Videos of Cousins, Bledsoe, Patterson and Wall talking awards, SEC Tournament

Freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins talks about the SEC awards and the upcoming SEC Tournament. Apologies for sound quality (that gym is loud with people shooting around).

Another video (hopefully better sound) from Cousins talking about the SEC awards handed out Tuesday, and the upcoming SEC Tournament. Plus, listen to what Cousins has to say about UK head coach John Calipari not winning the SEC Coach of the Year award.

Freshman guard Eric Bledsoe talks about the SEC awards handed out Tuesday, Calipari not winning coach of the year and the SEC Tournament.

Junior forward Patrick Patterson talks about his accomplishments being recognized with the postseason awards, Calipari not winning coach of the year and the SEC Tournament.

Freshman guard John Wall talks about being named SEC Player of the Year, and this weekend’s SEC Tournament.

Awards continue to roll in for Cats

The coaches of the Southeastern Conference have spoken, and the John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are tops in the conference.

Wall was named the SEC Player of the Year on Tuesday by the coaches, and Cousins was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

The award for Wall doesn’t come as much of a surprise to many, but it should be noted Wall was never named SEC Player of the Week throughout the season (weird, huh?). Wall was named SEC Freshman of the Week five times. Cousins was named SEC Freshman of the Week four times and Player of the Week once.

Wall is the second freshman ever to be named SEC Player of the Year, joining Louisiana State’s Chris Jackson, who won the award in 1989.

Together, Wall and Cousins have become one of the all-time best freshman tandems. The two are averaging a combined 32.9 points per game, 14.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Cats.

In somewhat of a surprise, Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings was named the SEC Coach of the Year. UK head coach John Calipari was the favorite to win the award for taking a team that went to the National Invitation Tournament one year ago all the way to a No. 2 ranking in the final regular season Associated Press top 25. Stallings directed the Commodores to a 23-7 record and second place finish in the SEC East. The Commodores are considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament next week.

Coaches voted on the eight-member teams for All-SEC, Second Team All-SEC and for the SEC All-Freshman squad.

Here’s the complete rundown:

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC

Trey Thompkins – Forward – Georgia

DeMarcus Cousins – Forward – UK

Patrick Patterson – Forward – UK

John Wall – Guard – UK

Jarvis Varnado – Center – Mississippi State

Devan Downey – Guard – South Carolina

Wayne Chism – Forward – Tennessee

Jermaine Beal – Guard – Vanderbilt

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC

Mikhail Torrance – Guard – Alabama

Courtney Fortson – Guard – Arkansas

Erving Walker – Guard – Florida

Tasmin Mitchell – Forward – LSU

Chris Warren – Guard – Mississippi

Dee Bost – Guard – Mississippi State

A.J. Ogilvy – Center – Vanderbilt

Jeffrey Taylor – Forward – Vanderbilt

SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Tony Mitchell – Forward – Alabama

Marshawn Powell – Forward – Arkansas

Kenny Boynton – Guard – Florida

Eric Bledsoe – Guard – UK

DeMarcus Cousins – Forward – UK

John Wall – Guard – UK

Reginald Buckner – Forward – Mississippi

John Jenkins – Guard – Vanderbilt

SEC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Patrick Patterson – Forward – UK

Jarvis Varnado – Center – Mississippi State

Devan Downey – Guard – South Carolina

Sam Muldrow – Forward – South Carolina

Jeffrey Taylor – Forward – Vanderbilt

SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jarvis Varnado – Center – Mississippi State

SEC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

DeMarcus Cousins – Forward – UK

SEC COACH OF THE YEAR

Kevin Stallings – Vanderbilt

SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

John Wall – Guard – UK

Wall, Calipari win USBWA awards

The United States Basketball Writers’ Association named their District IV Player of the Year on Tuesday, and it is none other than Mr. Wall.

Not to be left out, Calipari was named the District Coach of the Year.

Joining Wall on the All-District team are Cousins and Patterson.

District IV consists of teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Calipari gets a Mustang

Add a car to the list of things with Coach Cal’s name on it.

According to a news release, the new “Coach Cal Edition 2010 Roush 427R Mustang” is exclusively designed and released by Paul Miller Ford, Lexington, Kentucky’s Largest Ford Dealership.

