likable kid, but I think he’s out the door.

The ‘Cats answered by defeating the Creighton Bluejays 65-63, effectively saying “Hey, we’re still playing games over here.”

Yeah, UK fans turned out in force to help carry UK to a 70-60 win in Memorial Coliseum, but that game proved to be nothing more than a break from what has become UK fans’ favorite pastime: wondering and opining out loud (often times very out loud) about the state of the program. People are doing more talking about potential next coaches and calls that the parents of signees are placing into Mitch Barnhart’s office.

It’s almost as if the guys were playing out of procrastination, not wanting to deal with an offseason that is certain to be full of questions that are not going to be much fun to answer. They won’t have to deal with those questions for at least a little while longer, as Kentucky will face off on Wednesday against another team whose season has been marked by unfulfilled expectations, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

We’ll have plenty of time to talk about the offseason and the Notre Dame game (and trust me, the Pinkie has you covered on both), so let’s focus on a rare game this season that Kentucky won with clutch play down the stretch.

It was an interesting game for the simple fact of how differently the fans of the two teams approached the games. Some UK fans probably treated the game as somewhat of an afterthought, but Creighton fans came out intent to provide a great atmosphere in a beautiful arena against an opponent that presented an opportunity to beat a historically powerful program in their own building.

The game started off with Creighton getting Patrick Patterson in foul trouble and completely shutting down Jodie Meeks. The two combined for their quietest half all season, yet Kentucky found itself down only 33-31 on the strength of solid contributions from Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris, and Darius Miller and some good defense.

Meeks and Patterson stayed quiet for the first 8 minutes or so of the second half, but at about the 10 minute mark, Kentucky’s two stars decided they were going to play like All Americans whether Creighton was going to let them or not.

Meeks made a beautiful backdoor dish to Ramon Harris (who finished with a very solid 9 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds) to cut Creighton’s lead to 45-43. Then Jodie started taking the ball to the basket with authority and fighting his way to the free throw line. Patrick Patterson then followed suit by blocking any weak Bluejay attempts in the paint, which got his head back in the game. A layup and two free throws tied the game at 60 with 2:39 left.

The result of Jodie's great pass

It looked like UK might surge ahead at that point, but Creighton refused to wilt, scoring on a late shot clock dunk and one by Kenny Lawson which was set up by the awesomely named P’Allen Stinnett. By the way, I’ve always wanted to name a kid after myself, but wanted to change the name up a little bit. Look for the birth of P’Guy Smiley sometime in the next few years.

Jodie Meeks quickly answered with layup to get within one with just over a minute left. Michael Porter then got a steal to give UK a chance to seize the lead, but UK failed to get a shot off when Porter and Meeks botched a handoff in the backcourt, causing Meeks to foul Justin Carter to save a dunk. Carter, however, missed both free throws, the second being rebounded by Patrick Patterson.

After failing to make any progress as 20 seconds ticked off the clock, Coach Gillispie called what some likely thought would be his last as the UK coach. Jodie Meeks exploded to the basket after the break, navigating every body Creighton coach Dana Altman threw at him to nail a layup while being fouled.

Creighton got a pretty solid look at the basket from three out of Booker Woodfox, but it was just long, and none other than Jodie Meeks snagged the rebound as the horn sounded.

It’s pretty clear just based on how many times I wrote the names “Meeks” and “Patterson” in the summary of the last 10 minutes, but it was a signature performance by two guys who have had phenomenal seasons even while so much has been going on around them.

They combined for only 28 points and 9 rebounds, numbers that each has matched on their own this season in some games, but the vast majority came when it really mattered, when they decided not to lose.

Even if Kentucky basketball games have become nothing more than a distraction in the midst of a soap opera, watching UK win that game in dramatic fashion was a lot of fun.

