2010 Postseason Preview by Kentucky Kernel

MARCH 10, 2010

WEDNESDAY

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POSTSEASON PREVIEW

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KELLY WILEY

MADNESS

MARCH INTO

the CATS are heading into the tournament with one change FROM LAST YEAR: everyone’s crazy about THEIR CHANCES AT A TITLE.

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PAGE A2 | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

PHOTO BY ADAM WOLFFBRANDT | STAFF

The UK women’s basketball team huddles during its 70-62 loss to Tennessee on Sunday in the SEC Championship. The women missed the NCAA Tournament last season.

UK Hoops’ turnaround equals high seed in NCAA Raise your hand if you saw this one coming: a basketball team going from National Invitation Tournament regular to an NCAA Tournament top-four seed? Matthew Mitchell, put your hand down. Obviously, you don’t count. To tell you the truth, my hand is one of those not raised. Before the season, I would have never KENNY guessed Mitchell would COLSTON have turned the Cats from Kernel mediocre to really, really columnist good. Two years ago, I watched this same program lose an exhibition game to a bunch of thrown-together former women’s basketball players and wondered how much longer Mitchell could last as head coach of the women’s basketball team. After this season, one in which the Cats finished second in the Southeastern Conference and are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, my guess is for as long as he wants to be. After a few seasons of decent play, Mitchell has righted the ship. The only thing keeping the UK women from the spotlight is the success of the men’s team. But at the end of the day, the women’s team, depending on the draw, has just as much of a chance to go deep into the Big Dance as the men. How did Mitchell do it, seemingly overnight? Truth be told, it wasn’t that quick of a turnaround. Players needed to graduate to allow SEC Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap to progress as she has and command this year’s squad. They needed to move on to allow Amber Smith to flourish. Mitchell had to work the recruiting trail and the phone lines to get his current roster. He took three transfers – Rebecca Gray, Keyla Snowden and Crystal Riley – at the expense of the 2008-09 season, but to the benefit of this year’s squad. And he got the state’s best player, SEC Freshman of the Year A’dia Mathies, to wear blue instead of going out-of-state like many others have. Mix that all together and the outcome seems to be what Mitchell has this year: a really good basketball team. That was proven Sunday evening as the Cats nearly won their second SEC Tournament title over powerhouse Tennessee. At the

PHOTO BY ADAM WOLFFBRANDT | STAFF

Junior forward Victoria Dunlap, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, has emerged as an offensive force to lead the Cats in her third season.

same time, we saw that some work is still left over. Regardless of whether UK gets upset in the first two rounds or the Cats make it to the Final Four, this season is a success for Mitchell. It’s a cornerstone to build the program off of. All the top players return for another season at the helm. They’ll all be hungry for what they missed out on – SEC titles, maybe an NCAA title. And they’ll know what it takes to get where they want to be. So enjoy the ride, UK Hoops fans. It’s only up from here. Mitchell and the Cats should play like they have nothing to lose (because they don’t) and set a strong foundation for next year. Because then we won’t need a Drive for 5K, baking shows or seemingly weekly appearances by Mitchell on local country stations to get people in the seats. The basketball will do the talking. And we’ll all raise our hands, saying we knew this was coming. Kenny Colston is a journalism senior. Email kcolston@kykernel.com.

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | PAGE A3

Inexperienced Cats holding own to get into tourney By Nick Craddock ncraddock@kykernel.com

The Cats will be dancing for the first time since 2005-06. Although UK’s place in the women’s NCAA Tournament won’t become official until Selection Monday, the No. 19 Cats (25-7, 115 Southeastern Conference), runners-up in the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament, simply have to sit and wait to find out where and when they’ll play in the field of 64. “I know that many consider it a down year in the SEC, but I don’t think anyone thought (UK) would be this good,” said Chris Hansen of ESPN’s HoopGurlz. “(The Cats) were criticized early on for not scheduling a difficult non-conference schedule, but league play has rendered that criticism moot.” ESPN women’s college basketball bracketologist Charlie Creme projects UK as a No. 4 seed in the Kansas City Regional. The Cats’ projected opponent is the Horizon League’s Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (26-3), which was in the top 25 for eight consecutive weeks during the season, reaching as high as a No. 14 ranking in the coaches’ poll in week 10. According to Creme’s projection, UK would head west to Seattle for the first two rounds and play on a Saturday/Monday schedule. Most importantly, the Cats current projection has them avoiding the Connecticut Huskies, who are riding an NCAA women’s basketball record 71-game win streak, as the top seed in their region. “No team, regardless of seeding, wants to be in Connecticut’s region,” Hansen said. “(UConn) has the tourney experience, elite