“J.P. Miller asked if I wanted to drive a Mustang for a while,” said Coach Cal in the release. “I said, “J.P., it’s a Mustang! How could I not want to drive it? It’s a really great car.”

Previously, Paul Miller Ford designed a Rich Brooks truck. I guess the two coaches can ride in style now.

In addition to Coach Cal’s, five more of the special model are being built and are available for pre-order now at Paul Miller Ford. Go to www.paulmilleronline.com for more info and photos. Also visit www.CoachCal.com for video and photos with Coach in the Mustang.

This Coach Cal Edition Mustang includes an appearance package comprised of several components including:
• new front fascia and front splitter
• rear fascia
• side splitters
• three-piece rear wing.
• Custom blue and black suede seating accents
• Coach Cal autograph on car

The Coach Cal edition Roush Mustang rides on 20-inch cast chrome wheels with high-performance Cooper Zeon tires. Cooper has designed these tires with an asymmetric tread and special racing compound that delivers a high dry grip.

Little earns National Player of the Week Award

UK’s West Coast swing garnered national attention for its players.

Junior relief pitcher Matt Little was named one of three National Players of the Week by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.  Little earned a save and a win in five innings of work and two relief appearances this week.

Little now has a 0.82 ERA on the year, with team-high three saves.

Little is one of only three players honored by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and is the only pitcher. Mississippi State first baseman Connor Powers and Florida Atlantic shortstop Nick Delguidice were also honored.

His award comes on the heels of Logan Darnell being named SEC Pitcher of the Week for his performance against San Diego during the same road trip.

UK moves up in the polls

After starting the year unranked, UK has climbed into the bottom portion of most top-25 rankings.

The Wildcats have advanced to No. 22 in the weekly Baseball America top 25, up from No. 23 last week. Also, UK moved to No. 24 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper weekly poll, up from No. 25 last Monday, and advanced in the Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports top 25, up from No. 22 to No. 19. In addition, for the first time this season, Kentucky cracked the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll, moving to No. 22.

Cause for relief: Cats’ bullpen throwing strong

With the last frame in mind and the game on the line, UK entrusts its bullpen to lock down the win.

When UK head coach Gary Henderson strides from the dugout to the mound and raises his arm in a single-handed summoning of a relief pitcher, UK feels the game is in good hands.

“The biggest part of the bullpen is having someone you can count on to be effective,” Henderson said. “That guy is Matt Little.”

A right-handed junior, Little has emerged as a big-time pitcher in big-time situations. He’s picked up three saves in three attempts this year, allowing just one earned run and striking out 14 through 11 innings.

He feels the game is in good hands when he enters, too.

“I wouldn’t say the game is over,” said Little about having to close out a game.  “But I like our odds. I trust my stuff.”

Entering the game with the pressure bulging in the ninth inning, it is that confidence that is needed for closers.

“When you get called on it’s going to be one of the biggest spots in the game,” Little said. “How you do can be the difference between winning and losing. That’s what I love about the bullpen.  I want the ball in my hands.”

Little, who was named one of College Baseball Newspaper’s three national players of the week, is more than the traditional one-inning specialist. On Saturday, he showed his versatility coming out of the pen, throwing four shutout innings against Monmouth while his team rallied from a six-run deficit to pick up the win.

“You never know when you’re going to get called on,” Little said. “I’m here to do whatever the team needs. I’m just trying to get zeroes on the scoreboard.”

But there’s more to a bullpen than one lockdown closer. Depth can be the difference between an airtight bullpen and a leaky one. The Cats have multiple arms that can bridge the chasm between starter and closer, including sophomore Braden Kapteyn.

“The biggest chance is we have more arms,” Henderson said. “We have an older Braden Kapteyn, we have some new pitchers and we’ll get to give guys an opportunity to play as we start playing midweek games.”

Kapteyn, although not a full-time relief pitcher (he also plays first base and is often used in the designated hitter spot to get his bat in the lineup), is a dependable arm in the bullpen.

As a freshman, he earned a team-leading four saves. He’s picked up one save this year when he bailed UK out of a bases-loaded, ninth-inning jam against Bowling Green on Feb. 27.

“Our bullpen is a lot stronger than last year,” Little said. “A big part of that is our depth. We have lots of guys who can come in and shut opponents down.”

