Good morning Big Blue Nation, it's game time.

by Andrew Hardison

Kentucky takes on Rider in what is to be an early game Saturday afternoon. UK doesn't see a ton of these games during the season, but the 12:30 approximate start time gives the Wildcats an opportunity to quickly forget constant miscues against Miami (OH) and Sam Houston State.

The Rider Broncs are no joke and could take their league by storm. Saturday proves to be just another test for this young Kentucky team, where anything could happen.

A brief game summary will come after the game, with some highlights and important notes from throughout the day covering basketball and football, with Kentucky facing Georgia in a late night game in Athens, Georgia.

It's going to be a great Saturday for Kentucky sports!

Go CATS!

EA Sports College Basketball 10 is out, Calipari is NOT "in the game"

Yes video game geeks rejoice. NCAA Basketball 10 is out in stores and you can play your own Wildcat dynasty at home.

I know earlier this summer, Calipari went out to LA to film some segments for the game, but I have not found them yet. There is a short section on motion offenses, but that is hosted by Villanova's Jay Wright. But I have yet to find Coach Cal.

As for the game, it is pretty tight. It took about half an hour to type in the real names for the UK players and I like that you can customize the players also. My Cousins and Bledsoe are sporting the headbands and I have the sleeve for my John Wall. I only played one game so far, and I delivered a pretty sound 64-42 beatdown of the dirty Cards.

Above is some PS3 footage of the game - I have XBOX 360 _ so I am not sure why the UK unis are so dingy in that video. I think the 360 version looks better than the PS3 version.

I am really not sure what happened to Calipari in the game however. I wonder if he got left on the cutting room floor?

Calapari talks about the bench as a motivator

Thanks to www.kentuckysportsnetwork.com for the video. Calipari talks about how he uses the bench as a motivator and Cousins on starting quicker in games.

UK Basketball Preview - Know Your Enemy: Rider Broncs

GAME 4 - 11/21/2009

1:00 PM EST - RUPP ARENA

RIDER BRONCS (2-1)

TV - FOX SPORTS SOUTH

UK LEADS SERIES 2-0

LAST MEETING:

12/27/1995: UK 90 RIDER 65

Rider lost whatever element of surprise they had planned for UK when they knocked off #22 Mississippi State 88-74. The way that UK's season has started, it appears that the Broncs are another team that can not be taken lightly. The Broncs are coming off a 19-13 season and return four starters and eight lettermen from that team. There is a little bit of synchronicity in this meeting because the last time these teams met, it was early in UK's '96 championship season.

On paper and given the last two games for UK, Rider could be a problem. Through two games, Rider had tallied 26 3-pointers in it's first two games for a .578 percentage from beyond the line. If you are looking for a ray of light, Rider is coming off a 79-46 pasting at the hands of unheralded Virginia (a team UK may play in Cancun) and the Broncs managed to shoot just 7-23 in that game. So are the Broncs cooling down? Or getting ready to heat up again? Let's look at the Rider starting 5.

THE STARTERS

G- RYAN THOMPSON - SR - 6'6 - 220
18.0 ppg, 6.5 reb, 3.2 assists

G- NOVAR GADSON - SO - 6'7 - 230

10.8 ppg, 6 reb

G- JUSTIN ROBINSON - JR - 6'2 - 190

10.4 ppg, 3.4 reb, 2.5 assists

F- MIKE RINGGOLD - JR - 6'7 - 215

11.4 ppg, 6.8 reb

F- JERMAINE JACKSON - SO - 6'7 - 230

2.4 ppg, 2.7 reb

Defend the three. Defend the three. Defend the three.

If you are sick of reading that, just imagine how sick UK is going to be of hearing it tomorrow. Rider is a dangerous team as they have made 10, 16, and 7 3-pointers in their games this year and actually have big guards that may test Wall and Bledsoe. This team has FOUR players that are deadly from behind the 3 point line ( Thompson, Robinson, Gadson, and Patrick Mansell).

Rider actually has a couple of players that Calipari would appreciate. Both Thompson and Gadson can play the point forward position and Gadson had a double double versus Mississippi State.

You have to wonder which game is the real Rider: the upset of Mississippi State or the blow out loss to Virginia. My guess is that answer lies somewhere between.

