We had the privilege to attend the Texas-Kansas game Monday night in Austin, Texas, where Kansas looked every bit a number one ranked team in dispatching the rapidly unraveling Longhorns 80-68.

Here are some of our thoughts after watching the two squads that, other than Kentucky, have managed to make it to the top of the rankings at some point:

Kansas is an extremely unselfish team that uses incredibly fluid ball movement to find open looks. They are well coached and were able to execute their offense well against both zone and man defensive formations shown by Texas.

Sheron Collins is a fearless slasher, a good spot up shooter and a leader who loves to step up in the most important moments. When Texas cut the lead down to single digits late in the second half, Collins was able to rip back the momentum by getting into the paint and finding an open man for a wide open layup.

When Cole Aldrich is not on the floor, Kansas is a different team. Aldrich is a rebounding and shot blocking force, and a lot of KU’s set offensive plays run through him. The Jayhawks’ other bigs, the Morris brothers, are actually more the finesse type, so Aldrich provides the only true rugged post presence. His offensive game isn’t very polished, but he’s strong and doesn’t quit. Very tough kid.

The Morris brothers are like twin Ron Mercers, except bigger. They can both shoot the rock, handle and have good athleticism. Marcus is the better of the two, but both of them will have to come up big for Kansas to make a deep run.

Texas has come apart at the seams. A team that only two weeks ago had aspirations of winning it all now seems like they will be fortunate if they can make it past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. The Horns have no offensive leadership outside of Damion James (who was fantastic vs. Kansas, dropping 24 and 10).

Texas has some impressive young freshmen in Avery Bradley, Jordan Hamilton and J’Covan Brown. But collectively, these kids play about as recklessly as you can get. Failure to recognize game situations, defensive breakdowns (except for Bradley who was tremendous while guarding Collins), turnovers, poor shot selection. Makes you thankful to have youngsters like John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, who are savvy well beyond their years.

We took a quick video capture of a funny scene from late Wednesday night in the Idaho-Utah State game in Logan, Utah.

Rather than describe it to you, just take a look at the bottom right corner of the picture.

You might also notice that Idaho’s Marvin Jefferson misses both free throws. Job well done.

Jay Williams said it after the game and we’ll say it, too. When this Kentucky team is knocking down shots from the perimeter, they may be unbeatable. Ironic considering one of the single biggest concerns entering the season was whether this Wildcat edition could shoot the ball.

Looks like the question is answered. The Cats hit 9 of 19 from deep, and shot 50% from the floor overall en route to a 10-point victory over Ole Miss at Rupp Arena Tuesday. On the season, Kentucky is now shooting 39% from three and just a shade below 50% from the floor.

Here are some other takeaways after the Mississippi win:

After failing to get out on the break much vs. South Carolina and Vandy, the Cats got back to running a bit Tuesday, throwing down some monster dunks and bringing back the aerial theatrics that have marked their play for much of the year.

Big Cuz was a man beast in the paint again tonight, ripping down boards and going to the rack relentlessly. The amazing thing about Cousins is that he can complement his strength and size with some amazing athleticism and body control.

Darnell Dodson appears to have taken the starting spot from Darius Miller, and he promptly made good on it by dropping 14 points on 4-5 shooting from deep. Dodson’s release is quick and he holds the ball high on his 6-7 frame, making it incredibly difficult to defend. Right now, he is a stone cold assassin.

It was good to see Miller knock down a three and put in a few good minutes off the bench. We were beginning to worry that he might be psychologically broken. He still looked a little clueless at times, but when he’s aggressive and looks for his shot, he is a different player. It will be interesting to see him next season when some of the superstar potential clears off the roster.

Speaking of potential, it was also nice to see Orton showing a couple strong offensive moves around the basket. He’ll need to work on his touch and overall court awareness, but this is a kid who has struggled with injuries the past two seasons. He’s just now coming into his own.

The BBL has mentioned it in the past, but we’ll say it again. It would not shock us to see this team produce four first round NBA draft choices later this summer in Cousins, John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Patterson. Bledsoe’s ridiculous speed and jumping ability make him a distinct first round possibility in a PG-weak draft. A bigger question might be whether Patterson is still first round material (he almost certainly was last year).

