SB Nation - Derrick Rose

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Post-UConn Edition

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:10:48 -0000

We'll have a look back at the UConn game a bit later, but I just wanted to get you up to date on the news, which has lagged a bit due to the pace of the season and my busy schedule.

Obviously, most of this is hyperbole directed at John Wall, but it's always fun to read. It pleases me no end to avenge the 2006 loss to the Huskies, even if the game was anything but a thing of beauty.

The news follows the jump.

Sprints Is Not Surprised that Tennessee Is Under Investigation // 12.10.09 - Team Speed Kills
Team Speed Kills considers it an inevitability, and I suppose it is with all the secondary violations the team had to admit earlier this year. Is it just me, or does this look somehow like UT was running a brothel to aid their recruiting? I'm sure that's not the case, but if I were a late-night comedian, I would be having a field day with this.
Rush The Court " Blog Archive " ATB: John Wall is College Basketball
John Wall (25/2/6 stls) scored twelve of the last fifteen points of the game for his team, and as our RTC Live correspondent Ballin is a Habit put it at the game, "Garden security should kidnap Wall and throw a Nate Robinson jersey on him. Who will know?"

Heh. Indeed.
Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Morning Five: 12.10.09 Edition
Memphis filed an appeal against the NCAA’s decision to vacate its 2008 season based on the Derrick Rose SAT scandal, even with the distinct possibility that the school could face a harsher punishment than currently imposed if they did so. We’re not really keen on the NCAA Committee on Infractions using this heavyhanded method of leverage to try to force schools to swallow their initial decision just because they said so. Memphis correctly argued that this creates a "chilling effect" for schools that wish to use their legal right to appeal, and even cited language from a 2001 case against UNLV to that effect. We’re starting to wonder if someone at the NCAA lost a lot of money on Memphis that season, because this is taking the appearance of vindictiveness.

Indeed it is. Somebody needs to explain to the Committee on Infractions that they are making the NCAA look like Tomás de Torquemada.
" BBL: Wall wows a Madison Square Garden party John Clay’s Sidelines
John Clay's Big Blue Links.
UK beats UConn as Wall takes over | KentuckySports.com
Liggins at home

UK sophomore DeAndre Liggins did not make the trip. He also did not travel to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge.

What does this mean? I don't know.
John Wall is one tough Cat; late heroics lift Kentucky basketball past UConn 64-61 | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
Jay-Z was nowhere to be seen. Spike Lee apparently was absent. There was no sign of Woody Allen courtside Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden. Still, "The World's Most Famous Arena" didn't lack for star power in the University of Kentucky's 64-61 win over Connecticut in the SEC/Big East Challenge.
John Clay: Big stage exactly where Wall belongs | KentuckySports.com
And down low, the Huskies gashed Kentucky on the glass 26-14 in the first 20 minutes. The Huskies taught the Cats a thing or two.

Ah, but the Cats showed they can be quick learners. Kentucky learned how to take a punch, even on the biggest stage, the one where they used to hold all those classic heavyweight fights.

Just barely quick enough.
Dana O'Neil: Too much hype? John Wall is well worth it - ESPN
If there was a halfcourt offense being run by either team, it was well-disguised.

Truth, forsooth.
In crunch time, Calipari not afraid to go to the Wall - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
You want a crazy statistic?

Consider that Wall has played eight games and scored key points in the final minute to help win four of them. Some great college players will go entire careers without doing that. But Wall has already hit a game-winning jumper to beat Miami of Ohio, hit a pull-up jumper followed by free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining to force overtime in an eventual victory against Stanford, made two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining to secure a win over North Carolina, and converted an I-can't-believe-he-just-made-that three-point play with 30.8 seconds remaining to beat UConn.

If it sounds amazing, that's because it is amazing.

If he sounds awesome, that's because he is awesome.

I think he's said it all.

Why John Wall could be bad for college basketball

SFBE.NF — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:39:02 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

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When Carmelo Anthony was a freshman at Syracuse, and captivated the nation by single-handedly bringing the 2003 NCAA National Championship to upstate New York, there were no blogs, Billy Edelin was a budding star, and my thoughts on the state of college basketball took a back seat to my careful planning of clandestine meetings replete with hard alcohol to be shared among my high school friends.

But now I am older, blog on an aging laptop, get drunk with my parents, and am realizing that John Wall is severely exposing a sad truth: the amount of talent in college basketball is unimpressive.

Tonight Wall put up 25 points along with six steals in a fantastic win over UCONN, all part of an electrifying atmosphere at MSG. The problem here is Wall has come in to poop on his peers for one season, all with the intent of peacing to the pros come springtime, forgetting that college basketball even exists. It stinks, but has just become part of the deal for us fans.

Do you remember that incredible class of 2007? Freshman Michael Beasley and Kevin Love were first-team All-Americans, Derrick Rose dominated the second and third weekends of the tournament, and Eric Gordon led the Big 10 in scoring. Just one year before that, Kevin Durant casually averaged 29 points-per-game during conference play and logged 20 games of 30 points or more. Meanwhile, Greg Oden showed up in Columbus for just two-thirds of the season and led the Buckeyes to the title game against Florida. Each one of these players, as you know, came to college for one season with no interest in returning for a second taste. And the whole gig was far too easy for them.

We're relying on 17- and 18-year-old players to generate the majority of excitement and hype for this great sport. You know there was another explosive point guard on the floor tonight? His name was Kemba Walker, a sophomore. Nobody seemed to care. After being ignored by his teammates for the first 25 minutes of the game, Patrick Patterson showed he's one of the country's best big men. But he's a junior, which is so "out" this season. Why aren't we looking to market the players we know are in this relationship for the long run?

