Well, as I sit here pecking out this post on a very tiny keyboard, I am struck by the feeling that this weekend, I have been present at the rebirth of Kentucky basketball. That's a sweeping statement, I know, and perhaps wildly premature, but it is, as I said, a feeling and not the product of deductive reasoning. Sometimes, intuition is just far more satisfying than cogitation.

With that said, we take our leave of Sin City with a spring in our step and a well-earned championship for the trophy case. For me, this trip has been as much fun as anything I have ever done, and I highly recommend the Orleans Hotel for those travellers not requiring the glitz of the Strip.

I'll be back sometime tomorrow with more, including pictures and more stories from the road.

I woke up this morning trying to remember when the last time we won any kind of tournament was.  Believe it or not, it has been almost five years ago -- the SEC Tournament in 2004 where we beat Florida.

That is simply amazing to me, and quite frustrating as well.  But it was a real pleasure to be on hand when Kentucky finally brought home a trophy after a long drought.  To bring that home to everyone, I have a couple of photos I took (please excuse the poor quality as I had to use my phone for these.  I'll have more when I get back and have time to clean them up:

'Cats hold the trophy high in triumph.

Your 2008 Findlay Las Vegas Invitational champions!

Here are some news articles of interest as well:

• Liggins helps 'Cats pull upset
• Liggins and fans need to keep perspective
• Kentucky takes Las Vegas Invitational crown
• Is UK really bowl worthy?
• Kentucky wins despite turnovers
• Cats get clean slate in Vegas
• Cats crowned kings of Vegas

Discuss.  Enjoy your Sunday, and the this excellent victory.  For me, it's off to the casinos for some fun and games.

Congratulations to the West Virginia Mountaineers for a hard fought game that Kentucky was fortunate to win.

I must confess, I did not think UK could pull this off.  West Virginia looked like world beaters against an obviously inferior Iowa Hawkeyes team.  Yet, that same Iowa team managed to pull out a last-second victory over what seemed to me as a clearly superior Kansas State team.  Such is college basketball.

Kentucky came into this game with the clearly tougher road.  Barely squeaking by the K-State Wildcats last night, the Kentucky version was obviously tired and energy-depleted, and it really showed in the first half , where the Mountaineers physically dominated Kentucky and took a 10-point lead into the locker room.

The first seven minutes of the second half were more of the same.  then, at about the 13:00 mark with the 'Cats down ten, something happened.  Kentucky sullenly caught a second wind, and the Mountaineers obviously hit a wall.  UK began sending Huggin's charges back onto defense after repeated empty possessions.  Not only that, but the Mountaineers began to foul UK over and over again, and it was that foul disparity that would eventually make the difference.  WVU kept sending UK's best free-throw shooters to the line, and Kentucky made them.

I can't tell you how exciting it was to sit among so many of the Big Blue Faithful so far away from home.  You have all heard that Kentucky travels well, but until you have experienced the camaraderie of a UK tournament on the road, you really have no understanding of the concept.  It was life-changing for me, and both me and my wife have vowed to do it again as soon as practicable.

As far as the game went, here are my perceptions:

• Evidently, Liggins and Gillispie are back on the same page.  Liggins was teriffic tonight, and a big reason why UK won, both offensively and defensively.
• Jodie Meeks, despite being obviously leg-weary and less than 100%, never gave up.  In fact, at the end of the second half, he really shone through on defense.
• Josh Harrellson was, next to Jodie Meeks, probably the MVP of the tournament.  Patrick Patterson had a good game tonight, but Harrellson was everywhere, and absolutely played as hard as any player I have seen all year.
• Michael Porter once again gave a good effort, but he is nowhere near as talented as Liggins, and that made all the difference.
• Perry Stevenson continues to play very passively except on defense.  He had a number of emphatic blocks during this tournament, but did very little to help the team on offense.
• Ramon Harris played OK.  He is definitely capable of better.
• Darrius Miller did a great job on Ruoff, particularly in the second half.
• UK really needs to learn to get a step or two closer before trying that lob pass into the post.
• Free throw shooting was the difference in this game.
• At the end of the game, UK looked like the fresher team.  I would never have believed that given their trials of last night.
• The lack of layoff clearly showed in Meeks' shooting.
• Patrick Patterson needs to familiarize himself with the two-handed slam.

That's it for now.  Add your comments in.

I will offer very little here, as this game was just a repeat of recent futility by the Kentucky Wildcats.

