DeAndre Liggins is Now the Big Glue for Big Blue

Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune has written an excellent article about Kentucky's DeAndre Liggins.

Liggins has overcame a tough background and a disappointing freshman season under former UK head coach Billy Gillispie and is now a key player for the 2010-11 Wildcats.

Here is an excerpt:

Calipari termed Liggins' freshman season under Billy Gillispie a "debacle." Liggins spent his sophomore year as a bit player to John Wall and Co. Then out went five players to the NBA and in came a new wave of raw talent, Liggins left to find himself for a third straight year.

"I've coached a lot of players, and there are a few that I'm as proud of as though they were my children, and he's one of them," Calipari said. "He came from a tough environment, tough background. Hard for him to trust. … But he trusts me. And he has made unbelievable strides."

The 6-foot-6 junior guard indeed is trying everything. The numbers — 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, 23 assists, a team-best 11 steals — are not eye-popping but they are diverse.

He is big glue for Big Blue. Even though Calipari says Larry Brown calls to rave about Liggins' defensive versatility, for now, he's caulking gaps the stars leave.

"We have to play defense like he's playing it," said freshman Terrence Jones, the Wildcats' leading scorer. "Coach wants him to talk the most, be loud and everybody follow that."

Complete Article (Highly Recommended)

UK Recruits Dominate Updated 2011 Scout.com Rankings

Scout.com has updated its 2011 recruit rankings and the Kentucky Wildcats have already signed half of the top 6 players.

Future Wildcat Anthony Davis tops the rankings followed by Quincy Miller (Baylor) and Austin Rivers (Duke).

Michael Gilchrist, who has signed with Kentucky, is ranked No. 4. He is followed by LeBryan Nash (Oklahoma State) and another future Wildcat, Marquis Teague.

James McAdoo (North Carolina), Brad Beal (Florida), Adonis Thomas (Memphis) and Khem Birch (Pittsburgh) round out the top 10.

Wayne Blackshear, a future Louisville Cardinal, is No. 12 in the class.

Future Wildcat Kyle Wiltjer is No. 22.

The top-ranked Kentucky high school player is Bowling Green's Chane Behanan, who has signed with Louisville, at No. 27. Zach Price from Jeffersontown High School is No. 57. Price will join Behanan at U of L.

Kentucky is still involved with DeAndre Daniels (35) and Trevor Lacey (63).

Updated Scout.com Rankings

Kentucky's Doron Lamb is a Good Fit for the Wildcats

Luke Winn of SportsIllustrated.com has identified five "freshmen who fit" in their respective programs.

One of the freshmen he talks about is Kentucky's Doron Lamb. Winn says that while Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones have received the most hype, Lamb may actually be the best fit into John Calipari's system.

Here is an excerpt:

Doron Lamb, SG/SF, Kentucky: Of the Wildcats' freshmen, point guard Brandon Knight had the most hype coming into the season and power forward Terrence Jones has the most hype right now ... but Lamb may actually be the best fit into coach John Calipari's system. Lamb is a gunner/scorer who needed freedom to shoot as a freshman, and Calipari has allowed that to happen -- mostly because his system works best when he has dangerous long-range guys who can spread the floor. Lamb is 14-of-24 (58.6 percent) from three-point range thus far, earning big minutes despite the fact that his defensive game is still a work in progress.

Complete Article

Antoine Walker Joins the Idaho Stampede

Former Kentucky star Antoine Walker has signed with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Developmental League.

Walker was introduced earlier today.

* Photo from natekuester on Twitter

Here is more about Walker's comeback from IdahoStatesman.com:

Walker, 34, played 12 seasons in the NBA, most notably with the Boston Celtics, and made three All-Star appearances. Walker averaged 17.5 points and 7.7 rebounds with Boston, Atlanta, Miami and Minnesota after being the No. 6 overall pick out of Kentucky in 1996.

Walker has not played in the NBA since being waived by Minnesota in 2008.

Plagued by financial and legal trouble in recent years, Walker is attempting to get back into the NBA. In 2009, he was charged with three felonies for writing bad checks at Las Vegas casinos totaling nearly $800,000. Walker filed bankruptcy earlier this year with more than $12.7 million in debts.

Walker practiced with Charlotte earlier this year, but did not earn an invitation to training camp. He signed with the NBA Development League on Friday after passing a background check.

Bellarmine University Ranked No. 1 in the Nation

The Bellarmine Knights (5-0) have taken over the top spot in this week's NABC Division II Coaches Poll.

Kentucky Wesleyan (5-1) drops seven spots to No. 18 this week.

Northern Kentucky (5-1) falls three spots to No. 23.

NABC Division II Coaches Poll
(As of 12/07/2010)

Rank School W-L Points Prev
1 Bellarmine (5) 5-0 197 2
2 Findlay (3) 6-0 191 2
3 Winona St. 5-0 184 4
4 West Liberty St. 7-0 177 7
5 Montevallo 6-0 162 10
6 Fort Hays St. 8-0 150 14
7 Indiana (Pa.) 3-1 134 9
8 S.C. Aiken 5-1 124 5
9 Ala.-Huntsville 8-1 120 6
10 Augusta St. 6-0 112 18
11 Bowie St. 5-0 108 19 12 Central Wash. 7-0 105 24 13 Tarleton St. 6-1 103 17 14 Grand Valley St. 5-1 95 16 15 Central Okla. 8-1 88 8 16 Cal Poly Pomona 1-2 85 1 17 Hillsdale 8-0 80 25 18 Ky. Wesleyan 5-1 72 11 19 Cal St. Dom. Hills 6-1 51 15 20 Southern Ind. 5-1 40 22 21 Minn. St. Mankato 6-0 39 NR 22 Merrimack 6-1 32 NR 23 Northern Ky. 5-1 25 20 24 Lincoln Memorial 7-0 21 NR 25 Virginia Union 2-0 15 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Incarnate Word (Texas) 13, Central Missouri 12, Midwestern State (Texas) 11, Bentley (Mass.) 10, Eckerd (Fla.) 9, Flagler (Fla.) 8, Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 8, Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 7, Missouri Southern 6, Drury (Mo.) 5, Fort Lewis (Colo.) 2, Rollins (Fla.) 1.

DROPPED OUT: Central Missouri (12), Rollins (13), Arkansas Tech (21), Chaminade (23).

Anthony Davis Rides "Growth Spurt" to Kentucky Scholarship

Dave Telep of ESPN.com writes today that future Kentucky Wildcat Anthony Davis literally grew into an elite player.

A year ago, Davis stood 6-3 and was in search of a college scholarship.

Today, Davis is 6-10 and ranked No. 2 in the ESPNU 100. He holds a scholarship in Kentucky's 2011 recruiting class.

Here is an excerpt about Davis' phenomenal growth spurt:

But then something happened. He grew a couple inches. Then a couple more. And then a couple more. Suddenly, the guard was now a power forward.

"It came in spurts," Davis said. "At the beginning of the [junior] school year I was 6-3. Then I went to 6-5 and then 6-8."

Davis is now 6-10 and ranked No. 2 in the ESPNU 100. He signed to play for John Calipari and Kentucky. But there's more to it than just what happened on the hardwood. Growing seven inches changes everything, literally.

"It was really weird. My mom was buying clothes for me and then they were too small," he said. Davis went from a size 14 shoe to 17. "Right now I'm still growing; it's still weird."

Complete Article

Jeffersontown Ranked No. 20 in USA Today Super 25

Jeffersontown High School boy's basketball team is ranked No. 20 in the nation in this week's USA Today Super 25 rankings.

Here is an excerpt:

20(Not ranked) Jeffersontown (3-0)
Louisville, KY

Result: Defeated Memphis East 73-65 in Mike Miller Classic in Memphis as Harry Cross had 19 points.

Next: Today vs. Fern Creek (Louisville).