If the NCAA bigwigs are watching, I hope they recognize their brand of basketball is in trouble. They need to get on the phone with The League and have a say in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Somehow, someway, we need to ensure that blue chip freshman committing to play college basketball stick around for two seasons. That's all I ask. If they can't summon themselves to do that, then effyou! Go play in Europe, wait to turn 20 and get drafted by the Sacramento Kings, a dismal franchise never seen on national television.

We need help, because Blue Jesus and his disciples will continue to betray fans of the college game.

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Sam Houston State Edition

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:15:05 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

Charlie Coles is da man! What a great performance the Miami RedHawks gave in the post-game interview the other day.

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Tonight, the Wildcats take on the Bearkats of Sam Houston State, a team I know absolutely nothing about, as their opening round game in the Cancun Challenge. Rumors have been swirling about the availability of Darnell Dodson and John Wall, but I have heard nothing definite. The closest I can come is:

Calipari is very unhappy with Darnell Dodson at the moment (that could explain why it took him so long to get into the game on Monday).
Calipari is getting happier with DeAndre Liggins. Happy enough to play him?
John Wall's uncle passed away earlier this week. Our sympathy goes out to his family. I have no idea if he will play or not, but I suspect he will.

In other news worth highlighting, UK just secured another football recruit, Avery Williamson, a Rivals 3* linebacker out of Milan, Tennessee. Willimson impressed at Lane Kiffin's Tennessee Camp and is one of the very best in the Volunteer state. Even though UT was not heavily recruiting Williamson, UK has had great success with the overlooked players from Tennessee and Georgia.

And finally there is this item about one of my favorite players, Chuck Hayes. I somehow missed this when it come out (I'm sure somebody linked it, though) but I think it deserves special attention. I love Chuck Hayes, and when he gets accolades, I like to put it on the front page.

The news follows the jump.

Rich Brooks & the SEC Teleconference « Over The Pylon
Blogpoll Week 11 - CBSSports.com
Cats aren't fooled by Georgia's sub-par stats | KentuckySports.com
"Georgia's still Georgia," sophomore offensive tackle Brad Durham said. "They're still big and athletic and, defensively, they're huge up front."

I think the "Georgia is Georgia" part was all that needed to be said.
Wildcat Blue In a Sea of Orange: Rich Brooks is making the bowls despite the absence of "star recruits"
Calipari's Cats Get Taste Of Kinder, Gentler Coach
Calipari had been hoping for a moment like this early in the season, a chance for him to see how his talented but largely inexperienced squad reacted to adversity for the first time.

"I was ecstatic," Calipari said.

I'm thinking Gillispie would have done this ... ah ... a little different. And his team was shocked.

"I’ve not really seen anybody be positive when you’re down 18, but he was," Miller said.

Calipari evenly — but not harshly — challenged his players to prove themselves.
Basketball recruiting: The strength of Memphis' class was a major statement by first-year coach Josh Pastner - ESPN
With a few players graduating and a few anticipated early departures, the Wildcats are going to have a few need areas to fill. Look for UK to make a push to get a point guard, a shooter and some size. The Wildcats could get a head start on filling these needs if they get a commitment from Tobias Harris (Brookville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills), who plans to announce his decision on Thursday. They also are in the running for unsigned prospects Brandon Knight (Coral Springs, Fla./Pine Crest), Josh Selby (Baltimore/Lake Clifton), Doron Lamb (Laurelton, N.Y./Oak Hill Academy) and Terrence Jones (Portland, Ore./Jefferson), among others.

With Calipari at the helm, I'll worry about recruiting when he gives me a reason to. Until then, I expect a top five class every year.
Tobias Harris! Tobias Harris! Tobias Harris! - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Kentucky will not get Harris, IMO, but here is some info in how his recruitment is going.
Don't Bet On It!: Around the SEC - Dawg Sports
Texas Overwhelms Western Carolina 73-41 - Burnt Orange Nation
* And yes, I hope Kansas fans see this, and react to this. Not because I want a chest-thumping war, but because I think this is our rival in basketball. Rick Barnes and Bill Self see it the same way, and I'm all for it. The Texas-Kansas back-and-forth over the last 6 years has been the best kept secret in college hoops, and I absolutely love that we have a powerhouse like Kansas to constantly measure ourselves against. They're smart fans: I think they see it, too. This should be the most fun season to date.

I think Peter's right. The Kansas-Texas rivalry has really been heating up over the years. Who knows, one day it may be as recognized as it deserves.
Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Memphis Learns Its Fate, Can’t/Won’t Tell Anyone the Results…
Does the NCAA not understand that operating in this manner in no way engenders public trust and faith in the fairness and equitable nature of the system? Do they not see that, regardless of the strength of their argument on the merits, John Q. Fan reads this and can only conclude that the NCAA is hiding the ball so as to get its way in the end? Are they too dense to realize that a simple and consistent application of rules and policies are the first step toward removing much of the thinly-veiled cynicism that those still following big-time college sports have for it?

I'm afraid I can't improve on this at all. Must read.
StraitPinkie.com Previews Sam Houston State at Kentucky | straitpinkie.com
Cats say Miller fits dribble-drive | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
Two weeks ago, Calipari said, he noticed that Miller's shoulders were leaning back on his jump shot. Instead of going straight up with a shot, he was fading away from it. The result was a flat shot.

But the observation slipped Calipari's mind.

