Eric Bledsoe’s one handed tomahawk dunk against Wake Forest last Saturday may go down as one of the greatest NCAA Tournament dunks in Kentucky history.

Here’s Bledsoe talking about it. We must say, it’s a refreshing feeling to know that the head coach is encouraging his super studs to “dunk on people” when they get the opportunity. And folks wonder why John Calipari is one of the best recruiters in the game.

On sale now, the latest SLAM magazine with a celebration of John Calipari’s latest crop of future NBA studs.

See more here:
http://www.slamonline.com/online/the-magazine/toc/2010/03/slam-137-on-sale-now/

Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings had the following to say about the SEC East. Pretty strong words from an (obviously) biased source.

“We think the (SEC) East is the toughest division in all of college basketball. I don’t think we are just four (teams) deep. I think all six teams in our division are very good,” Stallings said. “It is as balanced and tough as it has been in a long time. I think it is very unique to have an entire division get better (in the same year), but it’s hard for me to overstate how tough this division is and Kentucky is at the top of the division.”

This quote underscores the stakes on tonight’s game. Winning tonight in the hostile confines of Vandy’s Memorial Coliseum would all but cement Kentucky as a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.

Thanks to this sweet highlight mashup from hoopmixtape.com, get a look here at some sick plays by the 2010 McDonald’s High School All-American team.

Of particular interest to Cat fans should be CJ Leslie with his oustanding length, Josh Selby (a true athletic freak), and Brandon Knight, commonly considered the nation’s top high school player and a strong Kentucky lean.

If Calipari signs these three, UK might not experience the drop off next year that some are predicting.

The Kentucky hoops freaks behind the Big Blue Lowdown (JRokDimes and UKHomer43) got together last recently and debated some important points about the future prospects of this year’s UK squad. Here’s an excerpt from the the point-counterpoint:

1) Who is the team UK should be most afraid to face?

JRokDimes
The Cats’ match-up with Mississippi State in Starkville on Feb. 16 still looms as a difficult road date based on MSU’s ability to shoot from deep, defend on the interior and run with Kentucky athletically. The two Tennessee games are big, too. But from a national perspective, Villanova is the team that UK fans should most fear. Why? Because Nova has the kind of savvy, experienced guards in Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher that can give Kentucky’s young backcourt fits. It’s true that they are undersized, but coach Jay Wright relies on a deep bench and can throw a lot of confusing looks at you defensively. Nova’s team is incredibly well conditioned and will pressure opposing teams all over the court, using a variety of half court traps to force mistakes. For a turnover prone team like Kentucky, this could be a problem. They also shoot the ball well both from the free throw line and beyond the arc. Basically, they are talented, well-coached and have been spectacular in the clutch (see last year’s regional final game vs. Pitt).

UKHomer43
I somewhat disagree. Villanova is excellent from the perimeter but significantly weaker than UK in the post. They have NOBODY to match up against Big Cuz or Patrick Patterson (if he sets his mind to actually play hard and contribute). The one team I think UK should fear most is Syracuse. They are long and tall and their zone will literally freak out John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, who will dribble into traps and turn the ball over with regularity. It’s unlikely UK will face either of these teams until deep in the tournament as they should both be #1 seeds.

2) How does this team compare historically to other Kentucky teams?

UKHomer43
Only one team in UK history compares. That was the 1995-‘96 team. They had nine legit NBA players and that includes “cup of coffee” guys like Jeff Sheppard and Wayne Turner. This year’s version is the most athletic and longest UK team in history. They have three players at the wing position that should all eventually play in the NBA. Bledsoe, Wall, Patterson, Cousins and Orton are all sure-fire NBA top 15 selections whenever they decide to leave for the pros. Harrellson, Stephenson, and Harris are decent role players and each of them should have a chance to play overseas for pay for a while.

JRokDimes
From a raw talent perspective, it is probably true that only the 1996 title team can compare with the 2009-‘10 Cats (though some props must be thrown out to the 1983-’84 team’s NBA front line of Mel Turpin, Kenny Walker and Sam Bowie). But as much as it pains me to say it, this team’s 23-1 record is a bit inflated, given that UK hasn’t played a single team with a legit hope to make a deep run in March. It makes it hard to say how they truly stack up against the past. But the pieces are all there.

3) What is Kentucky’s Achilles heel?

JRokDimes
Right now, UK’s biggest weakness is its youth. All of Kentucky’s problems stem from this in some way. The mental lapses of DeMarcus Cousins, the sometimes wild and out of control styles of Bledsoe and Wall, and the consistent failure to put inferior teams away—these are all symptoms of inexperience. Sure, there have been freshman stars like Derrick Coleman, Derrick Rose, Mike Bibby and Carmelo Anthony that led teams to deep runs, but they all had excellent supporting casts with veteran leadership. This is why the Cats need Patrick Patterson to be playing his best basketball come tourney time.

