The Best College Basketball Game We May See All Season

Saturday in Rupp Arena, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 5 North Carolina 73-72 as freshman shot-blocking phenom Anthony Davis gave junior shot-blocking sensation John Henson a taste of his own medicine as the seconds ticked away.



Our friend Ed broke down the excitement in depth, but I wanted to add a few of my own reactions.

For starters, I was watching the game with my roommate, and just witnessing the sheer athleticism and high level of play for a college game made us both take notice that something was different about this one. Sure, there were still plenty of mistakes that college players make, particularly in the early season, but there was a level of intensity combined with skill in this one that put it on a different plain.

Heading into the season, these were perhaps the two most hyped teams in the country, and as the game approached, many pundits were projecting anywhere from nine to 12 NBA players might be taking the court in this one. After watching the contest, those proclamations are easy to understand.

As Ed noted, highly touted sophomores Harrison Barnes and Terence Jones went toe-to-toe, with Jones getting things started in the first half and Barnes, after a slow start plagued by foul trouble, hit big bucket after big bucket in the second half to keep UNC in it. Tyler Zeller was having his way in the first half before being constantly doubled in the final 20 minutes. Doron Lamb showed a killer instinct, dropping clutch shots for the Wildcats. John Henson and Anthondy Davis used their go-go gadget arms to bother and block shots.



P.J. Hairston showed the shooting stroke he displayed in high school, while Kendall Marshall showed he has an outside shot too. Darius Miller quietly did his thing, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, one of the top recruits in the nation, exploded for a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds, becoming the true difference-maker in the 2nd half.



It was an incredibly exciting, fun game to watch. The only thing I didn't like was the outcome — and the final possession for UNC. I know that I just preached to the Tar Heels to get Tyler Zeller the ball, but you absolutely have to put the ball in Harrison Barnes' hands there at the end. He's the team's best shot-maker, he had hit some huge threes in the 2nd half, he has a penchant for hitting game-winning shots, and Kentucky was swarming Zeller every time he touched the ball.

Regardless, it was easily the best college basketball game so far this year, and it very well may be the best one we see all season. As Ed said, we would be lucky as hell to get a national championship game like this one.

Youth vs. Experience

This weekend, I watched my two favorite college basketball teams pull out tightly contested victories. North Carolina edged out Kentucky 75-73 at the Dean Dome on Saturday, and Temple held on for dear life in DC to beat Maryland 64-61. Both games were an exercise in youth vs. experience, ultimately with the most experienced players making the biggest plays while the youngsters never shied away from the competition.



On Saturday, the marquee matchup was supposed to be a battle of highly touted freshman for two historic basketball powers — Harrison Barnes for UNC and Terrence Jones for Kentucky.



Things didn't go quite as planned. Barnes came to the Tar Heels as the program's savior. Following a season full of struggles that saw Roy Williams' squad miss the NCAA Tournament just one short year after winning the National Championship, things were going to be different in 2010-11 thanks largely to Barnes. He was widely considered the No. 1 player in the class of 2010, and his high school dominance led some to believe he could start in the NBA right now. Hell, Barnes was evened named to the Preseason All-American team, the first time in history a true freshman made the list.

Expectations were sky high. Attainably high, in fact. And Barnes has failed to even approach those expectations through 8 games this season. Including the win on Saturday, the 6'8 freshman out of Ames, Iowa is averaging 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists, not altogether alarming numbers when taken in isolation. But when you add to that that he's shooting an abysmal 34.4 percent from the field, turning it over 1.9 times a game and struggling to create his own shot, it's clear that Barnes should not have been anywhere near the Preseason All-America team.

On Saturday, Barnes started out hot, scoring 12 points in the first half on 4-5 shooting. But he got in foul trouble and had to sit extended minutes, and that proved costly. From then on, Barnes looked like he has most of this season — unimpressive. He missed all five of his attempts in the second half, getting shut out, and finished with 12 points on 4-10 shooting, had three turnovers and looked overmatched time and time again.



Barnes is only freshman. He has plenty of time to develop into the player people thought he would be. And he'll most assuredly be better come March than he is right now. But for being touted the same way John Wall and MIchael Beasley and the like have been before him, I just don't see it. Harrison Barnes was supposed to be a difference-maker from day 1, an all-everything, can't-miss stud who would immediately change the fortunes of North Carolina. Those lofty expectations are unfair and unreasonable, but that doesn't make Barnes' play any less disappointing.