Ole Miss fought hard despite being undersized and outmanned. If they get starting center Reggie Buckner back healthy and avoid an SEC stretch collapse, they could be a tough out in the tourney. According to Coach Calipari, more than 20 NBA scouts were in attendance tonight to watch two of the best backcourts in the nation.

1) The Commodores come into this game with possibly their deepest team in the Kevin Stallings era. Ten players are averaging nine minutes or more per game and four of them are averaging double figures in points. Vandy returned seven of its top eight scorers from last season and added one of the school’s biggest recruits of the past decade in John Jenkins, a 6-5 guard who is averaging 11 points per game on a sick 49% percentage from behind the three point arc. This roster possesses a variety of weapons.

2) This year’s Vandy squad is a bit different from past editions in two primary ways. First of all, they are athletic and have several players who can slash and jump. Second, they are not just a perimeter oriented team that beats you with the long ball. This team has some size up front, and with the offensive game of A.J. Ogilvy, they will feed the post when they need a bucket. That said, they still shoot nearly 38% from long range and will knock down open jumpers all day.

3) How the Cats decide to defend Vanderbilt in the post will be something to watch. The 6-11 Ogilvy is more of finesse player with a face up jumper, while DeMarcus Cousins is an immovable force in the post. Vandy forward Jeffery Taylor is an athletic combo player who can also mix it up inside a bit. Will UK try to counter him with Patrick Patterson, or leave it to one of the wings?

4) Kentucky cannot expect to dominate this game, nor should the Cats expect the homecourt advantage to be as overwhelming as it was last weekend. Vanderbilt has been strong on the road, winning games at Saint Mary’s, Alabama, Tennessee and two weeks ago in Columbia. Most educated consumers of UK hoops have had the date at Memorial Coliseum in Nashville circled since the summer, but make no mistake, this team will come into Rupp expecting to win.

5) The Cats have come back down to earth and will likely leave the top spot in next week’s polls, win or lose this weekend. After a thrilling 19-game win streak to start the season, how will a relatively young UK squad handle its first bit of adversity? Vandy is a team that matches up relatively well with Kentucky’s deep and talented roster. The ‘Dores are experienced and go two-deep at every position. PG Jermaine Beal is battle tested and can handle the ball well enough to withstand Kentucky’s defensive pressure. The rest of the roster has enough athletes to run with the Cats, too. We expect a very close game.

In the past 12 months Kentucky basketball has run the gamut of emotions in a way few programs (possibly in history) ever have. Reflecting on where the Big Blue Nation has been since this time last year requires a seat belt and a willing suspension of disbelief.

Approximately one year ago this week, Cat fans were riding high. Kentucky had re-entered the AP Top 25 on Jan. 26th for the first time all year on the back of a five-game winning streak to start SEC play and 11 victories in their past 12 tries, with the only loss coming on a last second shot at eventual Big East champion Louisville.

Rebirth or False Omen?
Just the week before, Kentucky had fired off a national salvo in an 18-point victory at highly regarded Tennessee. In that historic triumph, a primetime ESPN audience witnessed Jodie Meeks break Dan Issel’s single game school scoring record by dropping 54 points on 10 threes, an array of dazzling drives and a perfect 14-14 night from the free throw line.

At that moment, UK had seemingly exorcised the ugly legacy of the controversial Tubby Smith ouster, a string of embarrassing Rupp Arena losses to the likes of VMI and Gardner-Webb, and a general slide toward mediocrity over the last half decade.

Some pundits, who we will graciously neglect to mention here, even began touting Kentucky as an SEC title contender and a darkhorse Final Four threat. And at least for a week or two, the subtle, creeping rot of the now forgettable Billy G era still lay dormant and unseen.

A Black Hole
As tends to happen to programs rife with poor leadership and off-court drama, those happy times were short lived and in the ensuing eight weeks, the other shoe dropped…and dropped, and dropped again.

Without rehashing the dark days in great detail, suffice it to say that the 2008-‘09 Cats tanked, losing 8 of 11 games after debuting in the AP poll, fizzling out of the SEC tournament early and missing the NCAAs for the first time since the late ‘80s probation era. After an uninspiring double digit loss to Notre Dame in the NIT, Coach Billy Clyde was fired and Kentucky was left in a complete state of uncertainty.

