The word around the Twitterverse and the Internet is that the Catholic schools in the Big East, mainly all basketball powers, are about to dissolve the league. Louisville was born under a lucky star, it seems.

Tweet of the Morning:

Notion that March Madness devalues CBK regular season is balderdash. 9-7 wild card team won last Super Bowl. People still lining up for NFL.

— Michael DeCourcy (@tsnmike) December 13, 2012

This seems right to me.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Warford, Williamson, Dupree Named All-SEC by Phil Steele // UKAthletics.com

• Franklin Co. star Ryan Timmons likes new Kentucky football O-coach's style // The Courier-Journal

  The hiring of Neal Brown as the University of Kentucky football team’s offensive coordinator impressed Franklin County High School’s Ryan Timmons — one of the state’s most dynamic playmakers and top recruiting targets. Timmons gave the coach a call on his first day on the job Monday to introduce himself.

  Benefits from our coaching hires on the recruiting trail. Great news.

• Kentucky football's Mark Stoops taps old friend Vince Marrow to coach tight ends // The Courier-Journal

  Nebraska tight ends coach Vince Marrow, who has known Stoops since their middle school days in Youngstown, Ohio, told The Courier-Journal on Wednesday that he is in Lexington and finalizing paperwork so that he can get out on the road recruiting for the Wildcats.

  And the good news just keeps on coming.

• Jimmy Brumbaugh opens door to top D-line recruits // John Clay's Sidelines
  Now if our basketball team can just come together, the good news would be rampant.

• Franklin always knew that Brown, Scott and Schlarman could be special coaches and sees great things for UK // vaughtsviews

Kentucky basketball

• Doron Lamb talks to the WBN // Wildcat Blue Nation

• Polls show Calipari below 50 percent favorability in Kentucky // CBSSports.com
  In my humble opinion, PPP is a lousy outfit, and I take every poll they do with a grain of salt. Plus, what's this "polls?" It's one poll.

• Coach Cal with his "sons" Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Eric Bledsoe // CoachCal.com

• “I’m just telling you we have a long way to go." - John Calipari // Middlesboro Daily News
  He's right. We all know it now.

Other UK sports

• Volleyball Trio Named All-America for Second-Straight Year // UKAthletics.com
• Baseball Notebook: Meyer Traded to Twins // UKAthletics.com

Links posts

• Wakeup Call: Could the Big East already be on the brink of death? // CBSSports.com
• The Morning Mix // Troy Machir, CollegeBasketballTalk
• Tom Leach // Thursday Links

College football

• Parker to announce, father thinks it's MSU or Duke
  Both have a good shot. I'm pulling for Izzo and MSU.

• Links - Kliff Kingsbury is Texas Tech's New Football Coach // Viva The Matadors
  Well, some of us coveted Kingsbury also. This makes a lot of sense, as he is a Mike Leach disciple and played quarterback for Leach early in his tenure at Tech. He's awfully young for a BCS gig, but he's talented.

• Mike Leach on the Kliff Kingsbury hire: “Stud!!!!” // John Clay's Sidelines
  Well, as his ex-coach, you wouldn't expect him to say, "Dud!!"

College basketball

• Big East on the Brink of Breakup // ZagsBlog.com
  Looks like Louisville gets the nod for being the great escape artist. This seems to be more about brand dilution than anything else. As the Big East scrambles to remain relevant in football, it has diluted the basketball brand considerably, to the chagrin of the basketball powers. That seems to be driving this train.

• Basketball schools in Big East are finally fed up // John Clay's Sidelines
  Understandable.

• March Madness: Ranking the NCAA Tournament’s greatest moments // Sporting News
  No "Goose is Golden?" Interestingly enough, there are no good moments at all for Kentucky. None. Every one of them is a defeat.

Other sports news

• John Wall to Have Knee Re-Examined on Friday // AllKyHoops.com
  Lousy way for John to start the season. And the Wizards have sucked out loud so far.