players at multiple positions and players that put winning over statistics.” The Cats’ performance against Tennessee this Sunday proved they are capable of sticking around against an elite team, especially when junior forward Victoria Dunlap is on her game. Creme has the Volunteers projected as a No. 1 seed.

“I know that many consider it a down year in the SEC, but I don’t think anyone thought (UK) would be this good.” Chris Hansen ESPN’s Hoopgurlz

Dunlap heads into the NCAA Tournament after being named to the SEC All-Tournament Team. She averaged a little more than 22 points and seven rebounds in UK’s three tournament games. “I think people forget that Victoria Dunlap was a highly-touted recruit,” Hansen said. “We ranked her in the top 60 based on her athletic potential and she’s lived up to it and then some.” Both UK and Dunlap show no signs of slowing down, but the relatively young Cats — only Amani Franklin and Lydia Watkins are seniors — will be experiencing something completely new come tournament time. In fact, the only player with NCAA Tournament experience for UK is sophomore guard Rebecca Gray, a true freshman on the 2008 North Carolina team that reached the regional final.

PHOTO BY SCOTT HANNIGAN | STAFF

The UK women’s basketball team hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since the 2005-06 season, but they finished second in the SEC this year and are predicted to receive a No. 4 seed. Even UK head coach Matthew Mitchell will be making his first tournament appearance as a head coach, following back-to-back WNIT appearances in his first two years at UK. Although UK’s tournament run may be unpredictable, the postseason experience will be good for the upward trend of the program, Hansen said. “With some good young players returning (UK) should continue to compete at the top of the SEC and for tournament bids (in the future),” Hansen said.

SEC Freshman of the Year A’dia Mathies drives during UK’s win over Ole Miss on Feb. 4 at Memorial Coliseum. PHOTO BY SCOTT HANNIGAN STAFF

PAGE A4 | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Calipari, Cats focused on ‘that other tournament’ By Metz Camfield mcamfield@kykernel.com

On Oct. 15, 2009, freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins had a message to the doubters: “We’ll show you.” It was Media Day at that time, and Cousins was more known for his nicknames, dancing and staggering size than anything else. With the Southeastern Conference Tournament beginning on Friday and the NCAA Tournament beginning the week after that, the Cats have another chance to silence the doubters. But unlike most SEC teams, UK’s main focus is not the SEC Tournament. The current focus of the No. 2 Cats (29-2, 14-2 SEC) is to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The future focus is to hang another banner in the rafters of Rupp Arena. “My teams have had success (in conference tournaments), historically, we don’t worry about them,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “We’re only trying to win it to get a high seed (in the NCAA Tournament). And I know people may be mad, ‘We’re Kentucky we don’t do it that way.’ You hired me and that’s how I do it.” College basketball pundits across the country say the Cats are a virtual lock for a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, but Calipari said he wasn’t so sure. Calipari believes if the Cats win two games in the SEC Tournament, which would put them in the conference championship game, they will be a No. 1 seed. If they win only one game it would be dicey, Calipari said, and if they lose in their first game he’s not sure they will be a No. 1 seed. To get to the SEC championship game, the Cats may have to go up against both of the teams that beat them earlier this season, South Carolina and Tennessee. “The hottest team (Mississippi) is on our side (of the bracket),” Calipari said. “Two teams that just won their last game of the season (South Carolina and Alabama), we’re going to play one of them, which means they’re going to us with a two-game win streak and they’re stretched and ready to go. Mississippi has won four straight,

Tennessee has won three straight. That’s all on our side (of the bracket). What? Who’s on the other side?”

