John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links and morning notes for Tuesday before we head to Houston:

- On tap for today: UK is holding a players media opp this afternoon. Check the blog for video, etc.

- I’ll be on a Houston Chronicle live chat previewing the Final Four, starting at 1 p.m. I’ll have the Cover it Live frame up on the blog a little later this morning.

- And I’m sitting in for Larry Glover Live tonight from 6-8 p.m. on WVLK-590. Please tune in, and call in.

- UK is taking public applications for Final Four tickets.

- Next Cats has all the news from the All-Star festivities, including UK signee Kyle Wiltjer winning the three-point contest last night at the Powerade Jam. Here’s the video, with a hat tip to Cat Scratches.

Continue reading ‘Wiltjer wins 3-point contest, Josh on SVP and more BBL’

(H-L photo/Jonathan Palmer)

Some lunchtime notes from the Wendy’s in the Detroit airport.

- The festivities in Houston start Thursday with press conferences involving all four teams and coaches. Open practices will be held on Friday, with more press conferences. VCU-Butler tips at 5:09 on Saturday, with Kentucky-Connecticut following.

- How about a Kentucky vs. Shelvin Mack final? How fun would that be?

- Connecticut was the only team to beat the Cats by double digits this year.

- The Big East has not won a game in the Final Four since UConn took the title in 2004.

- Besides coaching in the same state, what else do John Calipari and Rick Pitino have in common? They are the only two coaches to take three different schools to the Final Four.

- Butler could have lost to Old Dominion, winning on a put-back late. And Butler should have lost to Florida, trailing the No. 2 seed by 11 with under 10 minutes to play.

Continue reading ‘Lunchtime Final Four notes as we escape from Jersey’

(Hat tip to Nation of Blue)

(H-L photo/Jonathan Palmer)

Click here for the Herald-Leader photo gallery from UK-North Carolina.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

When Kentucky plays UConn on Saturday in the Final Four it will bring up one more time the rivalry between UK coach John Calipari and UConn coach Jim Calhoun. The two played last season in the SEC/Big East Challenge in New York. They played this year in the finals of the Maui Invitational. Kentucky won last season. UConn won this season.

Here’s my column on the Calipari-Calhoun non-relationship that I wrote before last season’s game:

No love lost between Calipari, Calhoun
By John Clay / Herald-Leader Sports Columnist

They have no relationship.

“None,” said Jim Calhoun. “I don’t have a relationship with John (Calipari).”

A relationship, no.

A history, yes.

When Kentucky plays Connecticut on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, it’s not only the showcase of the SEC/Big East Invitational, it also marks the renewal of a heated rivalry – Coach Cal vs. Coach Cal – that stretches back 20 years to the rocky coast of old New England.

Jim Calhoun was the coach at Connecticut.

John Calipari was the coach at Massachusetts.

“You’re fighting really for the same property,” Calhoun said.

Continue reading ‘John Calipari vs. Jim Calhoun one more time’

(H-L photo/Matt Goins)

Some Big Blue links:

• UK favored to win it all now, says AP.
• Drought ends in flood of emotion, says my column from Newark.
• Knight in clutch burnishes his own legacy, writes Mark Story of H-L.
• Kentucky wins a test of wills, writes Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• Kentucky fans storm the streets, reports Shawntaye Hopkins of H-L.
• Brandon Knight’s 22 points lead UK to win, writes the AP.
• Kentucky gives the Heels the boot, reports Robbi Pickeral of News and Observer.
• Carolina will remember painful loss, writes Caulton Tudor of the N & O.
• This entree is high Cal, writes Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports.
• Turns out Calipari can actually coach, too, writes Mike Freeman of CBS Sports.
• Calipari’s third Final Four is also his first, writes Ian O’Connor of ESPN New York.
• Rapid reaction to Kentucky win, by Kiearn Dacy of ESPN New York.
• Kentucky carves its own path, writes Matt May of the Cats Pause.
• Kentucky reaches Final Four, writes Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Calipari brings drought to an end, says Eric Crawford of the C-J.
• It’s on to Houston as Cats stake a claim, writes Rick Bozich of C-J.
• Darius Miller can’t put it into words, writes Larry Vaught of A-M.
• Young UK is now a title contender, writes Zach Berman of the Newark Star-Ledger.
• Wrong ending for North Carolina, writes Bob Sutton of the Gaston Gazette.
• The unlikeliest year to end drought, says Aaron Smith of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Calipari proves coaching chops, writes Nick Craddock of the Kernel.
• UNC falls short of Final Four, writes Rick Sears of the Daily Tar Heel.

(H-L photo)

Twenty thoughts on UK’s win over North Carolina and trip to the Final Four:

1. This is Kentucky’s first Final Four since 1998, snapping a drought of 12 seasons, longest in school history.
2. Forget that vacated stuff. This is John Calipari’s third Final Four trip with his third different team.
3. Kentucky is already a two-point favorite over Connecticut in the national semifinal.
4. Jay-Z was in the Kentucky locker room after the game, helping celebrate the win.
5. Kentucky averaged 1.108 points per possession to North Carolina’s 0.970.
6. The Cats continued their terrific defense, especially against three-point shooting. North Carolina was three of 16 from beyond the arc.
7. Brandon Knight was named MVP, but I voted for DeAndre Liggins. He played great defense on Friday, and hit the big three-pointer with 38 seconds left on Sunday.
8. North Carolina outrebounded UK 36-34, but the Heels had just 11 offensive rebounds to nine for UK. Both teams had 25 defensive rebounds.
9. After avenging losses to Vanderbilt, Florida, West Virginia and North Carolina, the Cats now can avenge that Maui loss to Connecticut.
10. Three UK players fouled out in the loss at North Carolina. In this game, North Carolina’s John Henson was in foul trouble the entire game and fouled out. He grabbed nine rebounds, but scored just four points.

Continue reading ‘Twenty quick thoughts on UK’s trip to the Final Four’

Full transcript of Kentucky’s press conference after 76-69 win over North Carolina in East final.

NCAA MEN’S REGIONALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS: NEWARK

THE MODERATOR: We are joined now by University of Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari and student-athletes Josh Harrellson, Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins.

COACH JOHN CALIPARI: The resiliency this team showed was unbelievable. It got late, they tied it up, and we didn’t back away. There were a couple of times I thought about calling time-outs and I did not want my guys to think that I didn’t believe in them. I wanted them to play through it. It was just a great fight, dogfight kind of game. And North Carolina does what they do and did not go away and made plays and tied it up. And it ends up being a great college basketball game.

Q. Brandon, it wasn’t at the last second like the two you hit earlier in the Tournament, but obviously the three with under 3:00 left proved to be the difference. How important was it? And how confident were you when you let it go?

BRANDON KNIGHT: I was confident. Like I said, me and my teammates are hard workers. We come early to practice to shoot. We stay after to shoot. But it wasn’t only me that made big shots. I think DeAndre hit the biggest shot of the game, you know, when we were up by one to put us up by four. It just shows how not only me, but the rest of our team can really make big-time shots.

Continue reading ‘Transcript of UK press conference from East final’