Ramel Bradley

Ramel Bradley, Senior guard Numbers: He was the only player to start every game last season. ... He led the team in assists (3.7), steals (1.3) and charges taken (6), and was third in scoring (13.8). ... He scored in double figures in 22 of the last 25 games. ... He was the first UK player since Keith Bogans in 2003 to score 20 or more points in four straight games. ... He was second in the Southeastern Conference in free throw percentage (81.5) and made his last 19 attempts.

LEXINGTON - Ramel Bradley wasn't quite sure what to do to begin the second half. He played so well the first half here against Central Florida Tuesday that Kentucky coach Tubby Smith decided to start the sophomore guard the second half. However, that was the first time in the 57 games he's played in at Kentucky that he began a half on the court instead of the bench. "I liked starting a lot, but I also think I went out there thinking about it too much," said Bradley after Kentucky's 59-57 victory.

ANAHEIM -- Marquette coach Tom Crean knows exactly how to describe Kentucky senior guard Ramel Bradley. "Ramel is fearless. He is absolutely fearless," said Crean. Crean and his Golden Eagles find out just how fearless on Thursday when they face Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament here with the winner advancing to Saturday's second round against either Stanford or Colgate. Guard play could be a determining factor in Thursday's game as both UK and Marquette are perimeter oriented.

LEXINGTON - As Ramel Bradley left the court following Kentucky's 95-89 win over South Carolina here Wednesday, he pointed toward his mother, Daisy Rice, who returned the favor. They were both happy and celebrating a proud moment. In three seasons of playing collegiate basketball, Bradley had never pointed at his mother in jubilation after playing a game on his home floor. His girlfriend alerted Rice to be prepared for her son's routine procedure following the contest. A normal experience for Bradley was a first for Rice, who resides in New York.

Ramel Bradley got a taste of one of the top rivalries in the state on Friday night. The Kentucky guard was in attendance in Mount Sterling during the Indians' 68-60 win over George Rogers Clark High School. Bradley came away impressed with Montgomery County's gym, which is only two years old. "It was awesome," Bradley said. "The gym was awesome. There's never a big crowd like that at a high school game in New York. " Bradley came with Clark graduate Andrew Rogers, who is a student resident at Wildcat Lodge.

Kentucky picked up another key verbal commitment Monday when Michigan guard Joe Crawford told Tubby Smith he would sign with the Wildcats in April. Rivals.com has Crawford ranked as the No. 3 shooting guard and 18th best player overall. He averages 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists per game. Smith signed two guards - Ramel Bradley and Adam Williams - in November and also got a commitment over the weekend from Louisville guard Rajon Rondo. Crawford said the chance to play next year and Smith's history of preparing players for the NBA persuaded him to go ahead and make his college choice.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky sophomore guard Ramel Bradley does not need surgery on his broken left hand. UK coach Tubby Smith said Tuesday that the timeline for Bradley's recovery is "two weeks, more or less" because he will not have to have a pin inserted in his hand to fix the break. "It's not like he is incapacitated," Smith said. "He can still run. It's not his shooting hand. He will get in the gym and shoot because he loves to do that. He just does not need to fall or get hit. " Smith also said associate coach David Hobbs will not be on the bench for the Mississippi game tonight after undergoing surgery Monday.

Following Kentucky's win over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, a few Kentucky players revealed their New Year's resolutions. --- Ramel Bradley "I don't have one yet. I will let you know tomorrow. " --- Randolph Morris "I want to win the SEC. " --- Bobby Perry "People always talk about New Year's resolutions. By the time January is over with, they have already forgotten all about them. "Each and every day, I try to make a new resolution.

LEXINGTON - Not all press conferences produce memorable quotes, but that was not the case here Monday. Kentucky coach Tubby Smith offered a couple of interesting insights into his inner thoughts during questioning Monday about tonight's game at Tennessee. First came the expected question about former Mason County star Chris Lofton, now the Southeastern Conference's leading 3-point shooter at 50.3 percent for Tennessee. Smith had to know this question was coming. Lofton is averaging 12.1 points per game.

LEXINGTON -- Kentucky coach Tubby Smith says guards Ramel Bradley of New York and Adam Williams of St. Albans, W.Va., are perfect fits for his basketball team. Both seniors signed national letters-of-intent Wednesday with Kentucky. "Ramel Bradley and Adam Williams are just what we need -- what we have been looking for," Smith said in a release Thursday. "They are great additions to our Wildcat basketball family. We recruit people that will fit our needs and compliment our group of returning players.

