Men's basketball
- Following its most complete victory of the season within SEC action, the Wildcats conclude its two-game road swing through the Heart of Dixie at Alabama on Tuesday.
- Sophomore Kyle Wiltjer turned in another 17-point performance, while classmate Ryan Harrow reached double figures for the eighth straight game and dished out a UK career-high eight assists in the win. Freshman Nerlens Noel continued his imposing defensive prowess with a career-high seven blocks to couple with 10 points and nine rebounds.
- Alabama enters the matchup following a one-point victory over Texas A&M on Saturday. The Anthony Grant-led Crimson Tide are 11-6 overall on the season and own a 3-1 record within SEC play.

Women's basketball
- No. 5 Kentucky improved to 18-1 overall, 6-0 in the SEC with commanding wins over Mississippi State and Auburn last week in Memorial Coliseum. The Cats are now riding a school-record 33-game home winning streak and the nation's longest overall winning streak at 17.
- The 100-47 win over Mississippi State was the largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in school history. Junior center DeNesha Stallworth led four players in double digits with a UK career-high 25 points in just 24 minutes of action. Senior All-America candidate A'dia Mathies followed with 21 points. UK forced 25 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 46-20.
- In UK's "We Back Pat" game vs. Auburn, defense was again the name of the game. The Wildcats held the Tigers to just 21 first half points, taking a 51-21 lead at the break. Mathies led the way with 16 points in the opening stanza. She went on to notch her second straight 20-point game with a season-high 24 points on a near perfect shooting night. Mathies hit 8-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 from the 3-point line and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Gymnastics
- The No. 14 University of Kentucky gymnastics team defeated No. 9 Arkansas in convincing fashion in front of more than 5,600 fans inside Memorial Coliseum on Friday.
- The Wildcats took the meet 195.5-193.075 while winning every team and individual event.
- The Wildcats continued the unprecedented start to the season as Friday's win gave the program back-to-back SEC wins for the first time ever. All four wins this season have come against higher-ranked opponents.
- Kentucky is off to the best start in school history as the Wildcats have never before topped 195 in all three meets to begin the season.
- Audrey Harrison stole the Excite Night at the Kentucky Classic show winning the individual all-around competition for the second consecutive week. The Knoxville, Tenn., native's season high 39.275 was highlighted by her 9.9 to anchor on uneven bars with a score, which ties for her career high.
- Harrison won individual titles on bars and floor exercise (9.85). The junior now has four event titles this year and 11 all-time.

Rifle
- Kentucky knocked off two top-15 teams over the weekend in Oxford, Miss., defeating No. 11 Ole Miss (4670 - 4611) on Saturday and No. 10 Memphis (4646 - 4598) on Sunday.
- Senior Heather Greathouse led the Wildcats in their win over Ole Miss, shooting an 1176 aggregate score. Freshman Connor Davis delivered a 594 in air rifle.
- Senior Ed Ryznar had a strong showing in Kentucky's win over Memphis, shooting a 574 in smallbore and 588 in air rifle.
- Sophomore Cody Manning recorded a new personal best aggregate score of 1162 in Sunday's match with Memphis.

Men's tennis
- The Kentucky men's tennis team got off to a 2-0 start to the 2013 season with two 7-0 wins over Northern Kentucky and Morehead State.
- The pair of wins were the first in the head coaching career of Cedric Kauffmann.
- No. 15 Tom Jomby and No. 94 Anthony Rossi each earned singles wins on Sunday, while Jomby and Kevin Lai went 2-0 on the day in doubles.
- UK next takes to the court on Wednesday at No. 22 Indiana in Bloomington for the Wildcats first of 15 matches versus ranked teams in 2013.

Women's tennis
- The Kentucky women's tennis team opened the 2013 season with two dominating wins, defeating Morehead State 7-0 and Belmont 6-1 on Saturday.
- Freshman Nadia Ravita opened her collegiate career with two singles wins in the No. 1 spot and two doubles wins paired with junior Caitlin McGraw in the No. 1 doubles slot.
- Sophomore Stephanie Fox failed to drop a set in two singles wins on Saturday, taking both contests 6-0, 6-0.