OUTLOOK

Did I really pick UK by 26 over Sam Houston State? Sigh. I did. So what preposterous predictions am I going to come up with now? To be honest, I would be kind of worried had UK not gotten burned the last two games. If this team does not come out Saturday and defend the 3-point shot, we can start to lower our predictions a bit.

I think that UK knows they are playing a dangerous team on Saturday, and will come out a different team. This game is the first big test of Calipari's coaching and motivator on the UK squad and I think he will pass the test and have this team ready. Look for UK to be tenacious on D and for the bench to get involved in the game this time. Let's say it's going to be UK jumping out by about 10 and holding onto that lead most of the first half and pull away in the second half for a 81-63 win.

Kentucky/Georgia Football Preview

GAME 11 - 11/21/2009

SANFORD STADIUM, ATHENS, GA

7:45 PM - ESPN2

GEORGIA BULLDOGS (6-4) (2-4)

SERIES HISTORY: UK LEADS 49-11-2

RECENT MEETINGS:

2008: GEORGIA 42 UK 38

2007: GEORGIA 24 UK 13

2006: UK 24 GEORGIA 20

2005: GEORGIA 45 UK 13

2004: GEORGIA 62 UK 17

Holy cow. Look at the records in this game. Both UK and Georgia at 6-4 on the season and 2-4 in the conference. Bowl eligible for the fourth straight season, Rich Brooks can use a win here to finally shut up the nay sayers and improve his bowl status. It is intimidating to go down into the hedges and have to face the famed Bulldogs, but on paper, this is a game UK has a chance at.

Is it a game where the can avoid the mental/physical errors and finally purge the demons of the past? It's possible ..... but let's look at the Dawgs.

OFFENSE

It all starts with the QB and for this season, Joe Cox is no Matthew Stafford. He has decent numbers but he is the Mike Hartline for Georgia fans. Not everything wrong with the Bulldogs is Stafford's fault, but he gets thrown under the bus anyway. For the season, Stafford has 2059 yards passing and 18 TD's vs 12 INT's. When you consider that 5 of those TD's came against Arkansas, Cox's number start to look more pedestrian. For his credit, he has not thrown a TD in the last two games after his 3 INT flameout against the Gators. UK can look forward to a pocket passer for a change so they will not have to worry about chasing the QB all over the field.

Washaun Ealey (or the guy that Brandon Spikes tried to eye gouge) has taken over as the main ball carrier for the Bulldogs. Ealey, a true freshman, has 379 yards rushing despite only playing in 6 games and he boasts of a 5.1 ypg average. He has 3 TD's rushing and is not much of a threat to catch a ball out of the backfield as he has just 2 catches all season. The guy that Ealey supplanted, Richard Ealey, did not play last week versus Auburn and he has averaged 3.0 yards a carry or less three times this season. Samuel is not a highly productive receiving back either. Caleb King seems to be sharing the carries with Ealey and is averaging 4.7 yards a carry.

When it comes to receiving, the Bulldogs game revolves around AJ Green (of the TD over 3 UK defenders with 1:54 remaining last year variety). Green has 47 catches for 751 yards and 6 TD's and has proven to be mostly unstoppable this year. Green is in something of a slump right now with 6 catches for 69 yards in his last 3 games (he did miss a game) but the Green/Lindley battle should be one to watch. While not major parts of the attack, Orson Charles and Tavarres King are good for a couple of catches a game and have a better yards per reception average than Green.

DEFENSE

The Georgia defense is probably the weakest it has been in recent memory. So far this season, they have been torched by South Carolina (37 pts), Arkansas (41 pts), Tennessee (45 pts), and Florida (41 pts). Georgia is giving up 25.9 points a game.

Rennie Curran is another linebacker that reminds me of Wesley Woodyard, in that he is a bit undersized but finds a way to be around the ball. He has 94 tackles, 4.5 of them for a loss, and 10 QB hurries on the season.

OUTLOOK

When was the last time that UK and Georgia were at the exact same place in the standings after 10 games. I don't even want to research that. The thing is, I know that this is Georgia and the game is between the hedges, but is this year's version really that much better than UK? I think it is pretty even.

