Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation, and welcome to the Tuesday Morning Quickies.
There really isn’t much new today that hasn’t already been covered in some depth here, like Matt Panton’s arrest and suspension, Immanuel Quickley’s incipient commitment, and a recap of the good and bad of the Ole Miss loss. What does that leave me to talk about this morning?
Well, how about this: Apparently, a “friend” of Georgia Tech coach (former Memphis coach) Josh Pastner has told CBS Sports he provided benefits in violation of NCAA rules to Georgia Tech basketball players, and is calling his “friend” Pastner a liar:
Georgia Tech officials said last week that Pastner, the reigning ACC Coach of the Year, had no knowledge of the violations until Oct. 2, and that he immediately self-reported them to Georgia Tech’s compliance office. Asked if that’s true, Bell answered “absolutely not.” He said Pastner “100 percent” knew Okogie and Jackson were staying four nights at his home while it was happening.
Josh, you should really choose your friends more carefully.
I wonder if this will draw the attention of the FBI?
Tweet of the Morning
3,000 point club for @DevinBook! 4th youngest player in @NBA history to score 3k. pic.twitter.com/sJDGaPz7lE
— CAA Basketball (@CAA_Basketball) November 7, 2017
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
- Dickie Lyons Jr.’s wife played a major role in his success at UK, when she was his girlfriend.
- UK punter Matt Panton was arrested for public intoxication Saturday night after the game. He’ll be suspended from the Vanderbilt game.
- Jackson Smith, son of former UK punter Andy Smith, kicks a 51-yard field goal for Boyle County. Mark Stoops, get your ‘cruitin’ hat on.
- Nice.
Nice flashback today of my mom, Shirley Holmes-Sims scoring 151 points on the family feud https://t.co/Las9Cczx8o
— DeWayne Peevy (@UKDeWaynePeevy) November 7, 2017
- Stoops sees silver lining in loss to Ole Miss. Thanks goodness somebody does.
Kentucky basketball
- Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox are on the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list (NBWA national player of the year).
- Calipari warns that past performance does not necessarily equal future success when it comes to coaching freshmen.
- Round table: What did we learn from the three exhibition games?
- Burning questions for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Other Kentucky sports
- Kentucky women’s basketball downs Southern Illinois. Maci Morris led the way with 19 points.
Links posts
- The Leach Report: Tuesday Wildcat Links
College football
- Alabama off to a slow start in 2018 recruiting, but beware…
- Will Dan Mullen be the next coach at Tennessee?
College basketball
- Preach, Brother Mike:
He doesn't have to be. College basketball is a choice. https://t.co/irptZDfiMI
— Michael DeCourcy (@tsnmike) November 7, 2017
- Alabama star freshman Collin Sexton has not been cleared by the NCAA, and is not currently eligible. This is likely tied up in the FBI investigation of college basketball.
- 68 NCAA basketball predictions for 2017-18. Here’s a couple I think are likely to come true:
No longer should the SEC be mocked as Kentucky, Florida and everyone else. This will be the deepest and strongest SEC in years, with Texas A&M, Alabama, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss each capable of not only making the NCAA tournament but perhaps doing some damage too.
And
Kentucky will still be a factor in the title race by March, but it may take longer than usual for these young Wildcats to blossom. Only one rotation player from last season returns: Forward Wenyen Gabriel, who averaged 4.6 points per game. Relying mostly on talented freshmen will likely be a recipe for the unpredictable. Expect some impressive wins and head-scratching losses.
- Grayson Allen, deep thinker:
— Greg (@GregNJ) November 7, 2017
Other sports news
- Deion Sanders scathingly roasts Tony Romo. “I tried my best to take the high road, but I don’t know the address to the high road.”
- My shock knows no bounds: LaVar Ball unhappy with Lonzo Ball’s playing time. This isn’t about Lonzo, it’s about LaVar. He can’t run around telling everyone how great a sire he was if his sons aren’t playing enough.
- Contrary to reports, James Young has not been abducted by aliens:
Nice piece of good news for the former Wildcat's fans. https://t.co/60NLsvQKid
— Oscar Combs (@wildcatnews) November 7, 2017
Other news
- Galaxy at the end of time discovered. What we don’t know is whether or not it still exists.
- Suddenly, Proxima Centauri is much more interesting.
- It looks like the Alien franchise has almost run out of sequels. Pity, it’s been a good one.