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PHOTO BY MICHAEL REAVES | STAFF
UK’s Aaron Harrison dunks during the first half of the game against the Georgetown College at Rupp Arena on Sunday in Lexington, Ky.
Doubling the trouble for opponents NICK GRAY Kernel Columnist
An often-used saying about how good things come in pairs rings especially true for the UK basketball team this season. The Cats have two of
just about everything on their roster — two rim protectors, two high-level point guards and two platoons. UK has two premium long-range jump shooters in sophomore guard Aaron Harrison and freshman guard Devin Booker. Each is a natural two-guard, who can shoot 3-pointers efficiently and will likely be the second guard in each platoon as long as UK head
coach John Calipari continues to employ the gimmick. They'll also become UK opponents’ favorite players to watch. Georgetown head coach Chris Briggs echoed the thoughts of Pikeville head coach Kelly Wells from last week's exhibition. Saying he wanted to watch Booker and Harrison shoot instead of seeing the Cats scramble up a series of dunks befitting a
highlight reel. Except the two combined to shoot 8-of14 from behind the arc against Georgetown on Sunday, as UK went on to hit 12 3-pointers overall. "We tried to make them shoot jumpers and block out, and nothing worked," Briggs said. "If they played like they did tonight, they're an NBA playoff team." Of all the pairs of players who will do what they
do best — junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein and sophomore forward Marcus Lee protecting the rim and blocking layup attempts — Harrison and Booker may be the most important players for UK this season. And Harrison and Booker know that UK is working at its best when the two are clicking. "We have such an inside presence that I think it's go-
ing to be tough to beat us when we're shooting the ball well," Harrison said. If Lee or Cauley-Stein gets in foul trouble or has an off night, UK still has three players 6-foot-10 or taller to help protect the rim. And if Booker or Harrison gets in foul trouble or struggles shooting from outside, the Cats would have a See BASKETBALL on page 2
Event recognizes Bulldogs take a bite out of Cats Alzheimer's sufferers Defensive team’s performance By Anne Halliwell ahalliwell@kykernel.com
In a small hall at the rear of the Pilgrim Baptist Church, a flame was passed from candle to slim candle as a list of Alzheimer’s victims was read to about 20 community members, UK staff and students. Every November, during the weekend of the 8th and 9th, communities light “candles of caring” through the Alzheimer’s Association to support and increase awareness for the victims of Alzheimer’s Disease, said Deborah Danner, the director of education and outreach at the Sanders-Brown Center’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Psychology pre-med junior Sarah Smith, who planned the event, said she hoped the message that “you’re not alone” rang through to the lis-
tening crowd. The clinical research assistant contributed a name to the list of victims — her great-grandmother, Naomi Mayfield, who had dementia when Smith was young. With her grandmother’s recent acquisition of similar memory problems, which have not been diagnosed as Alzheimer’s, Smith said the ceremony dealt with some of her own concerns. “I was too young to recognize (my great-grandmother’s symptoms), but now it’s like I’ve been given a second chance to recognize and to share about it,” Smith said. Reverend Terry Cunningham II, a local pastor, read 15 names and a few short messages as the attendees bowed their heads over the candles.
contributed to 32 point loss ANNIE DUNBAR Kernel Columnist
In UK’s humiliating 6331 loss to No. 20 ranked Georgia, the Cats’ defensive “Bad Boyz” were bad in every sense of the word. The Bulldogs started the game with Isaiah McKenzie’s 90-yard kickoff return which deflated the energy in Commonwealth Stadium. Before the Cats could blink, Georgia racked up 21 points in just the first quarter and UK was fighting an uphill battle the remainder of the game.
When asked if UK head coach and defensive guru Mark Stoops could remember playing defense that poorly, he said, “I can’t recall playing defense like that, no.” At this point, discussing UK’s inability to stop the run game sounds like a broken record. Georgia racked up 559 yards, 305 rushing yards and 254 passing yards. Freshman running back Nick Chubb alone had 170 rushing yards on 13 attempts and one touchdown. In comparison to the Cats, they totaled 363 yards, 224 rushing and 139 passing. The overall tone in postgame interviews was embarrassed.
PHOTO BY TESSA LIGHTY | STAFF
Georgia players react after scoring a touchdown during the game on Saturday in Commonwealth Stadium.
“Very embarrassing effort by our team, our coaching staff, starting with myself,” Stoops said. “Not acceptable. Just very disappointed in the way we played, the way we’re play-
ing. Like I said, ‘embarrassing’ is the word that comes to mind.” Another embarrassing statistic from the game is that See FOOTBALL on page 2
See ALZHEIMERS on page 3
Student joins CMT’s ‘Party Down South’ By Morgan Henry news@kykernel.com
PHOTO BY TAYLOR PENCE | STAFF
Sandra “Sissy” Williams helps to light Mildred Bailey’s candle at the National Comemorative Candle Lighting ceremony at Pilgrim Baptist Church Sunday.