Not only does Harrison Barnes not look like an All-American right now; he doesn't even look like a capable starter. To be frank, he sucks. Do I think he will continue to suck? No. Do I think he'll be a pretty good player sooner rather than later? Yes. But through 8 games, he's been terrible. Saturday was more of the same.

On the other side, Terrence Jones has had no such struggles. Through Kentucky's first seven games, Jones has been the catalyst. He leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding at 19 points per game and 9.6 boards per game, almost averaging a double-double, all while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from three. And he's not just an offensive talent. Jones also leads Kentucky in blocks (2.3) and is second in steals (1.4) per game.



He's been everything for the Wildcats that Barnes has not been for the Tar Heels. But on Saturday, he struggled. Jones had by far his worst came as a collegiate athlete, scoring just 9 points on a horrific 3-17 shooting performance, nabbing 6 boards before he fouled out.

Needless to say, the duel between Jones and Barnes took a back seat. Of course, with Kentucky being a John Calipari team, there are no shortage of talented freshman to rise to the occasion. Out go DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, in come Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb.



Knight was other headliner with Jones in yet another top-ranked recruiting class for Calipari, and he certainly put his imprint on the game Saturday: Knight had 15 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. But he also contributed to Kentucky's loss, shooting just 5-12 from the field and turning the ball over six times.

It was neither Knight or Jones who led the way for the Wildcats, rather the third wheel of the touted freshman, Doron Lamb. The 6'4 shooting guard out of Oak Hill lit it up Saturday, scoring a team-high 24 points on 7-12 from the field and 3-4 from three. He added two boards, three assists and a steal, and unlike Knight had no trouble holding on to the ball, not turning the ball over once all game. That's largely due to the fact that each time he touched it, he had the green light to shoot.

Lamb gave UNC fits, and he was the biggest reason Kentucky almost pulled out a road win. This is nothing new for Lamb. In case you haven't been paying attention, Lamb has been every bit as impressive as his fellow freshman. On the season, he's averaging 13.3 points in 26 minutes, shooting the lights out of the ball. He's connecting on 52.5 percent of his shots from the field and an absolutely absurd 58.3 percent from beyond the arc. To all Kentucky opponents, take note: Do not leave Doron Lamb open. The man is an assassin.

While it was the freshman guards leading the way for Kentucky, it was a pair of big men doing the heavy lifting for North Carolina. Sophomore John Henson had a relatively disappointing 2009-10 season, getting off to a slow start much in the same way Barnes has this year. But Henson has taken a step forward this year.



Desperately needing to gain weight, he added a little bulk to his still light frame, and it's paying off. So far this season, he's seen his numbers jump from 5.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks as a freshman to 11.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in his sophomore campaign. And his shooting percentage is up from 48.6 last year to 53.4 this year.

Henson had another stellar game on Saturday. He was UNC's second-leading scorer with 13 points, and he used his length to control the paint, hauling in a game-high 12 rebounds and blocking three shots. However, there was one key downside to Henson's performance: He went just 3-7 from the line, and in one embarrassing trip airballed back-to-back attempts. It's not the first time he's come up completely empty from the charity stripe.



For all the progress he has made, Henson has somehow been even worse than he was last season at the line. As a freshman, he was a disgraceful 43.8 percent foul shooter. In 8 games this year, he's in all-time worst territory, shooting just 35.1 percent from the line. Saturday's 3-7 didn't help, and foul shooting was a big problem for the Tar Heels in the game. In all, they missed 11 free throws, which is just inexcusable.

The one standout at the line, however, was the best player in the game. In a contest that featured a seemingly endless display of freshmen and sophomores, junior Tyler Zeller was a man amongst boys, literally. He scored a game-high 27 points, shot an incredibly efficient 8-13 from the field, went 11-12 at the line, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked a game-high 5 shots and didn't turn the ball over once. He dominated in the way Tyler Hansbrough did during his time at UNC.



Zeller was the reason North Carolina was able to pull out a win against the then 10th-ranked Wildcats. He is far and away UNC's best player. In fact, he's really their only complete player right now. There aren't any weaknesses in the 7-footer's game. He has great touch around the rim, can hit the outside shot, is a good free-throw shooter, can run the floor, rebounds and defends. He leads North Carolina in scoring and is having a very good start to the year: 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 52.8 percent from the field, 75 percent from the line.

