Kentucky Wildcats Sunday Quickies: Providence Edition

Tonight, Kentucky travels up to the marvelous Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY for a tilt with Providence. This will be an outstanding test for Kentucky, as the competition for the Wildcats begins to ramp up.

Tweet of the Morning:

A big issue for #UF this year I'm told was friction between OC & OL coach. Muschamp fired both today: http://t.co/T3rTNFa36N

— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) December 1, 2013

Heh. I am sure that the head coach had nothing at all to do with that. Nah.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Neal Brown thinks we need playmakers, not more effort. Well, yes, but what we really need is an offensive line. Brown agrees:

  "I did think this – and I’ll say this about the kids we have right now: the results weren’t what we wanted but our kids did play hard. We didn’t have an effort issue. We didn’t have an effort issue at all this year. We’re just – we’re real thin at offensive line. We’re real thin and those guys are banged up and it showed – showed big tonight.

• Bud Dupree: Will he stay or will he go?

• The curtain closes on Mark Stoops' first act as head football coach. It was a disappointing show, but one I was ready for.

• Mark Stoops post-Tennessee press conference:

• Mark Story repeats essentially the same argument I (among others) have made on here about the quarterback situation. The problem is, there is no clear solution.

Kentucky basketball

• 2015 (and possibly 2014) UK recruit Montaque Gill-Caesar had a big game the other day, scoring 56 points and hitting 11 threes. Here's a taste of him:

• Devin Booker had a big weekend, scoring 17 and 23 points. Via NextCats.

• Kentucky a six-point favorite versus Providence. That sounds about right. Pomeroy has us at a 7-point fave, but some of that data is from last season.

Other Kentucky Sports

Links posts

• KSR's Sunday Morning Links

• The Leach Report: Sunday Wildcat Links

College football

• USA Today coach's poll out today. Alabama's drop is rather precipitous considering the circumstances, but I suppose it's hard to put them in front of Auburn, even though I would have. At a neutral site, Alabama is likely a better team, and the Auburn win was very fluky.

• From the Land of Foregone Conclusions:

  AP source: Florida fires offensive coordinator Brent Pease after losing season

  — Mark Long (@APMarkLong) December 1, 2013

  And

  Gators RT @BFeldmanCBS: OC Brent Pease isn't the only asst out at #UF, #Florida O-line coach Tim Davis also let go today, a source told CBS

  — Mark Long (@APMarkLong) December 1, 2013

  SB Nation's Andy Hutchins has more.

• Florida St. #1 for the first time since 2000. I wonder if Mark Stoops is having any remorse — he'd most likely be coaching in the BCS championship if he hadn't come to UK

College basketball

• Tennessee is shaping up to be very tough this season.

• LSU desperately needs a win versus Butler today to avoid a 3-game skid. They'd better stop turning the ball over if they want to avoid that ignominious fate.

Other sports news

• Could Marquis Teague be traded? There is speculation. Via Aaron's blog.