Another Super Bowl has come and gone, and by my lights, it was a really good one. I don't watch pro football much, but I always enjoy the Super Bowl and all the things associated with it.
My opinion: A very mediocre year for the commercials, I only remember the one where the dog buried the cat and tried to bribe the owner with Doritos. Pretty funny.
Now, for the news:
Kentucky "absolutely" getting better and unselfish play is a big reason why // vaughtsviews
Larry Vaught gets it exactly right:
Jones deserves credit for UK’s recent surge, too. He’s become more physical and assertive. He had 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. It should be obvious now that his mid-December finger injury bothered him more than many, maybe including Calipari, wanted to believe.
But what is most impressive is his attitude. He has his smile back. His swagger is back. Yes, he will pose or flex for the TV cameras, but that’s part of him having fun. He’s not belittling an opponent as much as that is his way to enjoy the moment.
Report: Nerlens Noel to visit Kentucky // Jody Demling – Recruiting
No doubt he will visit here. I just hope he does more than visit.
Wildcats Thunder Blog: Kentucky vs Florida....A Preview
Calipari: 'It didn't matter who we played.'
"It didn’t matter who we played, someone was getting beat by 30 today," Calipari said. "It wasn’t South Carolina; it was us."
Absolutely right. Syracuse and Ohio St. would have suffered a similar fate. Only the margin would be in question.
Vols ahead of projections, behind predecessors // GoVolsXtra
Tennessee finds itself ahead of October projections at the midway point of the SEC men's basketball season, yet the Vols are far from where coach Cuonzo Martin would like them to be.
The Volunteers are still a dangerous team. I am kind of hoping we don't meet them in the SEC Tournament.
UK soccer signs highly ranked class // The Kentucky Kernel
Good to see. Louisville has been dominating the local soccer scene lately.
Brandon Knight is the New Rip Hamilton
Knight suffered a broken nose during the first quarter of Saturday's game against New Orleans. The nose was reset today and he is scheduled to be fitted for a mask on Monday.
Ouch. Broken nose.
Basketball Prospectus // The Power of Three
Congrats to Peter Bean for getting published in BP. Peter is the force behind SBNation's Burnt Orange Nation and a good friend.
By the way, you should read this.
LSU moves past Razorbacks, 71-65 // The Baxter Bulletin
"Boy, we needed that [victory over Arkansas]," Johnson said. "After our last game against Kentucky, we were pretty fragile. We fought through this week. We need contributions from everybody to win. This was a good win."
Duke falls again.
That poise gave Miami its first victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium and only its second against Duke since joining the ACC. The Hurricanes are on their first four-game winning streak since 2008 and have won three consecutive ACC road games for the first time.
Tom Leach's Wildcat Links for Sunday
Vaught’s note: Since this is Super Bowl Sunday, I thought there was no better time to share this "super" story about a remarkable young man, UK cheerleader Dylan Smith. His story is miraculous and heart-warming. It’s one that will make you smile and cry, often at the same time. Enjoy reading how this amazing young man not only survived a horrific fall, but came back to be part of UK’s national championship cheer squad last month. It was an incredible seven-month journey.
Kentucky Sports Radio // UNC Series May Be Put On Hold
Hopefully, this is only a one-year hiatus.
UK women's roll ends at LSU // Kentucky.com
Coach Matthew Mitchell said he isn't sure what team showed up at the Pete Maravich Center, but it's not the Kentucky team that had won 10 straight games.
Answers to the Gators season still ahead
If Florida can go 6-2 or better in the next eight games, you can be confident they will be one of the top eight seeds in the country. If they lose more than two of the remaining eight games and do not win the conference tournament, they would most likely end up seeded among the group of 16 to 24.
Panic Time In Durham? You probably missed this because it was right before Sunday’s Super Bowl proceeding, but you’ve seen this game a million times if you’ve seen it once. Duke gets outplayed on its home court for 75% of the game until they turn on the burners for a 12-0 run to get back into it and finish off the visitor. Except Sunday against Miami, even after Duke made its patented late-game run to take a 66-65 lead with 2:49 remaining, the Devils were not able to get the sufficient number of stops to salt the game away (losing in overtime, 78-74).
Is the college game lacking depth behind the premier teams? // cleveland.com
Nine of 16 Big East teams are .500 or lower in league play. Six teams already have double-digit losses and another four have at least eight losses with a third of the season still to play. Six teams are chasing Syracuse (23-1, 10-1), one of those six is South Florida (13-10, 6-4/RPI 78) which has lost three of nine games against teams with RPIs of 200 or higher.
How the mighty have fallen.
Oscar Robertson Watch List Released // ZagsBlog.com
Two Wildcats on the list. See if you can guess who.
Calipari, coaches on SEC teleconference // Kentucky Wildcats
"We've got a huge challenge ahead of us tomorrow on the road against Kentucky. A terrific team, well-balanced. I think a that can beat you in a lot of different ways. They're No. 1 in the country for a reason so great challenge for us tomorrow night."
Florida coach Billy Donovan on Kentucky.
Audio: Donovan and Calipari on SEC teleconference // John Clay's Sidelines
College Hoops Week in Review: Tray Woodall and Miami make noise // Beyond the Arc
- C: Anthony Davis, Kentucky: What is there to say about Davis that hasn’t already been said 100 times over? He’s a freak. He’s the most terrifying defensive force in the country. His presence around the rim makes the Wildcats one of the best defensive teams in the country, and that wouldn’t change even if I was playing the two. His offense is starting to come around now as well. This week, in wins over Tennessee and South Carolina, Davis averaged 20.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 7.5 bpg.
Nerlens Noel to visit UK Feb. 18, wants to hear from Duke // John Clay's Sidelines