table of contents
SCHEDULE
BREAKDOWN
01 21 14
01 25 14
TEXAS A&M RUPP ARENA LEXINGTON, KY 9:00 P.M.
GEORGIA RUPP ARENA LEXINGTON, KY 1:30 P.M.
TEXAS A&M BREAKDOWN OF THE AGGIES AT RUPP
Cover Photo: Marcus Dorsey | Staff
01 28 14
LSU MARAVICH ASSEMBLY CENTER BATON ROUGE, LA 9:00 P.M.
12
02 01 14
GEORGIA BREAKDOWN OF THE BULLDOGS AT RUPP
LSU BREAKDOWN OF THE TIGERS IN BATON ROUGE
16
BREAKDOWN OF THE TIGERS IN COLUMBIA
18
MIZZOU ARENA COLUMBIA, MO 1:00 P.M.
INSIDE: 8 | Player Profile: Marcus Lee 9 | Player Profile: Tod Lanter 10 | Player Profile: E.J. Floreal 11 | Player Profile: Sam Malone
14
MIZZOU
MISSOURI
Illustration: Jody Beamer | Underground Design
12 | Breakdown: Texas A&M 14 | Breakdown: Georgia 16 | Breakdown: LSU 18 | Breakdown: Missouri 20 | In Action: Must-See UK Basketball Photos 31 | James Young & team learning 32 | Big Orang Bruising: The Cats top the Vols in Rupp 33 | It’s a Numbers Game
Volume 4 | 5
player profile
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward from Anitoch, Calif. displayed his defensive prowess in high school, averaging 9.1 blocks per game along with 13.9 points and 13.1 rebounds for Deer Valley High School. Lee was rated at five stars as a high school recruit by 24/7 Sports, Rivals and Scout.
8 | B Three
PHOTO | ELEANOR HASKEN
Along with being a member of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, Tod Lanter is also a fan of the game Tetris, according to a post he made on Twitter. Lanter tweeted, “Could someone explain to me why there is no Tetris app for the iPhone? Is it b/c apple knows the world would become much less productive?� We feel you, Tod.
PHOTO | JODY BEAMER
Volume 4 | 9
player profile
E.J. FLOREAL Video evidence has surfaced proving that E.J. Floreal’s work ethic for basketball extends long after practice is over. As seen on his Instagram, Floreal recently took time to get up shots with Marcus Lee at a Dave & Buster’s restaurant. Cats fans love the dedication.
PHOTO | TESSA LIGHTY
10 | B Three
MALONE According to a graphic shown on the CBS broadcast of the Vandy game, Sam Malone had 11 points on 5-for-7 field goals. Sam took to Twitter to dispute this graphic. He tweeted, “I think CBS made a mistake...I’m almost positive I was 5-5.” CBS had no comment.
PHOTO | BRANDON GOODWIN Volume 4 | 11
MCT File Photo
Breakdown: 01.21.14
TEXAS A&M
HEAD COACH
BILLY KENNEDY
AGGIES
the Aggies do have two standout players in Jamal Jones and Alex Caruso
gan their SEC stint with a home win against the University of Arkansas (a team that recently beat UK), and went on to edge out a road win against the University of Tennessee. Texas A&M is able to secure their tough wins by grinding opposing teams down on defense. They have only allowed two teams to score over 70 points on them this season (including Mississippi State’s 81-point output). Much like Kentucky, Texas A&M uses its size to impose its will in contested shots (no starting player is under 6 feet, 5 inches).