UK got the win as they played their first game in their former home since 1976. I managed to snag floor seats for the game in Memorial Coliseum, and what a cool atmosphere. Memorial provides a much more intimate environment, and every fan among the 8,300 in attendance was into it every step of the way. Even though the crowd was roughly 1/3 the size of a Rupp gathering, it felt every bit as loud. I know it’s a lot of money down the drain, but it would be great if UK could play one game a year in Memorial during the pre-season or regular season.

So, why was UK able to pick up the win today against a pretty solid UNLV team?

The first factor was that UK really wanted it. The crowd wanted it, the players wanted it, and Coach Gillispie wanted it. I was a little worried about this coming, but UK was diving after loose balls and digging them out from the very beginning, and it was great to see that this team has not quit on this season. Not even close. UK’s hustle also manifested itself in rebounding the ball. UK held UNLV to only 6 offensive rebounds, despite the fact that there was a wealth of long rebounds to go around. Ramon Harris and Patrick Patterson attacked the boards all day, and consistently outfought the Rebels.

The second factor was that UK did a good job of contesting three point shots. UK knew that UNLV was going to come out shooting, and they did not disappoint, jacking up 33 threes for the game. UK contested the vast majority, even when UNLV was hitting them during the second half. Nearly every guy UNLV threw out there was going to be willing to shoot it, so every UK player had to have hands up.

The third factor in UK’s victory was turnovers. UK had only 12 on the game, and even though the offense did not run smoothly down the stretch, UK at least held on to the ball. UK just does not have the guards to be a good ball handling team, but they can survive it if they play smart. Down the stretch, Darius Miller had the ball in his hands much of the time, and he did a good job settling UK’s offense.

Nobody on UK played a great game, but most of the guys who played major minutes brought something to the table. Jodie struggled to get his shots off, but he scored when UK needed it most, on the way to 19 points. Patrick Patterson had to deal with sextuple teams pretty much every time down the court (yeah, Lon Kruger stuck his nose in there), but he put up a double-double, and was tough all night. Perry Stevenson did not hit shots today, but he managed to eke out double figures and throw in probably the dunk of the season as UK sprinted out to that 20 point lead. Darius Miller made a bunch of big plays too, and Ramon Harris crashed the boards.

UK now awaits the winner of Creighton and Bowling Green tomorrow night. The word around Lexington was that UK will play again on Sunday, and if Creighton wins, UK will be heading to Nebraska to play in Creighton’s beautiful Qwest Center. If Bowling Green pulls the upset, UK will host a second game.

I’ll cut it off for now, but I’ll be back tomorrow for some additional thoughts and to post player and coach quotes from after the game.

Perry’s dunk and the awesome guy who dances to “Mony, Mony”…

On playing with a lack of intensity…
“I think we played hard, I just don’t think we played very smart. We haven’t communicated well when we needed to. We started off well and then we made mistake after mistake. It’s disappointing that we can’t play a little bit smarter.”

On Jodie Meeks…
“He played okay. We need Jodie out there because he’s been a great player for us. He played real well tonight in spurts. We have to do a better job of throwing it to the post when the post is open. I thought Jodie was tired early in the game today.”

On if his team has regressed…
“I don’t think they have shown a great deal of maturity of accepting a challenge. When things go well for them they are really good. I don’t think we have been tough or mature enough. Georgia didn’t take any steps back and we didn’t respond to that. We haven’t accepted challenges personally or as a team very well. There are too many mistakes being made. Any mistakes that are made are my fault because I’m in charge especially on the execution – offensively and defensively. Some of those things that are happening are not the way they have been taught to play and that’s not the way they’ve been practicing.”

On Patrick Patterson…
“I think he needs to dunk the ball more instead of lobbing it up in the air. One main reason is he doesn’t have much help inside. Georgia has good interior guys. He gets beat up for 40 minutes and he doesn’t have any help. It takes its toll on him.”

On where the mistakes are being made…
“I don’t think our team is competitive enough. That’s my fault too. We’ve been trying to make changes.”