UK student Hunter Robinson is set to star in CMT's upcoming second season of “Party Down South.” Made by the producers of Jersey Shore, the reality TV show followed eight young men and women for six weeks in June and July. Robinson applied to be on the show after he came
back from the bar one night and saw a re-run episode, then googled the show. The special education senior waited four months before hearing from a producer, then went on to conduct phone and Skype interviews. A week after the interviews, a producer called and told Hunter he made the cast list for the show. “I was just really excited about going down to Missis-
WEEKEND SCORES
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Check out the scores from this weekend’s sports on page 2.
Follow the Cats on page 4 as they exceed expectations on their road to NCAA play.
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sippi,” Robinson said. No phones were needed during the six weeks of filming, Robinson said, since the house members shared a landline phone. In their time in Biloxi, Miss., the cast members spent their time socializing and partying, according to CMT’s series summary. “It was everything you do on a vacation,” Robinson said. “We were gone for six weeks but it felt like a year.”
Robinson called the show the “biggest party you’ve ever seen” and said he grew closest with Tommy Theis from the show. Theis plans to come to Lexington for the show’s premiere so that they can watch it together. In CMT’s brief descriptions of the cast members, Robinson was described as a “proud Kentucky Wildcat See PARTY on page 3
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OPINIONS
McConnell should not give voters a reason to vote against Republicans MATT YOUNG Kernel Columnist
Mitch McConnell is one of the most shrewd and calculating politicians in modern history. He is not about to throw away the opportunity this election season has given Republicans. Republicans had a friendly election map this year. A number of Senate Democrats were up for re-election in conservative-leaning states and in two years the map will flip; Republicans will be defending seats in liberal-leaning states. There is also that one seat up for grabs at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in 2016 and Hillary Clinton is already a very popular candidate. Presidential elections drive out Democratic voters in significantly higher numbers
than in off-year elections. Though the Republicans fared slightly better last week among black voters and slightly worse among women voters than they did in 2010, we have no reason to believe these groups find favor with Republicans. The fact that Republicans still cannot make any ground on female, minority and young voters should concern them. Trends have shown they will largely vote in favor of Democrats in 2016 . The last thing McConnell wants to do is give them an excuse to vote against Republicans. Republican success in the midterm elections is not necessarily an indication that the country has swung conservative; in fact, across the country, people favor policies Republicans oppose. Higher taxes on the wealthy, raising the minimum wage and fixing student loan rates all enjoy national sup-
port. Legalization of marijuana, recognizing gay marriage, reforming gun laws, immigration reform and even environmental regulations are popular across the nation. So why did voters who oppose Republican policies vote these conservative firebrands into office? The economy. Right or wrong, the President usually gets pinned as the face of the economy. At face value the rate of unemployment, stock market totals and GDP are impressive, but most people are not feeling any economic recovery. Corporate profits are at an all-time high, but none of that money is being put back into the economy. The United States leads the developed world in low-paying jobs. McConnell has already taken a government shutdown off the table for Republicans. If the economy doesn’t improve for real people, McConnell will have to try to convince voters it was the President's fault.
But President Obama still holds the veto. Voters have rejected the Tea Party brand of politics in favor of moderate Republicans and Democrats. Even in Texas, Utah and Kentucky, the three states that voted in Tea Party standard bearers Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul, voters defeated Tea Party candidates both this year and in 2012. If Republicans are expecting a dramatically different game plan over the next two years, they will likely be disappointed. McConnell will use his power and influence to keep the Tea Party at bay. The wild card in all of this is President Obama. If he refuses to work with the Senate, McConnell may have no choice but to be adversarial or viewed as weak. We will see in January. Matt Young is a journalism and political science senior. Email opinions@kykernel.com
WEEKEND SCORES
Football (5-5) 11/8/14
vs. Georgia
L (63-31)
Women’s Soccer (15-6) 11/7/14 11/9/14
vs. Tennesse vs. Texas A&M
W (3-2) L (1-0)
Women’s Volleyball (22-4) 11/9/14
vs. Missouri
W (3-0)
Men’s Basketball 11/9/14
vs. Georgetown
W (121-52)
FROM THE FRONT PAGE
FOOTBALL Continued from page 1
the Cats never forced Georgia to punt – they were 8-for-8 on third down conversions. The Bulldogs scored 63 points, the most points Georgia has scored against an SEC opponent since 1942, in just 60 plays. “Anytime you get your butt kicked, you’re embar-
BASKETBALL Continued from page 1
of the day we just had to make plays and people didn’t make plays.” Although Stoops couldn’t pinpoint what exactly went so wrong against Georgia, whether it was the slow start, inability to stop the run game or the special teams. The head coach who can normally find something positive wants to throw this game out and move on to focus on Tennessee.