UKHomer43
UK’s biggest threat is a lack of expectations for how the tournament is officiated. Their draw and seeding will be crucial to their chances to take home the championship trophy. If they get placed in the East or Midwest region, they will be in games where tough physical halfcourt defense will be the order of the day. UK’s young and emotionally fragile guards could be overwhelmed against a feisty BCS conference team with veteran guards who force and dictate a slower tempo. A team that takes away UK’s ability to dribble penetrate and forces them to make plays that aren’t spontaneous definitely puts them at a disadvantage in a tournament where every possession becomes critical to surviving and advancing.

Here’s a quick look at Kentucky’s new uniforms, which they’ll be debuting this weekend for the Tennessee game featured as part of ESPN’s Gameday.

These photos were part of an upcoming feature in Slam Magazine.

Photos courtesy of John Calipari’s Twitter account.

The BBL has surveyed the college hoops landscape and we see only a handful of teams that can beat UK provided that UK is on their game.

In no particular order:

Villanova
This is a really good team in the backcourt. Scotty Reynolds is a deadeye 3-point shooter and a savvy veteran.  Their other guards are athletic and super quick, allowing Nova to employ constant traps in the backcourt.  Their inside guys are young but big and athletic. UK would have to bring their A game to beat Jay Wright’s club in the tooney.

Texas
This is the closest team athletically and in size to UK. Texas has three really good frosh who play major minutes as well.  They have two beasts in the low post in Wangmene and Pittman.  Damian James is a smaller, better shooting version of Pattrick Patterson. This could very well be the NCAA title game should seedings hold in the tournament.

Syracuse
This is the one team because of their amoeba matchup 2-3 zone that every team fears in the Big Dance. They are extremely athletic in the low post and have good gap shooters in Rautins and Triche. They are not as deep as UK, Texas or Villanova but the zone allows them to get away with playing fewer players.

Kansas
This team is deep but slow. Collins, Henry and the Morris twins are the real athletes they possess. They are also not nearly as tall or long in the backcourt as UK, and we see them struggling against guards like Kentucky’s. But they are well coached and have solid tournament experience. They will be a tough out either way.

UNC/Duke/Miss State/UConn
All four of these teams have the depth, size and shooting to compete against UK. Each team has serious flaws and would have to be firing on all cylinders to take out UK in a tournament matchup. UNC is small and thin in the backcourt. Duke is slow and unathletic in the frontcourt. Miss St is just raw and very inconsistent. UConn has lots of size and talent but shoots very poorly from the perimeter and the line.

Next Tier: Georgetown/West Virginia/Vandy/Tennessee/Michigan State/Kansas State
These teams each have a few crucial shortcomings that make them a bad matchup for Kentucky. But each of them possesses enough talent and depth to possibly make a move as the season progresses. We see these six teams as being poised to make a run in March. Keep an eye on them.

This is how we see things today. Obviously, UK could lose to anyone on any day, as the close margin with Auburn illustrates. But if Kentucky is on its game, we don’t see anyone outside the teams mentioned above that can put together the kind of effort it will take to beat the Cats.

Onto Rupp next Saturday vs Arkansas.

Kentucky was fortunate to escape with a 5-point win today at Auburn after a sloppy performance where John Wall and Eric Bledsoe combined for 10 turnovers.

In what was probably his worst game as a collegian, Wall consistently over-penetrated and fell victim to a scrappy Auburn defense that got its hands in passing lanes and kicked and scratched Kentucky into 16 miscues as a team.

All in all, it was simply an ugly game for the Cats, underlining the type of Super Bowl effort Kentucky will see from opponents in every SEC game this year.

Auburn kept things interesting with good defense and some well timed three pointers. Ultimately, Kentucky had a little too much firepower for the Tigers, as Wall redeemed himself with clutch foul shooting and a dazzling driving layup in the game’s final two minutes.

What did we learn today?

• Calipari has shown himself to be a wizard in personnel management and player rotations. Around the 11:00 minute mark, with the Cats clinging to a 1-point lead, Cal gave DeAndre Liggins a short pep talk and then put him into the game for the first time since early in the first half. Liggins responded with a clutch three, a layup and a critical rebound to seal the win in the final minute.
• The closer than expected score illustrates the difficulty Kentucky will have if they want to make a run at a perfect season. Auburn came into the game at 9-8 and without a victory over a single notable opponent yet this season. Despite vastly inferior talent and being outsized, the Tigers kept their home crowd into the game and had the margin down to one possession with a minute to play.
• Kentucky again shot poorly from the free throw stripe and again failed to put away a lesser opponent after building a big double digit lead early on. These problems continue to plague the Cats, and along with the turnovers, seem to represent UK’s achilles heel.
• Daniel Orton only received 7 minutes today in a game where Cal obviously wanted to see more offense in the half court set. Stevenson and Harris were largely non-factors and Dodson missed several shots badly. We think the Cats will need to get better overall bench production and probably average around 20-25 points per game from Liggins, Orton and Dodson, with anything provided by the two seniors being a bonus.

