Kentucky at Georgia Game Preview

--Derrick Johnson

February 2, 2008

CBS-TV 1:00PM

Kentucky rides a two-game winning streak, the 2nd longest in the SEC, into Athens for a 1:00 tip-off with the Georgia Bulldogs. The Cats beat Tennessee and South Carolina at home last week and have had the week off to prepare for Georgia. The rest is by all accounts much needed for the beaten up Wildcats, who have had several key injuries during the season. The latest being to senior Joe Crawford's ankle. Crawford has been struggling with a foot ailment but also sprained his ankle in the Tennessee win. He did not play in the South Carolina game and is still questionable for the Georgia game. The rest of the team seems to be getting healthy as we enter February. Derrick Jasper's knee is getting stronger everyday and he is constantly gaining more confidence in it on the court. Jodie Meeks played 38 minutes in the USC game and scored 13 points, proving he is as healthy as he has been since the start of the season.

Georgia has suffered from the loss of key players this year also, but their's have been of the non-injury type. Their top two scorers from last season, Takais Brown and Mike Mercer were both suspended before the season began and were later kicked off the team. Guard Billy Humphrey has also missed a game this season due to suspension. The Dogs are also coming off of a game against South Carolina in which they lost 62-56 in Columbia on Wednesday night. Coach Dennis Felton is 4-6 against UK. His most memorable win for Kentucky fans would probably be when he brought his Western Kentucky team led by Patrick Sparks into Rupp and beat Kentucky in the season opener. Overall, Kentucky owns the series record 107-22. The Cats are 29-14 in Stegeman Coliseum but lost there last season in overtime, 78-69. This season, Georgia is 10-0 at home and Kentucky is 0-4 on the road.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS (11-7, 2-3)

Georgia is led in scoring by junior guard Billy Humphrey. Humphrey averages 13.6 points a game. He is the greatest threat on the team from the 3-point line, shooting 37% on the season from outside the arc. Senior guard Sundiata Gaines is the undisputed leader of the team. Gaines is the point guard and averages 4 assists a game but also contributes 12.9 points and 6 rebounds per game. He only scored 7 against USC on Wednesday but lit UT up for 20 in the game before that. He can put the ball in the basket and will be the primary target of the Kentucky defenders. Georgia averages 69.5 points a game and gives up 65.5. KEY WINS: Wake Forest, Georgia Tech. KEY LOSSES: East Tennessee St, Tulane.

STATISTICS (SEC rank in parenthesis)

Rebounds – 38.3 (3rd)
Assists – 11.8 (12th)
Turnovers – 15.9 (9th)
Steals – 7.8 (3rd)
Blocks – 3.7 (8th)
Field Goal % - 44% (11th)
Free Throw % - 68% (7th)
3-Point % - 32% (11th)

KENTUCKY WILDCATS (9-9, 3-2)

Kentucky finds itself having won back to back games for the first time since November as they enter Athens on Saturday. The Cats come into the game averaging 72.4 points a game and giving up 67.1 a game. As it's been all season, freshman Patrick Patterson leads the team in points (17.1 ppg) and rebounds (8.1rpg). Senior Ramel Bradley averages 16.7 and is coming off of his best game as a Wildcat, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against South Carolina. He also leads the SEC in free throw percentage, shooting 87% from the charity stripe. His running mate, senior Joe Crawford's status is still uncertain as of Thursday afternoon but if Crawford is able to go, it would provide a big lift in scoring as he averages 16 points a game. Sophomore Jodie Meeks is starting to perform like he did a year ago after recovering from a couple of different injuries early in the season. He averages 10.1 points a game and provided Kentucky with a great lift against USC when Crawford couldn't play. KEY WINS: Vanderbilt, Tennessee. KEY LOSSES: Gardner-Webb, San Diego

STATISTICS (SEC rank in parenthesis)

Rebounds – 35.3 (9th)
Assists – 13.7 (8th)
Turnovers – 16.7 (12th)
Steals – 7.4 (6th)
Blocks – 4.7 (4th)
Field Goal % - 47% (5th)
Free Throw % - 77% (1st)
3-Point % - 36% (5th)

KEYS TO THE GAME

TURNOVERS!! As with any game this season and ever, if you hang on to the ball and get good possessions, you will have an excellent chance of winning. UK is last in the conference in turnovers while Georgia is 9th. It's safe to say that this may be an ugly game with a lot of giveaways at both ends. Whoever can hang on to the ball the most and force their opponent into silly turnovers will win.

