Morning Newspaper: Ice Storm Edition

The big news this morning is the terrible ice storm which is wreaking havoc all over Kentucky, southern Indiana, and most of the Ohio River valley.  Many people are without power, and restoring it is going to be difficult under the terrible conditions.  I don't know how much longer we will have power here where I am, it seems on the verge of going out.  With very cold weather approaching, that could be bad news indeed.

Now, for the rest of the morning news.

Kentucky Basketball News

• A FanIQ writer looks at the Wildcats.  I wonder if he feels the same way this morning
• Matt May of The Cats Pause has a look at last night's defeat.  ''They were real physical. We didn't expect them to be that physical so I'd say we underestimated them. They put their hard hats on and hit the boards. They got to the ball a lot quicker than we did.'' -- Patrick Patterson
  
  I'd say he got that exactly right.
  
  
• Baseline Stats looks at the loss from a statistical point of view, and offers a really good analysis.  The author sees most of the same things I do.  But when I look at the game on Ken Pomeroy's game plan, it looks like the failure of our defense was more to blame than the relatively low eFG%.  We have won 3 out of 9 games with an eFG% less than 50.  What cost us this one was our defense and rebounding.
  
  In the end, I'm more worried about our defensive and rebounding lapses than finding the mythical third scorer.
  
  
• "We were playing too much outside-in," Coach Billy Gillispie said. "We shot 28 three-pointers. That's not our game. I don't know that we've shot 28 three-pointers since I've been here. (The Cats haven't.) I don't care to revisit that again."
  
  The coach isn't the coach for nothing.
  
  
• Eric Crawford says that Gillispie's blunt comment to Jeannine Edwards at the half might have been bad manners, but he'd rather a coach tell it like it is than say something meaningless.
  
  Me, I thought it was a bad question, but not a very polite answer -- he could have just left off the observation about the quality of the question.  Who expects great questions from the press, anyway?  I don't think Billy G. wants to be known as the second coming of Bob Knight to the press people.
  
  
• DeAndre Liggins played "OK" according to Gillispie.  Having been around the coach for awhile, that translates into, ''I thought he played like a high school player.''  ''OK'' is not the way you want to hear Coach describe your play
• Not much toughness out of the 'Cats last night.
• Matt Jones is among the powerless here in Louisville.
• Wildcats Thunder's take.
• Here we go.  I would agree with Travis that Gillispie was unnecessarily rude, but his ''bourbon'' comment rendered his post just as rude as Gillispie's remark.  Way to get down there in the mud and grovel, Clay.  It looks good on you, all caked in your beard.
  
  You'd think a Vanderbilt-educated lawyer would have more class than that.  In this case at least, you'd be wrong.
  
  
• Rush The Court agrees with Coach G. about Jeannine Edwards' question.
• Things might be looking up for Andy Kennedy.  I wish he would have picked some other game to turn his life around.

Kentucky Football/Other News

• Chris Diggs is excited about next year's football Wildcats.  I am, too.
• More from Chip Crosby on the two Memphis players who recently committed to the Wildcats.

NCAA Basketball News

• Texas defeats Baylor.
• Kelvin Samson wants his show-cause order lifted.  Good luck with that.
• Ater Majok news.  We would have had to go through this if he had come here.
• Ouch.

NCAA Football News

• Who knew?  Congress-critters sometimes have a sense of humor after all.  Kyle King gets to interview a Congressman Jack Kingston, whom he has been bashing over a couple of votes regarding college football.  You need to read this if you are a football fan, it is very funny and reminds us that Congressmen are people, too.
• How much celebration is too much?
• Succession plans seem to be all the rage right now.  Who knew UK could be a trendsetter in college football?

Other News of Interest

• Governor declares state of emergency in Kentucky.
• Tim Tebow inspires legislation in Kentucky.