There are only two weekends left in the regular season for College Basketball. Today we start with Florida at South Carolina.
There are only two weekends left in the regular season for College Basketball. Today we start with Florida at South Carolina.
Florida plays a lot like Kentucky. The Gators are 15th in offense and 82d in defense. The Cats played their worst game of the year in South Carolina, and it will be interested if Florida handles it any better.
ReplyDeleteToday, XM Radio's 70's on 7 is giving us Casey Kasem's countdown from February 26, 1977. We start with Natalie Cole, "I've Got Love on My Mind."
ReplyDeleteOn February 26, 1977, the Kentucky Wildcats -- ranked number 2 in the nation -- hammered number 8 Alabama 85 to 70 at Rupp Arena. Larry Johnson had 16 points to lead all Kentucky scorers. UK ran its record to 22-2. I'm pretty sure that at the time, I was absolutely certain the Cats would win it all in 1977.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to think that on this day in 1977, I had never heard of "Star Wars" or the "Four Corners."
DeleteDoug Shows is the crew chief for today's game between UK and Arkansas, so there's a good chance Cal gets a technical. The Cats have an all-time record of 96-40 with Shows on the whistle.
ReplyDeleteThey have announced the draw for the First Region boys' basketball tournament at Murray State:
ReplyDeleteMarch 6:
McCracken Co. (24-7) v. Graves Co. (20-10)
Carlisle Co. (21-10) v. Murray (23-9)
March 7:
Mayfield (19-8) v. Paducah Tilghman (14-15)
Marshall Co. (22-7) v. Fulton Co. (6-22)
At Rupp Arena, Tre Mitchell is on the floor taking shots. He hasn't played since the Ole Miss game a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteThe Cats tip today at 12:30 PM Central. Of all the times to play a basketball game, 12:30 PM Central on Saturday is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteS. Carolina v. Florida has turned into a rock fight, as I expected. The Gators lead 27 to 26 with 3:46 left in the first half.
ReplyDeleteAt Number 27 on the countdown, we have "Don't Give Up On Us" by David Soul. That's about as 1977 as it gets.
ReplyDeleteAt Number 26, we have "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Wings. Now in about six weeks -- early April 1977 -- I'm going to get a game called "Extra Innings" and I'm going to spend pretty much the next two months playing this game and listening to WKYX-AM. And now, 47 years later, whenever I hear "Maybe I'm Amazed," I picture my room in 1977 and the joy of playing "Extra Innings."
ReplyDeleteAt the half, Florida leads 37 to 31. The Gators are 4-9 from 3-point range while the Gamecocks are 4-13. Florida has also out-rebounded South Carolina 23 to 15. Very solid performance by the Gators so far.
ReplyDeleteS. Carolina 39 - 42 Florida (15:55 left).
ReplyDeleteCasey tells us that Hall and Oates are from Philadelphia. I think I used to know that.
ReplyDeleteS. Carolina 44 - 47 Florida (14:51 left)
ReplyDeleteS. Carolina 49 - 56 Florida (11:41 left). Gators are 6-14 from 3-point range; Gamecocks are 7-18 from 3-point range. Gators have a 28-20 rebound advantage. Excellent play from Florida so far.
ReplyDeleteNumber 14 -- "Go Your Own Way," by Fleetwood Mac
ReplyDeleteUK's starters:
ReplyDeleteG -- D.J. Wagner
G -- Justin Edwards
G -- Antonio Reeves
F -- Adou Thiero
F -- Ugonna Onyenso
This will be the second game this year where the entire UK team is available at tip-off.
I keep hoping these starters will get off to a hot start, but the Razorbacks start the game by going 6-6 from the field, and Arkansas leads 12-10 when Sheppard and Dillingham enter the game.
DeleteNumber 13 -- "I Wish," by Stevie Wonder.
ReplyDeleteI haven't run the numbers, but this has probably been my favorite song of 2024 so far.
DeleteS. Carolina 53 - 58 Florida (9:37 left).
