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Nick Saban sent the message loud and clear that he's not having lawbreakers play for Alabama. Four Tide players were arrested in connection with a robbery, and now they are ex-Tide players. Good for him.
Tweet of the Morning:
Someone needs to sic Joan Rivers on Adidas and make this annual assault on fashion stop. twitter.com/UniWatch/statu…
— Dana O'Neil (@ESPNDanaOneil) February 28, 2013
Oh, sweet Jesus -- my eyes!
Your Quickies:
Kentucky basketball
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Kentucky Sports Radio // Mays needed four stitches
Toldja. I was never worried about this. Any time your head collides with an elbow, stitches are the likely outcome.
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Ten quick notes after UK’s mashing of MSU // John Clay's Sidelines
And he played darn well, I thought. Defensively, he was really improved. I hope this is a trend, and not a blip.
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Ford: Poythress, Cauley-Stein could be lottery picks // NextCats
Noel had dropped from No. 1 overall to No. 3 immediately after his season-ending knee injury earlier this month. Kansas guard Ben McLemore continues to hold the No. 1 spot.
Other UK players considered first-round picks on Ford’s board included Alex Poythress (12th), Willie Cauley-Stein (13th) and Archie Goodwin (19th).There’s one in the eye of all you people who think that none of these guys are first-rounders save Noel.
Okay, I didn’t mean to be harsh – I know from whence this sentiment springs, and I would be the first to admit that in a draft like last year, none of them save Noel would be lottery picks, and I’m not sure any of them would even be first-rounders. But a weak draft has elevated them.
Don’t complain, or wring your hands – it is what it is. Embrace the absurdity.
- Kentucky’s ’96 players talk about ring ceremony // John Clay
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Kentucky basketball notes: Calipari to Cauley-Stein: You're the mantra // Kentucky.com
"I think Willie’s comment is the mantra we’re rolling with," the UK coach said.
From the mouths of babes? Well, why not? Willie doesn’t seem to be too pleased with being the poster child for the remade Wildcats, and I can’t say I blame him.
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Men's Basketball Announces Details for John Calipari Overnight Camps // UKAthletics.com
Camp Cal for kids, 2013.
Other UK sports
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UK women's basketball: Cats see chance to play 11 more games // Kentucky.com
Just win, baby.
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UK Hoops Travels to Ole Miss for Final Regular Season Road Game // UKAthletics.com
Your game preview and open thread will be up later today.
- Gott, Riddle Lead No. 8 Baseball to Win over EKU // UKAthletics.com
Links posts
College football
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College football 5-year report: Your conference's defense vs. the SEC's - SBNation.com
Pac-12 defenses are soft. SEC defenses would dominate those fancy West Coast offenses.
The Pac-12 has been running complex offenses for years, and SEC defenses wouldn’t be able to match up. All they do in the South is run the "footbaw."
Turns out, it’s the Southern folk who are right.Read the whole thing.
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Saban: Four arrested Alabama players dismissed from team // SI.com
Four players for two-time defending national champion Alabama have been dismissed from school following their arrests after two robberies on campus.
Looks like Tricky Nicky will be having none of your "Herban" Meyer, laissez-faire approach to football.
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Clint Hurtt, John Calipari, and the Hypocrisy of it All // Wildcat Blue Nation
The difference between Cal and Hurtt is simple: John Calipari has never been personally found guilty by the NCAA for violations and was called an "innocent victim" in the Marcus Camby case, whereas Hurtt is directly implicated in wrong-doing.
Sound familiar?
Louisville fans deserve any lumps they are getting over this, not so much because of any alleged hypocrisy, but more due to the fact that they are Louisville fans and can’t stop hating on Calipari. To be fair, if Pitino were still here, they’d be hating on him, too, and instead of us talking about his 15 seconds of shame, they would be.
Part of fandom is schadenfreude – frankly, a delicious part. So party on at Hurtt’s expense, UK fans, if you really must.
To me, I don’t care one iota about Hurtt, whether he stays or whether he goes. That’s up to Louisville, and I don’t feel enough investment in Hurtt, an assistant football coach, even to muster schadenfruede, let alone write an article condemning U of L fans for hypocrisy. Your mileage may vary.
College basketball
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3-point shot: Jim Calhoun in a good place // ESPN
I sat next to Jim Calhoun for Wednesday night’s Connecticut-Georgetown game at Gampel Pavilion and it was like taking a class in basketball. Calhoun was informative, analytical and calm in describing the action in front of us. He only got excited when Omar Calhoun hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at the end of regulation. I cannot get over how much at peace Calhoun is in his “retirement.”
Well, good. Maybe he’ll become more of a human being and less of a caricature of one. That would be welcome.
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Tennessee Basketball: The Fury of the Moment // Rocky Top Talk
The Vols aren’t in yet, aren’t ranked and won’t be this season, and Cuonzo Martin is yet to win a single NCAA Tournament game. But whatever good can be done in the regular season, the Vols have done all of it and more in the last three weeks.
Word. The Vols should have been good this year, and now they finally are. Along with Arkansas and Alabama, they are trying to make the pundits and selection committee rethink the “four max from the SEC” thing we’ve heard this year.
Other sports news
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Team officials said during the game that he was available to return, but coach Monty Williams elected not to put him back in. Williams says Davis’ status is day-to-day.
Very good news.
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Transcript: John Wall's uncomfortable, short postgame interview // Bullets Forever
Heh. Looks like a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist interview. Well, Shakespeare said brevity is the soul of wit …