“Mississippi has won four straight, Tennessee has won three straight. That’s all on our side (of the bracket). What? Who’s on the other side?” JOHN CALIPARI UK head coach

For the Cats, the proverbial bull’s-eye on their back will be the biggest it’s been all season. With the SEC having only three teams as locks for NCAA Tournament bids, the nine other schools will be competing for the automatic bid that comes with winning the conference championship. The Cats have had great success in the SEC this season and the SEC Tournament historically, winning more conference tournaments than all other members combined. But their inability to put teams away has drawn the eye of naysayers. Freshman guard John Wall said he expects his first SEC Tournament to be crazy like the regular season. “Some teams get a run and they feel like they can win games,” said Wall after UK’s game against Florida on Sunday when the Cats allowed an 18-point lead to be trimmed to two. “We haven’t done our best to put pressure on them. We needed to do a better job at not letting them think they have a chance.” With conference tournaments serving as the initial heat to the mayhem that is March Madness, allowing a team back into a game that at one point seemed to be out of reach is something UK will not want to happen. “Whenever we get up 18, we need to make it 25, probably continue on,” junior forward Patrick Patterson said. “We need to step up, if we get tired we need to come out the game. We can’t let up.” Almost five months later, Cousins had another message that

PHOTO BY BRITNEY MCINTOSH | STAFF

Freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins is projected as a high pick in the NBA draft, but he said he and his teammates are only worried about winning a championship. still rings true today. When asked about how big of a recruiting tool Calipari’s ability to turn freshmen

into NBA-ready players after only one year in college was, Cousins said they weren’t fo-

cused on that. “We’re worried about winning a national championship,” he said.

PHOTO BY SCOTT HANNIGAN | STAFF

PHOTO BY BRITNEY MCINTOSH | STAFF

FIRST ROUND

MIDWEST

2 15

14 7 10

4 13 6

4 13 6 11

14 7

ST. LOUIS

9 5

SALT LAKE CITY

9 5

KENTUCKY KERNEL

CHAMPION

INDIANAPOLIS

WEST

2 15

14 7 10

11 3

HOUSTON

SOUTH

SYRACUSE, N.Y.

EAST

4 13 6

4 13 6 11

SECOND ROUND

SWEET 16

ELITE EIGHT

9 5

FINAL FOUR

9 5

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

FINAL FOUR

ELITE EIGHT

SWEET 16 1 16

SECOND ROUND

2010 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND

PHOTO BY BRITNEY MCINTOSH | STAFF

PHOTO BY ADAM WOLFFBRANDT | STAFF

PHOTO BY BRITNEY MCINTOSH | STAFF

PHOTO BY SCOTT HANNIGAN | STAFF

PHOTO BY ADAM WOLFFBRANDT | STAFF

FIRST ROUND

2 15

14 7 10

KENTUCKY KERNEL

14 7

4 13 6

9 5

CHAMPION

SAN ANTONIO

KANSAS CITY, MO.

14 7 10

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.

MEMPHIS, TENN.

4 13 6

DAYTON, OHIO

SECOND ROUND

9 5

SWEET 16

9 5

ELITE EIGHT

FINAL FOUR

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 16

FINAL FOUR

ELITE EIGHT 1

SWEET 16

SECOND ROUND

2010 NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND

PHOTO BY ADAM WOLFFBRANDT | STAFF

PHOTO BY SCOTT HANNIGAN | STAFF

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | PAGE A7

Preseason doesn’t hold up Now that the weather’s turning, I can use the excuse of spring cleaning to get rid of some things I don’t ever want to see again. I need to get rid of one particular document burning a hole in my hard drive: my preseason top 25, as published in October. My picks weren’t awful. I aced the top two spots and, even if a bit out of order, correctly tabbed six of JAMES PENNINGTON the top 10. Spots No. 11-25 weren’t great. Stupid Kernel choices. columnist Preseason top 10, in order: Kansas, UK, North Carolina, Michigan State, Texas, West Virginia, Villanova, Duke, Purdue, Mississippi State. Seven of those teams are still legitimate Final Four contenders. Kansas, UK and Texas have each held that No. 1 spot at some point in the season, but Texas has since faded into the pack. Two of those teams, though, won’t even make the tournament. Usually, North Carolina coach Roy Williams proves people wrong by winning. This year, he and his team went another direction. And even if Renardo Sidney didn’t play (and I didn’t expect him to when I made picks in October), Mississippi State still returned all five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Is Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury feeling any heat? Preseason Nos. 11-20, in order: Connecticut, Butler, Washington, Tennessee, Ohio State, California, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan. As of this week’s polls, three of these teams still fall in this range: Butler, Tennessee and Maryland. Ohio State has since jumped up to No. 5, and could earn a No. 1 seed in the