ReplyDeleteNumber 12 -- Rose Royce, "Carwash"
ReplyDeleteNumber 11 -- Al Stewart, "Year of the Cat"
ReplyDeleteSo far, it's my 27th-favorite song of the seven days that end tomorrow:
Delete1. Expert in a Dying Field, Beths
2. Solsbury Hill, Peter Gabriel
3. Sausalito, Grover Washington Jr.
4. Blue Sky, Patty Griffin
5. Stronger Now, Carol Albert
6. Five Minutes, Gretchen Peters
7. Top of the World, Chicks
8. My Baby, Ken Nordine with Fred Astaire and Barrie Chase
9. Remember, Dangerman
10. Musta Been Something, Lake Street Dive
11. Aching Kind, Michelle Phillips
12. Hard Luck Woman, KISS
13. What Can I Say?, Box Scaggs
14. Just in Time, Mike Douglas and Linda Lavin live on 19770301 Mike Douglas Show
15. Best to You, Blood Orange
16. I’ll Go Where the Music Takes Me, Jimmy James
17. Could You Be Loved?, Monty Alexander
18. Hey Darlin Life Goes on, Minnie Ripperton
19. Your Wildest Dreams, Moody Blues
20. Funny How Time Slips Away, Al Green
21. Look Into Your Heart, Aretha Franklin
22. Now I Know What Love Is, Al Wilson
23. I’m Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking, Supremes
24. Long Tunnel of Wanting You, Vanessa Daou
25. Livin’ Thing, Electric Light Orchestra
26. If I Were a Carpenter, Johnny and June Carter Cash
27. Year of the Cat, Al Stewart
28. Follow Me, Caroline Muir
29. All Night Operator, Bryan Ferry
30. And Then I Knew, Dave Coz
31. Going Home, Vibes Alive
32. Take Five, Marilyn Maye
33. Victim of Romance, Michelle Phillips
34. Impossible, Teezo Touchdown
35. Let Your Love Flow, Barbara McNair live at the 1978 MDA Telethon
36. Alive and Kicking, Simple Minds
37. This Heart Is Your Heart, Natalie Cole
38. I’ve Got a Feeling That We’ll Be Seeing Each Other Again, Al Wilson
39. Security, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons
40. Sleepwalker, Kinks
41. Same Old Blues, Dragon
42. If It’s Love That You Want Darlin, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons
43. Could It Be I’m In Love, Minnie Ripperton
44. Hang On in There Baby, Johnny Bristol
45. Lion in Winter, Hoyt Axton and Linda Rondstadt
46. Rush, Big Audio Dynamite
S. Carolina 55 - 60 Florida (8 minutes left)
ReplyDeleteKentucky 10 - 12 Arkansas (15:45 left in 1st half)
Number 10 -- Barry Manilow, "Weekend in New England"
ReplyDeleteNumber 9 -- ABBA, "Dancing Queen."
ReplyDeleteNumber 8 -- Bob Seger, "Night Moves." This may be the best countdown I've ever heard.
ReplyDeleteThis is great.
DeleteHere come the Gamecocks:
ReplyDeleteS. Carolina 70 - 68 Florida (3:22 left)
Kentucky 22 - 19 Arkansas (11:41 left in first half)
Carolina is 18-25 from the line; Florida is 10-13.
DeleteNumber 7: Mary McGregor, "Torn Between Two Lovers"
ReplyDeleteAfter 10 minutes, the Cats lead 25 to 24.
ReplyDeleteNumber 6, The Jacksons, "Enjoy Yourself"
ReplyDeleteS. Carolina 77 - 74 Florida (43 seconds left)
ReplyDeleteKentucky 32 - 31 Arkansas (7:39 left in 1st half)
There's no way this Arkansas team should be 5-10 in the SEC, and there's certainly no way it should have lost to Vandy at home this week.
DeleteNumber 5, Kenny Nolan, "I Like Dreaming"
ReplyDeleteNumber 4, Steve Miller Band, "Fly Like an Eagle"
ReplyDeleteI am considering a post about this song for the "Great Music Videos" series.
DeleteNumber 3: Manfred Mann's Earth Band, "Blinded By the Light"
ReplyDelete"All Along the Watchtower" is a better song than this one, but, for me, the ratio of better that Jimi Hendrix's cover of it is to Bob Dylan's original is the same as MMEB's to the Bruce Springsteen.
