Kentucky Sports Radio

While talking to the media earlier today, Doron Lamb took issue with the fact that Bria Goss and Samarie Walker were saying that the guys couldn’t play the same type of intense defense that the girls are known for playing. In response, Doron stated that even if the ladies were spotted 20 points, the men would beat them by 100. I like that competitive spirit. Save chivalry for after we cut down the nets.

- The girls may talk a big game, but Coach Cal’s team has the stats to support their defense prowess. After the win against Tennessee, UK moved into first place in the nation in field goal percentage defense with opponents only making 36 percent of the shots they take. Wisconsin is second at 36.2 percent.

- If you’re looking for something to do while you count down the hours until tip off tomorrow, you can go get yourself pumped up by checking out the movie “Red Tails”. Coach Cal showed the guys the movie before they tipped off in Athens a couple weeks ago and he said that it had a big effect on the team. It has Bryan Cranston in it too. What’s not to love?

- Everybody in Knoxville is all in a huff with Kentucky envy. Not only did Jarnell Stokes say that losing so big made him hate UK more than he already did, but he also insisted that he would win in Rupp before he leaves college. On the football side of things, Derek Dooley told reporters that the loss to UK in football last season would be with him for the rest of his life. It’s good to be on top.

- Malcolm White is sitting out LSU’s game tomorrow for his flagrant foul on Anthony Davis. The guy made a punk play and deserves his punishment but I’m ready to forgive and forget. I can’t say that I have too much ill will toward him. Nobody likes getting their butt kicked at home.

- News broke today that Jon Hood plans to use a redshirt as he continues to rehab his ACL tear. I think this is great news for him and the team. Obviously John Calipari feels that he’ll be a contributor in the future or he wouldn’t have made the decision to keep him on an extra year. Hopefully Jon is able to come back better than ever and provide the play that fans have always hoped he’d bring.

- Coach Cal says that tickets are still available for the South Carolina game. Go get them Big Blue Nation. Remember what happened last time a top ranked UK team went into Columbia? Barack Obama better stay out of this.

- I’ll leave you with one parting thought: Bruce Ellington had a touchdown against UK in football. Does Ellington score more or less than six points against the basketball team? I’m going with less.

I’ll be hanging out with you all day tomorrow so rest up for a day that’s certain to be fun filled.

The newly minted #1 player in the class of 2012 has decided to give us all a look inside what has become the hottest recruiting story of the year, as Nerlens Noel has started a blog at ESPN.com. He goes through a little bit of info about each of the teams he’s considering and tells the world that he’d like to have a decision made on a school at some point around the McDonald’s All-American Game, which is March 28th. Here’s are some of Noel’s thoughts on some of the schools he’s most interested in:

With Syracuse I love the environment over there. It’s so live. I like the players there and I’ve built a great relationship with the coaching staff. With Kentucky, I really love the fan base. They’re crazy supportive, especially on Twitter. I’ve been building a solid relationship with the coaches there too.

Florida is one of the first schools that started recruiting me. I like the coaches and I like the school. Georgetown has a history that speaks for itself, and I just love their offense. They really do a great job with their big men.

North Carolina has a great history and a great coach in Roy Williams. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I like the school and I like what they do. They just came in with me recently.

Providence has been on me for a while. I just love what they’re doing there and I’ve got a great relationship with Ricky Ledo, he’s been recruiting me really hard to come there with him. UConn is another one of those schools that speaks for itself. They produce really strong big men, and I think a lot of coach Jim Calhoun and his staff. They really know how to develop their players.

He goes on to say that he would take a look at Duke, and although the blog says that he hasn’t heard from them in a little while, a report came out today in which Noel told ESPN’s Jason Jordan that Coach K actually talked to him last night and Duke is making a push for his services. He also mentions some of the players that have talked to him since he reclassified, including future Wildcat Archie Goodwin. However, Noel said that he and Goodwin didn’t talk about Kentucky, just about video games and the summer. Someone tell Archie to work on his recruiting pitch.

Noel also talks a little bit about his decision to reclassify and his hopes of still being able to play in the upcoming Jordan and McDonald’s games. It seems like the blog will be an interesting look inside what will be one of the most closely followed recruitments in recent memory, and definitely worth checking out. Noel said he’d check back in after his visit to Syracuse on February 11th, so plan on hearing some more from him around then.

[Nerlens' Notebook: Back to 2012]

The KSTV crew traveled down the Western Kentucky Parkway to Murray to see what Racer Nation was all about. This is Matt Jones’ report.

