Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
Obviously, the big news of today was the second half being delayed after Ramon Harris collapsed in the locker room at halftime. Coach Gillispie remained in the locker room with Harris while the medical staff was tending to him, missing the start of the second half, and Ramon was taken to the hospital to be evaluated. We will keep you posted as we get information regarding the status of Ramon. Obviously, we wish him the best and send our prayers to him and his family.
UPDATE: Before he left, his vital signs were all ok. He is currently listed in stable condition at the Tuscaloosa hospital. We will keep you posted as we get info
Now, a couple of notes:
- The Kentucky offense looked downright terrible in the first half of the game, scoring only 19 points in the opening period. The poor start was partially due to stupid mistakes and poor ball-handling and shot selection, but a lot of credit has to be given to the Alabama defensive plan and execution. The Tide essentially forced the Cats to play a 4-4 game by face-guarding Jodie Meeks from the second that he crossed midcourt, regardless of what he was doing. On a few possessions, Meeks simply stood near the midcourt line in the corner and Andrew Steele stayed six inches away. Additionally, they double-teamed Patrick Patterson the second the ball was entered to him and it really threw Kentucky off. And, in the process it opened up yet another wound….
- Because it yet again exposed that there is no offensive threat beyond Meeks and Patterson. Alabama is not a great team, but they did play great defense today and it was a good test for this improving Kentucky team. Someone is going to have to step up and show that they can put points on the board when they have the opportunity and that was again something the Cats struggled with for the most part today. Perry Stevenson is likely the closest thing to another scorer that they have right now and he did finish with 16 points, but those stats are slightly misleading because he was got 10 of them off of free throws and only made 3 of his 9 field goals. But, he is very comfortable with the jumper and is athletic enough to finish above the rim, so maybe UK might be finding their answer there. If Perry’s aggressiveness is any indication of what results could come, the Cats might be ok.
- Cue Bill Murry. It’s Groundhog Day all over again. Another SEC game, another team throwing everything at Jodie Meeks, another 27 points. Like I mentioned earlier, Jodie faced a tough defensive plan and several physical, athletic defenders this afternoon, but wasn’t fazed one bit. Meeks finished 10-18 from the field with 3 three-pointers, but that is not where his contributions ended. As Tim Brando kept pointing out, Jodie Meeks is developing into a great defensive player as well and shut down the passing lanes on the defensive end of the floor. He finished with 3 steals (seriously, that’s it?) and grabbed 9 boards as well. It was an outstanding, complete game for Mr. Meeks.
- But, not all was good in the backcourt as the point guard position continues to be an issue. What makes the problem for the Cats even more frustrating is that Michael Porter and DeAndre Liggins are both struggling for the exact opposite reasons. Porter refuses to shoot when he’s open. Liggins forces shots that Eddie House would turn down. Michael Porter will try to stabilize when he should be attacking. DeAndre Liggins will jump in the air with nowhere to go when the offense is setting up. It seems like if each player would watch some film of the other guy, they’d be in much better shape. They’re much better than where they were at the beginning of the year, but there is still A LOT of work to be done. And, no, I will not be mentioning Porter’s layup. My stomach is still upset.
- Another thing that slightly troubles me is that the Cats seem to be falling in love with the blocked shot. UK is the best shot-blocking team in the country and Stevenson, Patterson and even AJ Stewart were beating soem shots around today, but it seems like they’ve changed just a bit from relying on the blocked shot as a last ditch effort around the rim and into a “funnel them inside” mentality. Of course, it could just be that our guards couldn’t keep guys out of the lane today. But, Patterson and Stevenson did seem to get a little swat-happy today and it allowed Bama to get offensive boards and easy putbacks. Might be time to rein it in a bit.
- It didn’t really matter in the end, but it wasn’t a great day for Patrick Patterson with 6 points and 5 boards. This was partly because of foul trouble and partly because of very good defense from the Tide, but still not #54’s finest day.
- A pretty solid all-around game for Darius Miller. He didn’t do anything memorable but, at this point, that’s a positive for the bench players. Seven boards isn’t a bad contribution either.
- I don’t want to keep harping on the “mental toughness” and “maturity” aspect of this team but, again, that had a big part to play in today’s road win. With only 19 points at the half, your star forward in foul trouble, your starting small forward at the hospital and a rowdy crowd all over you, being able to come out with a win is a sign of character. Much like the West Virginia game, the Cats responded to a poor first half with a strong outing in the second. That’s a very good sign.
- Anytime you hold a team to 29% shooting for an entire game, you have to be proud with your defensive effort.