DeleteSouth Carolina puts up 51 points in the second half to beat Florida 82 to 76. Gamecocks move to 12-4, Florida falls to 10-6.
ReplyDeleteKentucky has only let Arkansas shoot six three-point shots so far, but the Razorbacks are killing UK at the rim. Arkansas is 15-21 from 2-point range, and they lead 40-38 with 3:23 left before halftime.
ReplyDeleteNumber 2: Barbra Streisand, "Love Theme from 'A Star Is Born'"
ReplyDeleteWe played this in middle-school band, and, over those weeks, I fell madly in love to it with the girl who was ahead of me in the second section of trumpets.
DeleteNumber 1: The Eagles, "New Kid in Town"
ReplyDeletePuke.
DeleteAaron Bradshaw comes off the bench to spark a 15-5 run, and the Cats lead 53 to 48 with 36 seconds left in the first half. Bradshaw has 12 points.
ReplyDeleteArkansas:
ReplyDelete4-10 from 3-point range (40.0 percent)
15-23 from 2-point range (65.2 percent)
6-7 from the line (85.7 percent)
48 points, 13 rebounds, 4 turnovers
Kentucky:
7-14 from 3-point range (50.0 percent)
9-17 from 2-point range (52.9 percent)
14-16 from the line (87.5 percent)
53 points, 17 rebounds, 5 turnovers
Kentucky started off the second half pretty well, and was up 60-50. But that's always bad news, as we saw at LSU. Arkansas goes on a quick 8-1 run, and Cal is forced to call time with 16:39 left. UK leads 61 to 58.
ReplyDeleteUnless the Cats score 100 points -- and perhaps even if they do -- this game is going down to the wire. They cannot stop Arkansas at all.
ReplyDeleteKentucky 61 - 58 Arkansas (15:49 left)
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a game where Dillingham could be really helpful, but he hasn't played much so far.
DeleteK-Pom had the Cats winning this game 91 to 76, so they're probably going to fall on his rankings, whatever happens.
ReplyDeleteCats finally lose the lead after a 10-0 run, and then Dillingham comes down and scores to put UK back on top 63 to 62. They just weren't going to score until they fell behind.
ReplyDeleteIf you listen to XM Radio's "Classic Rewind" channel during a UK game, there's a 60 percent chance you will hear "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer" by George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers.
ReplyDeleteKhalif Battle is just destroying Kentucky. He's got 26 points and 6 rebounds, he's 11-12 from the line, and he just led another run to put Arkansas up 74 to 72 with 11:31 left. Cal is forced to call time.
ReplyDeleteDoug Shows and Battle are locked in now. Every time there's less than 15 seconds on the shot clock, Battle drives the ball and Shows calls a foul. It's like watching MJ and Pippen.
ReplyDeleteTo Shows's credit, down the stretch he stopped bailing out Arkansas on those drives to the basket.
DeleteWith 10 minutes left, Arkansas leads 79 to 75.
ReplyDeleteThat timeout didn't work. Arkansas goes on 10-3 run, and they lead 84-75 with 8:51 left.
ReplyDeleteArkansas has two guards who have just crushed everyone on UK today. Battle has 28 points (including 13-14 from the line). Tramon Mark has 21 points (6-9 from 2-point range, 3-5 from 3-point range). Even more significantly, they've gotten stronger and stronger as the game has gone on.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I think Arkansas's guys did get tired down the stretch. And who can blame them?
DeleteI was surprised they didn't call time when UK started making its run.
DeleteI have wondered if Cal plays all these guys as part of an effort to wear down the other team. If so, today is the only time that strategy has worked.
DeleteAt one point, the Cats were up 60-50. Since then, Arkansas has outscored UK 36-19.
ReplyDeleteSo the last time I posted, there were eight minutes to go and Arkansas was up 86 to 79. Here's what happened after that. Cal turned the game over to my hero, Rob Dillingham. Everyone else likes Sheppard, and I like Sheppard, but all year, Dillingham has been my favorite player. If you will look above, you'll see that I wanted him to do more in this game. Finally, with the game on the line, Dillingham took over. He came through for the me in the way every 7-year-old wants his hero to come through. In the last eight minutes of the game, with Dillingham handling the ball on almost every possession, the Cats outscored Arkansas 32-16, and UK won the game: 111 to 102.
