The Big Blue Daily Mail -- UNC Eve Edition

The North Carolina Tar Heels will be taking the Rupp Arena floor in a little more than 27 hours.

The Heels are coming off a big victory against the Michigan State Spartans the other day, where they played perhaps their best basketball of the year, particularly from the perimeter.  This game is huge for Kentucky for many reasons, and we will have lots more about it later on today, including some fancy new bells and whistles that I think you will really like.

News after the jump.

• UK Basketball: Cats will get reality check against UNC: AMNews.com
  Kentucky freshman DeMarcus Cousins says he’s been looking forward to this game since he signed with Kentucky almost as much as the SEC game against Alabama, his home-state team.
  
  I hope that means he's bringing is maximum effort.
• And the Big Ten celebrates ... - Beyond the Arc - msnbc.com
  Heh. Dook goes down. I like it.
• Wildcat Blue In a Sea of Orange: UK Basketball Preview - Know Your Enemy: North Carolina Tarheels
  The one thing for sure about this game is that UK definitely is in better shape in the post with Patterson, Cousins, Orton, and Stephenson. This will be a major battle throughout the game and if DeMarcus Cousins can keep his cool and stay out of foul trouble, UK should be in pretty good shape.
  
  This is the one big fear I have - Patterson or Cousins getting into quick foul trouble, Cousins in particular.
• UK in the Big East? | Vaught's Views
  Heh. Never, ever happen in 10,000 years. The ACC makes more sense, but it will never happen. UK is not leaving the SEC.
• Wall could bring more to UNC game | KentuckySports.com
  Freshman John Wall has crammed a lot of excellence into his first six games for Kentucky. But teammate DeMarcus Cousins expects even more from Wall when UK plays North Carolina on Saturday in Rupp Arena.
  
  "I believe it'll be another side of John," Cousins said on Thursday. "He'll probably take it to another level."
  
  There's "another level" for John Wall? Scary.
• Ace Pitcher Sues Kentucky - The Quad Blog - NYTimes.com
  The University of Kentucky’s ace pitcher sued the university in state court Wednesday, charging that athletic officials threatened to bar him from playing if he did not agree to meet with N.C.A.A. investigators, even though he was not told what rules he was accused of violating.
  
  This isn't good. How is Paxton going to play for a school he is suing? I guess we'll have to wait for the pleadings to figure out who's on first in this situation.
• Mangino Rides Off Into The Sunset, Less Than Comfortably - Mark Mangino - Deadspin
  This guy gives a whole new definition to the term "two-seater." I have a feeling they will have to replace that particular row of seats after this flight. Imagine the travails of the poor flight attendant.
• Starting Five: What college hoops teams have disappointed? - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News
  4. Any changes to your Final Four prediction of Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina?
  
  DeCourcy: It's not like anyone else has been so stellar that it's time to panic. Kentucky has had obvious issues with youth. We expected that.
  
  Via Rush the Court
• Florida, Syracuse join top 10 college basketball power rankings - Luke Winn - SI.com
  Via Rush the Court
• Auburn's Big Cat Weekend results in violations | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser
  Auburn's Big Cat Week­end last summer may have created a re­cruiting boom, but it came at a price.
  
  Investigations conducted by Auburn University, the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA concluded that five viola­tions occurred during the program's May 30 recruiting event. A handful of prospects helped roll Toomer's Corner and heard their names announced to a crowd of hundreds that included several boosters.
  
  Like UK and a few others in the SEC, Auburn's NCAA compliance record isn't good. They need to be more careful.
• Kentucky Coach John Calipari Proud of His Catholic Faith
• Cats bound for Music City; opponent unknown | KentuckySports.com
  While it can't be announced officially until Sunday, the University of Kentucky is headed back to the Music City Bowl for the third time in four seasons. The only question remaining is who the Wildcats' opponent will be.
  
  This works for me. Any of the teams mentioned would be a good matchup for Kentucky.
• Davis: College coaching feuds center around Calipari - College basketball- nbcsports.msnbc.com
  College basketball today simply doesn’t have many great coaching feuds. But this New England battle involved a genuine dislike. And neither man has ever felt it was worth the investment of time or words to patch things up.
  
  I'm glad Calipari and Calhoun dislike each other, because I don't care for Calhoun, either.
• Kentucky Sports Radio - Pre-North Carolina Press Conference Quotes
• Kentucky basketball braces for Tar Heels' ‘juggernaut' | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  "After I saw them play against Michigan State (on Tuesday), I've got a new respect for them," he said of the Tar Heels. "They're pretty good. They've got good post players, and they're fast."
  
  Yes, they are. We will need the best effort this team has produced so far to defeat them.
• Hilltoppers finished: 0-12 | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  Tough year for my alma mater.
• Eric Crawford | BCS campaign against playoff like a bad joke | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  Heh. I've never heard this before. :-)
• Don’t Believe the Hype " The Jack of All Sports
  So UK is the most overrated team right now? Maybe he's right. There is very little that the 'Cats have done so far to justify their lofty ranking.