The Big Blue Lowdown

Through seven games, the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats are undefeated, ranked number 1 in both major polls and have already won a couple tilts with highly regarded big conference teams in Kansas and Providence (the only loss for both of those squads). Starting this Friday, Kentucky will kick off a three week stretch of games that includes high-profile battles with talented, nationally ranked programs Texas, UNC, Louisville and UCLA. 

So in this calm before the storm, it seems appropriate to...

Offense:

We will see how the platoon system holds up. The team has had two easy wins but the offense was not very fluid at times with all the rotations. There is a ton of talent but no one stands out that needs the ball like Randle did last year.

Perhaps, that will be a good thing in a lot of ways but I think someone is going to have to establish themselves as the alpha male post player as the season gets on.

With that said, the interchangeable talent that Cal can run out into the...

Six games in eight days. Grueling heat and humidity. Opponents full of professional and ex-college players. The general lethargy of late summer.

The Kentucky Wildcats Big Blue Bahamas Tour, for what it’s worth, ended up being a little more than a casual Caribbean vacation. It was a week’s worth of challenges and, at times, stiff competition. Overall, it was an experience that will help make this team much better in the long run.

Going 5-1 in the tour, the Cats at times looked like a team...

People who follow the Kentucky Wildcats have to be pretty pleased with so many players opting to return to school. Guys like Willie Cauley-Stein, Marcus Lee, Alex Poythress, Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison all had chances to be first-round picks if they declared. Instead, the focus is now on those who are eligible for the upcoming draft. 

There are 2 potential lottery picks, and they could take off in fantasy basketball at the NBA right away if they land on the right team.

All season...

We know everyone is hurting out there, but rather than dwell on the brutal finale to an amazing run, it's better to focus on the future. 

The number one question on every Kentucky fan's mind today is who is coming back for next year and who is heading elsewhere. The following are our thoughts on who stays and who goes.

First off, the John Calipari to the LA Lakers rumor is just hot air for now. We see no reason Calipari would want to give up his cush position for the stress of an NBA...

What an absolutely epic run by the University of Kentucky in the 2014 NCAA tooney.

Left for dead by yours truly (and just about everybody else with a pulse), this UK team led and owned by frosh has done a 360 with performance in the dance.

Aaron Harrison, Alex Poythress and Julius Randle have put on quite a show. Let's not forget the play of arguably UK's go to offensive player James Young as well as the emergence of Dakari Johnson.

With one game left on Monday night—it’s time to break...

Some times there are games that just leave you speechless. And then there are times when you are left speechless for four consecutive games. This is the NCAA tournament, and this is your 2014 Kentucky Wildcats.

No matter what happens Monday night vs. UConn, it must be said that the 2014 tournament for Kentucky represents one of the most entertaining and heart-pounding runs in modern college basketball history. It certainly must be on the short list of impressive college hoops achievements.

I honestly believe that this title is Kentucky's for the taking.

I watched the entire Arizona-Wisconsin game and Wisconsin is very impressive. They have a great PG (Jackson) who can handle and control tempo, attack the goal and find open guys. They shoot the ball well and have a couple of guys (Hayes and Kaminsky) who can post you and score back to basket. They play great team defense and will get out in transition. This is not your daddy's Wisconsin. They can score and will run a little...

The Vegas booking line currently has Louisville by 5.5 over Kentucky on Friday. I think that has a lot to do with novice betters throwing "easy" money at taking an under seeded 4 seed (per the media narrative) over on a lowly 8 seed that struggles to play as a team. This game will be close but I think Kentucky wins by 5. Here is why:

1) So much for the emphasis on calling touch fouls. Since the tournament began, the refs have put their whistle in the pocket. Kentucky's starting 5 is...

All in all, it was a good weekend for John Calipari and the young Kentucky Wildcats.

Even after falling in a heartbreaker to Florida in the SEC championship game, there are nothing but positives to take away from the trip to Atlanta.

Consider the following:

• In wins over LSU and Georgia, Kentucky showed considerably more energy, hustle and team chemistry than they have for most of the season.

• The offense showed flashes of explosiveness in all three SEC tournament games. In the LSU...

Going to the New York Knicks would be an epic disaster for John Calipari. I think that Phil Jackson and Cal are just not a sensible marriage. With that said, Calipari's recent quote about how UK just needed an offensive "tweak" to get their swag back is exhibit A on what is so maddening about this coach. The guy is still out slinging snake oil even when it is clear that he hasn't done his job well recently.

The preferred way to handle things, in our humble estimation, would be to say...

1) This team is not responding to Cal. And he is going to give himself a coronary on the sidelines. Something is not clicking. The team played better in the South Carolina game after Cal was ejected. All he is doing is screaming this year. This team needs coaching. It is obvious to me that that the players have tuned him out, and when Robic took over and actually coached calmly, the team looked like the pressure was off and played better.

2) I like the Dribble Drive when it is played...

It is obvious that Marcus Lee is just too weak to be big contributor this year. He is an incredible athlete but he gets shoved around on the block and has no outside jumper. Don’t let the incredible dunks fool you as he will likely get exposed defensively during a game this year despite being a hustler who actually works hard in practice. I think, most recruiting analysts predicted a 3 year stay for Lee. He was rated so high because he is an athletic freak (40 plus vertical) with huge upside,...

Perhaps it has become so common that it is expected, but to little surprise, Kentucky picked up another huge commitment this week with class of 2015 shooting guard Charles Matthews.

Matthews may reclassify to 2014 and enter school next year, but regardless of when he shows up in Lexington, he is expected to make an impact. 

He is rated in the top 15 by Scout, Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports, and is a consensus 5 star player. 

Here is what ESPN has to say about him:

“Matthews is a long and...

After Kentucky's road drubbing of Ole Miss became official, Kentucky crossed a lightly discussed milestone. 

The Cats notched their 20th win of the season Tuesday night, meaning all five of John Calipari's Kentucky teams have pulled off the feat. 

The 2013-14 edition still has five regular season games plus the SEC and (probable) NCAA tourneys to play in, so the likelihood is high that this number will increase.

Though most of the Big Blue Nation takes 20 wins for granted, we want to...