Tag Archives: Kentucky Wildcats

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Monday Morning PG

This opening bit is for The Professor.

Who was indeed a real prof, and an eminent one at that at the Law School.

But, as is par for the course here, it’s a serpentine route to get to the point.*

*Some call if filler. Some call it shtick. I dunno. 

Anyhow, I’m not a betting guy.

Those incessant adverts for betyourentire401kothisabsurdprop.com promising $500 in bonus moolah if your first buck down on Steph Curry to net 11 triples against the Rockets wins, those lures roll over me. The bait stays on the hook. I’m a many of many chronic obsessions, betting thankfully has never been one.

But . . . were I bettin’ dude . . . there’s one I’d be mighty sure of winning.

It would be that new Louisville sharpshooting guard Ryan Conwell has never heard of Ricky Nelson.*

*Warned you this would be circuitous.  Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Monday Morning PG

Sunday Afternoon PG

As we sports junkies await the penultimate pigskin playdowns, there was a weekend of hoops.

A veritable hoopadelic bounty of b-ball.

Can I get a witness?

Say Hallelujah!!!

 * * * * *

Today’s quote from a national hoops scribe:

The point is, even the best teams in college basketball sometimes have to grind out ugly ones. Beating a middling team by one or two points is by no means disqualifying come the Big Dance.

The reference was to Florida’s recent escape against South Carolina.

Of course, the same can be said of Louisville’s fending off of Eastern Kentucky. Thanks to a late layup by broken-thumbed Noah Waterman.

It happens.

Especially as the season grinds from January to February, and some fatigue sets in even for the most settled of squads. Continue reading Sunday Afternoon PG

U of L CardFile: Kentucky

There is one thing I honestly hate more than losing to Kentucky.

Playing Kentucky.

Too much stress. You know seeing THAT guy in the coffee room or the gym.

It’s an annual reminder of reality: That arch rival’s program has been better historically, and certainly better in recent times.

I accept that. But, geez, it would be nice not to have it reinforced just about every year.

Besides for all the store the teams’ fanbases hold in this battle, both schools have won a natty after losing in the regular season.

So, as I sit and provide this brief — very brief — review of UK’s hard fought 93-85 victory, my main takeaway is . . .

. . . I’m glad it’s over.

 * * * * *

As for the actual basketball, one thing is clear. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Kentucky

U of L CardFile: Kentucky

It is said that the word “defense” derives from an Old French term, which originated around 1300 give or take a year from the Latin “defensus.”

The French term “defense” it is also reported by those who know etymology is a past participle “defendre.”

What, you wanted me to get right to it.

Pshaw.

If Fun is Bowling to those mired in a traffic jam along Shelbyville Road, Fun is  Giddiness for Cardinal fans, who finally have reached a state of exorcism on a frigid Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field.

Louisville 41 , Kentucky  14.

Demons be gone.

And, harkening back to the lede . . .

. . . Game Ball to U of L’s Defense.

Which brings us to my personal Play of the Game. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Kentucky

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Rivalry Week

Last weekend was one where I was pretty pretty pretty bold with my picks.

Kansas has been playing well of late. I’m still not sold on the whole Sanders shtick in Colorado. Although son is a fine QB. So, picking the Jayhawks seemed logical. Which proved a correct assessment.

Plus, as with interest rates, it’s fun when Prime goes down.

North Carolina has been reeling. BC in November is not a nice place to play. And I’ve had Mack Brown atop my Dead Man Walking list for weeks now. BC won. Tar Heel AD Bubba Cunningham finally had enough of Brown, saying sayonara a few days after my pick played out.

Ohio State, Texas and Louisville were all pretty easy choices. But hey.

In the PAC2 title game, I came thissssssssssssss close to tabbing Oregon State. But I didn’t. Had the game finished 20 seconds earlier, I would have registered my second perfecto of the season. But it didn’t. A truly back and forth affair was my miss of the weekend.

5-1 for the weekend. 57-21 on the season.

Not bad.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Rivalry Week

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week XII

The explosion was not quite as bad as what happened about 500 yards from my hacienda on Tuesday afternoon.

It was earth shattering. Almost, literally. Now know what it feels like when bombs are going off nearby. Very scary.

As for last weekend’s pick, let’s call it a self imposed implosion.