- Senario Hillman has a 71-inch vertical according to Tim Brando. Wow.
- The Bama band chose to open the second half with “Basket Case” by Green Day. Perhaps the most fitting song for the moment. What a strange day.
- The Cats had 23 turnovers….14 of which came in the second half when they came back to win. That’s pretty crappy.
Overall, a very ugly win, but a win nonetheless. The Cats are still the only unbeaten team in the SEC and remain in the driver’s seat in the East. Plus, after watching Villanova live today, I can promise you that even as bad as UK played in this game, they would still murder those Wildcats. Say a prayer or do what you do for Ramon. We’ll be back in a few.
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January 24th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
They showed Heart, Ramon get better
January 24th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Anyone who’s been ragging on the Razor needs to shut the f#ck up for the rest of the season. Seriously, if you wanna rag on the man, give me your address and I will personally come and kick your a$$.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I also attended the Villanova game, and thought the exact same thing. I think Kentucky would beat Villanova pretty easily. As long as we kept the turnovers under 20
January 24th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
No mention of another good game from Stevenson??? He’s been extremely solid the last two games. Give the man some props…
January 24th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Wow. very neagtive post Beisner. I think considering the adversity they faced today we played well(in the 2nd half). In fact, we had two freshman who played significant minutes in a tough, hotile environment. Both frosh finished the last few minutes of the game. That is really promising for us. PPat had an awful game. Meeks was hounded all day–nothing came easy. Harris was sent to the hospital–our Cats still get it done. Another road win–most SEC teams could not do what we did today. Hell, most teams would fold if two starters were taken out in the 2nd half…
January 24th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I’ll go with you #2
January 24th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Senario Hillman can outjump Chuck Norris
January 24th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
No, Stevenson’s 16 were not misleading at all. He was very active and hard to guard = 10 ft’s. He missed 3 so he ought to have had 19.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Even though Liggins made some mental errors, overall, I liked what I saw from him today. I think at times he plays too fast for his own teammates and are not ready for his passes. But he looked like the Liggins we saw earlier in the season who was scoring points and stuff. I believe his defense was a lot better today. And Miller may not have scored bunches, but he had some good passes and played good defense. Harrellson didnt do anything offensively, but he did play some good defense. It’s good to see that these guys are starting to step up and get some confidence. The defense is there, I’ll be glad when they can add the offense. Which I believe will come as the season goes along. And Stevenson is playing a whole lot more aggressive and that is huge for his team. How many double doubles has he had this season? That’s the third scorer. Now we just need a 4th, 5th, 6th like the UK teams in the mid 90s. Anyone could go out there and score and I’ll be glad when this team can get to that point, which may not be until next year but it will happen. 16-4, 5-0…when is the last time that has happened? GO CATS!!
January 24th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
8, I agree it’s not misleading. It just means he was working hard with the ball or going after the ball and getting fouled. I love what I see from him lately. It’s like someone finally lit that fire in him.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I agree with #6, negative Beisner….we won and we won as a team (everyone contributed).
January 24th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
-Porter couldn’t hit a layup if his life depended on it. He missed two from point blank.
-Any UK fan can pull up to a local McDonald’s for a limited time and say “DeAndre Liggins” at the drive through window and you’ll receive a free turnover.
-Stevenson is coming of age and will be hard to handle from here on out until he graduates.
-Patterson is a BEAST.
-Galloway should have played today and Stewart should have gotten more minutes.
-Harrellson needs to learn how to NOT throw the ball directly to the opposing team.
-BCG 4 President 2012.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I’m sick of this “we have no 3rd scorer” crap. In SEC play Patterson has averaged 12.4 pts., and Stevenson is averaging 11.6. You say that Stevenson’s points are misleading because they came on free throws, but that makes no sense. He’s taking it strong to the hole and getting fouled. Stevenson is playing by far the best he ever has.
Your lack of basketball knowledge is really starting to show Beisner.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Turnovers turnovers turnovers. I say it after every game. Get the turnovers into single digits and we can beat anyone.