Both teams beat Auburn by a touchdown. Florida beat us 41-7, Georgia 41-17. And we both beat Vandy. Georgia beat them by 24 and we won by 11. The only big difference is Georgia beat South Carolina by 4 and we lost by 2. So there is not a lot of difference.

The big question is how hyped up will Georgia be to face UK? They have Georgia Tech next week and really have nothing of importance (by Georgia standards) to play for this week. UK is looking to build their legacy in the SEC and could finish second in the SEC East by winning out.

I was not going to do this. But once I started writing this and looking at the stats a question came to mind: WHY NOT? I agree. Why not? UK 28 Georgia 20

Cats show "Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" side in 102-90 win over Sam Houston State

The offensive fanatic would say there was a lot to like in the Wildcat's 102-90 win over Sam Houston State. The Wildcats scored 102 points on 60% shooting for the evening. UK hit 11 of 22 three pointers, which had to ease preseason fears as to where the 3 pointers would come from this season. UK had 22 assists on the evening. The Wildcats had three players score 20 points or more (Cousins - 27, Wall - 21, Patterson - 20) and had double digit scoring from their other starters (Bledsoe - 19, Miller - 15).

The defensive guru would go crazy ranting and raving about the Wildcat's performance on this evening. For the second straight game, UK seemed basically disinterested in stopping any shots from beyond the 3 point line. The Bearkats had 54 points on 18 3-pointers (most totally uncontested) and Corey Allmond had 37 points on 11 of 16 shooting from behind the three point line. The defense gave up 13 offensive rebounds and allowed 23.

It was another bizarre night at Rupp where they allowed a "lower tier" team to stay in the game much longer than they should have, but it was another thoroughly entertaining game to watch. Too bad the entertainment value will end when the SEC's 3 point shooters ramble into Rupp.

Even on offense and defense , the Wildcats showed their "Jekyl and Hyde" side as even when they were doing things very good on offense, there was room for improvement. And when things were going badly on defense, there was plenty to like.

And with the good, there were things that were .... not so good. Despite the great games from the starters, the bench scored zero points in 35 minutes on just 0-3 shooting. The offense turned the ball over 22 times.

And the much maligned defense did some things good. Apart from the 3 pointers, Sam Houston was just 11-39 from 2 point range and were harassed constantly as UK swatted 12 shots (Daniel Orton blocked four shots in 10 minutes). UK handily outrebounded the smaller Bearkats 43-30.

For all it's warts, the game was never seriously in doubt. DeMarcus Cousins was once again, a man possessed as he very nearly had a double in the first 7:00 of the game or so. He finished with 27 points and 18 boards. Darius Miller was a changed player offensively, as he was very aggressive and finished with 15 points and 3 3-pointers. Eric Bledsoe showed us he is a better shooter than we thought, connecting on 5-7 3-pointers. Both Wall and Bledsoe were spectacular and inconsistent at the same time, each finishing with both 6 points and 6 turnovers.

The game had it's "who will and who won't play drama" as Jon Hood did see action and DeAndre Liggins and Darnell Dodson did not take off their warmups all game. DeAndre was sitting with the team though so maybe he is getting closer to playing.

In the end UK is 3-0 on the season, the first time since 2006 they could stake that claim. A win against Rider on Saturday will give UK it's best start since 2004. Let that soak in for a minute. And let this soak in: UK gave up 92 points, 18 3-pointers, turned the ball over 22 times and had an opponent that was 16-19 from the line and UK still won by 10. I am not going to nit pick to death a double digit win, but I just hope the Cats have been woken up and know what to concetrate on Saturday versus Rider.

John Calipari seemed to echo those thoughts as he said after the game that this was his worst defensive team since 1988. I think this team is officially on notice to get better defensively.

For the complete game stats, go here.

Harris recruitment over, Tennessee, Bruce Pearl secure commitment

by Andrew Hardison

The wait is finally over.

The #5 player in the 2010 recruiting class has officially announced his decision, as Tobias Harris will take his game to Tennessee. He made his announcement live on ESPNU this evening at 6 p.m. at New York's ESPNZone (go figure) and had much of the major programs around the nation in waiting.

For many it was no surprise as Harris took a 'secret' visit to watch the Vols dismantle lowly UNC-Asheville the other night. Harris stated that all seven of his schools that he took official visits to were on an equal playing field. That may be the case but when programs garner last minute visits and attention, that school is likely to win out. Tennessee filled the role in this instance, with UK providing excitement weeks ago with their Midnight Madness.

