Jerry Tipton on UK basketball

A victory over Louisville on Saturday earned Minnesota a place on my top 25 ballot this week. I placed Tubby Smith’s Golden Gophers at No. 20.

I considered placing unbeaten Minnesota on the ballot last week. But a relatively weak schedule led to a decision to wait to see what happened against Louisville. The neutral-site victory clinched a spot for Minnesota while slipping Louisville from last week’s No. 9 spot on the ballot to No. 14.

Louisville could have stayed in the top 10. The Cards had a difficult chore of two capable opponents within 48 hours sandwiched around a flight from the Eastern Time zone to the Pacific Time zone. But U of L’s uneven play this season, which continued in a Thursday night victory over Ole Miss, merited exclusion from the top 10.

It was a week of change for the Tipton ballot. Michigan State re-entered at No. 15 after beating Texas. Much like Minnesota, Clemson had  been undefeated against a modest schedule and unranked till a signature victory. Clemson won at Miami (Fla.) by double digits and came in at No. 16.

Leaving the Tipton top 25 ballot were Miami (Fla.), Davidson and Memphis.

Kentucky? UK is improving. Now the Cats need a signature victory. UK is 0-2 against teams with a top 25 Ratings Percentage Index (according to CollegeRPI.com) and 1-2 against the top 50.

So we’ll be watching the Kentucky game against Louisville on Jan. 4.

Here’s this week’s ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. Pittsburgh

3. Connecticut

4. Oklahoma

5. Duke

6. Texas

7. Wake Forest

8. Gonzaga

9. Xavier

10. Purdue

11. Syracuse

12. Notre Dame

13. Villanova

14. Louisville

15. Michigan State

16. Clemson

17. UCLA

18. Georgetown

19. Ohio State

20. Minnesota

21. Baylor

22. Missouri

23. Tennessee

24. Michigan

25. Arizona State

Ole Miss’s injury-riddled team suffered another blow when point guard Chris Warren sustained a season-ended knee injury on Thursday.

Ole Miss confirmed the loss in a news release.

Warren was one of the Southeastern Conference’s best point guards. Now the Rebels must soldier on. Earlier this season, Ole Miss lost two other guards to injury.

Here’s the news release:

The injury-riddled 2008-09 Ole Miss basketball season continued on Friday as the team learned that sophomore point guard Chris Warren will miss the remainder of the season after a Friday morning MRI revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. It also showed a minor MCL sprain, a medial meniscus tear and a lateral bone contusion.

Warren was injured on a layup attempt during the Rebels’ final offensive possession in a 77-68 loss to No. 9 Louisville in the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational Thursday night in Cincinnati. The Orlando, Fla., native scored 18 points with four assists and three steals before sitting out the final seconds of the game.

A preseason All-Southeastern Conference first team selection by league coaches, Warren is the third member of the Ole Miss backcourt to suffer a season-ending knee injury this year. Junior Eniel Polynice, the team’s most veteran returning starter, had surgery to repair extensive cartilage damage and loose fragments in his left knee on Nov. 18, while SEC All-Freshman pick Trevor Gaskins was lost with a torn ACL in his left knee a week prior to the season opener.

“We’re obviously very disappointed for Chris,” said Rebel head coach Andy Kennedy. “I feel terrible that he will be unable to finish this season. We’ve had an unfortunate rash of knee injuries through the early part of the season, but we will come together as a team and continue to push forward. To lose a special player like Chris, in addition to Trevor and E.P., certainly affects what we are able to do on the court, but we will continue to battle.”

Through 11 games, Warren has made up one-half of Ole Miss’ dynamic duo in the backcourt, ranking in the top five in the SEC in scoring at 19.6 points per game, just behind teammate David Huertas, who ranks second in the league with 20.9 points per contest. Warren tops the SEC in minutes per game (34.4) and also ranks among the league leaders in assists, steals and three-pointers per outing.

Last year, Warren set the Ole Miss record for three-pointers in a season with 103 and the Rebel freshman record for points scored with 554. He was a unanimous selection to the SEC All-Freshman team picked by the league coaches.