On Dustin Ware’s play…
“He controlled the whole game. We didn’t have many guys step up and say they wanted to guard him. He was great tonight.”

On Georgia’s play overall…
“A lot of teams don’t play the way they do until they play Kentucky. Going back to a competitive level, it’s my fault. A lot of teams seem to be having really good games against us.”

On Kentucky’s statistics …
“There is one stat that matters and that’s winning. You can throw out all the stats you want. You can talk about the good, bad, and ugly stats, individually or as a team. There is one stat that really matters and that’s wins and losses. None of that other stuff means anything.”

On moving forward…
“We have to keep trying to get better. No matter what our record is. You have to understand what you need to get better at, and improve on that. It’s not over yet.”

Kentucky Players
# 5 Ramon Harris
On the game …
“I think there were too many times tonight that we didn’t execute. We got a few chances to put the game away and we didn’t take care of our business. When we had the opportunity to make a big lead we didn’t. Our biggest mistake was not playing better transition defense because Georgia took advantage of that and scored a lot of points.”

On Kentucky’s defense …
“I think one thing that really helped Georgia tonight was how well they shot. We allowed them to get too many open shots. We did not communicate well, we have to talk more and rebound better. They got too many offensive rebounds and easy put-backs that forced us to foul them.”

On the rest of the season …
“Right now the only thing we are thinking about is Florida. We are going to prepare the same way we do for any other game to get ready to play Florida. We are going to focus on Florida and if we start thinking about the SEC tournament then we could look past Florida. We will just keep taking it one game at a time.”

# 23 Jodie Meeks
On the game …
“It is really tough to let another game slip away. I don’t know what to say because it is really hard to come out and lose another game.”

On mistakes in the game …
“I thought we played really hard but we made too many mistakes down the stretch when we shouldn’t have. We had too many turnovers that they converted into points. We gave away a game that we never should have.”

On the rest of the season …
“I thought everyone competed as well as they could have tonight. We had a problem executing. We forced some shots, missed free throws and made turnovers. I’m not sure what this game means in the bigger picture, but I know we will have to get focused and start preparing for Florida. We want to win as many games as possible and finish this season strong.”

#54 Patrick Patterson
On the overall game…
“We just lost. They played a lot better basketball than we did. We didn’t play tough, No. 30 [Terrance Woodbury] got to do what he wanted to; we let them penetrate and get to the basket and they were able to kick it out. We basically let them do whatever they wanted to do. We let our guard down and played in a way that we shouldn’t have played. We were frustrated and didn’t hit shots. The team that played the best ball game won.”

On how UK might have overlooked the game against Georgia…
“None of us had that mindset. We knew that they beat Vanderbilt and Florida so we knew that they were still a great basketball team. Even with the game in Athens and the way we played, we were able to hold them to 45 or 47 points, but we knew that they were still capable of scoring. We knew that [Terrance] Woodbury is a great player; we knew that [Trey] Thompkins is a great player and the list goes on and on. We knew that they have improved and that we had to play better than we did in Athens.”

On how UK has a small margin of error for the rest of the season…
“Yeah, we have a very small margin of error. We want to win against Florida and we can’t lose. Hopefully we can get the job done in the SEC tournament. We probably will have to win the SEC tournament to get into the NCAA tournament.”

On the importance of getting an NCAA bid…
“It’s very important. We want to make it to the NCAA tournament. We want to still be playing ball at the end of March and beginning of April. We want to keep playing. We know that Kentucky has a great tradition and history. They have made it to the tournament for the past 20 years almost and we don’t want to be the team that didn’t make it.”

#13, Michael Porter
On the loss as a whole…
“It’s definitely depressing. It’s a heartbreaking loss. We have to bounce back though. It’s a big loss, especially at home. It was the game that we needed to win.”

On what Kentucky needs to do to go to the NCAA tournament…
“First we have to put this behind us and go in and look to win every game from here on out. Obviously winning the SEC tournament would put us in there, but we just have to look to win every game starting on Saturday.”