The fact that Zeller is playing at this type of level makes the Tar Heels even more maddening. The reason this team is 5-3 is very simple: the guard play is atrocious. Dexter Strickland and Larry Drew are awful, players that should never start in the ACC. Then you combine that with the fact that Kendall Marshall is a freshman who isn't ready to play major minutes, Leslie McDonald is nothing more than a bench scorer and Barnes has struggled, and you have yourself the achilles heel of North Carolina for the second straight season.

Neither Drew or Strickland can consistently knock down a jumper, neither is a great finisher, and most troubling of all is that neither one is a good passer. Time and time again I watch Drew and Strickland force plays that aren't there, look for their own shots and completely ignore the bigs. They did it for stretches on Saturday, making Clark Kellogg almost have an aneurysm.

Strickland and Drew have to realize that UNC's best two players are Henson and Zeller. The ball should be thrown to them in the post every single possession. And Zeller should be getting up 15 to 20 shots a night, because he's the guy that can actually carry the team. But they don't because they are terrible, stupid basketball players. It's so depressing to see North Carolina have no guards to speak of.

At least Zeller is good and Henson is improving. If Barnes can turn it around, this team just may be able to do something come March. Because even with no one but Zeller and Henson showing up Saturday, they were still able to beat an extremely talented Kentucky squad. It was Zeller's experience that made the difference.

As for the Temple-Maryland game last night, we knew going in it would be the battle of youth vs. experience. The Owls are led by senior Lavoy Allen and junior Juan Fernandez.



The Terrapins are led by sophomore Jordan Williams and relying on a slew of freshmen.

In the victory for the Owls, it was the upper classmen that led the way. Lavoy had a double-double, scoring 13 points and nabbing 10 rebounds before fouling out at the end of the game. He was a big reason why Temple was about to dominate the paint and outrebound Maryland 39-30. Juan Fernandez scored 14 points and had three assists, really providing the only offense in the second half for Temple as Maryland made its run. And another pair of juniors contributed mightily to the cause: Michael Eric had seven rebounds to help Lavoy down low, and Ramone Moore led Temple with 16 points, hitting some key free throws late and playing a solid all-around game — 5 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals.

With Allen and Eric controlling the paint, Temple playing great defense and the offense making enough plays, the Owls took a 32-21 lead into halftime. They built that up to a 40-25 lead to start the second half. Then Eric got and Lavoy got in foul trouble, Gary Williams subbed in three freshmen and a sophomore to join Jordan Williams, and the game turned just like that.

Especially with Allen and Eric hamstrung by fouls, Williams really became an unstoppable force. The sophomore who is averaging a double-double (17.1 points and 11.7 boards) took over. He wound up scoring a game-high 17 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.



But Williams wasn't alone. Freshman Terrell Stoglin came in and gave Maryland a different dynamic. The speedy point guard put pressure on Temple's defense and changed the tempo of the game, finishing with 16 points. And fellow freshman Pe'Shon Howard helped break down the defense, handing out 6 assists. Just like that, a 15-point temple lead shrunk to a five-point lead, then a tie game.

As the Terps heated up behind their youth, Temple went ice cold. Ramone Moore started to try to do too much, driving recklessly to the lane. No one could finish around the rim. Only Fernandez was able to stop the bleeding.

The game got way too close for comfort, but ultimately the Owls prevailed. And the biggest play of the game came from a sophomore. With 1:52 remaining, the game was tied at 56. That's when Allen scored on an and-1 layup, hit his free throw and put the Owls up by 3 with 1:41 left. Temple got a stop, and Rahlir Jefferson came down with the board. But then he turned the ball over, and Lavoy Allen fouled Williams, his 5th foul, and was out of the game.

Luckily Williams missed both free throws, Fernandez got the board and Temple had a chance to make it a two-possession game. After a miss by Moore, Jefferson got another big rebound. But again, he turned it over. That's when sophomore Khalif Wyatt came up huge, jumping into the passing lane as Dino Gregory, who made the steal on Jefferson, looked for an outlet pass. Wyatt got the steal and in one motion laid in the ball, 61-56 Temple.



