The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Wildcats vs. the World Edition

I bumped into this Gregg Doyel article down in the FanShots, and thought it deserved a bit more commentary.

I have to admit, I used to really loathe Doyel, but over the past couple of years, he has grown on me.  I can't really put my finger on it, he really hasn't been that much different -- maybe I'm just getting less sensitive to sarcasm in my old age and learning to appreciate it more.  Embracing the hate, as it were.

Well, this is certainly no hate piece, at least, not directed at Kentucky, or Calipari.  In fact, it's just the kind of thing I might write if I actually, you know, had a sense of humor.  Here are a couple of excerpts:

The media would hate it [Kentucky going undefeated], but that makes me want it even more. Media groupthink has decided John Calipari is a bad guy, but media groupthink also decided Texas should play Alabama for the college football championship, and that the running back from Alabama is the best player in the country. Media groupthink is silly.

I have often thought the very same thing.  Media groupthink is silly, sometimes even extremely harmful, and the thought of angering the media by watching a sacred cow or three get brutally slaughtered and eaten raw really warms the cockles of my heart. 

As a bonus, we would also get to watch the cranial conflagrations of opposing fans or just plain UK haters who are dying to see Coach Cal fail, or find some tiny shred of moral turpitude to justify a "See!  I told ya so!"  Watching both the media and their cognitively dissonant acolytes spray gray mater all over their basement and/or cubicle wall is, to paraphrase the Grinch, "A sight I really must see."  But as Doyel says, I'm not predicting it -- just wishing for it.

More after the jump.

Another graf I really like:

Imagine, then, this coach winning the national title this year -- and not losing a game along the way. Kentucky would replace Bob Knight's 1976 Indiana Hoosiers as the last team to go undefeated. From his perch at ESPN, Knight would be miserable. From its perch in Indianapolis, the NCAA would be miserable. Memphis would hate it. Louisville would hate it. Indiana wouldn't believe it. The media would moan.

And what sweet, sonorous music that would make!  The mind fairly boggles at the prospect of the angst and anguish of Louisville fans.  And Indiana fans?  Oh, my.  We'd have to bring the Kentucky National Guard with us next time we went to Bloomington for a game.  The gnashing of teeth from Tobacco Road would be audible all the way to Pauley Pavilion.

Thanks, Gregg.  Yeah, it's just a dream. 

But it's a good dream.

Now, for the news:

• UK commit injured
  Fortunately, it should be minor. Just a concussion, although those can be a real problem.
• College football notes: Dec. 17 - Sports - Kentucky.com
  Central Michigan is usually a reliable place to find good coaches, much like Western Kentucky in basketball.
• Basketball Prospectus | Articles | Around the Rim: Texas About to Get Tested
  Junior point guard Jai Lucas will make his Texas debut Saturday as he becomes eligible after transferring from Florida. He is the son of former NBA point guard and coach John Lucas.
  
  Texas Longhorns vs. the North Carolina Tar Heels. Must see TV, in my book.
• Wildcats Thunder Blog: Kentucky vs Austin Peay......A Preview
• Mashburn to return for Kentucky’s bid for 2,000 basketball victories | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  Awesome! Mashburn was the biggest recruit to come to Kentucky in my lifetime, and what a great player he was. I forgot just how great until I watched the Kentucky Wildcats vs. the Georgia Bulldogs from back in 1993 the other night. I sure would love to have him back.
• Man falls into pit in Kentucky cave, dies | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  Prayers for the family.
• Kentucky Sports Radio " Blog Archive " Newton Figured To Start in Nashville
• Key transfers finally eligible - Beyond the Arc - msnbc.com
  Three top teams get a lot stronger.
• What’s going to happen with Liggins? | Vaught's Views
  Calipari seems bent on not publicly discussing personnel issues. I agree that at some point, it might make more sense for Liggins to transfer if Cal is just going to treat him like a victory cigar. But I suspect otherwise.
• The Big Blue Nation Report: Just a little Christmas Jingle
  Heh. Not bad ...
• Lawyer: Ex-Connecticut Huskies student manager at center of recruiting allegations has not spoken to NCAA - ESPN
  A lawyer for the man at the center of recruiting allegations against the University of Connecticut says his client has not spoken to investigators.
• NCAA Tournament: If It Ain't Broke.. | College Basketball by Collegehoops.net
  The NCAA Tournament is the single greatest event in American sports. It is three weeks of complete saturation of the best college basketball has to offer, with each game an elimination game, with each game coming one step closer to a championship.
  