Remaining scholarship players in the Rebels’ backcourt, which was tabbed “Best in the SEC” by at least one preseason publication (Blue Ribbon Yearbook), include Huertas, sophomore Zach Graham and freshmen Will Bogan and Terrico White. Bogan has served as the back-up point guard to Warren through the first 11 games of the season.

Kentucky big man Patrick Patterson was among six Southeastern Conference players named to a list of nominees for the Naismith Award. The award goes to the national college player of the year.

Tyler Hansbrough, who is about the become North Carolina’s career scoring leader, is trying to become only the third player to win the Naismith Award more than once. The others are Bill Walton of UCLA and Ralph Sampson of Virginia.

The other six SEC players included in the list of nominees are Nick Calathes of Florida, Devan Downey of South Carolina, A.J. Ogilvy of Vanderbilt, Tyler Smith of Tennessee and Ronald Steele of Alabama.

Conspicuous by his absence from the list is Kentucky’s leading scorer, Jodie Meeks.

Here’s the news release by the Atlanta Tipoff Club:

University of North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough takes aim at becoming just the third repeat winner in the 40-year history of the Naismith Trophy as he headlines the 2008-09 preseason watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.  Hansbrough, the third Tar Heel and 16^th recipient from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to win the Naismith Trophy, would join UCLA’s Bill Walton (1972, 73, 74) and Virginia’s Ralph Sampson (1981, 82, 83) as the only multiple winners of the award, if he repeats again this year.  The 6-9 senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., is joined by teammates Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson on the list.

The Big East Conference placed 11 candidates on the watch list, followed by the ACC with seven.  The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Pacific 10 (PAC-10) each placed six.

The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009.   The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Detroit, Mich.

“The talent level across all conferences continues to impress, and that will create an even greater challenge for our voting academy when it comes time to select the winner in April,” said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president.  “And we look forward to this special season, our 40^th anniversary of the most prestigious trophy in all of college basketball.”

For the sixth consecutive season, presenting sponsor AT&T will once again set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining this year’s winner. Through the power and ease of text messaging, fan voting will account for an unprecedented 25% of the final results – more than any other national college basketball award.  At the beginning of February, CBS’ “AT&T at the Half” will feature a weekly Naismith Trophy update highlighting the players in contention.

In February, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its early season list to the Top 30 players in the nation. Those players, and others who distinguish themselves throughout the season, will be eligible for the final ballot in March.

Other notable Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year winners include Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s player of the year.

For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

2008-09 Naismith Trophy Early Season Watch List:

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB

The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club, founded in 1956, has presented the Naismith Trophy since UCLA’s Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969.   Old Dominion’s Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women’s Naismith Trophy in 1983. The Naismith Award has become an emblem of excellence for the game, recognizing the Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.

If you want to know what’s on Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie’s mind on Wednesday, you should stay tuned to ESPN’s various outlets. Gillispie planned to spend the day being interviewed by various ESPN radio and television outlets.

Here’s the release from UK explained his interview schedule (all times are Eastern Standard Time):

“Coach Gillispie’s day in Bristol, Connecticut will begin with an appearance at 10:50 a.m. on ESPN First Take which is live on ESPN2 from 10 a.m. to Noon.  Next, Coach Gillispie visits The Herd with Colin Cowherd at 11:40 a.m. which is live on ESPN Radio and on ESPNU from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m..

“Gillispie continues the day with a chat on ESPN.com between 1:15-1:45 p.m. before joining the Tirico & Van Pelt show at 2:10 p.m. live on ESPN Radio.  Coach Gillispie concludes his live appearances with an interview on ESPNEWS at approx. 3:20 p.m.

:The tentative schedule is as follows:

*   10:50-11:05  - ESPN First Take (live on ESPN2)
*   11:40-11:55 am - ESPN Radio The Herd with Colin Cowherd (live ESPN Radio/ESPNU)
*   1:15-1:45 pm - ESPN.com Chat
*   2:10-2:25 pm - ESPN Radio Tirico & Van Pelt (live ESPN Radio)
*   3:20-3:35 pm - ESPNEWS Interview (live on ESPNEWS)

It’s getting harder and harder to place a SEC team on my top 25 ballot for The Associated Press.

For the second straight week, I placed only one SEC team on my ballot: Tennessee. And the Vols slipped from No. 8 to No. 19 on my ballot because of the double-digit loss at Temple.

