John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo)

Big Blue Links and Sunday lunchtime notes:

- Kentucky-North Carolina tips at 5:05 p.m. today. Kansas-VCU in San Antonio will tip at 2:20 p.m., followed by the Cats and Heels from Newark. CBS has both games. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson are the broadcast team here.

- No, I don’t know the refs yet for today’s game. They are normally announced not long before game starts. They aren’t announced in advance.

- Kentucky and North Carolina have both evolved since their December meeting in Chapel Hill. Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes, “It sounds like basketball blasphemy. A Kentucky-North Carolina game in which history is meaningless. But it’s true, at least in terms of recent history. When UK and UNC play here Sunday for the NCAA Tournament East Regional championship, the game the two college basketball titans played in December might as well have taken place in an alternate universe.”

- Kentucky had not beaten Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament before Friday night. The Cats have not beaten North Carolina in Elite Eight games, losing the previous two. Mark Story of the H-L writes, “The hexes keep going by the wayside. Bob Huggins had John Calipari’s number. Going into the NCAA Tournament meeting between Kentucky and West Virginia, the slate read Huggy 8, Cal 1. Then the scoreboard said Kentucky 71, West Virginia 63. The Ohio State University had Kentucky’s number. Five times the two schools had played under NCAA Tournament pressure, five times the Buckeyes won.Then the scoreboard said Kentucky 62, NCAA tourney No. 1 overall seed Ohio State 60.”

- My column is an ode to John Calipari, who after losing five first-round draft picks has Kentucky right back in the Elite Eight.

Continue reading ‘Lunchtime notes and links from sunny Newark’

North Carolina players Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall and John Henson talk Kentucky.

Continue reading ‘Videos: North Carolina players discuss Kentucky’

On the eve of the East Region final, here on Kentucky’s basketball stats using Excel spreadsheets.

• Click here for UK basketball game-by-game results in Excel using Google docs.
• Click here for UK basketball individual game-by-game stats in Excel using Google docs.
• Click here for UK basketball game-by-game offensive stats in Excel using Google docs.
• Click here for UK basketball game-by-game defensive stats in Excel using Google docs.

After losing close games early in the year, Kentucky is now winning those same close games. Through the loss at Arkansas, John Calipari’s club was 0-5 in games decided by one possession. One of those was the two-point loss at North Carolina. Since the Arkansas loss, however, the Cats have won three straight two-point games, including the 62-60 win over Ohio State last night.

Here are videos of Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, Josh Harrellson, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller from today’s press conferences in Newark.

Continue reading ‘Videos: Kentucky players talk about North Carolina’

The two-hour media opportunities for Kentucky and North Carolina have just been completed. In case you haven’t heard, the two teams knock heads Sunday at the Prudential Center for a Final Four ticket to Houston. We had one hour with each team. Video is on the way.

In the meantime, a few quick hitters:

- Kentucky’s Doron Lamb said he is coming back next year. “I’m not worried about leaving.”

- Josh Harrellson said he remembered that Tyler Zeller got him in foul trouble in the game between the two teams in Chapel Hill.

- John Calipari on why he gives Brandon Knight the last shot: “Because he’s not afraid to miss it.”

- Calipari on his team: “There was a time when I believed in them more than they believed in themselves.”

- Cal asked Terrence Jones, “We’re you three-for-18 in that (first) game?” Jones shook his head no. Cal said, “OK, three-for-17.” Jone was 3-for-17 in that 75-73 loss to the Heels.

Continue reading ‘Quick hitters from UK and UNC media opps in Newark’

Sunday’s game with North Carolina marks John Calipari’s fifth Elite Eight appearance in the past six years. Not too shabby. It will be his seventh regional final as a college coach. He was 1-1 at UMass, then 1-3 at Memphis. He lost last year’s East Region final to West Virginia, lost five players to the first round of the NBA draft, now is right back again.

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Click here for Herald-Leader photo gallery from Kentucky-Ohio State.

Big Blue Links and notes on a morning-after in Newark:

- Kentucky will play North Carolina at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday for a berth in the Final Four. It will be the third Elite Eight meeting between the two of the three winningest programs in college basketball history. North Carolina has won the two previous meetings, in 1977 and 1995. Kentucky recovered to win the national title each of the next two seasons.

- Today is press conference and player interview day at the Prudential Center. There are extended press conferences with coaches John Calipari and Roy Williams. There are also “break-out” interviews with individual players. Check the blog later today for video, notes, etc.

- Talk about a ridiculous stat, Kentucky’s 62-60 win last night over Ohio State sends John Calipari to his fifth Elite Eight appearance in the last six years. His Memphis team lost to UCLA 50-45 in the Elite Eight in 2006. It lost to Ohio State 92-76 in the Elite Eight in 2007. It beat Texas 85-66 to reach the Final Four in 2008. After a Sweet 16 finish in 2009 at Memphis, Cal got back to the Elite Eight last year with Kentucky.

- All that disparaging of the SEC all year and yet there are two league teams in the Elite Eight. No other conference can make that claim. The SEC (UK and Florida) has two teams. The Big East (UConn), ACC (North Carolina), Big 12 (Kansas), Pac-10 (Arizona), Colonial (VCU) and Horizon (Butler) each have one.

- From the Herald-Leader gang in Jersey:

• Brandon Knight’s big shot knocks off the Buckeyes, writes Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• The four seed was a force, says my column.
• ‘Dre came to play, writes Mark Story of the H-L.

Continue reading ‘Morning notes as Calipari reaches yet another Elite 8′

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Twenty quick thoughts — no time for questions — on Kentucky’s brilliant 62-60 win over Ohio State.

1. Kentucky won this game with its defense. The Cats held the Buckeyes to 32.8 percent shooting, OSU’s third-worst shooting game of the year. This was the same Ohio State team that was shooting 49.9 percent for the season.
2. Kentucky guarded the three-point shot well. The Buckeyes made 28 of 50 three-pointers in their first two games of the tournament. Ohio State was six of 16 against Kentucky.
3. Against George Mason, David Lighty made seven-of-seven three-pointers. Against UK, Lighty was one of four from beyond the arc.
4. In the post-game press conference, Josh Harellson, he of the 17 points and 10 rebounds, said he had gone up against the best centers in the country the past two years. He mentioned DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson last year, and Enes Kanter this year. Good point. Very good point.
5. Down the stretch, Ohio State’s Jon Diebler could not guard DeAndre Liggins, who continually beat him to the basket. Liggins scored four of Kentucky’s last six points.
6. Kentucky was the more athletic team. Key stat: The Cats blocked 11 Ohio State shots. Ohio State blocked one Kentucky shot.
7. After Calipari screamed at Brandon Knight, “You’re 0-for-12. Pass!!!!!”, Knight hit two big shots, including the game-winner with five seconds remaining.
8. First half, Ohio State made 12 of 15 free throws. Kentucky made four of four. Second half, Ohio State made four of seven free throws. Kentucky was eight of 10 at the line.
9. Jared Sullinger is very good. Ohio State’s freshman center scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. But he did have four turnovers, and blocked just one shot.
10. Charles Barkley said that Kentucky would win because of its depth. We all laughed at Sir Charles. But maybe he was right. UK’s bench outscored Ohio State’s bench 15-2.

Continue reading ‘Twenty quick thoughts on Kentucky’s win over Ohio State’