John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

• UK meets Vandy challenge with 69-63 win, reports Jerry Tipton of H-L.
• Kentucky earns an impressive win, says my game column.
• UK passes huge road test, reports Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal.
• UK basketball looking all but unbeatable, says C-J’s Eric Crawford.
• Young Cats ready for road to title, says David Climer of Tennessean.
• Cats don’t back down from ‘Dores, reports Jeff Lockridge of Tennessean.
• Teague is a pit bull of a point guard, writes Matt May of Cats Pause.
• UK clinches six-point win over Vandy, writes Aaron Smith of Kernel.
• Cats show they can take a punch and win, says Larry Vaught of A-M.
• UK beginning to love the road, reports Guy Ramsey of Cat Scratches.
• Cats withstand Memorial Magic, reports Brett Dawson of Cats Illustrated.
• Kentucky cuts short Vandy rally, writes Jon Hale of KyForward.
• UK wins its 17th straight, reports Teresa Walker of AP.
• Vandy’s rally fades in the end, writes Jerome Boettcher of City Paper.

Kentucky players Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb after UK’s win at Vanderbilt.

Kentucky coach John Calipari talks to the media after his team’s 69-63 win at Vanderbilt.

(AP photo/Mark Humphrey)

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• Tennessean: Commodores want to go around UK’s block
• Nashville City Paper: Vanderbilt has beaten No. 1 teams before
• Anchor of Gold: Breaking down the Cats and the Commodores
• ESPN Stats: Vanderbilt has long shot to upset Kentucky
• Jerry Tipton: Vandy represents unique challenges
• Jerry Tipton: Calipari asks UK fans not to ruin Vandy’s GameDay
• Kyle Tucker: UK girding its loins for Vandy’s crazy gym
• Brett Dawson: Kentucky ready for Vanderbilt’s Memorial Magic
• Aaron Smith: Marquis Teague in charge of managing team in unique set-up

(AP photo)

Some late night notes:

- According to Evan Daniels, John Calipari and Orlando Antigua are watching Class of 2014 star Jalen Lindsay tonight.

- Count Paul Jordan of Wildcat Blue Nation as a dissenter in this “Occupy Memorial” movement. Jordan tweeted “Sorry. It not a fan of the #OccupyMemorial crap. Didn’t we get all over Indiana fans for acting like this. Stay classy bbn”

Cameron Mills, the ex-Cat, must agree. He re-tweeted Jordan’s tweet.

So do I. How would Kentucky have reacted if Florida football fans decided to try and overtake UK’s appearance on College Football GameDay a few years back? UK fans will get a kick out of taking over GameDay, but somehow I don’t think it’s going to play so well with the rest of the country. Take Calipari’s advice today.

If you want to wreck Vanderbilt’s GameDay, win the game. And I think UK will do just that, by 77-70.

Continue reading ‘Some late night notes on the eve of UK-Vanderbilt’

(H-L photo/Jonathan Palmer)

Time for the evening news:

Over at CBS Sports, our friend Gary Parrish guarantees Vanderbilt will beat UK:

 Guaranteed to be an upset: I think Kentucky has the nation’s best roster, is the nation’s best team and will win the national championship. Unless Anthony Davis’ arms shrink before Selection Sunday, I’m picking the Wildcats to win it all. Write it down in blood. But John Calipari’s team is going to lose Saturday night at Vanderbilt just like I watched Billy Donovan’s second national championship team at Florida once lose at Vanderbilt. I don’t know how it’s going to happen or why, but it’s going to happen. And then this Kentucky team is never going to lose again. You can write that down in blood too.

At SI.com, Seth Davis presents an opposing view, picking UK to beat Vanderbilt:

This is the first of three remaining road tests for Kentucky (Mississippi State and Florida are the others), but I think the Wildcats will pass it. Vandy loves to play outside-in, but Anthony Davis’s shot-blocking prowess enables his teammates to be aggressive when they close out on three-point shooters. Plus, Commodores point guard Brad Tinsley is no match for UK freshman Marquis Teague.

At Grantland, Mark Titus has UK No. 1 in his power rankings and gives tips on how to beat the Cats:

Even though they are the most athletic team in America, most of Kentucky’s players have only 20-something collegiate games under their belts. This is why teams should make the Wildcats think and react on defense by setting screens and having a ton of movement off the ball instead of setting ball screens and then trying to beat their athletes one-on-one while the rest of the guys just stand by the sidelines.

Continue reading ‘One guarantees a Vandy win, another picks UK’

Before Friday’s practice, John Calipari talked about breakfast in bed for his birthday, Vanderbilt, John Jenkins possibly going “12-for-12″ from three, and the apparent plot by some UK fans to disrupt Vanderbilt’s GameDay.

With the much-discussed bench situation at Vanderbilt, Terrence Jones said today he actually welcomes in-game instruction from head coach and wily veteran  John Calipari.

“He’s getting old, look at him,” said Jones of his head coach, who turns 53 today. “He’s experienced.”

Asked if the team would sing “Happy Birthday” to the coach — Alan Cutler asked — Jones said he hoped so, and that, “Hopefully we can get some birthday hits.” (He was joking.)

Jones also identified the No. 1 reason behind the Cats’ rise to the No. 1 ranking.

“Team defense is really what’s been getting us through everything right now,” he said, adding that, yes, the blocked shots are an important strategic maneuver. “We want to be aggressive and force teams to drive into difficult shots.”

“Difficult shots” meaning Anthony Davis.

Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins scored 32 points last year when the Commodores beat UK at Memorial Gym. But he has one fan on the Kentucky team in UK senior Darius Miller.

The two played together on a USA team this summer. Miller said before Friday’s practice that the two stay in touch. “I’m still pretty good friends with him,” said the UK forward, adding that with Jenkins knock-down shooting ability he was an easy player to set up for the shot and was a good teammate.

As for playing at Vanderbilt, Miller said the bench configurations make the place unusual, but for UK going on the road is always a different experience. “It’s normally a great atmosphere, and fun to play in, especially when you’re doing good.”

Miller said Vanderbilt plays well at home, but that hasn’t always been the case this year. The Commodores are 11-4 at home, with losses to Cleveland State, Indiana State, Xavier and Mississippi State.