Sometimes they make them. And they'll have to deal with it either way." Yet, what if sophomore guard Dominique Hawkins hits a 3-pointer from the corner and Trey Lyles makes two 3-pointers from the elbow in consecutive possessions like they did on Sun-
day? The Cats are No. 1 for a reason. They can do just about anything with just about anyone. Harrison and Booker though, are the equivalent of snipers on the battlefield, deadly from afar and vital in the pursuit of victory.
“I’m not much on throwing things out, but I may have to throw this one out,” Stoops said. “That’s how we do things. We look at it and face it head-on and look at the things we did good and things we did bad, starting with our coaching and all that. We’ll certainly do that. And with the players, I’ll see. I’ll think about how we’re going to handle that on Monday.”
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potential weakness that opponents could exploit. "They know they have the green light to shoot," Calipari said. "Sometimes they will miss their shots.
rassed,” defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot said. The loss was especially disappointing to the seniors in their final game in Commonwealth Stadium. Defensive end Bud Dupree was frustrated with the effort and the Cats’ inability to make plays. “I was angry … trying to stop them, once you keep trying and trying you get angry,” Dupree said. “But at the end
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FROM THE FRONT PAGE
PARTY Continued from page 1
who can often be found with a fishing rod in one hand and a beer in the other.” Robinson took this semester off, but will return back to UK in January to work towards his degree. He has been working and spending time with family. “I did not want to be on the show for fame,” Robinson said. “This was a once in a lifetime experience and I felt I was young enough and did not need to have my whole life in order, so I took the opportunity.”
ALZHEIMERS Continued from page 1 As a member of the African-American Dementia Outreach Partnership, Cunningham meets quarterly with The Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and exchanges information on new research and ways to in-
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY BATT
The show premieres on Nov. 20 on CMT. “Tell everyone at UK that they’re in for a lot of drunk
moments, drama, maybe some love,” Robinson said. “I think everyone at UK is going to love it.”
crease the ways for the center to present information to the community. Cunningham said he hoped that for those who attended to remember a loved one, the ceremony signified success in going on with their own lives while commemorating the other’s. Danner said that when the center received funding
10 years ago to reach out to the African-American community in Lexington, they found that churches were the best way to share information. “A lot of folks (come here) for coping,” Danner said. “It’s a family disease ... because the caregiving can’t usually be taken on by one person.”
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Joshua Huff | Sports Editor | jhuff@kykernel.com
Cats impress fans, opponents 3-point shooting went a long way against Georgetown College By Kyle Arensdorf karensdorf@kykernel.com
PHOTO BY ADAM PENNAVARIA | STAFF
UK guard Devin Booker drives toward the basket during the first half of the exhibition game against Georgetown College at Rupp Arena Sunday.
After a 48-point loss to UK basketball on Nov. 2, Pikeville head coach Kelly Wells predicted that they wouldn’t be “the only team that it’s going to happen to” this season. UK’s matchup in Rupp Arena against Georgetown College on Sunday showed fans just how much of an understatement that was. “I was really pleased with – this is going to sound silly – with the first three minutes of the game,” Georgetown head coach Chris Briggs said of his team’s performance.
Cats’ senior night marked with tough loss JOSHUA HUFF Kernel Columnist
The highlights displayed on the Jumbotron in Commonwealth Stadium that showed UK defeating Georgia in past matchups contained more excitement than the present day matchup which saw the Bulldogs destroy a UK team determined to end this season on a low note. For a team anchored by a stout defensive secondary and an offense loaded with young talent, the pounding that the Georgia offense laid upon the Cats on Senior Day was unexpected. Georgia entered the game built upon a run game that had been led by suspended tailback Todd Gurley, but his replacement, Nick Chubb, more than took up the slack. He dominated UK’s terrible run defense, scorching the Cats for 170 yards on just 13 carries. “They played much better than us,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “They coached much better than us. They beat us in every area.” However, it was afterthought Hutson Mason who stood out on Saturday. His 13for-16 for 174 passing yards and four touchdowns blew open a game that until the second half was a toss-up as
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REAVES | STAFF
Georgia running back Nick Chubbs runs for a touchdown during the first half of the game Saturday in Commonwealth Stadium. UK lost 63-31.