With that said, some players want the glitz and glame a program has to offer, something Kentucky is utilizing as a recruiting tool since John Calipari arrived on campus. Harris found other attractions elsewhere and that's perfectly fine.

Harris' commitment to the Vols only ramps up the excitement in the coming years as Bruce Pearl and Calipari go toe-to-toe for some of the nation's best recruits year in and year out.

Tobias Harris update: D-Day is here, announcement all that's left for Harris

by Andrew Hardison

It’s early, it’s redundant, and it will all be over soon enough.

Today, at 5:30 est. time, #5 player in the nation will announce his college decision and where he’ll look to play basketball. Rumors have run rampant in the past months as to where he’ll end up, with SEC rival Tennessee being the reported leader as schools like Kentucky, Louisville, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, and Syracuse look on in the distance. With that said, last night Harris had to make his official decision without letting it be known to anyone else. Over at Bluegrass State Basketball they have an interview with him from last night in which Harris says,

"It's a weight lifted off my shoulders!"

So there you have it. Harris has decided and will announce his decision at 5:30 est. time and that will be the end of that. Where Kentucky stands is the question at hand and from all indications UK looks to be a sleeper in the Tobias Harris recruitment.

*More news and notes to come later after Harris makes his announcement.

Wildcats add a Tennessee LB to recruiting class

Looking to shore up UK's linebacking corps after Micah and Sam Maxwell graduate this year, UK signed LB Avery Williamson from Milan, HS in Tennessee. This is a pretty good grab for UK as he is a solid 3* recruit. Here is what ESPN has to say about Avery:

Williamson is a talented an athletic fullback and linebacker. He has good size along with speed and quickness. As a fullback, hits the hole quickly and can make sharp cuts in the openfield. Has good vision and can get to the second level instantly. Catches the football with ease and be a running threat to the defense once he is in space. A very good knee bender on defense and keeps tempo on the ball carrier. Keeps excellent leverage on the football and close on the runner disallowing the cutback. Moves well laterally and can change direction with ease. Takes good pursuit angles to the football. Williamson has the athletic ability to be a major contributor to his team at the next level. He has as huge upside and the frame to add both strength and bulk. He runs well and is a smart and instinctive football player.

Rich Brooks is making the bowls despite the absence of "star recruits"

A lot has been made about Kentucky's recruiting progress this season and Brooks emphasis on going after better athletes in an effort to make UK more competitive in the SEC. The results have been mixed so far. Brooks has landed players such has Raymond Sanders, who has gotten a lot of attention nationally for his efforts on the field this year. But a lot of blue bloods still fret and point to the lack of **** and ***** recruits and cry "woe is me" about UK's future prospects.

The first thing to realize is that the "star system" to rate HS athletes is not as big a deal in college football as it is in college basketball. There is not as big a difference between a solid *** recruit and a **** recruit. College football is a game where the recruiting stars really mean nothing once the seasons start. There are as many stories of 2 star players making the NFL as there are of 5 star plays being huge busts in college and not even finishing their careers.

Now even though that UK is on the short end in the landing high star recruits, Brooks and company are in position to win their fourth straight bowl, something very few current coaches in the SEC can say. Not even defending NCAA champion Urban Meyer or former champ Steve Spurrier can make that claim. So clearly, Rich Brooks is doing something right as he takes these "lower tier" athletes and makes them winners. Let's take a look at the current Cats on the roster and where there were coming out of HS. (All ratings courtesy of Rivals)

2005 class (coming off a 2-9 season)

• Alfonso Smith - 2* DB
• Zipp Duncan - 2* TE
• Ross Bogue - 2* OL
• Sam Maxwell - 2* LB
• Jorge Gonzalez - 2* OL
• Christian Johnson - 2* OL

Here is where the groundwork was set for Brook's four time bowl eligible team. Not a 3* player in the lot and this class also included 2* Jeremy Jarmon. This is about the time that Brooks started going for speed as the overall class had 5 players at 4.5 speed and under, including Alfonso Smith at 4.45.