CONTINUE TO CRASH THE BOARDS!! Kentucky has done well the past two games crashing the offensive, and more importantly, defensive glass. They out-rebounded Tennessee by 8 and USC by 7. Clearly, if the Cats can again grab more loose balls than the Dogs, they will have a great chance of leaving Georgia with a victory.

WILL JOE CRAWFORD PLAY? Regardless of whether Joe C plays, Kentucky must plan as if he will not be in the lineup on Saturday. Against South Carolina, Jodie Meeks stepped in and played well for Crawford. If Crawford doesn't play, which I think he will not, Meeks will get a lot of minutes again. The minutes didn't seem to bother him last Saturday and I don't expect any change this Saturday. Jodie is slowly regaining his shooting touch and is beginning to look for his shot more. I see him having a big game against Georgia whether Crawford plays or not.

A Look Back: Tony Delk

--Derrick Johnson

Today marks the 34th birthday of one of the great players at Kentucky, #00, Tony Delk. TD was a highly sought after guard coming out of Brownsville, Tennessee's Haywood High School. Delk was a Parade All-American, a McDonald's All-American, and was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Tennessee's Class AAA in 1992.

Delk committed to play for Kentucky and head coach Rick Pitino and showed up on campus in the fall of 1992. As a freshman, he averaged 4.5 points a game but played in 30 games during the season. During his sophomore season, TD began to show signs of things to come. He played in all 34 games including wins in the Maui Invitational and the SEC Tournament games. Delk was named to the All-SEC Tournament team, averaging 19 points in the three games, and to the 2nd Team All-SEC. The Cats earned a #3 seed that season but lost to Marquette in the 2nd round.

Throughout his junior year, Delk led the Cats in scoring average, scoring 16.7 points a game. He shot 48% from the field on the season and 39% from 3-point range. The Cats again won the SEC Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed. Delk was named to the 1st Team All SEC and the All-Southeast Region team in the tournament despite the Cats Elite Eight loss to North Carolina.

Tony Delk's final season at Kentucky was a very special year. That team is considered by many as one of the greatest teams in NCAA history. They lost two games on the year and went undefeated in SEC regular season play. Delk was the #1 scorer on the team, which featured future NBA players Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Derek Anderson, Ron Mercer, and Mark Pope. Delk averaged 17.75 points a game on his way to being named SEC Player of the Year. As a #1 seed, the Cats rolled into the Final Four where they met up with Massachusetts, one of the two teams who had defeated the Cats that year. The Cats beat the Minutemen 81-74 behind Delk's 20 points. In the NCAA Championship game, Delk scored 24 points including a game changing 4-point play in the 2nd half. He made a total of 7 3-pointers in the game and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

He ended his career at Kentucky with 1890 points, putting him 5th all-time on the UK scoring list. He also holds the record for most 3-pointers in a career, making 283 in his career and is 2nd in steals, swiping 201 in his career. He left Kentucky averaging 14.2 points per game, shooting 47% from the field for his career, including 40% from 3-point range. His career high points was 31 against Arkansas in 1995. He holds the UK record for most 3-point field goals in a game, making 9 on 1-20-96 against TCU (I saw him do it, my first UK game at Rupp, I'll never forget it).

TD was drafted 16th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He played a total of 13 seasons in the league, playing for eight different teams. He scored a career high 53 points in 2001 for the Suns against the Kings. He finished his career with averages of 9.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, and 1.9 apg. He announced his retirement from professional basketball in November 2007.

RECRUITING NEWS: CLASS OF 09

Hello out there!

I know everyone is pumped about 08 signing day coming in less than two weeks. But for those who are tired of the same non-updates about Aaron Boyd can take solice in this fact:

WE HAVE 09 RECRUITING NEWS!

I talked to two 09 recruits over the weekend, Mister Cobble and Ridge Wilson. Both have interesting news. It'll be on the website for this blog, www.catszone.net VERY SOON!

So what are you waiting for.... CHECK OUT THE STORY!

