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Being like Billy may not be such a bad thing

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LEXINGTON - Senior guard Ramel Bradley says these Kentucky Wildcats are starting to take on the identity of their coach, Billy Gillispie.

And maybe that's a "mean' identity, as some have suggested this winter, but Bradley for one doesn't seem to believe that's a bad thing.

Bradley elaborated on his feelings Saturday after Kentucky won another grind-it-out affair at Rupp Arena. This time it was 63-58 against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Kentucky inched back on to the NCAA Tournament bubble with the victory, improving to 15-10 overall and a glittering 9-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas fell to 18-8 and 7-5.
UK has won seven of its last eight games.

"Coach tells us all the time the games are going to come down to one or two possessions, and I think each and every day we're taking on his identity more and more," Bradley said after tying senior Joe Crawford for team-high honors in scoring with 18 points. "We're getting tougher, and we're competing more on every single possession. And when it comes down the stretch, that's where we really have to dig in and get tougher and make those plays and get the stops and get the rebounds."

Saturday's tilt was a blue print for the Wildcats of late as they rallied from deficits of seven points with 13 minutes left and three points with 3:47 to go. It was Bradley's jumper off the baseline with 1:17 to go that put Kentucky up for good, at 57-55. The winners cranked down defensively in the final minute and hit key free throws to gain breathing room at the end.

"This was a really really good win against a really good team," Gillispie said. "It's such a big win for us because it's against such a good team Arkansas is such a difficult team to prepare for and play against. They are a very very athletic team. I think they're one of the best teams in the country."

Gillispie agrees that his players appear to have bought into his system.

"I don't think our guys are starting to think they are anything they are not," Gillispie said. "I think that they really have understood and have really known that we're a blue collar, hard-nosed team. We're going to guard every single possession."

Indeed, the Wildcats held the Razorbacks to 41.7-percent shooting for the game. Arkansas senior swing man Sonny Weems went off for 26 points, but Kentucky held star guard Patrick Beverly to just four points. Beverly hit just one of eight from the field.

The Wildcats were, as usual, at their best when the game was on the line in the closing minutes.

"I don't think I have heard anyone saying that a particular time is our time, or whatever," Gillispie said. "They've really gotten to where they think every single possession is their time, and that's a definite sign of maturity when you understand that you really have to take care of the basketball down the stretch, you have to make free throws down the stretch and you have to defend like crazy and rebound. So far we've been able to do that well in those particular situations."

Arguably the biggest factor in Saturday's win was rebounding. The Razorbacks had a significant advantage in height almost across the board and yet Kentucky out rebounded Arkansas by an astonishing 38-23. The margin was 22-10 for UK in the second half.

"Everybody talks about our advantage up front, but I didn't see that today," said Arkansas coach John Pelphrey, who, of course, starred for Coach Rick Pitino's "Unforgettables' at UK. "They won the game on the offensive boards. We got out-played up front."

Freshman center Patrick Patterson of Kentucky led all players on the boards with 11, to go along with 14 points. Sophomore forward Perry Stevenson added eight points and seven rebounds.

"They can all run," Patterson said of the Razorbacks. "So we just wanted to keep our man on our backs every time the ball went up. It was a huge key for us. Coach said if we got 14 offensive rebounds, we would win the game."

The Wildcats got, in fact, 13 offensive boards.

Kentucky remains a long way from a lock for an NCAA Tournament berth, but all involved say this season is showing signs of being special, akin to the Titanic coming to the surface.

"That's what we all feel like," Patterson said when asked if this season is taking on a special feel. "We knew coming in that our play wasn't all that good and people were doubting us, but we feel like we can turn this around."

Said Bradley: "I just think we've gotten a lot better. It's been a learning process for us, and each and every day in practice we put our hearts and souls into it, and the coaches prepare us really well for every game. It's paying off for us.

"This is the most fun that I've had," Bradley said of this season. "It's just a great feeling. I love all the guys on this team, and we're just so close. We're like a family on and off the basketball court."

The Wildcats try to keep their drive alive Wednesday when they host Mississippi at 8 p.m. at Rupp.