For anyone who missed it, here’s an image of the January 11th issue of Sports Illustrated with John Wall on the cover.

The article is titled “He’s the Shizz” and can be read here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1164564/index.htm

The article quotes John Wall as saying, “I know it’s not going to be easy, and it’s going to take so much work in the gym and studying the game, but my goal is to be the greatest point guard ever.”

Any more games like last night and Eric Bledsoe might be making an SI cover appearance soon…

UKHomer43 gives us his rundown:

The BBL witnessed a team grow up tonight in Gainesville.

UK trailed 7-0 and arguably played their worst 10 minutes of the season on National TV in the first half. They missed multiple layups and turned the ball over inexplicably during much of the first 14 minutes of the game. Thankfully for UK, Eric Bledsoe chose to have a breakout and career game tonight going for 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Bledsoe was a one man wrecking crew in the first half single handedly breaking UF’s press and driving to the goal for layups and finger rolls. He also made a huge three pointer from the left side of the arc to start UK’s first half run after they trailed for much of the first 13 minutes. The BBL believes that Bledsoe might be the second point guard taken in the NBA draft if he chooses to come out after this season. His upper body strength, ball handling, speed and athleticism are amazing. He is also learning to play much more under control.

What we didn’t know is that he is such a reliable spot up shooter from distance. Dick Vitale and Brad Nessler raved about him and truly had no idea he was this good. The BBL knew he was the first time we saw him catch the ball in the Blue White Scrimmage and explode baseline off of one foot trying to dunk over the entire team. The best thing about Eric is he is improving in almost every facet each time out.

UF was truly overmatched but do to some uncanny outside shooting from Tyus, Walker and Boynton, they were able to keep it close enough to make their final run and catch UK at 72-72 with 5 minutes left in the game. It was at this point, where John Calipari did his best coaching job of the season. He masterfully subbed Darnell Dodson in for Darius Miller on an inbounds play right before UK went to Patterson in the post who converted an and one. Patterson missed the ensuing free throw but Cousins grabbed the rebound and kicked the ball out to Dodson who hit a three. UK had a five point possession and lead and UF was toast.

John Wall played his normal game with some truly mesmerizing individual plays including an amazing block of a Boynton break away attempt late in the game. He finished with 19 points but was actually quite flustered by UF’s ultra quick diminutive guards.

Patrick Patterson was his normal solid self in the post finishing with 15 points and 7 rebounds. UK will continue to look to him to make a shot when their back is up against it. He delivered big time tonight. The BBL is still unsure about his “soft” play around the goal at times. We wish he would just jam the ball at every opportunity. Sometimes he tries finesse shots that end up being blocked by taller players.

DeMarcus Cousins looked horrible in the first half but used his size and huge body to clear out position in the second half and finish around the goal. He made one sensational spin move and dunked with his left hand that made Dickey V jump out of his seat.

Daniel Orton appeared lost on some offensive possessions but he might be the best defensive post presence in UK history. He had a 3 shot block sequence in the first half where he blocked Tyus, Werner and Walker on 3 consecutive shot attempts. Each block was better than the next. It was must see you tube TV. The guy is an absolute fly swatter. He has a good touch and just needs to learn how to control his body when on offense. He finished with 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in only 17 minutes. The sky is truly the limit for this young post man.

DeAndre Liggins was absolutely lost tonight. After playing so well in his last 4 games and earning the “6th man position” he appeared tentative and lacked confidence every time he touched the ball. Hopefully it was a one game aberration as he has looked great recently. Thankfully Cal realized this too and gave him only limited time.

Darrius Miller and Darnell Dodson saved the day for UK today on offense. Each player hit some crunch time threes that gave UK momentum and widened their lead. Miller appears to be an NBA player at times dribble penetrating, and converting long jumpers. Why he can’t do this consistently just frustrates the BBL and likely the rest of the Big Blue faithful. Dodson is just more minutes and upper body strength away from being an all SEC type player. The BBL looks for big things from each of these guys next year.

Perry and Ramon played only token minutes and it appears Calipari has shortened the rotation to 8 players:

Wall
Bledsoe/Dodson
Miller/Liggins
Patterson
Cousins/Orton

Looking at UK’s schedule over the next 10 games, we only see the potential for one slip up. Back to back games at Miss St and at Vandy on Feb 16th and Feb 20th could give UK some trouble. Miss St is the only team in the SEC that truly matches up with UK from a size and athletic perspective. Vandy because of their ability to convert the three, could present trouble for UK in Memorial Coliseum.

The BBL believes the future appears very bright for the Cats. Expect the media bandwagon to start to build steam soon.