table of contents
SCHEDULE
BREAKDOWN
01 08 14
MISSISSIPPI ST. RUPP ARENA LEXINGTON, KY 8:00 P.M.
Illustration: Jody Beamer | Underground Design
01 11 14
VANDERBILT MEMORIAL GYM NASHVILLE, TN TBD
THROWBACK 2010: DEMARCUS COUISINS SAYS, ‘CALL ME.’
Cover Photo: Marcus Dorsey | Staff
01 14 14
ARKANSAS BUD WALTON ARENA FAYETTEVILLE, AR 9:00 P.M.
13
INSIDE: 6 | Sponsor Message 8 | Player Profile: James Young 9 | Player Profile: Dakari Johnson 10 | Player Profile: Jarrod Polson 12 | Breakdown: Mississippi State
01 18 14
THIS IS NOT AN ARENA VANDY’S QUIRKY VENUE IS AS GOOFY AND DIFFICULT AS IT EVER WAS.
19
14 | Breakdown: Vanderbilt
16 | Breakdown: Arkansas
BUD WALTON ARENA
17 | Walton Arena: Tough Venue
THE ARKANSAS RAZORBACK HOME COURT ADVANTAGE.
18 | Breakdown: Tennessee
17
2009: JODIE MEEKS GOES FOR 54 IN KNOXVILLE.
RUPP ARENA LEXINGTON, KY 12:00 P.M.
13 | Throwback: Cousins’ ‘Call me.’
15 | This is Not an Arena
15
THROWBACK
TENNESSEE
19 | Throwback: Meeks’ 54 20 | In Action: Must-See UK Basketball Photos 31 | Harrisons Showing Consistency 32 | Bird Down: The Cats Beat the Cards 33 | It’s a Numbers Game
Volume 3 | 5
player profile
The Cats’ versatile lefty has provided much needed shooting over the course of the season. In the win over Louisville, UK hit three 3-pointers, all of which were courtesy of Young. Pair that with his athleticism and ability to finish around the rim, Young will be a key piece to the Cats having a successful conference finish.
PHOTO | EMILY WUETCHER
8 | B Three
Dakari Johnson came into his freshman season at UK as the highest-ranked center in the class of 2013. Although he has struggled some against quicker college competition, his soft touch and good footwork has given him the ability to see more minutes. Versus Louisville, Johnson played productive minutes when Willie Cauley-Stein went to the bench.
PHOTO | EMILY WUETCHER
Volume 3
9
player profile
In the game against the Belmont Bruins, UK coach John Calipari praised senior guard Jarrod Polson for bringing energy to the game — a game UK went on to win. Not only did Jarrod provide energy, he provided the Cats’ first 3-pointer of the game.
PHOTO | TESSA LIGHTY
10 | B Three
Genevieve Adams | Kentucky Kernel
Breakdown: 12.01.13
MISSISSIPPI STATE
HEAD COACH
RICK RAY
BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs are
9-3. seriously.
lar disdain for the boys in blue and white, and Stansbury’s success rate against UK was just high enough to get under your skin. But alas, there is a different Rick roaming the sidelines for Mississippi State; a different team as well. And this year’s initial matchup is at Rupp. Rick Ray, in his second season as Bull-
12 | B Three
NR dog head coach, comes into Rupp with nine wins on the season to three losses. This surprises us here at B Three. After witnessing how incredibly awful the Bulldogs were last season, 9-3 is worth celebrating. Sophomore guard Craig Sword is playing well, tallying 18 points in a loss to UNLV in Las Vegas. Sword is a Rick Ray recruit, and perhaps his play is an omen for things to come under the young coach. But seriously, 9-3 is shocking. During a pitiful SEC pre-conference season — Tennessee has underachieved, South Carolina has shown no improvement under Frank Martin, Alabama keeps losing and crossstate rival Ole Miss lost to Mercer — MSU’s 9-3 could be a diamond in the rough. Cats fans annually look to SEC brethren to represent the conference well early in the season, and annually, they are left disappointed. Mississippi State is doing their part, though. Considering our low expectations, they have more than held up their end of the bargain. Nonetheless, they are overmatched against UK. Mississippi State lacks the interior size and athleticism to hang with Julius Randle and Willie Cauley-Stein. They will likely pack into a zone defense and pray that UK’s guards cannot hit jumpers. But at Rupp, that is more or less wishful thinking.