Let's hope Miller has it working now. We need a bit more out of him.
A healthy dose of Patterson, sound defense keys to Kentucky's 2009-2010 seasons
" SEC links: Can Georgia stand a little praise? John Clay’s Sidelines
John Clay's SEC links
Jeff Sheppard Podcast: Titans of Kentucky – LostLettermen.com
What Everyone Needs to Know About The DDMO
A really nice set of principles for the DDM offense. Very interesting.
" Video: John Calipari before today’s practice John Clay’s Sidelines
Cobb may not play at Georgia | Vaught's Views
Uh-oh. I hope that shoulder can heal in three days.
ZAGSBLOG " Doron Lamb Weighing Options; Pitt Signs 3
Tom Leach - Kentucky Football, Kentucky Basketball, UK Football, UK Basketball
Tom has a several new podcats up you will want to listen to.
Miami Coach Not Impressed By Lexington Reporter's Question - Media Meltdowns - Deadspin
A reporter asked Miami of Ohio coach Charlie Coles (a 17.5-point underdog last night) how he let the Kentucky game "get away from him." He was not amused.
Memphis Tigers Fall (Barely) to Top-Ranked Kansas | Tiger Blue | Memphis Flyer
If you’re a college hoops fan, you gotta love Dick Vitale’s enthusiasm. But objectivity? His unbridled defense of the Memphis program in respect to the allegations that Derrick Rose had a proxy take his SAT for him was hardly a broad assessment of the matter. Long tied to the mast of college basketball, Vitale should show greater concern for the shortcuts players are bound to take to skirt the NBA’s draft restrictions. Whether or not Rose is guilty, the allegations are serious. And whether or not they impact programs competing for a national championship, such transgressions have to be fought by the NCAA.

I didn't hear Vitale's comments, but I do agree that the allegations are a serious matter, even if I don't agree with the disposition of the case. We cannot allow rampant academic fraud in college sports, and the NCAA is the last bulwark against that. So while I disagree with how the NCAA handled the Memphis case, I do agree that allegations of fraud are of grave concern.
About What You Expected: Louisville 96, Arkansas 66 - Arkansas Expats
As the second half dragged on, I found myself begging for the game to end, but overall, it's hard to get too upset up about the outcome. The Hogs played hard, but they are severely short-handed right now, and Louisville is a Top 20 team. Anybody who didn't think the game had a strong likelihood of playing out this way is living with a healthy dose of denial.

Big win by Louisville. But Pitino's Sypher woes continue.
LSU Tigers defeat Western Kentucky in men's basketball | LSU Tigers Central - - NOLA.com
A bit of a surprise. Western has a good team, this was a solid win for LSU.
Kentucky sophomore one of SEC's most dangerous players || OnlineAthens.com
"He [Randall Cobb] might be the most talented player in the Southeastern Conference today," said Georgia coach Mark Richt, gearing up for Saturday's game against Kentucky. "We know what he did last year. He just about single-handedly beat us himself."

High praise from the Georgia coach.

2009-2010 Team Previews: Memphis Tigers

everydayezag — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:35:02 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

The pressure to keep the Memphis program at a high level falls on Josh Pastner. Although he is only 32 years old, Pastner is a tremendous recruiter, but must still prove he can coach at a high level.

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Since I am the type of fan who gets emotionally tied to my favorite teams, I can't possibly comprehend or understand what it could be like to be a Memphis Tigers fan. When the Tigers were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16, all signs pointed to the future being as bright as ever for the program. Head coach John Calipari appeared ready to bring in the most decorated recruiting class during his tenure at the school, and the commitment of the highly touted John Wall seemed to be coming any day. However, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. John Calipari decided to accept the open coaching position at Kentucky. The highly touted recruiting class that Calipari had assembled no longer existed, and the highly touted Wall decided to commit to Kentucky instead of Memphis. In an attempt to rub salt into the wounds of the program, it was revealed that there were some questions regarding Derrick Rose and his eligibility, and the team that made the Final 4 was officially wiped from the record books.

Despite the stream of bad new that the program faced, the Tigers rebounded nicely in promoting Josh Pastner to fill in for the departed Calipari. Pastner is an excellent recruiter and one of the top young coaches in the sport. It was just a matter of time before he was given the opportunity to run a program of his own, so this was definitely a smart hire. While it appears that this will be the first down year for Memphis in a long time, Pastner is the type of coach that can keep the program at the high level that fans are accustomed to. However, if there is a year to get your hits in on the tigers, this might be it.

Last Season: Although it was originally considered a transition year after the loss of Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey, Memphis emerged as one of the top teams in the country towards the end of the season. After dropping early season games to Georgetown, Xavier, and Syracuse, the Tigers went ahead and won 26 consecutive games. Unfortunately, the statement victory during the streak was the demolition of Gonzaga at the Spokane Arena. I will never forget watching that game from the first row and thinking that I had never seen a team that possessed so much length and athleticism at every possession. The huge winning streak earned Memphis a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the Tigers coasted through the first two rounds of the tournament. However, their terrific season came to an end at the hands of the Missouri Tigers in the Sweet 16.

New Faces: The most important new face for this program had no intentions of playing for the Memphis Tigers this season. However, a serious medical issue in his family brought Elliot Williams back to the city of Memphis. After playing as a freshman at Duke, Williams elected to return home to be near his family. Williams is an explosive guard who can be absolutely dominant when he has the ball in the open court. Not only will Williams start from day one, but he will also be arguably the best player on the team this season. Much is also expected of JC transfer Will Coleman. With the way he is built, Coleman will immediately draw comparisons to Joey Dorsey. Coleman has tremendous physical size and athleticism, but he has already had some issues with effort during the exhibition season. Another newcomer who will see some minutes is D.J. Stephens. Stephens is an undersized power forward, but he will thrive in the up tempo system that Memphis uses. Stephens has a tremendous motor and will bring great energy to this team.

