"Should I stay, or should I go?

By Paul Gotham

John Wall, Antoine Walker and Joe Strummer

‘Tis the season to figure out who is staying and who is leaving.  Wait! Is that a Clash song I hear you humming? That’s right -  “Should I stay, or should I go?”

Click here to get Sports Illustrated’s most recent list of 2010 NBA draft early entries.   The list is still growing. CBS’s Gary Parrish is reporting that Memphis’s Elliot Williams intends to dip his toes into the water and check the temperature. How far behind is Duke’s Kyle Singler?

With Williams included, that makes 45 early entries. Someone check my math on that one, and correct me if I am wrong. There are 30 teams in the NBA. There are two rounds in the NBA Draft. That means sixty guys will hear their name called on June 24th.

Many are referring to the possible lockout as motivation for the large number of early entrants. I realize this a naive view, but look at that logic. These guys are leaving a chance to play for the possibility of sitting out. I know; I know. It’s all about the cash.

Excuse me for a second.

I had to go rinse the vomit from my mouth.

Hopefully, some of these guys will come to their senses by the May 8th deadline to remove a name and maintain college eligibility. Have any of these guys considered that Michael Jordan played three years in the NCAA? Have any of them heard or read the cautionary tale of Antoine Walker? If not, they could click here for one version. Or, click here for another version. If a fourth story is needed, then click here.

Anyone sick of clicking yet?

I can provide more links if needed. Just leave a comment, I’ll post a couple more. We aim to please here at Pickin’ Splinters.

I understand John Wall leaving. His only rival when it comes to hype is…is…um…the Jonas Brothers?

I’ll let you think about that one for a minute.

Seriously, does he think the NBA is going to be any easier than that game against West Virginia?

Funny thing is, when I look at that list, at least half of those guys are going to the NBA because they think it will be easier. Think about it. They can’t hack the requirements of college life, so they go to the Association. At what point do NBA execs realize this, and stop drafting guys who are looking for the easy way out?

Has anyone considered that MJ has contributed to the current watered down level of play in the Association?

Merry go round

“In dreams. Writes ‘em down it seems. When she sleeps, she’s free. Merry go round in dreams.”

Players aren’t the only ones making moves. Now is the time for upwardly mobile coaches to claim their stake.

Click here for a list of most of the coaching changes up to this point.

Some worth noting. Oliver Purnell makes the move from Clemson to DePaul. When DePaul hesitated on this hire, I thought for sure they were waiting for the Duke season to end. I expected either one of the Chicago natives on the Duke staff – Chris Collins or Steve Wojciechowski – would make the move.

This is a noble move by Purnell as he tries to resurrect the once proud DePaul program. Purnell did a great job bringing back the Dayton program. He kept Clemson afloat. Here’s the thing, Purnell has NEVER won an NCAA Tournament game. Will he learn his lesson? Purnell’s teams start great and fade because they make a living on full-court pressure. You can’t give good teams a steady diet of full-court pressure. Early in the year, you might catch a team unprepared. That won’t happen in February or March.

Sad to see Fran McCaffery leave Siena. He had a good thing going, and a strong group returning for next year.  Here’s hoping Mitch Buonaguro can keep things moving in a positive direction.

Iowa fans should ready themselves for McCaffery’s teams to play up-tempo basketball.

Cheers to Brad Stevens. The Butler coach avoided making like a Monkees’ song and using the Bulldogs as his “stepping stone.” Stevens signed to stay with Butler through…a whole lotta years. Parrish quickly pointed out this doesn’t mean Stevens will stay for the duration.

When Stevens considered his options, it probably didn’t hurt that Butler returns four starters and three important bench players. Did I hear correctly? Is Butler’s incoming class rated higher than Syracuse’s?

The mother of all head scratchers has to be the firing of Dino Gaudio by Wake Forest. Slice this however you want. What it comes down to? The Wake Forest AD (who shall remain nameless for now) has a buddy (who also shall remain nameless for now) who is struggling to win games, and he wants to give him a clean slate.