Strange that you said Liggins takes shots that Eddie House would pass up. My dad said the exact same thing? How did you both come up with Eddie House for that comment…very weird. I think Beisner is my dad.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
#14: I would bot hope for that. Negativity will kill a man…
January 24th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
very easy assumption, bc Eddie House’s shot selection. makes me want to gauge my eyes out with spoons when I watch him play. As far as Liggin’s, well, let’s just say I missed the last 8 minutes of the game and I am currently typing this on a braille keyboard in the hospital.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
One of the most mentally tough teams that I have ever seen, just like last year. If Billy G can keep getting his teams to gel and toughen up like this and continue to bring talented recruits in here, we could be in for a run of banners soon. I don’t wanna get too excited after such an ugly win but the ways these guys battle and somehow still seem to pull it out after performing so abysmally in the early parts of each game is pretty damn impressive
January 24th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
People please, yeah we turn the ball over. A lot are stupid passes. But we also CAUSE more TOs than most teams because of our badass defense. Anytime you block about 10 shots per game you are playing some serious DEFENSE. UK is a solid team and road wins make you stronger. Ole Miss is next and I hope our frosh and bench get significant playing time a again. Also, I will pray for Razor to be back next week suiting up.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
At least Liggins hit some shots, that’ll help his confidence…he did have 4 TO’s though with 3asst. But I liked what I saw from Liggins and Miller. I think Liggins is gettin smart and realizing what Coach G wants. Cuz if you noticed, there was times that I thought Liggins was goin to rush it as normal, but he surprised me by pull it back out and lettin the offense set up. Miller had 7rbs and 3blks. They both hustled and played with intensity. Even though the game overall was ugly, especially shooting in the 1st half, I think there were some positives coming from those guys. And yeah, Porter, how can you not hit those layups? He did only have 2 TO’s, but if Liggins defense keeps improving and his offense starts clicking, I think we may eventually see him starting over Porter…but who knows.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
5, thats pretty much what i wrote, right? i didnt think it was negative. didnt intend it to be if thays how it sounded.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Great game for Liggins/Miller….pitiful for Porter/Harris(while he was in, get well soon)….UK scored 19 points with Porter/Harris mostly in the 1st half…UK scored 42 with Liggins/Miller in the 2nd half…Liggins may be too fast for his teammates sometimes but if BCG would play them all together more we wouldn’t see near as many turnovers as we do..Liggins is our true point guard and his defense and team spirit/leadership today was impressive…Porter’s play however was mostly useless…Great game Liggins/Miller Keep it up boys!!!!
January 24th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
No Beisner–you wrote a very negative report. Consider the adversity: SEC road game, huge for the BAMA coach. BAMA brings their BEST defensive effort of the season. UK shoots poorly for the game. Razor collapses at the half. PPat in foul trouble for most of the 2nd half. Yet, Perry with another double double (who cares if it’s FTs–he went hard to the hoop!). Meeks get’s his average!!! Frosh step-up to compete–I am impressed with a 10 point win under these circumstances.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
19. yes, Liggins is likely to start soon. The real indicator for me is that Billy Clyde is starting to just wince instead of getting out the hook.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
13, your lack of readng comprehension is starting to show. why dont you read what i wrote about perry. i said he was aggressive and i think thats great and he has the tools to be that guy, but getting fouled on putbacks doesnt make someone a scorer. it makes them a great rebounder.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Beisner, if you keep responding to people in your posts you will find yourself demoted to selecting picks to click at 10AM every day.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
22, am I getting punk’d?
You said:
- Consider the adversity: SEC road game, huge for the BAMA coach.
- BAMA brings their BEST defensive effort of the season.
- UK shoots poorly for the game.
- Razor collapses at the half.
- PPat in foul trouble for most of the 2nd half.
- Yet, Perry with another double double (who cares if it’s FTs–he went hard to the hoop!).
- Meeks get’s his average!!!
I wrote:
- ith only 19 points at the half, your star forward in foul trouble, your starting small forward at the hospital and a rowdy crowd all over you, being able to come out with a win is a sign of character
- a lot of credit has to be given to the Alabama defensive plan and execution
- those stats are slightly misleading because he was got 10 of them off of free throws and only made 3 of his 9 field goals. But, he is very comfortable with the jumper and is athletic enough to finish above the rim, so maybe UK might be finding their answer there. If Perry’s aggressiveness is any indication of what results could come, the Cats might be ok
- Another SEC game, another team throwing everything at Jodie Meeks, another 27 points. Like I mentioned earlier, Jodie faced a tough defensive plan and several physical, athletic defenders this afternoon, but wasn’t fazed one bit.
I’m very confused as to how our opinions differ and how I’m being so “negative”
January 24th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Jay Bilas just had to mention 23 UK TOs–he must have a Duke Blow-up doll at home. Nothing worse than Duke winning a televised game at home against a weak Maryland club. Everybody’s on the Dukie band wagon now! I hope UNC beats them by 30! Then Wake will get them!
