Kentucky Wildcats: Morning Quickies - Irish Stand-Down Edition

The Kentucky Wildcats went down hard to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last night in a game that saw the Wildcats fail to fire in every way. John Calipari said that Kentucky "did not compete," and I think he's right about that.

Tweet of the Morning:

Happy Birthday to Hall of Fame coach Joe B. Hall who turns 84 today. What a UK legend, played for Wildcats & then coached UK to 1978 title.

— Oscar Combs (@wildcatnews) November 30, 2012

Happy birthday, coach. Many happy returns.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• UK commits Bell, Hyde, McClain, Thomas hear from Stoops // Courier-Journal

  “He said, ‘Is this Jacob Hyde?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is your new head coach,’” Hyde recounted. “I just about started crying when I started talking. I was shocked. I mean he’s only be the head coach for two days, and for him to call me after that is really big.”

  Stoops is making a big impression right away. The more I hear about him, the more I like him.

• Kentucky Wildcats Football: 20 Questions about Mark Stoops // Wildcat Blue Nation
  Pretty funny.

• Chart: Kentucky football last 20 years // John Clay's Sidelines
  Interesting visual aid.

• Video: KSTV interview with FSU beat writer // Bleed Blue Kentucky
  Well worth the time to watch.

Kentucky basketball

• We definitely could have used him last night
  

  Terrence Jones has been sent to the D League. UK could have used him last night

  — Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) November 30, 2012

• Only positive for Calipari is that Cats get to play again Saturday // vaughtsviews

  “The good thing is we play in 36 hours (against Baylor Saturday). We cannot sulk over this. We didn’t play well. They played extremely well. they made shots. We didn’t defend them,” said Calipari after his team shot a season-low 40 percent and let Notre Dame go 8-for-15 from 3-point range.

• Friday’s Show // Larry Glover Live
  I'll be on as usual tonight around 6:30-ish. Chris Fisher of The Cats Pause and former Wildcat Kenny Walker, also.

• BOZICH: Irish Say Confused Kentucky Will Be Scary In March // WDRB 41 Louisville

  "They will definitely be scary in March," [Notre Dame point guard Eric] Atkins said. "Calipari-coached teams will always get better throughout the year. I'm just happy we got out of here with a win."

  I think he's right.

• Calipari, Others Flocking to See Dakari Johnson // ZagsBlog.com
  This kid is starting to make a lot of UK noises.

• Calipari Expected to Watch Wiggins, Harrison Twins at Marshall County Hoopfest // ZagsBlog.com

• Notre Dame Fighting Irish win over Kentucky Wildcats follows expectations - college basketball - ESPN

  But both Martin and Cooley put on a clinic in how low-post position and physical defense can negate athletic disadvantages. They combined for 15 rebounds (11 of which were Cooley's) and a 35 percent offensive rebounding rate, while holding freshman phenom Nerlens Noel, a projected top-five pick, to just 10 points on 10 shots.

  This is right.

• Ex-Sayre standout Johnson a big man Cats want back in Lexington // NextCats

  "The big kid that Kentucky has now is a more athletic player, but Dakari's definitely further along in his basketball IQ," he said. "If he was at Kentucky now, he'd be getting very good numbers as a freshman."

• Point guard a concern, but defense a real UK worry // John Clay's Sidelines
  I think intensity, more than the actual defense, is the main concern. This team has lacked intensity in way too many games.

• How did NCAA approve Notre Dame unis? // ESPN
  Heh.

Other UK sports

• Wildcats Set for NCAA Tournament vs. ETSU // UKAthletics.com

Links posts

• Wakeup Call: It's time to party, because it's Friday // CBSSports.com

College football

• Gruden tells Tennessee no thanks // GoVolsXtra
  Heh. Can this be another one of those "no's" that later turns into a "yes" like what happened with Mark Stoops? Doubt it, but you never know, it's the silly season.

• Former Super Bowl winner Gruden mulls Tennessee Vols' offer // timesfreepress.com
  Aren't coaching searches fun?

• Why The 12-0 Outlaw Ohio State Buckeyes Are A Monument To The Values The NCAA Pretends To Have

College basketball

• Parrish: Weekend Look Ahead // CBSSports.com

  Top game: The last time any of us saw Kentucky and Baylor on the same court was last March in the Elite Eight when the Wildcats ran the Bears out of the Georgia Dome on their way to a national championship. Eight of the starters in that game were three months later selected among the first 38 picks of the NBA Draft.

• Scout.com // Trocha signs with Texas A&M
  Remember Tony?