In an NCAA tournament filled with stunning upsets and unlikely party crashers, the East region has provided an oasis of sanity. Kentucky. North Carolina. College basketball bluebloods whose gyms are ringed with national championship banners and whose fan bases are disappointed any time a season ends without confetti and celebratory newspaper fronts on the first…
Perennial powers Kentucky, North Carolina to meet
Josh Harrellson this year’s unlikely hero
In 2009, Josh Harrellson played so passively in a game at Vanderbilt that then-Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie, in a motivational ploy, ordered the then-sophomore out of his sight during a halftime speech. Rather than wait out in the hallway, as Gillispie assumed he would, Harrellson decided to head into the bathroom and take a seat…
The sequel to the Kanter saga? The feel-good story of Josh Harrellson
The hulking country boy from Missouri who didn’t play organized basketball until high school was an afterthought entering this season. He was hidden behind the buzz surrounding Turkish import Enes Kanter, a freshman center and consensus top-five recruit. Now, the overlooked center is the ever-increasing center of attention. UK senior Josh Harrellson‘s rise to prominence…
Oh Jorts, oh my! Josh Harrellson does it again
The absence of Enes Kanter was supposed to be the downfall of the Kentucky men’s basketball team this season. It turns out it may be the inspiration of UK’s second consecutive run to the Elite Eight and the seeds of turning a young man’s mediocre college basketball career into the stuff of Kentucky lore. Surely,…
Cats turn the tables on Buckeyes, rattle the ‘experienced’ team
Ohio State was the been-there, done-that team. The Buckeyes were, minus freshmen Jared Sullinger and Aaron Craft, the team loaded with experience with David Lighty, Jon Diebler William Buford and Dallas Lauderdale. They were supposed to be the unshakeable group, the guys that had played in tight games, overcome second-half hurdles and hit the game…
Boxscore and Game Notes: Kentucky vs. Ohio State
Boxscore and Game Notes: Kentucky vs. Ohio State
Deandre Liggins stands tall in win over Ohio State
When it was over, DeAndre Liggins leapt atop a table on press row and popped the word ‘Kentucky’ on his blue jersey outward toward a delirious UK cheering section.The sweetest, most significant University of Kentucky basketball victory since 1998 had just gone final Friday night…
Kentucky upsets Ohio State to reach Elite Eight
Brandon Knight knocked down a jumper with 5 seconds remaining as the fourth-seeded Wildcats stunned top-seeded Ohio State 62-60 on Friday in the East regional semifinals. Senior center Josh Harrellson held his own against Ohio State super freshman Jared Sullinger, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Wildcats (28-8) advanced to play North…
Like Rome, Kentucky basketball is a storied, flawed empire
Rick Pitino, upon taking the Kentucky job three coaches ago, called it the “Roman Empire of college basketball.” Which was correct, in a way. The Emperor Nero supposedly fiddled while Rome burned. Kentucky’s 1958 NCAA champions were called the “Fiddlin’ Five.” Said Adolph Rupp, the legendary Kentucky coach: “All they can do is win. They’re…
Defending Ohio State Kentucky’s biggest challenge of the year
Two cups sit in front of Kentucky coach John Calipari. In one is the best freshman of the year and perhaps the best player in the country, Ohio State center Jared Sullinger. In the other are veteran swingmen and deadly 3-point shooters David Lighty, Jon Diebler and William Buford. Go ahead, Cal, pick your poison.…