January 24th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
25, very true. I can’t take that pay cut. Thanks for the heads up.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Jay Bilas is a ________________________________
You fill in the blank.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
i dont care how ugly it was, it was still a great win. solid. tough environment, adversity at the half, bad night for patterson, and we still won. i am really liking this team. a lot. you always feel like they have a legitimate chance at winning no matter how bad it looks. go Cats! best wishes to Ramon!
January 24th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Beisner: Here are a couple of your remarks:
…Because it yet again exposed that there is no offensive threat beyond Meeks and Patterson
…the point guard position continues to be an issue
I think your TONE seemed more negative than it should be. Open the story with how much ADVERSITY UK overcame and then go into a breakdown of our issues…
Counter argument: Perry is our 3rd scorer now, just like he did last year in SEC play. He carried us at the end of last season and he is doing it now.
We have 3 PGs: Porter/Liggins/Galloway. None are perfect, but we are winning. Who care if we have 20 TOs (unless your Bilas, a tool) if we win. I’ve seen teams with under 10 TOs, shoot poorly and play awful defense (e.g. Tennessee). We overcome our TOs with DEFENSE.
This was a good POSITIVE win today.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
30)I agree when we are down 25-19 at the half I never doubted it for a second that we were going to win. If you didn’t think we were going to win you are either not a fan or your name is portersheadband.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Cant say I disagree with what you said about the point guard because winning is the name of the game, I just think those are still issues. Like I said before, I thought it was a good win despite being ugly and I wasn’t trying to sound negative because that’s not the way I feel leaving the game.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
portersheadband = Jay Bilas
January 24th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
31, i agree with you that stevenson is our 3rd scorer. he steps up when he has to. you are very correct in the fact that he did it last year when needed and has this year WHEN NEEDED. i personally think he could average 20 a game if he wanted to. he just doesnt have that kind of mentality.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
#12 Kentucky bball coach > president
January 24th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
BCG post game comments:
“When you go on the road and shoot 38 percent and win, that shows you an awful lot about the toughness of your team,” Gillispie said.
That sums it up. UK is tough. Wait till tourney time; he has built this team to overcome whatever is thrown at it.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Beisner, not to come down on you like everyone else but I must say that I agree with what others have written. When I read your post, I felt like you were being negative (perhaps you weren’t trying to be, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt). Consider Stevenson, he gets 10 points at the line; how many of those were from going up with the ball and getting fouled? A couple of bounces here and there and he’s completing the old-fashioned three instead of shooting two free throws.
January 24th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Another positive: playing time for the bench. Significant minutes for Liggins/Miller/Harrelson. On the road–we need this to be a stronger team. Any production off the bench is huge for us. Miller probably starts next game, on the road…will Liggins overcome Porter for starting PG?
January 24th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Personally I don’t consider Perry’s numbers as ‘misleading’ when your aggressive and hard to guard as he was today then you are going to get fouled.
When you go back and look at those times he was fouled most of them were him about to get a lay up or a dunk and taking a hard foul.
Personally if he can do the same today with Patterson having an average game along with Jodie then I do believe we have found our 3rd option.
As for today’s game. It’s always tough on the road in the SEC. Your playing against a team that has battle a bit of adversity with Steele and a coach on the hot seat. They come out fired up and played outstanding defense. Then you see your teammate fall and have to be taken to the hospital all in all it was a good game.
Today showed us that as long as our defense shows up then we will be in the game.
January 24th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
BCG has this team playing tough as nails. I love it. It is impossible to get anything going on O aginst our D. BTW, Pelphrey sucks. If I hear one more “native” Kentuckian mention him as ever being our coach, I’m going to throw up.
January 24th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I don’t see this post as a negative post. Beisner is telling it how it is. Today was a good day, yes, and Beisner pointed out the good things. He also pointed out some negatives, but I agreed with them, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who agrees. Some of you are mistaking the truth for negatives, but sometimes the truth is negative. In this post I read facts, truths. Not everything was negative, nor was everything positive. Beisner’s post tells us how it is.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Anytime you win in conference it’s a good thing, no matter how ugly. The fact that we shot the ball so poorly and still won says alot. Man what gets me more than anything are the unforced turnovers. It’s hard to win a game when you are getting 12-15 less shots than your oppostion, because you keep making stupid turnovers. That will be the problem, not the lack of a 3rd scorer. It don’t matter how many scorers you have if you don’t get enough shots.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Bilas has nothing personal against UK. His neice goes there for cryin’ out loud. He was just saying UK needs to cut down the turnovers, and they definately do. This UK team is a solid top 20 caliber team. If they cut down on the turnovers, they could be a sweet 16, or maybe elite 8 team. Elite 8 might be a stretch, but it would be pretty awesome lol
January 24th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Play KG BCG. He needs more PT than just the last 22 seconds.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I didn’t think it was that negative. I thought it was more realistic. MarkCouryisMathletic is negative.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
This is the best I’ve felt about a UK team at this point in the season since Chuck Hayes graduated. We have shutdown D and 2 All Americans. If Liggins and Miller can continue to come along to fill the PG and SF positions by March, we have a legitimate shot at making a run in the tournament.