2006 class (coming off a 3-8 season)

• Micah Johnson - 4* DE
• Corey Peters - 4* DT
• Ashton Cobb - 3* DB
• Will Fidler - 3* QB,
• Mike Hartline - 3* QB
• TC Drake - 3* TE
• Calvin Harrison - 2* DB
• Justin Jeffiries - 2 * OL
• Trevard Lindley - 2* DB
• Ricky Lumpkin - 2* DE
• Paul Warford - 2* RB
• Lones Seiber - 2* K
• Brandon Thurmond - 2* LB

Lots of recognizable names here with just two stars beside it. Micah and Corey were the big grabs in this class, but almost every name on this list has had their moment in the sun for UK. Brooks also adds four more players with 4.5 speed or better.

2007 class (coming off 8-5 season)

• Stuart Hines - 3* OL
• Moncell Allen - 3* RB
• Brad Durham - 3* OL
• Antwane Glenn - 3* DE
• Kyrus Lanxter - 3* WR
• Billie Joe Murphy - 3* OL
• Matt Lentz - 2* QB
• Randall Burden - 2* DB
• Shane McCord - 2* DT
• Greg Meisner - 2* DE
• Anthony Mosely - 2* WR
• Jake Dufrene - 2* LB
• Jake Lanefski - 2* OL
• Ronnie Sneed - 2* LB
• Greg Wilson - 2* Athlete
• Taiedo Smith - 2* DB
• Ryan Tydlacka - 2* K

Once again, a very solid class in retrospect as a lot of these guys have not played a lot yet, but are showing flashes of potential. One name is missing from this list and that is of RB Derrick Locke. Why, you ask? Because he was signed to UK as a track athlete. Further proof that Mr. Brooks knows just a little something about diamonds in the rough.

2008 class (coming off 8-5 season)

• Aaron Boyd - 4* WR
• Winston Guy - 3* DB
• Osaze Idumwonyi - 3* OL
• EJ Fields - 3* Athlete
• Randall Cobb - 3* Athlete
• Cartier Rice - 3* DB
• Matt Roark - 3* Athlete
• Dave Ulinski - 3* OL
• Sean Stackhouse - 2* TE
• Taylor Wyndham - 2* LB
• Danny Trevathan - 2* LB
• Collins Ukwu - 2*DL
• Chandler Burden - 2* OL
• Matt Smith - 2* OL
• Trevino Woods - 2* OL
• William Johnson - 2* Athlete
• Eric Adeyemi - 2* WR
• Gene McKaskill - 2* WR

Yet another very solid class. Most of the 3*'s are playing key roles and a lot of the 2*'s redshirted last year and are just starting to make a little bit of noise. Danny Trevathan was severely underrated as a 2* recruit. Yet another good "under the radar" grab by Brooks.

2009 class (coming off 7-6 season)

• DeQuin Evans - 4* DE
• Chris Matthews - 4* WR
• Ryan Mossakowski - 4* QB
• Mark Crawford - 3* DT
• Morgan Newton - 3* QB
• Qua Huzzie - 3* LB
• Anthony Kendrick - 3* TE
• Donald Russell - 3* RB
• Sam Simpson - 3* OL
• Jarvis Walker - 3* LB
• Larry Warford - 3* OL
• Tristian Johnson - 3* DE
• LaRod King - 3* WR
• Ryan Mosby - 3* LB
• Dakotah Tyler - 3* RB
• Myron Walker - 3* DT
• Ridge Wilson - 3* LB
• Brian Adams - 2* Athlete
• Jordan Aumiller - 2* TE
• Mister Cobble - 2* LB
• Kevin Mitchell - 2* OL
• Martavius Neloms - 2* DB
• Patrick Ligon - 2* DE
• Jonathan George - 2* RB

This class is without a doubt the best of Brook's career at UK and quite a few of these players we know already. The class that Brooks has recruited so far this year is similar to the 2009 class with maybe a few more two star players. The one thing that UK fans need to remember is that here are a lot of UK's signees are still being evaluated and they may actually move up a star or two by February. In addition, there is always the possibility of players de-committing from their current school and coming to UK. February is a long ways off still. Plus there are still a handful of 4* players UK is still chasing and a couple that I am sure we don't know about. In the case of Brooks, it's best to withhold judgement on this year's class till February until all the dust has settled.