The national top 10 are:

1. Oak Hill Academy (VA)

2. Long Beach Poly (CA)

3. Miller Grove (GA)

4. Christ the King (NY)

5. Findlay College Prep (NV)

6. St. Anthony (NJ)

7. Montrose Christian (MD)

8. Dr. Krop (FL)

9. Simeon (IL)

10. Winter Park (FL)

Complete Rankings

Coach Cal's Mailbag for the the Week of December 6

Coach Cal’s Mailbag: Week of December 6

LIVE Chat with Cal Takes Place Monday, December 13 at noon ET

Click here to view Coach Cal’s Mailbag on FOXSportsSouth.com

FOX Sports South, in conjunction with the University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari, presents “Coach Cal’s Mailbag,” an interactive webpage found exclusively on FOXSportsSouth.com.

“Coach Cal’s Mailbag” features Calipari in video responses to reader-submitted questions every week throughout the 2010-11 college basketball season. Readers can submit questions by visiting FOXSportsSouth.com.

In addition to the latest Wildcats basketball news and videos, “Coach Cal’s Mailbag” will also feature live monthly chats with Calipari, the first of which will take place next Monday, December 13, at noon ET on FOXSportsSouth.com.

Upcoming University of Kentucky men’s basketball games on FOX Sports South include:

· December 22 – vs. Winthrop University Eagles – 1 p.m. ET
· December 28 – vs. Coppin State University Eagles – 7 p.m. ET

Please check your listings for channel location.

This week in Coach Cal’s Mailbag:

My condolences to your whole family after your mother’s passing. How tough was it to get back on the sideline and coach after losing someone so dear to you? – Ashley, Lexington, KY

Coach Cal – “I’ve been emotionally drained the last week… My mother had cancer so we knew at some point in the next year it was going to happen. We knew it. But it doesn’t matter. It still comes as a shock and a surprise… The grieving time that I need and still continue to need probably is going to have to wait for a while. It’s hard but you’ve got to say, ‘This is what I’m doing with my basketball team.’ The players have been fabulous.”

What a tough battle against North Carolina. I’m an aspiring coach. Would you take us into your locker room and share the key points from the post-game speech? – Frank, Madison, WI
Coach Cal – “When [we] win a game, that’s when I get on them. When [we] lose a game, very rarely am I going to raise my voice… In the case of North Carolina, I told them, ‘I can’t believe we were in the game at the end.’ In one way I’m telling them we shouldn’t have even been in the game, yet we still had a chance to win it. I don’t kill them after we lose. After we win, I’ll get on them hard.”

Can you please explain “The Calzone” defense and how often you expect to use it in games? Was the name your idea? – Trevor, Murray, KY

Coach Cal – “We’re looking for a name for this defense. I just called it ‘Funky’ at one time and someone else came up with ‘Calzone’, but it’s a morphed kind of a zone [where] we can use our athleticism and length… My issue right now is how to transition our defense into a zone that’s just as important as in a man-to-man.”

Pick any three people, living or deceased, to play in a round of golf. Who would it be and why? – Dustin, Phoenix, AZ

Coach Cal – “First of all, because it’s golf, I would say Arnie Palmer. You’ve got to want to play with Arnold Palmer… And I’d love to have played golf with John F. Kennedy… I don’t know who else. I would say those two stick out in my mind – one, a golfer and another, a person I would’ve loved to have met.”

At what moment did it hit you that you were the head coach of the most storied program in college basketball? – Justin, Charleston, SC

Coach Cal – “John Robic and I were in the office – it’s 11-o’clock at night – and we look out this window and we see ‘Kentucky Basketball’ glittering on the [practice gym] wall, and those seven national titles, those banners, on that wall. He looked at me and I looked at him and we said, ‘Can you imagine we’re coaching the University of Kentucky?’ When you work your way through, when you start at the bottom… and have to work your way to this kind of a job over a 20-year period, you take great satisfaction in just being able to sit in this seat.”

Georgetown's Eddie Gray Named MSC Player of the Week

Georgetown College's Eddie Gray has been named Mid-South Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Here is the release from the conference:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Georgetown College's Eddie Gray is the Mid-South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week, conference officials announced on Monday.

The weekly conference award is Gray's second MSC honor of the season and of his career. Gray also earned player of the week honors on Nov. 15.

Gray averaged 20 points, three rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while helping the Tigers win both of their games last week.

The Cincinnati, Ohio, senior guard, scored 18 points in the Tigers' 76-74 win at St. Catharine College on Thursday. He hit six of his eight shots, including 4-for-5 beyond the three-point arc in the win. Gray continued his hot play with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists in an 80-61 win over No. 17-ranked Campbellsville University on Saturday. Gray connected on eight of his 13 shots and four of his six three-point attempts.

Gray concluded the week shooting 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the field, including 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.

Gray averages 13.9 points per game this season for the No. 9-ranked Tigers. He ranks fourth in the MSC in assists (5.0 per game) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (41.7).

Georgetown is 10-0 on the season and is tied atop the Mid-South with a 2-0 league mark. The Tigers return to action tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET as they host Brescia (Ky.) University in Georgetown.

The next men's basketball player of the week award is scheduled to be announced on Monday, Dec. 13.

Notre Dame's Tyrone Nash Was Almost a Kentucky Wildcat

Notre Dame senior Tyrone Nash was almost a Kentucky Wildcat coming out of high school. Nash was offered a scholarship to UK by former head coach Tubby Smith and it was an offer that he seriously considered.

Ultimately, however, Nash landed at Notre Dame and he has enjoyed a successful career with the Fighting Irish.

This season, Nash is averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds a night.

Here is an excerpt about Tubby Smith's offer from SouthBendTribune.com:

It was really serious,” Nash said of his recruitment by Kentucky. “When you think about Kentucky, you have to think about it as one of the all-time top teams ever.”

One that courts prospects with kindness. A lot of it.

“They recruit the heck out of you over there,” Nash said. “All the history, the basketball, how can you turn them down?”

Irish coach Mike Brey, who also was recruiting Nash at the time, figured you couldn't. He wondered if it was time to shift focus to the next prospect on his recruiting wish list after learning that Nash had scheduled a campus visit to Kentucky.

“I said, ‘Well, that may not be a good thing; this one may be off the board,'” Brey recalled Monday morning. “Then he decided to go back to prep school and we were able to get him.”

Complete Article

Photo Source

Nets Recall Terrence Williams from the D-League

Former Louisville star Terrence Williams has been recalled from the Springfield Armor after three games.

In those three games, Williams torched D-League opponents to the tune of 28.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 10.7 assists a game. He produced two triple-doubles in three games.

Williams is heading back to New Jersey and the Nets are scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks tonight at 7:00 ET.

The news was reported first on Twitter by John Schuhmann, who writes for NBA.com.

Future Cats and Cards are Playing Well Early

ESPN.com has some updates from high school basketball around the country. Several future Kentucky and Louisville stars are playing well early.

Here are some updates:

Kentucky

- Anthony Davis gets 36 and 18 in loss

Kentucky-bound forward Anthony Davis went for 36 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks on Sunday but it wasn't enough as his Perspectives Charter School fell to St. Charles North 71-59 in the Chicago Public Schools Holiday Basketball Showcase.

- Marquis Teague gets 30 in Pike win

Kentucky-bound point guard Marquis Teague went for 30 points in Pike's 83-77 win over Avon on Saturday night.

- Marquis Teague leads Pike past Ben Davis

Kentucky signee Marquis Teague led a balanced scoring attack for Pike in an 83-74 win over Ben Davis on Friday night.

Zavier Turner had 18, R.J. Hunter finished with 17 and Josh Gentry scored 15 for the Red Devils.

Louisville

- Wayne Blackshear powers Morgan Park

ESPNU 100 shooting guard Wayne Blackshear finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in Morgan Park's 62-54 win over Flossmoor on Sunday in the CPS Holiday Basketball Showcase.

Source

St. Catharine Runs Away from Life University

St. Catharine 95
Life University 80

Final from Springfield, Kentucky

St. Catharine, KY -- Life University added another tough loss to their record against St. Catharine College, 80-95.

The Running Eagles were led by Tony Reese with 19 points and James Hooper, who scored 16 and had 4 steals. The Patriots' leading scorers were Marquis Lee who scored 26 and Brandon Johnson with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Life trailed at the half, 41-46, and were unable to recover a lead the rest of the game.

