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The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Blog Refresh Edition

By Glenn Logan

SB Nation has performed what they are calling a "visual refresh" of the blogs, and I hope you love it as much as I do.  To me, the the site looks much cleaner and more readable.  Great job by the code magicians at SBN.

Now, to business.  The game last night drew pretty predictable commentary from around the Big Blue Nation, mostly expecting the ugly, disjointed nature of the game while marveling at the talent and athleticism.  I think that's the best way to look at it, and I'm sure Coach Calipari learned a lot about his team last night.  We will learn even more on Friday when John Wall gets to suit up and take the floor for the first time versus outside competition.

At the end of the day, I was not unhappy with what I saw.  I expected this game to be ugly, and it did not disappoint.  But I loved the way the team tried to play together, and the effort on defense was really quite remarkable, with a number of players hitting the floor hard trying to draw charges, and getting floor burns chasing after loose balls.  You have to really admire all that effort, and even if the execution was sloppy, it was really good to see how hard the team played.

Now, for the news:

Top Stories

UK Basketball News

UK Football News

  • Newton's progress comes at Fidler's expense " Evansville Courier & Press
    Fidler, who said he was expecting to take some snaps in the first half, was obviously disappointed to not get on the field. "I want to do whatever they need me to do to help us win," he said.

    Fidler finds himself in an awkward position. He is rooting for Newton to play well not only for the good of the team but for the good of Newton himself. But it seems now the only way Fidler will get the chance to play is if Newton doesn't play well.

    What a tough spot for Fidler. Unfortunately, next year it will only get worse. Well, that's how you get better at anything -- the cream must be allowed to rise to the top.

  • Rich Brooks Answers Questions about MSU Loss
    "A week ago people thought we could win out," Brooks said. "Now they don't think we can even win another game."

    Heh. How true.

  • UK Football Fan: SEC Bowl/Standings projections
    The Pizza Bowl looks likely, unless we spring an upset. But we have to win at least one more SEC game for that to be a reality.

  • Cats prepare for EKU, try to salvage season | KentuckySports.com
    It's not just the fact that Kentucky lost, it's the way they lost that really took away a lot of steam: 348 rushing yards allowed, three turnovers and a passing game that generated just 119 yards. The message boards and radio shows that were once buzzing about the Outback and Chick-Fil-A bowls are now playing the blame game, and the players say they can't get caught up in that.

  • Brooks asks players to help motivate | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
    "Where some of our leaders in the past were vocal, our leaders are quiet and try to lead by example on this team," Brooks said. "Sometimes they don’t feel particularly comfortable in voicing an opinion in practice or in a meeting, where in the past some of our players did do that."

    "Quiet" leadership rarely works.

  • Locke questionable to doubtful for EKU
    AAARRGGHH! Locke just isn't very durable.

Other UK Sports News

NCAA Sports News

  • Dan Wolken: Recruiting rules changing "
    The NCAA is also going to shut the door on "package deals," which Memphis certainly engaged in under John Calipari. He hired Milt Wagner as director of basketball operations in 2000, which ultimately yielded a commitment from his son, Dajuan Wagner. Several months after Tyreke Evans signed with Memphis in 2008, his personal trainer from Philadelphia, Lamont Peterson, was hired to an administrative position.

    I am very glad to see this go away. Calipari was not the only coach to do this by any means, but I'm glad to see it off limits.

  • You obligatory SEC Primer - Searching for Billy Edelin

  • A big step backward for Michigan, Rodriguez - College football- nbcsports.msnbc.com
    Man. I hate to see this. I actually like Michigan football (in a semi-interested sort of way), and now they are looking very much like they are going through the same kind of decline that UK went through post Smith.

    Rich Rodriguez probably (not certainly) gets one more season to get it right. After that, the former hot property from West Virginia might well follow Coach Gillispie into the depths of anonymity.

  • Rush The Court " 2009-10 Conference Primers: #5 – SEC
    Rush The Court predicts the SEC for 2009-10, and tournament seeds as well. I don't think Florida will be NIT bound, though.

Other News of Interest

The Daily Schadenfreude

  • Are Gators contenders? - College sports - BradentonHerald.com
    Florida followed consecutive national championships with back-to-back NIT appearances, hardly the way coach Billy Donovan wanted to build off those title runs.

    The drop-off humbled Donovan and made the Gators hungry to return to the NCAA Tournament. Getting back there could be a challenge, though.

    Heh. I feel the need. The need for ... schadenfreude. Via Walter's Wildcat World

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