Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation, and welcome to the Tuesday Morning Quickies.
The abrupt, unexpected truncation of the college basketball season, and the subsequent cancellation of major sporting leagues and events nearly worldwide, have left a major hole in America’s entertainment choices. This year will be memorable as the season without a college basketball champion, a Collegiate World Series, and quite possibly an Olympic year without an Olympics. News has come down today that the Kentucky Derby will still be run, but in September the Saturday after Labor Day.
But the human spirit will not be denied. Some college teams, denied the possibility of having “One Shining Moment” (aside: I loathe that song) sung in their honor, have decided to make their own versions in video. I guess that will have to do.
I suppose I’ll always regret not knowing what Kentucky’s three guards and Nick Richards could do against teams they haven’t played before. At the same time, I never had many hopes for this team advancing to the final weekend given what should certainly be a legendary propensity for winning without being able to put an opponent away. Still, it hurts a little not being able to see them try — not as bad as it hurts them, I’m sure, but life can be cruel like that. And if this is as cruel as life gets for them, they should give thanks for it every day.
Okay, I have to say it... We’ll be great next year, so watch out, world!
Tweet of the Morning
Randall Cobb has signed with the Houston Texans
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 17, 2020
Good for him. Hope he’s as successful there as he was at Green Bay.
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
- Kentucky wide receiver product and UK recruit Dekel Crowdus has set his decision date. Kentucky, Ohio State, Louisville, Ole Miss, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina Virginia Tech and Texas are all in the mix.
Kentucky basketball
- Coach Cal purportedly open to playing Iona now that Rick Pitino has taken the job there. I think that’s fine — why not get a few more beat-downs on our old coach to go with the current 11-2 record Calipari owns against Pitino since taking over UK?
- Calipari’s final radio show of the 2019-20 season is in the books.
- Who might be Kentucky’s next basketball commitment? These ten are ones to watch.
- Immanuel Quickley voted a third-team All-American by CBS Sports. Well-deserved.
- Nate Sestina says he’d return for another season at UK if the NCAA will allow it.
Other Kentucky sports
Links posts
College football
College basketball
- Rick Pitino, king of regrets. I remember when he said the same thing about leaving UK. I don’t remember what he said about that ... whatever that was ... at Porcini’s restaurant in Louisville.
- The NCAA was prepared for an NCAA Tournament cancellation, but not in conjunction with the massive number of lawsuits it’s had to fight recently.
- SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell thinks Dayton would’ve won the NCAA Tournament over Gonzaga in the final. But he filled out the whole bracket anyway. What does it mean that he had UK getting upset by East Tennessee State in the 2nd round?
Other sports news
- News you can use:
Source tells KSR that Thunder over Louisville will be rescheduled for August 15th
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 17, 2020
Related: Heh.
Tom Brady announces he’s leaving New England.
— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) March 17, 2020
Well well well.
Looks like Pats are in the market for a quarterback... pic.twitter.com/OmfPniywAf
- In case you missed it, Keenland has canceled their entire spring meet.
- Former UK legend Scott Padgett has been fired as Samford head coach.
Other news
- Finally, some good news: Spring starts Thursday, and it will be the earliest spring in 124 years.
- NASA’s “critical path” to the moon no longer requires a lunar gateway (space station orbiting the moon).
- Scientific explanation for the existence of a soul posited.