The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Midweek Edition

After a couple of days on hiatus to make room for some other discussion, the Big Blue Daily Mail returns with a vengeance.

• Pitino plods along without his former mojo - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
  Article by Matt Jones for CBS sports, definitely worth a read.

• SB Nation's College Hoops Power 16: Hey, Remember That Guy? - SB Nation
  SB Nation's College Hoops Power 16: Remember that Guy?

• Tom Leach - Kentucky Football, Kentucky Basketball, UK Football, UK Basketball
  Tom talks with Andy Katz of ESPN.

• NCAA Bubble Watch: UConn Makes Its Way Through The Revolving Door - SB Nation
  NCAA Bubble Watch: UConn Makes Its Way Through The Revolving Door

• Intentional Foul " Jeannine Edwards Has the Last Laugh
  I saw this. Funny.

• John Wall, recruiting pipeline?
• Another week, another POW for Cousins.

• Bledsoe learning to cope with emotions | Vaught's Views
  I talked about this in my recent post. If Bledsoe can continue to mature, it will be a really good thing for the Wildcats.

• Kentucky coach John Calipari is frustrated with his players' hesitancy | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
  I think these young guys fail to understand that making the extra pass is only a good option when the shot you have is likely to be heavily contested, or is outside the offense. Shooting is almost always a better option if you have an open look that you know you can make.

• Scouting reports on teams in ACC, Big East, Big Ten, SEC - Seth Davis - SI.com
  Offered without comment.

• UK Notebook: Chemistry no problem for Wildcats: AMNews.com

• Mississippi State gets most improved award - SEC Blog - ESPN
  In terms of average attendance, the SEC claimed five of the top 10 spots nationally in 2009. Tennessee (5th), Georgia (6th), LSU (7th), Alabama (8th) and Florida (9th) all averaged more than 90,000 fans for home games.
  
  I shouldn't be surprised, but I am, a little. Wow.

• UK building impressive stable of coaches | KentuckySports.com
  I mentioned in Monday's column that UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart had gotten one right in hiring Matthew Mitchell to head the women's basketball program after Mickie DeMoss's surprising resignation. Also wrote, "And that's not the only one."
  
  Indeed. Barnhart is starting to look like the guy Louisville thought Tom "Turtleneck" Jurich was.

• Playing At UK An Escape And A Blessing For Mark Krebs

• 10 teams that can win it all: No. 4, Kentucky | KUsports.com
  Kentucky’s defense actually has emerged as a strength. The Wildcats are 10th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, and just a few months ago, the Wildcats were hanging around in the mid-60s in the same statistic.
  
  This is very true, and interesting, considering how ordinary UK was defensively earlier in the year.

• Unfortunately for Miller this was not a rebuilding year for Arizona - Wild About AZ Cats
  Here is something you'll rarely see -- an argument that experience is a bad thing. Color me skeptical.

• Time to Reload? " UKBIGBLUENATION
• Kentucky basketball is great in any language | Vaught's Views

• Forde Minutes: Chemistry lesson - ESPN
  Forde makes some good comments here, but let me ask you this: how many sportswriters put (*since vacated) after every paragraph discussing Calipari's successful tournament teams at UMass and Memphis?
  
  These little digs make me wonder if Forde doesn't have a bias against Calipari. I know many have said so, but most of his earlier pieces were the kind of think you could chalk up to trying to avoid looking like a homer. This is beginning to look like a genuine grudge, and this article is literally pregnant with snipes at Coach Cal.

• Chicago's DeAndre Liggins has finally emerged as a key player for Kentucky Wildcats - ESPN Chicago
  "How about DeAndre?" Calipari said. "He is leading our team in three-point shooting. He took a lot last year. All of a sudden, we have a guy who is a key part to our team. & DeAndre's like a cyclone out there. There's no such thing as a 50-50 ball with him. He gets them all. It's 100-0 balls. That's the play you need in a game. That's why he's starting to steal minutes from guys."
  
  There is no higher praise possible from your coach than this.

• Should Kentucky be worried about the 'experience factor' in NCAA tournament? - Campus Rivalry: College Football & Basketball News, Recruiting, Game Picks, and More - USATODAY.com
  I think this team is showing the characteristics of an experienced team, without having to have it. We'll see if that continues when the pressure really gets up there.

• Kentucky Player Trend Analysis

• Tufts Daily - Inside NCAA Basketball | Kentucky highs and Carolina lows
  The Wildcats are ranked No. 2 overall by the Associated Press (AP) and are viewed as one of the favorites, with March Madness just a few weeks away. Meanwhile, UNC, with an uncharacteristic and unimpressive 3−9 Atlantic Coast Conference record so far this season, will likely not make the NCAA Tournament, barring a miraculous run though the ACC Tournament
  
  UNC has had some significant injury problems, to be fair.