The game then simply came down to making some free throws, and Ramone Moore hit 3 of 4. That was just enough for Temple to get by, though his miss did give Maryland a chance to tie. Thankfully Stoglin's heave came up short and Temple held out, with the veteran Owls besting the youthful Terrapins.

There were plenty of contributions from the youth in both contests, but ultimately it was the more experienced players and teams that made the difference.

Richards, Pronger and Cats Beat Dogs

First, there were reports that Richards would center Jarome Iginla and Jonathan Toews. Then, he was supposedly a healthy scratch, which is just ludicrous when you consider he's one of the best two-way centers in the world. But when it was all said and done, Richards was in the lineup for Canada's first game against Norway, centering Toews and Patrice Bergeron for most of the game. Oh, and he scored a goal in the 7-0 victory.



Let's face the facts … Canada has a loaded squad. Absolutely loaded. So just being on the roster is an honor, even if you become a healthy scratch. But under no circumstance should Richards even remotely be considered as a healthy scratch. Not with everything he brings to the table: scoring, defense, hitting, backchecking, power play scoring, penalty killing. Certainly there are more skilled scorers up and down the lineup: Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash, Jarome Iginla, Joe Thornton, Ryan Getzlaf, Dany Heatley, Eric Staal. But Richards is, without question, a more complete player than Nash and Heatley, and he's flat out better than Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow, Corey Perry and Patrice Bergeron when you take in all-around game, and maybe better than Toews as well.

Healthy scratching him would just be dumb. It really would. In fact, he may be the single best penalty killer as far as forwards go on the entire roster. So no way he should be anywhere near the healthy scratch list.

Fellow Flyers Chris Pronger, as the second oldest player on the team (behind Scott Niedermayer), also took the ice and saw considerable time, notching an assist on a rocket shot from the point that Heatley deflected in. All in all, a very nice showing by the Flyers in Canada's first game, though to be fair, it was a nice showing by the entire Canadian team. They did win 7-0 after all. Wake me up when they take on a real opponent.

Speaking of real opponents, No. 2 Kentucky certainly faced one in the form of Mississippi State last night. Even without their leading scorer Ravern Johnson, who was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, even with their best big man and best NBA prospect/shot-blocking machine Jarvis Varnado saddled with foul trouble all night long, and even with shooting just 38.6 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three, the Bulldogs gave the Wildcats everything they could handle, sticking with them from start to finish to force overtime, ultimately losing 81-75.



Mississippi St. got 16 points from Barry Stewart and 17 points from Kodi Augustus, but it was point guard Dee Bost that really gave the Bulldogs the chance at the upset. A player that John Wall had faced in their high school days, the freshman phenom knew he was in for a tough night against the speedy Bost. Wall said he knew Bost was really fast and really good. He proved to be right, as Bost almost singlehandedly willed Miss. St. to the win, scoring 22 points, nabbing 5 boards, and swiping two steals. But he went just 2-10 from the three-point line, which proved costly.

If you don't take advantage of every opportunity against this young, talented Kentucky squad, you're in trouble. And the Bulldogs simply didn't capitalize enough. They missed five free throws, but more importantly, they missed 25 threes last night, finishing just 10-35. And they missed several open shots. Though Kentucky hardly made it easy.

Defensively, the Cats were all over the place, evidenced by their 12 blocks and 5 steals. They made Mississippi State work for every point it got, knowing full well the Bulldogs were without their leading scorer. And in the end, it was the three-headed monster that made the difference.

DeMarcus Cousins continued to roll along as the best big man in America, abusing Varnado to the point of getting him in foul trouble, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds, especially taking over on the glass in the final minutes of regulation and the duration of overtime.



Patrick Patterson, the elder statesman of the starters, joined the party with a double-double himself, scoring 19 points, grabbing 10 boards, blocking three shots, adding a steal, going 4-4 from the line and finishing with a nearly identical shooting performance as Cousins, going 7-12 from the field, compared to Cousins' 7-11. And John Wall made it three double-doubles for the Kentucky, scoring 19 points himself to go along with 10 rebounds, finishing just two assists short of a triple-double.



Oh, and when Kentucky really needed him, Wall made all the big plays, even though his shot wasn't falling. Going just 6-16 from the field and failing to knock down his jumper, Wall instead hit clutch free throws, found teammates with beautiful passes and came up with two huge blocks that helped swing momentum and the game. Even when he struggles, he makes a difference.

