STF Preseason Rankings: #4 Kentucky Wildcats

The Skinny: The 2009/10 Kentucky Wildcats basketball season could very well be called the "Season of John."  Never has the Commonwealth put so much hope into two men with such common, monosyllabic first names.  After two seasons of absolute garbage from Billy Gillispie -- count me among those who give Gillispie zero credit for his 12-4 SEC record during his first season with Kentucky -- which, by all rights, eclipsed even Tubby Smith's shortest comings, Wildcats fans are absolutely starving for positive attention in the world of college basketball.

Enter the Johns.  Add one part Calipari, one part Wall, and one part Dribble-Drive offense that seems to be the rage with recruits and you have the makings of rejuvenated fanbase with their sights set on a return to Final Four glory.

However, will the team be able to meet fan expectations?  If the Wildcats can get consistent outside shooting from the likes of Dodson, Hood, Wall and Bledsoe -- a big if, considering Hood and Dodson are the only known shooters out of that group -- Kentucky's potential is rather limitless.  Besides the most hyped freshman since coaches tried in vain to recruit LeBron James headlining the top recruiting class of 2009, Kentucky's frontline is a group of big men to be reckoned with.

Led by preseason All-American Patrick Patterson, the Wildcats have a bevvy of forwards to unleash on the rest of the SEC.  Names like DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton will only strengthen a unit featuring the beast-like Patterson.  Broken record time, but if Kentucky's perimeter play matches their front line, the Wildcats should earn every bit of the preseason pub they've been given.

The question is, can recruiting mastermind Calipari mesh his talented, yet largely inexperienced group for a meaningful run in March?  Again, if the guard play -- not the open court wizardry of Wall and Bledsoe, mind you, but their ability to hit perimeter shots -- can match the output of the forwards, Kentucky will be a team primed for a run at the Final Four.  

Until they prove themselves to be perimeter threats, expect the Cats to see a lot of zone.

Bloggers say: (Thoughts about UK fans and how they mix with Calipari- ed) "It is said that Kentucky fans have a unique passion and understanding of basketball because the state has so little else to inspire its people. Most often, that is said by people who do not recognize the beauty in a still, fall morning in the country with a brisk wind blowing in from the north and light fog just beginning to lift over the holler, or the sound of horses champing in their nose-bags, or the quiet beauty of a late summer sunset over bluegrass fields. Most of the urban sports watchers think Kentucky is a backward place full of prejudice and ignorance instead of home to a vibrant, passionate, fair-minded people who understand that art may be found not just in the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile or the gilded works of Shakespeare, but also in a smooth cross-over or the graceful arc of a well-executed jump shot. 

It seems that Coach Calipari is more similar to us than not, despite his urban upbringing and his urbane lifestyle."

- Truzenzuzex over at A Sea of Blue

Discussing Wall's potential impact: "He's never played a college basketball game before.

That seems to be the only knock on UK freshman point guard John Wall. Some say his jump shot needs improvement, some say he can't hit his 3-pointers with the regularity that others can. But when the UK men's basketball team talks about just how good Wall is, there's usually a shaking of the head in disbelief, raising of eyebrows and very complimentary words. 

'John is very good,' freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins said. 'Everything you hear, everything on paper is true. He is good, he's not overrated at all. Everything is good.'  When asked if he could be the national player of the year, Cousins responded with a simple, 'Oh yeah.' 

That's just the recognition Wall got from CBSSports.com senior writer Gary Parrish, who labeled Wall the Preseason National Player of the Year."

- Kentucky Kernel

Best Games:

12/5 North Carolina

12/9 @UConn

12/12 Indiana

1/2 Louisville

1/12 @Florida

1/26 @South Carolina

2/13 Tennessee

2/16 @Mississippi State

2/27 @Tennessee

3/7 Florida

This is Kentucky's typical, year-end, year-out schedule:  a number of cupcakes (Rider, Cleveland State, Hartford) offset by some marquee match ups (Louisville, North Carolina and UConn).  Don't expect it to change much.  Ever.  Sure, there might be a new team or two -- Calipari has let it be known he'd like to get a neutral site series going with Kansas -- but for the most part, it's the same schedule Kentucky has had since Pitino roamed the sidelines.

Famous Basketball Alums: Dan Issel, Kenny "Sky" Walker, Tayshaun Prince, Chuck Hayes, Jamal Mashburn, Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson, Antoine Walker (stop gambling, please), Tony Delk, Jodie Meeks (54 points in one game has a way of making you kinda famous)

Other Famous Alums: Ashley Judd, Story Musgrave (Astronaut), Brandon Webb (Major League pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks), Jim Leyritz, J. B. Holmes (PGA Golfer, BKA John Holmes), William Lipscomb (1976 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry), Tom Hammond (sports broadcaster, Olympics, SEC Basketball, Notre Dame football), James Michael Guiler (the doctor that branded "UK" on the uteri of hysterectomy patients)

Places to eat: One of the things that curses Lexington is its over-reliance on chain restaurants.  For every Ramsey's Diner you have (about three or four), there are four or five Applebee's/Chili's/Texas Roadhouse. 

Nevertheless, there are gems to be found in Lexington; places like Malone's (the parent company has a few more Lexington-area restaurants), Slice of Chicago (forgive the site, the pizza's AWESOME), Tolly-Ho (campus favorite), The Merrick Inn and Murray's, and deSha's Restaurant, just to name a few.  I'm sure if any current Lexington residents (I moved two years ago) swing by this post, they'll have a few more to add, but these are pretty good places to start.