With 2008 coming to a close, I’ve been forced to reflect on everything the year has brought. Which brings to me to the year in review for UK and it’s athletic squads.

And in my reflections, I had one reoccurring theme — disappointment.

Can me a fair weather fan. Call me a Louisville fan. Call me whatever you want. But as we walk down memory lane, think of the present, not the optimisic future that many UK teams possess. We’re talking about the past/present. Oh and, on a technical basis, UK’s Music City Bowl win over Florida State isn’t included. It was played on Dec. 31, 2007. Sorry.

Just think, despite a great conference run, the basketball team was bounced out of the NCAA tournament quickly and for the first time in a long time, no one was quite sure the Cats would even make the tournament. Patrick Patterson’s injury worries the Big Blue Nation.

After storming out to another quick and forceful start, the baseball team falls apart in conference play. They stumble in the SEC tournament and miss out on another regional. The program building coach jets for alma mater and SEC foe Mississippi State. Many top recruits sign pro contracts instead of coming to Lexington, but a good class is still landed.

Women’s basketball semi-salvages a piss-poor season with a deep NIT run fueled by the opporunity to host week in and week out. But with only a few recruits, two of which are transfers and must sit out, there isn’t much hope for the next season.

And the softball and tennis teams struggle as always.

When fall starts, the football team stumbles mightily at the end with a 2-6 record and zero wins of note. Injuries and woeful offense make fans uneasy. On the basketball front, it’s clear UK is a two-man show and VMI decides to add itself to the list of recent Cat killers.

And the marquee win? A decent West Virginia team. The key loss, a five-pointer to a ranked Miami team that is respectable. The ugly? North Carolina, without it’s best player, showing UK has much farther it has to go until it’s elite again.

Oh and the volleyball team chokes away a share of the SEC crown and once again exits quickly out of the NCAA tournament.

Look at all that. Disappointing. It’s safe to say I’m ready to see 2008 end, as UK athletics is a shell of what we all thought it to be.

That’s why Mitch Barnhart is correct in his plan to return UK to prominence in all sports, as soon as possible.

2009 will probably be a good start. A win over East Carolina on Jan. 2 is the perfect time to start.

Since we’re only a few hours from today’s basketball tip-off, I’ll leave you with a quick link of the bowl preview I did for the UWIRE and CBS College Sports.

It also has a link to a story I did this season on Moncell Allen.

Enjoy.

With the unofficial midseason break known as Christmas now in the past, its time to look at some of the things I will be expecting from the basketball Cats for the rest of this year. 

First, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson could both break the 1000 point mark for their UK careers by the end of the season.  Meeks is currently 100th on the list with 689 career points.  Using only the remaining regular season games and not the SEC tournament or NCAA tournament, Jodie needs to average 17 points per game to hit the 1000 point mark.  Patterson currently ranks 107th all-time with 639 points.  His task is a little taller than Meeks’ but he needs to average 20 per game to reach the 1000 point club.  This brings up a good question:  Where would these guys be if injuries hadn’t hindered their play last season?  I think its safe to say that if these two stars were healthy all of last season, they would be knocking on the 1000 point club’s door already if they hadnt already got there, especially Meeks. 

This brings up something to look forward to if the stars align.  If Patrick Patterson remains at Kentucky for two more years and graduates in 2011 and remains healthy for the remainder of his career in Lexington, he has a chance to break the scoring record at Kentucky.  I know its a long shot to see all of the above to happen but stranger things have happen. 

Next, how long will it be before Kevin Galloway is averaging 20+ minutes a game?  Its obviuos that he is becoming more familiar with playing Division-1 basketball with every game.  He has started the last four games for the Cats and in each game the Cats have gotten off to good starts as a result of Galloway’s play.  He only has 10 points this season but he also has 16 assists including 8 in his last two games.  He is more of a true point guard than Porter or Liggins in that he doesn’t look for his shot when he is in.  If it’s open he will take it but he doesn’t try to create on his own.  He is more concerned with creating opportunities for his teammates.  The best part is that he will only get better as the season goes on. 

Now, with New Year’s coming in less than a week, I’ve decided to put together a wish list for the rest of this basketball season.

1. The most important item is to beat Louisville on January 4th.  This is important, not only because it is Louisville, but because it will continue to build the confidence of this team and prove that they can beat a ranked team on the road, something they couldn’t do last year.  It might also get them back in the Top-25 rankings, a place they haven’t been since the Gardner-Webb fiasco last season. 

