UofL vs UK, Basketball

UofL won this game 74-71, on a 30-foot 3-point shot by Edgar Sosa with 2.8 seconds remaining. The game was tied at 71 with 16 seconds left, after UofL gave up a 4 point lead on two Earl Clark turnovers. Meeks and Patterson had wonderful games for Kentucky. Any success UK is to see this season will hinge on the performance of these two players.

With UofL, the key to playing well is emotion. Specifically, the players emotional state of mind. Sosa is a great example of this. He's been in a slide ever since he missed what would have been the game-winning shot against Texas A&M in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Overall, his confidence was shaken, and he plays better if he is confident in what he is doing. He will have a good game if he can hit an early shot. If he does not, then usually he will have a bad game. Hopefully, this game-winning shot will last in his mind a while.

But Sosa is not the only player who's performance depends on his mindset. Clark and Samuels are also like this. Clarks shot has been off, and you can see it in his body language and his expression. Same thing with Samuels. There are times when he is having a difficult time adjusting to college ball. Now, this is not a critique of anyone's work ethic. I have not felt like any player has given up on a game.

UofL vs. UK: 2008 Football Edition

Wow. I was not expecting UofL's offense to just not show up today. Granted, they did lose the starting quarterback, their top 3 wide receivers, and 2 of their top 3 running backs, so it should not be that big of a surprise. Cantwell did not have a good game, and with the exception of Beaumont, the receivers did not help him out at all. The last time UofL was shutout was Sept. 23, 2000 at Florida State. I know that they were not technically shut out here, it might as well have been.

The offense lost this game. If someone had told me that the deffense was only going to give up 6 points today, I would have been ecstatic. (I do not blame the defense for a rushing touchdown given up immediately after a turnover.) I was really pleased with how the defense played today. They were able to contain UK's rushing attack, which is what I was worried about heading into today. If they play like that for the rest of the season, this team will have chances to win, if the offense shows up.

I can hear the calls for Jurich to fire Kragthorpe coming from the message boards, which I do not read anymore. I say, not so fast. Yes, Petrino was winning, but he did not leave the program in good shape. There were numerous disiplinary issues that Petrino ignored, and Kragthorpe would not. I would imagine that Kragthorpe will have one more year, regardless of how this season goes. This is a rebuilding process, and it does not happen immediately. To bad people have no idea what patience is.