John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News says John Wall is the greatest point guard athlete . . . ever: “To rewrite that declaration so soon required an almost miraculous advancement of those essential qualities. And Wall is blessed with all of it. He is not as strong as Rose, but he is longer, a shade taller, perhaps even faster end-to-end and even better at elevating and controlling his body once in the air.”

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes that UK leaned on Wall to beat Heels: ” Of his many fast-break plays in the first half, one moved Kentucky freshman John Wall. He flew to the left to elude a defender and somehow contorted his body into position to bank in the reverse layup while being fouled. As a record Rupp Arena crowd (24,468) roared in appreciation of this take-that play against North Carolina, Wall searched the stands for his mother.”

Robbi Pickeral of the Charlotte Observer writes that North Carolina ran out of rally: “Remember: except for Ginyard and senior Deon Thompson (the only returning starter from last year’s title team) most of these Tar Heels have had limited (if any) experience being on a college court when things get tight. In the few close games UNC experienced last season, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green were always around to take the brunt of the pressure (and shots), and they’d been in those tense situations plenty of times in their careers.”

Briana Gorman of the Durham Sun-Herald says Wall showed Williams: “North Carolina coach Roy Williams said earlier in the week that he’s the biggest fan of Kentucky’s John Wall, but for reasons he didn’t want to publicly address, he never offered the Raleigh native a scholarship. And Saturday, Wall showed Williams and the rest of the Tar Heels what they’re missing.”

My column on Wall’s debut before a truly national audience: “And he made shots. And he made steals. And he blew by disgusted defenders. He might even have aided Committee of 101 members in helping patrons to their seats. Or could have. Best of all, Wall led the host Cats on a tornado-like 28-2 first-half blitzkrieg that awarded the home team enough of a cushion to survive a second-half rally and trump the North Carolina Tar Heels 68-66 in this rematch of college basketball royalty.”

Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports on Sam Maxwell’s absence from bowl game: ” Kentucky senior linebacker Sam Maxwell will undergo surgery later this month to repair a torn labrum and will miss the Wildcats’ upcoming game in the Music City Bowl. Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks didn’t specify when the injury took place. UK lost 30-24 to Tennessee in overtime in its regular-season finale last Saturday.”

Herald-Leader photo slideshow from UK-North Carolina.

At Yahoo Sports, Jason King writes on the cool Cats: “Ineffective for most of the afternoon, Bledsoe came off the bench to score seven crucial points in the game’s waning minutes. His aggressiveness – Bledsoe earned three trips to the free-throw line after getting fouled on hard drives to the basket – helped stave off a furious North Carolina rally that saw the Tar Heels come back from a 19-point deficit.”

Tom Leach talks to Clark Kellogg about the Kentucky win over North Carolina.

Andy Katz of ESPN writes that UK went to the Wall: “During Wall’s absence — nearly seven minutes of game time — the team was out of rhythm. Fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe had to be the leader, a role that he might not be suited for until he feels more comfortable in the position. In the opener against Morehead State, when Wall wasn’t available, Bledsoe thrived. Why? ‘I guess I didn’t have to pass it to John every time,’ Bledsoe said.”

(AP photo/Ed Reinke)

Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal on the Kentucky win: “The UK coach wanted to learn something about his team, and he did. He learned that other players can make some key plays with Wall sitting (or hobbling, as he did during his second-half return). He learned that the Cats’ defense can be smothering at times, as it was in the first half.”

Matt May of the Cats Pause writes on the Wildcat win: “The Cats’ hopeful return to national prominence had been based mostly on reputation to this point. With John Calipari taking over the program and the arrival of arguably the most heralded recruiting class in history UK ascended to the top five of preseason polls and had taken care of business against mostly overmatched foes prior to North Carolina’s arrival. The Tar Heels – who had been tested by top competition more than UK – provided a litmus test to see where the Cats were in their development.”

