Actor Andy Griffith has reportedly passed away. He was 86, and a fixture on my television as a younger man. He will be missed.
Tweet of the Morning:
Louisville fans say "anybody could get Davis & MKG drafted 1-2." Anybody but Pitino, apparently. He's never had a top 3 pick in his life.
— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) July 3, 2012
Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark...
Your Quickies follow the jump.
The Morning Mix // CollegeBasketballTalk
Some good tidbits in here as always.
DE Dajaun Drennon Has Top 5, Plans To Take Official Visits // SBNation.com
On Kentucky:
"Everything about Kentucky is good. When I went there, I met good people. I feel like going to Kentucky would be a different school, a different feel from the big-time football schools. For it to not be that big of a football school, I really liked it. The fact it's in the SEC, I would always be playing against good competition."
Drennon has UK in his top five with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Southern California Trojans, and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Which two of these schools is not like the others?
College Football Homefield Advantage Analysis // PredictionMachine.com
Homefield advantage in college football is typically presumed to mean "about three points" (the average right now is actually closer to 3.8) difference in the final score. This means that if two teams are identical, neither team should be favored on a neutral field, while the home team would be favored by about three if they played at one of the team's stadium. This can lead to essentially a six point swing from one venue to the next. The truth is that some stadiums could actually mean up to nine points, while some do not help much at all. This research has been directly applied to the college football engine for the upcoming season.
Fascinating. Read the whole thing.
Kentucky Sports Radio // Doc Rivers: "I need to call Calipari"
Morning Five: 07.03.12 Edition // Rush The Court
It’s a light news week, so what the hell… ESPN’s college basketball and football princess, Erin Andrews, has left the network and will move on to Fox Sports as a college football, MLB and NFL reporter.
I'm fine with that, as long as I get to see her on TV. Don't tell my wife I said that. :-)
Bidding Them Farewell: Paying Homage to the Undrafted College Seniors // Rush The Court
William Buford, Ohio State – Buford was a McDonald’s All-American guard with prototypical 6’6″ size who averaged double figures every season at Ohio State, making two Sweet Sixteens and a Final Four. He shoots it well and has shown a strong tendency to fit into an offensive scheme with other talented scorers, but his inability to take over games perhaps made him overlooked by scouts.
I'm still in shock Buford did not get drafted.
"Unfortunately for Austin, I won a national title here [at the Final Four in New Orleans]," Davis said, pointing back to Rivers and smiling. "So I’ll come back and try to win…a world championship with the Hornets."
Anthony, we're not worthy. So glad you picked up on the whole Duke thing while you were here. Heal up, sorry about the ankle.
UCF guard Marcus Jordan arrested in Omaha early Sunday morning // CollegeBasketballTalk
Apparently Jordan was arguing with two women in the driveway of an Embassy Suites hotel, and according to the police report he was "very animated, intoxicated and uncooperative."
Ugh.
"We just don't know these guys anymore," the saying goes from lazy story scanners and professional sportswriting busybodies too removed from college basketball, unlike the way they were 20 years ago.
The notion of alienation is true, but only on a miniscule-yet-mainstream level. Undeniably, the best players leaving school for the NBA Draft are younger. Whereas in 1987 we had but a handful of 19-year-olds bailing on college for the pros, many mistakenly believe that ratio has flipped to seniors; that it's only a few four-year players every year who are using up their eligibility and heading into the draft.
It's not even close to true. And this upcoming season, just like all the ones before, we'll have a plump crop of seniors who are recognizable, talented and NBA-bound.
Thanks to Matt Norlander for calling the big BS on this.
2013 NBA Draft: Top 5 Prospects
Unfortunately, Noel only averaged 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a high school senior and has to improve his offensive repertoire by leaps and bounds if he wants to translate his high school dominance into the pros. Until he does, Noel will be considered a prospect somewhere between Davis and newly drafted Piston, Andre Drummond, who was one of the rawest players in college basketball last season.
I think this is likely to be wrong. Noel will develop very well next year, and should go #1.
Davis Ankle Injury Shows How Fortunate UK Has Been // MrSEC
The number one pick in last week’s NBA draft — former Kentucky hoops star Anthony Davis — suffered a severely sprained ankle in a workout with his new pro team on Saturday and might have to miss the Olympics as a result. That’s bad luck for the New Orleans Hornets and Team USA. It also draws attention to the good fortune John Calipari has had as Kentucky’s coach.
We have been strangely fortunate. Wait, where have I heard that before?
Jalen Battle (’13 DB) set to commit to UK // Bleed Blue Kentucky
Battle’s commitment is significant because it not only gives UK two defensive back commitments for the 2013 class, but it adds a very interesting piece in that Battle is one of five teammates at University School that have received scholarship offers. One of UK’s main linebacker targets, Nick Internicola, plans to unofficially visit during July, so hopefully Battle’s commitment helps with Internicola’s recruitment.
HOPE!
Q&A with Kentucky football coach Joker Phillips // The Courier-Journal
C-J: Your message in the spring was "Don’t give up on us." With season-ticket sales down for a second straight year, does that weigh on you, the decline in fan support?Phillips:
We’ve got a lot of support. Season tickets are down, yes, but I can pull up numerous emails of people that can’t renew because of financial reasons. They say, "Hey, Coach, it’s not because we don’t support you. We still support you guys." There are numerous, numerous emails like that. And I get that. It’s just the world we’re in. It’s a tough world out there, and sometimes you have to put your priorities in order, and sometimes a football game is not a priority.
Hmmm. Some truth, probably, but Kentucky needs a good year, and if it delivers, it would really be impressive.
Why Patrick Towles should be Kentucky’s starting quarterback against Louisville // vaughtsviews
Dusty Bonner continues his series in assessing the UK quarterbacks and making a case for each one.
Why Maxwell Smith should be Kentucky’s starting quarterback against Louisville // vaughtsviews
Dusty Bonner looks at the Maxwell Smith argument.