2. Win or share the SEC Regular Season Championship.  The conference is down this season compared to some of the other major conferences so winning or claiming a share in the regular season title is a neccessity if this team wants a good seed going into March. 

3. Return to glory and win the SEC Tournament in Tampa.  Last year was a bad experience all around for this team.  From having their game delayed because of a tornado hitting the Georgia Dome to playing in Georgia Tech’s empty arena, these guys were glad to leave Atlanta after their overtime loss to Georgia.  This year, the tournament is in Tampa so it will be a fresh start for this team.  Winning the SEC Tournament will once again improve their seed in the NCAA Tournament.

4. Finally, the last thing I wish for this team is to advance past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 when Patrick Sparks’ heroics almost beat Michigan State in Austin.  To get this done, the team has to do all of the above to secure themselves a good seed in the tournament.  The higher the seed, the less likely the chance is that they will play a top 5 seed in the first or second round.  Winning two games in the tournament will build confidence for these guys and possibly carry them to more wins in March.  We’ve seen recently how they play when they have confidence.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, this year. We here at UKWC surely did. But the gift-giving is (mostly) over and with only one week until UK’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl matchup, we have to take a break from basketball for a moment (because it’s just Florida Atlantic) and see what exactly our football team is doing.

So starting today and every morning up until the bowl game on Jan. 2, we’ll tackle an issue facing the football team before they go against the East Carolina Pirates. Today’s issue? The offense.

If you think about it, is there a bigger issue?

Let’s say the already doubtful Randall Cobb doesn’t play. That would mean UK’s top three offensive threats won’t play since Derrick Locke and Dicky Lyons Jr. haven’t since the field since early in the season. What does that leave UK with? An unknown Mike Hartline and talent but unsure levels of production from Alfonso Smith and Tony Dixon.

Looking at Hartline first, there is really no way to tell what will happen. The sophomore saw spot duty in the Tennessee game after being benched in the middle of the year. He didn’t look bad, but honestly, Hartline never looked awful. The problem is that with inexperienced wide receivers, Hartline’s solid, but never good play is exposed. Teams drop back in coverage, creating a near-impossible chance of completing anything. If Skip Holtz watches any tape, this will be easy to scheme against defensively.

Hartline reminds me of Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell. If he has good receivers, the kid looks All-SEC. If there’s inexperience, it’s ugly. Exhibit A is the entire season. Not his fault though. I half believe we could see an Andre Woodson type of evolution for the kid. Maybe we see it in a week.

Next comes the two-headed running back attack. Will Dixon end his career with an outstanding performance? Does Smith show everyone that Locke isn’t entitled to the starting job next year? We saw neither of those things during the season. But with a month to heal and practice….

And what about those young receivers? Does the month allow them to learn the system, find the holes and mature? Maybe.

One thing is for sure… the offense started bad, stayed bad and ended awfully. East Carolina can score on anyone. Will UK be able to score on the Pirates? That’s the question and worry we have on Day 1 of Bowl Week.

Just pray Cobb can play.

Hello everyone,

You’ve probably wondered where I’ve been and why I randomly re-appeared on Friday to introduce the SEC Power Poll All-SEC team. There’s been numerous reasons why I have had lessen my role, posting-wise, in the last 3 months, but never fear. Kenny is here.

And I’m here to pose a really tough question: Has UK turned a corner?

Seemingly, yes. Turnovers aren’t popping up by the minute, as they were early in the season. Jodie Meeks is becoming an absolute scoring monster and Patrick Patterson is doing his normal thing, quietly getting a double-double most night.

Blowout wins over a depleted Indiana squad, trashing an overmatched Appalachian State. In fact, the Cats have won 8 out of their last 9, their lone blemish a close loss to a ranked Miami squad. So that team that lost to VMI and was mocked by North Carolina, is it still around?

Most of you would say no.

And most of you would be wrong, as of now.

Want evidence? Look at the past two second halves UK has played. There were sloppy, turnover prone and basically the same bad team that started the season. Why is this? Because of a few reasons, all of with you probably already know.

First, while Michael Porter has turned into a solid, decent point guard, he is the Mike Hartline of the basketball team. In essence, he doesn’t create anything on his own, but he’ll get everyone in place, run the place to perfect execution and UK will come up with zero points on the board. Throw whatever stat you want at me, just watch a game. Porter doesn’t create anything.

