Wednesday Quickies: Best Basketball City Edition

Good morning BBN, good news! Lexington has been ranked the best city for basketball fans in the state, according to a study by WalletHub.

This isn’t surprising; obviously the home to the best basketball program in the state is the best basketball city in the Commonwealth. But what is surprising (and truly hilarious) is that Louisville is ranked seventh. And that’s not in the nation, but in just the state of Kentucky. Here are the rankings within the state (national ranking next to name).

33. Lexington

55. Murray

60. Morehead

89. Richmond

90. Highland Heights

93. Bowling Green

181. Louisville

It’s not surprising that Lexington is over Louisville. But putting Louisville seventh in the state is shocking (and great).

Tweet of the day

The Cliff will is going to be the place to be this weekend.

Your quickies

NBA mock draft: What if Lakers pick De’Aaron Fox over Lonzo Ball? - SBNation.com
Chaos finds it way into the NBA draft most years. Let’s play that out.

Ex-Cat JT Riddle in the zone, hits third HR for Marlins | Lexington Herald Leader
Marlins rookie shortstop JT Riddle, a former University of Kentucky and Western Hills High School star responded with two hits, including his third home run of the season, in host Miami’s 9-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels.

Joe Blanton working toward return to Nationals' bullpen | Lexington Herald Leader
For most of the first month and a half of the Major League Baseball season, Joe Blanton threw with pain. It wasn’t constant and not every day. Sometimes little adjustments helped, and he tried a lot of them. But the tweaks never stopped his shoulder from bothering him for long.

Michigan schools not a threat for Marquan McCall - SEC Country
McCall, a top 150 prospect in his class, is the headliner of Kentucky’s 2018 football class. Despite the fact that he’s a Michigan native, Michigan and Michigan State aren’t putting much pressure on him to flip.

Get your baseball regional tickets! - UK Athletics
Tickets for the Lexington Regional are on sale now. All-session passes are available for $55-$85, while single-game tickets will be available tomorrow, ranging from $10-$15.

Nerlens Noel could get a max contract - Scout
Yeah, you read that right. There is a report from within a certain NBA team saying that “multiple” teams would give Noel a max deal. I guess defense pays.

Is Tom Brady planning a surprise retirement after 2017? - CBS Sports
Probably not, but I’m all for a good conspiracy theory. That being said, there’s not much left for the New England legend to accomplish.

MVP candidates now that Trout is hurt - Washington Post
Mike Trout hitting the disabled list with a torn ligament in his thumb is bad news for baseball....but it’s bittersweet for some AL players who would fly under the radar, in the shadow of Trout’s excellence.

Both Pens and Preds can walk away from Game 1 feeling encouraged - FOX Sports
The Preds played better hockey, and the Pens won the game. No matter how you slice it, there are positives to take away for both teams in a seven-game series.

Zach Lowe on Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson becoming an elite role player - ESPN
Zach Lowe reveals what makes Tristan Thompson an elite role player -- from demoralizing offensive boards to his sneaky floater game to his unique sense of self.

Ranking the stars of the NBA Finals - Sports Illustrated
This year’s NBA Finals won’t be all that far from a seven-game series between two All-Star teams. But how good is each star on these two teams overloaded with talent?

The Chris Sale trade is looking like a win-win for both Sox teams - NESN
Chris Sale is pitching like an ace in Boston, and Chicago picked up Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, two of the brightest young talents on the farm, both of whom are playing well enough to earn a call-up before long.

Bill Simmons's The Ringer Will Move to Vox Media - Boston Magazine
Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff told the Times that The Ringer will migrate over to his company’s editorial platform “later this summer.”

ESPN World Fame 100 - Top Ranking Athletes - ESPN
Who are the world's most famous athletes? Using a formula that combines endorsements with social media following and Google search popularity, ESPN has created the ESPN World Fame 100 rankings.

Amazon is giving out $70 million in app refunds. See if you’re eligible! - Fortune