If you enjoy reading articles about the UK men’s basketball team, please visit my webpage at http://kybasketball.blogspot.com.  You can also follow my webpage on Twitter. My webpage has been around for several years and I update it several times per day so UK basketball fans have access to the best and most recent articles about the team.

Now, The Article Links-

Marquis Teague has been passing up shots and cutting his turnovers, transitioning from scoring leader to distributor to the delight of Calipari

Nerlens Noel says he really loves the UK fan base and has been building a solid relationship with their coaches

Syracuse may not have an available scholarship for Nerlens Noel

2012 recruit DeVonta Pollard is expected to take an official visit to Missouri this weekend

The person who originally sought and hired Tubby Smith and pushed for his extension is on his way out of power

Luke Winn consistently churns out the best numbers related power rankings on the Internet. I don’t know how big the market for such a thing is, but that baby-faced boy at SI has it cornered. For most of the season he has turned to the amazing defensive capabilities of this Kentucky team, but in his power ranking this week, he got offensive. The chart above shows the standard deviation of possession usage amongst the top teams in the country, specifically their top five and six players.

Now standard deviation is a measurement of how much variation there is from the average. So in this case, the average number of possessions that each player has per game is what we’re looking at. Kentucky is a freakish anomaly in this stat. Our highest usage (MKG 22.8 percent) and our lowest (Davis 18.4 percent) out of our top six players gives us a standard deviation of 1.88 percent. To put that in perspective, at this time last year UK had a standard deviation of 5.83 percent, which is even higher than Kansas over on the right. Now the farther you go down the bench, the wider the disparity between players come and while UK may not have the best standard deviation when seven and eight man rotations are considered, they’ve still proven that they have the best top six in the country.

Not only is UK one of the best defensive teams in the country, but they’re also one of the best offensive teams. This team plays with a level of sharing that I’ve never seen before, plus they’ve got the attitude necessary to keep it up well into March. It might have been up for debate earlier in the season, but let’s put it to bed now. UK is the best team in the country and deserves their number one ranking.

You keep shining, Luke Winn.

(AP photo/Ed Reinke)

Kentucky coach John Calipari was available to the media today in the Joe Craft Center in advance of the final team practice before heading off to South Carolina. He previewed the game against the Gamecocks tomorrow evening, and also talked a little about his own team and their development over the course of the season. Here are some notes on what he had to say, with my velvet touch:

– When asked where the fab freshmen currently stand and how they are progressing, Coach Calipari said “I think all four are doing great; getting better.” He used words like “attentive” and “focused” to describe Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer in practice.

– That focus surely a good thing, considering Doron Lamb admitted the team does a lot of goofing off on the road when coach isn’t around – he said it’s all in good fun. But there’s nothing wrong with a little team bonding, and Coach Calipari said it doesn’t bother him.

– Speaking of Doron Lamb, he had a reply to Bria Goss, Samari Walker and some of the other UK Hoops players who mentioned that they weren’t sure if the men could keep up with them. He wasn’t shy to say with a smile that the boys would “beat the girls’ team by a hundred points.” No respect for the Lady Cats!

– Calipari said of the team, “I don’t believe they have (hit a wall), but with this schedule of games coming up they could get hit in the mouth.” That’s a fair point, considering Kentucky has two games against Florida, two games against Vanderbilt, and a game on the road against Mississippi State all in the next eight.

– When asked about the exceptional defensive effort in the last three games, Calipari said one of the byproducts of good offense is a better-looking defense. “We’re grinding it out at the end, which gives that other team probably six less possessions, which is what we’re trying to do.”

– There’s no overlooking this game at South Carolina, “We approach every game the same,” Coach Calipari said, “We’re going on the road, it’s gonna be a hard game.” Everybody’s Super Bowl, right? Coach said South Carolina’s game Thursday night at Florida was a lot closer than the final score indicated, with the Gamecocks actually outscoring the Gators by one point in the second half.

– He noted this South Carolina team is different – much like the Cats – than the one that played in Rupp Arena in early January. “They’ve got two or three guys that are playing really well,” Calipari mentioned forward Anthony Gill, point guard Bruce Ellington, and leading scorer Malik Cooke as guys to watch out for.

– Plenty of respect was given to Darrin Horn, South Carolina’s head coach. Calipari agreed with what Horn said after the game in Lexington a month ago, that he has SEC-caliber players, they’re just young. “It’s a good program; it’s a great school; great facilities. It just takes time to get it going.” In all due respect, Coach, Darrin Horn is in his fourth year and holds a 59-54 record in Columbia with several pretty bad losses this season. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

– Calipari isn’t questioning Horn’s coaching ability, however. He seems to remember being No. 1 on the road and getting beat back in 2010.