It's just not fair that two freshman, Wall and Cousins, could arguably be the best two players in the country, or at least the best player in the nation at their respective position. It's a young squad and a beatable squad, but it's also one of the most talented. The Wildcats are scary good.

And the Sixers are scary bad. They lost to the Heat 105-78. They shot just 37.9 percent from the field, 8.3 percent from three (1-12) and 64.7 percent from the line. Conversely, Miami shot 51.2 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three and 80 percent from the line. Essentially, the Sixers played no defense and no offense. Awesome. And Andre Iguodala really inspired fans to put those trade rumors to rest with 11 points on 5-12 shooting, 0-4 from three and getting to the line for just two free throw attempts. These guys suck.

Busy, Here's Some Video

Seeing as I'm just returning from a four-day hiatus, I'm pretty backed up with real work. So enjoy this video of Arkansas-Pine Bluff guard Tavaris Washington jumping over Alabama State's Menji Mundadi for quite an impressive dunk.



And for good measure watch Travis Leslie of Georgia do something no one else has been able to do this season — put Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins in his place.

The Whitest Sequence in the World

If you watched the Villanova's 97-89 victory over St. Joe's last night in its entirety, you witnessed perhaps the whitest sequence in the history of basketball, performed by none other than everyone's favorite Duke transfer Taylor King.



With about 6 and half minutes left to play and Nova holding a comfortable 11-point lead, Corey Fisher stole the ball and passed ahead to a streaking Taylor King in the open floor. King took off and attempted to dunk … and I say attempted because it turned out a little something like this:



OK, not quite, but King took off from way too far out and got rejected by the rim, blowing an easy two points. Hasn't he ever heard that white men can't jump? To make matters worse — and more embarrassing — he hussled down the floor, stumbled, fell and committed a foul. It was, bar-none, the most unathletic, hilarious sequence of basketball I've ever seen. Never have I seen a player look more white. Call that racist if you want, but it makes sense. Taylor King is white, and the fact that he initially went to Duke and now goes to Villanova makes his whiteness even more emphatic. It was hilarity of the highest order. Too bad I can't find it on YouTube.

Truth be told, King actually had a tremendous game last night. He scored 20 points and nabbed nine boards, and he looks like a much more complete player than he did two seasons ago as a freshman at Duke. Back then, all he did was hover around the three-point line and bomb away, never getting dirty inside and not doing much else. But after sitting a year with his transfer, he looks like a completely different player. For starters, he's much more fit than he was as a baby-faced freshman playing for the worst team on earth. And he's shown an aggression and toughness inside that wasn't on display in his one season in Durham. He's banging inside, crashing the boards with reckless abandon, competing hard on defense and continuing to stroke it from anywhere on the court. On a team filled with talent, and more on its way next semester with the return of Reggie Redding, King is commanding more and more playing time with his game. Nova may not be nearly as good as their early-season ranking suggests just yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them get there by March.

With a rotation of Scottie Reynolds — who had a phenomenal game last night (22 points, 4-5 from the floor, 2-3 from three, 12-14 from the line, 6 boards, 5 assists … and 6 turnovers, which wasn't so good), Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Antonio Pena (also a really good game: 15 points, 5-8 shooting, 5-6 from the line, 7 boards, 2 steals, a block) and Reggie Redding playing big minutes last season and returning more seasoned and more confident joined by King, freshmen Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek, and Maurice Sutton, not to mention freshman Isaiah Armwood, this is another nightmare-inducing team manned by Jay Wright. They can get up and down the floor with just about anyone, and as long as Fisher and Reynolds play under control, this squad will be tough to beat.

Just don't ask Taylor King to dunk. The results are disastrous.

Speaking of disastrous, anyone catch the end of the Sixers game last night? Well if you didn't, let me lay out the end-of-game scenario for you. With 1:04 remaining, Allen Iverson made a jumper to tie the game at 86. The Sixers, by some miracle from God, were able to play good enough defense to force a shot clock violation on the ensuing possession. I know, I'm stunned too. I was expecting a layup by the Pistons to regain the lead. After making a great defensive stand, Andre Iguodala takes the ball hard to the rim, in line for a pretty makeable layup. He misses it. Samuel Dalembert then misses the putback, and on a third attempt chance, Iggy and Dalembert fight each other for the board and the ball goes out of bounds. Pathetic.