Upcoming schedule

Tuesday, Jan. 22
Men's basketball at Alabama  - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 23
Men's tennis at Indiana - 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 24
Women's basketball at South Carolina - 7:00 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 25
Track and field hosts Rod McCravy Memorial - 10:00 a.m.
Men's tennis hosts Michigan State - 1:00 p.m.
Gymnastics at Alabama - 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 26
Track and field hosts Rod McCravy Memorial - 10:00 a.m.
Swimming and diving host Louisville - 12:30 p.m.
Men's basketball hosts LSU - 4:00 p.m.
Men's tennis hosts Texas/South Carolina

Sunday, Jan. 27
Women's basketball hosts LSU - 3:00 p.m.

It might be Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, but the Southeastern Conference Coaches Teleconference went on as planned as John Calipari and his peers from throughout the league called in to answer questions about their teams. Coach Cal was asked his team's progression and the status of Willie Cauley-Stein and you can see what he had to say below.

Before we get to that, congratulations are in order for A'dia Mathies and Nerlens Noel. Mathies was named SEC Women's Player of the Week after she averaged 22.5 points while shooting 60 percent from the field in a pair of wins that lifted UK's conference record to 6-0. Noel, meanwhile, became the fourth UK men's basketball freshman to be named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 blocks in victories over Tennessee and at Auburn.

Moving on, here are Coach Cal's comments from Monday morning's teleconference as well as select quotes from the coaches of UK's two opponents this week.

Calipari

On this week's games ...
"Well, we've got to go to Alabama. We leave today to go down and the tapes that I've watched, they really defend and their guard play is as good as anybody in the country right now. Both guys are scoring the ball. (Trevor) Releford's really scoring the ball of late and Trevor (Lacey) can shoot it with anybody. They still have (Andrew) Steele. Their guard play is why they're 3-1 in our league. Defensively, they're playing very physical. They're doing some good things to scramble up the game in the press and running people at the ball and doing some great stuff. They're a terrific team."

On Willie Cauley-Stein's status and whether he will travel to Alabama ...
"Don't know yet. He was there with us this morning and I don't know if he'll practice. If I don't think he can help us, we'll probably leave him home, but if he can go then he'll be with us. But we haven't even practiced today so I don't know."

On Alex Poythress's progress ...
"Look, here's a freshman, probably averaging 13 or 14 (points), eight rebounds and doing some pretty good stuff, but we need more. Sustaining effort is the only issue with Alex and he increased that about 20, 25 percent last game. Now we're just trying to build off of it. But it has nothing to do with Alex the player. It's just a competitive spirit, that sustaining effort and all those things. But he has gotten better and better and better and that's all we ask. I've done this a long time and every one of the kids that you coach, they were brought up in different environments, they were coached by different kind of players and people. Some of them are advanced in some areas and not advanced in others. Some of them are really skilled and some are not. Some are in unbelievable shape and can very much push through every pain and comfort level. Others can't push through anything. And our job - and I feel this every year - is to help reach each of these kids. Alex is no different than Marcus Camby when I coached him. Marcus that first year, it was tough to get him to push through pain, it was tough to get him to sustain effort and he played 19 minutes a game and played him every minute we could. We're trying to do the same with Alex right now, but he's making great strides."

On Nerlens Noel emerging as a tone setter for his team ...
"He is, but I was really pleased with (Archie Goodwin's) play. When I tell you that, his shot selection was really good. He played and drove to make his teammates better instead of trying to shoot the ball. And then defensively, he took some pride in his defense. Now you have an attacking player who's taking pride in his defense versus a player who's taking bad shots and an unenthusiastic defender. So I was just as pleased with Archie. Archie had 12 points trying to score about half as much as he's being trying to score and he scored two or three points less than his average and that's because he missed free throws. So what I say is you can do less and score more if you're efficient and you're playing for your team. He's learning that."

