from NY Times...

Two years ago, Eric Bledsoe was a star point guard without the grades to meet the N.C.A.A.’s minimum standards and needing to find a new high school. He solved both problems by moving to A. H. Parker High School and now, after one season at the University of Kentucky, he is awaiting a lucrative payday in next month’s N.B.A. draft.

The changes in Bledsoe’s academic and athletic prospects have attracted the attention of the N.C.A.A., which has sent investigators to at least three places in Alabama to ask about him. The N.C.A.A. does not talk about its investigations, and the scope of this one is unknown.

But Bledsoe’s academic makeover and the extra benefits he apparently received could be another blow to Kentucky Coach John Calipari, who led teams at Massachusetts and Memphis that had their records and Final Four appearances expunged after rules violations were found under his watch.

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from Lexington-Herald Leader...

Coincidentally or not, an official UK news release announcing that junior Patrick Patterson and freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe would enter this year's draft included several quotations that could be used in the next one-and-done recruiting pitch.

"I never thought I'd be in this position after one year," Bledsoe said. "Coach Cal pushed us all to be the best we could be, and he believes I'm prepared to take my game to the next level."

Orton acknowledged his hope for so-called one-and-done status, that is, playing one college season before turning pro.

"Battling with DeMarcus and Patrick every day helped improve my game," he said. "I want to thank the coaching staff for helping put me in a position to be drafted this year."

The Los Angeles Times, which published its mock draft late last month, projected all five UK players in the so-called lottery (the picks by teams not making the playoffs this season): Wall, 1; Cousins, 8; Patterson, 10; Orton, 12; and Bledsoe, 13.

NBADraft.net had Wall first, Cousins fifth, Patterson ninth, Bledsoe 17th and Orton 24th. Draftexpress.com had it Wall first, Cousins third, Patterson 11th and Orton 26th. It did not project Bledsoe as a first-round pick.

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After blowing a 19-point first-half lead, the Kentucky Wildcats held on to win 72-67 on the road at Auburn on Saturday afternoon to remain unbeaten.

It took several clutch plays to do it, but once again the young Wildcats came up with them. Freshman John Wall drained two free throws with 8.9 seconds to seal the deal. Classmate DeMarcus Cousins along with DeAndre Liggins came up with a defensive stop on the other end to set up Wall's opportunity.

Cousins posted 16 points and 11 rebounds. Wall and Eric Bledsoe had 13 points each and Patrick Patterson added 12 points to the balanced attack. Kentucky shot 51.2 percent from the field and overcame 16 turnovers, with Cousins and Wall combining to score the final eight points to secure a close win.

"You can't get in a rut and say we'll do what we have to do, and we'll win the game," head coach John Calipari said of his team letting the Tigers back into the game. "Because you'll have a team that won't let you. Their will to win will be as great or just as much as yours."

Calipari equaled Adolph Rupp's national record of 64 straight victories against conference opponents dating back to his time at Memphis.

The SEC is much-improved this year, so its not going to be easy for UK to go undefeated. Still, watching this young team play and continue to improve and mature each game has been great to watch.

Sitting at 18-0, 3-0 in the SEC here's what lies ahead for Kentucky:

Jan 23 - vs. Arkansas, 4:00 PM
Jan 26 - at South Carolina, 9:00 PM 
Jan 30 - vs. Vanderbilt, 4:00 PM
Feb 2 - vs. Ole Miss, 7:00 PM
Feb 6 - at LSU, 4:00 PM

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Kentucky point guard John Wall continued his amazing breakout freshman campaign by dishing out a UK-record 16 assists in Tuesday’s 104-61 win over Hartford at Rupp Arena.

Wall, who came into the contest leading the SEC and second in the nation is assists, was averaging 6.8 assists per contest.

The previous record was set by Travis Ford on December 8, 1993 against Eastern Kentucky.

With the win, the Wildcats move to 14-0 and are now set to welcome in-state rival Louisville to Lexington on Saturday.

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John Calapari has this team believing and the young Wildcats continue to grow up right in front of our very eyes.  What makes Wall so great is that he is capable of dishing the rock and spreads the ball around well to UK’s many weapons.  With Patrick Patterson’s leadership and the young combo of Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and DeMarcus Cousins (third straight double-double), the sky is the limit for Big Blue.

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As excited as I was to see UK and new head coach John Calipari land 6-foot-10 DeMarcus Cousins last month, Wednesday's letter of intent from point Eric Bledsoe was monumental.

The signing of Bledsoe, Kentucky's third five-star recruit in the Class of 2009, gives the Wildcats the nation's #1 recruiting class for the first time since 2004.

Bledsoe, who is the latest addition, fills a major void at the point guard position. Cousins and Daniel Orton are both skilled post players who bring a physical presence to the court. Hood is a slashing scorer from the Bluegrass State, and Dodson is one of the most talented junior college prospects in the country.

Bledsoe, the nation's No. 3 point guard prospect and No. 23 player in the Class of 2009 according to Rivals.com, signed a national letter of intent to play for the Wildcats during a press conference on Wednesday morning at his school.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Bledsoe averaged 20.3 points, 11.5 assists and 9.4 rebounds per game as a senior at Parker, helping lead the team to the state championship game.

CatPause.com reports that some analysts believe UK is the leader for John Wall, a dynamic point guard who would have likely been a high NBA Draft choice this year if high school players were still able to make the jump. If the Cats add Wall to the mix, it could cap a class that challenges Michigan's famed "Fab Five" for the best in college basketball history.

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