Kentucky Wildcats: Morning Quickies - Ole Miss Edition

Tonight at Ole Miss, Kentucky looks to remove some of the doubt currently surrounding them with respect to the NCAA Tournament. Standing in their way is a very good Mississippi Rebels team with one of the hottest players in the nation, Marshall Henderson.

Tweet of the Morning:

Athletics board will get final approval of athletics renovations in March, pending state legislature OK.

— Jen Smith (@jenheraldleader) January 29, 2013

This seems to be moving along quickly.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Youngstown News, Mooney’s McWilson commits to Mark Stoops’ UK Wildcats

Kentucky basketball

• Calipari wants Kentucky basketball team to get mad at Ole Miss // The Courier-Journal

  Get mad," he [Coach Cal] explained. "Get angry. Be mad to be great."

  But if Henderson, who is known for his in-game antics, starts jawing?

  "Talk back to him," Calipari said. "I mean, just be mad. Compete, fight, battle, (have) toughness, swagger. It’s hard to have a swagger when you’re ducking and you’re running. You gotta dig your heels in."

  This kind of talk is understandable, but I'm not a fan. Get as mad as you want, but don't take it as a license to trash talk. Play the game.

• Kentucky Sports Radio // Is Twany Beckham having back surgery?
  Ugh. That sucks.

• UK basketball notes: Calipari fires back at Goodwin critics // Kentucky.com

• Marshall brings more than just game //Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

  There’s a line that Henderson has approached but not crossed. As long as he walks the line there’s the danger of crossing it.

  It will be particularly dangerous tonight.

• No. 16 Ole Miss vs. Kentucky preview: Rebels try to stay undefeated in SEC play // SBNation.com

  Kentucky, at 4-2 in the SEC, isn't used to looking up at other teams in conference play, but that is exactly where they have found themselves for much of the season.

  Here's hoping that changes tonight.

Other UK sports

• A'dia Mathies: Kentucky Sportsman of the Year finalist // Kentucky.com
  Another good one.

• Softball Positioned for Exciting 2013 Season // UKAthletics.com

Links posts

• Tom Leach // Tuesday Links
• The Morning Mix // Troy Machir, CollegeBasketballTalk
• John Clay's Big Blue Links // John Clay's Sidelines
• Wakeup Call: John Calipari auctioning shoes for charity // CBSSports.com

College football

• At Tennessee, Big Orange battles red ink - SportsBusiness Daily // SportsBusiness Journal

  Now, after staggering to losing football seasons in four of the last five years and seeing attendance drop to levels last seen in the 1970s, the Vols find themselves mired in more than $200 million of debt, the most in the SEC, with reserves of just $1.95 million, the least in the conference.

  Let that roll around in your head a little.
• More on SEC Athletics Debt Levels // Team Speed Kills

College basketball

• Basketball Prospectus // Introducing the EGOT's
  Interesting.

• Louisville’s win conceals more poor late-game execution // CollegeBasketballTalk
  Louisville's guards have gone off the rails, and they have forgotten how to rebound. Geogui Dieng was the only player who was really effective last night for Louisville.

• 3-point shot: Pac-12 should challenge MWC - Men's College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

  2. This is the biggest week of Andy Kennedy's career at Ole Miss. If the Rebels sweep Kentucky and Florida then they become the SEC favorite and a top 10 team. A split is fine, too, and should put the Rebels on track to being an NCAA tournament team. But get swept and suddenly the reservations about the Rebels are enhanced. Kennedy has had a hard time with luck during his time at Ole Miss. He finally has the team to be a real challenger. The question will be can the Rebels finally embrace the moment and excel?

  Let's hope not, at least tonight.

• BPI Talk: Miami could be No. 1 // ESPN
  Sometimes, you wonder whether all this is in any way relevant.

Other sports news

• Keith Smart: Injury helped John Wall become a 'student' of the game // Bullets Forever