  The argument against expanding the tournament. Pretty compelling. But it’s not great because there are a lot of teams playing. It’s great because there are a lot of good teams playing. 31 teams are there because they won their conference championship – they earned their way in. The others represent (in theory) the 34 best teams remaining.
  
  
• Around the Top 25: Ohio State beats Presbyterian; Thad Matta doesn’t eject any fans | College Hoops Journal
  Ouch. How's that phiz feelin' today, Roy?
• After long hiatus, Caracter shows signs he could salvage career - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
  UTEP is 5-0 without Derrick Caracter.
  
  And 0-2 with him.
  
  That's what many will mention about Caracter's return to college basketball, and I suppose it's fair to mention because, well, it's true. The record doesn't lie. There's no way around it. But as someone who sat courtside and watched Caracter get 15 points and 15 rebounds in 32 minutes against Ole Miss, I can tell you with a degree of certainty that he's not the reason UTEP lost its past two games.
  
  Wouldn't it be sooooo droll if UTEP wound up playing U of L sometime this year? Caracter vs. Pitino? Oh, I would absolutely love to see that happen.
  
  Please, NIT committee, make that happen. :-)
• Tyler Hansbrough, Jonny Flynn shaped decade in college hoops - 2000s: The Decade in Sports - SI.com
  BEST COACHING RIVALRY: John Calipari vs. Bruce Pearl Calipari has been at loggerheads with lots of coaches over the years, from Lou Carnesecca to John Chaney to Jim Calhoun to his current doppelganger at Louisville, Rick Pitino. But the state of Tennessee was truly not big enough for both Pearl and Calipari, whose constant jabs at each other in the media, on the recruiting trail and on the court made for great theater. The rivalry crested on Feb. 23, 2008, when Pearl's Vols, who were ranked No. 2 in the country, edged top-ranked and undefeated Memphis 66-62.
  
  I hope it goes from "best" to "epic."
• 3-Pointers: Krzyzewski backs tournament expansion - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News
  Most important, getting into the tournament wouldn't mean much if 96 teams were admitted. It's like being invited to your class reunion. You graduated, they found your address, so you get a letter. It doesn't mean you were popular.
  
  That's my main concern.
• Sprints Is Interested In Hiring a Florida Assistant // 12.17.09 - Team Speed Kills
• Even more expansion talk - this time Pac Ten gets in on the action - Block U
  Expansion talk in the PAC-10.
• Could Big Ten Expansion Force the SEC to Bring In a New School? - Dawg Sports
  Kyle King has thoughts on any possible SEC expansion. I would not want the Cardinals in the SEC, but Georgia Tech or Clemson would be very solid additions.
• Q&A: StatSheet's Robbie Allen - Blogger So Dear
  Blogger So Dear interviews StatSheet founder Robbie Allen
• " BBL: Josh Selby now considering Arizona John Clay’s Sidelines
  John Clay's Big Blue Links.
• John Wall: The Best Freshman in College Basketball History?
• Intentional Foul " RIP Chris Henry
  Very sad. Prayers to the family.
• Vaught's Views: UK's Ramon Harris handling challenges of being a new dad: AMNews.com
  He’s not a great scorer and knows scoring is not what this team needs from him. Instead, he’s willing — and able — to play defense, rebound and pass. And he hustles. He never seems to get up on a loose ball or long rebound.
  
  Ramon has carved out playing time on a team where very few thought he could. Impressive young man.
• Intentional Foul " Royce White Says Adios
  Ouch. Not good for the Gophers.