Jasper asks for release from Kentucky

First there were rumors. Then it was confirmed that Derrick Jasper was toying with the idea of leaving the Kentucky basketball program. The consensus was that he wanted to be close to home (California). Now he has officially asked to be released, so it seems certain that Kentucky will be without his services in the future. Jasper is a very good athlete and defender and Kentucky will miss him for depth if nothing else.

Jasper is the third Wildcat to transfer since the 2007-2008 season began. Freshmen Alex Legion and Morakinyo Williams are also leaving the team.

Vols better be ready for improved Kentucky

I didn’t get to see the Ole Miss-Kentucky game last night, but I did note the box score. It looks like Kentucky’s defense was phenomenal, holding Ole Miss to 35% eFG and forcing 17 turnovers. UK didn’t play very well offensively– in fact, one wonders if the Rupperees should get some credit for this game, with Kentucky’s FT rate (63.4%) being more than triple that of Ole Miss’s (20.3%). It was at the line that Kentucky scored more than 1/3 of its points to take Ole Miss down.

Still, this is a W, and UK has been piling up the W’s in conference play. After going 6-7 in nonconference play, would anyone have believed that Kentucky would be sitting 10-3 in the SEC at this point? I’m shocked, frankly. They’re simply playing better basketball now, and are a genuine threat to UT, both Sunday and in the overall SEC standings. If The Vols needed any additional reasons to get up for Kentucky in Thompson-Boling Arena, that should provide it.

Kentucky, Indiana hurting

Vandy 93, Kentucky 52. Need I write a third BWAHAHAHAHAHA post about Kentucky’s miserable first year under Billy Gillispie? No, probably not. That would be piling on. After all, it’s Tubby Smith’s fault anyway. Thanks to a thorough investigation by Tophery, a poster on Mudlizard’s Virtual Swamp , we now have actual evidence that Tubby is the mastermind behind this plot to derail Big Blue basketball:

Thanks for the laugh, Tophery.

In other news, Kelvin Sampson has Indiana in NCAA trouble again. Already. After three decades of a clean program under a known asshole but fair player in bob Knight, Sampson has gotten Indiana in trouble twice in two years, and apparently these violations may be big. Brace yourselves and hope the allegations don’t stick, Hoosier fans.

Sampson is just a sleazy guy. I have a soft spot for Oklahoma so I gave Sampson the benefit of the doubt while he was there, but come on . . . the track record is out there for everyone to see. Will IU take a hard line with Sampson like they did with Knight? I doubt it. They brought this trouble to town, so I don’t feel sorry for them.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA, part 2

Kentucky lost a squeaker to Houston last night, 83-69. The final margin was pretty indicative of the game– a game in which Kentucky was never competitive beyond the 10:00 mark of the first half. That makes four losses in a row for the Wildcats, and back-to-back losses to Conference USA teams. It’s not that often that we get to laugh so hard at our enemies to the north, so I will relish every opportunity and just hope we do not return the favor anytime soon. Kentucky is now 4-5, including losses to Gardner-Webb, UAB, and now Houston.

If the Wildcats’ internet presence is indicative of the way their fanbase feels, they don’t fault Billy Gillispie for these losses at all. They fault the players, and especially they fault Tubby Smith. They say he left the program with no talent, and didn’t coach the players that he did recruit. Let’s see.

• Last year’s UK team went 21-11 and earned an NCAA tournament berth.
• From that team, UK only lost Randolph Morris, Bobby Perry, Sheray Thomas, and Lucasz Obrzut.
• To replace those guys, Kentucky signed Patrick Patterson (*****), Alex Legion (****), and A.J. Stewart (***).

I’d take that trade. Morris was only so-so at UK and was a cancer. Perry was a decent player and the other two were warm bodies. Patrick Patterson is a major upgrade over Morris and the Wildcats had plenty of returning wings to replace Perry’s 8.4 PPG.

Yet somehow the ‘Cats are 4-5 and look as bad as their record would indicate, and Gillispie gets none of the blame? Tubby had these guys at 21-11, the talent was arguably upgraded, and they are getting blown out by C-USA teams? Hm. I’ll say no more and you can draw your own conclusions.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

I will try to be objective when I break out stats and do team evaluations and previews in this blog, but the fact remains that it is a Big Orange blog. As such, let’s all take a timeout to laugh at our friends to the north, the Kentucky Wildcats, who lost to were beaten down by Gardner-Webb last night, 84-68. I don’t normally wish misery upon a whole group of people, but if you’re at all familiar with Kentucky basketball and particularly its fans’ online presence, well . . . sometimes people just get what’s coming to them.

As for what this means about Kentucky’s team and their place in the SEC, I don’t think that will be settled for awhile. They’ve got some young contributors and a new coach, so some bumps in the road are to be expected. Okay, maybe not bumps this significant, but bumps nonetheless. Playing in Rupp is no joke and I don’t think any SEC team should assume Kentucky will roll over based on this early season debacle.