Coach Mike D’Antoni gave his most damning assessment of Kelenna Azubuike’s status last night, as the Knicks worse fears are being realized that he might not be ready this season or ever play a game for the team. “He’s not ready, physically,” D’Antoni said of Azubuike, who is recovering from left knee surgery. “If you watch the scrimmages, he doesn’t have the pop and it’s going to be a while before he gets it back. He can [play in] scrimmages, but he’s not strong enough or able to go sideways or able to have an NBA physical talent level. It’s just not there yet.”
Terrence Jones shows how special he is, fuels comeback against Notre Dame
It all started with The Dunk. If, at some point, we look back at this Kentucky season and wonder where UK found its toughness, we may have to point back to Terrence Jones and his dunk against Notre Dame. The scene was this: Facing a smart, experienced, big and tough No. 23 ranked Notre Dame squad in a blue-clad Freedom Hall, Kentucky had fallen behind by double digits. Fed up with what they felt was a poor referees’ whistle, the Cats spent the majority of their time letting Tyler Hansbrough’s much less talented younger bro…
Cats find identity with victory
Before Wednesday, it was difficult to gauge exactly how good this young Cats team was. It had beaten a top-20 Washington in Maui, only to be edged out by a 4-3 North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Wednesday night, the team would find out. UK head coach John Calipari stared at the scoreboard with four minutes to play in the first half against an undefeated Notre Dame. His team was in an 11-point hole as he sat his big men in favor of a smaller lineup and by the time the final seconds ran out on the opening half, the game was tied at 40.
Strong second half propels Cats past No. 23 Notre Dame
Terrence Jones scored 27 points and No. 17 Kentucky avoided its first losing streak under coach John Calipari with a 72-58 victory over No. 23 Notre Dame on Wednesday night in the SEC/Big East Invitational. Jones had been chastised by Calipari for taking a pregame nap before a loss to North Carolina on Saturday, a game in which Jones …
Boxscore and Game Notes: Kentucky vs. Notre Dame
Boxscore and Game Notes: Kentucky vs. Notre Dame
Terrence Jones learned to play basketball from his aunt
Kentucky freshman Terrence Jones enters Wednesday night’s clash with Notre Dame coming off his worst performance in his short college career. Freshmen, by nature, are somewhat inconsistent, but Jones has bucked that trend for the most part, posting double-doubles in four of his first seven games. Jones is 6-foot-8 and weighs around 240 pounds. But while the body says he should be a power forward, the skills clearly indicate a player just as comfortable on the perimeter.
Kentucky signee Anthony Davis is 6-10 and still growing
A year ago, Anthony Davis looked in the mirror and saw a 6-foot-3 guard in search of a college scholarship. At the time, Davis owned a common name and a common basketball frame. He was watching guards to pick up tricks to use on the floor and hoped he could play in college. It would be months until Cleveland State would come see him play and make his first scholarship offer.
Youth, Jones power the Wildcats
When the quartet of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Patterson left Kentucky for the NBA following a 35-3 season in 2009-10, John Calipari’s Wildcats lost 57 points and 25 rebounds per game. Try not to shed too many tears for poor ol’ Coach C. The dynamic Kentucky head coach went out and landed perhaps the top freshman class in the country, and through seven games, it’s showing itself well.
Kentucky’s floor installed in Freedom Hall (with time lapse video)
The tile goes down, panel by panel, starting with one square spot on the floor and expanding outward. The blue sidelines remain ringed by red seats, and the words ‘Freedom Hall’ remain on the scoreboards. But those words don’t mean much after the UK logo is placed down, a dominating visual in the center of the Louisville arena.
North Carolina edges Kentucky, 75-73
Tyler Zeller scored a career-high 27 points and hit the go-ahead free throws with 47 seconds left, helping North Carolina edge past No. 10 Kentucky 75-73 on Saturday. Zeller scored 12 of the final 16 points for the Tar Heels (5-3), who earned a needed victory against a big-name opponent after struggling the first month of the season. John Henson added 13 points and 12 rebounds, giving North Carolina its sixth win in the past seven games against the Wildcats (5-2).