Good luck!

Gaudio will land on his feet somewhere. Here’s hoping Gaudio takes the Clemson job and kicks the snot out of the Demon Deacons. Fact is, Gaudio probably would not stoop to that level, and the Tigers are already set to name Brad Brownell as their replacement.

Strength of schedule shift?

How will Butler’s run to the national finals affect SOS in the future? Consider this – the Bulldogs arrived at The Dance with four losses: Minnesota (they made the tournament), Clemson (also invited), Georgetown (punched a ticket) AND…AND…UAB! In fact, the Blazers won that game by 10 – Butler’s largest losing margin all season. Take a guess at UAB’s record. I’ll give you a few seconds – let the Jeopardy music play.

Okay, if you guessed 17-17, you would be wrong. If you took a stab with 19-15, again, you would not be right.

The UAB Blazers finished 25-9 and lost in the NIT tournament. If the committee had a chance to do it again, do you think they would put more value on UAB’s win over Butler? How will that affect future decisions?

Of course, none of this will matter when the tournament goes to 96 teams. Tell me something.  Is the NCAA tournament going to adapt some form of T-Ball rules where everyone gets an at bat every inning?

More strength of schedule

Can you name the Sweet Sixteen team from this year’s tournament that played the most Sweet Sixteen opponents in their non-conference schedule? In other words, which school had the most teams on their non-conference schedule that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen?

Again, I’ll give Alex Trebeck his due.

The answer: the Xavier Musketeers. The Muskies played Butler, Baylor, and Kansas State in their non-conference portion of the schedule.

Got any College Basketball splinters? Post them here.

By Paul Gotham

Setting: The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York is the place for the East Regional final as Bob Huggins and his No.2 seed West Virginia Mountaineers (30-6) tip it off with John Calipari and the No. 1 seed Kentucky Wildcats (35-2).

Plot: Big East clashes with the SEC for a spot in the Final Four. The Mountaineers seek their first trip to the Final Four in 50 years. WVU lost the national championship in 1959. Kentucky won the national title in 1998. The Wildcats have not made it back to the Final Four since then.

Sub-plot: With a win, Calipari will take a third different school to the Final Four. WVU would be the second school Huggins has taken to the last weekend of the season. Huggins is 7-1 all-time against Calipari.  WVU will play without their starting point guard, Darryl Bryant who was injured in practice.

Flashback: Jodie Meeks dropped 19 and Patrick Patterson added 15 as the Wildcats trimmed the Mountaineers 54-43 in last year’s Las Vegas Invitational.

Kentucky holds a 13-4 advantage in a series that dates back to the 1923-24 season. The Wildcats have taken the previous seven games in the series. The last time WVU beat Kentucky was 1959 – a 79-70 triumph in the Kentucky Invitational.

West Virginia is making its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament and third trip to the Elite Eight.  This is Kentucky’s 50th appearance in The Dance. The ‘Cats have 13 Final Four appearances and seven national championships.

Foreshadowing: Thirteen Mountaineers have played in the NBA. Joe Alexander is the only current alum of West Virginia basketball in the Association. Sixty-seven Wildcats have made their way into the NBA including current players Kelenna Azubuike, Keith Bogans, Chuck Hayes, Jamal Magloire, Jodie Meeks, Nazr Mohammed, Randolph Morris, Tayshaun Prince and Rajon Rondo.

Conflict:  Who will establish tempo, and which players will execute? Kentucky averages almost 79 a game while allowing 60.  West Virginia goes for almost 73 and keeps opponents to 63. Thursday night, they held Washington to 24 points under their average.

Huggins deploys seven of his troops for double digit minutes. Da’Sean Butler leads three Mountaineers in double figures.

Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks combine for 25 points and 15 and a half rebounds for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers hold a +7 advantage on the glass.