Thoughts from Coach Gillispie's Pre-USC Press Conference

-The Cats are putting the UT win behind them
-USC has 4 of the harder guards anywhere to try and defend
-Downey knows how to play, sets up other players and gets to the foul line, anticipates
-Its not a one man team, it is a difficult team to match up with
-USC plays for their coach
-We're in a situation where we HAVE to win all our games
-Perry Stevenson needs to reach for the sky, he's been getting in the right spot quicker
-Joe C...i think his ankle is fine, he hasn't been able to practice any since UT; ankle isnt the concern, unsure of availabilty tomorrow; conditioning better; joe is working on rehab, a day out of practice hurts his condition and he hasn't been practicing
-DJ's knee brace might give him confidence that he wont re-injure, it allows him to play more freely; hopefully he can take that off and can run more naturally
-Cats understand they were very fotunate to beat UT, but he doesnt think it means UK is a different team now
-Thinks Downey may be as fast or faster than anyone in the country
-All USC players able to get their own shot
- If you try to stop Downey to look to success, your in for a rude awakening
-AJ Stewart is a good athlete, hope he can do whats needed in practice
-Could be that guy who comes through and changes up the rotation in the end of the year, it's a matter of what happens in practice, but he hopes he can earn more PT
-Thinks some distractions from early in the season are gone
-Thinks Jasper has a chance to be a big time rebounder at the next level
-The team has really been working on defensive rebounding position
-Are doing better against denying penetration but it's still something which can be improved
-

Happy Birthday Larry Conley

--Derrick Johnson

Larry Conley, a member of the Rupp's Runts team turns 64 today. Conley is originally from Ashland Kentucky and was a pivotal part of the 1966 National Runner-Up team along with Pat Riley, Louie Dampier, Thad Jaracz, and Tommy Kron. He was a senior captain on that 27-2 team and was named All-SEC by the coaches that year. For his career, Conley averaged 12.6 points a game and 5.6 rebounds per contest. Coming out of high school, he was a Parade All-American and also a pretty good baseball player.

After leaving Kentucky, Conley tried out with the ABA's Kentucky Colonels but a professional career wasn't to be for him.

Today, he is known for his commentating more than his basketball career. Larry works as an analyst for RAYCOM SPORTS® SEC broadcasts. He and Dick Vitale are the only two college basketball commentators to have worked for the network since its inception in 1979.

Conley has been a color analyst for several years on FSN South college basketball telecasts. This season will be the 3rd year that Larry is co-host for the Sunday night national cable basketball show on the Fox Sports Net, SUNDAY NIGHT HOOPS. He is also a color analyst for FSN South's SEC baseball telecasts.

Conley also worked for NBC Sports (1978-82) and CBS Sports (1983-87). He served as a men's basketball analyst for NBC during the 1996 Olympics.

Great Expectations: UT @ UK

--Staff

I don't expect much for this game. Tennessee is an absolutely horrific matchup for Kentucky , both in depth and in athleticism. Who guards JP Prince? Who guards Tyler Smith? Who guards Chris Lofton? I'm not sure if I can answer any of these questions. Prince is a tall, lanky point guard who is excellent at penetrating and kicking it out to Tennessee's endless supply of shooters. Tyler Smith is one of the best small forwards I've seen this year. He's good at just about everything, and the only person I can see hanging with him on defense is Ramon Harris. While Harris is a pretty good defender, Tyler Smith is on a different level, Meeks and Jasper are both at less than 100%, and Joe Crawford will either be guarding JaJuan Smith or Lofton, both of whom will provide Crawford with an enviable task. Lofton has been in a slump all year, but he always shoots lights out in Lexington , and while this may just be some blatant pessimism coming from me, I think he'll go nuts in Rupp once again to the tune of at least six threes and at least 25 points.

Defensively, I expect the defense shown in the last ten minutes against Florida , when the guards fought through the high screens at the top of the key and the switching was kept to a minimum. If Tennessee sets a screen up top, I want to see the guard stay with his man and the big man stay with the screener. If that happens, Tennessee will have to run some really good plays to set guys up for open looks from three. If not, Tennessee will shoot as many open threes as they want and win by as many points as they want.

On offense I can only hope that Kentucky responds to the press against Tennessee in the same way they did against Florida , which is to say, not too bad. Very few of Kentucky's turnovers against Florida came against the press, and Florida switched up defenses throughout the game. Tennessee presses all game long, and it is a defensive style that lends itself to blown leads if the opposing team can beat the defense up the court for easy baskets. Unfortunately, that would require that the opposing team has players who are good at passing, and Kentucky has two. Fortunately for UK , the two best passers, Patterson and Jasper, are the two best rebounders on the roster, so if they can throw a couple outlet passes over the press, that would make my day a lot more enjoyable tomorrow.

