from Kentucky.com...

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from Kentucky.com:

John Calipari's last three point guards blazed a one-year trail through college basketball and came to epitomize what now is known as the one-and-done player. John Wall, the third member of this terrific trio, soared across Sports Illustrated's cover last winter as a headline proclaimed "The Great Wall of Kentucky."

Talk about tough acts to follow.

Yet Brandon Knight, the latest fuzzy-cheeked savant to place his point guard skills in Calipari's hands, shrugs.

"I feel wherever you go, you're going to be looked at as someone stepping in, I mean, if someone's leaving," he said here on Thursday.

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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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Ohio State's Evan Turner was named college basketball player of the year by the Associated Press, running away with the award with 54 votes to nine for Kentucky's John Wall.

Turner, a 6-7 junior swingman who played in high school at St. Joseph, averaged 20.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

Syracuse's Jim Boeheim was selected the AP's coach of the year.

I thought the race was much closer than the voting indicated, but its tough to argue against Turner and want he did for the Buckeyes this season.

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from the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Kentucky freshmen John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins became the first UK teammates to make The Associated Press All-America first team since Ralph Beard and Alex Groza in 1949 and the first teammates to make the AP first team since J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams of Duke in 2006.

The Wildcats have not had a first-team AP All-America selection since Ron Mercer in 1997. Wall and Cousins became the 15th and 16th UK players to make first team since the AP began naming All-America teams in the 1940s.

Past Kentucky first-team All-America selections are Mercer (1997), Jamal Mashburn (1993), Kenny Walker (1986), Kyle Macy (1980), Dan Issel (1970), Louie Dampier (1966), Cotton Nash (1964), Johnny Cox (1959), Cliff Hagan (1954 and 1952), Bill Spivey (1951), Beard (1949 and 1948) and Groza (1949).

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UK men's basketball player John Wall was named the SEC Freshman of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday.

Wall, a 6-4 guard from Raleigh, N.C., averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in wins over Alabama and No. 12 Tennessee. He recorded his third double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama.

It was the first time this season he had recorded a double-double with points and rebounds. Wall became the first Wildcat in school history to record double-doubles in points and rebounds and points and assists. He followed that effort with a 24-point outing against Tennessee, his most points in an SEC game.

The honor is the fifth Freshman of the Week award for Wall this season.

The Wildcats have now received a league record 12 weekly awards from the SEC this season.

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from CollegeHoops.net

Another dominant freshman big man has emerged. The only problem is, nobody seems to notice. You might think it's hard for a 6'11”, 260-pound big man to be overlooked, but that's exactly what's happened to Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins for much of the season.

The hype around Lexington most of the season has centered on fellow freshman John Wall, and deservedly so. As the point guard, Wall has the ball in his hands nearly every play, and his combination of athleticism and poise has all but ensured that he will be the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. But is it possible that he's not even the most important player on his own team?

After all, Cousins, or “Big Cuz” to his teammates, has been a monster in the paint all year long, posting averages of 16 points and nine rebounds per game...all in only 21 minutes per game.

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The Lexington Herald-Leader's John Clay makes some good points following UK's loss to South Carolina:

Even before the defeat, John Calipari had warned a drop off in play could become a viral matter, with one loss turning into two and so on.

Look at Texas, which was bounced not once but twice last week after taking over the No. 1 spot in the polls Kentucky (for) now holds. After Kansas lost at Tennessee, the Jayhawks trailed Nebraska at the half of its next game, only to right the ship in the second half.

--When Darrin Horn was playing high school hoops at Tates Creek, did you think one day, as a coach, he would be 3-0 against Kentucky?

--Heard a national media member say Wednesday that Devan Downey played out of his mind Tuesday night. No, Downey played well within his beautiful mind. The South Carolina guard was averaging 31.6 points per SEC game. He scored 30. Downey actually missed 20 shots, going 9-for-29. The difference Tuesday night was Kentucky didn't rebound enough of those missed shots. Of Downey's 20 missed shots, South Carolina retained possession 11 times.

--The national media seems ready to anoint Wall as National Player of the Year, yet right now Devan Downey has to be the SEC's Player of the Year.

--It will be interesting to see how Kentucky responds now that the league has learned the ultra-talented but still fresh-faced Cats are not invincible.

--Patrick Patterson's off night didn't help matters. The junior's five-point output was his lowest since his very first game as a Wildcat, back on Nov. 6, 2007, when foul trouble limited Patterson to just four points in 13 minutes against Central Arkansas.

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from CollegeHoops.Net

With the influx of talent into the league, as well as the development of some returning players, the SEC should be much better represented this year. With the season approximately halfway over, here's a look at some of the top NBA prospects.

John Wall, Kentucky
Key stats: 17. 1 points, 6.9 assists
Draft prediction: Top pick

Barring a major surprise, Wall will be the top pick in the 2010 draft. Although just a freshman, he has the speed, athleticism and poise to become an instant impact player, and there's no reason he shouldn't become a star in the league. Wall has great size for the point, and he's virtually unstoppable in transition. Look for him to fill up NBA highlight reels for years to come.

DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Key stats: 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds
Draft prediction: Lottery

Cousins is overshadowed by Wall at times, but he is a tremendous talent in his own right. He has great size, solid ball skills and an NBA-ready body. The only thing holding Cousins back is his attitude. He's known to have a quick fuse, and can sometimes lose focus on the floor. However, if he's able to continue to keep his composure and help lead UK on a deep tournament run, he could find himself shaking David Stern's hand not long after Wall.

Patrick Patterson
Key stats: 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds
Draft prediction: Late lottery – mid first round

Patterson is no longer having to shoulder such a large load for the Cats this year, and as a result, his game has expanded. Patterson has been able to showcase more of a perimeter game, having made 10 three-pointers this season after making zero in his first two years. With good size, good athleticism and a high basketball IQ, Patterson is likely to become a solid NBA player for the next 10-12 years.

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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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