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Tonight, the Wildcats return from a long hiatus to take on the Mississippi St. Bulldogs in Rupp Arena. I'm sure the players are real happy to see games get back after 10 days of fun and adventure at Camp Cal.
Tweet of the Morning:
Matthew Mitchell called trip to South Carolina "our yearly root canal."
— Jen Smith (@jenheraldleader) January 8, 2014
God knows that's true.
Your Quickies:
Kentucky basketball
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Consider the unseriousness of this statement:
Since John Calipari and the one-and-done arrived in Lexington, Florida has become the SEC's surest bet. The Gators have made the Elite Eight three years in a row and won the SEC in 2011 and 2013.
Kentucky, in Calipari's years, has been to the elite eight, the Final Four twice, and won a national title. And Florida is the SEC's surest bet? I hate to bash my friend Will Shelton, but that's simply an absurd statement divorced from reality. Maybe he'd like to revise and extend that sentence?
I suppose if you take the stilted view that Florida has made the NCAA tournament every year and Kentucky missed one year, then the argument is sound. But let's be honest — when it comes to overall success at any level Florida is manifestly not the surest bet.
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Are we a team yet? Some of the players and Coach Cal think the Wildcats are getting there.
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I don't know whether to yawn at this, or look askance. Well, you be the judge.
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James Pennington on John Calipari's latest advice to think pass when you have the ball and think score when you don't:
If there was any stretch for Calipari to pull out all the stops, declare a new war cry that is in no way, as he would say it, a mental trick—which in itself may be a trick by distracting from the perhaps-negative connotation of the word trick, and I will stop before this slope gets any more slippery—this is the stretch. The Wildcats had no games and no class from Dec. 28 to Jan. 7, and when they return to the floor Wednesday against the Bulldogs, they’ll have those two sentences in their heads any time they’re on the floor.
Heh.
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Preview of tonight's game with Mississippi State from For Whom The Cowbell Tolls.
Links posts
College football
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The Auburn perspective on the BCS Championship game from College and Magnolila.
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Tim Sullivan says that Bobby Petrino should be forgiven, but:
If U of L Athletic Director Tom Jurich wants to find a coach who views U of L as a "destination job," Bobby Petrino’s career is a story of shallow roots and awkward exits. If winning with integrity is more than a slogan, how do you justify hiring a coach whose moral compass permitted him to put his mistress on the payroll? If the goal is to find a cutting-edge coach capable of fielding an excellent and entertaining team, the short list has to be longer than one name.
I personally hope Louisville does hire Petrino. They deserve him, and that's about the right fit for them. For those of you wringing your hands, get over it. If we can't beat a Petrino-led Louisville, then we need to find a better coach. It's that simple.
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Obituary for the BCS. I wonder how long it will be before people start missing it?
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Rick Pitino doubts that Bobby Petrino will be back as Louisville's head football coach
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Saying goodbye to the SEC's national championship streak. It had to end sometime.
College basketball
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Michigan St. beats Ohio St. in overtime, and Baylor gets blown out by Iowa St.
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Kyle Wiltjer trying to improve his game during his year in residence. He's liable to be tough next year.
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Tennessee opens the SEC season with a win. The Vols have the potential to be a dangerous team this season.
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The SEC is better this season. Yes, it is, although it still isn't where it should be. Via Aaron's blog.
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Looking back at the first half of the college basketball season.
Other news
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Only one in four adolescents meet physical activity guidelines. I like that basketball is the boys first choice, but man, one in four?