Kentucky Wildcats Morning Quickies: Platoon-style Edition

Jeff Eisenberg writes today for Yahoo about an "obscure Division III team" who runs a platoon-style system that may serve as a model for Kentucky and Coach Cal:

Kentucky’s John Calipari and John Carroll University’s Mike Moran don’t appear to have much in common except for one thing: They are two of the only coaches daring enough to run one of basketball’s most unconventional systems this season.

The thing that Moran does that Calipari does not do (at least not so far) is press constantly. The idea of doing that, obviously, is to exact a physical toll with wave after wave of fresh players.

I don’t think you have to press to take that toll on the other team. What you do have to do is play very physical, aggressive defense from every position.

It’s also pointed out that at the end of games, the five players playing the best that day regardless of platoon are on the floor. I think that’s another good idea, a way to put more motivation into the system.

I know a lot of people are skeptical about platoons, but I think they can work if Calipari can lose a few more of his preconceived notions about how to play the game. Sometimes he lets those get in his way. If you are going to innovate, half-measures are usually a step back rather than a step forward.

Tweet of the Morning

Here's one from the world of "WTH" UK football stats. If UK beats Mizzou it's the earliest to 3 conference wins for #BBN since 1999.

— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) October 31, 2014

Wow. That’s a first I’d love to see die.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Ten things you didn’t know about Kentucky. Well, most of it we knew, but still it’s a pretty interesting piece.

• Mark Stoops’ pre-Missouri comments.

Kentucky basketball

• The bizarre recruiting story of Skal Labissierre. I think we should run, not walk away from this young man. We don’t need the headaches.

• Possible. I think Willie would take it.

  Absolutely. RT @benjiwittig: @franfraschilla could you see Cauly-Stein having the same kind of NBA role as Deandre Jordan?

  — Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) October 31, 2014

• More UK love from Doug Gottlieb, passive-aggressive style:

  Boone > Drake (alum,played at OSU,worth more)pic.twitter.com/XDZWNO6fmH"

  — Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) October 31, 2014

  Douchenozzle.

• CBS Sports says Kentucky has the #1 front court in America. Duh. Seriously, Wisconsin is fine, but there is really no cogitation required for this one.

Other Kentucky sports

• Don’t miss it!

  #BBN, Kroger is giving away a limited amount of free tickets for the game this Saturday at Lexington & surrounding county Kroger locations!

  — UK Hoops (@UKHoopCats) October 30, 2014

• Women’s soccer defeats Alabama for sixth straight win. Soccer is having a huge year both on the men’s and womens side

Links posts

• John Clay’s Big Blue Links

College football

• Updated SEC win projections. According to Bill Connelly, Kentucky has only about 1 chance in three to win another game.

• An ankle injury to Jameis Winston was not enough to save Louisville from Florida State last night. Louisville did put up a valiant fight, but really it was no better than the fight Kentucky put up against the Mississippi St. Bulldogs last weekend, despite what you’ll hear from Louisville fans.

  Louisville’s much-vaunted defense gave up almost 500 yards in total offense.

• Losing to Florida State "hurts a lot," according to The Soulless One, Bobby Petrino. Good. Pain is what you deserve.

• What good is fandom if you can’t indulge in a little schadenfreude?

  FSU came back from 21 down to beat Louisville. This fan got all dressed up for NOTHING: http://t.co/DvrgfjxIEB pic.twitter.com/pXxX80qlXg

  — SB Nation (@SBNation) October 31, 2014

• Heh.

• Jason Kirk says that the football polls tend to be biased against the ACC.

College basketball

• College officials access part of an officiating website they weren’t suppose to and are being disciplined:

  "It was stupid," said one referee, who requested anonymity and will not work this season. "It fell in our lap, but it wasn’t with ill intent. We’re not computer hackers. We’re kicking ourselves why we did it, but it fell in our lap."

  Welcome to the 21st century where college officials get disciplined for computer abuse.

• 20 under-the-radar freshmen. I like Georgia’s Yante Maten. He is really good, and if he plays well, you could see the Dawgs being a really tough out this season.

• CBS Sports ranks Montrezl Harrell above Karl Towns. I don’t figure this. Harrell is a good player, but he’s not that good. He has no face-up game unless he got one over the summer, and he’s just an athletic dunker. No sale.

• The ACC finds itself in damage-control mode because of the issues surrounding North Carolina and Syracuse. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of elitists.

Other sports news

• The much-vaunted new-look LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers lose their first game to the New York Nicks. Ouch, that’s gonna leave a mark on social media.

• Russell Westbrook breaks his right hand, gets into verbal scrap with Clippers fan. All in all, a very bad day for the Thunder.

• The return of the real Rajon Rondo. Consider:

  Everything about Rondo’s game was vintage. He finished with 13 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds and if the game wasn’t such a rout he undoubtedly would have found a way to get those three extra rebounds and a triple double. That’s not a knock, by the way. It’s a reflection of how Rondo controlled every aspect of the game when he was on the floor, just like the old days.

  Even Brad Stevens was gobsmacked. Welcome to Rajon’s world, Brad. We only live in it.

• Sixers exercise the team options for Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams and Tony Wroten.

• War of words between Josh Smith and Kenneth Faried. Beware the Manimal, Josh. Motivating him is ill-advised.

• John Wall dazzles against Orlando. When will the NBA start to appreciate what a special talent he is?

• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the great jump shot reconstruction. He’s still got a little hitch in it, but he’s shooting it from the correct side of his body.

Other news

• Use it or lose it, I guess: Men who slept with 21 women had a 19% lower chance of developing prostate cancer. Shoot, I missed it by that much… Hat tip: Instapundit

• Speaking of prostates, a new study suggests vitamin D may help prevent prostate tumors.

• Is the gateway to Hell in Indiana? Shoot, I thought the whole state was the yawning maw of the Pit, but maybe that’s just Bloomington.