How bad did it get? A promising incoming recruiting class began to reconsider their commitments. UK’s top candidate Billy Donovan publicly rejected any interest in the coaching vacancy, and leading scorers Patrick Patterson and Meeks openly weighed their NBA options. In addition, a costly and debilitating lawsuit by Gillispie loomed. Overall, on March 28, 2009, the Kentucky men’s basketball program was a shambles.

Only four days later, ironically on April Fool’s Day, UK formally announced the hiring of John Calipari, and in just the span of one short press conference the chaos and dread of the preceding weeks began to dissipate.

Emotional 180
Within days, Coach Cal convinced Memphis commits Darnell Dodson and DeMarcus Cousins to come to Lexington, then signed top 20 PG Eric Bledsoe, while maintaining Gillispie commitments from Kentucky Mr. Basketball Jon Hood and bluechip center Daniel Orton. The big news came about six weeks after Cal’s hiring—consensus top HS player John Wall would play college hoops for the Wildcats.

Though Meeks declared for NBA early entry, Patterson decided to stay and two months after reaching an epic nadir, Kentucky suddenly boasted an array of personnel to rival, on talent alone, any college hoops roster of the past 10 years.

Calipari didn’t stop there. Endearing himself to the program, the oft-stigmatized coach went on a state-wide campaign march, promising a return to glory to fans across the Commonwealth. It wasn’t all roses, however, as Cal’s name came up in multiple speculative articles about his alleged missteps at Memphis and UMass, where NCAA sanctions have tarnished his rep.

But UK found its way into the preseason top 10 in nearly every imaginable poll, and things were looking promising by the time football season started.

A Return to Prominence
The 2009-’10 Cats got the season going like a cannon shot—winning both blowouts and nail biters in spectacular fashion. John Wall needed one game to become household name material in the college b-ball zeitgeist, and the rest of the supporting cast showed flashes.

Then the Cats stepped up an early season of impressive potential by making believers out of the mainstream media. Wins over defending champs North Carolina and UConn in Madison Square Garden drew accolades, while victories vs. traditional powers Indiana and Louisville added polish. UK steamrolled through the holiday season and worked its way up the polls, all the while providing Sportscenter top plays material with regularity.

What next?
That brings us up to present day—an 18-0 team with a hot 3-0 start to the SEC schedule (almost sounds a little familiar). With a win this Saturday over former UK great John Pelphrey’s Arkansas Razorbacks—a game, by the way, in which UK will be heavily favored—Kentucky will become the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time in the regular season since 1996, and it will come exactly 52 weeks after UK’s ill-fated poll debut from last year.

Truthfully, though this season still has a ways to go, such a milestone would represent a full circle of fortunes. But if this retrospective tells us anything, let it be that greatness can come in a flash, and be taken away even quicker. Win or lose Saturday, Cat fans would be wise to remember that.

This is a nice piece on how the Cats are picking up the profile of the entire SEC.

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=starbucks&init=quick#/pages/The-Big-Blue-Lowdown/175409819516?ref=ts

All in all the Cats are prohibitive favorites to win the league. But the SEC looks ready to send five or six teams to the big dance, where someone other than Kentucky could make an impact.

Let us start with a mea culpa. Rumors of the SEC’s resurgence were greatly exaggerated. And the BBL was as wrong as anyone.

The 40-0 Dream continues to live on as UK beat a very game UL squad 71-62 in front of an electric Rupp Arena crowd.

UK played the best half court defense all season in the first half en route to an 8 point half time lead.

Courtesy of Kentucky.com

The first half was marred by some ugly flagrant fouling by each team as clearly emotions were high. DeMarcus Cousins should have been ejected from the game immediately for his flagrant and malicious elbow to the head of Jared Swopshire. Luckily for the Cats he was only assessed a technical foul and allowed to remain in the game.

Cousins went on to post huge stats of 18 points and 18 rebounds. If he would have been ejected, it’s possible UK would have lost the game.

The second half was an entirely different story for UK as Pitino’s multiple defensive looks thoroughly confused Kentucky’s backcourt, leading to 12 turnovers in the half. UK also shot poorly from behind the arc, converting only 2 out of 14 attempts. To compound the horrid shooting from behind the field, the Cats were brutal from the foul line, converting 21 out of 34 attempts. Even John Wall missed five free throws.