WVU will need to slow the ‘Cats in transition.

Freshman phenom, John Wall, leads four Wildcats in double figures with 16 and a half per game. Wall adds 6.6 assists, four rebounds, and just under two steals.

Eric Bledsoe averages 39.8 percent from long range. It is not so much that Bledsoe has hit from behind, but that he is threat from long range. West Virginia will need to stay close to Bledsoe which opens up more room for Wall to drive.

Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins combine for 17 boards per game. Cousins grabs almost four offensive rebounds per game. The front court tandem scores almost 30 a game.

Resolution: In the Regional semi-final Cornell held Kentucky to 62 points. The Wildcats did not break 40 until the game’s 32nd minute. Huggins had a front-row seat for the game. Can the Mountaineers execute a page or two from the Big Red’s play book? West Virginia will need to resist the temptation to get into a track meet with Kentucky.That would be an exercise in futility. The Mountaineers need to win the game in the paint.

Huggins’ troops will slow it down and give Butler another chance to finish one. WVU advances to the Final Four.

Got any comments on the game? Post them here.

"Shoot at the middle rim."

By Patrick ‘Rey’ Reynell

Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska and vice-presidential candidate, has caught some criticism at a recent convention for apparently writing notes on her left hand. Who knows what she really recorded on the all-natural notepad. Perhaps some notes to not forget in her speech or maybe just a reminder of what to do or not to do.

This got me thinking about athletes and their struggles in front of the microphone. Some could use their own notes so they stop putting their figurative foot in their mouth, while others could use some reminders to not repeat bad behavior. So I wonder: what notes and reminders would some athletes write on their palms?

Shaquille O’Neal, Cleveland Cavaliers center at the free throw line: “Shoot at the rim in the middle.”

Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts coach: “Game face at all times.”

Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers center: “Don’t tick off former g/fs w/ cameras.”

Danica Patrick, newest NASCAR driver: “Walk away from ‘rear-ending’ jokes.”

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals: “Do NOT forget front tooth today.”

Rick Barnes, University of Texas basketball coach: “Call NCAA about Kevin’s eligibility.”

John Wall, University of Kentucky freshman point guard: “I love playing for Coach Cal.”

Larry Drew, UNC point guard: “Order transcripts for transfer.”

Roy Williams, UNC basketball coach: “Order transcripts for Larry Drew.”

John Terry, Chelsea and England national team midfielder: “Stop answering Victoria Beckham’s calls.”

Pete Rose, MLB all-time hits leader: “Deny Deny Deny … ‘I’m sorry.’”

Mark McGwire, former single season HR record holder: “I’m not here to talk about the past.”

Tiger Woods, pro golfer: Right hand: “I’m here to talk about golf” Left Hand: “Don’t answer John Terry’s calls.”

Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings QB: “I ________ be back.”

Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks coach: “Call Calipari – thank him for advice.”

Got any additions? Let ‘The Pine’ hear ‘em!

By Paul Gotham

South Carolina slays KU

Indiana Hoosier fans can rest easy. Your’75-’76 Hoosiers still hold the title as – the last division one men’s basketball team to go undefeated.

Not that there was any real cause for concern.

Devan Downey led a spirited Gamecock squad to an upset of the previously last remaining undefeated team, Kentucky. Downey scored 30 including 17 in the second half as South Carolina triumphed 68-62. Twice Downey converted three pointers the old-fashioned way as South Carolina outscored Kentucky in the second half, 42-33.  The senior guard also hit 10 of 11 from the free throw line.

There is not any one number that jumps out and indicates how South Carolina upset Kentucky. Rather, the Gamecocks brought a balanced attack into the game.

Sam Muldrow grabbed 11 boards as the Gamecocks out-rebounded the Wildcats, 40-38. Kentucky entered play Tuesday with a rebound margin of 4.8. The Wildcats had been previously out-rebounded just three times.  South Carolina limited Kentucky to 13 offensive rebounds – their fourth lowest output of the season.