JODY BEAMER
PROJECTED
STARTING 5 FORWARD
COLIN BORCHERT FORWARD
GAVIN WARE GUARD
CRAIG SWORD GUARD
FRED THOMAS GUARD
TRIVANTE BLOODMAN THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
Miss. St. Athletics | hailstate.com
Gone are the days of Jarvis Varnado and Rick Stansbury. No longer is Mississippi State the SEC West’s dominant team. In days past, The Hump (MSU’s Humphrey Coliseum) was known for being the rowdiest, toughest place for the Cats to play. A trip down south to Starkville used to mean trouble. Bulldog fans have a particu-
AP RANKING
COUSINS SAYS ‘CALL ME’ staff file photos | file story
An excerpt from February 17, 2010: ...Rick’s Rowdies, as they’re called, made their initial impression on UK long before the Cats arrived in Starkville. Thousands of Mississippi State students somehow gained access to DeMarcus Cousins’ cell phone number and flooded him with hundreds of calls and thousands of text messages throughout the week. The telephone tension carried over into Tuesday’s
warm-ups. As soon as students were let in, they filed down to the closest seats to the floor to begin to heckle Cousins. He didn’t respond, other than with a few giggles to himself. He waited until the game to respond. In the first half, Cousins sliced through the lane, caught a pass and scored easily at the basket. Looking toward the students, he held his hand to his ear, miming a phone.
Volume 3 | 13
Mark Cornelison | MCT
Breakdown: 12.06.13
VANDERBILT
HEAD COACH
KEVIN STALLINGS
COMMODORES The Vanderbilt Commodores start 2014 with seven wins and four losses. All things considered, Vanderbilt’s four losses are not that bad. Providence proved against the Cats that they are a good team. Vandy’s loss to them is forgivable. Butler always proves to be a tough team. That loss, too, is forgivable. Their Texas and St. Louis losses are not that bad either. But Vanderbilt’s wins are just... BAD. They barely beat Georgia State. They barely beat Morgan State. They nearly lost to Mar-
AP RANKING
NR
call that an unfair advantage. We also call it “Soooo Vandy.” Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings is sure to prepare his players well for the game against the Cats. Unlike some coaches (Mike Anderson and Roy Williams come to mind), Stallings tailors his gameplans to the opponent. So expect a packed zone defense and a large number of 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Eric McClellan leads the team in scoring at 14.3 points a game
PROJECTED
STARTING 5 GUARD
KYLE FULLER GUARD
ERIC MCCLELLAN FORWARD
JAMES SIAKAM shall. They nearly lost to Austin Peay. Despite all this, they will almost assuredly play great against UK. The UK team will probably be the best they play all year. It is the same story, season after season. Vanderbilt plays pitiful during their non-conference slate, and then somehow is able to be a thorn in the rest of the SEC’s sides. A lot of that can be attributed to that abomination where they play their home games. Memorial Gymnasium offers Vandy the ability to catch opponent’s players and coaches out of rhythm. Here at B Three, we
14 | B Three
and looks to be Vanderbilt’s latest pesky player who seemingly plays ten seasons in Nashville. Junior forward Rod Odom is next in points-per-game at 12.6, but against UK’s front line he should struggle. Freshman center Damian Jones faces the same challenge. So look for Vandy to jack up the long balls and pull out all the gimmicks. They will have no business being in the game, but like always, they probably will be.
JODY BEAMER
FORWARD
ROD ODOM CENTER
DAMIAN JONES THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
Vanderbilt Athletics | vucommodores.com
Oh, great. Another trip to Memorial Gym — A place so appropriately “Vandy.”