Congratulations to the Tennessee Volunteers for sending their national championship coach out in style.  Phillip Fulmer deserved a rousing sendoff for all the hard work he has done for the Orange and White, and he got one tonight in the form of a convincing victory over Kentucky

For Kentucky, it was another excercise in offensive futility.  Despite a game effort from the defense, the Kentucky offense simply failed to give them time to catch their breath, and when that happens, they get worn down.  Today, the Vols wore the 'Cats down to a nub, and ended up scoring despite themselves.

For Kentucky, it is a .500 regular season, and although that seems like kissing your sister, it is probably all that this injury-riddled team deserved.  I am not happy about losing to Tennessee for the 24th straight time, but quite frankly, it is asking a lot for a team like this one to go anywhere in the SEC and win other than Commonwealth Stadium.  The fact that they were able to accomplish one road win with so many injured players on both sides of the ball is something worhty of grudging praise.

There is not really much more to say right now.  It's time to wait and see what the post season has to offer.  No matter what it is, I am confident next year's team will be much better overall.

This is the official A Sea of Blue Open Game Thread for the West Virginia Mountaineers versus the Kentucky Wildcats at 10:30 EST tonight.

Here in Sin City, there is a quiet but hopeful feeling about tonight's game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Bob Huggins' West Virgina Mountaineers.  West Virginia looked very good in their dismantling of Iowa yesterday, and the most troubling thing for the Kentucky Wildcats is the fact that they play an in-your-face pressure defense that, believe it or not, is far superior to what we saw last night from Kansas State.  West Virginia is currently undefeated and has the 12th most highly ranked defense in the entire nation points-wise, holding opponents to a mere 53 points/game.  Compare that to Kentucky's 241st ranking surrendering 72 ppg.

Kentucky and West Virginia have one common opponent, Longwood University.  The Mountaineers beat LU 86-54 and UK beat them 91-57, so the margin of victory is similar.  Kentucky and West Virgina are very similar teams, for that matter, in a variety of ways. 

The 'Eers get their points from Alex Ruoff, a dangerous 6'6" shooting guard who can put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court, and Da'Sean Butler, a 6'7" swing forward who plays with great intensity.  But the unsung star of yesterday's game against the Hawkeyes was John Flowers, a skilled, 6'7" small foward who can handle the ball and makes really good decisions with it.  He can shoot, but rarely takes a bad shot and shoots a very high percentage.  Wellington Smith and Devin Ebanks round out the front court for the Mountaineers.  Smith is a 6'7" junior power forward, and Devin Ebanks is an extremely skilled 6'9" 5* small forward who originally committed to Indiana University before the coaching change, then changed his mind and relocated to Morgantown.

This game will be very difficult for the Wildcats, as my impression of the two teams after having seen both play is that West Virginia is further along at this point than Kentucky is.  West Virginia is just as athletic as Kentucky, although UK can throw quite a bit more beef on the front line if they choose.  But the thing that really stood out is the really excellent and disciplined defense that the Mountaineers played against the Hawkeys.  They are no slouch on offense, either, and if UK thinks that the K-State 'Cats screened them, they are really in for some bumps and bruises tonight, as Huggins' group really sets hard picks, and sets them everywhere.

For Kentucky to win this game, they must:

1. Find a way to decrease their turnovers.  There is no way Kentucky can beat WVU with 30 turnovers.  In fact, they'll get blown out no matter how well they shoot if that's the best the 'Cats can muster.
2. Find a way to get more players on the floor.  Huggins is not afraid to play his young guys, and they are all pretty good.
3. Get more shots for Patrick Patterson.  Meeks is a great player, but he turns the ball over way to much.  Meeks must touch the ball a bit less and Patterson a lot more.
4. Perry Stevenson must show up.  I'm tired of playing "Where's Perry?"  He is a junior, and we need a lot more out of him than we have received in the last two games.
5. Pressure WVU.  Pressure teams like West Virginia often hate to be pressed, and I don't think WVU has been pressured this year.
6. Rebound.  West Virginia is currently the third best rebounding team in the NCAA.

With the DeAndre Liggins drama still up in the air, and the 'Cats exhausted from a very late night and an intense effort by a game K-State team, this is a very tough spot for Kentucky, quite frankly.  The Wildcats have the talent and the skill to beat the Mountaineers, but WVU had an easy game yesterday and Kentucky a tough one.  Bob Huggins has this team playing very, very well, and it's not hard to visualize Kentucky winding up on the short end of this one.  I have seen both teams play, and believe me, West Virginia is definitely capable of handling the Wildcats in their current state.

But they don't play the game on paper, and even if they did, this would be a toss-up.  A win here and UK will certainly have turned a corner.  A loss is not the end of the world, though, especially in the current state of flux this team suddenly finds itself in and the difficulty in recovering from last night's efforts.  But if Kentucky can get the ball to Patterson with regularity, take care of the ball and hit the glass, they just might get this job done.

