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Bud Dupree was drafted #22 last night by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Many projections had Dupree going in the top ten, but numerous reliable sources countered that he was overvalued in the mock drafts. That turned out to be somewhat true.
Congrats, Bud. Well earned. Here is the NFL.com video of his selection.
Tweet of the Morning
.@UKphotogs is following @Bud_Dupree2 around at the NFL Draft. Here is a quick photo gallery: http://t.co/J1tp0vRlJ5 pic.twitter.com/8agl9WaiOV
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) May 1, 2015
That red jacket really gets in your face, doesn’t it?
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
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Mark Stoops needs to continue Kentucky’s improvement in year three:
In Year Three, Kentucky must end its postseason drought to keep fans optimistic. Stoops has made drastic progress from the 2-10 program he inherited in 2012. The Wildcats averaged 17.9 points per game during Joker Phillips’ final season. In 2015, Kentucky scored 29.2 per contest, despite poor performances late in the season.
I think this is right.
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UKAthletics.com has more on Bud Dupree’s selection by the Steelers.
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UK running backs coach Chad Scott says Jojo Kemp is learning to do the little things right. There is nothing more satisfying than watching a talented football player improve over the years.
Kentucky basketball
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A very nice article about Isaiah Briscoe over at SLAM magazine. I didn’t know Briscoe was related to Kyrie Irving.
One thing I like about briscoe is his size. He’s not tremendously tall at 6‘3.5", but he is extremely strong and physical. I like guards like that.
Here’s his mixtape, in case you forgot:
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2015 small forward Jaylen Brown cuts Kansas, still has Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and California. Michigan still considered the favorite, but Kentucky might be making headway. Don’t get your hopes up.
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Despite some recruiting misses and losing 85%+ of their scoring, UK remains the default #1 choice for many, including ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan. Hat tip: Aaron’s blog.
Other Kentucky sports
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Freshman golfer Tyler "Chip" McDaniel has been named to the All-SEC Freshman team.
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Vanderbilt is coming to town starting tonight. If Kentucky wants to punch their ticket to the SEC and NCAA tournaments, beating the #8 Commodores would certainly help their cause.
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Well, this is great news. The SEC/Big 12 Challenge is being expanded to include 10 games each year between the two conferences in women’s basketball.
Links posts
College football
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Jameis Winston went #1 last night to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is the highest NFL Draft pick ever for the Florida St. Seminoles.
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The Capstone Report is displeased with what it sees as bias by AL.com in favor of Auburn.
College basketball
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Now that you’re replacing Billy Donovan, Florida, you must choose wisely.
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Adrian Wojnarowski on why Billy Donovan finally decided to jump to the NBA. I found this particularly interesting:
Several NBA coaches who know Donovan well believe he has the perfect blend of acumen and humility to make the transition to the pros. Pitino had two fatal flaws in his doomed run as emperor of the Boston Celtics: He was too impulsive with personnel decisions; and too vain to accept that the players are the stars.
The words "vain" in the same sentence with "Pitino" has exactly the same synergy as "bread" and "butter."
Other sports news
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Terse Gregg Popovich after the Clippers force game 7:
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Tom Leach analyzes the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby. Myself, I have had no time to even think about it, what with having to replace my heat pump and family emergencies every other day. Grueling week.
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Heh.
Other news
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This is pretty cool, if you have an Android device. Via UKSprinter.
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6.8 magnitude earthquake recorded in Papua, New Guinea. The Pacific and Asia are shaking like crazy these days.
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Ten things to make your mornings more productive. I was happy to see that I do a fair number of them.