Cats’ usual shock and awe won’t factor against Wake

NEW ORLEANS — Through one round of the NCAA Tournament, no team dominated its first opponent like UK did.
It’s also possible that in the second round, no team will face a more eye-to-eye matchup than the Cats.
All year, two things have undeniably played into UK’s favor: speed and size. Scout all you can and watch
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Inexperience, youth two different things

NEW ORLEANS — With as much ease as it disposed of East Tennessee State, UK seemed to do everything in its power Thursday to rid itself of the one wound critics have salted all year: inexperience.
At this point, how can anyone call a team inexperienced if it’s gone through just about every situation a team
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Wall’s surprises lead improbable comeback

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After watching John Wall play for three or four games, nothing he does surprises you any more. His speed continues to stun and his athleticism still never quite makes sense. But when he makes a play no other player on the floor (or anywhere else) can make, the element of surprise fades.
What Wall
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Talk pushes UK to its best game of the year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — DeMarcus Cousins called it “good, clean, competitive basketball.” Daniel Orton called it “competitive spirit.” Whatever “it” was, it made Cats-Vols III feel at times like it would boil over into World War III.
And “it” made UK play its best game of the year.
Of all the unexpected turns in Saturday’s
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Wall leaves UK with no choice but to win

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When John Wall takes over, the results are staggering. If everything unfolds just right, UK can’t help but win despite its best efforts in out-bricking the opponent and winning the battle of futility on the glass.
Both of those scenarios played out as picture-imperfectly as possible Friday afternoon for
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UK season night and day from last year

How would you like to trade Memorial Coliseum for the Carrier Dome or another, better basketball locale?
With a few changes, like a new head coach and six super recruits, consider it done.
That is the difference between this time in 2009 and now.
One new ambassador head coach and six recruits to mesh with the holdovers.
It’s the
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POSTSEASON PREVIEW: UK Hoops’ turnaround equals high seed in NCAA

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming: a basketball team going from National Invitation Tournament regular to an NCAA Tournament top-four seed?
Matthew Mitchell, put your hand down. Obviously, you don’t count.
To tell you the truth, my hand is one of those not raised. Before the season, I would have never guessed Mitchell would
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POSTSEASON PREVIEW:Columnist’s preseason picks don’t match up with postseason

Now that the weather’s turning, I can use the excuse of spring cleaning to get rid of some things I don’t ever want to see again.
I need to get rid of one particular document burning a hole in my hard drive: my preseason top 25, as published in October.
My picks weren’t awful. I aced the
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Winning SEC is nice, but not enough

In most college towns, any day in which the home team staples down a conference championship, clinching an undefeated home season in the process, is a pretty good day.
At the very least, it should yield some sort of celebration.
Not in Lexington.
In Lexington, who has time to celebrate a hard-earned Southeastern Conference title? The Cats have
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Drop the charade: Senior Day about more than seniors

Let’s stop the charade we’ve been playing in college basketball for the past few years when it comes to the last home game of the season.
You know what I’m talking about — Senior Day.
The event that once celebrated the fact that college kids stayed four years, completed degrees and more all while playing in the
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