James Pennington of the Kentucky Kernel writes that UK’s will to win overshadows youth: “UK had to face an opponent unlike any it has seen so far under Calipari. Each Tarheel player entered and exited the arena wearing a suit. Coach Roy Williams didn’t sport a suit because of his injured shoulder, but his freshly fitted national championship ring sure did shimmer under the Rupp Arena lights. For the first time this season, the Cats had more reason to feel intimidated than their opponent.”

Metz Camfield of the Kernel has the game story on the UK triumph: “The freshman from Raleigh, N.C. scored 13 points in the first half and dished out five assists. But just over one minute into the second half, Wall called a timeout and limped off the floor cramping all over his body. As Wall limped off, as did the Cats’ lead. What was once a 19-point lead in the first half got trimmed down to a seven-point lead as the Tar Heels immediately went on an 8-0 run before Calipari called timeout.”

Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes that Patterson returned for this kind of win: “The Kentucky junior had 19 points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot in UK’s 68-66 victory over No. 10 North Carolina, the same Tar Heels who won the national championship last season and had defeated UK five straight years.”

(H-L photo/Matt Goins)

Jennifer Smith of the H-L on UK volleyball advancing to Sweet 16: “With a three-set win over Oregon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night at Memorial Coliseum, UK showed it believed those words on the board. The Cats, an offensive star all season, showed they could play some defense, too, getting a season-high 17 team blocks in the 25-20, 25-22, 25-17 win over the Ducks, who were the tournament’s No. 14 seed.”

Aaron Smith of the Kentucky Kernel writes on UK volleyball win: “The Cats, ranked No. 13 but not seeded in the tournament, swept 14-seeded Oregon 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17) to move into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. UK had never advanced beyond the second round in any of the five seasons under head coach Craig Skinner. The victory propelled the Cats to their third ever Sweet 16 berth and their first since 1992.”

A Sea of Blue writes on the Kentucky hoops victory: “For Kentucky, this represents a very good win that could have been great — not because of anything the Tar Heels did, but because UK did not appear to come out ready in the second half. Combined with John Wall’s apparent dehydration (I have no doubt he went to the locker room to take an IV), Kentucky and North Carolina literally swapped places at halftime. With UK at 43 points going into the half, who would have believed they would only score 25 points in the second half?”

Inner Circle says the Kentucky Kittens are growing up: “So was it all bad news? Nope. Kentucky’s Kittens grew up about as quickly as they exploded to a 19 point lead over the Tar Heels. John Wall showed poise by coming back even when injured, scoring 16 points while dishing out 7 assists. Eric Bledsoe hit key free throws down the stretch to seal the victory for the Wildcats.”

Kentucky Sports Network gives a thumbs-up, thumbs-down: “The early season accolades and predictions have been ever-present, and Kentucky lived up to that lofty billing this afternoon. Several more tests await the young Wildcats this season, but they served notice that they are willing and able to meet those challenges.”

Christopher Johns of KSR on the UK-UNC post-game: “When asked about John Wall, (Williams) said that he felt John “dominated the game” and that it really helped UNC when Wall got hurt. As a side note, and one that makes me think more about the man, Williams also noted that this was the first time he took his team to Rupp where Bill Keightley ‘wasn’t there to say hello’ and that he was missed. Classy move, Coach.”

Wildcat Blue Blog calls it the best sports day ever: “It is no secret that I am not a Gator fan at all and it was good to live vicariously through the Crimson Tide and watch them dismantle the Gators 32-13. And yes, I will take a small moral victory in knowing that the Tide beat the almighty Gators worse than they did us (19-18 points). Small moral victory indeed, but it also was an added bonus to watch Tim Tebow cry for the last 10:00 of the game and prove human with a couple of errors at the end.”

Straitpinkie has a UK wrap-up: “With Wall in the locker room receiving treatment (by the way, John Wall does not like needles), an also hobbled Eric Bledsoe took the reins of the UK attack, and it just wasn’t the same. The rhythm of the UK offense was gone and the UNC defense clamped down. After shooting over 57% in the first half, the ‘Cats managed only 8-26 shooting (30.8%) in the second.”