Good morning Big Blue Nation. The Kentucky Wildcats have an early afternoon tip on CBS against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Avery Johnson's team are coming off of a four overtime victory at South Carolina and would love nothing more than to add a win over the 'Cats to boost their poor NCAA resume.
After a week of rebooting and killer practices, John Calipari seems confident that things are finally starting to sink into his players heads. They are hovering around a seven point favorite but this team hasn't covered the spread in weeks.
A loss here would leave Calipari with virtually no answers going forward. He's tried empowering them and it didn't work. He's tried rebooting them and it didn't work. Now he's turned into a drill sergeant as possibly a last ditch effort to figure out this team.
Tweet of the Day
Want to send out a special thank you to @MageesBakery for the delicious birthday cake! pic.twitter.com/caZp9FTbwd
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) February 10, 2017
I'm sure Cal would love nothing more than a convincing win on the road for a birthday gift.
Quickies
Alabama presents Calipari’s reboot its next test - CoachCal.com
"The kids were great," Coach Cal said Friday when asked about his team’s three-hour practice earlier in the week. "They know we gotta create some habits that we’ve gotten away from and they know that. We did what we have to do. I feel much better with the direction. When it takes you three weeks to get to a point, it’s going to take you time to get out of it’s because you’re trying to create different habits, both offensively and defensively."
Kentucky basketball: Five things about the Alabama Crimson Tide | Lexington Herald-Leader
Kentucky travels to Alabama on Saturday to face the Crimson Tide. Bama is coming off a four-overtime win at South Carolina. Avery Johnson has a top-five recruiting class coming next season. More to know about the Tide.
Evan White Tabbed Coaches Preseason All-SEC | UK Wildcats News
Kentucky junior first baseman Evan White was voted to the Coaches’ Preseason All-Southeastern Conference Team, it was announced Thursday by the league.
UF, LSU picked to win 2017 SEC baseball title - SEC Sports
Florida and LSU are predicted to win the 2017 SEC baseball championship as voted by the league's 14 head coaches in the annual preseason poll.
Kentucky basketball struggling. Why not play Diallo? | Lexington Herald-Leader
Kentucky needs better defense and rebounding from its guards. Five-star freshman Hamidou Diallo arrived at midseason and sits on the bench as he tries to catch up to UK’s system. Calipari said playing Diallo had not been on his mind.
No. 15 Kentucky Men’s Tennis Faces Big Ten Opponents Ohio State and
The No. 15 Kentucky men’s tennis team heads on the road to take on two Big Ten opponents this weekend when they face No. 3 Ohio State on Friday and Indiana on Sunday.
Tyler Ulis fined for role in Suns-Grizzlies on-court altercation | Lexington Herald-Leader
Former University of Kentucky star Tyler Ulis was fined $15,000 by the NBA for his role during an altercation between the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies near the end of their game on Feb. 8.
76ers' Noel not paying attention to trade chatter | The Tribune
Nerlens Noel is stress free. The 76ers center is back to being his jovial self and not worrying about trade rumors. "I haven't heard anything," Noel said. "So I don't really look for anything."
No. 20 Kentucky softball’s Lawson all-in for another deep NCAA run | Lexington Herald-Leader
When someone asked whether this season might be a rebuilding year for Kentucky softball, Coach Rachel Lawson’s eyes welled up as she looked over at pitcher Shannon Smith in the back of the room. "It’s important to me that Shannon Smith has a big senior year. So, I have to make sure that I’m retooling every time that I have a senior class. … Everybody is important to me, and everybody’s career is important to me."