Friday Quickies: Beat Houston Edition

The Kentucky Wildcats return to action after nearly a week off as they take on the Houston Cougars in Kansas City in the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Region.

Kentucky has reached the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year, and is looking to advance to the Elite 8 where they will face the winner of North Carolina/Auburn if they can defeat the Cougars.

Houston appears to be a difficult matchup for Kentucky. They possess a great level of athleticism and have been among the nation’s best defensive teams in the country this season. While Houston isn’t a Power 6 team, they’ve shown this year that they are legitimate and capable of making a Final Four run.

Kentucky got a big boost as it appears they will have PJ Washington in the fold for tonight’s game after he missed the first two games of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Washington is Kentucky’s leading scorer and rebounder, and should be able to present some matchup nightmares for the Cougars’ smaller lineup along with his frontcourt running mate, Reid Travis.

The game is scheduled to tip off at approximately 9:59 E.T. tonight, but could be flexible depending on the UNC-Auburn game.

As always, Go Cats!

Tweets of the Day

Enough said.

Crazy that it’s already time for spring football practice.

Quickies

With or without PJ Washington, Kentucky feels good heading into Houston matchup - Herald Leader

PJ could prove to be a major difference maker if he plays tonight.

Calipari and Kelvin Sampson have a shared history and a knack for strong defenses - Herald Leader

This one could be a low-scoring affair.

Houston is the underdog, but Cats are playing with a chip on their shoulder - KSR

With a lot of uncertainty around the team, the players feel like they’re being doubted.

How Ashton Hagans helped turn Kentucky’s season around - Courier Journal

Kentucky will need the late December/early January Ashton to make a title run.

Purdue takes down Tennessee in South Region semifinals - Bleacher Report

The Vols’ season comes to a screeching halt in Louisville.

Gonzaga easily takes down Florida State - Bleacher Report

The Zags avenge their Sweet 16 loss from last year.

Coach K denies Avenatti allegations - Yahoo

Honestly, what did we expect him to say?

Fan who uttered racial slur at DeMarcus Cousins gets banned from Celtics arena - Yahoo

The issue of fans verbal abuse toward players has been under the spotlight the last few weeks.

Devin Booker is the youngest player with back-to-back 50+ point games - Cats Pause

Booker keeps lighting it up but the Suns still struggle to get in the win column.

Greg Schiano abruptly resigns from Patriots job - ESPN

It was quite a short tenure for Schiano in New England.

Dodgers break league record with 8 HRs on Opening Day - ESPN

Los Angeles gets theirs season off to a hot start.