The next home game is Thursday, December 9, against Carver Bible College at 5 p.m.

* Game recap by Life University

Georgetown Hammers Brescia with Long Range Attack

Georgetown College 117
Brescia University 71

Final from Georgetown, Kentucky

Georgetown College men's basketball team shot 70 percent from the three-point line as it picked up its 11th straight victory.

Brescia College (4-6) came to Georgetown for the second meeting between these two teams this season and lost 117-71. GC (11-0, 2-0 Mid-South Conference) opened a 61-31 first half lead and never looked back.

Scott County native Rodney Haddix paced six Tigers in double figures with 24 points, including four three-pointers. Tyrone Shelley had 16 points, Johonne Hamilton 15, Vincent Crutcher 14, Aaron Morris 12 and Maurice Pearson 10. GC was 14-of-20 from deep and 44-of-63 from the field as it eclipsed 100-points for the third time this season.

Morris had a double-double with 12 rebounds to go with as many points.

Aaron Tandy paced Brescia with 19 points, while DeCarlos McClendon had 11 points and Trace Ewing had 10.

The Tigers, which moved up from preseason No. 9 to No. 2 Monday afternoon in the first NAIA Coaches Poll of the regular season, are back in action 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when Spalding comes to town.

* Game recap by Georgetown College

Former Wildcat Adam Delph is Starring for Asbury

Former Kentucky Wildcat Adam Delph is playing well at Asbury University. After scoring a career high 36 points, Delph has been named KIAC Player of the Week.

Here is the release from the KIAC:

Men's Basketball Player of the Week (December 6, 2010)
Men's Basketball - Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 3:08 PM

Adam Delph, Asbury University - Men's Basketball Player of the Week

6-2 Sophomore - Louisville, KY

Asbury University guard Adam Delph was named the KIAC men's basketball player of the week on December 6th. The 6-2 sophomore recorded a career high 36 points in an 81-76 win against NAIA Division I Union College. In the contest, Delph also pulled down 7 rebounds and had 3 assists. He also scored 25 points in an 81-67 loss to Campbellsville and had 10 points in a 121-53 win over Ohio State-Mansfield in limited minutes. For the week, Delph averaged 23.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4 assists. The former University of Kentucky walk-on is 17th in the NAIA in scoring (21 ppg) and is currently 8th in 3-point field goal percentage (51.7%). Asbury returns to action on December 7th at home against Temple Baptist College

Eric Bledsoe in Danger of Losing Starting Job

Former Kentucky star Eric Bledsoe is in danger of losing his starting job with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Veteran point guard Baron Davis has returned from injury and is playing at a high level.

Here is an excerpt from ESPN.com:

Baron Davis is back in the picture for the Clippers, and he's already having a positive impact on fantasy owners who held onto him and a negative impact on Eric Bledsoe's production. Davis is averaging 8.0 assists in his three games since returning and dropped a five-steal night on Friday, while coming off the bench in all three contests. Bledsoe is averaging slightly more than 26 minutes per game since Davis' return, compared to the 33.4 minutes per game he was averaging in the 14 games Davis missed. If Davis shows some consistency during the next couple of weeks, it would be no surprise if he regained the starting job.

Bledsoe is now a questionable fantasy play in most formats, since he was primarily contributing in assists and steals, and Davis will cut into those assists considerably, even if Blesdoe retains his starting job. Davis becomes worth starting if you need 3-pointers, steals and assists, as he always puts those up in bunches and will have no problem doing so coming off the bench for the Clippers. Overall, though, the two players hurt each other's value considerably and make it so neither is a no-brainer when determining whether or not to start or sit them for your fantasy team. Give this situation a couple weeks to shake out before dropping Bledsoe, although it's likely that if Davis proves able to stay on the court he'll eventually get more minutes than Bledsoe and put an end to the surprising rookie's solid start to his career.

Complete Article

Photo Source

Terrence Williams is Destroying the Developmental League

Former Louisville Cardinal Terrence Williams has taken the NBA Developmental League by storm.

In his first three appearances with the Springfield Armor, Williams has produced back-to-back triple-doubles followed by a 36-point night.

In a 130-124 loss to Fort Wayne on Saturday, Williams had a game-high 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

Williams had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists in his first D-League game.

Last night, Williams had 36 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a 119-111 loss to Maine.

Photo: Screenshot from NBA.com

Daniel Orton's Knee Injury Appears to be "Nothing Major"

There is some good news tonight concerning Daniel Orton's knee injury. The initial diagnosis following and MRI is that he has no "major structural damage."

Orton injured his knee during the second game of his NBA Developmental League stint with the New Mexico Thunderbirds.

Here is an excerpt from OrlandoSentinel.com:

"There's probably a little bit of cartilage damage, nothing major," Smith said. "We'll have to figure out how we're going to manage it, either through meds or get a little surgery. But I'm not sure. It depends on Daniel."

A team doctor examined Orton on Monday after the MRI.

The rookie center said he will seek a second opinion by the physician in Oklahoma who operated on his knee during his senior year of high school. Orton left open the possibility that he'll have surgery, but he said he would like surgery to be "the very last option."

Complete Article

Freedom Hall Goes Blue for Kentucky

The floor at Freedom Hall, the longtime home of the Louisville Cardinals, is now blue and white for Kentucky's Wednesday-night game against Notre Dame:

Photo Source

Georgetown College Ranked No. 2 in National Rankings

Georgetown College (10-0) has moved up to No. 2 in this week's national NAIA D1 Men's Basketball Rankings. The Tigers received 233 points, just behind No. 1 Robert Morris University.

Lindsey Wilson College (8-1) has moved into the national rankings at No. 15.

St. Catharine College and Pikeville College are just outside the top 25 at No. 28 and 30, respectively.

Campbellsville University received one vote for the top 25.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll

RANK SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)2010 RECORDTOTAL POINTS

1 Robert Morris University (Ill.) (8) 8-0 249
2 Georgetown College (Ky.) (1) 10-0 233
3 Louisiana State University-Shreveport (1) 8-0 231
4 Mountain State University (W.Va.) 8-1 219
5 Texas Wesleyan University 9-0 216
6 Concordia University (Calif.) 6-2 208
7 Westminster College (Utah) 10-0 195
8 Oklahoma Baptist University 6-2 189
9 Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) 5-2 181
10 Xavier University (La.) 9-0 179
11 Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) 11-0 175 12 Shorter University (Ga.) 9-0 164 13 Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) 6-2 161 14 Lindenwood University (Mo.) 7-1 153 15 Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) 8-1 130 16 Biola University (Calif.) 7-0 120 17 Union University (Tenn.) 8-3 119 18 Park University (Mo.) 7-4 94 19 Oklahoma City University 9-1 91 20 Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.) 6-2 90 21 Lee University (Tenn.) 8-2 81 22 William Jewell College (Mo.) 7-1 65 22 University of Montana Western 8-3 65 24 Tougaloo College (Miss.) 8-2 61 25 Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 8-2 52

Others receiving votes: Columbia College (Mo.) 51; Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) 37; St. Catharine College (Ky.) 36; Emmanuel College (Ga.) 32; Pikeville College (Ky.) 18; Carroll College (Mont.) 17; Lubbock Christian University (Texas) 16; William Carey University (Miss.) 14; Evangel University (Mo.) 7; Oklahoma Christian University 1; Campbellsville University (Ky.) 1; Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) 1; Bethel University (Tenn.) 1; Montana State University-Northern 1; Northwestern Oklahoma State University 1.

John Wall Gets a Double-Double and Other NBA Notes

NBA Recap - December 5, 2010:

- Rajon Rondo (Kentucky) DNP strained hamstring

- Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky) had 20 points and 4 rebounds in Detroit's 102-92 win over Cleveland.

- John Wall (Kentucky) had 12 points and 12 assists in Washington's 125-108 loss to Phoenix.

- Earl Clark (Louisville) scored 2 points in 3 minutes for the Suns.

