Kyle Wiltjer

LEXINGTON - Kentucky had just won by 32 points against Samford Tuesday night, but the postgame mood of the Wildcats did not reflect the point gap. After heading into the locker room with a 45-14 halftime lead, UK only outscored Samford 43-42 in the second half, drawing the ire of Coach John Calipari. The cause for his team's sluggish second half, according to Calipari, was a lack of conditioning. He said that no player on the team could play for longer than three minutes at a time because they were so “out of shape.” With this in mind, he will institute “Camp Cal for the next three weeks,” which will get the players' heart rates up to 175-180, according to the coach.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky coach John Calipari issued a challenge to Kyle Wiltjer following Kentucky's loss to Duke last week. After seeing Wiltjer score just five points against the Blue Devils following a 19-point outing in a season-opening win over Maryland, Calipari asked Wiltjer to work harder to get his shot and be more aggressive without the ball. Wiltjer responded to Calipari's call by scoring a season-high 23 points Friday night in the Wildcats' 101-49 rout of Lafayette at Rupp Arena.

LEXINGTON¿ - Kyle Wiltjer's first shot at Rupp¿Arena was a missed tip in the paint. The rest were mostly away from the rim. Wiltjer, a freshman, tied white squad teammate Anthony Davis for team-high scoring honors with 27 points in the team's intrasquad Blue-White scrimmage Wednesday night at Rupp¿Arena. In the first 10 minutes, Wiltjer misfired on a jump hook and his first two shots, but rarely missed once he moved past the jitters and got into a rhythm. His first two made baskets included a 3-pointer, the first of five shots Wiltjer made from long range against the blue team, which defeated the White squad 126-104.

LEXINGTON - Kyle Wiltjer can make shots as he proved again here Thursday night against Northwood. The Kentucky sophomore forward was 5-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and had 12 points in 23 minutes in the 93-61 exhibition victory. However, Wiltjer also had just one offensive rebound - and no defensive rebounds - and only one assist and that limited his playing time. “I was on him because he's got to come up with balls. You can't play a game thinking, well, if I make shots, I play.

Kyle Wiltjer felt Kentucky's season was an “eye-opener” for him and teammates following the national championship year when everything seemed to go right for the Wildcats. “It just shows us how much work we have to put in to get better individually and as a team,” said Wiltjer after UK's season ended with a NIT loss at Robert Morris. “It has been a disappointing season, but life is more than just basketball. We have to really stay positive and use this loss to our advantage now and use this season, as bad as it was, to learn from it and get better.” Wiltjer averaged 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

If Kyle Wiltjer ever lacks for inspiration at Kentucky, all he has to do is think about his long-time mentor, NBA all-star Steve Nash. Nash is a former teammate of Wiltjer's father, Greg, and has been an inspiration to the Kentucky sophomore for years. “He has been kind of a mentor to me. Whenever he was in town in Portland, (Ore.), we would go watch him play and see him after the games,” Wiltjer said. “Seeing a player of his caliber and having a relationship with him is great.

LEXINGTON - Having Kyle Wiltjer score in a variety of ways against Tennessee did more than just add to the Kentucky sophomore's confidence. “It builds his confidence and builds our confidence, too,” UK¿freshman Alex Poythress said. “When he is out there, he brings a lot of things to the table. He is 3-point shooter and is a great free throw shooter, too. But he showed he can score in other ways. “I think he can be a good defender when he wants to be and when he chases down the ball screens.

LEXINGTON - After Kentucky had to come from behind Wednesday to beat Morehead, coach John Calipari had a simple warning for sophomore forward Kyle Wiltjer. “They wanted Kyle, and I told Kyle, 'This isn't last year. You want to be on the court, you got to guard somebody. They went at you every single time,” said Calipari.  “He's got to learn. He's also got to come up with balls.  Willie (Cauley-Stein) looked a little overwhelmed because it got a little physical.  You want to stay in the game you better fight like heck.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer will return to the Kentucky men's basketball program for the 2013-14 season, while Archie Goodwin will forego his sophomore season and enter his name in the 2013 NBA Draft, head coach John Calipari announced Monday. “I'm excited that Willie and Kyle have decided to return for next season,” Calipari said. “When we talk about a players-first program, our goal is for each player to reach his dreams. Willie and Kyle believe it is in their best interest to return to Kentucky next season to achieve those dreams, and I fully support their decisions.

