Much of the Big Blue Nation is still basking in the warm afterglow of this past weekend -- an amazing Big Blue Madness and a huge football victory over Auburn on the road is enough to make even the most jaded fan feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Today, we continue to enjoy the good feelings as Wildcat fans begin to look anxiously toward the annual Blue/White basketball game coming our way next Wednesday night at 7:00 PM, apparently to be widely televised throughout the area.  The Blue/White game is always a big deal around the Commonwealth because it gives the fans some idea of how quickly the new players are picking up the system, and in this case, that includes the old players since we have a new coach.

Before then, though, we have a big home game against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, a team that currently stands 3-0 in the Sun Belt and 4-2 overall.  This Warhawk team is fully capable of pulling the upset against Kentucky, an upset that Kentucky's bowl hopes simply cannot afford.

Now, for the news.

Top Stories

• UK has a true Kentucky offensive line | Vaught's Views

• Rivals.com College Football - Weekend breakdown of the SEC
  "Well, what we didn't want to do is have the young guy take the first snap - so he took the second. That was brilliant strategy, I might add." - Kentucky coach Rich Brooks, having some fun with the media when he was asked about how the coaching staff handled true freshman QB Morgan Newton last week
  
  Brooks. Hilarious. He has a future as the straight man in a comic duo.

• Source: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford to have surgery on ailing shoulder - ESPN
  Tough break for Bradford. This year has just been awful for him.

• SEC suspends Florida-Arkansas officiating crew - ESPN
  Interesting. Perhaps even overdue.

UK Basketball News

• An Everlasting Bond | Coach Calipari
  Very cool.

• Wildcat Blue In a Sea of Orange: Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones set their sights on Lexington

• SEC Inside Look: 5 things to watch / Stat of the week | Solomon's Wisdom - al.com
  4. Rich Brooks. Some day, presumably after John Calipari delivers another vacated Final Four trip, Kentucky fans will realize what they've got with Brooks. Having just been whipped by Florida and Alabama, Kentucky stayed focused to beat Auburn without its quarterback and star cornerback. Brooks ought to move to the SEC West, where he is 4-3 in the past four seasons against that division's current coaches.
  
  Okay, say it with me now -- "Don't use Brooks' success to beat up on Calipari, you douchebag."

• UK Basketball: Observations from Cal's clinic: WinchesterSun.com
  "Everything on the offensive side of the ball was north and south, not east and west — it was downhill as (Calipari) termed it," he said. "The objective is to get to the rim as quick as possible and beat your man to the basket. He wants to shoot the balls with 12 seconds."
  
  Now there is a philosophy we haven't seen around these parts for a while.

• ZAGSBLOG " Kyrie Irving to Duke (UPDATED)
  Clear as mud. Well, Irving will clear the air eventually for all of us. I think the odds are good he winds up a Blue Devil.

• BLOG.NORTHSTARBBALL.COM: Kyrie Irving: "I'm Uncommitted"
  An article posted on ZagsBlog late Tuesday night stated that Kyrie Irving '10 of St. Patrick's (NJ) has committed to Duke, but the 6'2 point guard says that is not the case.
  
  Okay. So which is it?

• " BBL: Report says Kyrie Irving has committed to Duke John Clay’s Sidelines
  Ivring says otherwise, in another link.

• Cousins enjoying everything about being a Kentucky player | Vaught's Views
  The request might have flustered some players, but not Kentucky freshman DeMarcus Cousins.
  
  Cousins is going to be a handful. In a good way, I think.

• Hood glad to be in the neighborhood
  Jon Hood doesn’t mind standing in the shadows. He’s just glad to be part of one of Kentucky’s top recruiting classes in more than a decade.
  
  Jon Hood is going to be a good one. Via Walter's Wildcat World.

• Terrence Jones no longer considering Jayhawks | The Shiver, Kansas Jayhawks Sports, Kansas Basketball, Kansas Football
  In an email to TheShiver.com on Tuesday afternoon, Linda Mashia-Jones, the mother of the #15 ranked ESPNU 100, Terrence Jones, explained that her son is no longer considering Kansas or Arizona. Jones had previously mentioned that he would decide which school to officially visit this weekend, but that decision never came. Instead, Jones will move forward with his previously scheduled official visits in the coming weeks.
  
  "We will not be making an official visit to Kansas or Arizona," said Mashia-Jones of their decision. "We are going to make our decision out of the five schools we currently have. They are Oklahoma, University of Washington, UCLA, Kentucky and University of Oregon," added Mashia-Jones.
  
  Sweet. Look for Kansas articles now saying that Jones is not all that good, or that he has some other issue.

• John Calipari is revitalizing Kentucky Wildcats basketball and fans - ESPN
  "I don't ever remember it being like this,'' said 74-year-old Tom Wilson, who has served as an usher at Rupp for 21 years and was at his usual perch Friday night for Big Blue Madness. "I usually get here about two hours early, and it's quiet. I got here at 4:45 tonight, and you couldn't get a seat at the food court. People are just so anxious to get this season going.''
  
  Yessir, we are.

• Media picks UK, Patterson tops in the SEC | Vaught's Views
  Southeastern Conference media members don’t think quite as highly of Kentucky freshman John Wall as some others do.
  
  But they will.

• Midnight Madness brought about some notable events across the country - ESPN
  The Kentucky event was unprecedented. I'm not sure I've ever seen an entrance like John Calipari's at Kentucky.
  
  Read the whole thing.

UK Football News

• Rich Brooks’ SEC Teleconference " Over The Pylon

• State-Journal.com - In praise of Rich Brooks
  Nice read.

