Saturday Quickies: SEC Tip Off Edition

Good morning Big Blue Nation! Kentucky Wildcats basketball is back after a week-long hiatus as the team is set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa for the opening of SEC play.

The Cats closed the non-conference season out strong with two straight wins against the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Louisville Cardinals. One win was on a neutral court while the other was at the Yum! Center.

The Tide are an unimpressive 9-3 with losses to Georgia State, Central Florida, and Northeastern. But the team has improved after adjusting to life without Colin Sexton. They do own wins over Arizona and Penn State.

Kira Lewis and Donta Hall are the two players the Cats will have to watch out for along with erratic John Petty.

The crowd may be sparse due to winter break and the fanbase more focused on the National Championship game on Monday night.

Still, the Cat better be ready for a test as we have seen them drop the first conference game of the season in the past.

Tweets of the Day

That’s hilarious.

A certain 10-3 team seems to be missing here.

Let’s go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quickies

Stuff is getting real | Lexington Herald Leader- Alabama seems more worried about the Cats coming into their home than vice versa. If Kentucky plays like they did closing out December then the Tide have every reason in the world to worry.

Kira Lewis is the next challenge for Ashton Hagans | Cats Pause- One of the biggest reasons for Kentucky’s surge is the point guard play of Ashton Hagans. Along with his ability to efficiently run the offense, Hagans has been the defensive stopper that John Calipari has been looking for. Lewis is a five star freshman and is leading the Tide with 15.1 points per game.

Scott Padgett and Karl Hess have an altercation | CBS- NCAA basketball officiating is the worst in all of sports and Karl Hess is one of the worst in the business. He got into a dustup with former Kentucky great Scott Padgett, now the head coach at Samford. Hess went after Padgett after the coach objected to a call.

Padgett’s comments are hilarious. But on a serious note, why are these refs allowed to behave in this manner?

UK focused on becoming a championship level team | UK Athletics- Camp Cal is over and SEC play is here. Time for the team to round into form.

Bob Burrow passes away at 84 | ESPN- The two time All American averaged a staggering 17.7 rebounds per game. He was inducted into the UK Hall of Fame in 2005. His mark of 34 rebounds vs. Temple is the gold standard for rebounds in one game.

Neal Brown to West Virginia | SB Nation- The former UK OC is headed to Morgantown where many speculate he will be extremely successful. He killed it at Troy and I’m surprised it took this long for a major program to scoop him up.

Chad Scott to Louisville | Chaplebro.com- The former UK running back coach is the latest to join Scott Satterfield’s staff at Louisville. He was a very well liked coach at UK and Stoops was sorry to see Scott head to UNC to be the tight ends coach there.

Enes Kanter to skip London trip | ESPN- The former Wildcat is worried about being detained by Turkish officials if he leaves the country. Kanter is a wanted man as he’s been extremely vocal in his criticisms against the dictator Erdogan.

Justin Fields to Ohio State | CBS- Fields spent one season behind Jake Fromm at Georgia before deciding to bail to the Buckeyes. He is a former five star QB and many think he will transition nicely even without Urban Meyer there in Columbus.

Who are the contenders in the NFL playoffs? | Sporting News- The Saints, the Chiefs, and the Patriots are the top three teams in the playoffs with the Eagles bringing up the rear. The road teams on Wildcard weekend historically do pretty darn well.

I’ll be on ESPN 680 in Louisville to take your calls and texts after the Cats take on the Tide.

Here is how you listen:

502-267-9680 to call, 502-437-9680 to text. Jason Ence will join me and I hope you will as well!