UK Basketball: Cats revive hype

UK Basketball: Cats revive hype









UK Basketball: Cats revive hype
By Keith Taylor/Sun Sports Editor
February 1, 2010


LEXINGTON — Everything is fine again in Big Blue Nation.
Top-ranked Kentucky recovered from its first loss of the year
with an 85-72 win over Vanderbilt Saturday at Rupp Arena and revived
the hype that turned into frustration following a six-point setback at
South Carolina one day after being declared the No. 1 team in the
nation.
Although Kentucky (20-1) likely will slide down a spot or two
in the Top 25, the Wildcats regained their standing as the top team in
the Eastern division. They also avoided a Texas two-step stumble like
the one the Longhorns experienced after replacing Kansas atop the
rankings more than three weeks ago.
The bottom line is the fact that Kentucky remains one of the
top teams in the nation despite a roller-coaster ride during the past
week. It began by ascending to the top of the rankings, followed by a
phone call from President Barack Obama, a loss to South Carolina, a win
over the Commodores and a visit from Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James all in a seven-day period with no rest.
Still, the Wildcats survived and persevered.
“We’re 20-1, how about that?” Kentucky coach John Calipari said Saturday. “How about that ... 20-1 ... that’s ridiculous.”
It really is, considering the team’s overall youth and inexperience, but that’s beside the point.
Patrick Patterson,
the subject of unwarranted criticism following the loss at South
Carolina, drained three shots from long range and was one of five
players who finished in double figures with 12 points. Calipari said Patterson’s critics were unfair and should have
pointed fingers at the roster from top to bottom instead of one
individual.
“He wasn’t the reason we didn’t beat South Carolina,” the
Kentucky coach said. “It was not Patrick Patterson. He didn’t play
great, but there were eight other guys that didn’t and I didn’t coach
great. We all got beat. I got outcoached, they got outplayed and
everybody wanted to put in Patrick, which is not fair. He’s doing fine.
He’s the least of our worries.”
That’s why Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings wasn’t surprised
Kentucky took out its frustrations on his team four days after the
Wildcats’ first letdown of the season. The veteran coach knew what to
expect from the hosts.
“They got their butts beat Tuesday night,” Stallings said.
“What do you think when you are the opposing coach coming in here? John
Caipari has been on their rear ends since Tuesday. We knew they would
be cranked up. We just didn't do a good enough job taking advantage of
that. Sometimes you can take advantage of that.”
A fierier and less gentle Calipari made sure his team didn’t lose focus against the Commodores.
“I wasn’t tough on them at South Carolina and probably should
have been during the game,” he said. “I’m going to step it up a little
bit. I yelled a little bit more than I had (Saturday) and tried to be
more active when making calls, which I’ve got to do, because it’s
obvious they need more leadership (from the bench).”
Calipari also knows the team needs compassion and understanding at the same time.
“None of these kids are robots,” he said. “They’re not machines.
They do not play great every night out. They feel pressure (and) they
have distractions.”
It was hard to tell against the Commodores.