Saturday Quickies: Big Blue Madness Review Edition

Another Big Blue Madness is in the books as the Big Blue Nation once again celebrated the annual kickoff to basketball showcase.

The format was different this year as the players showcased a three point contest and a dunk contest instead of just the usual scrimmage. There were mixed reactions from fans but it’s not like we haven’t seen these guys compete before. It was only just two months ago when we were watching them play in the Bahamas.

With football off this week, fans were able to dedicate all of their cheering and loyalty to basketball. It was fun to see all of the players come out to their intros, Immanuel Quickley and Johnny David were particularly animated, but the rest of the event kind of fell flat.

Nevertheless actual regular season basketball is around the corner. I just received word that I have been credentialed for the Champions Classic to watch the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Duke Blue Devils. I’m fairly excited about that.

Tweets of the Day

It’s amazing how John Calipari can get these family members to return. Marquis Teague was one of the few players that entered the draft after one season at UK that expressed some remorse about his decision. 2013 would have been vastly different if he had been on the team.

This was a really cool tribute from Tyler Herro.

Name this show in the comments section. Best title gets a free year long subscription to A Sea of Blue.

Quickies

Coach Cal’s Big Blue Madness Speech | Courier-Journal- This may have been Cal’s best speech to date. He was a little more long winded than usual but he has a lot to brag about considering what he’s accomplished so far at UK. And he REALLY likes his team.

Highlights of player interviews | Lexington-Herald Leader- This is not a shy bunch. They are very forthcoming, articulate, and entertaining. Quade Green is up there with Willie Cauley-Stein in terms of swag during interviews.

Big Blue Madness visitor list | Cats Pause- As usual some of the biggest recruits in the country attended the event. Vernon Carey, Jr. was the most important of these as John Calipari has yet to land a big man in the 2019 class and seems to be losing steam with Oscar Tsheibwe and Isaiah Stewart. Getting Carey would solve a lot of problems as Kentucky will probably lose every big man on the current roster to the draft. Tyrese Maxey was there to help sell playing with Carey.

#5 Cats host Marshall | UK Athletics- The UK soccer team is one of the best in the country and they are looking to take on Marshall tonight at 7:00 PM at the Bell.

Fans boo Rick Pitino | Courier-Journal- During his speech, Cal read off the legendary names of coaches that have been at the program. When he got to Rick Pitino, a loud chorus of boos could be heard throughout Rupp Arena. Cal paused and looked annoyed but he did not chastise the crowd.

Hamidou Diallo may be a steal for the Thunder | Cats Pause- Hamidou Diallo had his ups and downs at Kentucky as he struggled with his confidence. The Thunder took a chance on him in the second round and it seems to be paying off. He is logging big minutes and looked good in the NBA preseason.

Would Calipari invite Pitino to speak to team? | Courier-Journal- NO.

Tyler Ulis waived by Warriors | Golden State of Mind- Bad news for Tyler Ulis as he is still searching for a team. The talent is there but the size is not.

KAT calls Wolves woes “unacceptable” | ESPN- Jimmy Butler has once again proven that he is an awful teammate as he leaves the Timberwolves a wreck. Karl-Anthony Towns was made the franchise player over the summer as he was given a huge max contract. The Wolves were blasted by the Bucks in their preseason finale last night and Towns was asked to react:

Towns said the nature of the loss bothered him most.

”I really don’t damn know,” he said when asked why the club has failed to put together solid 48-minute stretches this preseason. “But if you find out, let me know. You can get beat. Everybody in this league -- I don’t care if you’re the Golden State Warriors my rookie year, the 95-96 Bulls -- you’re gonna lose some games. But you can’t get embarrassed. That’s just unacceptable.”