Daily Archives: January 19, 2013
Cats dominate Auburn, win 75-53
Oh, you doubted us? Apologize….
It was a game that Kentucky was expected to have trouble with. National pundits were putting the Cats on upset alert. Auburn had filled their new arena for their first time since it opened, and was 2-1 in conference play and had been playing the best basketball it has played in some time.
All of that was null and void though, as the Cats opened up a huge second half lead and never looked back, cruising to a 75 to 53 win.
The Cats struggled to start the game, going 0-9 early from the 3 point line and only scoring 4 over the first 9 minutes of the game. From that point on though, there was no looking back.
With 8 minutes to go in the first half, the team looked a little lost. They were up 10-9, but Nerlens Noel got in foul trouble and had to go to the bench. With no Willie Cauley-Stein, it looked like it was going to be a long half.
Kyle Wiltjer however played as good of a game as he’s had all season, scoring 17, dropping 5 assists, and grabbing 4 rebounds off the bench. He opened the game up on the offensive end with his interior passing and his ability to knock down the midrange. That eventually led to him being able to knock down the 3 as well. The Cats finished the game 5-15 from the 3 point line, meaning after their 0-9 start, they went 5-6 to end the game. (If my math serves me correctly.)
Wiltjer led the team in scoring with 17 points. Harrow Goodwin, and Poythress all added 12 on the game. Nerlens Noel had another stat-stuffer game with 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 block shots on the game. That’s pretty good for a man who battled foul trouble for most of the game.
It could be said that this was the most complete game that UK has played Both offensively and defensively, Kentucky brought it on both ends. Poythress played a lot better tonight, scoring 12 and grabbing 7 rebounds. That’s the kind of game you need him to have moving forward. If he’s not going to explode in to a superstar, at least getting a consistent effort from him is very important.
Kentucky will stay in the state of Alabama and take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday night at 9 pm.
The KYCS player of the game is Kyle Wiltjer, who played awesome. His stat line is above. Nerlens honorable mention.
Go Big Blue!
Current Recruiting Rankings (courtesy 247Sports)
Za’Darius Smith currently heads UK’s recruiting class, which is on it’s way up the rankings….
Kentucky ranks 42nd in the current 247Sports recruiting rankings which places them 13th out of 14 SEC teams. Let’s hope after this weekend we can move up a spot or two. If not, this staff has still done a great job and made up a lot of ground not only this year but for next year also. 18 days left until signing day 2013. #WeAreUK
#01 Alabama
#03 Florida
#07 Texas A&M
#08 LSU
#10 Georgia
#15 Ole Miss
#16 USC
#20 Auburn
#22 MSU
#30 Tennessee
#32 Vanderbilt
#39 Missouri
#42 Kentucky
#63 Arkansas
UK vs Auburn (Beat the Tigers!)
Today UK goes against the Auburn Tigers down in Alabama. Kentucky is trying to go 3-1 in the SEC. We are likely to be playing without Willie Cauley-Stein as he had a minor knee injury this week. We are not aware of the exact length of time he will be out, but I am sure they will try to get him back as soon as they can. The Cats will try to persevere, hopefully claiming a good road win.
Vegas Line: Kentucky is favored by 7.5 points.
Don’t forget to leave your score prediction on the “Ky Cat Stats Facebook page“ score prediction contest, sponsored by: Kennedy’s Wildcat Den.
Television/Event Info: Saturday, January 19, 2012 | 9:00 p.m. | TV = [ESPNU] | Auburn, Alabama | Auburn Arena
Staff Predictions:
Tyler Mounce = 79-69
Brad Woodcock = 75-68
Marcus Owens = 65-58
Braxton Howard = 69-64
David Stevens Jr. = 77-70
Ken Meadows = 71-62
Adam Weaver = 82-71
Joseph Thompson = 79-75
Go Big Blue!
Beat the Tigers!
Help is on the Way
Coach Stoops and staff have been hot on the recruiting trail and have two junior college players already enrolled and two more committed to sign in February. All four players should make an immediate impact and most likely at least three of the four will be a starter right away. Below is a closer look at each player but who knows maybe there are more that are going to join them.
Javess Blue, WR, Lake Wales, FL; 6-1 190; Butler C.C. (El Dorado, KS)
Played High School football at Lake Wales HS in Lake Wales, Florida
Committed to Kansas in 2010
2011: 27 receptions 586 yards 3 touchdowns
2012: 65 receptions 1064 yards 12 touchdowns
3 Star Recruit on 247Sports
Picked UK over: Mississippi State, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech
Steven Borden, TE, Waxahachie, TX; 6-3 250; Kilgore J.C. (Kilgore, TX)
Played High School football at Waxahachie HS in Waxahachie, TX
Special Note: Borden played at Santa Clarita Christian in Santa Clarita, CA
where he played QB and LB.
Committed to Kilgore J.C. 2010
2012: 11 receptions 181 yards 4 touchdowns
2 Star Recruit on 247Sports
Picked UK over: Texas Tech
Za’Darius Smith, DE, Greenville, AL; 6-6 250; East Mississippi C.C. (Scooba, MS)
Played High School football at Greenville HS in Greenville, AL
Special Note: Smith only played football his Senior year of HS, focused on basketball his first three years of high school.
Committed to East Mississippi C.C. in 2010
2012: 47 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 4 caused fumbles
4 Star Recruit on 247Sports
Picked UK over: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State, Texas A&M, West Virginia
Nate Willis, CB, Pahokee, FL; 6-0 180; Arizona Western College (Yuma, AZ)
Played High School basketball at Pahokee HS in Pahokee, FL
Committed to Arizona Western College 2010
Special Note: Willis played football two years at Glades Central HS, then transferred to Pahokee, where he played basketball his final two years.
2012: 3 interceptions, 2 pass break ups, 31 tackles
3 Star Recruit on 247Sports
Picked UK over: South Florida, West Virginia, Baylor, Kansas State
Kentucky vs Auburn History
Today Kentucky is set to play a late Saturday game down in Auburn, Alabama against none other than the Auburn Tigers. This will be the 2nd SEC road game for the Wildcats so far this year. We have a huge winning record against Auburn. We have been able to get the best of them lately as well, going on a 13 game winning streak. Let’s hope we keep the good history rolling.
Record: 86-17 (All Time)
- 13 Game Winning Streak against Auburn
- Current longest winning streak against an SEC opponent
- 2nd Highest Winning Percentage against an SEC opponent (83.4%)
- Notable Alumni – Charles Barkley
First Game Against Auburn: 1/29/1921 (W 40 – 25)
Last Game Against Auburn: 1/11/2012 (W 68 – 53)
Highest Kentucky Scorer: Dan Issel (3/2/1970) - 42 Points
Kentucky vs Auburn Rivalry Overview
Go Big Blue!
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