- Eric Bledsoe (Kentucky) did not score in 23 minutes for the Clippers. Bledsoe had 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in a 100-91 loss to Portland.

Morehead State Eagles Move into Mid-Major Top 25

The Morehead State Eagles have moved into the Mid-Major Top 25 at No. 19 this week.

The Eagles are just ahead of Murray State, who dropped eight spots to No. 20.

CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25:

1. Cleveland State (23) 10-0 744 5
2. Gonzaga (2) 4-3 702 2
3. Old Dominion (3) 5-2 699 1
4. St. Mary's (1) 6-2 674 3
5. Wichita State (1) 5-2 649 4
6. Missouri State 6-2 584 8
7. George Mason 6-2 555 9
8. Butler (1) 4-3 507 7
9. VCU 5-2 462 6
10. North Texas 7-1 451 15
11. Kent State 7-2 406 11 12. Oakland 5-3 373 14 13. Portland 7-2 363 18 14. Vermont 6-1 307 21 15. College of Charleston 6-3 262 22 16. Northern Iowa 4-2 229 20 17. South Dakota State 6-1 196 17 18. Drexel 5-1 191 NR 19. Morehead State 5-3 177 NR 20. Murray State 4-4 161 12 21. Loyola (Chicago) 7-2 159 10 22. Coastal Carolina 7-2 158 25 23. Hampton 7-1 134 24 24. Creighton 4-4 129 13 25. Harvard 5-3 104 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Valparaiso 94, Appalachian State 55, Ohio 53, Rider 47, Wofford 45, Jacksonville 39, Illinois State 37, James Madison 36, American 25, Fairfield 24, Pacific 24, Bradley 23, North Dakota State 22, Weber State 22, Montana State 19, Stephen F Austin 17, Portland State 13, UC Santa Barbara 13, Belmont 11, Delaware 10, IPFW 10, Sam Houston State 10, Detroit 9, Akron 8, New Hampshire 8, Lipscomb 6, Long Beach State 6, Northern Arizona 6, Davidson 5, Evansville 5, UT Arlington 5, Princeton 4, Arkansas Little Rock 3, Florida Atlantic 1, Iona 1, Oral Roberts 1.

UNC Loss Drops Kentucky in National Rankings

The University of Kentucky Wildcats have dropped several spots in both major college basketball rankings this week following a weekend loss to North Carolina. The Wildcats are No. 17 in the AP Top 25 and No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

Louisville enters the AP Top 25 at No. 24 this week.

AP Top 25

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Duke (65) 8-0 1,625
2 Ohio State 6-0 1,534
3 Pittsburgh 9-0 1,494
4 Kansas 7-0 1,403
5 Kansas State 7-1 1,291
6 Connecticut 7-0 1,285
7 Michigan State 6-2 1,168
8 Syracuse 8-0 1,126
9 Georgetown 8-0 1,011
10 Baylor 6-0 990
11 Tennessee 6-0 914 12 Villanova 6-1 870 13 Memphis 7-0 802 14 San Diego State 8-0 759 15 Missouri 6-1 726 16 Illinois 8-1 715 17 Kentucky 5-2 557 18 Brigham Young 8-0 515 19 Purdue 7-1 432 20 UNLV 8-0 426 21 Washington 5-2 302 22 Minnesota 7-1 294 23 Notre Dame 8-0 291 24 Louisville 6-0 162 25 Texas 6-2 146

Others receiving votes: Florida 72, Vanderbilt 52, North Carolina 43, Arizona 38, UCF 28, Cleveland State 13, Texas A&M 9, Gonzaga 9, Cincinnati 6, Northwestern 6, Saint Mary's 5, Temple 3, Wichita State 3

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Duke (31) 8-0 775
2 Ohio State 6-0 734
3 Pittsburgh 9-0 715
4 Kansas 7-0 685
5 Kansas State 7-1 589
6 Connecticut 7-0 587
7 Syracuse 8-0 581
8 Michigan State 6-2 558
9 Baylor 6-0 487
10 Georgetown 8-0 481
11 Missouri 6-1 417 12 Villanova 6-1 396 13 Tennessee 6-0 376 14 Memphis 7-0 332 15 San Diego State 8-0 315 16 Kentucky 5-2 284 17 Illinois 8-1 280 18 Purdue 7-1 259 19 UNLV 8-0 233 20 Minnesota 7-1 222 21 Brigham Young 8-0 162 22 Washington 5-2 151 23 Notre Dame 8-0 109 24 Florida 6-2 92 25 Texas 6-2 85

Others receiving votes: Louisville 37, West Virginia 27, Vanderbilt 20, North Carolina 14, Wisconsin 12, Northwestern 9, Arizona 9, Cleveland State 7, New Mexico 7, Temple 7, Texas A&M 5, Gonzaga 5, UCF 4, Richmond 3, Wichita State 2, Virginia Tech 1, Washington State 1

Bellarmine's Kendle Named GLVC Player of the Week Again

Bellarmine University's Jeremy Kendle has been name Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week for his performances against Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana.

Here is the release from the Great Lakes Valley Conference:

INDIANAPOLIS - Bellarmine University senior guard Jeremy Kendle (Jeffersonville, Ind./Jeffersonville) is the Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Kendle helped the second-ranked Knights to victories at No. 11 Kentucky Wesleyan and at No. 22 Southern Indiana to open the GLVC season.

On the week, Kendle averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 53.5 percent (7-of-15) from the field and converted 81.8 percent (9-of-11) of his free throw attempts.

In Thursday’s 78-75 win at Kentucky Wesleyan, Kendle poured in a team-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He was 9-of-11 from the free throw line and added four rebounds, two assists and two steals. In addition to burying a key three-pointer before half to push the Knights’ lead to six at the break, he also iced the contest by knocking down a pair of free throws with eight seconds to play.

Kendle returned on Saturday to guide the Knights to a 69-60 win at Southern Indiana. In the victory, he posted 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals. The win completed the Knights’ first road sweep of Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana since 1980.

This season, Kendle is leading the GLVC in scoring by posting 22.6 points per contest. He is also averaging 4.6 rebounds and ranks tenth in the league in assists per game (3.2) and fourth in the GLVC in three-point field goals made per game (2.6).

Bellarmine (5-0) is the lone remaining unbeaten team in the GLVC and leads the GLVC East Division with a 2-0 record. The Knights will next host the Fern Valley Hotel Classic on Dec. 10-11 where they will meet West Virginia State on Friday and Indiana-Southeast on Saturday.

Other top performers in the GLVC last week included Drury’s Dennon Mitchell, Kentucky Wesleyan’s Cardell McFarland, Missouri S&T’s Bryce Foster, Missouri-St. Louis’ Gerald Fulton, Rockhurst’s Brandon McCann, Southern Indiana’s C.J. Trotter and UIndy’s Darius Adams.

Daniel Orton is Back in Orlando but the News is Not Good

I told you over the weekend that Daniel Orton disappeared during halftime of an NBA D-League game on Saturday and that a rumor was circling that Orton was headed back to the Orlando Magic.

It turns out that the rumor was accurate. Unfortunately for Orton, he was not recalled to join the Magic.

Rather, he has re-injured his knee and returned to Orlando for evaluation.

Here is an excerpt from FanHouse.com:

Orton injured his troublesome left knee again -- the one that made him drop to the end of the first round in last June's NBA Draft -- Saturday night for the New Mexico Thunderbirds.
Since he was drafted after just one season at Kentucky, Orton has spent his time with the Magic trying to strength that left knee, which caused him to miss his senior year of high school after surgery.

He has yet to appear for the Magic beyond summer league play.

"It is what it is,'' said Magic general manager Otis Smith Monday. "He was actually starting to play well.''

Orton will be examined by the Magic's medical staff later in the day and is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

It is yet another negative twist in the already painful year that Orton has lived. From a disappointing freshman season at UK to the bizarre decision to drop out of school early...Orton's knee isn't the only thing that is injured - his professional career may be on the ropes.

Smith added, "It's hard to tell where we're at with him right now."

