Saturday Quickies: Jaden Hardy Edition

UPDATE

Jaden Hardy plans to sign with the G-League, and it’s still very likely that Sahvir Wheeler is a Wildcat very soon.

Good morning, BBN. It’s been a busy week on the Kentucky Wildcats basketball front as John Calipari landed five star point guard TyTy Washington on Wednesday and momentum to add transfer point guard Sahvir Wheeler has picked up tremendously.

Another guard is coming off the board today as the number three ranked player in the class is set to decide tonight at 9:30 PM (EST). Kentucky has gone after Jaden Hardy but it’s not looking like it was meant to be. Hardy will most likely choose the G-League path today along with fellow freshman Michael Foster.

The G-League hasn’t been quite the lure with this class as it was with the previous class. The exposure for players was almost non-existent while college basketball was front and center on the national stage all season long.

But it’s still hard to turn down an opportunity at a six figure payday, and the freshman that elected to play in the G-League will still be drafted in the top ten of the NBA Draft.

While UK would rather have Hardy than not, John Calipari has his backcourt set up nicely with one more piece of the puzzle still to be finalized. With or without Hardy, the Cats’ roster will be loaded.

Tweets of the Day

If Hardy opts to go to UK it would be a bigger upset than when Zion Williamson opted to go to Duke.

That’s a pretty decent sign of things to come from the SEC’s assist leader.

Quickies

Jai Lucas setting his sights on five star guard from Texas | Cats Pause- Cason Wallace is the number 16 ranked player in the country in the class of 2022. Assistant coach Jai Lucas has deep roots in Wallace’s home state of Texas and he’s focusing in on this highly rated combo guard.

Bat Cats drop opener to South Carolina | Cats Illustrated- Chances at the NCAA tournament continue to slip away as the Wildcats lose the opening game in a crucial series against South Carolina. Hopefully they can salvage the next two or the tournament is all but out of the picture. The series resumes today at 2:00 PM.

Cats tied for fourth in odds to win the East | KSR- The Cats have a 14/1 chance of winning the East and 50/1 chance to win the SEC title in Atlanta. Georgia, Florida, and Missouri have better odds and Tennessee is also 14/1. I honestly think Kentucky should be third in the East but they have to prove it. No clunkers against Missouri or Tennessee.

Cats fall to Bama in the quarter finals of the SEC Tournament | UK Athletics- The Cats will have to make it into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid but they’re chances are pretty good. The Tide are the number three ranked team in the country.

Medina Spirit cleared to run in Preakness | ESPN- The controversial horse and trainer Bob Baffert are looking to prove that a banned substance was not the reason for Medina Spirit’s Derby win.

Lynn Family stadium to host first full capacity matches in June | WDRB- With the CDC announcing that vaccinated Americans can ditch masks inside and outside, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear was quick to begin plans for the Commonwealth to open for business. Lou City FC and Racing Louisville FC will be some of the first teams to play in front of a full capacity crowd in over a year.

Predicting every SEC team’s first loss | SDS- First loss for the Cats won’t be until week 5 when they play the Gators. That would be huge as the second game of the season is against Missouri. The most painful loss of last season to me was that letdown game against Missouri. A win against the Tigers would have changed the conversation about last season. Big time revenge game.

Gamblers sue Bob Baffert | CBS- Those that bet on Mandaloun to win have a beef with Baffert and Medina Spirit but this seems like it’s going to be DOA.

Aaron Rodgers drama continues to drag on | USA Today- Matt LaFleur has a decision to make if he is going to gamble on the future with Jordan Love or if he is going to try to get the last years out of Aaron Rodgers in hopes of a Super Bowl win.