The improved bullpen was tabbed as a key for UK in the preseason. Last year, ravaged by injuries and lacking solid depth, the bullpen was a lock waiting to be picked by rallying opponents.

Henderson cautions that the season is young, and unexpected things can and will happen. But so far this year, the bullpen has been a lock holding sturdy against the prods and pokes of opponents.

And it might turn into a near-impenetrable safe as the season progresses with the return of junior Nick Kennedy, a right-handed submariner who is currently injured.

“Ten games into the season, 46 to go, the bullpen is still in flux but it’s off to a pretty decent start,” Henderson said. “It’s got a chance to be a strength. If we can get Nick back, get him healthy, it has a chance to be better.”

Logan Darnell named SEC Pitcher of the Week

Junior Logan Darnell was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after throwing a complete-game shutout against San Diego Friday.

In his third career start, Darnell needed just 90 pitches to make it through nine innings.  He allowed just eight singles while striking out four.  He also induced San Diego into four double plays.

The complete-game shutout was the first for UK since James Paxton tossed a shutout against Ole Miss on the final week of the regular season in 2008.

On the year, Darnell has made three starts and posted a 2-0 record and a 2.57 ERA.

Cats close regular season at No. 2

They finished the Southeastern Conference as the No. 1 team, but they finished the regular season as the No. 2 team in the Associated Press top 25.

After defeating Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Wednesday night, the Cats (29-2, 14-2 SEC) closed out the regular season on Senior Day with a 74-66 win over Florida to cap off an 18-0 record at home.

UK received two first-place votes.

Kansas (29-2) regained the No. 1 ranking after losing it one week prior. The Jayhawks defeated Kansas State and Missouri last week.

The nation’s previous No. 1 team, Syracuse (28-3) , dropped to No. 3 in the polls. The Orange lost to Louisville in the Cardinals’ final home game at Freedom Hall before moving to their new arena next season. Two of the Orange’s three losses this season came to the Cards.

Duke (26-5) stayed at No. 4 despite the Blue Devils losing to Maryland on the road Wednesday evening. Duke likely saved themselves by pummeling rival-North Carolina by 32 at home on Saturday.

Coming in at No. 5 this week is National Player of the Year candidate Evan Turner and the Ohio State Buckeyes (24-7). Though the Buckeyes only played one game last week, a 73-57 win over Illinois, previous No. 5 Kansas State lost twice.

Purdue (26-4), sans forward Robbie Hummel, moved up one spot to No. 6 in the polls, West Virginia (24-6) moved up three spots to No. 7, and New Mexico (28-3) held steady at No. 8 in this week’s poll.

In the falling category, Kansas State (24-6) dropped four spots to No. 9 after losing to Kansas and Iowa State last week, while Villanova (24-6) fell two spots to round out the top 10 after losing at home to West Virginia.

Again, the SEC got only three teams in the AP top 25. Joining UK in the rankings are Tennessee (23-7) and Vanderbilt (23-7). Tennessee is No. 15 this week and Vanderbilt fell to No. 20 after losing on Saturday to South Carolina.

Wall, Cats rake in awards (updated)

If you missed the Academy Awards last night, have no fear. The awards season has just begun for the UK men’s basketball team.

UK freshman guard John Wall has been named the Yahoo! Sports National Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Joining Wall on the Yahoo! Sports first-team All-America list is UK freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins. UK junior forward Patrick Patterson was named an honorable mention to the list.

Wall was also named Freshman of the Year by the Sporting News. Cousins joined Wall on Sporting News’ All-Freshman Team.

The electric 6-foot-4 guard from Raleigh, N.C., will likely be taking in postseason awards by the groves in the next few weeks.

Wall is one of the final six candidates up for the Bob Cousy award, given to the nation’s top point guard, the Naismith Trophy, given to college basketball’s player of the year, and the Wooden Award, given to the country’s top player, among other awards.

Wall leads the Cats (29-2, 14-2 Southeastern Conference) in scoring (16.8 points per game), assists (6.2 assists per game), steals (1.8 takeaways per game), minutes (34.7 minutes per game), and is third in rebounding (4 boards per game).

