Thursday Quickies: Good Vibes Edition

Sure, it was 0-8 Monmouth, but last night was the kind of game we all expected from the Kentucky Wildcats, as they thoroughly dominated the Hawks on both sides of the court.

It came just hours after the Louisville Cardinals missed on what appeared to be a home-run hire in Jeff Brohm, who will remain at Purdue instead.

To cap off the night, Charles Matthews and the Michigan Wolverines put an absolute beatdown on the North Carolina Tar Heels.

That’s a good day right there.

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Your Quickies

Kentucky defends, makes three-pointers in one-sided victory | Lexington Herald Leader
Winless Monmouth was the tonic Kentucky needed. UK answered Coach John Calipari’s call for better defense. The Cats also made a season-high 10 three-pointers in an easy victory. Monmouth had only one basket in the final 9:34 of the first half. In that time, Kentucky outscored the Hawks 22-4 to greatly expand what had been a 22-18 lead.

Josh Allen Named Walter Camp Player of the Year Finalist - UK
Allen has been a terror on defense the entire season as he leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks third nationally in sacks (14.0) and leads the league and ranks 11th nationally in tackles for loss (18.5). He also is tied for the NCAA lead in most forced fumbles (five).

Kentucky’s Mark Stoops should be SEC’s Coach of the Year | Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky football’s Mark Stoops should be the top candidate for SEC Coach of the Year honors. Other contenders are likely to be Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Florida’s Dan Mullen and LSU’s Ed Orgeron.

LeBron James hints he wants his son to play for Coach K | Kentucky Sports Radio
It seems like only yesterday LeBron James Jr. was trying on John Calipari’s championship rings at the Joe Craft Center, but his father suggested he has a different coach in mind for when “Bronny” goes to college in 2023.

Morris Leads No. 25 Kentucky Past Morehead State - UK
Morris, the senior from Bell County (Ky.) High School hit 12 of her 20 shots from the field, including four of eight from behind the arc, while adding three-of-four from the free throw line. The 31 points are the second-most Morris has ever scored in a UK uniform.

Tracking Kentucky’s True Freshmen - CatsPause
The Wildcats’ coaching staff took advantage of the new NCAA redshirt rule allowing players to play in up to four games and still save a year of eligibility. Several freshmen added depth and contributed to the team this season. The freshman class will be the main focus of this story, but it’s worth noting that other players will redshirt this season.

BasketballRecruiting.Rivals.com - Bossi’s fest freshman tracker
Keldon Johnson makes the list of Rivals’ top freshman thus far in the 2018-19 college basketball season.

Latest on 2019 basketball recruit Anthony Edwards » UK recruiting news
Since the reclassification announcement, Rivals.com has inserted Edwards at No. 3 overall in its 2019 rankings. ESPN now ranks him as the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2019 class. He’s currently listed as the No. 4 overall player in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Jeff Brohm is Staying at Purdue - Hammer and Rails
Jeff Brohm’s Louisville homecoming is all for not. Brohm has turned down an opportunity to become the new football coach at his alma mater and hometown school, choosing instead to stay with Purdue.

CFP Rankings Analysis: New Order Confirms It’s an SEC World Out There - Yahoo
This conference’s dominance is far from being news at this point, but with Missouri sliding in at No. 24 this week, the SEC boasts eight teams in the rankings. The conferences that come closest are the Big Ten and Big 12, each with four teams in the CFP top 25.

No. 1 recruit Haley Jones signs with Stanford - ESPN
Tara VanDerveer scored the ultimate prize from the 2019 class after Haley Jones traveled thousands of miles before deciding her new home was right up the road.

Report: Lamar Jackson to Start at QB for Ravens in Week 13 vs. Falcons
Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson will get his third consecutive start under center on Sunday in a road matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (h/t Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk).

Cowboys’ Demarcus Lawrence on Game Plan vs. Saints: ‘Choke They Ass Out’
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence didn’t need to break down the X’s and O’s regarding his team’s defensive game plan for Thursday’s contest against the New Orleans Saints.

NASA Engineers Mimic 49ers Fortnite TD Celebration After InSight Lands on Mars
On Monday, the InSight lander touched down on Mars, and two NASA engineers busted out a celebration inspired by the popular video game (skip to 1:16 of the video):

Kentucky will have two Mr. Football award winners in 2018 | Lexington Herald Leader
The Kentucky Associated Press and the Kentucky Football Coaches Association will each name a Mr. Football in 2018. The Kentucky Associated Press sometime in late December or early January will name its own Mr. Football recipient, as it has done since 1986 when Newport Central Catholic’s Frank Jacobs claimed the inaugural honor.