After getting bullied 79-62 at South Carolina on Tuesday night, the Kentucky Wildcats stay on the road for another conference encounter this evening.
The Cats will take the court in Fayetteville in another challenging environment to meet an underachieving Arkansas squad that will be desperate for a win. The Razorbacks enter the game with a 1-5 record in the SEC, and an overall 10-9 mark, while UK comes in with a 4-2 league record and 14-4 on the season.
Why Arkansas hasn’t performed up to expectations – the Hogs were ranked 14th in the Preseason AP Top 25 — is a mystery. It isn’t as if they’re dropping close games either; they have a 32-point home loss to Auburn, a 22-point road loss at Florida, and the most recent, a 26-point defeat at Ole Miss on Wednesday. Those conference setbacks have been even more surprising due to the fact that earlier in the season, Arkansas posted wins over Duke and Texas A&M, as well as an early season exhibition victory over Purdue.
The Razorbacks have several talented players on their roster, but injuries have played a role in recent weeks. Coach Eric Musselman is still searching for a consistent starting lineup, having used 11 different players in a starting role. Two of the team’s top players – leading scorer Tramon Mack (17.8 ppg) and big man Trevon Brazile — are questionable to play tonight as of this writing as well.
The crux of the problem for Arkansas appears to be a lack of team chemistry, with numerous transfers being brought into Fayetteville this season, and the team simply not jelling.
On the other hand, Kentucky has their own issues to deal with, after being exposed defensively in its last two games, the 105-96 win over Georgia, and the embarrassing loss in Columbia. The Cats also need to get more physical after the Gamecocks showed that the recipe for a win against the Cats is to slow the pace, muck things up, and get physical on the defensive end. South Carolina (and head coach Lamont Paris) also deserves a ton of credit for coming up with a winning game plan and executing it to perfection.
It’s difficult to say whether or not this particular Kentucky team will improve defensively any time soon, and perhaps Coach Calipari will even get desperate enough to employ a zone. It just may be that the Cats are what they are, and the hope is the offense gets its act together at Arkansas, and they can continue to outscore teams. The offense looked befuddled and stagnant against South Carolina, the ball movement disappeared, and they never got the transition game going.
UK fans are counting on the loss to be a learning experience and an eye-opener for a team that had been playing well enough to rise in the rankings to the No. 6 spot last week. People need to realize that even the best teams lay an egg from time to time, and as long as this team keeps working to fix some of their weaknesses, a deep run is still possible. That isn’t to say it will be easy; there is an abundance of talent spread out across the country, and some of the matchups will be difficult when March rolls around.
The game tips at 6 p.m. from Bud Walton Arena and will be televised on ESPN.
*****
JANUARY MADNESS – Ranked teams continue to get knocked off on a regular basis as the college hoops season heads into February.
The latest victim was ninth-ranked Arizona, which fell at Oregon State 83-80 on Thursday night. The Wildcats, who were ranked in the top spot earlier in the season, dropped to 14-5 (5-3 Pac-12) after Jordan Pope’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer snapped a five-game losing streak for the Beavers, who improved to 10-9 and 2-6 in conference play. The 22-footer from the left wing gave Pope five threes and a career-high 31 points.
Arizona just became the most recent ranked team in the past week to suffer a loss to an unranked team, joining Kentucky, Auburn, Illinois, Oklahoma, Memphis and Colorado State.
Upsets have been coming fast and furious during he course of the entire season, and more will occur throughout the next month, setting up a March Madness that promises to be more unpredictable than ever.
*****
NFL TITLE TILTS – The National Football League season takes center stage tomorrow, when the AFC and NFC championship games are played.
The AFC clash kicks off at 3 p.m., and features defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City heading to rainy Baltimore to face the favored Ravens.
The Chiefs have been playing more like themselves in recent weeks, and bring a wealth of experience into the title tilt; after all, this marks their sixth consecutive appearance in the AFC championship game. But this marks their first time playing it on the road, and Baltimore has looked like the team to beat in the NFL since the season began.
Look for the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson to outduel Patrick Mahomes and upend the Chiefs, but the primary reason for my pick is the Baltimore defense, which will make enough plays to win and head to the Super Bowl.
In the NFC championship game at 6:30, which will see the newest version of “America’s Team” going up against the homestanding San Francisco 49ers.
On paper, there are several reasons the Niners are seven-point favorites heading into the game. They have an explosive offense with plenty of weapons, they’ve been there before, and they’re playing at home. One question mark heading into the game is the status of Deebo Samuel, a player who makes the San Fran offense go.
On the other hand, the Lions are the new kids on the block and their history is less than stellar. But Detroit appears to be a team on a mission, and perhaps a team of destiny. Quarterback Jared Goff also looks like he’s currently playing much better than Niners QB Brock Purdy, and whoever wins that battle will have a huge bearing on the outcome.
So, with that said, my prediction is that the Lions somehow pull it off and head to their first ever Super Bowl appearance on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
Always remember however, that you should never bet on my prognostications.
I don’t.
*****
KRALL SLAMS DOOR ON VOTTO RETURN – As we have mentioned on several occasions, former Red and future Hall of Famer Joey Votto remains on the free agent market.
The rumored destination for some time has been Votto’s hometown Toronto Blue Jays, but they’re apparently looking to sign a higher-priced free agent to be their designated hitter. One of the most recent rumors has Votto heading to Los Angeles to play for the Angels, and another West Coast team in play is San Diego. Other possibilities include Miami and Minnesota. At one juncture, it appeared Washington had some interest, but after the Nationals signed Joey Gallo a few days ago, the nation’s capital doesn’t look like an option.
Much to the chagrin of a lot of Reds fans, one place Votto will not be playing in 2024 is Cincinnati.
President of baseball operations Nick Krall all but confirmed that when he told a group of season ticket holders just that, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
“We don’t plan to bring him back as of now,” Krall said.
*****
FORMER INFIELDER MOVING TO MOUND – Former Cincinnati Reds utility infielder Alex Blandino, who played for the Reds for parts of three seasons, is going to attempt a comeback as a pitcher. Not just any pitcher either, but as a knuckleballer.
Blandino made five pitching appearances for the Reds with varying amounts of success. In 2018, he tossed one inning in relief, allowing a hit and striking out two. In 2021, he appeared in four games and surrendered four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He also flashed a 90-plus mph fastball at times, but the 31-year-old is going to try to master the knuckleball, a pitch that has practically disappeared in MLB in recent years.
The most recent successful knuckleball artist was R.A. Dickey, who was the 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner while pitching for the New York Mets. He had a 20-8 record with a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 233.2 innings during his career year. Dickey retired following a 10-10 season in Atlanta in 2017 with 120 career wins.
The Reds signed Blandino to a minor-league deal, and if all goes well in the spring, the Reds’ first-round draft pick in 2014 from Stanford could begin the season in the bullpen for Class AA Chattanooga.
Granted, it’s a humongous longshot, but it would be something to see Blandino back with the Reds, delivering a dancing knuckleball past big-league hitters.
*****
“I believe the only muscles you need in basketball are the ones in your head.” – Nikola Jokic
*****
“Golf is a good walk spoiled.” – Mark Twain
