Thursday Quickies: Bat Cats Edition

The Kentucky baseball team is on an upswing, as they’ve gotten off to a 2-0 start in home games. Not only have they won both their home games, but they’ve done so in commanding fashion. The Cats beat Eastern Kentucky 12-0 on Tuesday, and beat Western Kentucky 17-2 yesterday. They’re outscoring opponents 27-2 in home games, and Kentucky has scored 67 runs in their last five games.

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These are exciting times, indeed.

Your quickies

Cases for and against Kentucky as a true contender - CBS Sports
Kentucky is one of the most exciting teams in the country. When they’re at their best, they’re easily the most-watchable team in the country. But it’s not clear whether or not everyone will get to watch them come late March/early April.

Willis describes his proposal on senior night - 247 Sports
Willis provided one of the best moments of senior night with his shocking proposal to his girlfriend Keely Potts. He described the moment and what it meant to him.

UK can’t keep pushing its luck in March - ESPN
Kentucky has pulled out some great, gutsy victories in SEC play this year. But let’s be honest, those games should have never been as close as they were. The game against Vanderbilt should have never required a 19-point comeback. Kentucky can’t mess around in March.

Nine reasons to feel good about Kentucky’s tournament chances - KSR
Enough pessimism in today’s quickies. Here’s why you should feel good about Kentucky’s ability to make a March Madness run.

Spring football preview: who backs up Benny Snell? - SEC Country
With Boom Williams gone to the NFL Draft, Benny Snell is clearly the starting running back. But who backs him up?

Ulis taking Knight’s minutes and more ex-cat news - Herald-Leader
Tyler Ulis is turning heads in Phoenix, working his way up in the rotation. Meanwhile, Vince Carter threw a nasty elbow at Devin Booker.

Video: Northwestern Beats Michigan On Epic Buzzer-Beater - College Spun
Northwestern topped Michigan on an epic buzzer-beater thanks to a full-court pass.

Will Philly engage in contract talks with Joel Embiid this offseason? - SB Nation
Joel Embiid has been shut down for the rest of the season due to injury. This is the first season in which he has even played in a game. He’s been great when he’s played, but his injury history could lead the Sixers to wait another year before offering him anything.

Andrew Bogut becomes another of several top draft picks for Cavs - Sporting News
With the addition of Bogut, the Cleveland Cavaliers now have seven players who were a top-five pick in their respective draft class. That’s the most in the league.

Chris Long moving on from Patriots - Boston Herald
Long is leaving on good terms with the Pats, and is now looking for a situation where he’ll be in a more prominent role.

Kevin Durant’s sprained MCL adds to growing list of injuries - ESPN
Durant is pretty much an unstoppable scorer when he’s healthy. But more recently in his career, he hasn’t been as healthy as he’d like to be.

Combine Debrief, Day 1: Translating QB chatter - NFL.com
Gregg Rosenthal's first dispatch from Indianapolis takes a look at executives, including John Elway and Sashi Brown, who seem to have mastered the art of saying a lot about a little.

49ers will start free agency with no quarterbacks on their roster - SB Nation
Colin Kaepernick is opting out, which means the Niners don’t have a single QB on the roster. That’s probably the only thing that could be worse than what their quarterback situation was before.

Titans say they're open to dealing their top draft pick for 2nd straight year - ESPN
With two first-round picks in this year's draft, Titans GM Jon Robinson said the team would consider trading the No. 5 pick if the right deal materialized.

Kevin Durant out indefinitely with MCL sprain, bone bruise - NBA.com
The Warriors' leading scorer and rebounder, Kevin Durant, will be out at least four weeks for the Golden State Warriors, the team announced this morning, following a left knee injury Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards.

Little kid aims his pro stink eye at a chip thief - Mashable
A little kid throws some serious side-eye at a person who stole his chip.

Samsung Galaxy S8 leaks in its full glory - The Verge
Evan Blass, professional spoiler of well kept smartphone secrets, is back with another hit today, this time revealing the most-anticipated non-iPhone of 2017, Samsung’s Galaxy S8.

Colon Cancer (and the deaths from it) dropping in Americans over 50 - Health Day