In recent seasons, the SEC got off to stumbling starts that included embarrassing losses, coaches counseled patience (which is in ever-decreasing supply throughout sports and society) and, sure enough, the league saved face by March.

So, that has to be the plus side to this season’s stumbling start. Through Sunday, the SEC had a 1-4 record against ranked teams. Tennessee beat Georgetown for the only victory.

Maybe more telling is the SEC’s 6-12 record against teams from the other major conferences: ACC (1-4), Big 12 (1-2), Big Ten (1-2), Big East (2-2) and Pac 10 (1-2).

Embarrassing losses include Mercer beating Alabama and Auburn, Oregon outclassing Alabama in Maui, Missouri State beating Arkansas, Loyola of Chicago beating Georgia, VMI beating Kentucky, Charleston beating South Carolina and Illinois-Chicago beating Vanderbilt.

True, Arkansas lost at Missouri State and South Carolina at Charleston in tight, competitive games. But Vandy lost by 19 at home to Illinois-Chicago.

The SEC will have a few chances to score public relations points this week. Tennessee plays against Marquette in Nashville on Tuesday and Mississippi State plays at Cincinnati on Thursday.

The game I’ll be looking for is LSU against Texas A&M in Houston on Saturday. The unbeaten Tigers will get on my ballot with a victory.

Here’s this week’s ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. Pittsburgh

3. Connecticut

4. Texas

5. Oklahoma

6. Xavier

7. Gonzaga

8. Duke

9. Louisville

10. Syracuse

11. Wake Forest

12. Purdue

13. Villanova

14. Miami (Fla.)

15. Notre Dame

16. Davidson

17. UCLA

18. Georgetown

19. Tennessee

20. Ohio State

21. Baylor

22. Missouri

23. Michigan

24. Memphis

25. Arizona State

Kentucky freshman DeAndre Liggins was spotted entering Rupp Arena around 3 p.m. for Saturday’s game against Indiana. That’s an hour before tipoff.

His teammates were already shooting around on the Rupp Arena court.

If Liggins does not get in the game early or had reduced minutes, being tardy could be the reason.

Or maybe LIggins had a good reason for arriving when he did and cleared it with UK Coach Billy Gillispie.

At the least, we can watch Liggins’ playing time and see what happens.

Of course, earlier this season, Liggins made news by refusing to re-enter UK’s game against Kansas State. Gillispie handled the punishment behind closed doors. Liggins tied a season-high for minutes the next game with 27.

For what it’s worth, Gillispie did not put Liggins in the starting lineup. On Friday, the UK coach said he had been thinking of a lineup change to help the Cats get off to a faster start. But the UK coach said the timing wasn’t right for a change.

The lineup is Kevin Galloway, Michael Porter, Perry Stevenson, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson.

Stay tuned . . .

Tickets for Kentucky’s game against Indiana on Saturday are available.

Here’s the UK news release:

A limited number of single game tickets remain for Kentucky’s next six opponents in Rupp Arena, including Saturday’s game against Indiana. Fans can order tickets by calling the UK Ticket Office (1.800.928.2287), the Rupp Arena Box Office (859.233.3535) or by going to UKathletics.com or Ticketmaster.com.

Tickets also remain for Tennessee State (Dec. 22), Florida Atlanta (Dec. 27), Central Michigan (Dec. 29), Vanderbilt (Jan. 10) and Auburn (Jan. 21). Tickets for these events can also be ordered at the UK Ticket Office located at the Joe Craft Center in person or over the phone during regular business hours of 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

In addition, eRUPPtion Zone tickets (standing room only) will be available for the Tennessee State, Florida Atlantic and Central Michigan games.  They will be sold day of game only at the Rupp Arena Box Office with a limit of one ticket per person based upon availability.  Price will be $5.00 per ticket and cash only will be accepted for these tickets.

The SEC named Kentucky guard DeAndre Liggins as its Freshman of the Week for last week.

In naming Liggins, the SEC did not even include his flurry of contributions in breaking open Kentucky’s victory over Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. The award cited his play against Lamar and Miami (Fla.) earlier in the week.

The SEC named Tennessee’s Tyler Smith as Player of the Week.

