LOUISVILLE – As Josh Harrellson and the UK men’s basketball team walked around signing autographs on Sunday in Freedom Hall, one kid poked his head underneath the barrier and asked the 6-foo-10 junior forward to sign the back of his shirt.Harrellson, blue pen in hand, agreed.”I’m wearing this shirt to school every day,” the small boy said.”Every day?” Harrellson said. “It’s going to get smelly.”Lexington, Louisville or Cancun, Mexico, it was yet another reminder that Big Blue Nation can’t get enough of their Wildcats. Six games in and the honeymoon still isn’t over with this team.Calipari and the Cats held their annual practice in Louisville Sunday evening, a preview to the yearly game in Freedom Hall, which will be held Monday vs. UNC Asheville at 7 p.m. A much larger crowd than of past years – an estimated 6,000 fans – watched and cheered on as the Cats went through some shooting drills for about an hour.
To say the crowd was enthusiastic might be selling it short. A cult-like following might be more appropriate. When the players walked around to sign autographs, fans screamed their names like they were teenage girls seeing Robert Pattinson at a premiere showing of “Twilight.””Not many of my teammates, per say, were adored by the fans (like they are this year),” junior forward Patrick Patterson said. “Not many of the fans called out their names. … The fans are a lot more into the team this year.”The Cats made sure to get the crowd involved. Several kids were invited to shoot free throws with the players and were given free tickets to Monday’s game. The players signed autographs for 20 minutes before and after their one-hour shooting session, signing everything from a baby’s shirt to a bib to shoes and underwear. Yes, underwear.”It looked like underwear,” Patterson said. “It had the three little buttons like boxers. … Not like tighty whities.”It was another subtle eye-opener to the players of how much they impact this state on a daily basis.”It was great to be able to put a smile on somebody’s face just by signing a piece of paper,” senior guard Ramon Harris said.The turnout and support was enough to evoke Calipari to throw out the possibility of playing multiple games in Freedom Hall in the future, including a Southeastern Conference game, if the support is there.”The reason you’ve got to have that is in Rupp (Arena) we know we’re getting 24,000 and there is a lot of money involved in this,” Calipari said. “The powers to be will say, ‘No, we’re not doing it,’ (if the support isn’t there) and you know what, I wouldn’t blame them.” Calipari said those extra games in the Derby City would have to be sellouts, while adding that approximately 4,000 tickets still remain for Monday’s game vs. UNC Asheville. Based on the fan support Sunday, it’s not a stretch to think it’s a realistic future possibility.”This is the Commonwealth’s team,” Calipari said. “You could see these people from Louisville, they’re as crazy as the people in Paducah, in Pikeville, Owensboro, Mason County, wherever I’ve been. Louisville people may be the craziest.”They were crazy enough to urge Patterson to do a small jump on the Cardinals logo at half court during Sunday’s practice. Freshman DeMarcus Cousins and Harrellson then followed with a chest bump leap onto the logo before assistant coach Orlando Antigua stopped the rest of the players from mimicking their teammates.Freshman guard John Wall, who was waved off by Antigua with a simple finger wag, said it wasn’t meant to taunt or disrespect their archrival.”Louisville is a great school and they’ve got a great basketball team,” Wall said. “It was kind of good that our coach stopped us so we wouldn’t start any battling or beef with them.”Patterson, grinning from ear to ear, said he wouldn’t mind if it “peaked Louisville’s interest.””If it does, it does,” Patterson said. “That’s entirely on them.” Calipari said afterwards that he didn’t believe his team would do such a thing. When reporters informed him that his team captain led the way, the first-year UK coach was at a loss for words.

“Like I said, we do dumb things,” Calipari said.Dumb, inexperienced, a work in progress, you choose the words. The underlying factor is that this team is having fun. Granted the Cats could just as easily be 3-3, as Calipari would tell you, but they’ve found a way down the stretch to pull out games with clutch shots and chemistry.As the wins pile up and the team gets better, the love affair is only getting stronger. Sure, jumping on the logo might not have been the smartest thing to do, but the point is they’re having fun.With a crowd like Monday’s – for an open practice at a neutral site the day before a game, mind you – how could they not.”I’m having a ball,” Patterson said. “I’m loving this year. I’m loving this year with my teammates, the coach staff, coach Calipari. We’re all having fun and we’re all a great bunch of guys. We love each other, we treat each other like family, look out for one another and we’re just having a ball hanging out with each other.”Liggins, Orton can’t miss class: Sophomore guard DeAndre Liggins and freshman forward Daniel Orton did not make the trip to Louisville because of a mandatory class on Monday, Calipari said.Both players were on the team bus about to head to Louisville when Calipari asked the driver to stop the bus.”I said, ‘Do you two really want to go down here to sign autographs and then drive back here and then drive back down for the shoot around and then drive back after the game?” Calipari said.On first thought they agreed. A block later, their common sense kicked in and they decided to stay.Calipari said he didn’t mind them staying, pointing to their decision as the logical thing to do.Measuring stick? Calipari has made it a habit of point out that his team could lose on any given night.If that were to happen Monday, it won’t be the same UNC Asheville team we’ve seen the first month of the college basketball season.The Bulldogs have yet to win a game in five tries this season, losing by an average margin of 27.4 points per game, thanks in large part to a 75-point blasting by Tennessee.Asked if they would try to outdo the efforts that Tennessee and Georgia put up against the Bulldogs, Wall said they were only worried about improving.”We’re not trying to do anything to match any score they did by beating this team by 100-something points,” Wall said. “We’re going out there to get better and prepare ourselves for the next couple of games. We’re not looking past this game.”