On whether players have now bought in ...
"First of all, let me say when I say buy in, it starts with individual players, that each individual player has to accept his role and has to play the way the team needs him to play. That's the first buy-in. That's been the hard one for us. The second buy-in becomes we have to be in tune with each other and on the same page and we have to buy in how our team must play for us to win and have the best chance to win. Those are the two buy-ins all coaches go through. The second part of that is getting them to play. Coaches, if we have to coach emotion and intensity and effort, you're not really coaching basketball. And so trying to get them to understand if you do that, I don't have to be on every play. And so they're starting to do it and they had fun doing it. Like they enjoyed playing and they bounced and jumped and they chest bumped each other. We've been waiting all year for it. But see, when you're concerned about how you're playing and you miss two shots, it's hard to chest bump somebody. If you're more about the other guys on the team, none of that matters. I'm trying to convince them that the wins and losses, they come and go. You're not going to be judged just by that. You're going to be judged by your effort, your fight, your scrappiness. At the end of your career, that's what they're going to look at. Did you have it or not? They're not going to say, 'He won 97 games and he lost four ...' Believe me, 20 years from now, they're going to say, 'Are you a competitor or not? Were you a battler? Man did he play hard. This kid really made great decisions.' That's how you define yourself and trying to get them more on process and less on results because we're so young. And then I'll just say this and I hate to keep hitting on it, but what we're doing's not been done where you're trying to take on veteran college teams with all freshmen. It's just never been done. And it takes time to get teams together and I have to be even more patient than I've been with this team."

On it being different at Kentucky because players come in knowing they will go pro soon ...
"It's not the case. We don't recruit kids and tell 'em that. Obviously if kids have an opportunity to leave after one year, that's fine. But what the point is to come in here knowing this is not for everybody. This is the ultimate challenge in basketball to play here. We had a 3.1 grade-point average the last term. The last two years we had a 3.0, 3.0 grade-point average. We graduated seven players in the last three years, so it's not just come in and come out. Now, you might have guys that believe that or think that, but that's just a smaller picture. The reason you come here is to be prepared to reach your dreams, be challenged and know every game you play is someone's Super Bowl, every game you play is sold out, at home and on the road. If you don't want that, this is not where you go. And then at the end of the year, kids make decisions on what they want to do. My job is to prepare them as best I can to get them better, to help them understand what it means to be part of a team and what it means to sacrifice for each other."

Alabama head coach Anthony Grant

On the upcoming game against Kentucky ...
"We're looking forward to a challenging week, obviously with Kentucky coming in tomorrow. I'm really impressed with seeing them on film. They're an explosive offensive team, very talented and a diverse defensive team, so it'll be a great challenge for our guys."

On how Trevor Lacey has been playing ...
"Trevor Lacey, as sophomore, has the benefit of a year and a half of experience in college basketball. I think he has really kind of understood what he needs to do for our team as the season has progressed. I think he's playing really good basketball for us. The other day he led us in scoring, rebounding, assists, just about every category. He did a great job and obviously a big-time shot at the end of the game to give us a one-point lead and come up with a deflection that led to a steal as well. I think with every game, I think he's getting more and more comfortable in terms of what we've demanded of him.

On what makes Kentucky explosive ...
"In terms of Kentucky, you look at it and they've got five guys averaging double-figure points for them, which is impressive. Their field-goal percentage is outstanding. They've got a good combination of inside-out in terms of their ability to score the basketball. Terrific in transition. Unselfish team. So I think they've got a lot of good pieces from an offensive standpoint."

On Alabama's four-guard lineup against Kentucky's size ...
"For most of the games that we play in conference play we're undersized, so I think for us it's just about making sure that we bring a competitiveness to the court to try to match the size and the speed and the physicality they can put on the court as well. Every game brings different challenge. I think looking at it on film, what stands out about them is they seem to have great team speed, explosive offensively. Defensively, they've got some game-changers in terms of the way Noel can block shots. He's one of the nation's leaders in steals and blocked shots. And then the other guys on the floor from a defensive standpoint really give you a speed that not a lot of teams can come at you with."

