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Good morning Big Blue Nation! When the Arizona Wildcats fell to the Buffalo Bulls, a better chance to get to the Sweet Sixteen opened up for the Kentucky Wildcats. Now that the Virginia Cavaliers became the first one seed to ever lose to a 16 seed, the Cats now have a golden opportunity to reach the Final Four.
But first they have to get past a Feisty Bulls team that smacked Arizona. Buffalo coach Nate Oats is talking a lot of trash and so are his players. Not many teams have talked trash before a game against Kentucky in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the next round.
Tweets of the Day
UNREAL.
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 17, 2018
UMBC becomes the first 16 seed to upset to beat a No. 1 seed!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/iLdbVhNC0A
If you weren’t able to watch that live then I feel sorry for you.
UMBC > Virginia pic.twitter.com/Uiio5LE0uS
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 17, 2018
Believe it or not, our guys are so young that even 90s music was too old for some of them so @JonnyDavid mixed up some of the songs and came back for part ✌️ pic.twitter.com/DFROzDqbvG
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 17, 2018
Looks like SEC compiles a 6-2 worksheet in first round of NCAA as Missouri trails Florida State By 20 pts late. Things now get serious today and tomorrow. UK needs to be ready for a tight battle. There is so much parity in college hoops today.
— Oscar Combs (@wildcatnews) March 17, 2018
Quickies
John Calipari didn’t like being called a whiner | SEC Country- Buffalo coach Nate Oats said that John Calipari needs to stop whining about having a young team. Cal wasn’t too happy about what Oats had to say.
I don’t know if it’s whining or telling the truth. I’m not whining about it,” Calipari said. “I’ve got a pretty good team. ‘He should not tell the truth. He should not even say it. Introduce them and don’t give their year.’ That’s fine. At the end of the day we’ve got to go play a basketball game. Everybody has got to get in the ring and play.
Mad Calipari has been released.
Can Kentucky end Cocky Bull’s tournament? | Lexington Herald Leader- The Bulls haven’t been shy about telling everybody who will listen how they are going to beat Kentucky today in the Round of 32. The Wildcats are not amused.
The Bulls have a plan to stop Shai-Gilgeous Alexander | Lexington Herald Leader- The Bulls want to pressure SGA into making mistakes and turning the ball over. But SGA had a very business like answer tot the question of their pressure:
It won’t be too difficult,” he said in a tone suggesting indifference. “I’ve played against teams that really pressure the ball and really get after me. . . . I’ve seen a lot of defenses in my life, including this season. I’ve seen a lot and I’ve matured a lot. I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem tomorrow.
Ten fast facts about Buffalo | WDRB- The last fact is the most important: this team can play. While Arizona flat quit in the second half, Buffalo’s win was no fluke. Good thing is that I am sure they have Kentucky’s full attention.
Players share their memories of Cal’s emotions | SEC Country- John Calipari is a passionate man. Playing for him can be intense and maybe even sometimes scary. His current team has come a long way and he has a lot to be proud of.
UMBC’s victory through the eyes of Twitter users | ESPN- Social media is the devil but having twitter during the UMBC victory last night made it even more enjoyable. The entire country (outside of Virginia fans) was rooting for the Retrievers to upset the Hoos.
Wildcats drop SEC opener at Arkansas | UK Athletics- Sean Hjelle had the shortest start of his career going only 3.1 innings. The Cats lost 9-4 and will play the Hogs in a double header today starting at 3:00 PM.
What went wrong for Virginia? | CBS- The Cavaliers play a style of basketball that leaves them vulnerable if a team takes a lead over them. Their emphasis on defense and playing shot clock control offense has worked in the ACC but onee they get into the tournament, they’re 7-5.
UofL football recruit arrested for theft | WDRB- Bobby Petrino is “gathering information”.
The best and worst from Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament | SB Nation- High marks for UMBC, Marshall, and all of the five seeds. A lot of good stuff from Mike Rutherford.
We never got to know would be superstar Michael Porter, Jr. | CBS- The Missouri Tigers are 0-2 since Porter returned to the line-up. I think it’s safe to say that Mizzou’s chemistry was disrupted and that Porter did himself a disservice by playing.
Vegas bettor had $800 bet on UMBC money line | The Sporting News- He won a cool $16.000 dollars on that bet.
Chances for the upsets in all of todays games | FiveThirtyEight- The Bulls have a 29% chance of beating the Wildcats today. The metrics from the site also has Kentucky with a 25% chance of making it to the Final Four. That’s up from a 7% chance before Arizona and Virginia lost.
Avengers: Infinity War is already breaking records | Hollywood Reporter- With the success of Black Panther, Marvel looks to continue rolling with the third installment of The Avengers franchise. It broke the record for Fandango’s presale sell out.
Don’t forget to join me and Jason Ence on ESPN 680 immediately after the game this evening. We will have sound from players, John Calipari, and we will take phone calls at 502-267-9680. Don’t wait around for a postgame show.
Here’s how you listen:
Kentuckiana's Sports Talk Leader.
— ESPN Louisville (@ESPN680) February 24, 2018
ESPN 680 | 105.7 FM
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You can also get it on the iHeartRadio app.