Kelsey Tucker

Sports Editor

    With what has so far been a great season of Kentucky basketball, one can only wonder how long it will last.

    The game against Chattanooga at Rupp Arena on December 17 ended well for the Cats with an 87-62 win. The next six games were also held at home in Lexington, and were all wins. Against Samford on December 20, UK scored 82 points while Samford scored only 50. The games versus Loyola Maryland and Lamar on the 22nd and 28th had similar scores of 87-63 and 86-64, respectively.

    On the last day of 2011, one of the biggest rivalries in sports took to the court at Rupp. The midday game against the Louisville Cardinals was one to watch. The intensity of the game was reflected in the close score of 69-62, with the Wildcats coming out on top. “You’ve gotta understand, I love this: You shoot 29% from the floor, and you win,” observes coach John Calipari in a post-game press conference. “Let me make that statement again: You shoot 29% from the floor, and you win. That’s a good day.”

    With a new year came new opponents. UK played the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on January 3 at home, coming out on top with a 73-51 score. The January 7 game against South Carolina ended with a win for Kentucky, 79-64. UK’s first away game since Indiana was on January 11 at Auburn. Kentucky won 68-53. Tennessee, a big SEC rival for Kentucky, hosted the January 14 game. The Cats pulled out the win, 65-62.

    At the January 17 game against Arkansas, history was made. UK freshman Anthony Davis broke the Kentucky team record for most blocks in a season. His 7 blocks in that game brought his total blocks up to 89. Kentucky won 86-63. Kentucky played Alabama at home on January 21, with Kentucky winning 77-71. The Cats traveled to Georgia on January 24, winning 57-44. Kentucky traveled to LSU on January 28 to take on the Tigers, winning 74-50.

    Kentucky’s next game will be against rival Tennessee in Lexington on January 31.