Players to watch: Although he was mentioned in the previous section, Elliot Williams is certainly a player to watch for this team. Williams likely would have started for Duke this season, but he might be an even better fit in this system. Williams pushed his way into the starting lineup as a freshman Duke, and it will be expected that he take his game to another level this year. He is a very smart player, and he uses his great length and quickness to wreak havoc on the defensive end. Another guy who has to make the leap in production is Wesley Witherspoon. Witherspoon is truly one of the most unique talents in the nation. He has the skill set to be an elite point guard, but he has the size to play power forward and center for this team. I think the best comparison for his game is Lamar Odom, but it will be interesting to see how Pastner utilizes Witherspoon in order to maximize his unique skills. In Roburt Sallie, Memphis has one of the best shooters in the nation. Many college basketball fans will recognize Sallie for his performance in the NCAA Tournament. In their opening round game against Cal State Northridge, Sallie came off the bench to his 10-15 shots from beyond the arc and score 35 points. Sallie will need to be more consistent in his production this year, but he has the talent to be an excellent player.

Concerns: This will probably sound like I'm beating a dead horse, but the athleticism and length of Memphis causes concern for me again. Perhaps this year more than ever, Matt Bouldin will be relied on to produce at a high level in the most crucial games. Based on his previous performances against Memphis, I am a little worried how Matt will be able to lead and dictate the game if he is unable to be effective because of the length that Memphis will present. There aren't many team that can put a guy like Wesley Witherspoon or Elliot Williams on Bouldin, but Memphis is one of the teams that has that type of defensive weapons.

What we are watching for: While I do have concerns regarding how Matt will handle the athleticism of Memphis, I think the rest of the team should be adept at handling whatever Memphis throws at them. Although the group is young, guys like Mangisto Arop, GJ Vilarino, Elias Harris, and Meech Goodson have more length and quickness then this program is used to at those respective positions. This team should be able to handle the dribble-drive offense that Memphis has made so famous, and there is also enough depth for this team to run and pressure like it hasn't been able to in the past.

2009-2010 Team Previews: Illinois Fighting Illini

everydayezag — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:22:55 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber has his most talented and deep squad since the 2004-2005 group that made the national title game.

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Since leading Illinois to the Final 4 in 2004-2005, head coach Bruce Weber seemed to face a constant storm of fans questioning his ability to maintain a high level of quality for the basketball program. Weber has faced constant questions about his ability to recruit, as local stars like Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose have elected to go out of state to pursue their college careers. While there have been questions about his ability to lure top recruits to campus, there can really be no questions about how solid of a coach Weber has been. Perhaps the greatest coaching job of his career came last season, when Weber led the Fighting Illini to a 24-10 record and a tie for second in the Big 10.

Expectations will certainly be high for his upcoming season, as Illinois will return the bulk of their scoring and also incorporate some exciting freshman. The hardest individual to replace will likely be Chester Frazier. Frazier was the heart and soul of the 2008-2009 team, as he was a lockdown defender and the type of guy that was willing to sacrifice his body for the team. Frazier showed incredible versatility in averaging 5.7 points,4.8 rebound, and 5.3 assists. Illinois will also need to find a replacement for Trent Meachem. The 6'2 guard was an excellent shooter from behind the arc, and was tremendously effective in stretching the opposing defense. Even with these two gone, this team has the talent and depth to improve on last season and to contend for a Big 10 championship.

Last Season: One of the most important pieces to making the NCAA Tournament is to beat the teams that you can and should beat. Last season, Illinois used this concept to put together a surprisingly successful season that saw the team earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Bruce Weber had this group ready to roll at the start of the season, and they jumped out to a 12-1 record, which included quality wins over Clemson and Missouri. Once Big 10 play started, the Fighting Illini took care of business against the lower half of the conference, while they struggled against the top of the conference. Despite being swept by Michigan St. and Penn St. during the regular season, they were able to gain a lot of confidence with the tournament selection committee by sweeping Purdue during Big 10 play. After being eliminated in the second round of the Big 10 tournament, Illinois was awarded a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for Bruce Weber and his team, their season would come to an end against Western Kentucky in a 76-72 loss in the 1st round.

New Faces: When discussing the new faces for this team, the first name that needs to be discussed is D.J. Richardson. The 6'3 guard has is an absolutely explosive scorer who thrives when the tempo is high and he is able to run in transition. Even more important for the style of play that Illinois is known for, Richardson is an in your face defender who has the quickness and instincts to jump passing lanes with great success. If the early reports are any indication, except to see Richardson in the starting lineup throughout his freshman season. Another freshman guard that will likely be in the rotation is Brandon Paul. Paul is a gifted athlete on the perimeter, but he doesn't quite possess the confidence or attacking instinct that Richardson does at this point. Paul does a lot of things on the court very well, but he doesn't yet possess a unique or excellent ability at any one thing on the court. Paul will be able to provide valuable depth for this team while he continues to develop and improve his game. Tyler Griffey and Joseph Bertrand round out the incoming freshman for Bruce Weber. Griffey is a developing big that does a good job of shooting the ball. However, he will need to improve his strength and physicality before he can play at the Big 10 level. Bertrand is a very physical guard that should be a nice fit for this program. He is a strong shooter from the perimeter, and even more importantly he is a willing and physical defender.