Perhaps the most impressive stat is his play in the clutch. Wall said after the Cats’ game at Georgia on March 3, that he may not be the best shooter, but he knows how to score in the clutch. The numbers don’t lie. In the last two minutes and overtime this season, Wall has scored 66 points in 70 minutes with just six giveaways. That’s 37.7 points per 40 minutes in crunch time.

Earlier this season, UK head coach John Calipari was named to the Yahoo! Sports All-Coaches first-team. Calipari, of course, has been the architect in transforming and building the Cats from an NIT team one year ago, to a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament one week from now.

Yahoo! Sports also named Wall, Cousins and Patterson first-team All-SEC performers. Wall was named by Yahoo! Sports as the conference Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year, and Calipari was named the conference Coach of the Year.

UPDATE:

The awards just keep on coming.

CBSSports.com has handed out their league honors as well today, and their is a strong UK flavor to their SEC awards.

Wall was named SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, and Calipari was named the SEC Coach of the Year.

Wall, Cousins and Patterson were all named first-team All-SEC selections.

UK women fall 70-62 in SEC Championship

DULUTH, Ga. – The Cats found themselves on the wrong side of tradition and the tale of the tape against No. 4 Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship game on Sunday, falling 70-62 to the Lady Volunteers.

UK’s starting lineup, which included only one player over 6 feet tall, gave up 26 total inches to the Volunteers’ starters. All five starters for Tennessee (30-2, 15-1 SEC) were over 6 feet tall, capped by 6-foot-6 sophomore Kelley Cain, a first team All-SEC selection.

“It was pretty physical out there,” junior forward Victoria Dunlap said. “I think mentally we weren’t ready to box them out and we weren’t ready as a team in the first half, so they got a lot of put backs and boards. But I thought we did a good job of turning that around in the second half.”

Tennessee used its size to their advantage early and often, and the Lady Vols scored 18 of their first 23 points in the paint, outrebounding the Cats 51-32. But when the No. 19 Cats (25-7, 11-5 SEC) could keep the ball from going inside, they were finally able to slow the Volunteers’ attack and took a 25-23 lead after being down by 10 points early in the game. UK took the lead when Dunlap made a layup in transition and was fouled, converting on the freebie.

The Volunteers knew how to respond.

The two teams traded the lead until UK junior guard Amber Smith picked up her third foul in the first half, sending her to the bench. Smith had a slow start on the night scoring, but paced UK offensively and defensively with five assists and three turnovers. With her sitting out, the Vols were able to close the half strong and took a 35-29 lead into the locker room.

“They’re a very good basketball team,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “They have a lot of experience in this situation so I was not surprised by (Tennessee’s ability to respond after falling behind). I was more encouraged by how we responded. Things were not looking good at times in the first half and I thought we responded.”

But when Smith came back, so did the Cats.

Smith made a basket, assisted on a 3-pointer and made another layup to tie the game at 38 before picking up her fourth foul and going to the bench again. She would re-enter the game before too long, but once the Volunteers finally heated up, there was little any UK player could do to stop them. With UK up 48-46, Tennessee ripped off an 11-2 run and didn’t look back.

No Cat did more to lead the UK offense than Dunlap, particularly when Smith was out. Dunlap finished with 21 points and six rebounds, providing UK with most of its punch inside.

In the end, the Vols’ poise that comes with 14 SEC tournament championships and their 44 inside points  were too much for the Cats to overcome. UK missed out on the chance to win just its second-ever SEC tournament championship. The Cats’ only other such title came in 1982.

“We have made tremendous progress,” Mitchell said. “Tennessee has a great program and we have a lot of respect for their program. We talked today about what Kentucky is about and what we want to be about and I think you see out there players that play very aggressively, players that are willing to make some sacrifices for each other and play hard together, and I think we just need to continue to to do that … I’m really encouraged with what the team is doing right now.

“We have a long way to go this year, this season is not over, but the SEC portion is and it is time to look back and they performed well.”

UK vs. Tennessee — SEC Championship live blog

The Cats are facing rival Tennessee for the second time this year, but this time a title is on the line. Follow writer Ben Jones as he covers the action live from the SEC Tournament in Duluth, Ga. Led by SEC Coach of the Year Matthew Mitchell, Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap and Freshman of the Year A’dia Mathies, the Cats are in the title game for only the second time in school history. Come back for the live blog at 6:00 p.m.