Second, DeAndre Liggins and Kevin Galloway try to create too much. They are the opposite of Porter, making quick, sometimes sloppy passes that turn into fast breaks for the other team. They are too raw, push UK at too frantic a pace and turnovers abound.

As much as I hate to say it, this UK team wil not be tested again until they face Ricky P and the Cardinals on Jan. 4. And until then, there is no way to say they have turned a corner. They may be peeking around it, after two dominate first halves. But until UK puts in a full 40 minutes, finishing the way they started… I’m not convinced this isn’t the VMI team just beating up on inferior talent — like they should be.

Oh and no, my name isn’t the Grinch. Happy Holidays.

This year we had the honor of participating in the SEC Power Poll, an honor we took seriously as the company we held was very highly thought of. And when we heard these same people wanted to roll out an All-SEC team, we wanted to join that too. If you want to see the offensive and defensive teams, head over to Team Speed Kills, where lovely host cocknfire will direct you. Now, onto the picks.

Kicker — Colt David LSU.

The senior was Grapevine, Texas was one of the few constants during LSU’s sub-par season. David was 11-of-15 on field goals and was named First Team All-SEC by the league’s coaches as well. He was consensus All-SEC first teamer last year as well. David’s best season was by far in 2007 though, where he set the record for most points scored in a season in the SEC as well as breaking numerous LSU records. Of course, his biggest claim to fame? That fake field for a touchdown against South Carolina in 2007. We tip our hat to you, Mr. David.

Punter — Tim Masthay, Kentucky

Once again, the Power Poll agrees with the coaches in the SEC. Masthay quietly was a powerhouse this season, mainly because UK’s offense gave him plenty of punting attempts. Masthay would probably love to forget this year’s Florida game, where he had back-to-back punts blocked. But on kickoffs, Masthay consistently put the ball in the endzone and overall, was a good punter. The Murray, Ky. native has kept UK in many games. That’s why he’s All-SEC.

PR — Javier Arenas, Alabama

Over 550 yards, two touchdowns (long of 87) and a return average of 14.7 is one scary stat that. But Arenas brings just that to the table, the chance to kill you off a punt. It doesn’t matter where the Tampa, Fla., native catches the ball, he’s probably taking it to the house. And that’s scary. In a year where Alabama’s offensive line and Terrance Cody stole the headlines, Arenas and the special teams unit stole the heart of Bama fans. If the junior returns, Alabama turns into a three-headed monster.

KR — Brandon James, Florida

If there is one player as scary and fast as Arenas, it’s James. The two could be switched easily on the All-SEC team and no one would complain. The top two teams in the SEC have the top two returners in the league. See a correlation? The SEC Power Poll does. James tore up plenty of teams this season and no coach or kicker likes to see James lurking in the endzone on a kickoff. It’s dangerous. It’s not smart. Defense may win championships, but special teams wins you games. And you have to win to get into a championship. James is another piece of the Gator puzzle to help accomplish that goal.

It’s a pretty simple one, really. I want to get this guy…

…here.

Doesn’t seem too hard, does it?

For those of you who live under a rock and still hate the NBA because you think it hasn’t changed since the late 90s and early 2000s, the Boston Celtics are 24-2, which is one of the greatest starts in league history, if not the greatest ever. The Celtics have won 16 consecutive games and will probably ride that win streak all the way to their epic showdown with the Lakers on Christmas. I believe that this group of Celtics is better than last year’s NBA championship team, and Rajon Rondo is the biggest reason why. Kevin Garnett has missed some time with injuries. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have seen their scoring go down. James Posey signed with New Orleans as a free agent. PJ Brown retired. Yet, the Celtics are better. It’s about time Rondo got some credit for this. Mark Jackson called last night’s Celtics/Hawks game, and he has no problem with Rondo being on the all-star team. Bill Walton has stated numerous times during halftime shows that Rondo deserves to be on the spot, or else there is no justice in this country. At least that seems like something Walton would say. He also accused every NBA fan in the world of murdering former teammate Dennis Johnson because we didn’t put him in Springfield and he died of a broken heart, but I digress.

