The Big Blue Lowdown

As part of a series of snapshot previews of upcoming UK opponents, the BBL takes an early look at the UConn Huskies.

On October 16, 2009, Kentucky basketball will enter a new epoch, as the John Calipari regime kicks off in grand style at Big Blue Madness in Rupp Arena.

The excitement level has reached a deafening tone, with fans around the country and within the commonwealth wanting to know exactly how good this team can be, and in particular, what the “Super Six” freshman class will look like.

Unfortunately, there is nothing to do but wait, but this little video clip can help hype you up until then.

The BBL brings some choice quotes from Coach John Calipari, made at the KABC Basketball Clinic in Lexington, Ky., on Sept. 26.

Cal feels UK will be a good shot blocking team this year, saying that if a man hesitates on his drive to the bucket, the Cats will have 2 guys there to block the shot.

Kids wanting to play in the DDM system has helped with recruiting. He said there are a few imitators who claim to run the system but few that truly run it. It is either this or motion, you can’t...

The BBL looks forward fondly to the arrival of Jacksonville Florida’s own Stacey Poole to the Cat’s squad in 2010. Poole is a 6’5 scorer deluxe with the athleticism to finish above the rim and also stroke it from beyond the arc.

Check out Stacey’s hops in this rebound dunk with authority.

His form and release is eerily reminiscent of his father’s who was an absolute UK DESTROYER in the early ‘90s (‘89-‘93) when he played with Florida, finishing as the school’s 3rd all-time...

We’re less than a month away from Midnight Madness and the BBL is starting to get antsy for the season to begin. We can’t remember a UK team with so much promise or expectations of success. The only thing that rivals it in the modern era was the ‘95-96 UK team that had an NBA starter at almost every position.

And why shouldn’t we feel this way? This team is absolutely LOADED!

Sitting around thinking about where UK is weak on paper, it’s hard to find any glaring issues. Maybe they lack a...

The BBL is excited when discussing the arrival of Eric Bledsoe to UK this fall.

John Wall comes in much more ballyhooed due to his near legendary YouTube repertoire of dunks and astonishing feats of athleticism. But Bledsoe comes in with an all world HS background in Alabama. In fact, his high school coach believes he’ll have as big of an impact as any frosh in the country this coming season. Many Alabama AAU and high school observers have raved about Bledsoe single-handedly leading his...

With recent UK history having fallen on tough times, it’s easy to forget many of the successes of Kentucky’s rich history.

But it wasn’t so long ago that the Cats reeled off four straight wins over North Carolina (1999-2002), sweeping a double home-and-home series after going nearly 25 years without a victory over one of the nation’s other preeminent programs.

Nothing better captures that win streak than December 8, 2001, when Tayshaun Prince put on a shooting display that goes down as one of...

The BBL must admit we’re excited heading into the 2009-10 season. But we find it hard to imagine we’d be this excited if John Calipari hadn’t been named head coach in April.

Though his career rise has been well-documented, Calipari remains a bit of a mystery. His teams have consistently won everywhere he’s been. But thanks to questionable tactics and a trail of NCAA infractions, Calipari’s reputation casts a long shadow.

The Questionable
Calipari’s detractors question his character and true...

If it weren’t for the confidence John Calipari has instilled in the fanbase in his six short months at the helm of the Kentucky basketball program, most Cat fans would probably be getting a little anxious by now over the lack of a single verbal commitment in the 2010 recruiting class.

Not to worry. Coach Cal reportedly spent the weekend tying up loose ends at the Florida home of the nation’s number one prospect, Brandon Knight. Much to the delight of Big Blue Nation, Knight recently canceled a...

The next great white boy from Kentucky to play for UK? Or just an overrated local kid who played against inferior high school competition and became a product of the media searching for the next Rex Chapman?

It’s up to Mr. Hood to determine the answer to the question.

The BBL never saw Hood play in HS, but from all accounts he is a big time player capable of fitting many styles. More suited to the wing position than a legit 2-man, Hood offers an excellent mid-range game and is athletic...

The groundswell of fan interest and media hype around the UK program since John Calipari’s hire has been substantial.

But when someone composes, performs and records a rap video about the new coach before a single game has been played, it’s pretty safe to say that the buzz around this program is nearing fever pitch level.

“Calipari, Calipari” (by rapper Scoupe) reminds us that, regardless of your taste in music, this kind of thing is going to become commonplace in the new era of UK hoops....

DeAndre Liggins was much maligned his freshman year at Kentucky.

A heralded recruit from Chicago, Liggins drew comparisons in high school to a young Magic Johnson. However, for one reason or another, Liggins got off to a bad start with his coach and it wasn’t far into the season before he was relegated to the end of the bench.

Liggins is 6’6 with uncanny floor vision and an ability to make the dazzling pass (see video clip). He’s like a gazelle in the open floor and displays great hands....

Most agree it’s one of the best recruiting classes in UK history. Some think when it’s all said and done, this will be one of the best recruiting classes in basketball history.

Regardless of what your perception is, you’re going to hear a lot about these guys in the upcoming season. Below we’ve included one of the first shots of them together at once in uniform on UK Photo Day.

From left, John Wall, Darnell Dodson, Daniel Orton, Jon Hood, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe. ...

Ramon Harris enters his senior season at UK with a truly schizophrenic track record of learning new coaches and systems.

In fact, he and fellow senior Perry Stevenson are the two remaining holdovers from the Tubby Smith regime. To say they’ve been through tumultuous times would be an understatement, so it would be quite remarkable to see Ramon and Perry go out with a bang in 2010.

On the court, Harris is an enigmatic player. At times he has shown flashes of lock-down defensive prowess and a...

Forget about the Maxim-esque chick pics between plays and keep your eyes open for the true gems—in particular Anthony Epps’ textbook bounce pass to set up Derek Anderson’s showtime dunk in No. 2.