Players to Watch: In Demetri McCamey, the Fighting Illini return one of the most explosive guards in the Big 10. Last season, McCamey led the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game, and was also second on the team with 4.6 assists. McCamey has done a great job developing and improving his game since arriving in Champaign, but this year he will need to mold himself into a leader both on and off the court. Illinois also returns arguably the top front court player in the Big 10. Mike Davis is a rapidly improving power forward, who averaged 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Davis has a tendency to float around the court and does not always assert himself in games. However, when he is involved and playing well, Davis can be nearly unstoppable with his length. Much was expected of Alex Legion when he transferred to Illinois after his time at Kentucky. Legion was unable to make a huge impact in 22 games last season, but the hope is that he can provide the shooting that he was known for as a recruit. If Legion can play up to the expectations he had as an elite high school recruit, this team could have one of the more exciting back courts in the country.

Concerns: At times, we have seen Gonzaga teams that have flat out struggled when facing physical defense. Along with Michigan St., this Illinois group will be the most physical and tough group that Gonzaga will face all season. Guys like Meech Goodson, Elias Harris, and Steven Gray must prove that they can handle the tough and in your face style of basketball that they will see. This will be a great learning experience for the freshman, and the hope is that they will be prepared for this type of game by January.

What we are watching for: I think this will be the type of game where Gonzaga will look use the depth and athleticism that this team has. If the Zags can get out in transition and force this to not be a halfcourt game, then I absolutely love their chances. Guys like Mangisto Arop, Elias Harris, and Rob Sacre will have to look run the court when given the opportunity, as there could definitely be some easy baskets available. If this game turns into a halfcourt game, then Illinois will be able to take long possessions and dictate the tempo and style of the game, which could be a huge problem for this team.

You obligatory SEC Primer

SFBE.MP — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:54:32 -0000

Kentucky, Kentucky, Kentucky! That’s about all you’ve heard about since Luther Vandross dropped those angel whispers of One Shining Moment on us back in April. Yes, Kentucky has the talent to be observed as the outright favorite to win the National Championship but there are a handful of other worthy opponents that can interrupt a bluegrass march through March.

Mississippi State and Tennessee provide the dangerous combination of experience and talent. Both programs biggest loss in the off season was probably a concessions employee and we’re positive that won’t be enough to cause for a first round exit like last year (MSU to Washington, UT to OK ST). South Carolina carries five seniors and arguably the best point guard in the conference in Devan Downey. Of course, we sidebar the previous statement with the ability to hold an exception based on the unproven ~~Jesus Shuttlesworth~~ John Wall of Kentucky.

The Commodores of Vanderbilt and Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators are sophomore heavy but possess the cohesion required to play spoiler on any given night.

After the newly acquired Calipari takes Rupp Arena, we’re sure the hype will fall true behind the broad shoulders of our pick to take home Conference Player of the Year honors, Patrick Patterson.

Where there is hype, there is Hocus Pocus and we think that the Southeastern Conference could be most wide-open races.

Our breakdown is after the jump.

Tourney teams (in order of conference finish)

   1. Kentucky
   2. Mississippi State
   3. Tennessee
   4. South Carolina
   5. Vanderbilt
   6. Ole Miss

All Conference Team

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Jarvis Varnado, Miss St.
John Wall, Kentucky

Most overrated – John Calipari’s character judgment

Most underrated – Mississippi State’s balance and experience. Florida’s recent ability to find themselves in the NIT.

Notable non-conference match-ups:

12/5 – North Carolina @ Kentucky
12/9 – Kentucky @ UCONN
1/10 - Kansas @ Tennessee
12/19 – Tennessee @ USC
11/27 - Florida @ Michigan State

Five story lines to keep tabs on:

John Wall. Can he be the Carmelo or Derrick Rose of Kentucky
Will Mississippi State let the Final Four talks come to their demise as they accumulate the wins?
Tennessee faces the toughest non-conference schedule with USC, Memphis and Kansas. Will the Vol’s use that help their seeding or ruin it?
Anthony Grant. Can Grant bring what worked at VCU to the Southeastern Conference? We think…yes.
What is the better fashion accessory? Courtney Fortson’s hair length or Wayne Chism’s headband.

Kentucky Basketball: Jerry Tipton Angers UK Fans Again

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:16:13 -0000

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

Jerry Tipton and Coach Cal -- a match made in journalistic heaven.

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This article by Jerry Tipton has provoked outrage on several of the UK fan sites. Of course, Tipton predictably finds ways to outrage many in the Big Blue Nation.

After having read the piece, there is relatively little controversial about it except for this one paragraph:

The NCAA ordered Calipari's Memphis team to vacate its 2008 Final Four appearance, in part, because star guard Derrick Rose was judged to have cheated on an entrance exam. Memphis is appealing the ruling.

I hate to nit-pick Jerry, but this is factually erroneous. Derrick Rose has never been "...judged to have cheated..." on an entrance exam. The NCAA ruling explicitly rejects the need for them to reach any conclusion about Rose's behavior, instead deferring to the Educational Testing Service, which canceled the exam.

But ETS did not cancel it because they "...judged [Rose] to have cheated ..." They canceled it because they found some discrepancies that ETS could not adequately explain, but which in isolation were not sufficient to make a judgment that Rose cheated.

ETS asked Rose to answer some questions about the discrepancies by mail, but Rose failed to respond. Based on Rose's failure to respond to their queries, the ETS cancelled Rose's qualifying SAT score, and on that basis alone, the NCAA declared him ineligible for the entire 2006-07 season. On the basis of alleged "gifts" to his brother, they declared Rose ineligible for most of the 2006-07 season.

