SYRACUSE, N.Y. – As the season zoomed along unlike many we’ve seen in recent memory, it became increasingly more evident that it was going to take a unique set of circumstances to derail this juggernaut of a Kentucky basketball team.
On a chilly Saturday night in Upstate New York, we saw just about all of them.
Poor free throw shooting (16 of 29). Check.
Hideous 3-point shooting (4 of 32). Check.
The emotions of UK’s freshmen running too high, leading to lapses in focus. Check.
An opponent getting hot. The noted bricklayers from West Virginia threw in 10 -- count 'em, 10 -- 3-pointers. Check.
An individual opponent playing above his head. Backup Mountaineer point guard Joel Mazzula averages 2.6 points per game this season. He scored 1 or 0 in 13 WVU games. All he does is go for 17 against the Cats, including his first 3-pointer of the year. Checkmate.
We've seen bits and pieces of the checklist all season long, but never on the same night. This was Murphy's Law on steriods. If even one or two of those things don't happen here Saturday, who knows what we might be talking about now. All things considered, it's amazing that the scoreboard read WEST VIRGINIA 73, KENTUCKY 66 when the curtain fell on the Cats' brilliant yet unfinished 35-3 season.
The bitter defeat was the latest in a string of Elite Eight nightmares for the Big Blue Nation. When you look back at UK's previous three opportunities to advance to the Final Four, it's remarkable what the Cats have endured:
* 1999 -- In search of a remarkable fourth straight trip to the Final Four, UK gets off to a tremendous start against Michigan State, but the infamous "ball-line defense" allows nondescript Spartan spot-up agent A.J. Granger to get three wide-open looks from the arc to get Tom Izzo's club back in the game. Granger, who averaged only 6.6 points per game during the 1998-99 season, scores 14 against the Cats. Fittingly, the same final score as Saturday's game: 73-66.
* 2003 -- UK was a joy to watch during this particular season. Few teams in the history of the program had as much chemistry as this bunch. But the No. 1 overall seed in the tourney somehow gets shipped to Minneapolis to face both neighboring Wisconsin and Marquette in the regional. The sluggfest against the physical Badgers costs UK star Keith Bogans a sprained ankle, which would prove costly in the next game as Dwyane Wade -- before he had blossomed into NBA star D-Wade -- posts a triple-double (29-11-11) in an 83-69 upset. Even so, Wade's incredible performance alone would not have been enough to down the Cats, but the Golden Eagles also got 24 points and 15 boards from center Robert Jackson and five 3-pointers from forward Steve Novak. Toss in a controversial Karl Hess charging call versus Antwain Barbour as the Cats were mounting a furious comeback, and you had the "perfect storm."
* 2005 -- The uncanny Izzo was back at it again, finding a way to make it to the Final Four against the odds. This time, it took two overtimes to do the trick, and it may have been the cruelest of the Elite Eight defeats. UK led 79-75 with under a minute to go in the first OT, but Michigan State had a possession in which it missed three 3-pointers and a free throw, but grabbed four offensive rebounds, and eventually got a trey from Shannon Brown to pull within one and gain new life. Brown, a 28 percent shooter from behind the arc on the season, made five of six on that day in Austin, Texas.
The 3-point shot is a common thread in the last four losses. UK has seen opponents shoot an eye-popping 47 percent (37 of 78) in its last four regional finals.
But those are just the most recent examples. Elite Eight misfortune has followed the Cats over the years. Look at 1995: the Rasheed Wallace choking incident and UNC baiting Rick Pitino's squad into jacking up one 3 after another. Or 1992: the Laettner Shot. Or 1986: Having to face SEC rival LSU a fourth time in the regional final after defeating the Tigers three times already that season.
One of these days, the Cats will break through again. Be sure to savor it when it happens. Who knows when the next Elite Eight heartbreak will be looming.
I think we'll come out too overhyped and they'll be a little tight. I expect the first four minutes of the game to feature a lot of missed shots. Something similar to the UNC game when we started off in the 9-2 hole. Prolly a pretty ugly score at the first TV timeout. Something along the lines of 8-4.
Eventually we'll ease up and settle in. A big run midway through the first half that is stemmed somewhat by some late first half three point shooting by the Cards. Prolly have about a 7 point lead at halftime, with everyone disappointed because it could have been more.
Louisville will come out for the second half with their hair on fire, but we'll match them and turn them back. Then we'll pull away, but they will be able to hit some timely shots and/or we'll have just enough dumbass turnovers that we never really blow them out. Ultimately finishing them off from the FT line as they're just out of gas.
The UofL game plan will be to deny the inbounds pass to John Wall. If he catches it, IMO they'll back off their press. If another ball handler gets it, they'll trap. I could see them trapping guys like Bledsoe, Dodson, Miller and Harris in the half court as well if they get the ball out on the perimeter about 25 feet from the basket near the out of bounds line.
Inside DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton will be aggressively double teamed. You gotta believe that Pitino thinks they can force turnovers or offensive fouls with this. Look for some early flops as soon as Cousins makes a post move. Priority one for the UofL post defense will just be to get Cousins on the bench with foul trouble. He can't hurt you if he's wearing a warmup sucking on Gatorade.