South Carolina held Kentucky to just 57 shots on the night.  In comparison, the Wildcats took 77 against Arkansas and 68 versus Florida. But it’s not just that South Carolina cut down on the number of shots, but it’s how the Gamecocks did it. South Carolina made Kentucky play half-court offense much of the night. The Wildcats want to get out in transition and get into 3 on 2 or 2 on 1 situations. South Carolina eliminated those opportunities.

Kentucky finished the night 22 of 57 from the field (38.6 percent) including 3 of 12 (25 percent) from behind the three-point arc.

A telling number was the amount of time played by Kentucky’s starters. Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall all played 34 or more minutes. Eric Bledsoe logged 31 minutes. These guys are accustomed to playing five minutes less per game. The Wildcat bench might become an issue at some point this season.

South Carolina fans stormed the court and earned the school a fine.

Indiana finished the ’75-’76 season 32-0.

Shot selection leads to Temple victory

Being limited to fewer shots does not always equate with a losing performance.

If ever a new secretary of energy is needed, Temple’s head coach, Fran Dunphy, might be the man. Dunphy’s Owls showed how to get a lot out of little indefeating Xavier 77-72.

Temple needed just 49 shots to account for the night’s total. The Owls shot 59.2 percent from the field including five of ten from behind the three-point arc.

In each of Temple’s three losses this year they took more shots and scored fewer points. Georgetown defeated the Owls 46-45 in a game where Dunphy’s squad shot 18 of 56 from the field. In an 84-52 loss to Kansas, Temple went 16-64. The Owls shot 18-64 while losing to St. John’s 55-48.

Xavier is no slouch on defense. The Muskies limit opponents to 40 percent from the field. The nation’s leader, Florida State, holds opposing shooters to 35.5 percent.

What was the difference? Temple played a patient game against the X-Men. They worked the ball from side to side, created a rhythm and found open shooters. There is a better tendency for that to happen when the defense is responsible fr the entire width of the court. Against Kansas and St. John’s, Temple rushed shots.

Player to watch: Julius Coles, Canisius

The junior guard averages 15 points and 5 rebounds for the Griffins. At 6’4″ and 180 pounds, Coles is not going to move anybody out of his way. But he is a lanky guard who is difficult to keep a body on when a shot caroms off the rim. Coles connects 35 percent (41-117) of the time from behind the arc. He has a quick release. Defenders struggle to defend his shot when he gets the ball to his release point.

A.P.B.:  Pac 10

This week’s polls had a conspicuous absentee: the Pac 10. The conference considered the king of the west did not have any ranked teams. None. Nada. Zilch. In fact, only California managed any votes: two votes from the AP and two votes from ESPN. No school in the conference has fewer than six losses. California, Arizona St. and Washington all have six defeats. USC and Washington have each lost seven games. UCLA is 9-10.

1st Team All Casey

PG Scottie Reynolds – Villanova

SG Jeremy Hazell – Seton Hall

SF Wesley Johnson – Syracuse

PF Al-Farouq Aminu – Wake Forest

C Cole Aldrich – Kansas

2nd Team All Casey

PG – Sherron Collins – Kansas

SG  Jordan Crawford – Xavier

SF  Evan Turner – Ohio State

PF  Patrick Patterson – Kentucky

C Jarvis Varnado – Miss State

Got any college basketball splinters? Share them here.

By Paul Gotham

Setting: It’s time for an SEC showdown at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the University of Florida campus.  John Calipari comes calling with his No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (16-0/1-0) to take on Billy Donovan and his Florida Gators (11-4/0-1).

Plot: After beginning the season with eight victories, the Gators have limped through a 3-4 stretch with losses to Richmond, South Alabama and most recently at Vanderbilt, 95-87. Six of Kentucky’s victories have been by single digits.