ReplyDeleteKyle Tucker points out that UK was down 86 to 81. Over the next 4 1/2 minutes, my hero Dillingham had 11 points, 4 assists, and a steal. It's honestly one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
DeleteWith 8 minutes to go, the Arkansas guys could legitimately tell themselves that they were just as talented as UK. Sure, they'd had some bad performances, but that was because they don't always play all-out. But through 32 minutes today, they had outscored the Cats 86 to 79. At that point, it would have been reasonable for them to think that when both teams gave their best, they were just as good as UK. And then Dillingham showed them -- and us -- what real NBA-level talent can do.
DeleteThis is at least the third time Dillingham has done this. He made amazing plays down the stretch to send the A & M game into overtime. He made amazing plays down the stretch to give UK the lead at LSU. But this time, he had enough time to take the comeback all the way.
DeleteThe stats here are unbelievable. This was one of the most amazing games ever played at Rupp Arena:
ReplyDeleteArkansas:
27-47 from 2-point range (57.4 percent)
7-17 from 3-point range (41.2 percent)
27-28 from the line (96.4 percent)
102 points, 27 rebounds, 12 turnovers
Kentucky:
25-40 from 2-point range (62.5 percent)
9-20 from 3-point range (45.0 percent)
34-42 from the line (81.0 percent)
111 points, 34 rebounds, 15 turnovers
Yes, Kentucky shot a lot of free throws. But this was a Doug Shows game, and everything was being called tight. Down the stretch, Dillingham and the other Cats started attacking the rim and got to the line a lot.
ReplyDeleteBattle finished with 34 points for Arkansas. He shot 18 free throws by himself, and made 17 of them. Mark finished with 23 points.
ReplyDeleteHere are the scorers for UK:
ReplyDeleteReeves: 22 points (7-8 from two, 1-2 from three, 5-6 from the line)
Wagner: 19 points (2-2, 4-5, 3-4)
Dillingham: 15 points (5-10, 0-3, 5-5) (5 assists)
Bradshaw: 15 points (3-3, 1-1, 6-8)
Ivisic: 12 points (3-4, 0-0, 6-7) (9 rebounds)
Sheppard: 10 points (1-3, 2-4, 2-2) (5 assists)
Edwards: 10 points (2-3, 1-1, 3-4) (3 steals)
Thiero: 5 points (2-4, 0-1, 1-2)
Mitchell: 2 points (0-2, 0-3, 2-2)
Onyenso: 1 point (0-2, 0-0, 1-2)
Edwards also played great down the stretch. That one three-pointer he made was huge.
DeleteHere are the plus/minus numbers:
DeleteDillingham: +18
Mitchell: +15
Edwards: +11
Ivisic: +10
Sheppard: +9
Bradshaw: +6
Wagner: +2
Reeves: -2
Onyenso: -11
Thiero: -17
Reeves didn't play the last 7:50 of the game, as the Cats were down by six and Cal decided to go with Wagner, Dillingham, Sheppard, Edwards, and Big Z.
DeleteI'm pretty sure that this is the first time UK has won while giving up 100 points since December 17, 2016, when the Cats beat North Carolina 103 to 100. I'm not sure they've ever done it at Rupp.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I can remember when both teams scored 100 points at Rupp was the infamous loss to VMI on November 14, 2008, which was the beginning of the end for Billy G. UK lost that game 111 to 103.
ReplyDeleteI have a little flip scoreboard that I use when watching games, but it only has two digits for each team. So it shows the final score as 11 to 02.
DeleteCats are now 21-8 on the season and 11-5 in the SEC.
ReplyDeleteCats now have their first three-game winning streak since they lost to A & M.
DeleteK-Pom drops the Cats to Number 19. They are 6th on offense and 95th on defense. He named Khalif Battle as the MVP of the game.
ReplyDeleteCats at number 272 for luck.
DeleteBaylor beats Kansas 82 to 74. The Jayhawks fall to 17 on Ken Pom. KU and UK are both 21-8 on the season.