Not scary. But not good.

My first more-Ls-than-Ws slate of the year.

I was due for a let down. Still hurts, because . . .

. . . as a University of Louisville diehard I should have remembered the ever present and egregiously frustrating up and down trending arc of one Scott Satterfield, who now roams the sideline in his vizor at Cincy. Why did I pick the Bearcats as faves to visiting West Virginia?

I haven’t the slightest idea. Or excuse.

. . . for Georgia, which fell to the Kiffins, I have a theory. Carson Beck was worried about financial woes, when he discovered it was going to cost him $900 or so just to change the oil on his $300Large Lamborghini. He was obviously distracted. One less designer hoody.

. . . which seems a similar problem for Vandy QB Diego Pavia, what with the lawsuit he filed against the NCAA because his JUCO days count against eligibility, diminishing his NIL opps, should he decide to enter the portal after one season in NashVegas.

Oh these college kids and their financial advisers.

West Point and the IU Cignettis came through.

Harsh Truth: 2-3 for the weekend. Woe is me.

48-19 on the season. Still great.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week XII

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week X

It was with a wry smile that I reacted to the recent news of changes to this year’s WSP, World Series of Prediction.

The organization that rules said premier of postseason events, CPPPPOCE (College Postseason Prediction Playoff Oligarchical Council of Elders) has in their wisdom decided to stay in lockstep with the CFP, expanding from 4 contenders to a dozen.

Why I greeted the news thusly should be obvious. Another 4-1 weekend — Pitt, Texas, IU, U of L right, UK wrong) propels me to 43-12 on the campaign.

Glossy.

In former years, with that record I’d easily be in the Final Four (for the first time I feel compelled to share), competing with only three others. Now there shall be twelve of us, and as it has been said, on any given weekend . . .

Given that I’ve just about lapped the field in the SM-NM Region (South Middle-North Midwest), known among us as the Big Mid, I’m pretty much assured a first round bye.

Absent some meltdown of Seminolian proportions, of course.

But, it’s still early.

Maybe baby come back next week, and I’ll be on a losing streak.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week X

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VIII

Ho hum, another 4-1 weekend for the kid.

But, ya know, it never gets boring.

And the one I missed: Kentucky.

So be it.

Vandy is pretty good we now have to admit. That Pavia kid is A Footballer.

Oregon escaped because the Buckeye’s transfer portal QB had a faulty inner clock. And Coach Lanning’s crafty use of the rules and the clock.

Texas won because Brent Venables  was a really good, actually great defensive coach and when Oklahoma came calling should have listened to that inner voice that turned down down previous offers for the first chair. Which it appears

Pitt won because it hit the jackpot when choosing its TPQB, and Cal was just tired enough from that time zone travel.

Louisville won.

So, the tally: 4-1 on the weekend, pushes my already lofty season numbers to 34-11.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VIII

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VII

When on the telecast of Syracuse at Vegas I heard the unique if not so dulcet voice of my favorite college football analyst Petros Papadakis, I took it as a harbinger of another boffo prediction weekend ahead.

The Orange prevailed Friday evening. As did the Aggies and Cornhuskers and still undefeated Hoosiers on Saturday as was foretold in this space last week in advance of the games.

Which means that Louisville’s disturbing L to SMU in the L&N was my only miscue.

As for the Cardinals, I just don’t like the sound of Head Coach saying five games into the season with the hard part of the schedule yet ahead that U of L needs to change some things. It is never a good sign when culture and systemic changes are necessary in October.

Here’s a start, beat the Hoos on Saturday.

Anyhow, 4-1 for the weekend, lifts me to 30-10 for the year.

Which if my arithmetic is correct is 75% correct.

That works.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VII

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week V

Not a lot of shtick to share about last weekend.

It happens.

Went 4-2 but it felt less than good.

Southern Cal looked still pretty OK still on both sides of the ball, but Michigan under new coach Sherrone Moore proved more capable than it previously had. Stanford came up big in the Carrier Dome, as Syracuse fell back to the norm a bit. Could have used the Dome Ranger going long.

So I got those wrong.

Florida State finally won one. IU, UK and U of L also prevailed.

Like I said, 4-2 for the weekend, 20-7 on the campaign.

This weekend’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week V