The Eastern Conference has slowly been gaining on the Western Conference over the last few years, especially this year with the awesome starts by the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. However, it is not a haven of top-flight point guards. The cream of the point guard crop – Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Steve Nash – all play in the West. Then there’s Jason Kidd, who might make the team because of fan voting. These fans will probably start Vince Carter at shooting guard for the East, so that shows you how much they know. I don’t believe the Celtics have played Nash’s Suns yet, but in the past week, they have played Paul’s Hornets and Williams’s Jazz. Against New Orleans, Rondo didn’t stop Chris Paul, but he neutralized him and didn’t allow him to put on his usual spectacular performance. Against Utah, not only did he slow Williams down to a crawl, but he was a rebound and two assists away from recording a triple double. Rondo has already recorded one triple double a little more than a week ago against the Indiana Pacers. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but it was the first time a player had gotten those specific numbers since Magic Johnson.

Let’s look at the rest of the Eastern Conference point guards under the assumption that the all-star team will likely select two, but no more than three.

Atlanta Hawks – Mike Bibby
Charlotte Bobcats – DJ Augustin/Raymond Felton
Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose
Cleveland Cavaliers – Mo Williams (LeBron James leads the team in assists, of course)
Indiana Pacers – TJ Ford/Jarrett Jack
Miami Heat – Mario Chalmers
Orlando Magic – Jameer Nelson
Philadelphia 76ers – Andre Miller
Detroit Pistons – Allen Iverson
Milwaukee Bucks – Luke Ridnour
New Jersey Nets – Devin Harris
New York Knicks – Chris Duhon
Toronto Raptors – Jose Calderon
Washington Wizards – Juan Dixon/Mike James

If it’s fan voting, Iverson will make it. He’s The Answer, after all. Never mind that the Pistons are worse with him in the lineup and his production is way down from where it was in Denver. I can make a case for Rose, who has met and possibly exceeded all expectations of a #1 pick so far in his young career. I can definitely make a case for Harris, who is leading the Nets in scoring and makes the Jason Kidd trade look stupid every game he plays. In fact, I’d go so far as to give Harris the nod as the starter in the game. He’s been that good. After that, I think the final spot is between Rondo, Rose and Calderon if it’s fan voting. You can never count out the Raptors because of how crazy their fans are. It’s hard to ignore the point guard on the best team in the league. Rondo outplayed Rose in the lone meeting between the Bulls and Celtics. Look at his performances in the last week against Paul and Williams. It’s a long way to the game, but if he keeps riding this kind of momentum against the top point guards in the game, you almost have to put him in the game. Just look at last night as an example of how Rondo can put on an all-star performance without putting up a lot of points. Not only did he keep Mike Bibby in check for much of the night, but he also had multiple key assists in the final minutes. Garnett did all of the scoring down the stretch for Boston, but Rondo got it to him in position to score every single time against the ferocious Hawks’ defense.

It’s pretty simple, really. If the people who watch the games get to vote, Rondo should make the all-star team without question. If not, then I have some more work to do.

EagleBank (Wake Forest vs. Navy)

SS: Wake Forest
KC: Wake Forest
DJ: Navy

New Mexico (Colorado State vs. Fresno State)

SS: Fresno State
KC Colorado State
DJ: Fresno State

St. Petersburg (South Florida vs. Memphis)
SS: South Florida
KC: South Florida
DJ: South Florida

Las Vegas (Arizona vs. BYU)

SS: BYU
KC: BYU
DJ: BYU

New Orleans (Southern Miss vs. Troy)

SS: Troy
KC: Southern Miss
DJ: Troy

Poinsettia (Boise State vs. TCU)

SS: Boise State
KC: Boise State
DJ: Boise State

Hawaii (Hawaii vs. Notre Dame)

SS: Hawaii
KC: Hawaii
DJ: Hawaii

Motor City (Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan)

SS: Central Michigan
KC: Central Michigan
DJ: Central Michigan

Meineke Car Care (West Virginia vs. North Carolina)

SS: North Carolina
KC: West Virginia
DJ: West Virginia

Champs Sports (Florida State vs. Wisconsin)

SS: Florida State
KC: Florida State
DJ: Wisconsin

Emerald (Miami vs. California)

SS: Miami
KC: Miami
DJ: Miami

Independence (Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech)

SS: Louisiana Tech
KC: Louisiana Tech
DJ: Northern Illinois

Papajohns.com (NC State vs. Rutgers)

SS: Rutgers
KC: NC State
DJ: Rutgers

Alamo (Missouri vs. Northwestern)

SS: Missouri
KC: Northwestern
DJ: Missouri

Humanitarian (Maryland vs. Nevada)