UK Will Not Have Traditional Open Practice in Louisville

Kentucky head coach John Calipari stated on Twitter this morning that Kentucky will not have its traditional open practice in Freedom Hall this week.

In past years, the Wildcats have allowed the public in for a practice before the annual Freedom Hall game, but this year will be difference.

UKCoachCalipari Unfortunately, we cannot have an open practice in Louisville. It's a neutral event and the court isn't available until Wed.

Tar Heels Defeat Wildcats, Morehead State Wins Round 1

CollegeHoopsNet.com recaps the week that was in college basketball and focuses on North Carolina's "must win" over Kentucky.

The site attributes the Kentucky loss to the offensive struggles of Terrence Jones and frontcourt foul trouble.

Here is an excerpt:

"I'm ecstatic with the win," remarked Coach Williams after the game. "It was a hard-fought, hand to hand combat kind of game. It was an ugly win, but I'll take that. I was extremely impressed with our toughness down the stretch, except for one time where they shoot the ball, miss it, the ball gets on the floor and they come up with the offensive rebound."

Kentucky was led by Doron Lamb, who scored 24 points off the bench but his half-court shot as time expired fell short and to the left of the rim. But the offensive struggles of Terrence Jones (3-for-17 FG) combined with frontcourt foul trouble (Jones, Josh Harrelson and Eloy Vargas all fouled out) spelled doom for a young Kentucky team that's still finding its own way (in addition to hoping their appeal on the Enes Kanter ruling is upheld). Two young teams looking to establish an identity led to a sloppy game at the Dean Dome, but it also provided a level of excitement that's rarely befitting of an early December matchup. The two teams seem to be almost a mirror image of each other in regards to the problems they need to solve. While Kentucky is looking to mold Brandon Knight into the point guard role the Tar Heels are looking for solid play from Larry Drew II and Kendall Marshall, and Drew played well in the second half.

The site also mentions Morehead State's victory over Murray State as a notable happening:

Morehead State lands the first blow in the OVC race. In a game that the casual college basketball fan may have overlooked, Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper led the Eagles to a 75-65 win over the defending Ohio Valley tournament champs to move to 2-0 in conference play. Harper led all scorers with 22 points while Faried added another double-double (21 points and 10 rebounds), and as a team Morehead State shot 60% from the field. Murray State turned the ball over nineteen times but an encouraging sign for Billy Kennedy's team may be that they were able to keep in contact in regards to rebounding (24-23 Morehead State edge), as Morehead State entered the game with one of the better rebounding margins in the nation (plus-10.3). Isaiah Canaan led Murray State with 17 points, but despite their both getting into double figures both B.J. Jenkins and Isaac Miles shot 2-for-7 from the field. Both teams now "retreat" to their neutral corners until the rematch at Murray State on February 24th. Expect a lot more to be on the line in that contest.

Complete Article

Basketball Schedule Around Kentucky for the Week

Here is a schedule for the upcoming week of college basketball around the state of Kentucky:

Monday

7:00 p.m. Life University at St. Catharine
7:30 p.m. Brescia University at Georgetown College
7:30 p.m. Kentucky Christian at Ohio University Chillicothe
Tuesday

6:00 p.m. Temple Baptist at Asbury
7:00 p.m. Boyce at Berea College
7:00 p.m. Indiana-East at Northern Kentucky
7:00 p.m. St. Catharine at Morehead State
8:00 p.m. Pikeville College at Alice Lloyd

Wednesday

7:00 p.m. Western Kentucky at Bowling Green State
7:00 p.m. San Francisco at Louisville
7:00 p.m. Kentucky Christian at Eastern Kentucky
7:30 p.m. Spalding University at Georgetown College
7:30 p.m. Franklin at Transylvania*
9:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Kentucky (in Louisville, Kentucky)

Thursday

9:00 p.m. Cumberlands at Lindsey Wilson*

Friday

4:00 p.m. Union College vs. Ohio Christian (at Asbury College)
7:00 p.m. Mountain State at St. Catharine
7:00 p.m. Temple Baptist College at Kentucky Christian
7:30 p.m. West Virginia State at Bellarmine University
8:00 p.m. Bethel (TN) vs. Berea College (at Upland, Indiana)
8:00 p.m. Greenville College at Asbury

Saturday

Noon UNLV at Louisville
1:00 p.m. Eastern Kentucky at Minnesota
1:00 p.m. Rose-Hulman at Transylvania*
2:00 p.m. Union College vs. Greenville College (as Asbury College)
2:00 p.m. Southern Illinois at Western Kentucky
3:00 p.m. Murray State at Chattanooga
3:00 p.m. North Park University at Spalding University
3:00 p.m. Westminster at Thomas More*
4:00 p.m. OSU-Mansfield at Pikeville College
4:00 p.m. Campbellsville at Life University
4:30 p.m. Mid-Continent at Kentucky Wesleyan
5:00 p.m. Northern Kentucky at West Liberty
5:15 p.m. Indiana at Kentucky
6:00 p.m. Ohio Christian at Asbury
7:30 p.m. Indiana University Southeast at Bellarmine University
8:00 p.m. Morehead State at Northern Iowa
TBA Berea College vs. TBA (at Upland, Indiana)

Sunday

No Games

* Denotes Conference Game

JayVaughn Pinkston Out for Season at Villanova

In some news from around college basketball (particularly the Big East Conference), Villanova's JayVaughan Pinkston is out for the rest of the season.

Pinkston has been suspended for the spring semester following assault charges he received after an off-campus fight.

Here is an excerpt from FoxSports.com:

The school released a statement on Monday morning.

“I am in support of the University’s decision,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said in a statement. “JayVaughn understands that there are consequences to his actions, and I believe he will continue to handle this in a mature manner. We look forward to his return in June.”

Pinkston won’t be allowed to attend classes while he is suspended from school. He will regain his status in June of 2011.

Adjehi Baru Signs with College of Charleston

Dave Telep of ESPN.com has confirmed that 2011 big man Adjehi Baru has signed with College of Charleston.

There were rumors over the weekend that Baru, who ranks No. 26 on the Rivals150 List, had committed to Charleston but nothing was confirmed.

Baru held offers from Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio State and other high-major schools. He was also being recruited by Kentucky.

Here is confirmation from ESPN.com:

ESPNU 100 Adjehi Baru signs with C of CCollege of Charleston head coach Bobby Cremins landed a signed letter of intent from ESPNU 100 center Adjehi Baru, according to ESPN Senior Recruiting Analyst Dave Telep.

Baru, a native of the Ivory Coast, inked his letter during the November signing period but wanted to keep his announcement quiet. He also held offers from Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Kahlil Owens Signs with Morehead State University

Northwest Florida State College's Kahlil Owens has made it official and signed with Morehead State University.
Owens is a talented JUCO player with hopes of replacing Kenneth Faried in the MSU lineup.

Here is an excerpt from NWFDailyNews.com:

Owens committed to join the Eagles in hopes of replacing NBA prospect Kenneth Faried, a rebounding machine that will graduate this season. NWF State coach Joe Richardson thinks Owens is more than equipped to step in to the void that will be left by Faried’s departure.

“They’re losing their pro and he’s an excellent rebounder,” Richardson said. “They’ll need some help on the glass, and who better than Kahlil?”

Owens has earned a reputation as one of the Panhandle Conference’s most physical and productive post players. A second-team all-conference selection last year, Owens averaged 6.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. He is averaging just over five boards per game this year while battling bouts of foul trouble and also sharing the rebounding load with Carl Hall.

Complete Article

Photo: NWF Athletics

Hoosiers Believe They Can Beat Kentucky on Saturday

The Indiana Hoosiers (7-1) believe they can come into Rupp Arena and defeat the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

Indiana head coach Tom Crean wants his team to "learn how to win."

Here is an excerpt of Crean's comments from News-Sentinel.com:

“It’s about believing you can win and believing you should win,” said coach Tom Crean. “We need to learn how to win; and before you learn how to win, you need to hate to lose.”

Hate can fuel competitiveness, that nasty attitude necessary when the opponent is strong and the challenge is formidable.