On the losing stretch…
“It’s been really tough. It’s tough to lose anytime especially when it’s games that we feel we should be winning to get into the tournament.”

Georgia Head Coach Pete Hermann
Opening Statement …
“I thought this was a terrific win for our players. Our two freshmen, Trey Thompkins and Dustin Ware, keep growing. I said to them in one timeout that once the Kentucky fans get excited, they can really affect the game. I asked how they were going to rise above that. I thought they really maintained their poise down the stretch. Corey Butler was a senior force for us. He’s a terrific kid; I think he really went after Jodie (Meeks) and made it very tough for Jodie to make easy baskets. We tried to swarm around Patrick Patterson who has a terrific low-post presence. Our guys just really did a good job in regards to rebounding. Also getting to the foul line was very important.”

On playing against Kentucky’s defense …
“Kentucky leads the league in defense. They’re very good at cutting off passes. We said that you have to drive the ball and threaten the rim because if you do then it will cause them to come in and foul. This gives us easy shots and gives us a good chance to get to the foul line. When we go to the foul line 30 times and make 25, that’s what helps your shooting percentage. We shot 50 percent overall because I think we drove the ball and then when they fouled we were able to make extra plays. I thought that was the key for us in scoring.”

On the expectation of playing in Rupp Arena …
“Having coached at Western Kentucky, I know a lot of people in Lexington that I just think the world of and I told them before the game that we have to score baskets. We’re not going to win this game getting 50 or 60 points. Kentucky is averaging 71 or more points in order for us to win we have to be aggressive on both ends.”

On if he thought Kentucky seemed tired …
“I thought they played hard and they went after it. They know the importance of an SEC game. I don’t think they took us lightly. They blocked shots early and were very aggressive. I thought it was a very good college game.”

Georgia Players
#23 Corey Butler
On getting a win against Kentucky in Rupp Arena…
“It feels pretty good. It took me and (Terrance) Woodbury four years to get this. This was our last chance to win here. It’s a tough place to play, especially when you’re playing against guys like (Jodie) Meeks and (Patrick) Patterson. It feels pretty good.”

On how Georgia pulled ahead…
“We just stayed composed the entire game. That’s what we preached going into the game. The coaching staff and even the players were preaching about staying composed and making sure that no matter what happened we needed to seal the deal.”

On Georgia’s defensive strategy…
“The defensive game play, like any other SEC team, was to try to contain (Patrick) Patterson. You’re not going to stop him. You just have to contain him. We tried to hold (Jodie) Meeks under 20 points. The guy can shoot very well. I think we did a good job of that. He still got off a couple shots, but I think we did well.”

On what the win will do for Georgia’s morale as they approach the SEC tournament…
“This is exactly what we did last year. We were struggling and came up with a few wins at the end of the regular season. Hopefully we can take this momentum with us into the SEC tournament. You never know what can happen there. You just have to win four games.”

#30 Terrance Woodbury
On the victory…
“It was a big win for us. We needed it to get our confidence going. We played really well as a team tonight. We just got to try to keep the momentum.”

On getting a win in Rupp Arena…
“This is my fourth time here, I’m a senior, and every time I’ve been here we lost. It’s sweet to get it now as a senior. It is a really big win for us and like I said we just have to grab some momentum.”

On getting a win after going through adversity this season…
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity as far as winning games and struggling to score points this season. Tonight defined our moment as far as knowing what it takes to win and play two halves. We didn’t play great at all time but we were able to stick together as teammates.”

On the difference offensively tonight…
“I feel like we passed the ball really well tonight. Guys were making extra cuts all over the court and I think that helped us knock down shots all over the court. Also when we got to the line we knocked down free throws, we’re a good free throw shooting team.”