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NR Where the Aggies do struggle, however, is their offensive game. They rank near the bottom of the barrel of Division I basketball in points per game with a measly 69.3. Shooting for a middle-of-the-pack .452 from the field as a team doesn’t help the situation, and neither does shooting .331 from beyond the arc. Despite the team’s offensive woes, the Aggies do have two standout players in junior guard Jamal Jones and sophomore guard Alex Caruso. Jones is a junior college transfer student debuting in his first season in an Aggie uniform. Jones uses his 6-foot-8 body to stifle his opponents on defense, but often struggles when shooting the open ball (despite leading the team with 12.3 points per game). Alex Caruso is the very definition of a ball distributor, averaging 5 assists per game. Caruso also adds his defensive contribution to the team by racking up 13 steals in his last five games. Despite not being as big as some of his other teammates (6 feet, 5 inches), Caruso has the prowess and the ball handling skills to keep up with guards like Andrew and Aaron Harrison. The Cats better be ready to face a physical team in Texas A&M at home, as it could be the toughest defense they’ve faced since Michigan State University in the third game of the season.
KEVIN ERPENBECK
PROJECTED
STARTING 5 GUARD
JORDAN GREEN GUARD
FABYON HARRIS FORWARD
ALEX CARUSO FORWARD
KOURTNEY ROBERSON GUARD
JAMAL JONES THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
Texas A&M Athletics | aggieathletics.com
Texas A&M University arrives at Rupp Arena on Jan. 21, looking to upend the Cats on their current hot start in the SEC schedule. Despite losing a heartbreaking road game against Mississippi State University in overtime, the Aggies have really recovered after a disastrous 20-point home loss to the University of North Texas back on Dec. 31. They be-
AP RANKING
MISS AN ISSUE? EMAIL JBEAMER@KYKERNEL.COM OR CALL 859.257.2872 FOR DELIVERY INFO
staff file photos | file story
MCT File Photo
Breakdown: 01.25.14
GEORGIA
HEAD COACH
MARK FOX
BULLDOGS
NR The Cats are about to find out. Georgia is pretty athletic. Sophomore guard Kenny Gaines is having a decent year. He averages nearly 12 points a game and can run with any guard in the SEC. That sort of athleticism will allow any team to compete in an SEC where teams do not shoot very well. So that is what the Cats are going to have to do to win. Just make some shots. Not even that many shots. Just
Seriously Georgia,
What gives?
Rupp, right? RIGHT? Maybe. For as bad as Georgia’s losses are, they have a decent set of wins, as well. The Bulldogs went into Mizzou’s house, and beat a ranked Tigers squad on the road. The very next game, they handed a decent Alabama squad a loss at home. They beat the same Arkansas squad that the Cats handed a win to earlier this month. So what gives?
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enough to keep Georgia honest. (Honestly, that is the recipe for winning against pretty much any opponent UK plays all year.) Look for the Cats to earn the win at home. We here at B Three are feeling good about a 15-20 point victory. Our interior play should draw a lot of fouls, attrition should take over, and UK wins going away. Probably.
JODY BEAMER
PROJECTED
STARTING 5 GUARD
KENNY GAINES GUARD
CHARLES MANN FORWARD
BRANDON MORRIS FORWARD
MARCUS THORTON FORWARD
DONTE’ WILLIAMS THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
Georgia Athletics | georgiadogs.com
So, the University of Georgia has lost some bad games this season. Very bad losses. There is not much to be excused about a Georgia team, in a major athletics conference and in fertile recruiting territory, to lose to Temple, Davidson, George Washington or Nebraska. There is no excuse for losing to all of them. This must mean that Georgia is terrible and will not bring the Cats any trouble in
AP RANKING
MCT File Photo
Breakdown: 01.28.14
LSU
HEAD COACH
JOHNNY JONES
TIGERS
If the Cats want to neutralize this LSU offense, they’ll have to cut the Tigers rebound opportunities
from contention. Led by junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III and freshman forward Jordan Mickey, the Tigers have a prolific frontline, both shooting for over 50 percent from the field. The team ranks 89th in the league in points per game with 75.8. O’Bryant, who was selected as a first-team
16 | B Three
NR all-conference player last season by the coaches, leads the team in points per game with 14.3. O’Bryant has racked up double digit points in 13 of 16 games this season. An astute shooter, O’Bryant also uses his size (6 feet, 9 inches, 256 pounds) to secure rebounds for his team, which he also leads in 7.6 per game. Mickey is almost a direct copy of his teammate O’Bryant based on skill set. Another big man (6 feet 8 inches, 220 pounds), able to shoot the ball with accuracy, and has the mindset to get after rebounds (6.9 per game). Mickey has actually scored in double digits in one more game than O’Bryant, but both big men are players that the Cats need to have in their sight of stopping. Another player to account for on the Tigers’ squad is senior guard Andre Stringer. Stringer averages 12 points per game, but not while having the same shot accuracy as his previously mentioned teammates (shoots .428 from the field). However, Stringer has the ability to move the ball around to his teammates, averaging three assists per game, and is the senior leadership that drives this team. If the Cats want to neutralize this LSU offense, they’ll have to cut the Tigers rebound opportunities significantly and contest a substantial amount of LSU’s big’s shots. Julius Randle will have a tough matchup with O’Bryant, but the other Cats’ size should be able handle the scrappy Tigers.