SS: Maryland
KC: Nevada
DJ: Maryland

Texas (Rice vs. Western Michigan)

SS: Western Michigan
KC: Western Michigan
DJ: Western Michigan

Holiday (Oklahoma State vs. Oregon)

SS: Oregon
KC: Oklahoma State
DJ: Oklahoma State

Armed Forces (Air Force vs. Houston)

SS: Houston
KC: Air Force
SS: Houston

Sun (Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh)

SS: Pittsburgh
KC: Oregon State
DJ: Oregon State

Music City (Boston College vs. Vanderbilt)

SS: Boston College
KC: Boston College
DJ: Vanderbilt

Insight (Kansas vs. Minnesota)

SS: Minnesota
KC: Kansas
DJ: Kansas

Chick-fil-A (Georgia Tech vs. LSU)

SS: Georgia Tech
KC: Georgia Tech
DJ: Georgia Tech

Outback (Iowa vs. South Carolina)

SS: Iowa
KC: South Carolina
DJ: Iowa

Capital One (Georgia vs. Michigan State)

SS: Georgia
KC: Georgia
DJ: Georgia

Gator (Clemson vs. Nebraska)

SS: Clemson
KC: Clemson
DJ: Clemson

Rose (Penn State vs. USC)

SS: USC
KC: USC
DJ: USC

Orange (Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech)

SS: Cincinnati
KC: Cincinnati
DJ: Virginia Tech

Cotton (Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech)

SS: Ole Miss
KC: Ole Miss
DJ: Texas Tech

Liberty (East Carolina vs. Kentucky)

SS: Kentucky
KC: Kentucky
DJ: Kentucky

Sugar (Alabama vs. Utah)

SS: Alabama
KC: Alabama
DJ: Alabama

International (Buffalo vs. Connecticut)

SS: Buffalo
KC: Buffalo
DJ: Buffalo

Fiesta (Ohio State vs. Texas)

SS: Texas
KC: Texas
DJ: Texas

GMAC (Ball State vs. Tulsa)

SS: Ball State
KC: Ball State
DJ: Tulsa

BCS National Title (Florida vs. Oklahoma)

SS: Florida
KC: Florida
DJ: Florida

Hopefully I dominate like I did last year.

In this piece, I’ll share cliff note thoughts on all of this season’s bowl games.

Eaglebank Bowl (Washington, DC): Navy vs. Wake Forest

I wonder if Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo enjoys being solicited over the phone. There wasn’t a big drop-off between this Navy team and Paul Johnson’s, and they should have a bit of a home field advantage, but not much. I like Wake’s speed and I like Jim Grobe. Wake wins by a touchdown.

New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque): Colorado State vs. Fresno State

Don’t know much about CSU, but I like Fresno. Pat Hill turned down a bunch of head coaching jobs during this dead period, so they should be emotionally in check. If CSU plays like I remember them, they run a lot, but Fresno defends the run well for a West Coast team. I like Fresno by two scores.

Magic Jack St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis vs. South Florida

More than one Conference USA team got a bowl? That’s amazing. South Florida got worse as the weather got cold, but they’re better than Memphis. Let’s go with the Bulls by 14 here with the home field advantage.

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona vs. BYU

Props to Mike Stoops for getting to a bowl and temporarily removing himself from the hot seat, but BYU is awesome. I’d put them at 3rd or 4th in the Pac-10, and I don’t think that’s much of a stretch. Arizona doesn’t have enough offense to keep up, so I’ll say BYU by nine.

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Troy

Another C-USA team got in – unbelievable. This just looks boring, and I like Troy by a field goal.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State vs. TCU

The Holiday Bowl is usually the best bowl in San Diego, but I think this one could surpass it this year. TCU only lost to Oklahoma and Utah, and they throttled BYU. Boise is undefeated. I’ll take the Broncos by four in a shootout.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Notre Dame

Can you say with great confidence that the Irish can beat a team right now? I can’t, so let’s say Hawaii by ten in their home stadium.

Motor City Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic

FAU has the edge on speed and have a legend on the sideline in Howard Schnellenberger, but I’m going with CMU for this one because they have one thing that FAU doesn’t – Dan LeFevour. He’s been the best player you’ve never heard of for three years. Chippewas win by six.

Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte): West Virginia vs. North Carolina

I’d pick WVU if the game weren’t being played in the Heels’ backyard. Pat White will be the best player on the field, but Carolina will have the better team and coach – Carolina by 11.

Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando): Wisconsin vs. Florida State

FSU has been pretty bad in bowls in recent years, but I think they’re slowly getting back to where they used to be. Wisconsin closed out the season terribly, so I can’t see them hanging on here. I like Florida State by a touchdown.

Emerald Bowl (San Francisco): California vs. Miami

I think this is Miami’s time to announce to the world that they’re coming back. Cal was mediocre in most ways in the Pac-10 this season, and I almost always go with the teams that have the most speed. Hurricanes win by 15.

Independence Bowl (Shreveport): Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech

I know nothing about either team, so let’s go with stereotypes. The school from the south probably has a big advantage on speed, so we’ll say Tech by a field goal.

Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham): NC State vs. Rutgers

As long as Mike Archer is the DC at NC State, I won’t pick his team to win a bowl. Rutgers had a nice finish to the season and could have scored 100 on Louisville. I like Rutgers by ten.

Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio): Missouri vs. Northwestern

If you like points, you’ll like this game. I want Northwestern to win because I want to see as many Big XII defenses get exposed as possible, but I think Missouri might have a tad too much firepower, so let’s say Tigers by four.

Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl (Boise): Maryland vs. Nevada

I can’t see Nevada hanging in this one. I also can’t see many people showing up for this one. Maryland wins by two scores.

Texas Bowl (Houston): Rice vs. Western Michigan

Yuck. It’s on NFL network too, so nobody will watch. WMU wins by one, I guess.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl (San Diego): Oklahoma State vs. Oregon

Both teams can put points on the board. OK State has a balanced attack and the Ducks run it down your throat. I’m partial to the running team. We see a lot of points, but Oregon has the ball last and wins by two.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forced Bowl (Fort Worth): Houston vs. Air Force

I’ll take the awesome passing attack of Houston in this one, but it will be close, especially if it’s cold. Houston wins by a touchdown.

Brut Sun Bowl (El Paso): Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh

Oregon State had all the momentum in the world until they ran into the rival Ducks. Pittsburgh is riding a huge wave of momentum after winning the Backyard Brawl. Plus, I think they’re better on defense. Panthers win by two scores.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt

God love Vandy, I think they’re just happy to be there, and I’m not bitter about their victory over us. They were better than us on that day, more power to them. BC is better than them. I like BC by at least 17.

Insight Bowl (Tempe): Kansas vs. Minnesota

It’s a good offense vs. a good defense. I think it will come down to which inferior unit (Kansas’ defense vs. Minnesota’s offense) emerges superior, and I’ll take the Gophers in a slugfest by five points.

Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta): Georgia Tech vs. LSU

Georgia Tech is playing great football and they get a home game. LSU is playing like garbage. Give me Tech by two touchdowns.

Outback Bowl (Tampa): South Carolina vs. Iowa

Iowa’s strength is Carolina’s weakness. The Hawkeyes run it down your throat and the Cocks struggle against the run. I’ll take Iowa by a field goal.

Capital One Bowl (Orlando): Georgia vs. Michigan State

Love me some Sparty, but I can’t see Georgia dropping this one. In fact, I think they’ll play like an angry group of Bulldogs that just escaped from Mike Vick’s house. Georgia by 14.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (Jacksonville): Nebraska vs. Clemson

How did these two teams get the Gator Bowl? Neither are particularly good, but Clemson is better, so they’ll win by 17.

AT&T Cotton Bowl (Dallas): Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech

Here’s my upset. The Rebels are playing as well as anybody right now, and Tech has to be smarting from not going to the BCS and Graham Harrell not being invited to New York. That’s a recipe for an upset, so I’ll take Ole Miss by four.

International Bowl (Toronto): Buffalo vs. Connecticut

I like Buffalo.

GMAC Bowl (Mobile): Ball State vs. Tulsa

The first time I watched Ball State was when they lost the MAC Championship to Buffalo. They can’t be that bad, can they? Ball State wins a shootout by five points.

There are six more games on the list: the Liberty Bowl and the five BCS bowls. Those will come tomorrow.

This game used to be THE premier college basketball OOC game, and I have a feeling that with Coaches Gillispie and Crean at the helm, pulling in top 10 recruiting classes, it will be back. These are the five I’ve actually seen that stand out. I’m aware of the 92-90 regional final win over IU in 1975, but I’ve never seen it, so I can’t give a proper assessment.