both teams traded touchdowns. Throughout the game, Mason and receiver Chris Conley played catch against the UK secondary, scoring two touchdowns. But Mason wasn’t content with focusing on one receiver. Of his 13 catches, six were to different receivers. “We didn’t play very good,” Stoops said. “We didn’t have a very good chance to stop them for most of the day.” Mason, seemingly at will, marched the Bulldogs down the field time and again. The Georgia offense was helped by yet another embarrassing performance by UK’s special teams. A 90-yard kickoff return by Isaiah McKenzie to open the game was only topped by his 59-yard punt return in the second half that
hammered the nail in UK’s coffin even deeper. “The kick return, the punt return and then the interception to start the second half made it 21 points right there against an offense that’s hard to stop,” Stoops said. “They’re averaging 40 a game, I said that all week, that they are going to be tough to stop.” For UK, no positives can be taken out of this game. As Stoops so eloquently said “I may have to throw this one out.” “This is a difficult matchup,” Stoops added. “These guys are as talented as anybody in our league. I have some friends that were opponents that they played this year and I talked to them and they said, ‘You’re not going to want to hear this but they’re a darn good football team.’”
Cats exceed expectations, go beyond past accomplishments KEVIN ERPENBECK Kernel Columnist
A common theme in UK women’s soccer‘s history in the SEC Tournament has always been one-and-done. No matter how much the program improved over the years or how many conference games the team won during a regular season, UK just couldn’t find success in the SEC matches that mattered the most. However, this year has been different and felt so entering the 2014 SEC Tournament. This year’s Cats were on a hot streak, winning their last six games of the regular season and appeared more driven and determined than ever to change UK’s luck during the tournament This year, they expected to win. And they exceeded all outside expectations by mak-
ing it to the SEC Championship game. UK’s first opponent in the tournament was Auburn, a team it had previously beaten 2-1 in the regular season. The rematch resulted in the same outcome, but the feeling of achieving victory felt so much better. No longer was the program restricted to proving its conference success by just pointing to its regular season wins. UK finally had an SEC Tournament win to fall back on. Yet this year’s Cats weren’t satisfied with just one win. After Tennessee defeated Florida in a shocking upset, the Cats went on to face the Lady Volunteers in the semifinals. The overmatched, but scrappy Tennessee team became UK’s second victim. The Cats raced out to an early 3-0 lead over the Volunteers, and held off a furious comeback to win 3-2 to advance to the program’s first SEC Championship game since 2006. The expectations of this year’s Cats were exceeded
with the win. The Cats, however, would eventually fall to the regular season conference winner, Texas A&M, 1-0 on Sunday, but they had already proven that they were different this year. The one-and-done outings were over, and they proved they could win when it mattered most. By advancing to the SEC Championship game, UK has put itself in excellent position to be a Top-16 team heading into the selection for the NCAA Tournament. Being in the Top -16 would mean UK could play two tournament games at home; a huge advantage for a UK team that is 9-1 at home. UK has never won two NCAA Tournament games in its history, and would have an excellent shot at doing so if rewarded for its performance in the SEC Tournament. In proving to themselves and to the doubters that this UK team is built for a tournament run, the expectations for the Cats will only continue to grow.
While Pikeville stayed competitive for much of the first half of its game against the Cats, Briggs’ team fell behind early – being outscored 35-10 to start the game – and never recovered. “Having (12) guys out there that can play really (well) … it’s tough, especially when we press and pressure the ball defensively,” sophomore guard Aaron Harrison said. “We picked it up (tonight) and got it going. It was fun.” UK’s dominant performance had a lot to do with its three-point shooting, namely the shooting of the two-guard in each platoon (Harrison in the first, and freshman Devin
Booker in the second). Harrison failed to sink a shot from behind the 3-point line in the Cats’ exhibition game against Pikeville, going 0-for-3 from the field (and 0for-3 in the Blue-White scrimmage as well), but turned it around in a big way Sunday night. “I just got in a rhythm, every player knows how that feels,” Harrison said of his 5for-7 showcase from beyond the 3-point arc. “(After) having an off night, you just have to work on your game and get more shots up, and that’s the result of working hard.” Booker put up formidable numbers of his own, hitting three of his seven 3-point attempts to go along with four assists and three steals, catching the eye of an apprehensive UK head coach John Calipari.
“I’m really pleased with how hard he’s playing,” he said. “But he’s breaking down and he’s taking chances defensively that he doesn’t need to take.” By the five-minute mark of the second half, Calipari had seen enough and pulled his second platoon for four deep bench players and sophomore forward Marcus Lee with the Cats up 110-47. UK defeated Georgetown 121-52 and after the game,, Briggs became the second coach to add to the runaway hype machine that is this season’s UK team. “It’s going to take an extremely off night and an extremely great night out of somebody who has big-time NBA talent as well to get those guys,” he said. “Honestly. I don’t see how they’re going to get beat this year.”