Kentucky Wildcats Saturday Quickies: Cocktail Party Edition

Today is the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, otherwise known as the Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, FL. But I'll be watching the Breeders Cup today, and betting on the ponies. Golf tomorrow. I guess it's good to be me.

Tweet of the Morning:

Since learning about his tweets to Anthony Davis, Rick Pitino has already suspended and reinstated Kevin Ware. Twice.

— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) November 2, 2013

If you're wondering what this is about, read on below. Maybe a hacked Twitter account, but right now, nobody knows for sure. If not, Ware's comments are really disturbing, especially in view of this last season:

Prayers go out to Kevin Ware. Tough injury. Prayers go out to you fam.

— Anthony Davis (@AntDavis23) April 1, 2013

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Running with your head down is a great sin of any running back. You have to see where you are going, and when you deny your brain the input of your vision, you are bound to perform at less than optimal levels. Raymond Sanders is learning this the hard way.

• Funny, Bob Stoops. But not that funny.

• Alabama State is no pushover, and if Kentucky goes into this game overconfident, things could go badly.

Kentucky basketball

• John Calipari after the Transylvania game. I liked this:

  We had a lot of non competitive guys out there. They’re just going to have to learn. This was a great lesson for them.

  If you don’t compete, I’m taking you out, which is what I’ve always done throughout my coaching career until last year. I couldn’t.

• Derek Willis may be giving John Calipari a "problem," but his defense last night was unacceptable. He didn't put his hands up, didn't challenge a shooter, nothing. He has to learn to do that — and he will.

• UK basketball: some assembly required.

• Coach Cal less than pleased with the play of Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins.

  "Derek gave up more than he scored. He scored a couple baskets, but he gave up like 11 points. You can’t give up 11 and score 4. You can give up 11 if you score 20. You can’t score 6 and give up 11. You can’t be in the game."

• Andy Katz thinks Kansas is the biggest threat to UK domination. Dana O'Neil thinks it's Louisville. I don't think it's either one of them, I think it's — UK itself, and last night seems to validate my perception.

Other Kentucky Sports

• UK Hoops gets Eckerd in their first exhibition on Sunday.

Links posts

• The Leach Report — Saturday Wildcat Links

College football

• If you haven't heard about the Carl Pelini drug abuse problem leading to his resignation, be sure to check it out here at SB Nation, who broke the story.

• The Cocktail Party is the big SEC game today.

College basketball

• WTF? Is U of L really letting their athletes get away with tweeting this sort of garbage?

• Rush the Court hands out their tricks and treats for Halloween.

• In case you somehow missed it, the first AP basketball poll is out, and Kentucky gets the top spot. Louisville and Michigan St. are 2 and 3 respectively, which I think is about right. Florida at 10 seems high to me, as does VCU at #14. Surprised to see Baylor making it in over guys like Creighton and Tennessee, who I think are better choices to be in the poll at that spot.

  I would recommend that those who have forgotten or not read Ken Pomeroy's excellent piece on the AP poll review it here. It helps explain why this poll, in particular, is a very good indicator.

• Jerry Tipton on how the college game is changing. We played under rules like this during my youth. Somehow, it got perverted into a kind of "no blood, no foul" mentality that has harmed the game ever since.

  I can't account for how the block/charge rule went wrong. In my day, it was always a foul if the defender blocked the path of the offensive player or rode him all the way to the basket. A charge was only called if you were set an effectively run over by the offensive player.

• Is UCLA going to run Steve Alford out of town before the season even ends? Given what I'm reading over at Bruin's Nation, I'd say it's possible. And this is sure to be a huge distraction for the team going forward.

• I'm still not sure how good Arkansas is going to be this season.