Go, 'Cats!

Due to the short amount of time I have and the large amount of stuff I have to do, this one will be short and sweet.

The 'Cats need this game for many reasons, not the least of which is the pride of snapping a 23 game losing streak to a team that was once considered our major rival in football.  It's hard to say that is true now given the dominance that UT has displayed over Kentucky for the past 2+ decades, but it would be wonderful if we could call this a rivalry again sometime.

I will be posting in this thread and watching the game (hopefully) down at the sports book.  Enjoy the game and get ready for yet another UK game, this time in roundball, tonight at 10:30 PM EST against the West Virginia University Mountaineers.

Go, 'Cats!

Well, it's 1:00 AM here in Las Vegas, and even though I am tired, I figure I owe all you intrepid Wildcat fans a report on how the game went live.

First of all, I want to congratulate Kansas State on a hard-fought game that they nearly pulled out in the end.  As a Kentucky fan, and a fan of college basketball, I really appreciate how Kansas State relentlessly attacked UK's weakness and in the end, nearly overcame a deficit that got to as large as 17 points.  Toward the end of the game, Kentucky's players were visibly more fatigued than those of K-state, and that allowed open 3-point shots and offensive rebounds which really hurt Kentucky.

In the end, though, UK made just enough rebounds to send the K-State 'Cats to tomorrow's consolation game vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes, who were handily defeated by West Virginia in the first game of the evening session.

Some observations from the bleachers.  A note -- I have not looked at the statistics, as I find they tend to color my observations.

• As good a game as Jodie Meeks played in the first half, he played an equally poor game in the second half.  He was repeatedly beaten off the dribble, had the ball stolen from him over and over again, and just generally stunk in many ways.
• Michael Porter played about 15 minutes of good basketball, and the rest was abysmal.  One thing I will give him credit for (and the reason he stayed in the game so much despite his obvious failings to handle the ball at times) was his defense.  It was notable, and impressive against some guards who, quite frankly, are significantly better than he is.
• Perry Stevenson starred in this game as the Invisible Man.  He did have one block in the first half that almost brought Orleans Arena to the ground with a roar that would have deafened a man at 100 yards.
• Darius Miller played a very strange game, almost Porter-esque.  Up and down.  In the end, he fouled out.
• The officials failed to call two indisputable, prima facia intentional fouls.  The officiating in this game would perhaps generously be described as "uneven."
• Kansas State has some really good players.  If they had either Beasley or Bill Walker back, they would surely be a top-25 team.  With both, they would be top 5.
• At times, UK's defense was worthy of a top 5 club.  In the beginning and in the end, it wasn't worthy of a top 100 club.
• I like the way Frank Martin coaches.  They guy is a real up and comer, and will one day be a star.
• Gillispie did a very smart thing at the end of the game when UK was up by five.  He basically told his players that if anyone guarded K-State over half court, they may never see the floor again.  UK players literally ran away from Jacob Pullen as he lined up and made the last, meaningless three.
• Patrick Patterson struggled to rebound.  That's not good.
• Ramon Harris worked hard on defense, but struggled handling the ball and making free throws.
• Patrick Patterson ran the floor like a gazelle.  Maybe that's why he was so tired at the end.
• Billy Gillispie has a deep bench which is utterly wasted, because he almost never used it.  That has got to change.
• UK fans were at least 5-1 more numerous than K-State fans, although K-State was much better represented than any other fan base besides UK.  That says a lot for them, and how seriously they take their team.
• Man, the blue.  Wait until you see the pictures.  For an arena that seats about 7,000, the first game had maybe 1500 people in the stands.  For the UK game, there were at least 3500 and maybe 4000.
• UK fans were passionate and pretty darn fair.  It was a pleasure being with them so far from home.  I have had many interesting conversations.
• I was very impressed so many of you stayed up and blogged the game.  Give yourselves a pat on the back.

That's all for tonight.  Tomorrow, Ken has an awesome preview of the UK-Tennessee game and I will have an open thread up as always.  I'll be watching that game (UK doesn't play until around 7:00 Las Vegas time) and will try to participate in the conversation.

This is the official A Sea of Blue Open Game Thread for tonight's game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Kansas State Wildcats.  Two Wildcats for the price of one, you could say.

Your humble correspondent will be covering the game live from Las Vegas and attempting to post observations from the game if they are possible.  If not, please do not let that dissuade you from staying up until the wee hours of the morning and posting comments about the game yourselves.

As I said earlier, the UK fans are here in force, primed and ready for action.  I will open this thread around 10:00 to give those who just can't stay up too late a chance to make a comment or two, but as I write this I am about to adjourn for a dinner of prime rib before easing on over to the arena for the first game.

