Ramel Bradley

ANAHEIM - Billy Gillispie thought Kentucky would win more than 18 games his first year at Kentucky. However, he also never anticipated having Jodie Meeks, Derrick Jasper, Patrick Patterson, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford all miss games with injuries. "If you would have said, 'You are going to have over 40 games missed by a really, really, really, really good players,' I would have said, 'How in the world are we going to make it in the tournament?'" Kentucky did make the NCAA Tournament, but it lost Thursday here to Marquette 74-66 in the first round to end Gillispie's first year.

ATLANTA -- Blue Ribbon Basketball's Chris Dortch was one of the first national media members to suggest that Billy Gillispie might be the right choice for Kentucky when Tubby Smith left for Minnesota about a year ago. Even when UK struggled early, Dortch continued to think Gillispie could win at Kentucky. "The guy is just a good coach and hard worker. I knew he would get Kentucky back rolling," said Dortch, who is here for the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Dortch offered these insights into Gillispie: Question: Do you agree with Gillispie being named SEC Co-Coach of the Year with Tennesee's Bruce Pearl?

LEXINGTON - Auburn (12-8, 2-5 SEC) has had its own problems this year and is playing without four front court players coach Jeff Lebo expected to have this season. That's why the Auburn coach can sympathize with the injury issues Gillispie and UK have had to overcome. "Their short-handed is usually different than Auburn being short-handed. They are a good team. They didn't play as well early as they would have liked. They have had their injuries and had just about everybody go through and be in and out (of the lineup)

While some might still question whether Kentucky belongs in the NCAA Tournament field, Marquette coach Tom Crean made it clear Monday that he's not one of them. After watching a day's worth of tape now, there is absolutely no question Kentucky is playing great basketball," said Crean, who has Marquette in the NCAA for the third straight year. "They have done a great job going through change they had to make under a new coach and they are really hitting on all cylinders. They had a tough game against Georgia (in the SEC Tournament)

LEXINGTON - Kentucky might not be overpowering Southeastern Conference competition, but the Cats are 5-2 in league play thanks to their ability to win close games. Going into Saturday's game here with Alabama, UK has won its five league games by an average of 5.5 points per game, including Wednesday's 66-63 win at Auburn. The Cats lost their only close game - 79-76 to Alabama-Birmingham - when they stumbled to a 6-7 start. Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie says getting sophomores Derrick Jasper and Jodie Meeks back to provide more practice competition helped UK start to turn the corner in practice and eventually get to where it could win close games despite a series of injuries that have kept sidelining players.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky will get junior forward Rekalin Sims back for at least part-time duty when the Wildcats host South Carolina Saturday. Sims played only nine minutes in UK's loss to Vanderbilt and then missed the next two games because of a bulging disc in his back. Smith said today that Sims had been cleared to play and practiced Thursday. "I don't know how much he will play," said Smith. "We did not do much (in practice Thursday). He was okay. He looked a little bit winded.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky sophomore center Randolph Morris is not only ready to play, but he's expecting the NCAA to restore his eligibility soon. Or at least that's what UK teammate Ramel Bradley thinks. "Randolph is doing well. He is getting individual workouts, lifting (weights) and looking good in practice," said Bradley Monday. "He's a monster when he plays. I think he is definitely doing well. " Bradley says Morris is getting "antsy" as he awaits word from the NCAA on his eligibility after putting his name into the NBA draft last summer and going undrafted.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky officially announced Friday that it had signed four recruits, including three guards. However, coach Tubby Smith says he still might add another player in the spring signing period. "I'm never done recruiting. I don't know if we'll bring someone in during the spring, but we're never done recruiting. We could bring somebody in, but we might not. I like the people we've signed so far," Smith said. Here is what Smith had to say about the players UK did sign: Michael Porter, 6-2, guard, Modesto, Calif.

LEXINGTON - No one enjoys playing in the national spotlight more than Kentucky sophomore guard Ramel Bradley. "I love the big games. It's what I came to Kentucky for. All the fans, the TV guys, the media. I love it all," said Bradley. Kentucky plays No. 20 Iowa at 9:30 p.m. in the Guardians Classic in Kansas City. The Cats will face either No. 2 Texas or No. 14 West Virginia Tuesday depending on who wins and loses tonight's two games. Bradley had 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting, three rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes in Kentucky's 67-49 win over Lipscomb a week ago. Coach Tubby Smith used a second-half lineup that featured Bradley and sophomore point guard Rajon Rondo playing together in that game to spread the floor.

Ramel Bradley couldn't keep the news to himself any longer and finally announced Monday that he would sign a basketball scholarship with the University of Kentucky this week. Bradley started his press conference in Bradenton, Fla., in a way that probably endeared him to UK fans. "They say that the sun always shines here in Florida, but I don't think that the sun shines any brighter than at My Old Kentucky Home. I have decided to attend the University of Kentucky and play basketball for coach Tubby Smith and the Kentucky Wildcats," Bradley said.