Kentucky Wildcats: Morning Quickies - #1 NBA Draft Pick Edition

With the NBA draft getting close, there is lots of speculation around the Interwebs about who will replace Nerlens Noel as the likely top pick. I think he'll be replaced by ... Nerlens Noel!

Tweet of the Morning:

Yesterday's news! Entire world commits to Miami, other things happen, Miami lands more commits: http://t.co/KMJo80ggDy

— SBN College Football (@SBNationCFB) June 23, 2013

Heh. Miami did have a big day yesterday.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Want to know how the whole "Yahtzee!" thing got started? Here you go.

• It's not just the fans and current players who can feel the exciting new vibe at Kentucky. It's the former players as well.

• Neal Brown talks about Kentucky's game against Western Kentucky.

  There is no doubt, really, that Stoops & Co. need that game really badly. Not only would losing to an in-state directional foe look bad for Kentucky, it could wind up the third best (at best) team in the state for the second year running -- not good for recruiting.

  Finally, this game has consequences for Stoops that are not his fault. During the coaching search, there was a lot of sentiment for hiring Bobby Petrino, who now coaches Western Kentucky. If Stoops loses to Petrino, that debate will be re-ignited, and it could advance Stoops straight to the edge of the hot seat his very first season barring a major upset of Louisville or a high-level SEC team.

• ESPN points out that Kentucky's 2014 has its own Twitter account...as a group:

  Let's put it this way: The Wildcats are trending so much that the Class of 2014 recruits have their own Twitter account (@UK2014Class). And there's a good chance that the Wildcats' early success isn't going to evaporate, especially if they show some signs of life on the football field this season.

  Hat tip: KSR

• Guy Morriss talks about Mark Stoops.

Kentucky basketball

• Is Nerlens Noel's "history" of injury clouding the 2013 NBA draft? I think we all knew this meme would crop up as the draft got closer, although I believe it is overblown.

• Noel's lack of weight gets attention from the New York Times. This is another meme that is somewhat overblown. Noel's medical team wanted him to keep his weight down to reduce stress on the repaired tissue while it's being rehabbed. Word is that Noel is up to 220 now. He will have no problem getting to 235 or so. More than that will take some time.

Other UK sports

• Kentucky track and field continues to excel.

College football

• At least Bret Bielema is honest:

  "Over the course of time, when you’re in the Big Ten, you begin to dislike the SEC for all the success they’ve had, not just on the field, but in recruiting," he said.

College basketball

• The Final Four outdraws BCS bowls and even the most compelling NBA Finals in years when it comes to TV audience. I'm not surprised. Football is a huge draw, but it lacks the central, concentrating event that the Final Four provides. The NBA playoffs takes so long to complete that by the time the Finals arrive, most teams have been home for a month.

• John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News says that we should take the mock drafts with a grain of salt.

  He's right, of course. These things are all just educated guesses, and all the rumors surrounding the draft are just that.

• More on the changes in the block/charge call. I'd love to see that happen, but I'm skeptical. The NCAA officials are accountable to nobody.

Other sports news

• The Green Room invitees for the NBA Draft have been announced. Noel, of course, is there.

• Dwyane Wade needed to have his knee drained for the Finals. Playing through injury is a way of life in the professional sports leagues.

• This is getting good.

• The NCAA has banned live scouting of future opponents by coaches. This looks like a very stupid rule to me.

• The story of Lisa Olson and the complete failure of the NFL and New England Patriots to be human beings. Fortunately, times have changed.