KEVIN ERPENBECK
PROJECTED
STARTING 5 GUARD
ANTHONY HICKEY GUARD
JORDAN MICKEY FORWARD
JOHNNY O’BRYANT, III GUARD
MALIK MORGAN FORWARD
SHAVON COLEMAN THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
LSU Athletics | lsusports.net
Louisiana State University came into this year as a conceived contender for at least the third best team in the SEC during the 201314 season. So far, Missouri has been the team that has occupied that position throughout the nonconference portion of the schedule. However, the LSU Tigers have not gone away
AP RANKING
MCT File Photo
Breakdown: 02.01.14
MISSOURI
HEAD COACH
FRANK HAITH
TIGERS The Missouri Tigers were picked behind Kentucky and Florida in the SEC at the beginning of the season. Mizzou offered the maligned SEC another hopeful team for the Big Dance. Missouri did their part during their pre-conference slate of games. The only loss on their schedule to that point was a loss to an Illinois team they should have beaten. But at least the team was Illinois, and not Illinois Upstate Barber Academy.
AP RANKING
NR Jabari Brown, Jordan Clarkson & Earnest Ross (an Auburn transfer) all average double figures in the scoring category. Brown has the potential to catch fire from behind the arc. He is shooting 43% on the year from behind the 3-point stripe. The trip to Columbia marks the first time that Kentucky will travel to Mizzou Arena for a conference game. No one can be sure how the Cats will hold up in the tough road environment, but it is almost
PROJECTED
STARTING 5 FORWARD
RYAN ROSBURG GUARD
When conferences games came around, though, the Tigers have been a little more than disappointing. With two losses, to Georgia at home and Vandy on the road, the Tigers’ hopes for a high ranking are flatlining quickly. Vandy and Georgia constitute two of the worst teams in the country — not just the SEC. Nevertheless, Mizzou is talented and when they get hot from the field, they are as dangerous as any team the Cats will face.
18 | B Three
certain that the Tiger fans will be packed to the brim for the game. Opposing fans are so predictable when it comes to Kentucky games. Kentucky is more talented. The Cats have the better wins and losses on the year. But the game is on the road so the outcome is questionable. Look for the Cats to win by single digits.
JODY BEAMER
GUARD
JABARI BROWN GUARD
EARNEST ROSS FORWARD
JONATHAN WILLIAMS, III THE EDGE > KENTUCKY
Missouri Athletics | mutigers.com
Which mizzou team will the Cats face?