Iggy then plays great D on Rodney Stuckey, blocking his shot, only to have the ball go right back to Stuckey, who buries the shot to put the Pistons up two with 8.7 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Allen Iverson gets the ball out of the timeout, just what everyone in Philadelphia wanted, and even with his poor shooting night and lack of game legs, we all wanted to see Al take the game-tying or game-winning shot. Instead, the Sixers ran a beautiful play, as Elton Brand set a devastating pick to free up Iggy all alone to the right of the top of the key. Iguodala, with absolutely no Detroit Piston around him, missed a wide open three-pointer that would have put the Sixers ahead.



That's two missed shots in the clutch from Iggy, shots you absolutely have to make if you want to be the man, especially considering the first was a layup and the second was literally a completely unguarded shot. You think Kobe misses that shot ever? Or Jordan? No, if they're uncovered, they're draining that 100 times out of 100. Hell, so is Iverson, probably even right now.

Andre Iguodala is a damn good basketball player. He really is. But he's not that guy, and he's certainly not someone I want taking the final shot. Yes, he's made a few big ones over the past year, but he's missed many more, and looked terrible doing it. Once Iverson's back in shape, I think it would be best for everyone if the Sixers let A.I. the first take those big shots he's accustomed to. Unless the Sixers are playing for John Wall. Then by all means, keep letting Iggy take horrible shots at crunch time and watching him miss them. I'm OK with that.

Why, you ask? Because John Wall is fucking amazing. He was amazing against UNC, and he was amazing again last night against UConn, scoring a game-high 25 points on 10-16 from the floor, 1-1 from three, 4-4 from the line, and swiping six steals in leading the undefeated Wildcats to a 64-61 victory. And he did it in spectacular fashion.

To start the game, Kentucky ripped off 12 straight points, highlighted by Wall and fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe running a picture-perfect fast break that ended in a nasty alley-oop:



At that point, up 12-0, it looked like the Huskies were dead in the water. But being a Jim Calhoun team, they didn't give up, went on an insane run of their own behind Gavin Edwards, Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson, and went into the half with a 29-23 lead. The rest of the way it was tight, but in the end, John Wall was simply too much. He's just too good.

In a heated game, Wall scored 12 of Kentucky's final 15 points and iced the game with his three-point play on a drive to the hoop with 30 seconds left. He hit a dagger of a three, got out in the open court where he is impossible to guard, scored inside, outside, every which way. He was, just as he's been in every game so far this season, the best player on the floor, and whoever was second wasn't even close. Honestly, it's not fair what this kid is doing out there. No one should be this good this soon, especially as a point guard. But nothing fazes him. He looks in control of the moment just about every moment, especially in the big ones. And he's just a teenager. But make no mistake, John Wall, even if his age says he's a kid, is a man playing amongst boys right now.

And something tells me he'll never have a moment as embarrassing as Taylor King did last night. He's not white enough.

A Spectrum-Inspired Commercial

Sort of. Check out the new, pretty damn good Vitamin Water commercial:



That's pretty funny. Although, I refuse to post the shot, even though it did happen in the Spectrum, because I hate Duke that much.

What Happened to Kentucky?

It's damn near impossible to fault Kentucky for losing to the No. 1 team in the country on the road, but last night wasn't just about losing. It was about a dramatic free fall from grace for the winningest program in college basketball history.



Right now, that is the face of the Kentucky basketball. Look at it. Concerned, confused and searching for answers. Last year, the Wildcats opened up with a loss to Gardner-Webb at home and never recovered. They lost their final two games of the season, but came in this year with hope. Patrick Patterson was healthy, and some talented young players were on the way. Then they lost their home opener again, this time to Virginia Military Institute. Yikes.

And from the start last night, Kentucky was in trouble. North Carolina jumped out to a 25-6 lead and never looked back. Deon Thompson was an absolute beast, scoring a career-high 20 points to pace everyone, and the junior power forward was having his way. There wasn't a damn thing any Wildcat could do about it.



Kentucky, once one of the elite programs as recently as a few seasons ago, looks just awful. The players seem as if they don't know what to do on offense, and their defense looks like a lost cause. Against VMI, Kentucky turned the ball over 25 times. At home. Against VMI. Last night, they turned it over 28 times in the Dean Dome. That's 53 turnovers in two games in case you're counting.