“There are very few people who don’t enjoy winning, and there are a lot of people who thrive on it,” Crean said. “There are very few people who absolutely hate to lose. You need a team full of guys like that to be successful. You have to drive each other, and that’s what they are doing.”

This is a big week for the young Wildcats. They face a talented Notre Dame squad on Wednesday night as part of the 2010 DirecTV SEC/Big East Invitational and then battle the Hoosiers on Saturday in a rivalry game.

Kentucky basketball this week:

Wed, Dec 8 vs. Notre Dame (in Louisville) 9:30 p.m. ESPN

Sat, Dec 11 vs. Indiana 5:15 p.m. ESPN

Patrick Patterson Leads Vipers to Win

Former Kentucky star Patrick Patterson continues to play well in the NBA Developmental League.

On Sunday, he lead the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2-3) to a 117-105 victory over Tulsa.

Patterson had 15 points and a game-high 9 rebounds to lead the way.

Through 4 games, Patterson is averaging 16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds.

Photo: Screenshot from NBA.com

John Wall is Taking a Few "Rookie Lumps"

Former Kentucky star John Wall is taking a few "rookie lumps" recently. Wall has battled minor injuries and had some ups and downs on court.

TruthAboutIt.net writes about Wall's recent struggles. Here is an excerpt:

After the game, I asked coach Saunders about this moment, and if Wall seemed disconnected or frustrated.

“Yea, he did. Don’t know why … he did. And I’m sure he’s disappointed in how he played, you know, as far as that. But like I said, this is a man’s game,” explained Saunders. “When you’re in situations and you’re out playing, you have teammates, there’s sometimes that it’s not you’re night. Somebody else has got to carry you, and what you gotta do is you gotta be all-in for the guy that’s carrying you. That’s what this league is about. That and match-ups. So I’m sure he’ll be fine,” the coach concluded.

I’m sure Wall will be fine too. But I also couldn’t help but notice his demeanor before the game. I wrote on Twitter: “Maybe it’s nothing, but briefly being around John Wall tonight, he seems to have a different, more serious air about him.” I didn’t really want to say it at the time, but I meant as if the losses were mounting on Wall’s shoulders instead of in the win-loss column.

Complete Article

Cumberlands Splits First Two Mid-South Games

The University of the Cumberlands (4-5; 1-1) Men's Basketball team had another busy week with two Mid-South Conference (MSC) road games. The Patriots began conference play by facing Pikeville on Tuesday December 2, 2010 and UVA-Wise on Saturday December 5, 2010.

On Thursday the Patriots fought hard against the Pikeville Bears and came out with a strong efficient game plan in their first conference game of the young season. At the half, Cumberlands trailed 27-38. After a hard fought second half where the men showed they would not go down without a fight by scoring double what they had scored in the first half, the Patriots gave the Bears a challenge. However, Cumberlands couldn’t quite pull through in the end and despite some strong performances the men lost their first game of conference play 76-85.

The game against Pikeville left the Patriots ready to play hard on Saturday as they traveled through snow and ice on the road to Virginia to play MSC newcomer UVA-Wise for the second conference game of the week. Starting the game off strong the Patriots led the first half and battled hard against the Cavaliers taking the halftime lead, 37-29. During the second half the Patriots worked together to hold off the fierce UVA-Wise team for a strong 74-67 conference victory. The Patriots are now 1-1 in conference action.

Jared Cunningham (Oregon City, OR) led the Patriots in both games on the week scoring a total of 47 points and 16 boards. Tanner Jacobs (Louisville, KY) and Matt Daniel (Morehead, KY) both contributed to the teams wins scoring 27 and 28 points respectively.

Patriot Head Coach Don Butcher had bitter sweet emotions about his team’s efforts this week. “The two games we played this week were our first two conference games of the season,” said Butcher. “I would have liked to have won both games, however due to some small errors we didn’t win against Pikeville like I would have liked to have. After correcting these errors for Saturday’s game against UVA-Wise we played a much stronger and a much smarter game and came out with a good conference victory on the road.” Coach Butcher still believes there is room for improvement, but has confidence in his team’s ability to improve.

The Patriots will travel to Lindsey Wilson on Thursday, December 9, 2010. The game is set for tip-off at 9:00 pm.

For more information on men's basketball as well as other Patriot athletics, please visit http://www.cumberlandspatriots.com/

Article Provided by Sagan King, University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Student Assistant

Centre College Takes Care of Birmingham Southern

Centre College 62
Birmingham Southern 45

Final from Danville, Kentucky

The Centre men's basketball team improved to 2-0 in the SCAC after they beat Birmingham Southern 62-45 on Sunday, December 5 in Danville, Ky. The Colonels also improved to 5-1 overall on the season with the win.

Sophomore Josh Crawford (Corbin, Ky.) put the Colonels ahead 2-0 to start the game following a made jumper, but Birmingham Southern would take their first lead of the game on the next possession as Blaise White made a three pointer to make it a 3-2 game with 18:20 on the clock.

The Panthers extended their lead to six points at the 16:14 mark after Jasen Jonus made two free throw attempts to put the score at 8-2.

Centre's offense finally got going with 13:15 to go in the first half, as the Colonels went on a 9-0 run to put them ahead by three point. Junior Greg Ross (Cincinnati, Ohio) made it a 13-10 game after he hit a jumper with 10:56 on the clock.

Birmingham Southern then made the next two baskets to take back the lead at 14-13.

The lead would change one more time, as Centre went on a 7-0 run to go ahead 20-14 with 5:18 to go in the first half. The Colonels built their lead up to double digits with 2:57 on the clock, as Ross made a layup and a free throw attempt to make it a 26-16 game.

Jonus cut the Colonels lead to five points after he made a three point basket with 1:41 on the clock, but Centre went into the break with the 28-21 advantage.

Complete Recap

Daniel Orton Disappears; Recalled by the Orlando Magic?

Former Kentucky big man Daniel Orton was in the second game of his NBA D-League career and he mysteriously disappeared during halftime.

Now, there is an unconfirmed rumor that he has been recalled by the Orlando Magic.

Here is an excerpt from OrlandoMagicNation.com:

Last night, Daniel Orton played his second game with the New Mexico Thunderbirds before disappearing in the second half. We’ll touch upon that in a moment though. Orton only played twelve minutes in last night’s contest, but looked impressive during those short minutes. He went 4-for-7 from the floor for a total of 8 points and also pulled down 3 boards and blocked 1 shot while only turning over the ball once. I was able to watch some footage from the game and Orton shot a beautiful fade-away jumper, and three of his made FG’s came from jumpers and his final FG came off a slam dunk. Orton received some accolades from the announcers as they were impressed by his range and soft touch, something that was evident in the short time he played last night.

Then, he disappeared. Orton didn’t play during the second half of the game at all and I don’t even believe he was on the bench. Word started to come out last night that Orton was recalled back to the Orlando Magic, though it has been unconfirmed up to this point. The original story was that he would be coming back to shore up the Magic’s depth as they have been hit hard by a stomach virus, which was originally reported by Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post. Later, on Evan’s Twitter account, he posted that if Orton was indeed returning back to Orlando it was because of an injury he sustained in last night’s game.

None of this is confirmed at this point and we obviously will be keeping an eye on it over the next few days. I would like to think that Orton isn’t injured as he was definitely getting back on the right track, and as of right now we don’t know if he’s truly injured. However, as I started to think about this story, a few other ideas started to come to light. Obviously, the Magic have been hit hard by that stomach virus, but there’s no reason to think that Dwight and company won’t be back tomorrow night against the Atlanta Hawks.

Complete Article

Jodie Meeks Explodes and Other NBA Notes

NBA Recap - December 4, 2010:

- Jamaal Magloire (Kentucky) DNP coach's decision

- Nazr Mohammed (Kentucky) had just 2 points and 5 rebounds in a 109-91 loss to Philadelphia. Mohammed started but only played 13 minutes.

- Jodie Meeks (Kentucky) started for the second consecutive time for the 76ers. Meeks had a career night with 26 points, including 7-10 from long range.

