Friday Quickies: Maci Morris Edition

Don’t look now, but Kentucky women’s basketball has won three straight games and jumped back over .500 after starting the year 9-11. A 17 point win over Auburn yesterday got them back to 12-11, and it was thanks in no small part to Maci Morris. Morris scored her 1,000th career point, and had 18 last night. She’s the 33rd player to hit the 1,000 point mark in program history.

UK hoops is now 4-5 in SEC play. They’ll take on LSU Sunday.

Tweets of the day

Your quickies

CatsIllustrated.com - Mailbag: Kentucky's biggest 2019 recruiting priorities
This is a question that's impossible to answer with precision or too much confidence in terms of specifics because it will hinge on a variety of factors.

UK's foray into Louisiana begins - Cats' Pause
Coaching staff addition is already spreading in the south.

What's the latest in Christopher Oats' recruitment? - SEC Country
National Signing Day is less than a week away, and there's a big update in Kentucky's 2018 class regarding 4-star linebacker Chris Oats.

Kentucky women create chaos, top Auburn 65-48 to win third in a row | Lexington Herald Leader
Maci Morris was one of three Cats in double figures with 18 points in Kentucky’s 65-48 victory over Auburn. After a stretch in which the Cats lost 10 of 11 games, including eight straight, they have now won three in a row, all over SEC opponents.

Kentucky basketball | Best-case and worst-case scenarios for Cats - LCJ
How many games could UK lose in a difficult final stretch? What tournament seed is most realistic for the Wildcats? Could they miss the double bye in the SEC Tournament?

Calipari has answers for all of UK’s problems. Deciding which button to push is the challenge. | Lexington Herald Leader
No Kentucky player has emerged as a consistent star this season. But a collection of capable players gives the Cats a chance to find what’s needed in any situation. Coach John Calipari must “shuffle the deck” to find the right card, er, Cat.

Kentucky hires Indianapolis Colts assistant White to coach outside linebackers | Lexington Herald Leader
Brad White, who played at Wake Forest for Kentucky assistant coach Dean Hood, was named UK’s newly permitted 10th assistant coach on Thursday.

New Kentucky punter Australian Max Duffy adjusting to new country | Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky’s newest Australian punter, Max Duffy, is learning the rules of American football and also how to maneuver through the sandwich line at Subway. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore, rated as the No. 1 punting prospect in the 2018 class by Ray Guy’s ProKicker.com, has had a helping hand from fellow Aussie Matt Panton, who punted last season for UK as a graduate transfer.

Kentucky delivers unexpected even in same game | Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky rallied from a 14-point deficit then benefited from good fortune to beat Vanderbilt in overtime. Which team will show up at Missouri?

After school shooting, Marshall Co. radio announcer's healing words | Lexington Herald Leader
After a school shooting at Marshall County High School left two dead, the Marshals radio sports play-by-play announcer Jeff Waters searched for words that could encapsulate what Marshall Countians were feeling while he opened the broadcast of the school’s first basketball game after the killings.

Super Bowl LII analyst predictions: Patriots or Eagles in Minneapolis? - NFL.com
New England Patriots or Philadelphia Eagles? Who's going to take home MVP honors? How about a bold prediction? Our analysts forecast Super Bowl LII.

Some of Kentucky's top teams, Mr. Basketball candidates playing in Lexington on Saturday | Lexington Herald Leader
The Jock Sutherland Classic at Lafayette High School and the Gary Moore Classic at Franklin County High School are both set for Saturday, February 3, 2018.

Connecting all 2018 NFL head coaches to Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick - ESPN
Just how much have Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells influenced today's NFL? We mapped out how almost every NFL head coach can be traced back to the duo -- in the shortest path.

Derby Festival Classic basketball game canceled for 2018 | Lexington Herald Leader
The Kentucky Derby Festival Classic basketball all-star game will not be played this year, and its future is uncertain. The game, played at Freedom Hall in Louisville, has struggled to get more than a few thousand fans in recent years despite annually featuring future U of L, UK and Indiana basketball players.

CatsIllustrated.com - Mailbag: Kentucky's biggest 2019 recruiting priorities
This is a question that's impossible to answer with precision or too much confidence in terms of specifics because it will hinge on a variety of factors.

UK's foray into Louisiana begins - Cats' Pause
Coaching staff addition is already spreading in the south.

What's the latest in Christopher Oats' recruitment? - SEC Country
National Signing Day is less than a week away, and there's a big update in Kentucky's 2018 class regarding 4-star linebacker Chris Oats.

Patriots' Rob Gronkowski clears concussion protocol and says he'll play in Super Bowl LII - LA Times
Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots’ larger-than-life tight end, was a full participant in practice, finally cleared concussion protocol, and, in his first media appearance in nearly two weeks said he would play in Super Bowl LII.

No breathing room, but Pistons pull out a win in Griffin’s debut | Detroit Pistons
FAST BREAKDOWN Three quick observations from Thursday night’s 104-102 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Little Caesars Arena

Michael Vick: Aaron Rodgers ‘needs to be patient’ with Packers’ new QB coach | FOX Sports
Michael Vick and Mike Martz join Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitlock to discuss the Packers hiring a new quarterback coach.

Defending champ Eric Gordon, '16 winner Klay Thompson headline JBL Three-Point Contest field | NBA.com
Thompson is one of four 2018 NBA All-Stars in the competition, along with the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George and the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry. The eight-player field also features the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, the Miami Heat’s Wayne Ellington and the LA Clippers’ Tobias Harris.

Mark Appel, top pick of 2013 draft, quitting baseball | FOX Sports
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 draft has walked away from baseball without every throwing a pitch in the major leagues.