Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation, and welcome to the Tuesday Morning Quickies.
Today’s big news is not related to Kentucky, unfortunately. It is the incipient reclassification of Marvin Bagley, now considered the #1 player in the class to 2017, and his matriculation to one of our most hated rivals, the Duke Blue Devils.
Duke is helped significantly by Bagley joining them, and CBS has elevated them to the #1 spot in their pre-season rankings, although Sports Illustrated is not jumping on that bandwagon yet. The irony of this is not lost on many Kentucky fans, who remember when “one and done” was considered to be the reason John Calipari was so evil, and the lack of it why Mike Krzyzewski was so good. Now that Coach K has caught up with Coach Cal in that department, Calipari is still evil and Krzyzewski is still good. Go figure.
Perhaps Bagley’s most useful asset is his activity level. Unlike most Duke recruits of recent vintage, Bagley will actually defend the opposition with more than token effort. He is also a skilled interior player and an outstanding rebounder.
Not all is sweetness and light for Duke yet, though. CBS also reports that the NCAA has not signed off on the final transcript paperwork for Bagley, and that there are also reports that he has coursework to complete before he can submit the transcript to the NCAA clearinghouse. So the Demon Murphy (or just insufficient high school credit) may still put in an appearance and rain on the Blue Devil’s parade.
In any event, Kentucky has a fine class of capable players, plus the benefit of the returning Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones and Tai Wynyard plus a stellar freshman class widely considered to be the best in the nation. I like our team just fine, but Duke did get a significant bump.
Tweet of the Morning
Duke is now just like every other Basketball/Football Powerhouse....they bend/break their academic standards/requirements for sports success
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) August 15, 2017
Well, Matt would know, being a law school grad from Duke. And:
"The one and done has ruined basketball!!" - as thousands sit through baseball highlights to see where the top HS player is going to college
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) August 15, 2017
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
- Oh, crap. Cole Mosier’s football career is over due to a torn ACL suffered this weekend. This is a significant negative impact on the offensive line.
More:
Amen Mr. Maggard https://t.co/Vf3EGmpVLE
— Vaughts' Views (@vaughtsviews) August 15, 2017
- Ohio insider talks UK target “Blue” Smith with Ben Roberts. Smith is a 6‘6” 205 lb. prospect from Dayton, Ohio and is considered one of UK’s top targets. I love big receivers.
- Job one for UK special teams this season is to get punting fixed, according to Mark Story. I’m afraid I have to agree, because it was a joke last season.
Kentucky basketball
- Word.
Not sure why it's said to be a year away but Kentucky's 2017-18 roster is loaded with deep and positionless talent. Fear no one.
— Greg (@GregNJ) August 15, 2017
- Derek Willis invited to camp for USA AmeriCup team. Hat tip: Anthony Wireman
- Cats Illustrated ($$) previews P.J. Washington.
- De’Aaron Fox showing Immanuel Quickley (UK recruit) love, and vice versa:
Thanks for the follow @swipathefox! Good luck this year with @SacramentoKings and in the @NBA pic.twitter.com/plOVzOJwXQ
— Immanuel Quickley (@IQ_GodSon) August 12, 2017
Other Kentucky sports
Links posts
College football
- Former Arkansas coach Frank Broyles has died. He was 92. That’s a long time to live.
Also:
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Frank Broyles, a great coach and legend of college football." -- Mark Stoops
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) August 15, 2017
- Whither Joker Phillips? He is now wide receivers coach at Cincinnati.
- Get well soon.
.@CoachPatDye_ tells us Gene Stallings suffered a minor stroke today & is resting comfortably in the hospital.
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) August 14, 2017
Get well Coach!
College basketball
- Is Jim Calhoun contemplating a return to coaching? It appears he may be interested in Division III St. Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut.
- North Carolina appears before the Committee on Infractions this Wednesday. Those of you hoping for UNC to get hammered and take down banners, I advise you to prepare to be disappointed.
Other sports news
- NBA schedule highlights, ex-Cats debuts, Cousins vs. Kings, and more. Impressive that the number of UK players on rosters could reach 30 during this season.
- Oh, Tiger. Your father would not be proud.
- Heh. When you’re a champion, you get to do champion things, even if they are a little weird.
Other news
- Stars orbiting a supermassive black hole may have finally confirmed general relativity:
“We probed the data with what we expected from relativity, [and saw] very strong indications here that we got the expected answer.”
- The new DeLorean is all about flying cars. Seems to me, this was foretold:
- Irish airline wants a ban on alcohol before 10 AM and a limit of two per person at other times. I doubt if that’s likely.