Leftovers from Lexington …

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | 4:28 p.m.

JUST PAST THE KENTUCKY LINE, N.C. -- Yes, it's been several months since I've updated this blog.

Yes, I'm going to rectify that.

Once UNLV's football/hoops season got in full swing, time was limited. Now that that's done, time is available to form a habit. Well, until I run out of time again, that is. But I'm not good at breaking habits, so once I get going, consistency will follow.

But what better way to get the band back together than to talk about the oddball two days that were in Lexington, Ky.?

Myself, co-workers Rob Miech, Justin Bowen and Christine Killimayer are currently sitting in the Charlotte airport, and now that we're across the state line awaiting our connecting flight to Las Vegas, I don't have to worry about being snuffed out by angered Kentucky fans for writing anything even borderline critical of their beloved and apparently flawless hoops program.

Another breed, let me tell you. That can be both a good and a bad thing.

So with that said, I bring you Leftovers from Lexington ...

--It's only right to start by talking about Billy Gillispie. This poor guy. Granted, it's tough to say that about a guy who signed a $25 million contract to go to Kentucky, but man, there's no way he knew what he was getting himself into.

Something tells me that if you put him in a situation like in The Matrix offering a red pill and a blue pill, he would take the blue pill that could send him back to his cozy old post at Texas A&M.

I used to cover Big 12 hoops, and I can tell you that expectations at A&M are pretty low. Heck, before Gillispie's arrival, they were non-existent.

Gillispie won 70 games in 3 seasons at a football school. He went to the NCAA Tournament twice and got to the Sweet 16 once. In College Station, that's the equivalent to Kentucky making the Final Four. No lie.

Now? I almost felt for the guy on Tuesday night.

With as much as the message board dwellers rip the guy to shreds behind their comfy usernames and complete anonymity, if UK had let that 20-point second half slip, it truly felt in that gym like he may not have made it home alive.

It just showed how fine that line is between loving and hating him, in the end.

As it was, Kentucky won by 10, fans chanted his name as he came out for his postgame radio show and they lined up behind security guards to take pictures with him.

I wonder if, every time he loses, he gets 'For Sale' signs staked in his front yard like coach Eric Taylor in Friday Night Lights?

--I'm no mind-reader, but I can read body language pretty well. And Gillispie looks uncomfortable.

In his postgame press conference, held in front of more than 50 credentialed media members, he sat with his hands on his knees, rocking lightly back and forth with an eerie grin on his face.

He answered every question, but did so in a low, almost emotionless tone. It was actually kind of awkward to watch.

Then, while standing and taking photos with droves of blue-clad fans after his radio show, he put on a big smile for the pictures, then as the people changed out and the line moved, his smile would momentarily disappear.

Look, I know the guy is a smart coach who lives for the game. He's a worker, and you have to respect that.

But at the same time, at a program like Kentucky, wouldn't you want to have a coach who displays more of a smooth nature in the public eye? Therefore, even if you go 19-13 and struggle to the NIT, you at least receive some more slack.

From most accounts, though, he's been pretty closed off in Lexington, and that's probably not a great move in a town where you're more well-known than the mayor and governor combined.

--Tuesday night assured for me that I'd never make a good college hoops coach.

Impossible.

How Lon Kruger restrained himself from getting T'd up in that second half speaks volumes for his experience and integrity.

Look, I know that in every game, fans of at least one team involved will bitch and moan about officiating. It's as certain as Billy Gillispie wishing he were still at A&M (sorry, had to get that in one more time).

But, man, there were two calls that stuck out big-time at Memorial Coliseum.

The first involved Perry Stevenson's insane dunk over Joe Darger to make it 50-30, Kentucky. On top of the slam, Darger was charged with a blocking foul.

With his feet set and his arms up. Those are techniques every player is taught when learning how to take a charge.

The other was the turnover called on Oscar Bellfield with UNLV trailing by 3 points right in front of the Rebels bench. I didn't have a clear view as to whether the freshman guard was tripped, but Kruger seemed pretty insistent on it. And I'll trust his opinion, since he doesn't get that heated that often.

I'm not saying either call going the other way would have changed the game's outcome. Not at all.

But, see, these are instances where I would have either 1) had a complete coronary out of anger or 2) grabbed the ref by the neck, said the magic word and gotten tossed/suspended/possibly fired.

Hence, why I'm typing instead of drawing up plays.

--Sportswriters aren't supposed to be fans of the players they cover, but they can certainly be fans of the people they cover.

Does that make sense?

If it does to you, then that explains why I'll miss covering Joe Darger when next season rolls around.

The second half of this season would have sent most players up the wall, especially a senior who's made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.

Instead, as the Rebels hit the skids, he was maybe the most stand-up guy with the media in terms of being real, always showing his face and not ducking from anything. Very even-keeled, speaking in the same tone after a big win or a bad loss. A true reflection of Kruger.

In a business where you can be lied to quite a bit, a kid that honest and real is refreshing.

--UK had a unique atmosphere not only in the sense that the game was at Memorial Coliseum, but in terms of the clientele.

From what I heard from local folks, the crowd of 8,327 in Memorial on Tuesday consisted of real, hardcore hoops fans, and only 10 percent of the season-ticket owners who occupy the cozy lower bowl at Rupp Arena.

Most in attendance stood the whole time, they were loud and they were into it. It was a neat experience as a visitor, for sure. Another college hoops cathedral crossed off the ol' bucket list.

--Miech did not, I repeat did not, touch the rim. Nor did he successfully defend my killer crossover with the bottle of Dasani.

--Patrick Patterson = BEAST.

--Props to Kentucky officials for not informing television media before the game that they could not shoot the game being broadcast on ESPN.

Sincerely, Christine Killimayer (her words, not mine ... but I feel her pain).

--During the first half of Tuesday's game, I checked the traffic on prominent message boards for both UNLV and Kentucky.

The UK board had 3,699 members online. UNLV's had 90. Wild.

--Vegas needs a Chick-Fil-A in the worst way. If you know where one's at, puh-puh-puh-pleease e-mail me. Now.

--If you let it ride on the Rebels this season, you lost. UNLV finished the season 12-18 against the spread, including failing to cover in their final 7 games.

Speaking of gambling, join me tomorrow here in The Greene Room.

This being my first March as a Vegas resident, I'll be live-bloggin' it up all afternoon from various sportsbooks down on the Strip as day one of the NCAA tourney unfolds.

Well, for at least as long as my money lasts ...