Getting an early start on the new year, I am reviving an old item for A Sea of Blue and giving it a new coat of paint -- the morning news post. I kind of miss scouring the news every morning for tidbits, and I have come to realize that some people don't always catch the comings and goings of sites that spend a lot more time on the news than we do.
So to fill that gap and give you something else to replace a newspaper with. What was old is new again.
Kentucky Basketball
- The news was broken here by Vince last night that Jai Lucas is a Longhorn. The outstanding SBN Blog Burnt Orange Nation has a look at what Lucas means to Longhorn basketball.
- Seems UK will be getting a test in pressure defense tonight. I think this may reveal just how far our point guard play has come ... or not.
- “I think [Michael Porter is] playing about as well as he possibly can. I think he’s playing great,” Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said.
- A nice tie-in to Ken's article, this piece by Bret Dawson looks at what a difference a year makes. UK-UL time also set for 4:30 Sunday.
- Rush the Court has more stats analysis for us, including several Kentucky players.
- The latest news post from KSR.
Kentucky Football
- An outstanding article on the Liberty Bowl from the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.
- The SEC Football Blogger looks at the Liberty Bowl, and predicts it.
- Big commitment on the defensive line from Kentucky. This news is a bit dated, so if you have heard about him, skip it.
- Randall Cobb is out for the Liberty Bowl. No surprise, really, but I sure wish he were available.
- Some news on our Liberty Bowl opponent, East Carolina.
- Randy Sanders is suffering from kidney stones. Ouch. We don't know if he will make the Liberty Bowl.
NCAA Basketball
- The Hoosiers fall to Lipscomb. Yikes.
- Rush the Court has a look at some NCAA teams, and UK makes the cut. Though to me, it seems damnation by faint praise.
- West Virginia's Alex Ruoff is CHR's player of the week. Our win over WVU is looking better all the time.
- Minnesota beats Tubby Smith's alma mater.
- Some have speculated that this guy might be a target for UK now. I have no idea.
- We reported Duke's minor NCAA violation earlier in the FanShots. Fanhouse has more.
- Pitino benched Earl Clark for Louisville's game against UAB, and thinks he will stick with it.
NCAA Football
- Auburn tries again with a high-powered offensive coordinator. Well, with Tuberville and his assistants gone, it might just work this time.
- According to this article, football at LSU could fall to third in interest behind the baseball and basketball teams.
- Steve Spurrier says this was a down year for SEC football. Ya think?
Other items of interest
- "For those colleges that did report their information, the gaps in academic preparation between athletes and other students are wide."
An article from Inside Higher Education noting the difference between big-time college athletes and average students. Interesting reading.