It seems that right now, there is nothing to do but pray this Kentucky team finishes well enough to get into the NCAA Tournament. They got quite a bit of help from some bubble teams this weekend, but they have to do something themselves -- namely win. A victory on the road over an up and down Georgia Bulldogs team would be a great place to start.

Tweet of the Morning:

CBS Sports also has UK still in the field (12-seed play-in game) vs. Calipari's old team, UMASS cbsprt.co/WqN8o1

— Jon Hale (@JonKyForward) March 4, 2013

That's just crazy enough to happen.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Joker's two-year contract with Gators worth $265,000 annually // Kentucky.com

  Joker Phillips is also still getting paid from his UK contract. He’s making bank.

Kentucky basketball

• UK recruiting: Handicapping the race for three national prospects // Kentucky.com

  I think Ben Roberts is exactly right, although Randle, I think, could wind up at Kansas, especially if Wiggins comes to UK.

• Bubble Watch: Kentucky, SEC teams plummet; count Ole Miss out // USA Today

  There’s still enough time for a couple of these teams (Kentucky, in particular) to recover and work their way into the NCAA tournament. But on this particular day, the borderline teams of the SEC were a downright mess.

  This is right, and we got some help from Virginia, Villanova, and Washington. Baylor is on deck with a tough game coming at Texas.

  UK can still back into the tournament despite a painful loss in Fayetteville. They need to beat Georgia for that to happen, though, plus do more work.

• Nerlens Noel is a Finalist for Wayman Tisdale Award // AllKyHoops.com

  Wow. It’s hard to imagine him winning this, but you never know.

• Turner and McCarty appreciated getting rings but always have fun at Kentucky reunions // vaughtsviews

  Really good inside baseball stuff from Larry Vaught on the 1996 team presentation ceremony the other day.

Other UK sports

• Mark Story: Matthew Mitchell's record-breaking day almost perfect // Kentucky.com
• Littrell Pitches No. 8 Baseball to Sweep // UKAthletics.com
• No. 17 Softball Ends Road Trip with 8-4 Win Over Western Michigan // UKAthletics.com
• Kentucky Gymnastics Breaks School Team Score Record // UKAthletics.com
• Men's Tennis Blanks LSU 4-0 For Fifth-Straight Win // UKAthletics.com

Links posts

• The Morning Mix // CollegeBasketballTalk
• Tom Leach // Monday links
• SEC M5: 03.04.13 Edition // Rush The Court
• Wakeup Call: Where and when to watch every conference title game // CBSSports.com
• John Clay's SEC Links // John Clay's Sidelines
• John Clay's SEC Links // John Clay's Sidelines

College football

• Time to reduce Penn State Nittany Lions football sanctions -- college football - ESPN

  Now that Penn State’s probation officer, Sen. George Mitchell, has issued another glowing quarterly review of the university’s rehabilitation efforts, it’s time for the NCAA to do what was unthinkable seven months ago.
  Reduce the sanctions.

  It should never have sanctioned them in the first place, but it would be nice if they would cut them back.

College basketball

• Rick Pitino Becomes the Second UK Rival Coach to Drop the F Bomb in Public in a Week // Everything Kentucky Online

  Heh. Funny.

• NCAA tournament selection committee missing vital piece with Madness creeping close // Yahoo! Sports

  When the NCAA tournament selection committee convenes next week in Indianapolis to do its work, there will be one vital player missing from the proceedings.
  His name is Greg Shaheen, and he was the NCAA’s Mr. Bracket for the previous 12 tournaments. The 2012 Big Dance was the last waltz for the association’s former vice president of championships and alliances – essentially the man who made the tournament run and helped make it staggeringly rich via its TV deal with CBS and Turner. The NCAA forced his resignation last year, intent on moving its showcase event in a more modern (read: corporate and soulless) direction.

  This is typical groupthink from Forde, and I would really expect nothing less. Shaheen was by all accounts a great guy, and a great ambassador for the NCAA.

  The problem was, Shaheen couldn’t delegate anything, and he was a bottleneck in the process that really doesn’t need bottlenecks. Having seen people like this before in high-profile positions, I know first hand that they can create problems that even their wonderful personality and likability cannot overcome.

  Shaheen will be fine, and if Forde is right about anything, he is right when he says that Shaheen’s exit may have been very timely, indeed.

• 3-point shot: APR ban shuts out legit teams // ESPN

  UCLA coach Ben Howland didn’t try to hide Shabazz Muhammad’s plans after the Bruins victory against Arizona Saturday. Howland said Muhammad had played his last game at Pauley Pavilion. He told reporters that he knew he would be at UCLA for one year and was a realist about the situation. And that is refreshing. There will be no unnecessary questions during the NCAA tournament about whether or not Muhammad is leaving for the NBA. He’s gone. Howland knew it when he recruited him.

  Queue the hand-wringing about how Ben Howland is bad for college basketball. Never happen.

  Instead, it will be, "See what John Calipari is forcing coaches to do with the evil one-and-done strategy that he created out of whole cloth?"

  Remember, you heard it here first…

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Other sports news

• VIDEO: Lakers' Kobe Bryant dunks 'by' Hawks' Josh Smith // CBSSports.com

  There is really only one word for this: Daaayuuummmm!

• Dime Magazine // Michael Jordan's New North Carolina Home is Nicer Than Wherever You Live

  Man. I wanna be like Mike…

• Seattle Times Columnist Jerry Brewer: 'The NBA Could Work in Louisville' // WFPL

  You remember Jerry Brewer, who used to work for the Courier-Journal as a columnist?

  I think he’s dead wrong. I don’t think Louisville would support an NBA team. They can’t even be honest about who’s really footing the bill for the YUM! center.

• Keith Olbermann Wants To Work At ESPN Again // Deadspin

  Throughout his career, Olbermann has been a serial burner of bridges. He torched one at ESPN in spectacular fashion. Then he went to Fox and alienated people over there. Then MSNBC. Then Al Gore and Current TV.

  Heh. Without any regard to his politics, Olberman seems a self-destructive character to me. One wonders if the “Four strikes and you’re out” saying would be apropos here. Or maybe, “You can’t go home again.”

• John Wall stares down David Falk after game-winner (maybe)

  John Wall, with the stinkeye at Falk? Well, I certainly don’t blame him if so.

• Injuries to New Orleans Hornets Anthony Davis sealing his fate in rookie of the year chase // NOLA.com

  With Davis’ immediate future uncertain because of that left shoulder injury (sprain/bone bruise) it’s becoming more of a virtual certainty that Lillard will win the award.

  Yeah, but let’s be honest – Lillard has really had a better year than Davis, and even if Davis had been healthy, I think Lillard was still likely to win.