– On where his team stands, Coach Calipari said “I’m not gonna tell you we’re behind but I’m certainly not gonna tell you we’re ahead.” Seems like he is alluding to plenty of room to get better?

– He went on to say, “We’re not quite there yet.” Yes, I think he just said the team can get better. I’m scared.

– On Jon Hood, Calipari said we shouldn’t expect to see him on the court this season. “I think he’s a ways away.” Sorry, Hood fans. You’re going to have to wait till next year.

– Michael Kidd-Gilchrist said people talking smack to him and the team is “funny, but that motivates us a lot.” Lesson: Keep the hate flowing, haters. It’s only making MKG and company stronger!

That’s a wrap. The Wildcats will take on South Carolina in Columbia at 6:00 on Saturday night. The Gamecocks are 1-6 in the SEC, and 1-4 in their last five games.

The game is on ESPN, which means everyone’s favorite Jimmy Dykes will be your analyst for the contest.

Go Cats, Boo Dykes!

Okay, Myron, we like you. You can stay.

Today during ESPN’s GameDay Preview chat, the Cats were a pretty popular topic (it’s like they’re the number one team in the country or something). To the chat wrap!

Andrew Smith:
With a month to go until tournament time, has Kentucky solidified itself as the best team in the country in your estimation? Or does Fab Melo’s reinstatement put Syracuse back at the top?

Eamonn Brennan:
Our colleague John Gasaway made the best-team-in-the-nation argument on behalf of Ohio State this week, and I find myself inclined to agree with him. The Buckeyes are torching Big Ten competition; their only two losses came when opponents played basically their best game of the season to beat them. Kentucky is very, very good, and by the end of the month I might think they’re the best team in the nation bar none, but right now I think Ohio State has a legitimate argument.

Comment From Mark B:
Andrew: SU’s strength is defense, especially with Melo back, but their non-transition-offense can look confused at times. I think Kentucky is the more balanced program right now. Unless the NCAA decides to play 7-on-7.

Myron Medcalf:
I think Kentucky is the best team in America. They’re destroying teams. And they have the best player in the country. Ohio State and Kentucky, however, are about to play the toughest portions of their conference schedules. I’m not sure what to expect yet. But I’d go Kentucky No.1, Ohio State No. 2 right now.

I kind of like this Myron Medcalf and the nice things he has to say. Look! He did his own ESPN chat on Wednesday, in which he said even nicer things about the Cats!

Lyin’ Eyes (Lexington, KY):
Myron, tell me my eyes aren’t decieving me… The Wildcats are looking real good. This team has to have the most swag in the nation, right?

Myron Medcalf: Crazy swag. Still my pick to win it all. Anthony Davis gets better every week. Not sure I’ve watched a freshman develop in-season the way that he has. He changes the game in so many ways. My comparison is Randy Moss’ rookie season. Opponents didn’t know what to do with him. No answers. Kentucky is America’s best right now ….. But …. They get the varsity portion of their SEC slate in the next month.

Jordan (Russell Springs , KY):
Who’s your Final Four picks and National Champion?

Myron Medcalf: Man, way too early to lock anything in. But if I had to pick … Ohio State, Syracuse (if Melo returns), Kentucky, Kansas. I pick Kentucky to win it all.

I’ll take it.

During his time with the media today, Cal announced that Jon Hood will redshirt this season as he continues to recover from his knee injury. The news is hardly surprising, but Cal said that while Hood is improving, “I don’t think he’ll play this year. Not at this late a date.”

Know what that means? More time for office chair basketball!

Radio Ron is on his way! Our favorite human being on the planet is being flown to Charlotte by NBC to try out for America’s Got Talent! He could be singing on national TV!

I guarantee you he’ll be a finalist.

Notes…

— Kentucky and South Carolina will tip off at 6:00 ET tomorrow night on ESPN.  Calipari is meeting with the media at about 2:30 this afternoon to go over South Carolina and what he expect from his guys. Stuart “Velvet” Hammer will be in attendance and he’ll report back here immediately afterwards. Just sit tight.

— Nerlens Noel is taking his official visit to Syracuse when the Orange host UConn in the Carrier Dome on February 11. However, Jim Boeheim might not have a scholarship available for the No. 1 player in America. Syracuse already has a loaded frontcourt next season with juniors Fab Melo and Baye Moussa Keita, sophomore, Rakeem Christmas, and two incoming freshmen in DaJuan Coleman and Jerami Grant. Noel would likely need Fab Melo to go pro – which is pretty unlikely at this point – to free up a scholarship.

— Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan is the real deal. If you’re not a fan yet, become one now. And, don’t worry, it’s not bandwagon to like Murray State now, as long as you live in the Bluegrass. But there is a one slice minimum from Matt B’s Pizza in order to be considered a true fan.

— Part 2 of CoachCal.com’s behind the scenes look at the LSU road trip is online. Follow the guys from team breakfast at The Renaissance Hotel through shootaround and on to the postgame speech in the locker room. It’s a very interesting video and with a lot of exclusive material. Check ‘er out.

— Cliff-diving, Occupy Movements and Cuddling with Behanan: The Story of Rupp’s Favorite Duo, only at KSRCollege.com.

— On today’s radio show, Matt (fresh off his road trip to Murray) and Ryan discussed Calipari’s Dream Team among other hop topics from around #BBN. Have a listen after the jump.

(more…)

Number of quarters: 4

Touchdown points: 6

Field Goal Points: 3

Minutes of the Game’s Duration: 60

Time of Kickoff: 6:30 pm

Seats at Lucas Oil Stadium: 68,000

Score When the Giants Played the Pats in the Super Bowl XLII : 17-14

Money Spent by Plaxico Burress on Strippers after Super Bowl XLII: $32,000

Times Tom Brady Exfoliates Before a Game: 4

References made to Eli Manning as Peyton’s Brother in 2008: 62

References made to Eli Manning as Peyton’s Brother in 2012 (projected): 2

Times NBC Will Plug the Upcoming Series Smash: 37

Times You Will Care: 1

Price of a 30-second Ad Spot During the Game: $4,000,000

Ads Which Will Feature a Dumb Guy and his Hot Girlfriend: 12

Ads Which Will Feature a Monkey: 3

Ads Which Will Pair a Luxury Car with a Classic Rock Tune: 7

Feet Which E-Trade Has Driven the “Talking Baby” Ad Campaign Into the Ground: 28

Times Teddy Bruschi Will Be Mentioned: 11

Times MIchael Strahan Will Laugh Boisterously: 18

Ratio of Cellulite to Arm Muscle (RB Ahmad Bradshaw): 2:1

Ratio of Cellulite to Arm Muscle (Madonna): 28:1

Men Who Will Actually Care About Madonna’s Halftime Show: 3,019

Women Who Will Loudly “Evaluate” Madonna the Entire Time She’s Performing: 1,300,000

Times You’ve Wished You Had Tom Brady’s Life: 432

Times Tom Brady Has Wished He Had Your Life: 0

“XLVI’” Meaning for Non-Roman Speakers: 46

“にじゅうさん” Meaning for Non-Japanese Speakers: 23

Percentage of Difficulty Increase in Bill O’Brien’s Life When He Leaves the Patriots to Coach Penn State: 89%

People Who Actually Think If They Go Online to See “The Rest Of” a GoDaddy.com Ad, They’ll Get To See Danica Patrick Naked: 14

NBC Stars Who Will Get Great Seats Just So the Network Can Show Them and Plug New Shows: 7-10

Estimated Number of Minutes the Coin Toss Buildup Will Take: 14

Sweatshirt Sleeves in a Box in Bill Belichick’s Garage: 308

Men and a Baby: 3

Weeks: 9.5

B: 52s

Beverly Hills: 90210

We are now in the midst of John Calipari’s 3rd season as the coach of the University of Kentucky. Over the next few months, we’ll see whether he will finally be able to do what he’s being paid to do: Win an NCAA Championship. The stakes are high, but so are the pressure and expectations. Will the team flame out of the 2012 NCAA Tournament the way it did the prior two years? Will it suffer (almost) double-digit losses like it did last year? Will Coach Cal once again produce fewer NCAA Championships than first round draft picks? (h/t: Rick Bozich.) Stay tuned. In the meantime, to stay apprised and educated, follow me on Twitter @NotJerryTipton. Here’s the weekly notebook:

*Aw Naw: Earlier this season, UK beat Tennessee, 65-62. This does not bode well for Kentucky. Advancing in the NCAA Tournament will surely require the Cats to beat teams far more talented than the Vols, and if they have any aspirations of winning the national championship that their fans are so vocally demanding, they need to prove they can handle ostensibly inferior teams with ease. However, if all they can muster against a bottom-feeder like Tennessee is a meager 3 point victory, this suggests they are not national championship material. In other words, if UK enters the postseason playing the way it played against the Vols, their NCAA Tournament run is sure to be a short one.

