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UK Basketball
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UK Football
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Elite Football Players in KY
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Expectations for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball program have always been at a premium as they enter each season but since John Calipari has brought his talents to the Bluegrass they have been raised and this season it may have reached an all-time high. Coach Cal enters his 3rd season at UK and in the NCAA / NBA's one and done era with one goal only on his mind and the players agree as well and have bought into the goal.
An 8th NCAA title or bust for 2011 - 2012.
It just could happen even with a roster full of freshman and sophomores at six of the top eight positions in the rotation.
In Cal's first year he piggy backed his first #1 recruiting class with the return of stud junior PF Patrick Patterson and came within one poor shooting night against West Virginia in the Elite Eight of winning a possible title then.
In his 2nd year many thought he just couldn't duplicate the first year with basically only six players on an even much younger roster but once again they fought thru the growing pains that all young and talented teams do just in time to go on a magical run during March Madness all the way to UK's first Final Four appearance in 13 years since "Tubby" Smith won the program's 7th NCAA title in 1998.
Now, many college hoop gurus say that Calipari has the perfect combination of raw yet extremely talented players at each position plus several seasoned or veteran players in seniors Darius Miller & Eloy Vargas to make a serious bid for that coveted NCAA championship that has eluded Coach Cal in his college coaching career to date.
Season Break Down By Months
November 2011:
Don't see nothing but ducks and pigeons in November until the Cats get to New York and Madison Square Garden on (Tues.) November 15th and a date with the Kansas Jayhawks. That game won't be pretty at times because the youthful Cats will have to have at least one half to adjust to the bright lights and big city atmosphere of college basketball but it will end with a win.
Penn State and the South Florida/Old Dominion winner could prove to be challenging for a half as well but neither can pull an upset on a neutral site location.
UK record at end of month 6 - 0
December 2011:
This month starts tough and ends tough with St. Johns & North Carolina at the beginning and the annual battle with The Ville' at the end. Don't underestimate a very much improved Indiana either in the middle of the month, especially with this year’s game being in Bloomington.
Marquis Teague's free spirit and obvious lack of respect for each possession late in games are a concern to me and I'm sure Coach Cal as well. But I'm going out on a limb and say that Cal can mix and match enough with Lamb filling in at times as a buck up point guard to keep the Cats unbeaten as they enter conference play in January. But make no mistake it will be dangerously ugly basketball at times this month and scary at the end of several of these tough Saturday December games but three of the four toughest are at Rupp Arena and Cal is building a reputation quickly in this building.
UK record at end of month 14 - 0
January 2012:
This month starts out with the annual game in Louisville and ends with the halfway point of the SEC schedule.
As always each and every SEC road game will be UK's opponents Super Bowl as Cal likes to say and this is where this young group of Cats get caught off guard. They will have to take a couple licks on the road before they really understand what those eight letters across their chest mean to the rest of the college basketball world. However, they will weather the storm a couple times this month without taking their first SEC loss. Two of the first three SEC games are on the road but they're both at two of the conferences weakest teams Auburn & Tennessee. The Cats toughest game this month will be in the friendly confines of Rupp Arena on (Sat.) Jan. 21st against the best team Alabama has fielded since the Wimp Sanderson era.
The Rupp Arena effect will help the young Cats overcome an otherwise tough loss.
By the end of January UK will be battle tested but still haven't been to the two most hostile environments in the SEC, which will come next month.
UK record at end of January 23 - 0
February / March 2012:
The second half of the SEC slate will be this team’s toughest and trying times to overcome.
If they are still undefeated at this juncture of the season Cal will probably be privately wishing for a loss or two himself to ease the pressure atmosphere that builds up inside UK players to gigantic proportions not to mention the fact that today’s modern day athletes especially at UK become fat and sassy with each mounting win until they become too difficult to coach anymore and the only way to bring them back to earth and basketball reality is with a humbling loss and sometimes it takes two or three to right the ship and get it back on course mentally and emotionally.
All basketball teams have to go thru hard times or ruts in a season (remember Joe B.'s January slumps) before they can recover and make that stretch run into March.
Whatever frame of mind UK is in coming into the second half of the conference schedule with they won't survive this year’s Memorial Gym experience in Nashville nor will they escape Gator Alley in Gainesville with a win this year either.
UK record at end of regular season 29 -,2
SEC Tournament:
This has been UK's tournament for many years but this isn't one of those years. The SEC isn't deep in basketball talent but it does have four quality teams in my opinion besides UK and I think one of them will likely knock UK off in the semifinals or finals but it won't effect March because today’s players recover quicker and better than players of the past.
UK record entering NCAA tournament play 30 - 3
NCAA Tournament:
The Cats hopefully will enter March Madness as a # 1 seed and be placed at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville for the first weekend of play then move on to the Georgia Dome for another successful Elite Eight appearance and finally back to the Big Easy for another Final Fourappearance and another shot at the title.
I think it's time John Calipari gets his just do and wins that coveted first NCAA title, in my opinion he's done no more in the rule breaking department and probably less if at all since at UK in the NCAA's eyes because you don't have to cheat to get players at a UK with all they have to offer in this modern era of college basketball. Besides it's high time UK gets a little love in the revenge department with the NCAA.