For Kentucky to win this game, they need to:

1. Limit turnovers -- K-state is a good ballhandling team, and a big disparity in turnovers could be the difference.
2. Get the ball into the post where they have an advantage -- K-State is big but athletically challenged compared to Kentucky.
3. Be aggressive on defense -- The K-State Cats have not been challenged in the tough, man-to-man manner of a Billy Gillispie coached team.
4. Utilize depth -- Kentucky is a deeper team than Kansas State, and utilizing that depth will be an advantage.  This game is likely to be played up-tempo, but nothing like what North Carolina or VMI would like to play.
5. Get offensive rebounds -- Kentucky should be able to rebound on the offensive glass against this team, and if they do, it would be a huge advantage.

Kentucky is likely to lose this game if they:

1. Don't defend the three -- K-State is a good three-point shooting team, and UK is not exactly known for efficient defense beyond the arc.
2. Waste possessions -- Kentucky must value both the ball, and getting a good look every time.
3. Let the K-State guards get into the lane -- Kansas State's guards have a quickness advantage over Kentucky, and if they get in the lane, it will be a long night for the Blue and White.
4. Don't force Kansas State to beat them from inside the arc -- Kansas State has beaten most of its opponents by outshooting them from the perimeter.  UK must force them to do something else.
5. Don't recover well on defense -- K-State will force UK to rotate on defense, and UK must do a good job of recovering from the rotation.

That's it.  This is a big game, and we really need this win to prove to ourselves that Kentucky really is a better team than it showed in the first two games.

Go, 'Cats!

Here we go, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation -- the second semifinal of the Las Vegas Invitational.  The first will be Iowa vs. West Virgina, which my wife and I will be attending as well.  For most of you in the East, the UK vs. Kansas State game will begin at midnight EST.  I know some of you will be up, and there will be an open thread as always for you to post your comments in.  I will be showing up in there (Internet connection permitting) from the game if my reception is good enough.

I'll be posting some pics from the game later on or early tomorrow (time permitting).  But right now, lets have a quick look at the player stats (all stats courtesy of StatSheet.com.  Likely starters are highlighted as always.  For more on the Kansas State Wildcats, be sure to check out the excellent Kansas State SB Nation blog Bring on the Cats.

Inside the paint

The main inside threat of Kansas State this year is 6'10" 230# Darren Kent, who is both an inside player and one of the leading rebounders.  Kent is a senior out of Apple Valley, Minnesota.

From inside the arc, a major threat of Kansas State is Dominique Sutton, a smooth and powerful wing player with an excellent mid-range game.  Sutton was a 4* Rivals player who joined the K-State Wildcats last year.  This year, he is the third leading scorer nd second leading rebounder on the team.

Luis Colon starts at center, and he is a big guy at 6'10"/265#, but Ron Anderson, a 6'8" sophomore power forward and team's leading rebounder will do most of the time in that position if form holds, and neither of these two is a serious scoring threat although Anderson is a much better rebounder.  Colon has a tendency to get into foul trouble.  Jamar Samuels provides both rebounding and scoring from the bench.

I expect Kentucky to have an advantage at the 1-3 spots.  Even though Sutton is a very dangerous player and Kent is big enough to post up, UK has more athletic and dynamic players in the 4 and 5 spot, and at the three, Ramon Harris is capable of handling Sutton.

Backcourt

Kansas State has a dynamic back court consisting of Jacob Pullen and Dennis Clemente, both dynamic scorers who can stroke it from three and score from everywhere else.  These two guys will be the biggest challenge that UK will face, along with 3-point specialist Fred Brown who is shooting the long ball at 50% accuracy.

Unfortunately, neither Meeks nor Porter match up particularly well with these guys.  Both Pullen and Clemente are small, quick and can penetrate the lane.  Kentucky will have some difficulty this year handling smaller guard combos, and this could well be a very difficult team for UK to contain because of the guards.  The back court play is likely to decide the game unless Kentucky dominates the front court, and I give the K-State Wildcats a slight edge in the back court.

Team stats

The team stats for these two contestants are as follows:

Conclusion

Kentucky and Kansas State match up very well, and this is an excellent early-season test for the improving Kentucky Wildcats.  Kansas State is not the team they were last year with Michael Beasly and Bill Walker, but they are very competent and more than sufficiently talented to test Kentucky, particularly in the back court.

This will be a very interesting game, and will tell us if the last two blowouts have actually included the signs of improvement we all think we see, or just the mirage of competence courtesy of inferior competition.  This game will tell us much about the Kentucky Wildcats, for good or ill.