Tomorrow is the UK at South Carolina football game, and it is a big one for both teams.

While it is common in the SEC to see the Gamecocks as the superior football program, the reality is, these two teams are far more alike than not, and this article explains that reality in detail.  I think that's one of the biggest reasons that the current winning streak South Carolina has vs. Kentucky surprises almost everyone.  But let's give credit where credit is due -- the Gamecocks just seem to play better against Kentucky, and the Wildcats seem to play worse.  Who knows why?

There are some personnel issues for the game tomorrow, the most noted being the absence of Trevard Lindley and Paul Warford, Kentucky's two starting cornerbacks.  Randall Burden will ably replace Lindley, but in Warford's spot we have the true freshman Martavious Neloms.  Now, Neloms is a confident and talented young man, and Brooks has a lot of confidence in his ability, but I am not as sanguine.

But the Gamecocks may not be able to exploit UK's personnel problems as ably as otherwise, because their starting tight end, Weslye Saunders, will be out of tomorrow's contest.  Sauders has not been a big factor in USC's offense lately, but he did have eight (!) catches vs. Georgia for 96 yards (12 ypc).  Considering that UK will likely be in a zone in the secondary tomorrow more often than not, the tight end is a big factor.  Alabama's Peek killed the 'Cats last Saturday when UK had to go to a zone, catching six balls for 65 yards.

Now, for the rest of the news:

Top Stories

• Mark Story: Give UK's Hartline a break | KentuckySports.com
  Let's be frank: As a starting quarterback, Hartline is flawed.
  
  Thirteen starts into his UK career, it is evident that the junior from Canton, Ohio, does not have the physical tools of the modern QB standouts — Couch, Lorenzen, Woodson — who have played for Kentucky.
  
  That is so. But Story goes on to make the point that Hartline is the best option we currently have, and I believe he is exactly right about that. His reasoning is logically sound and convincing, even if most of us worry about the results under Mike Hartline.

• Calipari, players big hit at women’s clinic | Vaught's Views

• Locke an unsung hero for Wildcats - SEC - ESPN
  A quick trivia question: Who leads the SEC in all-purpose yardage?
  
  It's nobody from Florida, Alabama, Auburn or any of the high-powered attacks.
  
  Rather, it's Kentucky junior tailback Derrick Locke, who's one of the best stories of perseverance going in the SEC.

UK Basketball News

• Kentucky Sports Radio " Blog Archive " Patrick Patterson is Quite a Gentlemen
  This is just great stuff. I got a huge kick out of it, and if you haven't read it, you will also.

• Who's the best program of all-time? Jeff Sagarin has your answer - The Dagger - NCAAB - Yahoo! Sports
  Forde argues that Kentucky should not be No. 1 because UCLA has more titles and because no computer ranking can take into the effect the blights of NCAA penalties and the way Adolph Rupp's racist self thrived in an all-white league for years. When racism started being less acceptable, Kentucky stopped being so perennially dominant. No formula factors that sort of thing in.
  
  Not quite sure what to make of this. Is he editorializing on Rupp's alleged racism by repeating it as a fact, or reading between Forde's lines? I don't know, and I don't feel like trying to divine an answer.

• Why Billy Gillispie is a dying breed - The Dagger - NCAAB - Yahoo! Sports
  It's not that college basketball players in the modern era just inherently smarter. The system does this to them. By the time college hoopsters -- the really good ones, the ones who would consider playing at Kentucky -- get to college, they've had plenty of coaches in orbit. They've played high school ball and AAU and gone to hundreds of summer camps. They get to see nearly every kind of coach, and they get to figure out what sort of man they want to play for. They're experienced. Things weren't always like this.
  
  I think Eamonn is right. Back in Bob Knight's heyday, the tough-love approach was often exactly what was required. In fact, it still works in cases where they kids are not cream-of-the-crop type recruits. But at Kentucky, in 2007, I think it could be persuasively argued that Gillispie's approach was doomed from the start.

