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One thing I can say about the recent loss in football to the Georgia Bulldogs is that for the first time since Maxwell Smith went down with injury, Kentucky looked like a football team that could compete in this conference. The question is, will we see that team again this year?
Tweet of the Morning:
I don't need this from my dentist this early in the morning. twitter.com/JayBilas/statu…
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) October 22, 2012
Horrifying!
Your Quickies:
Will Derek Dooley have to take his stool and go home? // John Clay's Sidelines
Dooley, who coached most of the game from a stool after undergoing hip surgery, is now 14-18 as the Tennessee coach. In three season, he is 4-16 in the SEC as the UT coach, including a 1-11 record over the past season-and-a-half. The Vols are 0-14 against top 25 teams.
Double ouch.
Mum’s the word for Louisville forward Chane Behanan this semester // CollegeBasketballTalk
Behanan has been given a gag order of sorts, as he has been banned from speaking to the media for the entire fall semester and will also have to sit out the Cardinals’ November 1 exhibition against Pikeville.
I don't care what Pitino says, it's to keep Behanan from guaranteeing a victory against Kentucky again like last year.
Kentucky Sports Radio // Could UK Ever Compete For a Title? K-State says They Can
There is one primary argument against this -- there are lots of schools in Kentucky and Kansas St.'s situation. Only one of them is truly successful.
Bottom line: K State proves it's possible, but the fact that they are probably one out of 50 indicates that it's a low probability. So unless UK can hire Bill Snyder away from Kansas St., it's going to have to have to do what only one school has done.
When somebody says "X proves Y," grab your wallet. With due respect to the writer, even if we accept a low-probability outcome as possible, the fact that it is a low probability should at least be mentioned.
Minnesota assistant Saul Smith placed on unpaid leave following DUI charge // CollegeBasketballTalk
This year's starting out tough for Minnesota.
Kentucky Sports Radio // Jorts Closing In On A Roster Spot
Good luck, Josh. Get that dream job.
This makes me wonder if Kentucky's situation with Nerlens Noel, in which UK appeared to be more aggressive in providing Sandy Bell to meet with the NCAA, worked out better because of what we did, or if it was just mere coincidence?
Randall Cobb goes off for fantasy owners // SBNation.com
Fantasy Impact: Cobb has been fantastic lately. Amazingly, he caught all eight of his targets after catching seven of his eight last week. He's arguably the best slot receiver in the NFC this side of Victor Cruz and has great play-making ability.
Randall Cobb -- football player.
Kyle Wiltjer gets helmeted // CoachCal.com
Courtesy of Alex Poythress:
Why has Calipari been so hard on Poythress recently? Because of dunks like Sundays. After missing a transition layup, he stayed with the play, got his own rebound and threw down a two-hand cram on Jarrod Polson. He did one better 10 minutes later in some one-on-one action with Kyle Wiltjer, throwing down a nasty one-hand slam on Kyle Wiltjer’s head. Both were good, but the second one gets my nod because Wiltjer was trying to block Poythress’ shot. When he decides he’s taking it to the basket and wants to dunk it, I don’t know that there is any player in the nation that can stop him without fouling him really hard. He’s that strong. Poythress has shown a lot of those flashes, but Calipari wants to see those on a consistent basis. By the way, his dunk on Wiltjer earned him Sunday’s “Helmet Dunk” award.
Read the whole thing.
Anthony Davis compared to Dirk Nowitzki // NOLA.com
If he continues to develop as a scoring threat in the post and perimeter, Davis could eventually cause matchup problems much the same way Dallas Mavericks 7-foot forward Dirk Nowitzki imposes on teams because of his shooting ability.
Honestly, this comparison is a little hard to see because of AD's athleticism, and how little of his actual perimeter game we got to see at Kentucky. But I think, as far as team impact goes, it's really one of the best.
What Went Wrong with Kentucky Football? // Everything Kentucky Online
Nice article by Sam Henson deserves a read. Kentucky currently has the third toughest schedule out of all 124 FBS teams. Arkansas and Stanford are the only teams ahead of them, according to my calculation. Sam says they are #1, and I could believe that, also.
Volleyball wins one, loses one // The Kentucky Kernel
Women's soccer continues its winning ways // Cat Scratches.
With the defense holding it together and the offense keeping the pressure on, UK came away with a 2-1 win to move to 12-5-1 (7-4-1 SEC). The victory means the Cats are on a four-match winning streak heading into the regular-season finale and Senior Night against Vanderbilt on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Congrats to the soccer team for getting it done against Auburn.
Duke having a good year in football // NBC Sports
You have to hand it to them, they have improved under David Cutcliff.
Video: Getting to know UK freshman Archie Goodwin // vaughtsviews
Remembering Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones // Vaughtsviews
One of the greatest ever to take the floor at Kentucky.
Turns out pre-season polls can be a predictor of tournament seeding // KenPom.com
It's noisy, but there is some sense to be made. The big takeaway is that the closer to the top you get, the better the AP poll is at predicting a team's success, at least in getting a high seed. Via Rush The Court.
Kentucky Sports Report // Mays likes way Calipari pushes players
A lot of players seem to want this. That's a big part of what makes Calipari and UK so attractive to great players.
Kentucky rises to 117th from 119th in 3rd down defense // John Clay's Sidelines
Wohoo! / sarcasm.
Seeing Through the Illusions of the Sports Hero // NYTimes.com
The concept is based largely on ignorance: the less we know about an athlete, the easier it becomes to invest him with lofty ideals. The ideals have little to do with the athlete’s character and everything to do with creating an artificial construct that serves a need.
This.
Georgia vs. Kentucky 2012 results: Bulldogs narrowly avoid upset, 29-24 // SBNation.com
Looking surprisingly vulnerable against one of the SEC's weakest teams, the Georgia Bulldogs narrowly avoided an upset against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night, 29-24. With the Bulldogs' typically prolific offense struggling to score for the second straight week, Georgia nearly got taken down by a far less impressive opponent.
Just think how much better it would be if we, you know, won a game or two.
Dwight Howard debuts as Lakers remain winless in preseason with loss to Kings // SBNation.com
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers on offense with a game-high 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting. Kings center DeMarcus Cousins countered Howard with 16 points and six rebounds of his own.
Go Big Cuz!
Kansas State will not be ignored: College football Top 25 scores, Week 8 // SBNation.com
Kansas St. is getting attention the old-fashioned way -- earning it, not with flash, but with good football.