As far as Patterson on the interior, I think they'll double him, but only after he commits to making a move/shot. I don't think the trap will be immediate, because he's smart enough and strong enough to find the open shooter. Plus he's not gonna panic or commit a silly foul.
On our side of the ledger you gotta think that we actually want to push the pace. Their big men don't run the floor nearly as well as ours and John Wall is a one man fast break. My biggest concern in an up and down game will be our ability or inability to locate their shooters in transition. IMO that's why we saw Harris get the start last game. He knows where to be on defense. If they're getting open perimeter jumpers in transition, look for Harris to log serious minutes.
We definitely need to get into Sosa's head. Everyone on the planet Earth knows Wall is the better player, but that won't keep Sosa from trying a little anything you can do I can do better BS. He starts jacking up tons of shots and trying to emulate or show up John Wall and it could get ugly. The atmosphere will be insane. They'll hit some shots. We're way more talented. In the end talent wins out. My prediction 77-64 Cats. I'll hang up and listen to your response. Go Cats.
WINDSOR, Ontario -- Kentucky emerged victorious again Monday after the second game of its Canadian exhibition tour, rolling to a 96-68 win over Western Ontario. Freshman Doron Lamb (pictured above) led the Cats with 24 points. See more of the action in this Kentucky Ink photo gallery.
A great deal of debate has ensued among Kentucky basketball fans regarding who should be considered the Wildcats' MVP this season, sensational freshman point guard John Wall or sensational freshman big man DeMarcus Cousins.
That one's a tough call. You really can't go wrong with either choice. I like to hedge a little bit and say Cousins is the team's best player, but Wall is its most indispensable. You might even throw Patrick Patterson into the discussion on a given day, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one we're talking about more when March Madness comes around.
But another player is forcing his way into the conversation, and it's someone who many UK fans didn't even expect to be playing for John Calipari this season.
DeAndre Liggins.
Before anyone scoffs too hard, those aren't just my words. Listen to the Big Blue boss.
"He's as valuable to our team right now as anybody," Calipari said in the aftermath of Saturday's 73-62 win over Tennessee, a game which saw Liggins contribute seven points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot in just the things that the statisticians were able to track. His contribution went well beyond those numbers, including suffocating man-to-man defense and a floorburn-inducing dive for a loose ball that gave the Cats possession of the ball with under five mintues to go and seemed to break the Vols' spirit.
After calling timeout from the floor, Liggins peeled himself off the hardwood and was in the process of jogging back to the UK bench as the crowd roared with approval. He barely made it to midcourt, though, when he was met by his coach for a rousing celebratory chest-bump.
"I did that to let the other guys know that means more to me than you making a shot or some fabulous highlight play," Calipari said. "That's the play that wins games."
"I was shocked," Liggins said of the chest-bump. "I didn't know he had that emotion him him... to come out and chest-bump me like he was a player. It was kind of cool."
Calipari has taken to saying there's no such thing as a 50/50 ball when it comes to Liggins, noting his propensity for reeling in the loose ball time and time again. "He plays hard, he adds energy to the game."
Not bad when you consider this is a player many fans didn't even expect to survive Calipari's roster cuts when he arrived in Lexington, much less be playing 28 minutes against the rival Volunteers in a hotly-contested February SEC showdown. In the last five SEC games, the sophomore swingman has played 25 mintues or more three times, has averaged 7.2 points and 5.6 rebounds, has hit six of his 10 3-point attempts, and has recorded at least one steal per game.
Remember, Liggins didn't even play in UK's first nine games this season. Some even speculated that, after already suffering a year in Billy Gillispie's proverbial doghouse, the Chicago native might transfer during the holiday break, a notion that he says never crossed his mind, but was certainly a fair question given the circumstances. Liggins' uniform didn't even need washing until December 12, and probably not even then after his almost trivial minute of action in a blowout at Indiana.
"It's all paying off," Liggins said. "I waited patiently, I was humble, I was positive."
What a remarkable turnaround it has been.
So while MVP may sound a little silly when the Cats arguably have two national player of the year candidates, perhaps we can find another designation for Liggins.
Comeback Player of the Year.
Usually, that one's handed out in professional sports for a player who bounces back from an injury to have a big season. In Liggins' case, it's much more literal. The fact that he's back at all and playing at this level is one of the best stories of a fantastic 24-1 season.
"I just want to get better every day and stay humble," Liggins said. "... I still have a lot of things to work on, but I'm willing to work."
That approach, Calipari says, is going to lead to Liggins living up to his billing as a four-star prospect coming out of high school. "He's becoming a real high-profile prospect. Everybody that's evaluated my team, DeAndre is now being talked about. You got people who absolutely love him."
In college football recruiting, it's never too early to begin thinking about next year's class, even on the day you're proudly unveiling your new group of signees.
That was one of Joker Phillips' messages on Wednesday as he continued to outline keys to his "Operation Win" campaign. As pleased as he was with his first class as UK's new boss, Phillips is already thinking ahead to higher goals for 2011.
