Big weekend for Kentucky athletics

It’s a huge weekend for the University of Kentucky athletic programs this weekend. The football team faces a must win, the men’s basketball team is in Pennsylvania, the women’s basketball team has a home game, the volleyball team needs two wins at home to keep them in the SEC race for the conference championship, and the rifle and swimming teams are competing as well.

Football

This is the biggest game of Joker Phillips’ young career. Phillips is facing a must-win situation in Athens, Georgia as they travel to face the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia has won eight games in a row and are on a roll. Kentucky is on the opposite of a roll, or they are rolling in the opposite direction of winning. Sitting at just four wins on the season, Kentucky needs wins against 8-2 Georgia, and then come home and beat a beatable Tennessee team, who Kentucky never beats. If Kentucky were to lose to Georgia, and most believe they will, then Phillips and his team will have ended a five-year bowl run and Joker Phillips will be placed squarely on the hot seat, desperately needing a win over Tennessee with his job potentially on life support.

Men’s Basketball

John Calipari, not on the hot seat, has his team playing at a very high level. After taking down a tough Kansas Jayhawk team in New York, the Wildcats stayed up in the Northeast. They are practicing at ESPN today and spending time with the sports network. They will be getting a ton of exposure at “The Worldwide Leader” with Cal making several appearances on the network during the day.

Kentucky will then participate in the  Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament where they will face Penn State in their first game of the tournament. If Kentucky advances, they will play the winner of Old Dominion and South Florida at noon on Sunday.

Women’s basketball

Matthew Mitchell and his team host Southern Mississippi in the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum Saturday. Kentucky Hoops are undefeated at 3-0 this year as they look to continue their success over the last couple of seasons. Mitchell has built the Kentucky program into a national competitor and taken them to uncharted waters. The first week of December will be a true test for the women as national powers Louisville and Duke invade Lexington for big home matches with a chance for Kentucky to make a huge statement on the national scene.

Volleyball

After a down 2010 season that saw Kentucky barely squeak into the NCAA Tournament, Craig Skinner has his team playing at their highest level with a chance to win the SEC title. The Cats have a huge game against LSU tonight, and then Arkansas comes into town on Sunday for Senior Day where they will say goodbye to Ann Armes, Becky Pavan, and Gretchen Giesler, three seniors who have given so much to the Kentucky volleyball program. If Kentucky can sweep the weekend, they will have a chance to go into Tennessee with a chance to rip the Southeastern Conference title out of their hands. Tennessee currently holds a one game lead over the Cats, but Kentucky currently holds the tie-breaker in the head-to-head with Kentucky beating Tennessee in their only meeting of the season thus far.

Good luck to all Kentucky teams this week, especially the volleyball and football teams who need wins this weekend. Also, good luck to the swimming and diving team who participate in the Tennessee Invitational, and the rifle team who travel to Fairbanks, Alaska to compete against Air Force.