On the intangibles that Andrew Steele gives Alabama ...
 "Andrew, I think for our team, he's a coach on the floor, so to speak. He does a great job of making sure our guys stay in the moment whether things are going really good or things are going really bad, and understanding what we've got to do and moving on to the next play, and that's what you want to see out of your veterans. He's our only senior. He's a fifth-year guy, and obviously having him in the rotation, I think, changes our team. I made this comment, from the time he was able to get healthy enough to get back to practice, he impacted our team from day one, and I think it's been the same thing in games. He's always going to do the little things in terms of screening, communicating defensively, that rotation that needs to be made. He understands that he's going to make that, and I think his effort is contagious and I think it helps the other guys understand what will be required to give us a chance to be successful."

LSU head coach Johnny Jones

On how his team has played in league play and his memories of Rupp Arena from his playing and coaching career at LSU and Alabama ...
"It's been tough for us lately here in league play. We haven't shot the ball particularly well and of the things we've been challenged with is we've had a couple of really bad turnover games that's a little bit uncharacteristic of our team. One of the things that we have done well I guess that's a bright spot is our press has continued to improve and has gotten better and has created turnovers for some easy scoring opportunities for our team. The other thing is Johnny O'Bryant, who's been hampered a little bit through the season, is continuing to improve and get better. And I'm hopeful that will allow our team to continue to improve.

"Rupp Arena, I spent a lot of years going up there and playing in Lexington. It's probably one of the greatest college atmospheres that's out there. The fan support is really second to none and they create an environment that's conducive for allowing their team to have a great deal of success there."

Kentucky came into this season ranked sixth in the nation. Matthew Mitchell had six former McDonald's All-Americans on his roster and that didn't even include A'dia Mathies, the defending Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

Clearly, the Wildcats' ceiling was high, but it may not have been clear exactly how high until Sunday afternoon.

Hosting Auburn, the Cats built a nine-point lead through the opening nine minutes. They had played reasonably well, but nothing like what would come next during a stretch of basketball that may have been UK's best of the season.

"I thought the players hustled and the more plays they made, the more aggressive they would get and it fueled their confidence," Mitchell said. "It was a very impressive defensive display there during that run."

Over 7:16, Kentucky went on a 24-2 run. The Cats made 8 of 16 from the field and hit 6-of-7 free throws. Even more notably, UK held Auburn to 1 of 8 shooting from the field and forced nine turnovers. Kentucky (18-1, 6-0 SEC) went from having a single-digit lead to being up by 31 points en route to a dominant 97-53 victory over Auburn (13-6, 2-4 SEC) that gave the Cats their 17th win in a row.

"It felt great," Mathies said. "We just knew that if we kept putting the pressure on and just trying to run them as much as we could, we felt like we had more depth and we could sub somebody out and we felt like they couldn't."

Mathies scored eight points during the extended burst, accounting for a third of her season-high 24. The senior guard tied her career high with five 3-pointers and didn't miss a shot until early in the second half. She made 8-of-9 attempts from the field on the game and was 3 of 4 from the foul line.

"I'm just out there playing and luckily the shots went in," Mathies said. "My teammates did a great job of setting me up."

Her big afternoon was clearly more than just luck. She is shooting 42.2 percent from beyond the arc in 2012-13, almost five percent better than a career high she set as a junior. With 43 3-pointers, she's also just nine away from setting a career high with half the SEC schedule and postseason play still on the horizon.

"I think she's playing with tremendous control right now and confidence," Mitchell said. "If you leave her open right now at the 3-point stripe, you are paying dearly because she's shooting the ball so well."

As well as Mathies and her teammates played during that first-half run, the second half was not without its tests. UK built its lead to as large as 39 points within a few minutes of halftime, but Auburn stormed back to within 74-50 with 7:23 left after Hasina Muhammad scored her fourth basket in less than two minutes.