Final UK record 36 - 3 with its 8th NCAA championship trophy brought back to the avenue of champions and the NCAA won't be able to wipe this one away.
An 8th NCAA title or bust for 2011 - 2012.
It just could happen even with a roster full of freshman and sophomores at six of the top eight positions in the rotation.
In Cal's first year he piggy backed his first #1 recruiting class with the return of stud junior PF Patrick Patterson and came within one poor shooting night against West Virginia in the Elite Eight of winning a possible title then.
In his 2nd year many thought he just couldn't duplicate the first year with basically only six players on an even much younger roster but once again they fought thru the growing pains that all young and talented teams do just in time to go on a magical run during March Madness all the way to UK's first Final Four appearance in 13 years since "Tubby" Smith won the program's 7th NCAA title in 1998.
Now, many college hoop gurus say that Calipari has the perfect combination of raw yet extremely talented players at each position plus several seasoned or veteran players in seniors Darius Miller & Eloy Vargas to make a serious bid for that coveted NCAA championship that has eluded Coach Cal in his college coaching career to date.
Season Break Down By Months
November 2011:
Don't see nothing but ducks and pigeons in November until the Cats get to New York and Madison Square Garden on (Tues.) November 15th and a date with the Kansas Jayhawks. That game won't be pretty at times because the youthful Cats will have to have at least one half to adjust to the bright lights and big city atmosphere of college basketball but it will end with a win.
Penn State and the South Florida/Old Dominion winner could prove to be challenging for a half as well but neither can pull an upset on a neutral site location.
UK record at end of month 6 - 0
December 2011:
This month starts tough and ends tough with St. Johns & North Carolina at the beginning and the annual battle with The Ville' at the end. Don't underestimate a very much improved Indiana either in the middle of the month, especially with this year’s game being in Bloomington.
Marquis Teague's free spirit and obvious lack of respect for each possession late in games are a concern to me and I'm sure Coach Cal as well. But I'm going out on a limb and say that Cal can mix and match enough with Lamb filling in at times as a buck up point guard to keep the Cats unbeaten as they enter conference play in January. But make no mistake it will be dangerously ugly basketball at times this month and scary at the end of several of these tough Saturday December games but three of the four toughest are at Rupp Arena and Cal is building a reputation quickly in this building.
UK record at end of month 14 - 0
January 2012:
This month starts out with the annual game in Louisville and ends with the halfway point of the SEC schedule.
As always each and every SEC road game will be UK's opponents Super Bowl as Cal likes to say and this is where this young group of Cats get caught off guard. They will have to take a couple licks on the road before they really understand what those eight letters across their chest mean to the rest of the college basketball world. However, they will weather the storm a couple times this month without taking their first SEC loss. Two of the first three SEC games are on the road but they're both at two of the conferences weakest teams Auburn & Tennessee. The Cats toughest game this month will be in the friendly confines of Rupp Arena on (Sat.) Jan. 21st against the best team Alabama has fielded since the Wimp Sanderson era.
The Rupp Arena effect will help the young Cats overcome an otherwise tough loss.
By the end of January UK will be battle tested but still haven't been to the two most hostile environments in the SEC, which will come next month.
UK record at end of January 23 - 0
February / March 2012:
The second half of the SEC slate will be this team’s toughest and trying times to overcome.
If they are still undefeated at this juncture of the season Cal will probably be privately wishing for a loss or two himself to ease the pressure atmosphere that builds up inside UK players to gigantic proportions not to mention the fact that today’s modern day athletes especially at UK become fat and sassy with each mounting win until they become too difficult to coach anymore and the only way to bring them back to earth and basketball reality is with a humbling loss and sometimes it takes two or three to right the ship and get it back on course mentally and emotionally.
All basketball teams have to go thru hard times or ruts in a season (remember Joe B.'s January slumps) before they can recover and make that stretch run into March.
Whatever frame of mind UK is in coming into the second half of the conference schedule with they won't survive this year’s Memorial Gym experience in Nashville nor will they escape Gator Alley in Gainesville with a win this year either.
UK record at end of regular season 29 -,2
SEC Tournament:
This has been UK's tournament for many years but this isn't one of those years. The SEC isn't deep in basketball talent but it does have four quality teams in my opinion besides UK and I think one of them will likely knock UK off in the semifinals or finals but it won't effect March because today’s players recover quicker and better than players of the past.
UK record entering NCAA tournament play 30 - 3
NCAA Tournament:
The Cats hopefully will enter March Madness as a # 1 seed and be placed at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville for the first weekend of play then move on to the Georgia Dome for another successful Elite Eight appearance and finally back to the Big Easy for another Final Fourappearance and another shot at the title.
I think it's time John Calipari gets his just do and wins that coveted first NCAA title, in my opinion he's done no more in the rule breaking department and probably less if at all since at UK in the NCAA's eyes because you don't have to cheat to get players at a UK with all they have to offer in this modern era of college basketball. Besides it's high time UK gets a little love in the revenge department with the NCAA.
Final UK record 36 - 3 with its 8th NCAA championship trophy brought back to the avenue of champions and the NCAA won't be able to wipe this one away.
By - Ira D. Combs
Director - Tri State Sports media Service Inc.
www.combsbrothersonkysports.com
Director - Tri State Sports media Service Inc.
www.combsbrothersonkysports.com
