Kentucky Wildcats Morning Quickies: Champions Classic Edition

Good morning, and welcome to the Tuesday version of the Quickies. Tonight, of course, is the first really, really big basketball games of the season. The Kentucky Wildcats take on the Duke Blue Devils, followed by the Kansas Jayhawks vs. Michigan St. Spartans in the Champion’s Classic at the United Center in Chicago. This is a virtual feast of college basketball, and it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet.

The renewal of this event will see three of the Associated Press top 5 in action, along with #13 Michigan St. Some are calling it the Final Four in November, and it certainly has some of that feel to it, even if all four teams are likely only a shadow of what they will be come March.

Tweet of the Morning

If Kentucky lands Bam Adebayo today, they will have the projected No. 4 (De'Aaron Fox) and No. 10 (Adebayo) picks in 2017 per @DraftExpress

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) November 17, 2015

Five-star Edrice Adebayo will announce his college choice at 9:30. I'm expecting him to select the Kentucky Wildcats.

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) November 17, 2015

Yeah, Adebayo could put 2016-17 in real good shape.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• The line for the Louisville-Kentucky game has now pushed out to 9.5 points, even in Commonwealth Stadium. Based on UK’s recent collapse and Louisville’s solid play, I’d say that’s justified.

• So Drew Barker will be starting on Saturday. After three weak performances in a row by Towles, I’d say it’s a change that’s definitely due, but Mark Stoops says that Saturday’s game will tell if it will be for the rest of the season or not. For his part, Towles is putting on the right face and saying the right things.

• Bradley Stevenson, a blogger, pens an open letter to Mark Stoops. It’s pretty good, and definitely on the positive side, but I think it’s what we need right now. Negativity is dirt cheap after five straight losses, and understandably so.

• Offered without comment.

  Mark Stoops: "It's inexcusable to have ball at the 1-yard line and not punch it in."

  — Jen Smith (@jenheraldleader) November 16, 2015

• Judging from Stoops’ comments yesterday on the radio show, Shannon Dawson is in the dog house:

  On radio show, Stoops said throwing it on fourth down at midfield was "the wrong decision."

  — Jen Smith (@jenheraldleader) November 16, 2015

• You prove you’re a man and take crap from a fan… < /BrandedSong >

  Fan goes after Stoops for Cats' issues. Tom Leach tries to intervene. Stoops: "Let him go; I can take it."

  — Jen Smith (@jenheraldleader) November 16, 2015

  Chuck Connors would be proud.

Kentucky basketball

• Coach Cal says Mike Krzyzewski is doing things differently on defense this season:

  "He is mixing up their defenses like I’ve never seen," said Calipari, who suggested that Duke might play some zone rather than its signature man-to-man denial at times.

  Don’t hold your breath.

• Indeed.

  Not sure Kentucky has ever pulled an upset per se in recruiting but landing Bam Adebayo over NC State would be just that. Huge upset.

  — Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) November 16, 2015

• John Clay’s blog Sidelines has moved.

• John Calipari is concerned about security for tonight’s game in light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris:

  "I think everybody should step back and let’s evaluate security," Calipari said Monday. "I worry about my players, our fans, my own family. That they’re there. . . . What’s our security?"

  I’m sure (I hope) security will be heightened.

• Mark Story on how Kentucky and Duke match up. Interesting take. I’m not quite sold that Amile Jefferson is better than Marcus Lee. He’s a better ballhandler and shooter, but Lee has proven that he’s no wallflower on the glass. I guess I’d have to agree with him, but only barely.

  The big question for me is, can Isaiah Briscoe guard Grayson Allen? I think he may be able to, but not in the traditional way — I think maybe Briscoe can just foul Allen out.

• Skal Labissiere earns SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, along with LSU’s Antonio Blakeney

Other Kentucky sports

• UK softball signs five players to NLOI’s.

• Men’s Soccer earns 7th NCAA Tournament bid in history. Congratulations!

Links posts

• The Leach Report: Tuesday Wildcat Links

College football

• Gary Pinkel says a tearful goodbye to Missouri. He is fighting cancer, and we wish him well. He was a fantastic coach for the Tigers.

• Predicting the CFB Playoff committee’s excuses for LSU, Stanford and Baylor. Heh.

College basketball

• Author of Breaking Cardinal Rules, Katrina Powell, will speak to the NCAA. Several Louisville defense attorneys think this is a bad idea, and I think they’re right.

• There were several upsets in college basketball last night. Here are a few of them:

  • Virginia lost to George Washington

  • South Florida loses to UK’s last opponent, NJIT

  • Mississippi St. loses to Southern University.

  • BYU loses to Long Beach State

Other sports news

• Only in Cincinnati:

  The Bengals were 8-0 heading into last night and their fans booed them anyway: https://t.co/aPvrtyvjYK https://t.co/E3SMhnCLWC

  — SB Nation (@SBNation) November 17, 2015

• Brandon Knight has a big night. You have to see this crossover:

  Brandon Knight: 1st career triple-double and one nasty crossover. Poor Marcelo Huertas. https://t.co/DqheUVO7NL

  — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 17, 2015

  I think that would’ve been a travel in college, though.

Other news

• Words to live by.

  "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." - John F. Kennedy

  — Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 17, 2015

• Charlie Sheen announces he is HIV-positive. Very sorry to hear that.

• Researchers use satellite launch blunder to test the theory of relativity. When life gives you lemons …

• Are nuclear-armed bombers making a comeback?