• Column: Other UK teams can learn from football’s Auburn victory | The Kentucky Kernel
  In the afterglow of Big Blue Madness and the basketball team’s first day of practice Saturday, let’s hope the Cats tuned in to watch their football counterparts Saturday night.
  
  Indeed.

• Brooks amazed with team's effort against Auburn

• Count on Brooks to always be a class act | KentuckySports.com
  First thing Rich Brooks did after Kentucky beat Auburn on Saturday night was voluntarily explain to the media why he had been slightly less than forthcoming about UK's quarterback "competition" the week before.
  
  His admission showed the measure of the man. Most coaches think it's in their job description to deceive the media. You could tell that Brooks was bothered that he had been a little less than forthright. You don't find that too often.
  
  Fantastic. Brooks deserves these accolades.

• Enemy lines: Kentucky chooses a quarterback | thenewsstar.com | The News Star
  ULM fans are hoping for the same stunning finish this week when the Warhawks head to Lexington with their own fresh signal caller.
  
  So both teams have fresh QB's? Well, that should provide some theater.

• UK's Fidler a stand-up backup | KentuckySports.com
  Newton will start again this week against Louisiana-Monroe, but Brooks said Fidler earned the right to play both with his performance against Auburn and with how he handled himself after not getting the promotion he had hoped for.
  
  Unlike Mike Hartline's intemperate behavior last year when he was replaced for a few games by Cobb, Fidler is earning the respect of everyone with his handling of a difficult situation. He'd be justified to have a fit of pique, but instead, he leads by example.

• The Kentucky recap, half the first | The War Eagle Reader
  A fun read.

• Second-half outlook: Kentucky - SEC - ESPN
  Chris Low thinks we are destined for a pizza bowl.

Other UK Sports News

• UK sports notes: Oct. 22 | KentuckySports.com

• Who is Kentucky’s number 1 celebrity fan? | Vaught's Views
  Eddie Montgomery is a classic, but Ashley is much, much prettier.

NCAA Sports News

• Oklahoma's Sam Bradford Will Discuss His Future Today - SB Nation

• I think we should close it all down and just have Big 12 and SEC teams play for national... - The Smoking Musket
  Heh. Did you want some gouda with that whine?

• "THE FOOTBALL GODS HAVE SPOKEN" | The Vol Historian | GoVolsXtra.com
  Heh. The Third Saturday in October is shaping up to be a serious blood feud.

• SEC Inside Look: 5 things to watch / Stat of the week | Solomon's Wisdom - al.com
  4. Rich Brooks. Some day, presumably after John Calipari delivers another vacated Final Four trip, Kentucky fans will realize what they've got with Brooks. Having just been whipped by Florida and Alabama, Kentucky stayed focused to beat Auburn without its quarterback and star cornerback. Brooks ought to move to the SEC West, where he is 4-3 in the past four seasons against that division's current coaches.
  
  Okay, say it with me now -- "Don't use Brooks' success to beat up on Calipari, you douchebag."

• BCS on the Web - BCS Evolution
  This is a great new SB Nation blog. Be sure to check it out.

Other News of Interest

• Grades are in for UK, U of L | Cincinnati.com | The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Daily Schadenfreude

• Bluegrass State Basketball: Interesting Reading Material About UK at Volnation.com
  We linked this yesterday, but it's work another look. Ah, schadenfreude ...

• On historical revisionism
  But this selective use of history cuts many ways. Pitino himself is a practitioner of it. Walk into U of L's practice facility and you're greeted by a plaque of "Pitino players in the NBA." Not former Cardinals in the NBA. Jamal Mashburn and Antoine Walker are on the wall. Rodney McCray and Pervis Ellison are not.
  
  Aww, now why did you have to go and spoil it, Eric? I was just beginning to enjoy this irrational meme, an you have to throw facts in there and gum up the works.

• Intentional Foul " Duke’s Goodfellas
  But the side of me that appreciates a good marketing scheme does kind of enjoy the "risk" Duke basketball is taking with such a poster. Granted, the risk I’m talking about is ridicule; although, apparently that doesn’t matter to stud recruit Kyrie Irving, who appears ready to cast his four year (yeah, right) lot to Coach K and the rest of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
  
  Heh. Oh, schadenfreude, come on down.

• Coach K Asks Students to be "Spontaneous" in Cameron
  Speaking in Page Auditorium tonight, Mike Krzyzewski asked a group of prospective K-Ville residents to return to the more "spontaneous" roots of the Cameron Crazies. Specifically, Krzyzewski asked students to eliminate the cheer sheets distributed before every game in favor of new and different chants for each opponent.
  
  However will the Dookies manage to cheer without cheat sheets? Hat tip: The Truth about Duke.

• Full-Court Press Awaits Pitino at MSG -- NCAA Basketball FanHouse
  Rick Pitino's appearance at New York's Madison Square Garden Wednesday will surely be less pleasant than his previous one, when his Louisville team won the Big East tournament championship last March.
  
  Heh. Traitor Rick having a tough year. First misbehaves, then some of his team does. Follow the leader!

• Jurich Owes No Apology To Football Fans | U of L Card Game
  Sadly, a small group of University of Louisville football fans believes Tom Jurich owes them an apology for a few comments. Yes, that Tom Jurich, the vice president of athletics, the person who over the last dozen years has made Louisville a major player across the board in NCAA athletics.
  
  Do you remember when this same Tom Jurich was being touted by many as one of the best AD's in the land? Must seem like a long time ago to Jurich.