I'm still licking the wounds from the South Carolina debacle... there's nothing like watching your team give games away AFTER you thought they had turned such a corner. Oh well, at least my preseason predictions are still intact (I picked the Cats to lose to the ####). I really don't have much else to say about the game because if I have to relive those damn mistakes, I'll probably put my keyboard through my monitor.

I did, however, enjoy the live-blog exercise, although, it would've been nice if you all would've participated. Perhaps I need to spam myself a little more around here. ;) Oh yeah, I have a laptop now so future live-blog events will be MUCH easier.

Anyway, this upcoming weekend is going to be huge if you are a fan of UK Athletics. First off, on Friday, the first practice of the upcoming college basketball begins (better known as Big Blue Madness). The basketball Cats will kick-off the 2007-08 season at 9pm EST in front of a sold-out Rupp Arena.

I am expecting the roof to be torn off because the hype surrounding the Billy Gillispie hire and the Patrick Patterson signing has got Cat fans frothing at the mouth. Can BCG (Billy Clyde Gillispie) return the Cats to upper-prominence? It certainly looks that way... at least from an initial prognosis.

While most of the player hype is focused on Patterson, I personally can't wait to see Alex Legion. I got to watch him in a couple of scrimmages during the summer and let me just say this kid is INCREDIBLY explosive.

He absolutely has springs in his legs and one of the quicker releases I've ever seen.

It will be damn near impossible to keep him out of the line-up... Not to mention he's quite confident in his abilities, an attribute I certainly admire. Speaking to the Herald-Leader, his confidence is very apparent.

On adjusting to college:

"I think I've made the adjustment quite well. Some days I dominate. Some days I look like the best player out there."

When asked about starting and playing time importance:

"Real important. I'm not going to lie. I came here to start and play. I don't think any college player comes to be the sixth man. If (starting) doesn't happen, I'll want to be the best man off the bench."

Who his game is comparable to:

"Most AAU analysts compare me to Ray Allen, which is fairly accurate."

You have absolutely got to love a player with that much skill and self-assuredness. Legion will be a joy to watch while he's in a Cat uniform and beyond.

Of course, if basketball's not your thing (a UK fan? Yeah, right), there is a football game of note to be played on Saturday as well. That's right, the number one team in the country travels to Lexington for what most see as a beatdown of the Cats. While I'm not silly enough to say we are going to beat LSU, I do think if the offensive line gives Woodson time to throw, we'll be in it at the end.

I'm also not that impressed with LSU offense, but of course, as I say that, they'll probably score 1000 on Saturday. Although, if Wesley Woodyard and company can contain Hester and the Trevard Lindey can take his side of the field away, I think the Cats can make this a competitive match-up...

Of course, we all remember what happened the last time LSU came to Lexington: they made the college football play of the year with the Bluegrass Miracle (no links, if you are that curious, go YouTube it).

All I'll say is this, if UK is in a position where another Bluegrass Miracle is needed for LSU to win, I'll be ecstatic.

Enjoy the weekend Cats fans. It's gonna be a big one.

Here's another pic of one of the UK Dance Team members. Just because. Her name is Regan Judd. No relation to Ashley... that I know of.

Until later, GBB!!!

Say goodbye to the Campbell House folks because Billy Gillispie has bought a house... indicating he may be in Lexington for at least a couple of years. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader's article, Gillispie certainly didn't settle on something quaint:

Billy Gillispie will go home at night to 12,000 square feet, six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and three half-baths, said Connie Cobane, a real estate agent who represents the builder, Jonathan Isaac of Isaac Construction.

"It's a showplace," said Cobane. "It has a masculine flair. It has stone archways, a lot of wood and iron, stone pillars in the formal dining room. It's unique."

The house cost Coach G a cool $1.45 million... Which isn't too much to spend on a showcase home for recruits considering UK just spent around $30 million on the Joe Craft Center. You can see a pic of Billy G's new digs here.

In football news, the Curtis Pulley experiment at quarterback is definitely not done. While Pulley enjoyed a nice season as a part-time wide receiver last year, he seems committed to succeeding Andre' Woodson as the next quarterback for the UK Wildcats. Of course, before this happens, he has to survive a redshirt year because he left UK during the spring semester due to grade issues.

An article at Kentucky.com does a good job of explaining the road Pulley is going to have to travel before he has an opportunity to succeed Woodson:

UK offensive coordinator Joker Phillips said Pulley must prove he's trustworthy in his redshirt year.

"We've just got to see where Curtis' head is at," he said. "We know what kind of athlete he is. We've just got to see the accountability on and off the field."

Please don't screw this up Curtis. You have too much to play for.

Finally, did you notice the Keenan Burton jerseys have gone on sale? The number 19 jersey is done in the home blues, meaning Nike finally did something right concerning UK apparel. I'm definitely getting mine. How about you?

Of course, if you'd rather have the white jersey with the blue lettering, they also have Woodson's number 3. Either one of these would look awesome patrolling the Commonwealth Stadium parking lot during the tailgating activities. ;)

Until later, GBB.