The Big Blue Lowdown

Random thoughts about Kentucky’s loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday in the SEC Champinship game…

1.  While disappointed that the Cats didn’t close the deal and keep momentum going by beating Vandy, the loss isn’t the end of the world.  As we all know, the 1996 Wildcats had a very similar path in the regular season-early season loss, undefeated SEC season, and then a loss to Mississippi State in the SEC finals.  That team steamrolled to the NCAA tournament.

2.  With that said, the loss is also a...

It wasn't always pretty, but the Kentucky Wildcats took haymaker after haymaker on Saturday afternoon but survived a major test by Florida to advance to the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in New Orleans.  Five different Wildcats scored in double figures for Kentucky with Doron Lamb leading the way with 16 points.  Terrence Jones, Anthony Davis, and Marquis Teague had 15 points each and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 10.

Davis also had 12 rebounds for a...

It wasn’t pretty, but the Kentucky Wildcats survived a tough game against LSU by a score of 61-50 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament this afternoon.  UK fans overwhelmed the New Orleans Arena but had to breathe a collective sigh of relief after the Wildcats survived one of their worst performances of the year to move in to Saturday’s semifinal matchup with Flordida and improve to 31-1 overall.

Friday afternoon’s opener wasn’t without drama, however, as the Wildcats appeared to sleep...

It’s an unusual thing to go undefeated in conference play, and yet the Kentucky Wildcats accomplished that milestone again on Sunday with a 74-59 win at Florida.  Not only did UK complete the SEC season at 16-0, they also moved to 30-1 overall, the first time in school history that the Wildcats have recorded 30 regular season victories.

The win was a total team effort, but it wasn’t as easy as the margin of victory might suggest.  Florida’s last lead came with about 14 minutes left in the...

It was a thriller for most of the game, but the Kentucky Wildcats held off a determined Vanderbilt team by a score of 83-74 in Rupp Arena on Saturday.  The win runs UK's record to 28-1 overall and 14-0 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and, more importantly, clinches the SEC regular season championship. 

In what has become a broken record (albeit the good kind!) Anthony Davis was an absolute beast in dominating the game on both ends of the court and, in many national opinions, possibly...

It was every bit the test John Calipari has been wanting for his team - and more - yet the Kentucky Wildcats passed with flying colors as they overcame their largest halftime deficit of the year to defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 73-64 last night in Starkville, Mississippi.  Kentucky placed five players in double figures led by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Anthony Davis also had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Darius Miller had 12 and...

If there was any doubt as to who the best college basketball team in the country was, there isn't anymore after the Kentucky Wildcats ran the seventh-ranked Florida Gators out of Rupp Arena Tuesday night in a 78-58 rout.  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, but the Wildcats used another balanced attack in overcoming a not-so-quick start against the Florida pressure defense.  Doron Lamb had another impressive outing in leading UK with 18 points while...

The Kentucky Wildcats put on a clinic at South Carolina and reaffirmed why they are the top-ranked team in the nation with an overwhelming 86-52 win on Saturday.  The devastation of the Gamecocks was so thorough that the outcome of the contest was never really in doubt past the 17:00 mark of the first half.  As Coach John Calipari stated after the game, "It didn't matter who we played today, someone was getting beat by 30."  While many may try to downplay the win due to the opponent, the...

The Kentucky Wildcats showed the nation why they are the #1 ranked team in the country last night with a thorough dismantling of the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 69-44 at Rupp Arena.  Anthony "The Beast" Davis made yet another case to win the Wooden award for the best player in the nation by flirting yet again with a triple-double-18 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks, and three assists in just 30 minutes of play.  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 16 points and 8 boards while Terrence Jones had...

The Kentucky Wildcats took a beating (literally) on the road at LSU on Saturday but delivered a knockout blow of their own where it counts-the scoreboard-as they pounded the Tigers 74-50.  UK got out to a 6-0 lead and, although LSU cut the lead to one late in the first half, never trailed as they methodically extended their lead in the second half.

More impressively, the Wildcats showed what coach John Calipari has said was missing-toughness-in overcoming the obvious game plan of the Tigers...

A recurring theme seems to fit this Kentucky basketball team in SEC play-it wasn't pretty, but a win is a win.  That was certainly true in Rupp Arena on Saturday as the Wildcats withstood a tremendous effort by Alabama to claim a 77-71 win.  Give the Tide credit-they had a great shooting performance for the game including 5-of-7 from three but, more importantly, it seemed every time UK was about to make a run, Alabama came up with a big shot to snuff it out.  It was great free throw shooting...

For the first time in several games, the Kentucky Wildcats were clicking on all cylinders last night in a 86-63 thrashing of Arkansas.  It was a glorious thing to see on ESPN last night as the Cats seemed intent from the opening tip to shake off the offensive woes that have plagued the team recently.  Arkansas wanted to push the tempo, and UK showed why that isn't such a great idea as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back.

The star of the game had to be Anthony Davis who...

The Kentucky Wildcats overcame a poor shooting effort and a gritty performance to pull away to a 69-62 win over Louisvlle on Saturday. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was an absolute beast for the Cats with 24 points and 19 rebounds while Anthony Davis had a huge second half to help the Wildcats pull away from the Cardinals in the second half after U of L fought back to force a 40-40 tie with 15 minutes to play.

The Wildcats actually led by 13 with 10 seconds to play, but a pair of late threes by...

So the game we have all been waiting for is finally here-the filthy Cards will visit Rupp Arena on Saturday for a game featuring two coaches who clearly disdain each other, two of the most historic programs in all of college basketball, and two teams ranked in the top 5. Whether Louisville actually deserves that ranking is a matter of much discussion, but nevertheless, that's where we stand now.

Before we talk about recent developments with the Cats and look ahead to Saturday, let me...

Anthony Davis came within an eyelash of a triple-double, the team defense was ferocious and UK dominated St. John's at Rupp Arena Thursday night.

Many worried the Cats would overlook the Red Storm with UNC coming to town in two days. Not so.

Davis scored 15 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had eight of a school-record 18 blocks, as the Cats rolled 81-59.

Terrence Jones exploded for 26 points and Doron Lamb dropped 16, and UK proved that there would be no letdown after it took over the...