MCT file photo
THIS IS NOT A REAL ARENA
ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER TRIP TO VANDERBILT AND THEIR NOT-SO-BELOVED MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM. WITH BENCHES IN THE ENDZONES, A RAISED FLOOR AND KEVIN STALLINGS’ WHISTLES, IT’S AN ANNOYING PLACE TO PLAY BASKETBALL. Volume 3 | 15
Julian H. Gonzalez | MCT
Breakdown: 12.14.13
ARKANSAS
HEAD COACH
MIKE ANDERSON
RAZORBACKS Mike Anderson left Missouri so that he could lead the Arkansas Razorbacks back to the glory of 1994, when they won the NCAA championship. This season looks like the season where they might turn the corner. Anderson’s first couple of seasons at Arkansas were difficult. He is not the type of
AP RANKING
NR
Arkansas starts 2014 with a 10-2 record and good wins against Clemson and Minnesota. Whenever an SEC team not named Kentucky or Florida can get wins against the Big Ten and ACC, it is a good sign. The losses are not bad either. The Razorbacks lost to Cal and Gonzaga on neutral
PROJECTED
STARTING 5 GUARD
KIKKO HADAR
40 minutes of hell
GUARD
FRED GULLEY III GUARD
RASHAD MADDEN coach to adjust his style of play regardless of opponent or personnel. And that means that despite not having his recruits to play his style, he played it anyway. Here at B Three, we have a certain amount of respect for coaches who play this way. For every sagging zone that UK has been forced to play against these past five seasons, a game where the opponent is not afraid to run is refreshing. And Mike Anderson likes to run.
16 | B Three
courts. Cal is a Pac-12 contender and the Zags are currently ranked no. 11 by ESPN. The Cats are too strong and too long for the Razorbacks to compete with, but given their defensive toughness and the speed at which they play, Arkansas should have a good showing when UK comes to town. Bud Walton Arena will be rocking. This game should be a good barometer for the Cats.
JODY BEAMER
FORWARD
ALANDISE HARRIS FORWARD
BOBBY PORTIS THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
Arkansas Athletics | arkansasrazorbacks.com
the razorbacks are sure to bring
MCT file photo
Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville is never an easy place to win a game. The Cats lost to Arkansas there last season, and Razorback coach Mike Anderson would like to repeat that this season. But the Cats’ seven McDonald’s All Americans might have something to say about that.
Volume 3 | 17
Chuck Myers | MCT
Breakdown: 12.28.13
TENNESSEE
HEAD COACH
CUONZO MARTIN
VOLUNTEERS The Cats were dominated by the Volunteers, 88-58, the worst loss for a UK team since February 2008. In its first game without freshman center Nerlens Noel, UK had no answer defensively for anything Tennessee did. They attacked the basket like no team has this season, largely because Noel’s defensive presence was no longer there.
NR
Well, revenge is a dish best served cold. Tennessee concludes its pre-conference schedule in a purely Tennessee fashion. They have lost four games already despite high expectations. Three of those losses are pretty bad. Frustrated Cats fans again have to fend off claims by fans of other conferences that the SEC is weak. And sure enough, the Vols do nothing to help. That is until they beat the snot out of a pretty good Virginia team at home.
STARTING 5 GUARD
JOSH RICHARDSON GUARD
Revenge is a dish best served cold. The Vols used a 19-2 run in the first half to blow the game open, taking a 21-point lead after just ten minutes. They shot 58 percent from the field for the game, including 5-5 from the three-point line. The Cats were called for 25 fouls, with three players fouling out. They were outrebounded 42-22, their worst margin of the season. “They deserved to beat us by 50 today,” Calipari said. “They played harder, they played rougher … I’ll burn the tape. I’m not watching this one.”
PROJECTED
ANTONIO BARTON GUARD
JORDAN MCRAE
Where was this production when they lost to UTEP? The UK-UT game is at Rupp, so despite the Vols’ athleticism and experience, they have a history of poor Lexington performances to overcome. Jarnell Stokes and Jordan McRae will surely play well, but the rest of the Tennessee team will have to battle the Rupp crowd as well as the most talented team they will play all season. Look for the Cats to win.
FORWARD
JARNELL STOKES FORWARD
A.J. DAVIS THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
JODY BEAMER *No, this isn’t mistake. We’ve just heard it all before, so really it doesn’t matter what he says.
