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Kentucky Wildcats Quickies: Hand off the Panic Button Edition

Back off the ledge, Eddie Gran is getting PAID, Marcus Bolden looks like a lock, women Hoops in action tonight, national media continue their assault on Rick Pitino, and the Kid is in the Hall.

By James Streble
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. We are now two days removed from arguably one of the worst losses in the John Calipari Era at Kentucky. If you are like me, Tuesday night's performance at LSU left you feeling sad, depressed, angry, confused, or maybe a combination of the emotions.

Yesterday, the radio call-in shows, the blogs, and social media were full of fans giving their takes on the woes of this team and how this just may not be our year.

I'm here to tell you that it's too early for that. While this team does have issues, they are all fixable. And don't forget:

  • This team has two quality wins about as good as any team in the country. One on a neutral court against Duke and at home against Louisville.
  • Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray are elite players.
  • We have seen young teams in the past that have found it difficult to win on the road. This isn't new.
  • Outside of Alex, none of these have much experience starting and playing extensive minutes at this level. Yes, Tyler and Marcus Lee have played in big games, but this is the first time they have ever really been asked to carry the load at their positions. Ulis has been great, Lee has been very good when he is on the floor.
  • Right now, outside of a couple of teams in the NCAA, everybody has a couple of a losses, some to teams they shouldn't lose to. This is a year in college basketball where almost every team is on an even playing field.
Take heart Big Blue fans, it's early and these guys are still learning the ropes.

Tweet(s) of the Morning



Cal was on a role yesterday. I have to admit, I was laughing hysterically when I read these.

Kentucky Football:

The details of the Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw contracts have been released and both men will be paid handsomely. Gran has a contract for $650,000 a year and Hinshaw will be paid $400,000 a year. Man, I missed the boat on college football coordinator coach.


So who is this mysterious Stephen Johnson? He is a three-star duel threat QB that is being heavily recruited by Darrn Hinshaw. Obviously, this is a position of major need as the only two QB's Kentucky currently have are Drew Barker and incoming true freshman Gunner Hoak.

Kentucky Basketball:

I think the Marcus Lee factor is something that needs to have more attention paid to it. With Marcus Lee on the court and contributing, Kentucky looks like a completely different team. In games where he is time is limited or he isn't able to play (UCLA, Ohio State, and LSU), the Wildcats look awful on both ends of the court. While Lee isn't a guy that creates his own shot, he is the best rebounder, the best shot blocker, and one of the best defenders on the team. And his energy is something that none of the other big men can replicate.Mrs. Tyler Thompson makes the case that he is the key to the team and I agree with her.

It seems more and more likely that Kentucky will land the #1 center in 2016, Marcus Bolden. This class already rivals coach Cal's best at Kentucky, and if Bolden commits, it will be his best by far. Also, power forward Jarett Allen was ready to commit to Kentucky until Bam Adebayo pulled the trigger. Nothing against Allen, but I love me some Bam.


Lawd have Mercy. I have the vapors.

John Calipari has to play Mr. Fix It with this team according to John Clay. Like I stated above, there are flaws but they can be fixed. The talent is there.


Other Kentucky Athletics:


Sports Around the Country:


Perhaps you heard about Rick Pitino's New Year's Day news conference. The Louisville hoops coach was 15 minutes in when someone prefaced a question with: "I apologize in advance. I was told to ask this."

Great day for journalism


That comment from whichever shill asked that question is a failure to journalism. These guys are so terrified of Pitino, it's ridiculous. Kudos to Rick Bozich for calling him out on his BS and sticking by his guns even after Pitino attempted to bully him.

His odd ramblings even included this: "The one person I would never question is Joe Paterno. He would be the one guy I would hold above reproach. What did they do? They took a statue away. They probably killed him. … I don't think I've ever met a man with more integrity. … He didn't know about (the Jerry Sandusky scandal). It was scurrilous what that assistant coach was doing. I believe in Joe Paterno. The way he went out, it breaks your heart."

And that my friends is enough to make a person absolutely sick. Joe Paterno was proven to have known about and possibly covered up child molestation but Pitino is holding him up as a martyr that was sacrificed by the evil media. Louisville fans and Tom Jurich continue to support this human dumpster fire.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza have been elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Griffey was a childhood hero of mine, ranking right up there with Michael Jordan. He was one of the best to ever play the game.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers inexplicably fire Lovie Smith after a season of growth and promise for the future. There is a major issue with professional teams on all levels firing coaches and managers like people change their underwear.


Ummmm.. Speaking of LeBron...

Utah pulls the plug on the Holy War with BYU because of a few on-court incidents. I think this is a little over the top.

Random Quickies:

Unsurprisingly, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the highest grossing movie in North America. Ever. It beat out James Cameron's Ferngully and Dances with Wolves ripoff Avatar. Avatar was fine, but I think it got more praise than it deserved.


It's Always Sunny in Philadephia returned for it's 11th season last night in hilarious fashion. The episode, CharDee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo, featured the Gang pitching their homemade game to a toy executive and hilarity ensued. If you haven't watched the show, do so. The humor is sick and twisted, but the characters are strangely loveable.


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