Sub-plot: Florida has shown flashes of brilliance this year. They recovered from a second-half eight-point deficit to draw even with the Syracuse Orange in November. Kentucky deceives its opponents into thinking they can be beaten. SEC rival, Tennessee knocked Kansas from the ranks of the undefeated by going with a zone. Will Billy Donovan follow Bruce Pearl’s lead?

Flashback: Walter Hodge led Florida with 18 points as the Gators closed last year’s SEC regular season play with a 60-53 victory over Kentucky. Alex Tyus added 11, and Erving Walker chipped in 10 off the bench. Kentucky leads the all-time series 86-32, but Florida has won the last five in Gainesville and eight of the last ten meetings between these rivals.

The two schools have combined for 15 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2001. The Wildcats reached the Elite Eight in 2003 and 2005. Florida won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007.

Foreshadowing: Sixty-seven Wildcats have made their way into the NBA including current players Kelenna Azubuike, Keith Bogans, Chuck Hayes, Jamal Magloire, Jodie Meeks, Nazr Mohammed, Randolph Morris, Tayshaun Prince and Rajon Rondo. Twenty former Gators have made rosters in the Association. Current players include Matt Bonner, Corey Brewer, Udonis Haslem, Al Horford, David Lee, Mike Miller, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights and Jason Williams.

Tone: Florida needs redemption. Losing four of their last seven has the Gators in a tail spin. Knocking off the number two team in the country could propel Florida into SEC play. Going undefeated is unrealistic in 21st century division one play. Kentucky will lose eventually. Is it tonight?

Conflict: Nine Wildcats average double-figure minutes played per game.

Six Gators log at least 22 minutes per game. Ray Shipman plays just under 15 minutes per contest. Erik Murphy gets 9.8 per game. Which number is closer to reality and which is closer to fiction?

Do all the Wildcats get meaningful minutes, or has Calipari been able to substitute liberally in blowout games?

Five Gators average double figure points per game while three Wildcats score 15 or more.

Kentucky scores at a rate of 82.4 per tilt. Florida holds its opponents to 61.7 per game. Kentucky has a rebound margin of 10.6 while Florida grabs 2.6 more boards than its opponents.

Kentucky hands out 16.6 assists per game. Florida gets eights steal per night.

Which force will succeed?

Figuring out Kentucky out Kentucky becomes an analysis of the cart and horse theory.

Popular opinion suggests rookie sensation John Wall is the horse. Wall leads the Wildcats with 17,  seven assists and two steals.

Would Wall’s effectiveness decrease if he did not have Eric Bledsoe hitting threes. Bledsoe averages 45.2 percent from long range. It is not so much that Bledsoe has hit from behind the arc, but it is THAT he can hit from long range. Bledsoe nailed back-to-back three pointers as the Wildcats took a one-point halftime lead over Indiana and turned the game into a 17-point blowout.

Of course, Bledsoe and Wall benefit from Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins combining for 17.5 boards per game. Cousins grabs almost four offensive rebounds per game.

Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker combine for 26 points and eight and a half assists per game to lead the Gators. The back-court tandem has hit 60 three pointers and 73 free throws.

Vernon Macklin, Alex Tyus, and Dan Werner will have the responsibility for keeping the Wildcats off the boards. The trio combines for 17 rebounds.

Chandler Parson adds 11 points and six and a half rebounds off the bench.

Symbol: Florida prides itself on defensive pressure, but playing an extended man-to-man against Kentucky is a losing proposition. Will Billy Donovan deploy a zone?

Resolution: There is long way to go before the end of the season, but Florida needs this game more than Kentucky.  The Gators can not afford to start out conference play in a two-game hole.

As a team, the Gators shoot 70.4 percent from the free throw line. Kentucky finishes 68.6 percent from the stripe, but the Wildcats have made 118 more attempts (398-280) than their conference rival.

Kentucky is ripe for a loss, and the Gators are prepared to do the picking.

Got any comments on the game? Please post them here.