Courtesy of UKAthletics.com

On what A.J. Stewart can provide to the team …
“He played quite a bit at the Vanderbilt game, but not as much the last two games. Hopefully he’ll provide the same things we’ve been looking for him to provide the whole time. We need a defensive rebounder because we haven’t been rebounding the ball very well. That’s a major deficiency for us.”

On Patrick Patterson…
“(Patrick) Patterson is on his way back to being super. He looks totally healthy. He looks very athletic. I hate for him to get a shot blocked but that’s as competitive as I’ve seen anyone after he had his shot blocked several times. I think that’s going to carry over to the next games. He got 24 shots off and nine offensive rebounds. I would like to see us get the ball to him more. We will have a great deal of success if we do. We haven’t been very consistent playing inside out, but we are working on that.”

On LSU…
“They have a bunch of seniors that provide a great deal of experience. There are guys there that have been a part of the team that went to the Final Four a couple of years ago. Trent Johnson has done a great job with that team and they have a great player for every position. They take better and more efficient shots than any team we have played in a while. Their shot selection is fantastic. They are really good defensively; they rebound the ball well; they are a really good free throwing shooting team. They are very consistent and they have a great deal of composure. They never seem to crack. I think that has a lot to do with experience. They are a really solid team. They are probably a more disciplined a team as there is anywhere. You know exactly what they are going to do every time. You know how they are going to execute offensively, defensively and in transition. It’s a very experienced, well-coached team which is why they have won so many games in a row.”

Player Quotes
#5 Ramon Harris, Jr.
On the past couple of days …
“The South Carolina game was not a good night for us. We were expected to do more and play differently than the way we did. Coach has really been able to use that game to make us better over the last couple of days. Hopefully we can show up and do what we need to do tomorrow.”

On the game today…
“Coach told us the South Carolina game was a big opportunity, but we still have a great chance to do something really special this season. With three games left, we still have a chance at winning the SEC East. Our season is not done and we still have a chance to make a big bang. We are getting close to March Madness and we want to be the best we can be, like any team across the nation.”

On relaxing in games …
“I think we just relaxed for a moment in some games instead of just pressing and pressing. We needed to take control of games at certain points. Coach has been working with us in practice and emphasizing to get better and keep our focus level up.”

#23 Jodie Meeks, Jr.
After the South Carolina game, on how much the team needs something good to happen …
“We definitely need the win, but I don’t think it’s time to panic. I think this game is very important to us, like all the other games. We’re going to approach tomorrow’s game it like we always do, try to stick to the game plan and play as best we can.”

On the margin of error for making the NCAA Tournament …
“We’re not on the board or committee. I don’t have too much to say about that, but the only thing we can do is control what we do and that’s play hard and give ourselves the best opportunity either way.”

On LSU’s Marcus Thornton and if there are similarities …
“He’s a great player. I like his overall game – he shoots it really well and gets to the offensive glass – he’s a complete player. He’s aggressive on offense and really plays defense hard.”

On LSU’s Garrett Temple …
“He’s a great defender. He’s pretty tall and very long with long arms and very athletic. He’s a complete defender and he tries real hard. I have to set up my cuts really well and take smart shots. I really don’t worry about people or the defense trying to shut me down. It’s not always about me.”

#54 Patrick Patterson, So.
On the South Carolina …
“I watched the South Carolina game on DVD a couple of times after we got a copy. That game is over, so we have to put it behind us and focus on LSU. South Carolina always had someone coming over to help out whoever was guarding me. I needed to do a better job of putting the ball above the rim and using the rim to my advantage.”

On the LSU game …
“It is a big game. They are first in the SEC and they have only lost one game in the SEC. Also, they are nationally ranked so it is a huge game. It would mean a lot to get the win tomorrow. We want to go out tomorrow and get the win. A win tomorrow would mean more recognition for us. If we get this win then hopefully it would carry over to the last couple games. A win would also help us out in the SEC and NCAA tournament.”

