Big Blue Linkapalooza: Brandon Ashley Edition

Kentucky continues to make the cut of Brandon Ashley, a Rivals.com 5-star player and #14 overall prospect from Oakland, California currently going to Findlay Prep.  According to the SB Nation mothership, the Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, and UCLA Bruins join Kentucky as Ashley's final four.

Now, for today's news:

• A story that's well worth your time to read.
  It's the tale of how Charles Robinson at Yahoo! sports developed the Miami story. Fascinating insight into the world of sports journalism.

• Ira Combs wonders if the Dominican exhibitions might hurt Joker Phillips' recruiting.
  Perhaps, but I personally doubt it.

• John Clay's Big Blue Links for Tuesday.

• No cowbells at the Liberty Bowl stadium for Mississippi State vs. Memphis.
  I'll bet we hear some.

• Bad news for Louisville football.
• This is a really big boy.

• Alfonso Smith is on the preseason roster for the Arizona Cardinals.
  Guy Ramsey has the skinny.

• This is just plain weird.
  Only at Tennessee ...

• New arena or newish Rupp?

  Barnhart said UK would be "open-minded" to either renovating Rupp or building a new arena. "My job is to protect University of Kentucky basketball and make sure it has what it needs to be the flagship of college basketball," he said. "... We think about the next 30, 40, 50 years of Kentucky basketball, and how we can be partners with the city in what the mayor's trying to get done."

  Just make sure you know how you are going to fund it.  Whatever "it" is.

• Where have we seen this before?
  And will they have two games in two different state locations?  Read some of the comments for some belly laughs.  Kansas fans kill me.

• Enes Kanter has really suffered some bad timing.

  But what if you're the engine? What if you're a nearly 7-foot stud who can shoot out to 25 feet, nail all the corners, and your motor is good enough to be taken third overall in the NBA draft? Like Kanter. Who can't seem to catch a break.

• I desperately hope this is a lie.

  Wave3.com reports that Francois Cunningham, a Kentucky man who admitted to police that he was involved in purchases of kilograms of cocaine and that he caused the deaths of two people by allegedly throwing a molotov cocktail into their vehicle, is providing additional information into murders committed by his associates and the workings of the drug organization he was involved in as part of a "deal for early release."

• Interesting.
  Sports By Brooks loves taking shots at Gillispie.  They loved it when he was here, and things have not changed.