Wildcats

NEW ORLEANS - What is the best way to beat Kentucky? That's what teams have tried to figure out this season and only two - Indiana in December and Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game - have figured out. Louisville, which lost 69-62 to UK¿on Dec. 31, gets the next shot at the Wildcats on Saturday night in the Final Four in New Orleans. Three analysts - Clark Kellogg, Greg Anthony and Steve Kerr - who will be working for CBS-TV during the Final Four offered what they thought might be the best way to beat Kentucky even though all said they agreed with UK¿being the national title favorite.

LEXINGTON - When Julius Mays is making 3-point shots, it makes Kentucky a different team. “It helps us a lot. It makes the defense be a little bit more honest and they can't focus just on one of us,” Kentucky guard Ryan Harrow said. “If I have got Kyle (Wiltjer) on one wing and Julius on the other wing, they have got to play somebody and it is going to open it up for other people.” Mays had missed 20 of 23 shots in his previous three games before going 3 for 7 from 3-point range in the Wildcats' win over Eastern Michigan last week.

LEXINGTON - He has not been cleared to play yet by the NCAA, but Kentucky freshmen Nerlens Noel has no worries about whether he will be eligible this year for the Wildcats. I”m not too worried, I”m comfortable (he'll be cleared),” Noel said Thursday during Kentucky's media day. But Noel said he wasn't sure when his eligibility issue would be resolved. “I'm not too sure, but it's close to an end, I'm pretty sure," he said. “I”m just focusing on getting better every day.” The NCAA is looking into unofficial visits Noel took to schools, and who paid for those trips.

LEXINGTON — One of the things Kentucky coaches liked in the second half of the Wildcats’ win Tuesday over Boston University was better communication between the players.. Point guard Brandon Knight knows the Wildcats will need to talk throughout the game Saturday when they play at North Carolina. “It contributes to the environment of the team. When you’ve got everyone talking, the other team is looking at you like, ‘These guys are crazy. They’ve got everybody talking and everyone’s bouncing.

North Carolina point guard John Wall confirmed today that he will play for John Calipari at the University of Kentucky next season. Wall is regarded as one of the nation's top prep player. "He will do a lot of damage at Kentucky," said Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels. Go to www.amnews.com for more details and read more in Wednesday's edition of The Advocate-Messenger.

LEXINGTON - Not having a starter over 6-8 would hamper most Division I teams. However, it hasn't stopped Kentucky's Erik Daniels, Chuck Hayes and Kelenna Azubuike from more than holding their own against opposing teams. The Wildcats will face another big challenge Sunday when the they travel to LSU. Kentucky completely shut down Tennessee center Brandon Crump Wednesday night when it limited the junior center to just six points and six rebounds, and the Wildcats will need the same type of effort Sunday against the Tigers (17-7, 7-6 in SEC)

Longtime Kentucky basketball fans Beth and Jason Boyle of Stanford were among the Kentucky fans in Hawaii this week for the Maui Invitational. Before the Wildcats lost to Connecticut in the championship game, Jason Boyle took time to share a few thoughts about how their trip: Question: What made you and Beth decide to make the trip to Maui and when did you start planning this trip? Boyle: “We were leaving a Cincinnati Reds game one night, and I’m not sure how the conversation started, but within a week or so, Beth and I, along with my parents, had decided we were going to make it happen.

Tubby Smith admits he's not used to dealing with a three-game losing streak like the Cats have now because his teams have won so much the last few years. Perhaps that's why UK's woes are receiving so much national attention. ESPN had a segment last week with its college basketball analysts breaking down what was wrong with the Wildcats. Numerous newspaper columnists are taking the Wildcats to task, too. Remember Dick Weiss? He's the New York Daily News' columnist who followed the Cats closely when Rick Pitino was coaching UK. He's written books with both Pitino and college basketball analyst Dick Vitale.