JORDAN CLARKSON
in action
Dakari Johnson battles for a basket against Mississippi State in Rupp. Johnson has been seeing more court time as of late. PHOTO | ADAM PENNAVARIA
20 | B Three
Volume 4 | 21
in action
22 | B Three
John Calipari has developed more than his fair share of gray hairs this season, but with his team showing promise, it might be worth it. PHOTO | JONATHAN KRUEGER
Volume 4 | 23
in action
BIG FINISH Tennessee struggled to stop Julius Randle in the first half of the UK-UT game in Rupp Arena. Randle finished the first half with nearly a double-double. PHOTO | ELEANOR HASKEN
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Volume 4 | 25
in action
26 | B Three
The eRupption zone proves once again why the Cats have the best fans in all of college basketball. PHOTO | EMILY WUETCHER
Volume 4 | 27
HELLO, JAMES WITH EVERY SEC FOE TAILORING THEIR GAMEPLANS FOR THE CATS, JAMES YOUNG AND HIS TEAMMATES ARE LEARNING TO ADAPT. Volume 4 | 31
a deeper look
CATS DELIVER A
BIG ORANGE BRUISING WORDS | NICK GRAY
32 | B Three
PHOTOS | ELEANOR HASKEN
The University of Tennessee came into Rupp Arena on Saturday looking to bully a UK team that was among the nation’s best at rebounding the basketball. And bully they did, over-matching the Cats’ frontcourt to the tune of the second-largest rebounding deficit of the season. But the career-high effort of UK freshman guard Andrew Harrison and a productive offensive day by freshman forward Julius Randle helped UK brush aside the Volunteers’ strength and win 74-66 taken in by a crowd 24,246. Tennessee’s two wide-bodied forwards – senior Jeronne Maymon and junior Jarnell Stokes – limited Cats sophomore forward Willie Cauley-Stein to zero points and three rebounds and dominated the rebounding margin, combining for 20 of the Volunteers’ 39 rebounds. “(Tennessee) did an exceptional job of keeping (UK’s) guys off the glass because you are talking about one of the better rebounding teams in college basketball,” Volunteers head coach Cuonzo Martin said. “That was a focus for us, to keep them out of the lane.” Harrison finished with a career-high 26 points, including a perfect 10-for10 from the free throw line and 16 points in the second half.. His layup with 1:09 left in the game gave the Cats an eight-point cushion that the Volunteers did not recover. “That’s who I expect,” Calipari said. “(Andrew Harrison) made the right play. He had no turnovers. He made big shots, and he ran our team. He played liked a point guard.” Tennessee ripped out to a 6-0 lead, all on shots in the paint from Stokes. Stokes, Maymon and sguard Jordan McRae accounted for all of the Volunteers’ 22 points as Tennessee held what would be its largest lead of the game at 22-13, less than 10 minutes into the game. The Cats began their ascent to the lead from there. Harrison hit two 3-pointers along with a pair of free throws to get UK within five. Minutes later, Randle put together his own 7-0 run, including a driving layup with 1:31 left in the half to cut the lead to 32-31. Freshman guard James Young hit a
3-pointer on the next possession, and UK carried its first lead of the day into the locker room though the Volunteers held the advantage in rebounding at 23-10. “I thought Julius set the tone in the first half,” Martin said. “(Andrew Harrison) took over in the second.” The Cats did not relinquish the lead in the second half, as freshman guards Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison feasted on the Volunteers inside. Tennessee stayed within five for the first eight minutes of the second half, cutting the lead to three after a McRae free throw. UK went on a 11-4 run, the last nine points of which were scored by the Cats’ starting backcourt. Aaron Harrison’s layup
with 7:20 left gave the Cats a 10-point advantage with 7:20 to play. UK scored 29 of its 40 second-half points from the free throw line and the paint as both guards used the screen-and-roll to isolate the Volunteers’ big men. “We played great in the second half,” Andrew Harrison said of his team. “We tried to pick our spots and exploited where there were weak at, like the pick and roll.” UK shot 23-of-24 from the free throw line, its best effort from the stripe of the season for a team who was tied for 281st in the country in free throw percentage before Saturday’s contest. Calipari was positive in his assessment. “(Tennessee) may have done a few things and we broke down a little bit, but we are moving the right way.”
Volume 4 | 33
interesting stats
IT’S A
#NUMBERS GAME
34 | B Three
ANDREW HARRISON SCORED A CAREER-HIGH 26 POINTS IN THE WIN AGAINST TENNESSEE ON JANUARY 18. Volume 4 | 35