As for today…
Positives: the D, Perry stepping up, Jodie still gettin his
Negatives: Porter
GO BLUE!
January 24th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I am glad Ramon appears to be ok………
Now……I hope someone can answer this question… Landon Sloan played well before the SEC conference games. WHERE THE HELL HAS HE BEEN SINCE??? Porter is afraid to shoot. At least Sloan can knock down a jumper…….
January 24th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
People it’s SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE SLONE
Not Sloan.
How hard is it??
January 24th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
i am seriously wondering why every one is worried about turnovers? sure we have 15+ a game, but please name 1 game that we lost BECAUSE of turnovers…
January 24th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Landon Slone sucks. He plays his heart out but the bottom line is this: he is a walk-on. He’s no where near as talented as Porter and I would not want Slone in with a game on the line at this point of the season. And people need to stfu about Porter, he’s the starting PG for the rest of the season so deal with it (unless Liggins starts playing to his potential).
January 24th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
50- Good point but UK would only IMPROVE if they cut down on the TO’s. I hope Gillispie can find a remedy for reducing them because it will come back to haunt Kentucky come tournament time.
January 24th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Why can Porter never hit a lay up? He freaking airballed a LAYUP! I would love to know his fg% from 0-2 ft this season. I am certain Stevenson shoots a higher % from 3pt.
Also, how come our sportscasters suck for every game? They screw up even more frequently than porter misses layups.
January 24th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
And that is a lot!
January 24th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
#53 yeah haha. Brando called stewart a freshman and i am sure he made 2 more blunders before that. but i guess they can’t have Larry Conley covering the cats like they used to.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
What is up with the pic of Ramon? Number 34 jersey?
January 24th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I vote to bring in Slone to play more!
January 25th, 2009 at 1:16 am
eddie house may pass up liggins’ shots, but jr smith wouldn’t
January 25th, 2009 at 2:42 am
man, the more it settles in the more i think this was one fine win for our boys. i cant say enough how much i am liking this team. not sure what exactly it is but i have good damn feeling about them. it may be the fact that i get this odd feeling they are going to peak at the perfect time. it just feels like in a month, they are going to be unstoppable. it could just be me but i think we have some damn good basketball ahead of us this year. i love it when as soon as a game ends, i instantly want the next game to start. cant get enough right now. and living in cali i dont get to see many games on tv so i am really looking for to tuesday for an espn game. cant freakin wait. go cats!
January 25th, 2009 at 7:03 am
[...] Kentucky Sports Radio says Cats win an ugly game. [...]
January 25th, 2009 at 9:29 am
#50, lets start with VMI-25 turnovers. That’s 25 times that you have possesion of the ball that you don’t get a shot. VMI had 11 I think, so thats 14 more shots that they took at the basket than we did. If they shoot 40% for those 14 shots that 6 more baskets.
January 25th, 2009 at 9:42 am
28 turnovers verses North Carolinas 11. Do the math man.
January 25th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
[...] Jones has his review of the Alabama game. For the record, there is no such thing as a 71-inch vertical. [...]
January 25th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
The record for the highest vertical is 60 inches
January 25th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
#56, he just wanted to dress up and PRETEND he was as good as Liggins…haha
January 25th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
If before the game, someane asked if you would take a 10 point win on the road, would you?
If someone said that we would shoot less than 40%, would you take a 10 point win?
If you were told Patterson would sit with foul trouble and not reach double digits in points or rebounds, would you take a 10 point win?
If you knew before the game that Harris would end up in the hospital, would you accept a 10 point win.
If you were told we have over 20 turnovers, would you take a 10 point win?
The game may have been ugly, but a 10 point win doesn’t seem to bad when you consider all of the above. I would rather play ugly and win than to look good and lose.
Even though a lot of fans aren’t happy with the play, the bottom line is we are winning. Imagine what we will do when we put together some complete games.
Go Cats!!!!