Here’s the SEC news release:

SEC Player Of The Week
Tyler Smith
Tennessee
F *6-7 * 215 * Jr. * Pulaski, Tenn.

* In Tennessee’s 100th season of varsity basketball, after 2,338 all-time games, Smith recorded the first triple-double in school history against UNC Asheville.
* In just 26 minutes of action, had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Bulldogs.
* His 10 assists were made without a turnover.
* Over his last three games he is averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 537 assists per game.
* Smith leads the Vols with 17.4 points and is second on the team with 4.7 assists per game.

Smith’s Season Stats
PPG     RPG     APG     BPG     SPG
17.4    5.9     4.7     0.1     1.0

SEC Freshman Of The Week
DeAndre Liggins
Kentucky
6-6 * 202 * Chicago, Ill.

* Liggins scored a personal-best 16 points and pulled down a career-high seven rebounds against Lamar and then topped that with 18 points and seven more rebounds the next time out against No. 21 Miami.
* In the win over Lamar, Liggins was perfect hitting 6-of-6 from the including 2-for-2 from the three-point line and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
* He has scored in double figures in each of UK’s last three games.

Liggins’ Season Stats
PPG     RPG     APG     BPG     SPG
7.4     3.2     3.8     0.6     1.0

If only all the picks were as easy as voting North Carolina No. 1. Then this top 25 balloting for The Associated Press media poll would be as easy as predicting a Detroit Lions loss.

But after typing in North Carolina at No. 1, there immediately are more choices than New Circle Road exits. This week I decided to flipflop Connecticut and Pittsburgh at Nos. 2 and 3. UConn’s narrow win at Buffalo (68-64) influenced my thinking. But less than 12 hours later, I’m having second thoughts. Pittsburgh hasn’t played a ranked team yet with its most eye-catching victory coming against Washington State.

Duke slipped from No. 4 to 7 after losing at Michigan. Teams on the rise (at least on my ballot) included Tennessee (from No. 12 to and Xavier (from No. 13 to 9). Tennessee’s only loss has been to Gonzaga. We’ll know a lot about the Vols before SEC play because of games against Marquette, Gonzaga and at Kansas. Xavier has solid wins against Memphips and Missouri, plus an upcoming game against Duke.

I added Missouri (7-1) to my ballot and dropped Florida after the Gators lost to Florida State.

Teams under consideration for the final five slots, but didn’t make my ballot were Ohio State (5-0), Washington State (6-2), Clemson (9-0) and Michigan (6-2).

Kentucky? The Cats are getting better and would have merited consideration with a victory over Miami (Fla.). Miami came to Rupp Arena intent on making a statement. Kentucky did not match that zeal. UK got outplayed on its homecourt.

It’s early. Kentucky is getting more cohesive and getting improving play from its point guards. But the Miami game was an opporturnity lost. It was UK’s fifth straight loss to a ranked opponent, and UK probably won’t play another ranked team until going to Louisville in early January. So for the next several weeks, Kentucky figures to be in neutral from a national standpoint with its most impressive victories coming against Kansas State (picked eighth in the Big 12) and West Virginia (picked ninth in the Big East).

Here’s my ballot for this week:

1. North Carolina

2. Pittsburgh

3. Connecticut

4. Texas

5. Gonzaga

6. Oklahoma

7. Duke

8. Tennessee

9. Xavier

10. Purdue

11. Michigan State

12. Louisville

13. Notre Dame

14. UCLA

15. Syracuse

16. Davidson

17. Miami (Fla.)

18. Kansas

19. Arizona State

20. Wake Forest

21. Baylor

22. Georgetown

23. Missouri

24. Villanova

25. Memphis

As Kentucky and Miami warm up for today’s game, injured Cat Ramon Harris is greeting fans near the scorer’s table.

Harris is wearing a cervical collar as he talks to fans. He’s also wearing a black sweatshirt with “Kentucky” across the chest.

Harris and teammate Michael Porter had a nasty head-to-head collision in the Lamar game on Wednesday. Harris left Rupp Arena on a stretcher and was hospitalized overnight.

Porter, who needed 10 stitches to close a cut over his left eye, practiced on Friday and was among the players warming up. He wore a blue headband that pulled back the skin around his swollen left eye.