- Chuck Hayes (Kentucky) had 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in Houston's 119-116 loss to Chicago.

- Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky) came off the Houston bench to score 9 points and pull down 4 rebounds.

- Keith Bogans (Kentucky) had 6 point in 16 minutes for Chicago.

- DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky) returned to the starting lineup for Sacramento in a 105-103 loss to Dallas. Cousins went to work for 17 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes.

Northern Kentucky Pulls Away from Indianapolis

Northern Kentucky 87
Indianapolis 69

Final from Highland Heights, Kentucky

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Chris Knight was an unstoppable offensive machine Saturday night during Northern Kentucky University’s 87-69 victory against Indianapolis.

Knight scored a career-high 27 points – 20 of those in the second half - as NKU bounced back from a loss to Southern Indiana on Thursday. The 6-foot-7 senior forward was 9-for-10 from the field and made all nine of his free-throw attempts for NKU.

“I’ve been happy with Chris all year, with the exception of Thursday night and a couple practices,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “Sometimes when you’re not in the scoring column as high as you think, your focus goes in the wrong direction. We showed on film how we were not tough against Southern Indiana on Thursday, and Chris was part of that. He took that constructive self-criticism and he applied it tonight.

“He made a comment that he didn’t like what he saw on film, our seniors didn’t like what they saw on film and that was the factor of our success tonight. They did something about it; they didn’t talk about it, they applied it tonight on the court.”

Complete Recap

Bellarmine Defeats No. 22 Southern Indiana

(2) Bellarmine 69
(22) Southern Indiana 60

Final from Evansville, Indiana

EVANSVILLE, Ind.--The No. 2 Bellarmine University men's basketball team fought back from an early first half deficit to defeat the No. 22 Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 69-60 in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at the Physical Activities Center.

The win, coupled with the Knights' victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night, completes the first road sweep of the two GLVC powerhouses since January of 1980.

Bellarmine was led by Braydon Hobbs, who scored a season high 22 points while raking in six rebounds and dishing off four assists. The New Albany junior also added three steals to his nights' work.

"Watching (Southern Indiana) on film, they were the most impressive close-out team I've seen," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport. "They're tough to play against." Davenport added that Bellarmine "did a good job of erasing our mistakes. Our defense in the second half, I thought, was outstanding."

The Screaming Eagles surged out to an eight point bulge over the game's first 11 minutes. Thanks largely to Hobbs' 14 first half points, however, Bellarmine battled back to take a 4-point halftime lead.

In the second half, the Knights never surrendered the lead, but the tenacious Southern Indiana defense helped keep the score close. Bellarmine's largest lead came at the end of the game after Nick Holmes hit a pair of free throws to give the Knights their final 9-point victory margin.

Bellarmine finished the game shooting 49.1 percent from the floor despite making just five of 21 three point attempts. The Screaming Eagles were held to just 40.4 percent shooting after Bellarmine tightened up defensively in the second half.

Hobbs was joined in double figures by Jeremy Kendle, who also hauled in seven rebounds to lead the Knights. Southern Indiana's C.J. Trotter tallied 19 points to lead the Screaming Eagles.

Complete Recap

Western Kentucky Falls Short at No. 14 Memphis

(14) Memphis 77
Western Kentucky 61

Final from Memphis, Tennessee

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Associated Press) -- D.J. Stephens had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Memphis (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 14 AP) knocked off WKU 77-61 Saturday night.

Joe Jackson led the Tigers (7-0) with 15 points and six assists, but Memphis had 21 turnovers and the Hilltoppers got 28 offensive rebounds.

Sergio Kerusch led WKU with 16 points, including 11 in the second half. Ken Brown scored 10 for the Hilltoppers, who lost their fourth straight.

WKU (3-5) shot 31 percent, including 4 of 18 from outside the arc.

Tarik Black finished with 11 points for Memphis. Stephens had career highs in points and rebounds.

Memphis closed the half with a 10-2 run to carry a 47-31 lead into the break behind Jackson's 11 points.

But while Memphis was able to hold the Hilltoppers to 26.5 percent shooting and cause 16 turnovers, WKU dominated the boards, holding a 25-18 advantage, including 15 on offense.

The first half was slow and sloppy. Memphis was called for 17 fouls and WKU had 11.

* Game recap from WKUSports.com

Video: Jodie Meeks Explodes Against Charlotte

Check out former Kentucky Wildcat Jodie Meeks doing what he does best:



* Video from NBA YouTube Channel

EKU Defeats UT-Martin, Stommes Scores 1,000th Point

Eastern Kentucky 77
UT-Martin 69

Final from Richmond, Kentucky

RICHMOND, Ky. – Ten different Colonels made a field goal Saturday night as the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team led from start to finish in a 77-69 victory over visiting UT Martin. The Colonels (4-4, 1-1 OVC) have now defeated the Skyhawks (2-6, 0-2) eight straight times in McBrayer Arena.

Early in the second half, senior Justin Stommes became the 30th EKU player to reach 1,000 career points when he made a leaning jumper to stretch the Colonel advantage to 42-24. Stommes posted a season-high 15 points to go along with three assists and three rebounds.

EKU dominated the first 20 minutes of action, holding UT Martin to 22 percent (4-of-18) shooting and building a 38-18 lead.

The Colonel advantage swelled to as many as 21, 52-31, thanks to a Stommes three-pointer with 12:46 left. From there, UT Martin rolled off 11 consecutive points to get right back into the contest.

A dunk by senior Spencer Perrin seemed to give EKU a comfortable 60-46 edge, but the Skyhawks put together another large run to close to within three points, 60-57. Benzor Simmons accounted for eight of UTM’s 11 points in that run to make the game a one possession contest with 4:12 remaining.

However, Eastern Kentucky would not let UT Martin get any closer. Perrin came through with a key three-pointer, his only one of the night, to put the Colonels back up by eight points, 65-57, less than a minute later. EKU netted 10 free throws in the final four minutes to hold off the Skyhawks.

Senior Josh Daniel led EKU with 17 points, marking the third straight game the guard has scored at least 10 points. Perrin added 15 tallies while sophomore Willie Cruz came off the bench to chip in with a team high six rebounds.

Complete recap

Louisville Destroys South Alabama; Best Start Since 2005-06

Louisville 97
South Alabama 70

Final from Louisville, Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Mike Marra scored a career-high 23 points and Louisville remained unbeaten with a 97-70 victory over South Alabama on Saturday.

Rakeem Buckles added 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds while Peyton Siva 15 points and four assists as the Cardinals (6-0) matched their best start since 2005-06.

Marra became the first Louisville player to top 20 points in a game this season. The previous high point total by a Cardinal had been 18 by Preston Knowles in a win over Florida International on Wednesday.

Martino Brock led the Jaguars (2-5) a career-high 24 points and Augustine Rubit had 15 points and 14 rebounds, but couldn't keep South Alabama from dropping its fourth straight.

South Alabama did something FIU failed to do earlier in the week: make Louisville work.

The Cardinals scored the first 13 points and were ahead by 20 less than 10 minutes in during their rout of the Panthers, a game so lopsided it left Louisville coach Rick Pitino at a loss for words.

The Jaguars proved to be a tougher out, at least for awhile. Louisville led by just five midway through the first half before Marra kickstarted the Cardinals by hitting consecutive 3-pointers during a 14-3 burst to give Louisville a 31-16 lead.

The run included a tip-in by Siva moments after he narrowly missed an acrobatic no-look reverse lay-up.

South Alabama steadied itself from there behind the play of Brock and Robit, who kept finding just enough holes in Louisville's defense to the Cardinals from running away.

Complete recap

Hilbert: Kanter Could Solve Kentucky's "Big" Problem

Evan Hilbert of FanHouse.com says freshman Enes Kanter could solve Kentucky's big problem - big as in major and big as in lack of depth in the post.

Here is an excerpt of Hilbert's thoughts:

If anything is to be gleaned from Kentucky's 75-73 loss at North Carolina Saturday, it's that the Wildcats -- though solid on the perimeter -- really, really need Enes Kanter. Carolina exposed Kentucky for what they are: a soft team that will be forced to win games with shooting and a solid transition game.