ReplyDeleteKen Pom still doesn't believe in South Carolina. He has them ranked 46, but number 3 in luck.
ReplyDeleteJeff Borzello tweets the Edwards was subbed into the game with 5:42 left. That was UK's last substitution. At that point, the team on the floor was all freshmen: Wagner, Dillingham, Reeves, Edwards, and Big Z. Dillingham was going to the line, and Arkansas led 90 to 87. Over the rest of the game, UK outscored Arkansas 24-12.
ReplyDeleteIn Auburn, Auburn drubs Mississippi St. 78 to 63. The Tigers are now 11-5, while MSU is 8-8.
ReplyDeleteWith the big Alabama/UT game tipping off at 7 Central, the top of the SEC now looks like this:
ReplyDeleteTennessee: 12-3
Alabama: 12-3
S. Carolina: 12-4
Kentucky: 11-5
Auburn: 11-5
Alabama 5 - 9 Tennessee (15:25 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeleteAlabama 12 - 21 Tennessee (11:43 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeleteAlabama misses, Tennessee knocks down an Alabama player going for the rebound. Foul on Alabama. The Alabama radio people go nuts. Tennessee comes down to the other end, battle for the rebound -- another foul on Alabama. The crowd in Tuscaloosa is getting restless. The announcers say the calls are "as bad as it gets."
ReplyDeleteAlabama 14 - 24 Tennessee (10 minutes left in 1st half)
ReplyDeleteAlabama 22 - 28 Tennessee (7:20 left in 1st half). Vescovi shoots an air ball, and that sends the Alabama broadcast team into raptures. The Tide have been called for 9 fouls, the Vols have been called for 5, and the mood in Tuscaloosa is angry.
ReplyDeleteAlabama 29 - 36 Tennessee (4:22 left in 1st half). Alabama has one player with three fouls, and three players with two fouls.
ReplyDeleteAlabama 37 - 39 Tennessee (1:34 left in 1st half). UT went on a 9-0 run, and then Alabama responded with an 8-0 run. UT calls time.
ReplyDeleteKnecht picked up his second foul, and Alabama ended the half on a 12-0 run:
ReplyDeleteAlabama 41 - 39 Tennessee (halftime)
Alabama 53 - 49 Tennessee (15:27 left). It's almost time for UT to unleash Knecht. So far he's only got 11 points.
ReplyDeleteAlabama 58 - 51 Tennessee (11:50 left). Vols are 8-30 from 3-point range.
ReplyDeleteWith 10 minutes left, Alabama leads 60-54.
ReplyDeleteWith 9:56 left, Knecht checks back into the game. He still has only 11 points.
ReplyDeleteAlabama 62 - 59 Tennessee (7:37 left)
ReplyDeleteAlabama has stopped scoring. UT leads 65 to 62 with 5:48 left.
ReplyDeleteAlabama 65 - 70 Tennessee (3:18 left)
ReplyDeleteThe Vols have been awesome down the stretch. Alabama is the highest scoring team in the SEC -- even above UK. They were at home. They had a six-point lead and all the momentum. And Tennessee just stopped them. Over the last 7 minutes of game time, Bama has only 5 points. Knecht still has only 11 points, and the Vols are only 11-37 from 3-point range, and the Vols are going to win anyway.
I'm not surprised that South Carolina won in Knoxville, while the other SEC contenders have really struggled with the Vols. You have to be prepared for Tennessee's style of play, and the Gamecocks are the only other contender that doesn't mind that sort of game.
ReplyDeleteTennessee closes out Alabama 81 to 74. They sweep the Tide, since they crushed them in Knoxville back in January. Significantly, the only SEC teams to beat Tennessee are three rock fighters: South Carolina, Texas A & M, and Mississippi State. None of the pretty teams have given them much of a game.
ReplyDeleteThe Vols went 12-40 from 3-point range, and still won because Alabama went 9-37.
ReplyDeleteSo the top of the SEC looks like this:
ReplyDeleteTennessee: 13-3
Alabama: 12-4
S. Carolina: 12-4
Kentucky: 11-5
Auburn: 11-5
WKU is now on a three-game losing streak since being ripped off at MTSU, and it makes me want to cry.
ReplyDelete