Henry - Photo by REUTERS/Dave Kaup

By Paul Gotham

Kansas vs. Temple: the difference between 1 and 18

Saturday, Fran Dunphy and his No. 18 Temple Owls got a front row view as to why the Kansas Jayhawks rank number one in the nation. Temple completed an undefeated December. Kansas was on the road. Everything looked good for the Owls.  That was until Kansas went on a 19-4 run en route to an 84-52 victory.

Much of the discussion surrounding the game has focused on the Kansas offense. And why not, the Jayhawks shot over 54 percent from the field. On the surface, Kansas played like the cliche runaway train.

Things is, poor offense by the Owls engineered the Jayhawk locomotive.

With 8:24 remaining in the first half, Juan Fernandez knocked down a three to pull Temple within a deuce, 19-17. That was as close as the Owls would get, and their shot selection doomed them.

Temple actually took more shots than Kansas. The Owls finished the game with 64 attempts while Kansas took 55. The disparity comes as the result of a handful of possessions where the Owls beat the Jayhawks to long rebounds.

The problem was that as soon as the Owls secured the rock they could not wait to jack up another shot.

Temple finished the game 5-29 from the three-point arc. Kansas, on the other hand, 7-13. For those of you scratching your head, you are not alone. The Jayhawks took 16 fewer threes and made two more than Temple.

It was Kansas’s other 63 points that were the difference. Temple’s many ill-advised shots resulted in a highlight reel of lay ups at the other end. Kansas frustrated Temple’s offense all day. The Owls could not consistently pass on the interior and settled for long shots. The Jayhawks converted those opportunities at the other end.

Fran Dunphy now has the chance to teach his kids a few lessons on patience. There is a good chance he will say the following once or twice at practice: a bad shot at one end becomes a lay up at the other end.

As for Kansas, it is like I am watching the October – November New Orleans Saints: I haven’t seen that many weapons in one place since I saw PBS documentary on the Taliban (yes, I used that one before). Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, and Marcus Morris just come in waves. Then you throw in Tyshawn Taylor and Xavier Henry. Geez!!!  That’s a lot of firepower. Oh yeah, and Brady Morningstar is back after suspension. And don’t forget C.J. Henry and Markieff Morris. The Jayhawks are tough to defend with an extended man to man.

Henry is special. Kentucky’s John Wall gets all the hype, but Henry is just as good. Of course, it helps that he is in that lineup.

Since I mentioned the Saints, the concern for Kansas has to be the possibility of peaking too early. A dose of Big12 action should bring them down to size.  Only one regular season game between Kansas and Texas: February eighth. Kansas catches Kansas State twice (1/30 and 3/3).

Speaking of the Horns

The Big 12′s other undefeated team is the Texas Longhorns at 14-0. But the Horns have been living dangerously.

Three night after trimming the Texas A&M-CC (not short for community college – rather Corpus Christi), 76-70, the Horns led the Arkansas Razorbacks by two with eight minutes remaining.  Damion James scored eight points in the final two minutes as Texas won, 96-85.

"This coaching thing can be tiring." AP Photo/Gerry Broome

Carolina blues

According to Mike DeCourcy from Sporting News, the message board in the UNC locker room is an eye-catcher: “Will we make the tournament?”

Forgive me if I’m not buying it. Yeah, Ol’ Roy can scare a bunch of teenagers, but it’s going to take more than that to fool the rest of us.

Sure, Carolina’s four losses is the most among the top 25. But look closely, the Heels have fallen to Syracuse, Texas, and Kansas. Who wouldn’t? Even Carolina’s defeat at the hands of College of Charlestonhas extenuating circumstances: Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves watched the game in street clothes – the two guards recovering from injuries.

In case you didn’t catch it, check out the three at the buzzer by Andrew Goudelock.

So Carolina is down a little, but don’t count them out. Few schools could lose guys like Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington and Green and still sniff the top 25. Of course, if anyone else was coaching the Heels, it would be a different story. It’s just that that I derive a mild amount of twisted satisfaction watching Roy have to actually try and coach this year. It’s a little different when you don’t have player of the year candidates in the lineup.