For the record, here is the relevant part of the NCAA's finding in the Memphis investigation:

In its response to the allegation that student-athlete 1 engaged in unethical conduct through his knowing involvement in the fraudulent completion of his SAT, the institution wrote the following:

The only evidence known to the Institution suggesting that (student-athlete 1) did not take the May 5, 2007, SAT is that provided by (the) forensic document examiner retained by the NCAA. Even (the forensic document examiner) does not conclude definitively that (student-athlete 1) did not take the exam. She wrote only that (student-athlete 1) "probably (emphasis added) did not write the questioned hand printing or cursive writing" on the exam form. …This is not sufficient evidence for the Institution to conclude that student-athlete 1 knowingly engaged in fraudulent conduct related to the exam.

Ultimately, the committee concluded that it did not need to make a determination as to whether student-athlete 1 engaged in unethical conduct as defined in NCAA Bylaw 10.1 with respect to the alleged fraudulent completion of his SAT.

Poor Jerry, he must feel like he's in that Geico commercial with the eyeballs -- only instead of being on a stack of money, they're on top of a big UK logo.

Big Blue Daily Mail -- Catch Up Edition

Truzenzuzex — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:03:15 -0000

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

Rich Brooks sez, "We're closing in on the first game. Let's get loud!"

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Well, as my workload reaches its peak, I admit to floundering a bit, and ask for patience. I expect that in two weeks, I'll be out from under this crushing mess and back to a more normal schedule of actual daily news posts. For now, though, you will have to bear with me.

The Washington Post had this very interesting piece the other day about the difficulties created when bloggers and other on-line purveyors of team information and fan sites, who by their nature are usually fans of a particular team, become credentialed media. The article focuses on recruiting issues, and they are fairly serious.

The NCAA forbids "boosters," which it very loosely defines, from speaking to recruits. The problem is the definition of a booster can include almost anybody who likes that particular team, and a fan site operator would certainly meet that definition. The article seems to conclude that most, but not all, Rivals.com and Scout.com sites qualify as "credentialed media," although for old-media types like the Washington Post to be passing judgment on what is and is not legitimate in new media strikes me as a bit like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.

Here are the concerns the article raises:

Fans being credentialed as media members and using the subsequent access to recruit athletes through the back door. Although the thrust of the article is aimed at new media and non-traditional journalists, it is pretty clear that some traditional journalists may be engaging in the same activity.
These credentialed "semi-media" acting as "runners." Runners are people who de facto represent a coaching staff during periods where direct contact is forbidden, or must be initiated by the recruit (essentially what William Wesley has been accused of being for Calipari).

This is a very difficult subject. Many new media members do engage in actual journalism and adhere to a code of ethics that wold forbid them from any recruiting or "running" activities. Given that, it's hard to understand why they would not be granted media credentials. As an aside, A Sea of Blue's policy is that we are a bloggers, not journalists. Even though we adhere to a code of ethics, we do not wish to be "credentialed media" (at least, not now) and are happy being purveyors of opinion and insight.

But the ones who are doing these nefarious things give the entire new media a bad name, and that is something the old media is more than happy to exploit with articles like this. I am not criticizing the Post for running it -- it is a good story about a subject that needs to be in the national sports discussion. But it serves the dual purpose of advancing the old media's agenda, and the likelihood of a conflict of interest here is extremely high.

But whatever the motivation, it it worth noting that a Kentucky site, True Blue Kentucky, was mentioned there, and it was mentioned in a way that was intended to leave the impression that they belonged to the group that was engaging in de facto recruiting. The owner of that site, Marc Maggard, sent out a blast email defending Dave Kersey, the person named in the article, and in my opinion, defended his actions fairly and effectively. You can read this blog by Maggard, which says the same thing as his email.

But with all that aside, the question still remains -- how are NCAA member institutions, in particular, to handle situations where their fans engage in recruiting under the rubric of credentialed media, or situations where that may be happening but can't be confirmed? If there is a violation, the school that stood to benefit must report it to the NCAA and take corrective action. At the same time, if the NCAA is seen to be attempting to stifle legitimate reporting, it could run afoul of both antitrust legislation and even potentially the First Amendment. My take is that the NCAA is concerned, but has no idea exactly what to do or how to do it. For Sandy Bell, this seems like a nightmare she must have every single night.

But there is one thing for sure -- if there are clear violations, it will be the schools and the programs who suffer. Was the Washington Post trying to gin up a couple of NCAA investigations with it's article? I don't know, but it would not surprise me.

NCAA investigations are news, aren't they?

Speaking of news, here we go:

UK Basketball News

Josh Selby: UK Target at Elite 24
Boom! goes the dynamite.
Brandon Knight Has Top Five
UK still in the mix.
Matt Pilgrim Cleared to Play in 2009-10
Great news for Matt Pilgrim, and OSU.
Big Blue Madness will be without the nations top recruit, Calipari has a firm believer
-In one of today’s biggest headlines, Rivals.com has announced that #1 rated recruit Brandon Knight will be attending Kansas’ Midnight Madness on October 16, 2009. That just happens to be the exact same date as UK’s Big Blue Madness. That may shock some of the Cats fans out there, as many of us thought UK to be firmly in the lead for the services of the nation’s best player. With this announcement, many now will wonder what this exactly means for Wildcats basketball.

