Making History's Saturday Night News and Views

Photo UK Athletics

For the first time in school history, a Kentucky men’s basketball team has started the season with 12 straight double-digit wins. A few weeks ago, the Cats took down a top-10 Kansas team, a program rich with history and tradition, and completely annihilated them by 32 points in which was before today the best performance of a team this season. We all thought we wouldn’t see a performance like that again this season, but here we are tonight, coming off a 39 point win over another blue-blood powerhouse, UCLA. The Bruins have the most national championships in the history of college basketball, but today the Cats made them look like a 6th grade JV squad.

Experts around the nation are now calling today the most impressive performance of a team this season, as the Cats jumped out to a 24-0 lead (yes this looks like a football score, no this is not a typo). With UK continuing to look like a team leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, the question arises: just how great is this Kentucky team, and how many historic performances like this will we see this season? These games against Kansas and UCLA are games that will talked about decades from now, and with Louisville the most talented and hyped-up game remaining on the schedule for Kentucky in the regular season (sorry SEC), what will we see next week against the Cards?

With a rivalry game on the road, I wouldn’t personally expect to see such a beatdown, but this version of the Cats seems unlike one I have ever witnessed. Intense. Consistent. Athletic. Talented, and just downright scary. Only time will tell, but savor this moment right now Big Blue Nation.

Wildcats Dominated in Epic Fashion

It was over from the moment Aaron Harrison swished in his first 3-pointer. Kentucky completely out-classed the Bruins from UCLA almost instantaneously, and didn’t even look tired doing so #platoons. You all know the stats by know, many of which are hard to even comprehend when you read about them on paper. UCLA was held to record-low SEVEN points at halftime as Kentucky strengthened their bid to be the best defensive team in college basketball history.

An Actual Shot of UCLA During Today’s Game

Coach Alford Praised Kentucky

UCLA’s Coach Alford joined the Kentucky praise train today, because if ya can’t beat em: join em, right? In his post-game press conference Alford put UK on high, saying “I don’t know in my 20 years coaching at the Division I level that I’ve coached against a better team that what this team looks like.”

In regards to the whole undefeated discussion? Count him in. “If they continue to play at that level defensively, I’m a firm believer they’ve got a chance to run this thing out. They’re that good. They’re that talented.”

Kentucky Women Face Tough Test on the Road

The 8th ranked and 10-1 Kentucky women’s basketball team plays a nationally contested road game tomorrow afternoon as the Cats are in Durham to face the 13th ranked Duke Blue Devils. Duke got the best of UK last season in Rupp Arena, in front of the largest crowd for a women’s basketball game in school history. Led by Elizabeth Williams, the Blue Devils are a monster team, with big post players inside that tower over Kentucky, but they are just 7-3 on the season, losing to both SEC schools they have played: Texas A&M and South Carolina. With senior leader Bria Goss out 4-6 with a broken thumb, Kentucky will have to step up defensively to control the Blue Devils in the paint and speed up the tempo against a talented team on the road. You can watch at 3:00 on ESPN2. 

Louisville Was Typical Louisville in Win over WKU

With the Cardinals next on the docket for Kentucky next Saturday, UofL struggled on the road against in-state rival Western Kentucky this afternoon. The Cards pulled away late for 76-67 win, but the real drama occurred late in the first half as Montrezl Harrell got involved in an on-court skirmish with a few Hilltoppers and ended up throwing a punch, resulting in a Flagrant-2 foul and ejection from the game. This led to Rick Pitino running out onto the floor, screaming at Coach Harper from WKU and also getting involved in a few arguments with WKU fans in the crowd. #L1Classy? Next week should be interesting…

Michigan State Shocked at Home

In what seems to be a common theme of Big 10 teams being upset at home, the 23rd ranked Spartans of Michigan State were beaten tonight in overtime by the previously 1-8 Texas Southern Tigers. As other schools have been up and down this season, Kentucky just keeps on rollin’…

Stay trill.

@WilderTreadKSR