An alternative to the Skip Prosser Classic?

The Xavier-Wake Forest match up lived up to its billing. Ishmael Smith earned a POTW nomination as the Deacs took a double OT thriller 83-79. The game was scheduled to be the first of a ten game series honoring the late Skip Prosser.

Not if Wake Forest coach, Dino Gaudio, has his way. Gaudio did not enjoy playing and/or beating his friends at Xavier. Dan Collins is reporting that the Wake coach has suggested a showcase that would consist of two games at one site. Wake would play a team other than Xavier from the A10, and the Musketeers would do battle with an ACC school. Sounds like a great idea to honor the memory of Skip Prosser. Here’s hoping Gaudio has his way.

Scott Sutton: Keeping it in the family

Growing up, Scott Sutton witnessed plenty of basketball. His hall-of-fame father Eddie won over 800 games at the division one level. When the younger Sutton got his chance, he took it. Eleven years later, Scott Sutton has made a name for himself at Oral Roberts University. Dana O’Neil chronciled Sutton’s time on the sidelines. Sutton guided the Golden Eagles to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances between 2006-08. Despite a rash of injuries, Sutton has Oral Roberts primed for another run this year. Thus far, Oral Roberts has wins over Stanford, Missouri, and then No.12 New Mexico.

Got any college basketball splinters? Share them here.

Leading up to the 2009 NIT Season Tip Off on November 16th, Pickin’ Splinters will be counting down the top 25 of the college hardwood nation.

’08 – ’09 Results: 22 – 14 (8 – 8 SEC) Lost in the third round of the NIT Tournament to Notre Dame, 77 – 67.

Coach: John Calipari (first season) 444 – 140 17 seasons

Key Returners:

Patrick Patterson – 17.9ppg, 9.3rpg

Darius Miller – 5.3ppg, 3.1rpg

Perry Stevenson – 7.8ppg, 5.9rpg

Ramon Harris – 5.5ppg, 3.8rpg

Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 11/24 vs. Cleveland State, 11/25 vs. Stanford or Virginia, 12/5 vs. North Carolina, 12/9 vs. UConn, 12/12 at Indiana, 1/2 vs. Louisville

Stat of Identity: 77.3% from the free throw line – 6th in the nation.

By Paul Gotham

Kentucky’s Wildcats have made grabbing headlines a major pre-occupation this off-season – not always to their liking. New head coach, John Calipari, found himself having to answer questions about his former place of  employment. Recruit, John Wall, recently found his eligibility called into question.

Calipari and his Wildcats will need to cast aside any and all distractions and focus on the task of grabbing positive headlines.

Veterans, Patrick Patterson and Darius Miller will lead the way, but this Wildcat squad might be more about its freshman than its experience.

DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Wall come with plenty of fanfare. The three freshmen are immediately expected to jump into the Kentucky and make an impact. Calipari is experienced with helping freshmen make a quick adjustment into the college. The Calipari has done well in the past using freshmen, but he has never done it at Kentucky where every move will be scrutinized.

Not only will Calipari need to bring along his freshmen quickly, but the upper-classmen will need to adapt to Calipari’s ‘dribble drive’ offense. While the set is not overly complicated, it will still take some getting used to.

An area of concern for Calipari has to be success from the three-point arc. Kentucky converted 202 trifectas last year – 117 came from the fingertips of the now departed Jodie Meeks. Without a deep threat, defense will easily collapse on Patterson in the post.

At 6’7″, Miller will present match up problems for opponents. The guard should get good looks at the basket.

Sophomores, Darnell Dodson and DeAndre Liggins will see time off the bench.

Considering the free throw woes of his Memphis teams, it will be interesting to see how Calipari’s Wildcats do from the charity stripe. Kentucky ranked high in this category last year.