We'll see how this goes.
Danny Jett's Inner Circle: The Immortals: UK's 25 'Legends' #9

UK Football News

Defense finds its groove
The news out of practice is really making me optimistic. Right now, I think UK looks much better than last year.
SB Nation's Comprehensive, Encyclopedic SEC Preview - Team Speed Kills
Everything you need to know to get ready for the 2009 season.
UK secondary stocked with talent | KentuckySports.com
Everybody knows about Trevard Lindley. The Kentucky senior cornerback is on just about every pre-season All-SEC and All-America list, and you can bet opposing offensive coordinators will spend plenty of time game-planning for Lindley this fall.
Foot injury puts Fields' season in jeopardy | KentuckySports.com
Kentucky redshirt freshman receiver E.J. Fields will miss all or most of the 2009 season with a torn ligament in his foot. UK Coach Rich Brooks said Fields is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday.
UK's Smith vows to be ready game day
For most of his University of Kentucky football career, Alfonso Smith has watched banged-up tailbacks ahead of him on the depth chart struggle through practice, then find a way to be fit for games. Now it's your turn, Alfonso!
2009 Kentucky Football Positional Preview: Defensive Line
Rich Brooks talks about the AP Top 25 John Clay’s Sidelines
John Clay: ESPN's Herbstreit kicks things off

Other UK Sports News

UK Sprinter keeps pace with world’s fastest
Sorrillo didn’t reach the finals; he finished sixth in his semifinal heat and finished 13th at the Championships. But three times over the span of two days, he raced directly against the fastest man in the history of civilization.

Kind of cool.

NCAA Sports News

No surprise: NCAA isn't even-handed
Eric Crawford says the mystery of NCAA inconsistency is blissful ignorance.
NCAA punishment of Memphis basketball is too harsh - ESPN
The NCAA should reconsider their recent decision to vacate 38 wins and a Final Four appearance for Memphis. A monetary penalty is punishment enough.

By Dickie V. via Bluegrass State Basketball
Vanderbilt coach gives up $100,000 raise to fund team's trip
I smell ... NCAA violation!

Just kidding, I think this was a great thing for Kevin Stallings to do. The funny thing is, I believe I could make a case that it is an NCAA violation. It would hopefully be a losing case, for sure, but that's the kind of crap we are into these days.
NCAA teaches Memphis an illogical lesson | KentuckySports.com
So why even have an NCAA Clearing House? I mean, come on, what's the point? That was the question that came out of Thursday's announcement that the NCAA was forcing Memphis to vacate its 2007-08 college basketball season because a player, i.e. Derrick Rose, had his standardized test score invalidated.
Clear the calendar for these 5 ACC hoops games

Other News of Interest

Rondooooooooooooooooooo! - CelticsBlog
Interesting piece by the SB Nation Celtics blog. I liked this:

All in all I cannot complain with the results thus far. He's already outplayed almost all of the 20 players picked ahead of him in '06. He was good enough often enough to help us win a title in his second year. He has made progressive leaps from "prospect" to "solid starter" to "near All Star." He's got all the tools to make that last leap into the elite category but even if he doesn't he's already proven that he can be very very good at a critical position on a great team.
On D-Line, Jarmon Is Catching Up Quickly
Jarmon is impressing the Redskins. When one door closes, another one opens. Can you imagine if he is doing this well with an NFL team what he could have done at UK this year? AAARGGHH!
Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy dies after cancer battle
No politics here, just noting the passing of a legend. Our prayers go out to the Kennedy family for the loss of their loved one.

The Daily Schadenfruede

Selby Sets In-Homes; Kanter Has 50 Schools
Via True Blue Kentucky. All I can say about Selby dunking on Kendall Marshall is that these North Carolina guys are weenies. How they ever won a national championship is beyond me.

[/ducking rotten veggies from the Tar Heels]

Memphis to Vacate All Wins and Placed on 3 Year Probation

Hire Esherick — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:50:14 -0000

It's official. The University of Memphis will be forced to forfeit all 38 record-breaking wins from the 2007-08 season. Additionally, the Tigers will be placed on a 3 year probation, which in basketball terms means absolutely nothing since Memphis has now learned its lesson and will no longer leave traceable evidence of its cheating. And it looks like the Memphis Department of Athletic Compliance is still under construction...

The punishment comes after the NCAA found that someone else had taken star player Derrick Rose's college entrance exams, which in turn allowed him to academically qualify to play collegiate athletics. Rose was not specifically named in the report, however a shake of my Magic 8 Ball resulted in All Signs Point to Rose.

The word schadenfreude has been thrown around in response to this breaking news, but the word does not truly capture the magnificence of this moment. Schadenfreude generally implies satisfaction in the misfortune of others. Yes, there is incredible satisfaction for all those fans of teams that play by the rules, but there is no misfortune in the punitive hand dealt to Memphis. Instead, the punishment represents bittersweet justice. Memphis cheated. Plain and simple. Whether they knew about the improprieties is irrelevant. Memphis played and won with a player than had no business being in college and therefore no business on the court. A player that not only did not qualify, but went out of his way to cheat the system. A system in place to ensure that the title of student-athlete is actually upheld.

Cheat, I mean, Coach Calipari escaped to live another day, but as we mentioned when the first reports were published:

It would be is the second time John Calipari had to vacate Final Four seasons.

That is a legacy UMass, Memphis and now Kentucky fans will have to live with forever.

Good talk.

Kentucky Basketball: Once Again, Into the Breach

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:07:33 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

Geoff Calkins thinks this man is evil. How can a face like that be evil?