--Seth Stogsdill

Tennessee will score A LOT of points off of turnovers. Edit that: Tennessee will score however many points they choose to and it may or may not come off of a turnover depending on how they're feeling at the moment. They don't press as much as other teams KY has played, but it has been effective when employed and they may amp it up a bit as Kentucky has struggled against it mightily. I expect a fast-paced game where it gets away from the Cats early in the second.

Lofton will light the Cats up again and become the SEC's all-time leader in three-point shooting. The stage is just set too perfectly. The Vols have a deep roster full of athletes, two adjectives Kentucky just can not claim. Every UT player can shoot and score and run the court. Kentucky can not. Ramel and Joe will have an opportunity to play well on offense as UT's perimeter defenders are less than marquis. However, they have a breeding ground for forwards headlined by former KY recruit Tyler Smith. If anyone in the league plays as physically demanding as Patrick Patterson, it's Smith. Wayne Chism is capable of providing some points, but is more of a finesse player who would choose a jumper over a strong low post move. Either way, he'll likely be open for it.

Yes, Kentucky has an opportunity here, and that's how the game should be viewed. But the horses in the stable are just a little winded to finish the race. Kentucky goes down big even though they give a good effort. Wildcard: Jodie Meeks. He's the one player UK has that UT can not defend if 100% or close to it. He looked okay against Florida , but was a little rusty and under conditioned. Two days removed likely won't change that. Result: big UT win.

-- Jared Powell

Notes from Gillispie's Press Conference

Some thoughts from Coach Gillispie at his Pre-UT Press Conference:

-Derrick Jasper was a little limited in practice today while Jodie Meeks practiced more.
-We have to guard the ball better. When you see it on tape it makes you want to throw up.
-He doesnt believe that Chris Lofton is having a bad season. He has to be playing well as their best player for them to be ranked 3rd in the nation.
-On player fatigue...most are in really good shape. Those who've practiced most of the season are in really good shape
-He believes in mental fatigue
-On patterson's cramping...he's trying to do some things to make sure that doesn't happen coninuously
-Tennessee has great depth, a complete roster with backups who are very capable
-Tennessee doesn't press as much as other teams, but when they do, it's very successful
-Tennessee is probably the most athletic team from top to bottom we've faced
-Believes the team will be fun to watch if everyone can get consistent in practice over a three week period
-We just didnt guard the ball and we didn't help each other in the past couple of losses.
-Chris Lofton needs five 3-pointers to break the SEC record
-On Bruce Pearl: He's done a fantastic job promoting the program, talked about the women's game performance
-Gillispie doesn't own a bright blue blazer, don't worry about him copying Bruce Pearl.
-UT doesn't ball screen as much as Florida.
-Patrick Patterson doesn't get frustrated because he is wise beyond his years

AUDIO TO COME ON http://www.catszone.net/audio.html

Tennessee at Kentucky Preview

Tennessee at Kentucky
1.22.08 9:00 et ESPN

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Cats as they host #5 Tennessee in Rupp Arena on Tuesday night. The Cats suffered another tough defeat on Saturday night in Gainesville at the hands of the Gators in overtime. They showed a lot of poise and heart to fight their way back and finally tie the game on a last second shot by Ramel Bradley but the Gators dominated the overtime period scoring 20 points while the Cats were only able to score 9. The loss marks the 7th game in a row in which Florida has beaten Kentucky, tying an all-time record for consecutive losses to one team for Kentucky. Tennessee enters Tuesday night's game riding an 11 game winning streak, the longest of any team in the SEC. The Vols beat Ohio State in Knoxville on Saturday, holding off several runs by the Buckeyes. Clearly, Tennessee will be a big favorite going into this game but look for Kentucky to put in another strong effort with hopefully a better outcome than the past two games. Kentucky continues to dominate the series, the second oldest in the SEC, 139-64 including a 28-4 record in Rupp Arena.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS STATS (16-1, 3-0)

