The early signing period for college basketball kicks off today, and it’s kind of a huge deal for Kentucky. It’s big because the Cats do not have a single commit to their 2017 class yet, and they need about seven. This isn’t normal for the Cats, as they usually already have commits. Head Coach John Calipari already had Sacha Killeya-Jones and Wenyen Gabriel committed before the early signing period last year, so he enters this year’s early period with some ground to make up. The good news is, several of Cal’s top targets are deciding in the early period, which means the Cats could come out in even better shape than they were last year.
Tweet of the day
Congrats to @JohnWall, who set the career assist record for the Wizards last night and to @DevinBook for his career high vs. LA on Sunday.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) November 8, 2016
Your quickies
What to know for UK in the early signing period - Courier-Journal
Kentucky is targeting Nick Richards, P.J. Washington, John Petty, Trae Young, Quade Green, Lonnie Walker, Hamidou Diallo, Shai Alexander and more. Hopefully they’ll come out of this signing period with at least a few.
What happens if UK misses Young and Green? - Herald-Leader
The Cats seem likely to get either Trae Young or Quade Green (or both), but what if both recruits slip away? Is Shai Alexander the answer?
Countdown is on for five-star center Richards - Cats Pause
Richards has set a date and time and narrowed his list to three (Syracuse, UK and Arizona). The clock is ticking on Richards’ commitment.
Rivals predicts UK will miss out on four pf their biggest targets - KSR
Rivals has Trae Young, Mohamed Bamba, Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox all going elsewhere. Let’s hope he’s wrong.
Updated SEC bowl projections - ESPN
ESPN’s Alex Scarborough has the Cats in the Belk Bowl now.
Offense moving on after miscues against Georgia - SEC Country
The Cats are trying to move past receiver mistakes and questionable playcalling after the tough loss to Georgia.
College football playoff rankings - ESPN
All four teams in the playoff are now undefeated, as Washington moves to the No. 4 spot after Texas A&M’s loss.
MLB Gold Glove Awards - USA Today
Yadier Molina has been dethroned from the National League’s Gold Glove catcher position.
Mets GM laughs when asked if Tebow will get spring traning invite - NY Daily News
I suppose Tebow’s walk-off base hit isn’t enough to make Tim Tebow more likely to be apart of Mets’ spring training.
Grizzlies beat Nuggets at the buzzer - Yahoo! Sports
A game involving former Wildcats Andrew Harrison and Jamal Murray went down to the wire, and both scored in double figures.
Buffalo Bills spiraling after three straight losses - NY Upstate
The Bills were a bit surprising when they got on a hot streak earlier in the year, but Rex Ryan’s team is now stumbling into Week 10.
Theo Epstein named Sporting News MLB executive of the year - USA Today
Not a shocker by any means, considering he built what is now the best baseball team in the world.
Atlanta Hawks hand Cavs their first loss - USA Today
The Hawks are looking as though they could be a major force in the East, as they knocked off the previously undefeated Cavs.