• Rush The Court " Blog Archive " RTC 2009-10 Impact Players: Mid-South Region
  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all hype. We’ve seen amazing things from Wall in all-star games, pick-up games, high school footage, etc. We all know he’s going to be ridiculous. It’s no tremendous leap of faith to say that. But he’s really put himself in a perfect situation here. He’s in the right place at the right time, playing for a perfectly-suited coach on the biggest stage. We know what’s predicted, we know he’s capable of feats on the level of Rose, Mayo, Love, or Beasley, or even higher. The rest is up to him. Man, is it going to be fun to watch.
  
  Read the whole thing. There is more.

• Some recruiting notes from Jody Demling

UK Football News

• Spurrier not talking about winning streak against UK | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  "One of the Kentucky (media) asked me about that and I said, ‘Obviously, at Florida, normally we had the better team almost every time we played them.' Here, I don't know that we've been; it's pretty even. ... We've seemed to get the good turnovers and get the good breaks in the close games."
  
  I think The Visor has this exactly right. I won't call USC just lucky or anything, but they have been blessed with more good fortune than bad against us. Hopefully, we can end that this year.

• Inside the SEC: Coaches want consistency on celebration call - al.com
  While it doesn't change the outcome of Saturday's 20-13 loss to LSU, Georgia coach Mark Richt said Wednesday he accepts SEC director of officials Rogers Redding's statement that the celebration penalty against Bulldogs receiver A.J. Green late in the fourth quarter was called in error.
  
  I'm glad we got that straight. Rotten, inexcusable call.

• SEC's Slive Says No "Public Hanging" For Bad Calls | wltx.com
  The league has acknowledged there was a bad call this past weekend when Georgia receiver A.J. Green was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Slive joked that nobody wanted his job Monday.
  
  Heh.

Other UK Sports News

• UK's Quigley beats nation’s top tennis player | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  University of Kentucky sophomore Eric Quigley upset the nation's top-ranked college tennis player Thursday, beating Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State 7-5, 6-1 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla.
  
  Wow. You go, boy.

NCAA Sports News

• Football refs: No smiles allowed | The Collegian — University of Richmond
  Some bonehead wearing black and white stripes decided that high-fiving your teammates and literally just staring at your fans was an excessive celebration. A 15-yard penalty to be assessed on the kickoff – in a one point game. With one minute left.
  
  This is a call that will live in infamy for the rest of this season -- and maybe seasons to come. ESPN cannot be pleased.

• Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Jordan to Return to the Court
  Well, there you go.

• Daily Reveille - Around the SEC: Matchups take center stage in key SEC weekend

Other News of Interest

• " BBL: Calipari, Calhoun, Spurrier, Wall and Gillispie John Clay’s Sidelines
  From John Clay.

• Former UK Basketball player indicted
  Sad state of affairs for one of Pitino's Bombinos.

• Bluegrass State Basketball: Ex-Cat Jodie Meeks Reaches Double-Figures
  Really happy to see this. Go, Jodie!

• Florida Gators' O-line takes a big hit - Colleges - MiamiHerald.com
  Florida offensive tackle Matt Patchan will miss the remainder of the season after tearing an ACL on Tuesday, Gators coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday. Patchan injured his knee early in practice during a noncontact drill, and his absence could limit the rotation on the offensive line.
  
  Ouch. Bad news for the Gators, especially with Tebow iffy.

• Thugs attack two men in dresses... who turn out to be cage fighters | Mail Online
  There is a lesson here, I think ...

Today in Schadenfreude

• The Top 10 Teams With the Most Annoying Fans | SPIKE
  Oh, yes. Even though btcoop71 posted this earlier, you know this has to go in the Daily Schadenfreude.

• Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Pitino Enjoying Life to Its Fullest
  Louisville coach Rick Pitino insists that he’s having one of the best years of his life.
  
  Really. After a mostly embarrassing summer where Pitino spent several press conferences apologizing to his wife/kids/players/fans/employer by invoking 9/11, playing the hapless victim, fibbing about health insurance, berating the media and telling everyone to focus on the important things like basketball, he has decided that 2009 represents one of the best years of his 57-year old life. Well, let’s see about that, shall we?
  
  I'm sorry, Card fans, but this one is just too snicker-worthy to pass on. I do love Rick, but really, sometimes he is just a self-parody.