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Word out of Memphis today is that the NCAA will strip Memphis of the entire 2007-08 season. That's right, in an ever-expanding tradition of doing the pointless under the notion of egalitarian fairness, the NCAA will pretend like Memphis' glorious 2007-08 season never happened, and that Kansas' NCAA tournament was won by forfeit.

That's wrong. Period. Here's why:

The NCAA never proved by any reasonable standard that the unnamed player (allegedly Derrick Rose) did not take his test. It is frankly un-American for a person to be effectively convicted of wrongdoing without, at minimum, clear and convincing evidence. From what I know, the evidence the NCAA presented did not meet that standard. Not only that, the NCAA cleared every one of Memphis' athletes through their clearing house. Are we now to assume that the NCAA has no responsibility for any error they make? That seems to be the lesson here.
How unfair is it to Kansas to taint their championship in this way? I understand the concept that cheaters should not benefit from their wrongdoing -- that is just and right. But before you go ripping away all a team's credibility, you should darn sure be certain, with unambiguous and undeniable preponderance of the evidence, that you are doing the right thing. The NCAA can't do that, but apparently they don't really care.

As to Kansas? Well, boys, that great last-second comeback just never happened. Miracle Mario's shot will forever be meaningless, because Memphis wasn't really there to defend him. Memphis never should have been there, they will say, and a truly deserving team would surely have beaten you. Your championship will have an asterisk by it, an asterisk you don't deserve.
This is the entire punishment, apparently, for Memphis. No scholarship loss, no nothing. Just a determination that an ineligible player played (a determination apparently lacking significant proof), and a forfeit of games on that basis. No blame for Memphis except for the fact that Rose's brother failed to timely reimburse the school for some expenses, and even that creates no real punishment.

More after the jump.

In my opinion, this NCAA decision is truly worthy of the Hall of Shame, because failing some significant revelations hereforto unknown in the final report, this looks like a railroad job from start to finish.

Did Derrick Rose take his test? He claims, repeatedly, that he did nothing wrong, which presumably would include defrauding the NCAA and the testing service by allowing a stand-in to take his test for him. He also claims that he took the test. So we have the word of Rose versus a test score that was not thought to be invalid until long after the season began, presumably a priority fo the NCAA Clearinghouse. But the NCAA apparently thinks it's responsibility in this fiasco aught to be limited to judge, jury and executioner, and the failure of their so-called experts at catching alleged cheating is like the U.S. Government when an IRS agent gives you wrong tax advice -- they are not on the hook for anything, and you can tell it to the judge.

At the end of the day, this is something that aught to outrage everyone. If Rose or anyone else is proved guilty of defrauding the NCAA or the school, the athlete should be prosecuted, not get away scot-free. It is against the law in every state in the Union to present a fraudulent test score in order to obtain monetary or in-kind benefit. In fact, doing so across state lines as has been alleged in this case is mail fraud, and if Rose actually did what he is accused of by the NCAA, Patrick Fitzgerald should be empaneling a grand jury right now to investigate. The problem is, its easier to blame Memphis, even when it seems the school could not reasonably have known about the alleged fraud -- it even fooled the NCAA's so-called experts, quite possibly because as far as we all know, it never actually happened.

I feel for Memphis, as they did not deserve this. It is, based on the facts am aware of, wrong, unjust and based on insufficient evidence of wrongdoing. It also ignores the real problem, if there actually is one -- the bad behavior of a player, and punishes an institution who, as far as I can tell, could not have reasonably been aware of the misbehavior.

Finally, I come down to this article by Geoff Calkins, who rakes John Calipari over the coals:

But as much as they might like to pretend otherwise in Lexington, this is less about the basketball program at Memphis than it is about its former coach.

Just look at the penalties as they’re doled out today. That’s all you need to do.

Memphis won’t get banned from television or the NCAA Tournament. Memphis won’t lose any scholarships.

The Memphis basketball program under first-year coach Josh Pastner won’t be affected as it goes forward.

The Memphis basketball program under Calipari?

Whack.

Whack.

Whack.

And, yes, I know, Calipari won’t be implicated in the report. That’s part of the genius of the man.

You know, when I started out this article, I intended to really blast this guy. But after thinking about it, all this is is plain sour grapes designed to appeal to a justifiably unhappy audience. Being mad at the NCAA is just not good enough, because quite frankly, they are supposed to be the good guys even when they are screwing you.

But Calipari, on the other hand, has all sorts of circumstances to pick on. Not only that, he abandoned Memphis for the greener pastures, and is a really, super-convenient place to put all the blame and anger. He is a much less sympathetic figure than the NCAA in this particular case, plus it's always nice to hate the coach who just ran off with a much prettier, sexier program.

In the end, I think I'll just embrace the hate. Hope you feel better for having written that, Geoff, and we'll look forward to seeing you in Indianapolis, where you can write more nasty stuff about Calipari as we march toward our eighth national championship. I look forward to your work, and the article bemoaning the fact that you got yours stripped and we didn't. Maybe then, you'll place the blame where it properly belongs. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

SB Nation - Derrick Rose

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Post-UConn Edition

Why John Wall could be bad for college basketball

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Sam Houston State Edition

2009-2010 Team Previews: Memphis Tigers

2009-2010 Team Previews: Illinois Fighting Illini

You obligatory SEC Primer

Kentucky Basketball: Jerry Tipton Angers UK Fans Again

Big Blue Daily Mail -- Catch Up Edition

Top Stories

UK Basketball News

UK Football News

Other UK Sports News

NCAA Sports News

Other News of Interest

The Daily Schadenfruede

Memphis to Vacate All Wins and Placed on 3 Year Probation

Kentucky Basketball: Once Again, Into the Breach