18 | B Three
Tennessee Athletics | utsports.com
Tennessee beat the Cats by 30 last season. Afterwards, this was written:
AP RANKING
MEEKS GOES FOR 54 An excerpt from January 19, 2009: ...With 8:30 left in the game, the Vols had one last push. Behind junior Tyler Smith’s team-high 19 points, Tennessee marched on a quick 11-3 run to close the gap to seven points. Meeks’s answer: nine straight points on three 3-pointers, and one swift nail to the coffin. MCT file photos | file story
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in action
Kentucky’s own Josh Hutcherson, known for his starring role in The Hunger Games movies, took center stage at Rupp Arena to show off his Big Blue loyalty. PHOTO | EMILY WUETCHER
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Volume 3 | 21
in action
22 | B Three
Aaron Harrison attempts a layup vs. the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, one of many for the guard who has been a consistent scoring threat all season. PHOTO | EMILY WUETCHER
Volume 3 | 23
in action
AND
ONE (AGAIN) Julius Randle muscles in a basket through contact in a win over Belmont. Some scouts are beginning to seriously predict Randle going No. 1 in the upcoming NBA Draft. PHOTO | MICHAEL REAVES
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Volume 3 | 25
in action
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Coach John Calipari spoke with Louisville’s Rick Pitino before the annual UK/UL rivalry game. Cal won again... PHOTO | ELEANOR HASKEN
Volume 3 | 27
AARON + ANDREW IT’S STARTING TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE HARRISON TWINS. AS THE TEAM FINISHES ITS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, THE TWO ARE FINALLY STRINGING TOGETHER PRODUCTIVE GAMES AT THE SAME TIME. IN THE WIN OVER LOUISVILLE, THE HARRISONS COMBINED FOR 28 POINTS. Volume 3 | 31
a deeper look
WORDS | DAVID SCHUH
32 | B Three
PHOTOS | ELEANOR HASKEN
This is not a time when teams typically find themselves. Groups of freshmen normally don’t find the will to win against their most hated rival, the defending national champions, in front of 24, 396 people with their best player cramping in the tunnel. UK did, and tomorrow looks a lot brighter because of it. Freshman Julius Randle dominated the first half. As predicted, the Cardinals had no way of handling the Cats’ frontcourt, and Randle took full advantage. UK led by five at the break, and Randle had poured in 17 easy points. Early in the second, though, he began suffering cramps in both legs. Two attempts to play fared too painful, and the Cats had to finish their biggest game without the player they look to when the going gets tough. And at first, they felt the burden. As Randle sat, Louisville used a 6-0 run to give them their first lead in more than 20 minutes of game play. But the Cats found another leader, one they’ve been hoping would take the reigns for three months. Freshman Andrew Harrison controlled the game in the second half, notching maybe his best performance of his career. From the time Louisville led 5251, Harrison led all scorers with seven points. But it wasn’t as much about his stats as his leadership. When Randle went down, the Cats could have crumbled and had a valid excuse. Instead, they surged. Harrison and fellow freshman James Young picked up the slack. Both finished with 18 points, with Young added 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Harrison’s play steadied UK, but it was the Cats’ defense that allowed it to happen. After taking that final one-point lead, Louisville shot 3-17 from the field
over the final 11 minutes. They had nowhere to go. UK’s suffocating defense surrendered so few open looks that the Cardinals best chance was shooting contested 3-pointers. The Cats’ size inside and out bothered Louisville all over the court. Chris Jones and Russ Smith can score as well as any tandem in the country, but they hadn’t been guarded by anything close to the 6-foot-6-inch frames from the Harrisons and Young, not to mention the 7-footers that guarded them off pick-and-rolls. Jones and Smith combined for 37 points, but it took them 33 shots. For the first time all season, UK played the game their talent and athleticism allowed them to play. They scored inside, dominated the rebounding margin and defended at an elite level. They played hard for 40 full minutes. “We know we have so much talent, but at the same time, in college, everyone has talent,” Andrew Harrison said. “Whoever plays the hardest is going to win. That’s what I think we’re starting to get.” It was a huge win, but time will tell if it’s the launching pad fans think it could be. Head coach John Calipari reiterated after the game how much work his team has before their next game on Jan. 8. It’s the confidence, though, that can carry them through. For the first time, these Cats faced adversity square in the face and overcame it. They saw a game slipping from their grasp while their best player was nowhere to be found. Their talent showed. Their depth showed. Their heart showed. It’s a small step. But finally, UK has faced the gauntlet and come out victorious. What they do with it … well, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Volume 3 | 33
interesting stats
IT’S A
#NUMBERS GAME
34 | B Three
WHEN ALEX POYTHRESS SHOOTS ABOVE 55% FROM THE FIELD, THE CATS ARE 5-0 ON THE SEASON.
Volume 3 | 35