NCAA Tournament if it wins the Big 10 tournament and gets some help from Duke in the ACC. Both Washington and California, members of the Pac-10, fell off early in the season. Unless a rogue team from outside the projected NCAA field wins the Pac-10 tournament, the league will likely only have one NCAA bid. That’s a pretty far stretch from two teams in the preseason top 20. Michigan, a team reliant on 3-point shooting, hit 29.8 percent from outside and finished eighth in the Big 10. Preseason Nos. 21-25, in order: Clemson, Siena, Louisville, Oklahoma, Dayton. None of these teams are ranked. Louisville, playing well as of late, and Siena received a combined four votes in the regular season-ending Associated Press poll. No. 25 Texas-El Paso received 134. Preseason unranked teams now ranked, with current ranking: Syracuse (No. 3), New Mexico (No. 8), Kansas State (No. 9), Wisconsin (No. 13), Brigham Young (No. 14), Pittsburgh (No. 16), Temple (No. 17), Gonzaga (No. 18), Vanderbilt (No. 20), Baylor (No. 21), Texas A&M (No. 23), Xavier (No. 24), Texas-El Paso (No. 25). Ouch. Not that my picks were much different than that of the mainstream — Syracuse did lose an exhibition game to Division II Le Moyne — but it still stings knowing that my preseason No. 3 is a lock to miss the tournament, and the current No. 3, which I had unranked, is a Final Four favorite. Basketball can be kind and it can be cruel. Glad that’s off my chest. It gives me a few days to breathe well before my always-awful bracket fills its void. James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.

Staff picks for SEC, NCAA Ben Jones n Sports Editor

SEC Tournament champion: Tennessee Why they'll win: No one in the SEC had a better mindset for big games than the Volunteers, who rose to the occasion to beat UK and Kansas. They're still in the fight for a high seed, and a deep SEC Tournament run could mean as much for them as anyone in the conference. Even though they didn't get a bye, they caught a break with a first round matchup against Louisiana State and a possible second round game against Mississippi. Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Syracuse, West Virginia National champion: Kansas The Jayhawks have a combination of raw talent, experience, coaching and depth no other team in the country can match. Offensively and defensively, no team is as balanced as they are. They were the preseason favorites for a reason, and they should still be the odds-on favorite to win it all. The Cats are the only other team with a level of talent comparable to Kansas, and that should propel them deep in the tournament (as long as they make their 3’s). Syracuse and West Virginia have already survived a brutal conference schedule and have proven they have the track record to succeed in a tournament-type environment.

Metz Camfield n Assistant Sports Editor

SEC Tournament champion: UK Why they'll win: They have the most talented team not only in the SEC, but possibly the country. The only knock on the Cats is their youth. The young Cats made clear all the things they want to accomplish this season, and winning the SEC Tournament is one of those goals. Final Four teams: Kansas, Syracuse, UK, Villanova National champion: Kansas What Kansas has that many other teams do not have is experience and players who know how to win NCAA Tournament games. Kansas senior guard Sherron Collins has won a national championship, as has center Cole Aldrich. The wealth of talent will push the Jayhawks over the top. Syracuse could win the national championship due to their inside-outside presence with Wesley Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Arinze Onuaku. While UK may have the most talented roster, they also have the most inexperienced roster of all the teams that can compete for a championship. Not one player on UK's normal starting lineup or among the first three off the bench has ever played in an NCAA Tournament game. The Cats could win the national championship with their wealth of talent, but they could also lose in the second round. They're too risky to pick for your national champion. Villanova is a good team that, like UK, could win it all or lose in the second round. The difference with these Wildcats is Scottie Reynolds. If Villanova isn't hitting from outside though, their lack of a dominant big man could cause them to get upset by a hot-shooting team.

