Big Blue Links for Wednesday:
John Temple blogs for the New York Times that this is a heavyweight matchup: “The physical game inside should be ferocious; Connecticut is among the country’s leaders in rebounding and blocked shots season after season, and Patterson (he’s DeJuan Blair with knee ligaments) is a rebounding force for the Wildcats (8-0).”
John Gasaway of Basketball Prospectus tackles just how good is John Wall: “Watching Wall grab that defensive board and take it the length of the floor for a flying slam–against North Carolina, mind you–gives us the kind of handy evaluative epiphany that changes the discussion instantly and permanently. Our views on Wall can now be divided into Before- and After-Dunk, a little like discussion of Randy Moss changed for good after he single-handedly destroyed the defending NFC champion Packers in Green Bay his rookie year.” (John also has a great stat about DeMarcus Cousins’ shots.)
Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes that stopping John Wall is UConn’s priority: ” Through the first month of the season, there’s a growing consensus about Kentucky’s basketball team: As John Wall goes, so goes Kentucky. It’s a premise adopted by Connecticut, which plays UK in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.”
My column on the rivalry between John Calipari and Jim Calhoun: ‘John came here from Moon Township in Pennsylvania and said that UMass was the king of New England,’ said Calhoun during a teleconference Tuesday. ‘He didn’t know what ‘chowda’ was, with an A. You got to know what ‘chowda’ is before you start saying (you’re the king). Especially for a guy from South Boston, it’s pretty tough to (hear) that.’”
ESPN’s Dana O’Neil also writes on the Cal-Calhoun rivalry: “He never tried to choke him. For whatever simmering bad blood stewed between Jim Calhoun and John Calipari for all those years the two shared the same New England spotlight, Calhoun never went John Chaney on his rival. So at least there’s that.”
Mike Anthony of the Harford Courant writes that youth is a concern for both teams: “Potential, production, ability, inconsistency – all are interesting and conflicting characteristics for even some of the best teams. Tonight in the SEC/Big East Invitational, No.14 UConn (6-1), struggling in its own right to find itself, plays a Kentucky team facing similar challenges.”
Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes that Wall is ready to dazzle New York: “Of course, those players had an advantage – they got to beat up on the New York Knicks. Wall and the Wildcats have no such luck. In sophomore Kemba Walker and senior Jerome Dyson, the Huskies boast a talented backcourt that has the size, speed and experience to create drama for Wall on basketball’s biggest stage.”
Metz Camfield of the Kentucky Kernel writes on Daniel Orton: “Orton, who didn’t score against North Carolina on Saturday and only averages 4.4 points a game, has been singled out throughout the season by UK head coach John Calipari. Orton’s blocked shot of North Carolina forward Ed Davis four minutes into the game was one of the catalysts to UK’s 28-2 run. The block went to freshman guard John Wall, who then raced down the court for an acrobatic layup that cut the lead to three and energized the crowd.”
Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger on DeAndre Liggins: “Sophomore guard DeAndre Liggins has not played in any of UK’s eight wins and UK coach John Calipari wouldn’t indicate when or if Liggins was likely to play when I asked him about it at Tuesday’s press conference.”
Tom Leach’s take on the Big Apple showdown: “When I saw the schedule back in the fall, I thought to myself that the likely spot for Kentucky to suffer its first loss was tonight’s game against UConn at Madison Square Garden. First is its position right after the emotional battle with North Carolina, which I figured the Cats would win if only because they were playing at home.”
A Sea of Blue previews tonight’s game: “The Huskies are fairly young, but not nearly as young as the Wildcats. As far as experience goes, this UConn team is similar to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Also similar to the Tar Heels, this UConn team has plenty of size, and is also one of the few teams that can match up with the Wildcats on the front line. The interesting thing is, UConn can also match up with UK in the back court, size-wise.”
Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches writes on UK volleyball’s Lauren Rapp: “Yet when Kentucky faced its biggest weekend of the year against Michigan State and Oregon in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, it was Rapp who made the difference. The right-side hitter from Indianapolis, Ind., terminated the ball a match-high 14 times vs. the Spartans. Against the Ducks, she charted a career-high 10 blocks. Without her, Kentucky wouldn’t have steamrolled through the first two rounds and into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1992.”
At Kentucky Sports Network, Ira Combs writes that Kentucky is no longer a mystery: “Yes, the second half dilemma with John Wall’s cramps almost created a near breakdown of gigantic proportions and it took a little smack out of the Wildcats first half smack down of the Tar Heels but rest assured, there is no more mystery as to how good this team is or whether it’s good enough to be in the hunt for a Final Four appearance.”
Wildcat Blue Blog wonders about Calipari-Calhoun: “So how about it Cat fans? Are we ready for a good old fashioned coaches feud? The potential is always there for a display tonight when John Calipari and Jim Calhoun face off in the SEC/Big East Faceoff in New York City. Even though it’s obvious that Calipari and Calhoun are not Facebook buddies, I doubt we will see any outward displays of disdain. That’s too bad because I am always one for a good ole coaching feud. I was all prepared to hate Roy Williams, but when he came into Rupp with that broken wing, talking about Rupp’s brown suits, and paying homage to Bill Keightley, I found my hate level turned down to moderate dislike.”
Inner Circle looks at the other Cal’s team: “Yes, yours truly will be live from the Big Apple to bring you a live blog, photos, and post-game press conference quotes. The biggest question facing Kentucky right now is whether they will have a letdown after a big win over the North Carolina Tarheels over the weekend. Will they? I actually believe UK will play with even more confidence, and will dust the Huskies off the Garden floor.”
