The Leach Report

When five-star recruit Trey Lyles announced his commitment to the UK men's basketball program Tuesday, he cited "coach Cal's record with guys like me" (meaning NBA prospects). Skeptics will say it doesn't matter where kids with that kind of talent play college basketball and they say 2012 notwithstanding, relying on rookies is not the path to championships either. To the first point, a guy like Shabazz Mohammed might disagree, having seen his stock drop in his one season of college basketball at UCLA. Even if you believe it doesn't matter that much where a kid with that kind of talent plays college basketball, a parent might say why not play the percentages rather than question Calipari's formula, which has produced 17 NBA draft picks in four seasons. As to the championship angle, there is no path guaranteed to produce titles but it would seem to me that the goal should be to put one' s program in position to win them. If you get to enough Final Fours, chances are you'll win it all a time or two. Let's look at the past four years since Calipari came to Kentucky. If you give a team one point for every round it clears in the NCAA Tournament (i.e. one point for winning a first-round game, six for winning it all, etc.), UK has 13 points even with missing the Big Dance last March. Next best are Kansas, Duke and Ohio State with 11 points and then Louisville with 10. And Kentucky is the only team to have reached the Elite Eight three times during that span. Legendary Big Blue fan (and former governor, senator and baseball commissioner) Happy Chandler used to say "opinions die but records live" and the record of the UK program speaks for itself in Calipari's time here. Kentucky was two points away from advancing to the title game against an 8-seed in 2011. The year before, UK had the misfortune of having a team with a lack of 3-point shooters run into an opponent that used a rarely seen 1-3-1 zone. Doubters will point to the 2012 championship season as the exception, but I would contend that last year is actually the outlier. So, as the top-ranked Wildcats embark on a new season, BBN can take confidence from the comments of ESPN college writer Jason King, who said this to "The Leach Report" last week, having watched several UK practices:

"This group is just a totally different kind of group. These are aggressive, competitive athletes that walk around with a swagger about them that I didn't see with that last group (last season's freshmen). I think he's got the right pieces with this group. This group responds well to coaching. When I was there, he jumped them a few times and they didn't back down. I just like the makeup of this team better."

= = = Mark Stoops and company are laying the foundation for future success for the Kentucky football program and the recruits they're getting a buying into that vision. But wouldn't a signature win be a great asset in closing the deal on UK's highest-rated class ever? The best opportunity for that kind of moment comes Saturday, because Missouri is a top 10 team and the game is on UK's home turf. KEY STORYLINES/MATCHUPS UK's O-line versus the Missouri front four. Kentucky has struggled all season when it gets "behind the chains" (facing second-and-long or third-and-long situations) and Missouri leads the SEC in sacks and tackles-for-loss. And the Tigers lead the SEC in holding opponents to only 3.6 yards per carry on first-down runs. Turnovers. Kentucky has not given the ball away in four games while Missouri has at least three takeaways in each of its last four outings and 17 interceptions for the year. Jalen Whitlow. In his two full games as "the man" at quarterback, against South Carolina and Alabama State, Whitlow has completed 66 percent of his passes with 4 TDs, 0 interceptions and averaged a respectable just over 7 yards-per attempt. He's eight games into a new offensive system and his best receiver, Demarco Robinson, is as close to fully healthy as he's been since week two. If Whitlow wants to make himself the leader in the UK quarterback derby next spring--rather than just one of the guys--upsetting Missouri is the way to do it. = = = NUMBERS GAME --11 of the 17 interceptions for Missouri have come inside the opponents' 40-yard line, giving the Tigers several short-field scoring opportunities. --Missouri averages 237 yards per game on the ground (only Auburn does better in the SEC). --Kentucky leads the nation in fourth-down conversions with 15, and the 71% conversion rate (15/21) ranks 7th nationally. (stats courtesy of cfbstats.com)   Listen to Tom each weekday morning at 9:06am eastern on "The Leach Report" radio network Check out tomleachky.com for more of Tom's coverage of the Cats and follow Tom on Twitter @tomleachky and via Facebook for "The Leach Report"