5. December 8, 1998: UK 70, IU 61

This was a pretty boring game for about 35 minutes. The good guys slowly built the lead as the second half progressed, capped off by one of the best in-game dunks you’ll ever see in your life. Mu Evans (whose name means “Strong Black Warrior” in Swahili – cue the NBC “The More You Know” jingle) drove down the left side on the baseline and went up and under with a reverse jam that sent the Kentucky section of Freedom Hall into a fit of orgasmic delight. Unfortunately, the game didn’t end right there, and as UK missed free throws down the stretch, Indiana started hitting threes and Dane Fife’s desperation bomb sent the game into overtime. The furious rally took all the steam out of Indiana, as Scott Padgett dominated the overtime period, drawing ire and a technical foul from Bob Knight.

4. December 7, 1996: UK 99, IU 65

Indiana was on a huge high following their win in the preseason NIT, and this was the first time in several years where it looked like they might actually win – wrong. Derek Anderson came out on fire and didn’t cool down the entire game. Ron Mercer heated up in the second half, like UK needed it. Anderson threw down a huge dunk on Andrae Patterson and then danced. It was a glorious night except for the time when Jared Prickett went out on a breakaway for a dunk and, of course, missed it. If memory serves me right, it was the worst that Bob Knight had ever been beaten at Indiana.

3. December 7, 1991: UK 76, IU 74

It was the last chance the Unforgettables had to beat Indiana, who was very good, but so were we. The best player on the court was Jamal Mashburn by a mile, and even though Indiana had an ungodly advantage at the FT line, Deron Feldhaus made enough threes to hold the Hoosiers off. When Greg Graham sprung loose for the potential game winner, everybody held their collective breath, but it wasn’t meant to be. Richie Farmer grabbed the rebound and collapsed to the floor in an overflow of joy, similar to Dikembe Mutombo when Denver beat Seattle in the playoffs. The seniors celebrated the win like they had just won a national championship, and honestly, can you blame them? They had lost to IU by 23, 2 and 3 points in their first three tries.

2. December 21, 2002: UK 70, IU 64

You could call this one an early Christmas present. IU was undefeated again, having won the Maui Invitational, so the Hoosier section was pretty boisterous. This was the first game of the season for Cliff Hawkins, who was coming off of academic suspension, and he made a huge difference on defense in the second half. But the rest of the defense hadn’t reached its typical 2003 level of awesome yet, so IU forward Jeff Newton had a field day, getting to the line way too many times for one player. The lead changed hands numerous times down the stretch, with the UK clutch plays coming from Marquis Estill and Jules Camara. Camara blocked Bracey Wright on a drive in the final seconds, which caused Mike Davis to lose his ever-loving mind. It’s truly a joy to watch, and even more fun to watch if you set it to the theme from “Benny Hill.”

1. January 3, 1993: UK 81, IU 78

What an amazing game. The good guys were #3 in the country, the bad guys #4. Each team had a POY candidate (Mashburn & Calbert Cheaney). Each team has a coach in the prime of his career, and both teams brought it. Indiana used their trademark motion offense to get the ball inside to Cheaney and hated Hoosier Matt Nover, who each scored 29 points. Kentucky, thanks to huge help from my favorite player ever, Andre Riddick, used the high screen to spring Mashburn and Travis Ford loose for open three after open three. Greg Graham was assigned to guard Ford, and Riddick, despite weighing as much as Graham, was able to destroy him on the screens. IU didn’t have an answer for that play. Indiana shot at least 25 more free throws than we did. Nover alone shot 20, and had he and his teammates hit them at a decent clip, they would have won by double figures. Neither team deserved to lose that game, and I long for the day when the rivalry can be this good again. Nothing against Lexington or Bloomington, but I miss having the games at Indianapolis and Louisville with the dividing line.

As for tomorrow’s game, I expect a pretty easy win. Indiana has absolutely nobody that can guard Patrick Patterson down low, so I don’t care if we turn it over a hundred times, we need to get it to him on every possession. Also, we need to see a ton of DeAndre Liggins tomorrow. There are pieces all over the UK blogosphere that give the all-important +/- statistic. Of the two guys on this team that play point guard, one of them has a huge +/-, and the other guy’s is astronomically low. You can figure out whose is high and whose is low. Now it’s just up to the coaching staff to figure it out. Not playing the best guys cost Kentucky the Miami game, and God forbid it cost them a game against an opponent as bad as Indiana.