*Headz Up: Earlier this week, UK beat Tennessee, 69-44. This does not bode well for Kentucky. Advancing in the NCAA Tournament will surely require the Cats to win at least a couple of close, hard-fought victories, and if they have any aspirations of winning the national championship that their fans are so vocally demanding, it is imperative that they have experience winning contests that require execution in late-game situations. Against Tennessee, Kentucky made its first 11 shots, and the game was never even remotely in doubt. If UK keeps beating teams by 25 points, they will have no idea what to do in March. In other words, if UK enters the postseason playing the way it played against the Vols, their NCAA Tournament run is sure to be a short one.

*Dime, Quarter, Nickel, Penny: In UK’s win over Alabama, the Cats had 6 players in double figures. This does not bode well for Kentucky. Advancing in the NCAA Tournament will surely require the Cats to find a go-to scorer that can be counted on to hit shots and make plays in crunchtime. However, if the scoring load is being distributed evenly like this among several different players, the team will not know whose number to call in the late stages of hotly contested postseason contest. Moreover, turmoil will undoubtedly surface if none of Kentucky’s players — all of whom were stars in high school and expect to have the ball in their hands — are getting the opportunity to post the big numbers that their families, friend and hangers-on — not to mention the NBA scouts they are trying so desperately to impress — expect. The bottom is line is that championships are won by superstars, not by timidly deferring to one’s teammates. In other words, if UK enters the postseason without a true go-to scorer, their NCAA Tournament run is sure to be a short one.

*Start It Over: In UK’s win over LSU, Terrence Jones led the way with 27 points and 9 rebounds. This does not bode well for Kentucky. Advancing in the NCAA Tournament will surely require the Cats to evenly distribute the scoring among several teammates, and depending on just one guy to do all the heavy lifting is a surefire recipe for disaster. What if Jones has an off night, gets in foul trouble, or gets injured? Nobody will be there to pick up the slack. Moreover, turmoil will undoubtedly surface if one of Kentucky’s players — who supposedly came to Lexington to win championships rather than collect personal accolades — is the only one getting the opportunity to post big numbers. The bottom is line is that championships are won by teams, not by one player selfishly taking all the shots and basking in all the glory. In other words, if UK enters the postseason relying on just one guy to be a go-to scorer, their NCAA Tournament run is sure to be a short one.

* On this date: On this date in 1932, Kentucky beat Vanderbilt 61-37. That Vanderbilt squad is best known for being the predecessor to the Vandy team that beat UK by 41 points in 2008.

Click to enlarge

I am blown away by these two photos submitted by a KSR reader.

The photos are of an NBA scout’s iPhone notes, taken in Rupp Arena during Kentucky’s game against Tennessee. As you can see in the photo above, the scout works for the Orlando Magic.

Although there’s nothing really groundbreaking or newsworthy to see in the photos, it’s amazing that a fan sitting behind the NBA scout could capture such a clear picture of his cell phone.

The photographer told me there were also a lot of notes on Teague but they couldn’t grab a photo. According to the photographer, “the scout basically said Teague was very fast, not afraid to push the ball, had a good eye for the open man on the fast break, but sometimes his quickness makes him get out of control.  The scout also pointed out that he is not a natural shooter who forces it sometimes.  Everything about MKG was about his athleticism.  Said Wiltjer has a good stroke, but is weak and not fast enough for this level yet, labeled him a ‘role player.’”

I don’t know if I should be creeped out by the unbelievable spying ability or impressed by the camerawork and dedication.

Pretty cool, right?

Tennessee’s Jarnell Stokes met with the Knoxville media yesterday to discuss his upcoming game against Georgia, but the young freshman who doesn’t know how to stretch still has his mind on the Cats.

“It definitely made me more hungry. I definitely wanted to win. If anything, I want to win at Rupp Arena. I plan on winning, before I leave, at Rupp Arena. I’m saying that on the record right now. It made me more hungry and made me dislike Kentucky more.”

Yeah, and I plan on starting at center for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Just move along, young fella. Some things are just out of your reach.

It was a late one for Matt Jones last night so be easy on him through the first hour. If my calculations are correct, he probably got home from Murray at about 4:00 am.

I’m sure he has lots of stories to tell from the trip, and he’ll have Ryan Lemond on hand to chime in.

Give us a call at (502) 571-1080 or send a text to the TEXTING MACHINE — it’s back! — at (317) 385-5148.

Today’s topics include:

– A recap of the Murray experience

– Looking ahead to South Carolina

– More about Nerlens Noel

– Hopefully nothing about pizza

The KSR radio widget is still down. I think it’s dead. You can still listen here through iHeartRadio.