Tennessee, like so many teams the Cats have played this season, will look to play at a very fast pace. The Vols want to run their opponents out of the gym but can play at a slower pace if the game calls for it. The Vols average 85.6 points a game but on put up 74 on Saturday against Ohio State. In road games this year, they have averaged 81.5 a game. Defensively, the Vols give up 68.2 points per contest, 75 per road game. The Vols are 3-0 in the SEC with wins over Mississippi, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Coach Bruce Pearl is 2-2 against Kentucky, one of the few coaches with non-losing records against UK. Making his final visit to Rupp Arena will be Kentucky native Chris Lofton. It's no secret the past Lofton has with UK. He wasn't recruited by UK when he played at Mason County High School and has made the Big Blue Nation's heads hurt every time he has stepped on the court against their beloved Wildcats. Lofton has averaged 19 points a game in six career contests against the Cats and loves Rupp Arena but has only won two of those six games. He missed one of the games last year but scored 23 in the other.

The Volunteers spread the ball around well and lead the SEC in assists. As well as sharing the ball, the Vols posses the quickest hands in the SEC, leading the conference in steals. Needless to say, they also lead the conference in their assist to turnover margin (1.64). The Vols also like to pop the three ball a lot during their games. They average 9.53 3-point makes per game, requiring the defense to extend and defend the arc well. The main 3-point shooters for the team are Jordan Howell (44%), Tyler Smith (39%), JaJuan Smith (37%), and the aforementioned Chris Lofton (34%). The leading scorers for the Volunteers are JaJuan Smith (14.8), Chris Lofton (13.4), and Tyler Smith (13.3).

Other Tennessee Statistics Per Game:

Rebounds – 37.4
Assists – 20.2
Turnovers – 12.4
Steals – 11.4
Blocks – 3.2
Field Goal % - 46.5
Free Throw % - 65.3
3-Point % - 35.4

KENTUCKY WILDCATS STATS (7-9, 1-2)

After their second consecutive SEC road loss, the Cats return home to host Tennessee. The Cats points per game average has slipped a little during the past few games to 72.1. They are giving up 67 points a game to opposing teams. An interesting fact for this team is that it possesses three players in the Top-10 in scoring in the SEC. Patrick Patterson is 7th in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game, Joe Crawford is 8th in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game, and Ramel Bradley is 9th in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game. Patterson also leads the team in rebounds per game, averaging 8 a game. Another interesting tidbit is that senior guard Ramel Bradley has played 175 consecutive minutes, the entire game for the past four, and scored more than 20 points in 6 consecutive games. Going into Tuesday's game, the Cats are 1st in the SEC in free throw %, shooting 76% from the charity stripe. This will be Billy Gillispie's first game against the Volunteers.

Other Kentucky Statistics Per Game:
Rebounds – 35.1
Assists – 13.6
Turnovers – 17.1
Steals – 7.9
Blocks – 4.4
Field Goal % - 46.7
Free Throw % - 76.2
3-Point % - 35.2

KEYS TO THE GAME

REBOUND THE BASKETBALL ON BOTH ENDS OF THE COURT! UT is 2nd in the SEC in offensive rebounds (14.29) but last in defensive rebounds (23.06). Kentucky will have to crash the boards every time Tennessee puts a shot up to avoid allowing the Vols to have second chances at baskets. The Cats are 10th in offensive rebounds and 8th in defensive rebounds which will require big effort by the Cats on the boards.

TURNOVERS!! Tennessee leads the SEC in steals and Kentucky averages 17 turnovers a game. The Cats must maintain control of the basketball and prevent the Vols from getting easy baskets on the fast break. On the other side of the page, Kentucky must cause havoc against the Vols ball handlers if they want to keep the game in their style.

MAKE FREE THROWS! Kentucky leads the SEC in FT% while Tennessee is 9th. If the game comes down to free throws, Kentucky should have an advantage because they shoot 11% better from the stripe. If the game comes down to free throws, here is who each team will want on the line and who each team will want to try to foul.

TENNESSEE

-Don't Foul-
JaJuan Smith – 82%
Chris Lofton – 82%
Jordan Howell – 78%

-Hack 'Em-
Wayne Chism – 38%
JP Prince – 51%
Ramar Smith - 61%

KENTUCKY

-Don't Foul-
Ramel Bradley – 86%
Joe Crawford – 84%
Jodie Meeks – 80%
Patrick Patterson – 76%

-Hack 'Em-
Mark Coury – 50%
Perry Stevenson – 57%
Ramon Harris - 59%