He’s played against Kentucky, and he’s played at Freedom Hall. Yet Notre Dame senior guard Ben Hansbrough says tonight’s game against the Wildcats is still a game he’s looking forward to. “Kentucky always has a great team, so any game against Kentucky is going to be special,” said Hansbrough. “I’m really looking forward to it.” The Irish play UK in the Big East/SEC Invitational in Freedom Hall tonight. Hansbrough played three times against UK when he was a freshman and sophomore at Mississippi State before he transferred to Notre Dame for his final two seasons.

Will coach Billy Gillispie be back at Kentucky next year? That's a question it seemed like no one would be asking when this season started considering that Gillispie's first UK team went 12-4 in Southeastern Conference play to earn him SEC Coach of the Year honors. This team - even without Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford and Derrick Jasper - figured to be at least as good, especially in a year when the SEC will be fortunate to have three teams selected for the NCAA Tournament tonight.

TAMPA - Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie insisted he's not worried about his future at Kentucky after his team's 71-58 victory over Mississippi here Thursday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. "I do not worry about that," Gillispie said when asked about the swirling speculation about his future at Kentucky because of UK's 20-12 season. "I worry about our next game. That's all I have ever did and all I can. That's not up to me to answer. " Kentucky lost two senior guards - Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford - off Gillispie's first team at Kentucky last year and starter Derrick Jasper transfered.

TAMPA -- Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie insisted he's not worried about his future at Kentucky after his team's 71-58 victory over Mississippi here Thursday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. "I do not worry about that," Gillispie said when asked about the swirling speculation about his future at Kentucky because of UK's 20-12 season. "I worry about our next game. That's all I have ever did and all I can. That's not up to me to answer. " Kentucky lost two senior guards -- Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford -- off Gillispie's first team at Kentucky last year and also had starter Derrick Jasper transfer.

How would you rate the job Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie has done in his two years with the Wildcats? Here's how some readers responded to that question posed recently by sports editor Larry Vaught when the Wildcats started their slide in Southeastern Conference play that knocked them out of title contention and perhaps out of NCAA Tournament contention: Team lacks leadership I give Coach G a 90. A great majority of the "blame" for...

LEXINGTON -- In almost two seasons at Kentucky, Billy Gillispie is now 37-23 as a head coach. For some schools, that might be an acceptable winning percentage. But not Kentucky. The Cats lost their third Southeastern Conference home game of the season here Saturday when LSU rallied for a 73-70 win. The Cats also lost two non-conference home games, something that once happened rarely in friendly Rupp Arena. Now Kentucky is in jeopardy of having its streak of 17 straight NCAA Tournament appearances end. Yet UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart quickly said "no" when asked if there was any possibility Gillispie was on the hot seat because of his team's play.

LEXINGTON -- Just when it looked like good times were returning for the Kentucky basketball team, the bubble burst. No, not the NCAA Tournament bubble. Or at least not yet. Instead, this was the good-times feeling the Wildcats desperately would have got if they had beat No. 18 LSU here Saturday. Instead, the Cats fought valiantly to outscore LSU 26-8 to begin the second half to take a 10-point lead only to lose 73-70 on a 3-point goal by Tasmin Mitchell with 9.8 seconds to play.

LEXINGTON -- In almost two seasons at Kentucky, Billy Gillispie is now 37-23 as a head coach. For some schools, that might be an acceptable winning percentage. But not Kentucky. The Cats lost their third Southeastern Conference home game of the season here Saturday when LSU rallied for a 73-70 win. The Cats also lost two non-conference home games, something that once happened rarely in friendly Rupp Arena. Now Kentucky is in jeopardy of having its streak of 17 straight NCAA Tournament appearances end. Yet UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart quickly said "no" when asked if there was any possibility Gillispie was on the hot seat because of his team's play.

Last year Vanderbilt lost a double-overtime game at Rupp Arena and then beat Kentucky by 41 points in Nashville. The Commodores again opened Southeastern Conference play with UK on Saturday, but this time the Wildcats built a 20-point lead before eventually winning 70-60. But is Kentucky better this year than last year considering that Vanderbilt's top player, sophomore center A.J. Oglivy, didn't play on Saturday because of a foot injury? "I would say Kentucky is a better team than a year ago," said Vanderbilt Kevin Stallings on the SEC coaches teleconference Monday.

College basketball writer Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News was in Louisville on Sunday to watch Louisville's 74-71 win over Kentucky. DeCourcy offered these observations on the Wildcats after the game. Question: When you are talking about the nation's elite players, should Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks be considered in that category? Why or why not? DeCourcy: "Yes, and yes. Absolutely. Patterson is a fabulous big guy who would be an easy 20-point scorer if he were surrounded by slightly better scoring options at the forward spots and had a legit point guard feeding him in the post.