Friday Quickies: Ingredients for a Championship Edition

Kenny Payne held the pre-Alabama press conference in place of John Calipari yesterday and offered up some thoughts on what needs to occur for Kentucky to bring home a national championship this year.

Payne broke it down into a few key areas:

Ashton Hagans needs to be a “pest” on defense and control the offense.

EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards have to provide solid minutes off the bench.

Nick Richards needs to be really good.

P.J. Washington needs to continue to fill up the stat sheet.

Kentucky needs to have a mindset to be able to win on the road.

Seems like a pretty straightforward formula and we’re already seeing some of these things take shape. It’s no coincidence that has led to improved play over the last two weeks. However, things are going to start getting really interesting soon.

The SEC slate kicks off tomorrow and Kentucky will be tested multiple times. They’ll be tested by the top teams in the SEC, middle-tier teams when they go on the road, and pesky underdogs that will play better than they have all year when Kentucky comes to town.

There will be some bumps in SEC play, and there will be questions about what this team’s potential is, but I think this coaching staff has a good handle on getting the players ready for March, and the players want to succeed and make a run at the title.

Tweets of the Day

Self Explanatory.

Matthew Mitchell’s squad continues to impress.

Quickies

Finebaum has Kentucky in final CFB Top 10 rankings - Kentucky Sports Radio

Paul thinks the Cats are one of the best in the country.

Five questions UK must answer to avoid slipping back in 2019 - Herald Leader

Next season will depend a lot on Terry Wilson and players stepping up in the secondary.

Citrus Bowl had second highest attendance of non NY6/CFB Playoff bowl games - Kentucky Sports Radio

More than 59,000 fans showed up in Orlando.

Under Armour All-American ‘in love’ with Kentucky - Courier Journal

DeVonta Lee had some really nice comments about Kentucky.

UK Women easily defeat Vanderbilt - Herald Leader

Kentucky is now 14-1 after picking up their first SEC victory of the season.

Zion Harmon’s court case delayed again - Courier Journal

It’ll be at least another week before we know if Harmon can play at Marshall County this season.

Bol Bol out for season with foot injury, will enter NBA Draft - ESPN

Tough ending for the big guy who was once considered a top UK target.

NFL announces Hall of Fame finalists - NFL

Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey, and Issac Bruce are among the players named as finalists.

Pelicans’ reputation for injuries could scare Anthony Davis away - Deadspin

An interesting take on an aspect of the Pelicans that could have ramifications down the road for the former Kentucky star.

Tennessee has talked with Steve Sarkisian about OC opening - Rocky Top Talk

The Vols may be on their way to finding a new offensive coordinator in Sark.

Is the CFB playoff system broken? - The Ringer

With another Alabama-Clemson matchup looming, The Ringer examines the playoff system.

Baylor ends UCONN Women’s regular season winning streak - ESPN

It had been more than four years since UCONN had lost a regular season game.

DeAndre Hopkins planning to donate to family of slain Houston girl - Yahoo

What an awesome gesture by Hopkins.