Kentucky shot well enough to win, but they simply had no answer for Tyler Zeller in the post. Zeller, who went for 27 points and 11 rebounds, was coming off two games where he scored one point or less in each. That is to say, Zeller, while arguably North Carolina's best player, isn't exactly a powerhouse on the low blocks.

Complete Article

Geogetown College Tames Campbellsville in MSC Battle

Georgetown 80
Campbellsville 61

Final from Campbellsville, Kentucky

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - An 8-0 run to start the second half blew open a one-point game as Georgetown College men's basketball team rolled to its 10th straight win and 2-0 in the Mid-South Conference Saturday in Campbellsville.

The GC Tigers had a big second half for an 80-61 victory against their archrival.

CU was hot from deep in the first half, helping to keep them in the game 34-33 heading into the locker room. But GC's Eddie Gray found his touch for several three-pointers in the second half.

The senior point guard was 3-of-4 from deep in the last 20 minutes and 4-of-6 for the game. He had a game-high 22 points. Maurice Pearson also got things rolling offensively as he chipped in 16 points. Tyrone Shelley paced GC on the boards with six rebounds

CU's Shawn Savage was 3-of-6 from three-point range and had 13 points, while Caleb Harris led Campbellsville with 19 points.

GC returns to action 7:30 p.m. Monday against Brescia.

* Game recap by Georgetown College

Lindsey Wilson Prevails as Pikeville Comeback Falls Short

Lindsey Wilson 85
Pikeville College 76

Final from Pikeville, Kentucky

PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Kalen Kimberland poured in a career-high 21 points and Charles Baker and Justin Archie added 12 and 10 points, respectively to help the Lindsey Wilson College men's basketball team beat Pikeville (Ky.) College 85-76 on Saturday at the Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center.

Justin Hicks scored a season-high 23 points to pace Pikeville (8-2, 1-1 MSC), while Vance Cooksey added 19 points in the losing effort. Andre Thornton and Trevor Setty also scored in double figures for the Bears with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

With under 25 seconds to play and leading 79-73, Lindsey Wilson (8-1, 2-0 MSC) got six straight free throws to go down to seal the win. Senior Cornell Thomas started the trend with two makes, followed by Archie and Kimberland both knocking down two each to push Lindsey Wilson in front 85-76.

After a back and forth affair to open the game, Baker put Lindsey Wilson in front for good with a jumper at the 7:56 mark of the first half as the Blue Raiders were on their way to seven straight wins.

Complete recap

Kalen Kimberland discusses his big game against Pikeville:

Morehead State Sends Strong Early Message to OVC

Morehead State 75
Murray State 65

Final from Morehead, Kentucky

MOREHEAD, Ky.—Demonte Harper scored 22 points, including a key 3-pointer, and took a late charge to lift Morehead State to a 75-65 Ohio Valley Conference win Saturday night. The Eagles donned new black uniforms to match the black-clad 4,036 raucous fans that turned out for black-out night Johnson Arena.

Kenneth Faried added 21 points, the fourth time this season he’s scored 20 or more. The senior also had 10 rebounds for the 64th double-double of his career. Harper added five assists, the third time this season he’s had five or more assists.

“I was proud of our guys tonight. I felt like we played with a confidence and a swagger that’s needed in order to beat a good team like Murray State, even though it was on our home floor,” Morehead State coach Donnie Tyndall said. “If you’re going to play for a conference championship in this league it’s going to go through Murray State, especially this year with who they had returning from a phenomenal team last season.”

Murray State had cut the lead to four following a four-point play by B.J. Jenkins. Jenkins nailed a 3-pointer, was fouled on the attempt and calmly sunk the free throw to make it a four-point game with 2:17 to play. Harper rolled off a screen on the next possession and drilled the 3-pointer to negate Jenkins’ three.

After Terrance Hill swished a pair of free throws to make it a nine-point game, Jenkins crashed into Harper while driving for what would have been an easy layup. Jenkins was whistled for an offensive foul, ending any chance of a last-minute rally. The Eagles hit 6-of-6 at the line in the final minutes to seal the win. Hill finished with 15 points, swishing 3-of-6 from long range and a perfect 6-of-6 at the charity stripe. The junior, who had been sick, snapped a four-game streak in which the deep threat hit just one 3-pointer.

“Terrance has really struggled, especially from the three until tonight. Think about that guy he was sick the last two days, he couldn’t even practice yesterday,” Tyndall said. “And he steps in tonight, plays 31 minutes, shoots the ball the best he’s shot it all season.”

The Eagles won at home for the 18th straight game and stayed perfect in the OVC at 2-0. Morehead State has not lost a home conference game since the 2007-08 season. The Racers (4-4, 1-1 OVC) and Eagles (5-3, 2-0) were picked first and second respectively in the league preseason.

“Anytime you have four players from your team that are preseason First Team All-Conference, I think that speaks for itself in regard to their talent level, but the thing that’s impressive about them -- not only are they well-coached, not only are they talented, but they play extremely, extremely hard. They fought right to the bitter end, so give them a lot of credit,” Tyndall said.

Complete recap

Jodie Meeks Has a Career Night to Lead Philadelphia

Former Kentucky star Jodie Meeks gave the NBA a glimpse yesterday of what Tennessee felt the night that Meeks exploded for 54 points.

Meeks went "Tennessee mode" on the Charlotte Bobcats, putting up 20 points in a big first quarter run. The former Wildcat finished with a career-high 26 points - eclipsing the career-high 21 that he scored just over a week ago.

In 36 minutes, Meeks was 9-16 from the field, including 7-10 from three-point range.

The performance prompted 76ers coach Doug Collins to say, "He was a like a flame thrower out there."

Here is an excerpt of Meeks' comments following his career night:

"It felt good," Meeks said. "My teammates did a good job of finding me open and I kept letting it fly. We got off to a big lead and were able to hold it."

Meeks was happy for his chance to start, saying "it means a lot."

"This league is all about your opportunity," he said. "I tried to do as much as I could early in the season, kept getting better and kept getting better. Now it's paying off."

If Saturday is any indication, Meeks won't be leaving the starting lineup anytime soon. Meeks limped off the floor with 2:37 left, but said it was just a cramp and he would be fine.

"It's the most minutes I've played in a while," he joked.

Complete Recap from ESPN.com

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Jodie Meeks Gets a Start and Other NBA Notes

NBA Recap - December 2-3, 2010:

December 2

- Jamaal Magloire (Kentucky) DNP coach's decision

- Earl Clark (Louisville) DNP coach's decision

December 3

- John Wall (Kentucky) struggled in Washington's 83-79 win over Portland. Wall was just 3-13 from the field in scoring 10 points. He added 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

- Nazr Mohammed (Kentucky) had 14 points and 11 rebounds in Charlotte's 91-84 victory over New Jersey.

- Jodie Meeks (Kentucky) found himself in the starting lineup for Philadelphia's 93-88 loss to Atlanta. Meeks was 2-3 from the field, all 3-pointers, and finished with 9 points.

- Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky) led all scorers with 30 points in Detroit's 104-91 loss to Orlando. The former Wildcat was 11-15 from the field and also dished out 5 assists.

- Keith Bogans (Kentucky) started but did not score in Chicago's 104-92 loss to Boston.

- Rajon Rondo (Kentucky) had 12 points and 19 assists for Boston.

- Chuck Hayes (Kentucky) had 2 points and 4 rebounds in Houston's 127-111 win over Memphis.

- Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky) was 7-9 off the Houston bench for 16 points.

- Eric Bledsoe (Kentucky) started and had 9 points and 8 assists in the Clippers' 109-104 loss to Denver.

- Earl Clark (Louisville) scored 2 points off the bench in the Suns' 105-97 victory over Indiana.

- Jeremy Evans (Western Kentucky) played 1 minute and did not score in Utah's 93-81 loss to Dallas.

- DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky) had 9 points and 6 assists of the Sacramento bench. The Kings lost 113-80 to the Lakers.