Welcome to the 2012-13 college basketball season, which gets underway today. Hooray!!!

Tweet of the Morning (well, two, actually):

Awesome. RT @princessjoybell As Miss Knoxville Harley-Davidson, I promise not to bang Bobby Petrino.

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravisBGID) November 9, 2012

@claytravisbgid @princessjoybell Well, I guess that eliminates Petrino to Knoxville.

— Will A. Compton (@WillCompton) November 9, 2012

Oh, my goodness, that's funny!

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Your Head Coaching Candidates, Part 2 non-Head Coaches // A Sea Of Blue
  Hoboat33 looks at non-head coach candidates for Kentucky's football program.

• Bobby Petrino To Kentucky Is A No-Brainer // Forbes
  He's right. Anyone who thinks Kentucky should hire that guy has no brains whatever. :-)

• Report: Auburn president preparing for Gene Chizik’s possible firing // SI Tracking Blog
  Goodbye, Chizik. Hello, Petrino.

• College football roundup: Kentucky not courting Petrino, USC fires deflater // Lindy's Sports

  Former Arkansas head football coach Bobby Petrino is interesting in coaching at Kentucky, his father told the Louisville Courier-Journal.

  The feeling isn’t mutual, according to a CBSsports.com report.

• Bobby Petrino’s mystery visit? // Courier-Journal

  I asked Petrino Sr. if his son had spoken to any schools about vacancies or potential vacancies. He initially said that his son had spoken to one school, and that it was not UK. Just before he named the school, his wife, Patsy, stopped him from saying anything more. Petrino Sr. told me he would get in trouble if he kept talking.

  Heh. We all have a pretty good idea, I think.
• Gene Chizik could be fired 'days after the end of the season,' according to report // SBNation.com

• Jimmy Johnson: Arkansas should rehire Petrino // AJC Sports News Now
  Heh. How would you do that, exactly? Say, "Oops, sorry, we didn't mean it?"

Kentucky basketball

• Calipari on problems Maryland presents, Mark Turgeon on how good Nerlens Noel is // vaughtsviews

• Unique painting shows five Kentucky coaches who have won national titles with championship trophies // vaughtsviews
  That's pretty cool. I like that painting.

• Kentucky from a Duke viewpoint // Duke Chronicle

• Kentucky Sports Radio // Injury update: Mays will play, Harrow probable
  Good news, to be sure. We need both those guys.

• Kentucky/Maryland preview: The Barclays Center gets a college fix // CollegeBasketballTalk

  If Maryland can contain the slashing ability of Goodwin and Poythress and make Kentucky rely on outside shooting, which hasn’t exactly been a consistent strong-suit of a Calipari-coached Wildcat team, they might have a shot. If Kentucky is able to get out and run early, goodnight, Maryland.

  A little general, but substantially correct. The thing is, Kentucky can shoot the ball from the perimeter as well.

• 3-point shot: Problems at the point // ESPN

  2. One of the things that coach John Calipari has maximized more than any predecessor at Kentucky is how to get as much out of the Big Blue Nation as possible. If the Wildcats are winning at a high level and not having issues, the passionate fan base seems to do whatever is needed for the program. Calipari has also been able to tap that resource with million-dollar relief efforts, first for Haiti and now for the storm-ravaged New York-New Jersey area. Calipari can be a lightning rod, but he has learned how to capitalize on all things Kentucky during his three-plus seasons in Lexington -- including finding ways to raise money for causes.

Other UK sports

• Soccer Faces SMU in C-USA Tourney Semifinals - // UKAthletics.com
  Go, 'Cats!

Links posts

• Tom Leach // Friday links
• What they're saying around the SEC on Thursday (links) // al.com
• The Morning Mix // Troy Machir, CollegeBasketballTalk

• #NBCMustFollow College Hoops Directory // CollegeBasketballTalk
  For you twitter people out there

• The season is here, and the Wakeup Call has returned // CBSSports.com

College football

• Nick Saban, Alabama look to thwart Texas A&M's growing SEC threat // Andy Staples - SI.com
  Saban is right to be concerned about A&M. Johnny Manziel is pretty much impossible to prepare for. This will require the best effort by Alabama's defense all year.

• Ball deflation scandal merely the latest controversy to ensnare Lane Kiffin's Trojans // Yahoo! Sports

  So Forde is blaming Kiffin for the deflation scandal at USC? If you haven't heard about this, a student manager deflated the game balls below regulation pressure, because it makes them easier to throw and catch.

  Now, I'm right there thinking Kiffin is a bit of a snake, but I think this piece is way over the top. Is Kiffin setting a bad example? Probably, but that doesn't excuse a person deciding it's okay to cheat, and as far as I can tell, Kiffin had nothing to do with that.

College basketball

• Preseason Top 25 + 1 Countdown // CBSSports.com
  Tonight's game could change a lot of perceptions about UK, one way or the other.

• College basketball on TV today // John Clay's Sidelines
  The Georgetown Hoyas -- Florida Gators tilt looks really interesting, as does the Ohio St. Buckeyes vs. Marquette.

• Saddle Up: College basketball is back // ESPN
  Three big games tonight.

• Back from the depths, ex-phenom Taylor King finding himself, looking for his game - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball // CBSSports.com
  Bad decisions at a young age for a player with NBA aspirations can completely derail a career. The damage can be extensive, and lasting. Just ask McDonald's All-American Taylor King.

• Preseason Bracketology: Louisville is your (very late) preseason top team // SBNation.com
  About what you'd figure. I can't wait to play Louisville this year. I have a good feeling about that game.

• Full television schedule for college basketball's opening night // SBNation.com

Other sports news

• Former Syracuse basketball coach Bernie Fine won't be charged // syracuse.com