"It's hard when you're up 30 at halftime," Mitchell said. "It takes tremendous discipline to come back out and be focused. We are trying to hold ourselves to high standards. We're not trying to look at the scoreboard; we're trying to play the best that we can because that's what we've committed to doing."

It didn't take long for the Cats to get back to an effort that made them look like a team that will contend for a Final Four berth come NCAA Tournament time. It wasn't quite the 24-2 burst of the first half, but UK closed the game on a 23-3 run.

"This team continues to build trust and they continue to show up and play hard," Mitchell said. "Maybe we could have played less hard today and won, but that's not the goal for us. The goal is for us to play our best."

With all five starters averaging more than nine points a game, Kentucky's balanced scoring has gotten plenty of attention, and rightfully so. More often than not, Matthew Mitchell's has five players on the floor capable of creating their own shot and that, in turn, has made life difficult on opposing defenses.

What has been talked about far less frequently has been the Wildcats' passing balance.

Through 18 games, nine players have racked up double-digit assists, matching last year's 35-game total. As you might expect, UK's point guard - Jennifer O'Neill, leads the way with 44, but she's trailed closely by DeNesha Stallworth (41) and A'dia Mathies (38), the team's two leading scorers.

"I think it speaks to how they feel about each other and how our mentality as a team is right now," Mitchell said. "I just don't sense that they really care about anything more than winning. I don't think they care a whole lot about who is doing what."

The Cats may not care who's responsible on any given night, but UK is averaging 14.2 assists per game, the highest total of the Mitchell era by a wide margin. Already in 2012-13, eight different players have led the team in assists in at least one game as UK (17-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) prepares to put a 16-game winning streak on the line against Auburn (13-5, 2-3 SEC) on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum.

"I just think it speaks to the chemistry they have created," Mitchell said. "I they care a lot about each other, they are in there playing hard for each other and I don't think they are real worried about statistics."

That unselfishness extends well beyond a simple willingness to pass the ball. With talent at every position, opponents have to choose which Cat to try to limit on offense. As a result, roles change on a nightly basis and usually seamlessly.

Perhaps the best example is Bria Goss.

The guard was named SEC Freshman of the Year last season, finishing as just one of two Wildcats to average double figures in scoring. This year, she has seen her averages dip in points, shot attempts, assists and rebounds, but her importance has only grown.

"I think her value for our team is off the charts," Mitchell said.

She may not be relied on to score as often due to the emergence of Stallworth, O'Neill and Samarie Walker, but don't let the statistics fool you. She is a better player than a year ago and it begins on defense. In fact, UK's defense begins with her.

"She starts our defense against every opponent, no matter who they have, she is the person that gets it all started for us and we identify ourselves with tenacious defense," Mitchell said. "She is the most tenacious right now and so her role is invaluable, her contributions are invaluable and we wouldn't be close to the team we are now without her."

With her tenacity in guarding opposing point guards, Goss has come to exemplify an honor Mitchell has begun giving out after each game. To the players who best show the ferocity and aggressiveness he calls for, Mitchell gives the "Junkyard Dog Award." The award is emblazoned with the Junkyard Dog himself - a favorite professional wrestler of Mitchell - and inspired by real-life junkyard dogs.

"If you're stealing some parts off a car to put some change in your pocket, the junkyard dog does not allow that," Mitchell said. "The junkyard dog is going to tear your tail up if you get in there."

Goss was one of three players recognized for her efforts during the Missouri game and is likely to be a candidate every game the rest of the season.

"I just want to play the roles that I'm given on the team," Goss said. "If it's a night where I need to be the junkyard dog to their point guard, then that's what I need to do. It's not always easy."

Accepting that has been an adjustment for the former McDonald's All-American though.

"It definitely has just because in high school and even some last year I was more of a go-to person," Goss said. "Like I said, I gotta play the role that I need to on the team. If that's being able to shut down their point guard and getting other people open looks then that's what's gonna happen."

However, it's not as if Goss's scoring has evaporated. She is third on the team at 9.3 points and 7.9 shots per game. She has scored in double figures 10 times in 18 outings and Mitchell believes there's one simple way she can put even more points on the board.