On proving how good UK is …
“I don’t think we have anything to prove. Tomorrow will be a hard game because LSU is a great basketball team. They do a lot of things very well. They play hard game in and game out. We know tomorrow will be tough because of how well LSU executes.”

Courtesy of UKAthletics.com

…And finally some really, really big news.  The poodle picked the Cats again and we all know what happened when the poodle picked the Cats against the Razorbacks.  Here’s to hoping that will happen again because the Big Blue really needs this one.

Also, check out some highlights from the 1996 thrashing when the Cats put up 86 in the first half against the Bayou Bengals.

It’s become a common theme this season, but yesterday was all about Jodie Meeks. 45 points on 17-24 shooting is amazingly efficient, but I think the most important thing about his performance is the simple fact that the game didn’t feel like anything out the ordinary to me. Nothing he did surprised me and none of it should have surprised Arkansas, but they couldn’t do a thing about him, even though Patrick Patterson was on the bench nursing an ankle injury.

By the way, did you notice Patterson’s reaction after an interior defensive rebound allowed Michael Washington to throw in a dunk for the Hogs first points? The man was ticked!! The ball bounced to him and he slammed it on the ground and shot a nasty look toward Perry Stevenson and Josh Harrellson.

Jodie has come to love the big stage of national television. It started when he went off on Super Tuesday in Knoxville, then he nailed the game winner last Tuesday on ESPN to beat Florida, now he drops 45 on Arkansas on CBS. His big game brought more national attention to the ‘Cats yesterday. Highlights of Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, and Jodie led off most highlight shows, then led into a conversation about National Player of the Year. Much to the chagrin of most UK fans, UK has disappeared from the consciousness of most basketball fans, but Jodie has put an end to that this year.

Speaking of that, Andy Katz has named Meeks Player of the Week in his Weekly Watch.

No one else scored in double figures for UK, but there were a few encouraging performances. Ramon played probably his best game since his injuries yesterday, throwing up a lite version of Kevin Galloway’s game against Florida with 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. I think Ramon Harris is a much more serviceable player when UK goes small like they did for much of yesterday’s game. He can play a sort of 3-4 hybrid and less ball handling responsibility falls on him. Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t understand why he played 35 minutes to Galloway’s 3.

The other guy who I was pleased with against Arkansas was Darius Miller. He hit the boards hard like he always does and did a very nice job when UK was playing small and he played the 4. As the season goes on, Darius is learning how to play team defense better and better, and it’s becoming more and more predictable how he is going to contribute.

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for, the grades and key stats:

Turnovers/Point guard play: B (last game C+)

Jodie did more ball handling than he has all season against Arkansas, which I liked seeing. Porter did have a bunch of turnovers (5), but when he played within himself, he was good. I expect him to learn from the film that I’m sure he will be watching. Galloway and Liggins only played 12 minutes between them and I think that’s mainly because Arkansas didn’t have the bodies to force UK to handle the ball under pressure like Florida did. The key thing for the point guards today was to get the ball to Jodie and clearly that was done well.

Key Stat-Assist to turnover ratio: 15:16 (6:6 for Liggins, Porter, and Galloway) (14:19 last game)

Rebounding: B+ (last game B+)

With Patterson out, I was worried about how UK would defend the offensive glass, but Darius Miller and Ramon Harris picked up the slack, grabbing 15 rebounds between them. Also, phenomenal work by Jodie Meeks on the boards. A lot of times, you see a guy who is playing as well offensively as Jodie was yesterday disappear in other areas. Jodie did not fall victim to that. Amazingly (I sure use that word a lot when I talk about Jodie), 2 of Jodie’s best rebounding performances have come in his offensive explosions against UT (8 rebounds) and Arkansas (7 rebounds). Jodie helped the ‘Cats to a 35-30 rebounding advantage.

