Kentucky Wildcats Morning Quickies: Lance Armstrong Edition

On this day in 1999, Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France. Of course, we now know that this victory was pharmaceutically aided.

Tweet of the Morning:

#ThrowBackThursday ....8 is Gr8, but 9 will b Fine....#WeAreUK #BBN pic.twitter.com/nKCSCUq7cq

— Anthony Epps (@aepps25) July 25, 2013

If this doesn't put a smile on your face and some pep in your step, well, check your pulse.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• I'm going to do an UK related article on whether or not up-tempo teams can be good defensively in the future. The hard work has already been done in this excellent article. [Hank]

• Mitch Barnhart and Mark Stoops talked about the UK-UL series at the Governor's Cup luncheon. There are unmentioned political implications involving this game. The Governor and the KY legislature threatened UK and forced the series in the first place, if you'll recall. Just sayin'. [Hank]

  [Glenn] I find it interesting that even after a change of administration, the two teams still disagree on the timing of the game. I guess that's just the nature of the rivalry.

• Will Stoops go after this guy? If playing time is an issue, then he needs to come to UK. Right? Here's Florida's perspective. [Hank]

• Hargrave Military Academy is shutting down their post-graduate football program. Part of the changing landscape of college football. [Hank]

• I've watched "The Hit" over and over and I can't see how it was not a legal hit even under the new rules. Refs who say it was illegal need to be run out of the game, imo. [Hank]

  [Glenn] I am in complete agreement with Hank on this one, including that last part.

• Heh. UK has decided that letter writing might work for recruiting fannies to the seats as well as it did for getting high-profile guys like Drew Barker.

  However, given the fact that season ticket sales are soaring for football, they might want to save some postage.

• The coaching whirlwind has enveloped Mark Stoops. Let's see how he comes out.

• Kentucky is expecting big things from the defensive line. If they can stay healthy, which is difficult in the SEC.
• Video: Mark Stoops at the Governor's Cup luncheon
• Mitch Barnhart talks Commonwealth Stadium renovation with Larry Vaught.

Kentucky basketball

• Coach Cal helps a friend through a tough time. What a great thing to do.
• Jarrod Polson talks about his service trip to Ethiopia. The part where he talks about cars not stopping and honking all the time had special resonance for me, as I have been to north Africa before, and it's exactly like that. Drivers will happily run you down, so you never enter a roadway without a genuine fear of death.
• Ally Tucker at KSR says that Kyle Wiltjer "wasn't a fit." I'm not sure I totally agree, but Calipari almost never recruits athletically challenged players for a reason.
• Tracking Kentucky's recruits through the third and final July evaluation period.
• Duke and North Carolina St. fans have started a White House petition to investigate North Carolina athletics. Interesting, but silly.

• New Wildcats hitting the floor "pretty hard" this summer: (Hat tip: Aaron's Blog.)

Links posts

• The Leach Report — Thursday LInks

College football

• Team Speed Kills asks the question, "Are hurry-up offenses really dangerous?"
• Rocky Top Talk doesn't need to vote on the biggest SEC disaster in their program history.
• Lane Kiffin speaks out in his usual ham-handed way about "hurry-up" offenses.
• Saturday Down South ranks SEC linebackers. Not seeing Avery Williamson on there makes me... doubt this.

College basketball

• Newly-minted UCLA coach Steve Alford is "fatigued" by the July recruiting calender. Man up, Steve, good grief.
• Incoming Kansas freshman Brannen Greene cited for hit and run.

Other sports news

• What to expect from Nerlens Noel next season. I think if he goes at all, it will be after Christmas.