Kevin Novak n UK student

SEC Tournament champion: UK Why they’ll win: UK will win the SEC tournament if they limit their turnovers and spread the ball out between Patterson, Cousins, and Wall. The biggest threat in the tournament for the Cats will be Tennessee, but they will be out for revenge against the Vols after suffering a loss to them two weeks ago. Other than Tennessee, UK should have no problem getting to the championship game and taking home the SEC crown. Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Ohio State, Kansas State National champion: UK Kansas has been dominant all season against a tough schedule, suffering only two losses to a very good Kansas State team and Tennessee who beat UK as well. Other than those two losses Kansas didn’t have very many close games. They have a great team with four players averaging over 11 points a game. UK is going to go into the tournament with a lot of energy and as long as they limit their turnovers and hit their shots they will coast their way through to the Final Four. The two losses to South Carolina and Tennessee will help them in the tournament. Ohio State has been playing great basketball as of late, winning a share of the Big Ten regular season title. They go into the tournament with the frontrunner for the Player of the Year in Evan Turner. As long as Turner gets support from guard Jon Diebler

on the outside knocking down 3’s and Dallas Lauderdale playing good down low, I feel the Buckeyes have a very good chance to make it to the Final Four. Kansas State is another very good team out of the Big 12. They have great players on the team that will help them win in the tournament. They have six losses but four of the six losses have been quality losses (if there is a such thing). Both of their starting guards average over 16 points per game.

Nick Craddock n Staff writer

SEC Tournament champion: Mississippi St. Why they'll win: I’m throwing — something Mississippi State fans have been guilty of — caution to the wind with this pick. The Bulldogs have a favorable draw and wouldn’t have to meet UK or Tennessee until the final, and unlike the Cats or Vols, who are more concerned with a better seeding, the Bulldogs need to win out to go dancing, just as they did a year ago. Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Villanova, West Virginia National champion: Kansas The Jayhawks, the No. 1 team for the most weeks, have a dynamic inside-outside duo in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. The Cats’ John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins aren’t too shabby either, but they aren’t upperclassmen like Collins and Aldrich, and experience matters come March. How Wall and Cousins respond on the biggest stage yet, is still an uncertainty. Guard play is also crucial in March, and Villanova has three dynamite guards in Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes that should send ‘Nova back to the Final Four for the second straight year. Plus, ‘Nova and West Virginia, a team with grittiness, have been battle tested by the Big East, the toughest conference in nation.

James Pennington n Sports columnist

SEC Tournament champion: UK Why they'll win: Postseason play is less about rising up to a big-game situation than what is often talked about. It's the postseason; everybody is rising up to the challenge. Looking at it that way, unfiltered talent is what will carry UK to winning the league tournament. The fact that UK is likely the only school in the conference to have taken each team's best shot also helps. Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Ohio State, New Mexico National champion: Kansas The teams to beat in three of the brackets will be Kansas, UK and Syracuse. Of those teams, Syracuse may be the strongest when it is playing well. It may also be the most beatable. Louisville showed twice this year the way to beat the Orange is just to shoot well. If a likely No. 2 seed like New Mexico is matched in a region with Syracuse, the Lobos' outside shooting, if it's on, would be tough for the Orange to overcome. UK and Kansas have the talent and coaching to make it through to Indianapolis. Whichever team is the final No. 1 seed will likely be paired with Ohio State, which should be the highest of the No. 2's. The Buckeyes would have been a clear-cut top-line team if Evan Turner hadn't missed six games earlier in the year. Making the Final Four will prove it. You could tell me today either Kansas or UK will win it all and I’d buy it. I’d just be less surprised if it’s the Jayhawks.

Kenny Colston n Editor in chief

SEC Tournament champion: UK Why they’ll win: They ran through the conference with only two losses on the road and undefeated at home all year long. If you haven't noticed, even in down years the SEC Tournament is more like Rupp Arena than a neutral site. Playing in an arena full of Blue and White will allow John Wall and Co. to make quick work of whoever stands in the way. Add in a bye game and there's really no other choice in Nashville. Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Michigan State, Villanova National champion: UK Obviously, this could all be skewed by the time the brackets are released, but the above mentioned are the best suited for the Big Dance. Kansas and UK boast the best talent, while there is not a better coach in the country when it comes to drawing up crucial plays and winning in the tournament than Tom Izzo. And while Syracuse may be the better team, my guess is Villanova gets an easier road to Indianapolis. UK and Kansas will finally meet in the title game and Calipari will learn to foul before letting a Jayhawk hit a crucial 3-pointer that turns the tide against his squad.