Kentucky sophomore Kyle Wiltjer could have enhanced his chances of playing in the 2016 Olympics for Canada with his play last week during a gathering of about 30 of Canada's top players in Toronto after former NBA coach Jay Triano was named coach of the Canadian national team. “There were pro players and college players,” said Greg Wiltjer, Kyle's father. “Basically, they brought in anybody that could be a potential Olympic athlete in 2016, or tried to do that. It had to be good for him. For me as a former player and Canadian, this is the best team the national team has ever had. When I played and we made it to the bronze medal game (in the Olympics)

Mark Dec. 28 as the day where anyone who is a college basketball fan will be paying attention to the Bluegrass. Sources have confirmed that's the date for the Kentucky-Louisville game in Rupp Arena. Kentucky won the national championship in 2012 and Louisville won this year. With the return of veteran guard Russ Smith and a talented recruiting class, Louisville should go into the season as a top five team. With the return of Alex Poythress, Willie-Cauley Stein and Kyle Wiltjer to go with six McDonald's All-Americans and two-in state recruits, Kentucky seems set to go into the season ranked No. 1 despite playing in the NIT and losing to Robert Morris to end last season.

LEXINGTON - Nerlens Noel is headed to the NBA, and could be the No. 1 pick in the June draft, but he thinks Kentucky has a rising star for next year in center Willie Cauley-Stein. “Another year, Willie can be one of the best big men in the country, definitely. I'm sure he will be. Willie is a freak athlete. He's 7-foot, he's fast, quick, he has all the intangibles to be great,” said Noel. “Next year, I'm sure he's going to dominate the collegiate rankings and move on to bigger and better things.” Cauley-Stein was the last heralded member of UK's 2012 recruiting class, but was ranked as the nation's 10th best high school center by Scout.com and sixth best by Rivals.com.

Nerlens Noel is ready for the next step in his career. The University of Kentucky freshman center announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft Monday, ending speculation concerning his future with the team. “I have loved my time at Kentucky, but I feel that I'm ready to take the next step to the NBA,” he said in a university release. Noel joins Archie Goodwin as the team's two freshman players who will leave the school for the professional ranks. Alex Poythress, Kyle Wiltjer and Willie Cauley-Stein announced their intentions to return earlier this month.

For about 10 days, Antoine Poythress spent time gathering information and having discussions about what future opportunities might be there for his son, Kentucky freshman Alex Poythress. “We were trying to figure out the best decision and wanted to take our time,” said Antoine Poythress. “I was gathering information from various sources and trying to cross reference it. There is not a lot of concrete information out there. It's not like you are making a decision based on solid information because what you are told could change.” Alex Poythress was being projected as a first-round NBA draft pick by some, and evaluated as going much lower - if at all - by others.

CHICAGO - Kentucky commit Dakari Johnson compares his game to that of Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum because of his strength, rebounding and low-post scoring prowess. He averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds and 4.3 blocked shot per game for Montverde Academy in Florida this season. He's a New York native but also lived in Lexington for a brief time in junior high before his family moved to New Jersey. He's playing in the McDonald's All-American Game here Wednesday night - one of at least six future Cats in the game on ESPN - and spent time after practice Tuesday talking about UK, his play, future teammates and even ping pong: Question: How excited are you about coming to Kentucky as part of the all-time highest ranked recruiting class?

Alex Poythress has decided to return to Kentucky. The Kentucky sophomore forward announced his future plans Tuesday, one day after teammates Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer announced they would be back with the Wildcats next season. Kentucky coach John Calipari welcomed the return of Poythress to become part of a squad that will include incoming freshmen twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Julius Randle and Derek Willis.

Kyle Wiltjer felt Kentucky's season was an “eye-opener” for him and teammates following the national championship year when everything seemed to go right for the Wildcats. “It just shows us how much work we have to put in to get better individually and as a team,” said Wiltjer after UK's season ended with a NIT loss at Robert Morris. “It has been a disappointing season, but life is more than just basketball. We have to really stay positive and use this loss to our advantage now and use this season, as bad as it was, to learn from it and get better.” Wiltjer averaged 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer will return to the Kentucky men's basketball program for the 2013-14 season, while Archie Goodwin will forego his sophomore season and enter his name in the 2013 NBA Draft, head coach John Calipari announced Monday. “I'm excited that Willie and Kyle have decided to return for next season,” Calipari said. “When we talk about a players-first program, our goal is for each player to reach his dreams. Willie and Kyle believe it is in their best interest to return to Kentucky next season to achieve those dreams, and I fully support their decisions.

The University of Kentucky men's basketball roster is looking clearer after three players announced their future plans Monday. Leading scorer Archie Goodwin declared for the June 27 NBA Draft, while Kyle Wiltjer and Willie Cauley-Stein plan to stay with the Wildcats for at least another season, joining a freshman class that includes twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Julius Randle and Derek Willis. “I'm excited that Willie and Kyle have decided to return for next season,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said in a release Monday.

What went wrong for Kentucky this season? How did a program that lost only 14 games the previous three years lose 12 this season? How did a program that won 102 games the three previous years and made consecutive Final Four appearances lose in the first round of the NIT to Robert Morris? How did John Calipari, who had seven straight seasons of 29 or more wins, lose control of this team? “I think it was a little too much of fighting coaching,” guard Julius Mays, who transferred to Kentucky this season in hopes of playing for a national title, said after the Wildcats' season-ending loss Tuesday.