Patterson was the lone bright spot for the Wildcats, netting 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and adding 11 rebounds, but his teammates had an extremely hard time getting him the ball. In fact, Kentucky's backcourt was pathetic. Completely awful. Jodie Meeks was 5 for 20 from the floor, and Michael Porter looked like anything but a Division I basketball player. The Cats have no guards, and it's sad to watch.

UNC, on the other hand, looked like a behemoth without its best player and best defender. Thompson, mentioned above, had the best game I've seen him play since he stepped foot in Chapel Hill. Kentucky had no answer for him. It was nice to see him take over with Hansbrough out.

Philadelphia boy Wayne Ellington continued to struggle from the floor, but the rare times Kentucky left him open, he made his shots with ease. His field goal percentage should only climb once Tyler comes back. And speaking of Tyler, freshman Tyler Zeller, while quiet offensively, looked rather impressive defending Patterson early on. He was denying catches, and clearly, this big man has some talent.



Unfortunately for North Carolina, Zeller was injured late the game on a hard foul. Attempting to dunk on the break, Zeller was hit and fell to the floor. As he braced himself for his fall, he landed on his left wrist, and it didn't look good. Just ask Roy:

"It doesn't look good," Williams said.

My guess is a broken left wrist, which certainly isn't good. Zeller was considered UNC's top recruit and expected to be a major contributor down the line. This could certainly slow those expectations down a bit.

The good news, however, is that UNC rolled, and several players impressed. Ty Lawson dished out 9 assists while only turning the ball over twice, looking every bit like the playmaker he was before his injury last season. Danny Green did a little bit of everything with 5 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals, a block and 6 points. And most impressive to me was freshman forward Ed Davis, who was extremely active on both ends of the court, nabbing 10 boards, 2 steals, a block and 9 points on 4 of 6 from the field. He looked extremely athletic, agile and talented.

Even freshman Larry Drew II looked confident running the point when he spelled Lawson, and Will Graves came in to nail two deep three-pointers, showing he hasn't grown shy.

And as a North Carolina fan, all that (minus the Zeller injury) was good to see. But something was missing. Somehow, this game felt hollow. Not because of anything UNC did. More because of what Kentucky couldn't do. There was a time when a Kentucky-North Carolina matchup was must-see TV. The two most winningest programs taking each other on was always sure to be a 12-round bout with an exciting finish, and a potential precursor to a Final Four matchup. But no more. Kentucky just isn't that team anymore. And it's a shame. Because a North Carolina-Kentucky game at 9 p.m. on ESPN is supposed to be something to get excited about. Now it's more like watching Penn State take on Coastal Carolina.

And that just doesn't seem right.

Update: Via The Big Lead, Zeller has a broken wrist and could be done for the year. Gay.

Somewhere, Ed Cota and Jeff Shepherd Will Be Watching

Tonight, in a culmination of ESPN's glorious College Basketball Marathon, the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels take on Kentucky in the Dean Dome at 9 p.m. on the World Wide Leader.





Surely, this isn't exactly what ESPN had in mind, what with Tyler Hansbrough out and Kentucky losing at home to Virginia Military Academy. That's just embarrassing.

But, this game still has plenty to offer. For starters, any time UNC is on national television, all eyes should be feasted upon the tube. The Tar Heels are always a fun team to watching, loaded with future NBAers. Philadelphia's own Wayne Ellington has one of the sweetest jump shots this side of Ray Allen, Ty Lawson is one of the fastest, most explosive point guards in the nation and Danny Green can do damn near anything on the basketball court.



Then there are the likes of Bobby Frasor, a heady backup point guard with some size, Will Graves, a gunner if ever there was one, the beast that is Deon Thompson and the 7 foot freshman Tyler Zeller, a young buck who filled in quite nicely for that other pale Tyler in the first game.

And then there is Kentucky. Sure, they underachieved last year and began the season with another terrible loss, but this squad has some talent. Unfortunately for them, not nearly enough to stop the machine that is the Tar Heels, even without the guy whose face Gerald Henderson broke.

So tonight, get comfy on the couch by 9 p.m. I know Ed Cota and Jeff Shepherd will.