"She is altering too many shots in and around the basket and we are talking to her about it and trying to work her way through it," Mitchell said. "She missed one last night that she missed. Nobody made her miss it."

Goss can also benefit from the talent around her. Mathies and Stallworth each rank in the top 10 in scoring in the SEC, which means Goss usually won't be the top priority on any opponent's scouting report.

"She may be down on the list, and that's good for Kentucky because she would be a player if you overlook her, she is going to burn you," Mitchell said. "We are in a good spot right now with our roster and our players and if you overlook Bria Goss, that probably isn't going to be very good for you."

With just a day between a women's basketball game and gymnastics' first home meet of 2013, Kentucky's event staff had little time to turn Memorial Coliseum from a basketball venue to one that would host Excite Night at the Kentucky Classic. Take a look at this video time lapse to see how they got it done.

In its first two home Southeastern Conference games, Kentucky had to scratch and claw to the final buzzer. Florida and Texas A&M took the defending conference champions to the wire, but the Wildcats came away with a pair of victories.

The Cats allowed for no such last-minute drama on Thursday night against Mississippi State.

"We're really pleased tonight to get a victory and certainly proud of our players," UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. "They worked really hard and played real hard and it was a good night for us."

A good night indeed.

No. 5 Kentucky (17-1, 5-0) dominated in all facets against the Bulldogs (8-10, 0-5 SEC) en route to a 100-47 win, UK's largest margin of victory in SEC play ever. DeNesha Stallworth and A'dia Mathies led the way for the Cats, tallying 25 and 21 points respectively and nearly combining to outscore the visitors on their own.

The night was particularly gratifying for Stallworth, who had a season-high scoring performance with her father Chris in attendance. He made the trek from Stallworth's hometown of Richmond, Calif., delighting his daughter - a self-proclaimed "daddy's girl" - after playing a central role in her ultimate decision to transfer to Kentucky.

"I'm just very excited for him to be here and for me to do good really means a lot," Stallworth said.

Stallworth, however, was far from the UK player to excel. Bria Goss (13 points) and Kastine Evans (12) joined her and Mathies in double figures as the Cats shot 50 percent (37 of 74) from the field and topped the century mark for the second time this season. UK scored 35 of its points off 26 offensive rebounds while dominating the glass to the tune of a 46-20 margin.

"I think we just jumped pretty high today," Mathies said with a smile. "We just got it done. We were attacking the boards relentlessly tonight and we just played a good game."

Mitchell believes the reason UK ended up playing such a good game was because the Cats didn't assume it would happen. A look at the SEC standings and the teams' rosters would have led anyone to conclude Kentucky had an advantage going in and the Cats weren't isolated from that fact.

"We thought that we had clearly an advantage tonight in the game from size and speed and athleticism," Mitchell said. "I just tell them simple things like this: The only was anybody's going to know that is if you go do it."

The path to executing began with a little homework.

"The thing I loved more than probably anything was the way they prepared," Mitchell said. "They were really sharp preparing for this game. And we were 4-0 coming in and Mississippi State was 0-4 and I didn't detect that that was really a factor in their preparation."

In the early going, the Bulldogs played like they hadn't paid any attention to the teams' records either. With 9:10 left in the first half, a Kendra Grant and-one cut UK's lead to five points. The Cats didn't bat an eye.

"We know we're going to get everybody's best shot the first four minutes or the first couple four-minute segments of every game. ... We felt like if we just continued to keep playing great defense and keep doing the things we should have been doing, we'd eventually break the lead open," Mathies said.

With a 43-9 burst that closed the first half and spanned the first 4:48 of the first half, the Cats did just that. Once the outcome was well in hand, UK didn't relent as it built the lead over the final 15-plus minutes even as the starters sat out the final five minutes.

"That's the thing that's impressed me most about this team lately is they're just hustling," Mitchell said. "They're really hustling and it sounds very simple and it is simple, but it's not easy to do."