Big Blue Linkapalooza: Play-in Edition

Last night's play-in games produced one very exciting contest and one rather boring one.  I suppose that should not surprise anyone, but I was just a tiny bit surprised at how easily the Clemson Tigers handled the UAB Blazers.  Methinks the West Virginia Mountaineers just might have a game on their hands.

Now, for today's links:

• The Kentucky Democrat: SI's Mandel has Kentucky in Final Four

• How to schedule your work around basketball
  Oh, yeah.

• NBA scouts keep eye on Kanter as he sits - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

  "I cry when I watch the games," Kanter told Yahoo! Sports. "When I watch them play I’m sad because I cannot help my teammates. When I see them losing, it’s frustrating."

  I feel seething anger bubbling up, but no.  Anger later.  Right now, we have a tournament to win -- for Enes as much as anybody.  Hat tip: Aaron's blog.

• UK's Jones, Knight Named Freshman All-America First-Team By USBWA :: LEX18.com
  No surprise here. Congrats to both players.

• Clemson looks the part - CBSSports.com

  UAB made six two-point shots. That’s it. The Blazers were 6-for-24 from two-point range, needing to knock down 12 3-pointers to stay within striking distance (if striking distance was four possessions or so). They turned the ball over 19 times and took just seven foul shots.

  How many times have you seen a team make 12 of 24 3-pointers and lose?  Rarely, I daresay.  Which just goes to show how pathetic the rest of their game was.

• Basketball Prospectus :: The NBA Perspective
  An excellent read. Don't miss it.

• Spiders present problems for Vandy :: InsideVandy
  Richmond is a genuine upset worry for Vanderbilt.

• Frustrated Tide slams Carolina :: The Commercial Appeal
  This is good news for the Tide. Coastal Carolina was a good team. Roll, Tide!

• UAB’s loss doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have danced :: Beyond the Arc
  Hate to disagree, but yes it does. No way they should have gotten in before Alabama. This just proves it to me, but others my disagree.

• John Clay: New NCAA TV deal means more games, less expertise | John Clay | Kentucky.com

  That's right, Charles Barkley with nothing interesting to say. Talk about a high seed falling in the first round.
  
  This was because Sir Charles didn't know anything about the subject matter at hand. He's a pro basketball guy, not a college basketball guy. He's certainly not a college guy. (More on that later.)

  Much as I like Sir Charles, Clay is right.  He knows less about college basketball than my 23-year old niece.

• It's Tampa time

• Kentucky Sports Radio :: Snoop Dogg’s Wednesday News and Views
  He's right about Jones. We need more from him than we've been getting.

• The Most Overpaid College Hoops Coaches - Forbes.com

  This just illustrates why financial magazines like Forbes and the Wall Street Journal should stick to what they're good at.  Just in case they have forgotten, they are good at analyzing on financial markets, not basketball coaches.

  The question here isn't if Calipari is overpaid relative to his peers.  Rather, its more about his peers being underpaid.  This is not a comment on the relative value of coaching, but rather on the current market.  Forbes also, in this case, neglects to examine the likely impact of Calipari's future, in which he is certain to far surpass both Matta and Smith if he stays at Kentucky for 10 years or more.

  But they would know that if they knew college basketball. Which they don't.

• Kentucky Sports Online: Billy Gillispie to Texas Tech
  I think this is a good fit all around. Texas Tech likely just got a lot better.

• Anthony Davis is the SI High School Player of the Week
  AllKyHoops.com: Anthony Davis is the SI High School Player of the Week,College, high school and professional basketball in the state of Kentucky.

• Ballin' is a Habit: Renardo Sidney returning to school, commencing the worst part of the season
  Well, if Sidney does what he says, MSU could become very good next year.

• The Buzz on Kentucky Basketball: Bellarmine Advances Edition

• Today’s question: Pumped for more of the First Four? :: Beyond the Arc
  UNC-Ashvile-Arkansas-LR game was undoubtedly a very good one and I enjoyed it, but I hate these play-in games. I will never call them the "First Four", CBS can bite me.

• The Big Dance and Big Boy Basketball - Kentucky Sports Network

  Anybody out there think the folks up in Indianapolis have forgot about all those nasty e-mails and the internet chat line abuse that was addressed at the NCAA headquarters on the Enes Kanter case , also let's not forget our A.D Mitch Barnhart and President Lee Todd's public remarks toward the NCAA in the matter . UK and Coach Cal closed the book and moved on after The Kanter Ruling nobody will ever convince me that the NCAA didn't file all the abuse they took away .

  Another conspiracy theory.  Does anyone really believe this?  For the record, I do not.  But, it is entertaining reading.

• WITH PERSONNEL TURNING OVER EVER MORE - 03.21.11 - SI Vault
  Some great commentary about how Calipari adapted the offense to his personnel.

• CatsPause.com - NCAA Tourney is mystery to UK rookies
• Tennessee vs Michigan Preview - Rocky Top Talk

• Rick Pitino to Florida Gulf Coast University?
  Hilarious. Read it.

• VIDEO: Inside Kentucky Bound Anthony Davis :: The UK Nation
• Why isn’t Texas a more popular pick? The Barnes factor :: Beyond the Arc

• Georgia Bulldogs v. Washington Huskies: The Haphazard Ill-Informed NCAA Basketball Tournament Preview - Dawg Sports
  Fun to read, and not just because I contribute a little.