The inexplicable string of close losses on the road continues for the Kentucky Wildcats, the most recent being a 77-76 loss in Fayetteville to the Arkansas Razorbacks.  You'd think Kentucky would win one of these by dumb luck.  You'd be wrong.  All the luck seems to be with the opponent.  Check this out:

How do you win the two of the three most important of the four factors, tie another, and narrowly lose the least important and come away with a loss?  Lies, damn lies, and statistics, I suppose.  Now for today's links:

• Kentucky Wildcats vs. Arkansas Razorbacks :: ESPN

• Kentucky's road woes continue with 77-76 OT loss to Arkansas | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

  Wondering why Lamb didn't play more?  Wonder no more:

  "I had no choice," Calipari said. "When I put Doron (Lamb) in, (Arkansas coach) John Pelphrey did a good job. He put him in pick-and-rolls (on defense), and they scored every time."

  There you go.

• John Clay: Arkansas loss shows Cats are not improving :: Kentucky.com

  Yes, this is a young team, led by freshmen. But the coach's adage is that by this time of the year there is no such thing as freshmen. They are sophomores now — especially when they play 43 minutes, as did Knight, and 39 minutes, as did Jones.

  We may not like it, but this is right.  And don't give me that "no experience in close games" crap, either.  Seven close games is enough to qualify as experience.  Heck, five should be more than enough.

• Pair of Kentucky stars headed to NFL Combine :: cincinnati.com

• Will NCAA ever pay athletes? Not on Emmert’s watch :: Beyond the Arc
  One word -- good.

• Draft analyst evaluates four UK signees :: Vaught's Views
  This is for those who have given up on this year.

• This is Shaping Up as a Terrible NBA Draft, so Smart Teams Are Trading Away Draft Picks :: The Big Lead

• Was Josh Harrellson open on that final play? :: John Clay’s Sidelines
  John's right -- he wasn't open.

• Kentucky Took a Major Hit in NCAA Tournament Seeding
  Major.

• Coaching Coach Cal :: CollegeBasketballTalk.com

  In no way am I saying John Calipari is a bad coach and I’m certainly not saying UK would be better off without him. But I believe Calipari has misevaluated the team he has this season. He isn’t playing into their strengths while exploiting their weaknesses.

  I don't agree with this, but I do agree with the general proposition that Calipari probably needs to re-evaluate his team.  The problem, though, with this argument is that Kentucky is beating people convincingly at home, so to suggest some sort of systemic problem doesn't square with reality.

• Does Calipari have to accept blame for close losses? :: Vaught's Views
  The team has to accept the blame, and that includes the coach. Last time I checked, basketball was a team game.

• Does Calipari have to accept blame for close losses? :: Vaught's Views
  The team has to accept the blame, and that includes the coach. Last time I checked, basketball was a team game.

• Inside the Play: Inbounds to Knight :: The Kentucky Kernel