Key Stat-Defensive rebounding percentage (defensive rebounds/opponent FG missed + opponent FT missed x100): (25/32+9)x100=70.0%(last game 65.1%)

Getting the ball to Patterson: NA

Secondary scoring: B (last game A-)

Nobody exploded in Patterson’s absence, but that’s because Jodie was too busy doing so. Michael Porter hit some early shots that helped Jodie carve out some additional space on the offensive end. Darius Miller contributed a couple buckets (including a nice drive and slam in the last moments) and did a good job getting to the line. Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris also found space for some buckets as well.

Key Stat-Percentage of points scored by Meeks and Patterson: 45+0/79=60.0% (last game 44.1%)

Kentucky, or should I say Jodie Meeks, controlled the game from the start as the Cats reeled off a 79-63 win over the Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena.  It is the Cats second strait SEC win as they moved to 7-3 in conference, the Hogs fell to a very disappointing 1-9.

Simply put John Pelphrey’s squad is not very good.  They struggle defensively and without Courtney Fortson they couldn’t manage any type of offense.

Once again the story of the game was Jodie Meeks, who scored 45 points on 17-of-24 shooting and 7-of-12 from deep while recording seven rebounds, three steals, two assists and only committed three turnovers.  The 40-point performance was Meeks’ third of the season. 

Defensively the Razorbacks just did not have an answer for Meeks.  Stefan Welsh chased him around all game but the highlights were Meeks making him trip on himself and then when Meeks refused the screen and crossed him over for a beautiful three for the wing.  Jodie Meeks is really good and teams that don’t play defense are not going to keep him from scoring 30. 

With Meeks scoring 57-percent of the UK points they didn’t have anyone else in double figures.  Michael Porter and Darius Miller followed with eight a piece.  Porter knocked down 2-of-3 threes and when he played to his limits he was effective.  Porter needs to bring the ball up and then spot up at the wing and be ready to shoot.  When he did that he was effective.  When he tried to penetrate he got in trouble.  But, I do have to give him credit for the nice feed to Ramon Harris on the block.

Miller continues to show signs and even knocked down a three.  One problem with Miller is that he sporadically decides to take it to the hole and when he makes that decision, he goes to the hole and the ball doesn’t find a way out.  However, defensively I believe that he continues to improve and he was also aggresive on the boards, finishing with six.

With Patrick Patterson out they didn’t have any post scoring but against a struggling Arkansas team it wasn’t needed.

For Arkansas to be successful Michael Washington had to have a huge game and without Fortson they couldn’t find ways to give him the rock in good spots.  He finished with 14 points but didn’t control the game against a UK team that was limited in the frontcourt.

I am not going to get negative after this one at all because there really isn’t anything that stands out.  But, I continue to be flabbergasted by the substitution patterns.  Before the game I was asked how many minutes Kevin Galloway would play after his breakout game on Tuesday.  I responded with six minutes and was serious in my response.   With a little over nine minutes in the first half he saw his first action.  Galloway basically gave Meeks short rests throughout and didn’t see any extended minutes.  He finished with three minutes. Meanwhile, Harris played 35 minutes.  Harris finished with a pretty good line (7pts, 9reb, 6ast) but I still don’t get it. I think that is what Gillispie wants. 

Also, a sidenote on the broadcast…Bill Rafferty thinks that Perry Stevenson is a lot better than he really is.  I love Billy Raf but come on he doesn’t deserve any type of slurpage.

Oh and a week and a half after the Cats allowed Mississippi State to shoot 14-of-27 (52%) they held Arkansas to 4-of-22 (18%) shooting from deep.

I’m done here because there isn’t really much to talk about.  Guy will be on soon with an hour ramble I am sure.  Simply, Jodie Meeks couldn’t be stopped, the Cats got some help offensively in the first half  from Porter, Miller and others, the Razorbacks can’t play defense and without Fortson they can’t score.  I’m still trying to figure out how they beat Texas and Oklahoma.

I do have one complaint though. Why no Jared Carter? 

“JC…JC…Put in Jared Carter”.