Cats Go for 2,000
With a win tonight over the Drexel Dragons, Kentucky will become the first college basketball team ever to win 2,000 games.
Though 2,000 wins certainly will not clinch the debate over who has the top basketball program in the nation, it adds a nice feather in the cap of the Wildcats, which also have the most all-time tournament appearances and second most championships.
The Cats will make their run at the milestone in front of a national TV audience on ESPNU. In a nice gesture by ESPN, the network is sending former UK great Jamal Mashburn to Lexington to do analysis on the game, along with Jimmy Dykes.
So what about the competition? Any chance to pull the mega-upset?
It’s highly unlikely with the way this Kentucky team is rolling, but you can’t underestimate anyone. The Wildcats have allowed Miami of Ohio, Sam Houston State and Austin Peay to hang around longer than they should have.
And Drexel is no stranger to playing tough opponents. They dropped close ones to St. Joe’s and Rutgers and looked respectable in a 19-point loss to Villanova.
The 6-5 Dragons are led by Jamie Harris, a jitterbug 5-10 guard who has a knack for getting to the hoop despite his diminutive size. He leads the team in scoring and most of the offense runs through him.
They employ a 4-guard attack and will run a lot of bodies in and out of the game. In all, nine players average double digit minutes, so from a depth perspective, they should be able to stay fresh against the ridiculously deep UK bench.
The roster is small and they don’t shoot or rebound particularly well as a team. But Drexel is going to play a very physical halfcourt game with relentless man-to-man defensive pressure. They will attempt to slow the game down and force the young UK roster into mistakes.
BBL’s Take: This match-up should present a significant challenge with a style of play the Cats haven’t really run into yet this season—a plodding halfcourt game where no basket should come easy. But the Cats’ superior size and backcourt athleticism should be the difference in a game where history is made in Lexington.
UK 75 Drexel 58
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