Anthony Davis leads ‘stifling’ defense to beat St. Johns

Anthony Davis block - photo by Chet White | UK Athletics

Representatives from 13 NBA teams were in Rupp Arena to watch UK and its roster of players who will, one day soon, be playing in their league.  None more so than freshman Anthony Davis, the prime candidate for the overall No. 1 pick next year.  Or, as one scout heading to his seat before the…

Boxscore and Game Notes: Kentucky vs. St. Johns

  Go here for boxscore.   Kentucky is 7-0 and St. John’s is 5-3. Kentucky leads the series, 11-5, and is 169-73 all-time against teams from the Big East. UK returns to action with a home game Saturday, at Noon against No. 5 North Carolina. The game will be televised on CBS.   First Half…

Top-ranked Kentucky cruises past St. John’s, 81-59

Terrence Jones - photo by John Sommers II | Reuters

Freshman Anthony Davis scored 15 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had eight of a school-record 18 blocks in No. 1 Kentucky’s 81-59 victory over St. John’s on Thursday night.  Terrence Jones added 26 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (7-0), who head into a highly anticipated showdown with No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday…

Kentucky seeks revenge for 1952

Kentucky vs. St. Johns 1952

After winning the NCAA Championship in 1951, the Cats were feeling great about themselves in 1952.  Adolph Rupp had the number one team in both AP and UPI. UK was undefeated in the SEC and finished the season at 29-3. They were led by All-Americans Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan.  Kentucky opened up the NCAA…

Memorable Kentucky-North Carolina games

For all of the tradition between Kentucky and North Carolina, are you surprised to know that Saturday’s game at Rupp Arena will mark the first time since 1995 that the two programs will square off when both are ranked in the top five in the nation?  That matchup came in 1995, in the South Regional…

Statistics prove unselfishness of Calipari’s Cats

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

John Calipari has taken lately to talking about the selflessness of his team. He praises Darius Miller for his willingness to come off the bench, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for offering to do the same and Terrence Jones for accepting a decreased scoring load even though he has improved his game from a season ago.  The Kentucky…

Kentucky takes over No. 1 spot in ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

The upset of the season so far came late Saturday night: UNLV 90, UNC 80.  And with that, North Carolina lost its top spot in the USA TODAY/ESPN men’s basketball coaches poll.  Kentucky is the new No. 1 after receiving 22 of 31 first-place votes. The Wildcats are 6-0, and they’ll face the team they…

Kentucky is officially the new No. 1 in AP Top 25

Kentucky is back at No. 1 in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Saint Louis is back in the Top 25 for the first time since 1993-94.  The Wildcats (6-0) replaced North Carolina, which had been No. 1 since the preseason poll, on Monday, receiving 46 first-place…

Kentucky tops Pomeroy ratings, but not Sagarin or RPI

Wildcats - photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

The three primary computer power polls in college basketball have spoken in the aftermath of all the weekend games — and they speak in different languages.  You can find Kentucky ranked Number One (Pomeroy) and as low as No 20 — the mostly inferior and relentlessly questionable RPI.  Duke tops Jeff Sagarin predictor ratings, followed…