UL did catch and actually pass UK for a brief moment at 42-41. But UK proceeded to go on a 8-0 scoring run to essentially put the game away. UL got no closer than within 5 points the rest of the game.

John Wall came to UK’s rescue again when they were down by 1, scoring 6 consecutive points in the decisive 8-0 run. One of the shots came on an absolutely spectacular drive where he hung in the air, drew contact and converted off the glass. It was another Youtube moment for sure.

BBL’s take:

UK shoot poorly from the field and foul line and still won by almost double digits against a team that with some growth and cohesion could end up reaching the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. Their bench contributed at times in the first half but Calipari tightened the rotation in the second and Dodson, Liggins and Miller didn’t see much time. Some of that is due to bad decisions and ticky tack fouls, but we still believe those players are going to have to contribute more if UK is going to win the National Championship.

Kentucky has another week off before taking on UGA at Rupp next Saturday. They then go on the road for back to back games with Florida and Auburn. We see no real threat versus any of those teams. UF is really struggling now after opening 8-0. While they are usually tough at home, they possess little inside strength and should be no match versus the Cats.

All in all Kentucky escaped another ferocious battle today on the back of strong inside play from Big Cuz and Patrick Patterson, and perhaps more importantly, a sensational two-minute span when John Wall took over the game and sent the home crowd into absolute hysterics.

We look forward to the rest of the season especially now that media scrutiny is going to become intense.

Kentucky finishes its pre-conference season 15-0, capped with a hard fought victory over in-state rival Louisville in a game that was as ugly as anything in recent college basketball memory.

Stay tuned for breakdown…

So much has already been written or said about today’s eagerly awaited UK-UL matchup that there isn’t too much left to do but sit down and watch the game.

We all know the story lines–in-state rivalry, Pitino vs. Calipari, UK’s undefeated record on the line, and Louisville going for three straight over UK. You get the idea.

In spite of the grand spectacle of it all, we think it will actually be a very competitive game that could either way. Here are the things to watch:

Pitino’s Gameplan: We have a feeling Pitino has been working on the right gameplan for this one since early October. We can’t be entirely sure of what the Cards will do, but we have some guesses. Look for UL to run a lot of zone and attempt to squeeze the driving lanes and force UK to hit contested perimeter jumpshots. Expect a very physical halfcourt game with Louisville’s more experienced lineup attempting to push the Cats around a bit.

Post Play: Louisville’s Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings are big bodies with good hands and solid overall athleticism. But today they may be facing their toughest test of the year. Kentucky’s cadre of big men will alter and reject shots, score on the low block and, on occasion, bring their defenders outside the paint, opening driving lanes or knocking down face up jumpers. Rebounding will be key today, and we think the Cats should have a huge advantage.

The Insanity of Rupp: There has perhaps never been a “battle of the bluegrass” with more on the line than this year’s. The colorful personalities of the two opposing coaches, the gravity of the game from a national perspective and, most importantly, the skill of these teams’ personnel should combine to create an excitement level rarely seen on the collegiate level. Rupp Arena will be one fantastic scene today, and it will be interesting to see not just how it affects the visiting Cardinals but also the young Kentucky squad. Don’t be surprised if there are a lot of butterflies in the early going.

Outside Shooting: This one is pretty obvious. Pitino has always said that if his teams shoot 34% from three land, then they can consistently beat opposing teams that shoot 50% from two. Seeing as how defending the three has been one of Kentucky’s scarce weaknesses, expect that philosophy to be put to the test today. On the other side of the ball, can UK continue its torrid shooting pace? The Cats are shooting nearly 43% from behind the arc, a fact which has surprised most commentators, the BBL included.

An Underrated Opponent: Da ‘Ville is better than their record of 10-3. The puzzling losses to Western Carolina and Charlotte had more to do with injuries and early season chemistry issues than with the quality of this team. UL is led by strong, athletic and experienced guards Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles. They will press all game long and try to force UK into turnovers. Also, you cannot underestimate the motivation of a program that was taken off their perch of state supremacy before a game was played, all due to the hiring of Calipari.

BBL Take: No prediction today. But we think this will be a rugged, tight battle that goes right down to the wire. Kentucky will need to knock down open jump shots, make free throws and get solid contributions off the bench. If the Cats pull this one off, expect the spotlight to intensify heading into conference play.