John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes on the Cancun court: “The gym, which seats about 1,200, has chandeliers. Counter-balancing that touch of class is an imported floor that the players noticed had cracks and bends.“

• Tipton also reports that the Cats are bonding in Cancun: “Kentucky accomplished the goal of turning off the academic switch simply by taking off on the chartered flight. By contrast, basketball objectives remain turned on and humming with importance.”

• Elton Alexander of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes about the point guard matchup today: “But Tuesday night in Cancun, Mexico, Wall will face the toughest matchup he has seen so far in Cleveland State point guard Norris Cole. The junior is coming off 38- and 24-point performances as CSU has won three straight after an opening loss at St. Bonaventure.” (Hat tip to Bluegrass State Basketball.)

• Matt Scott of The Shiver says that UK is looking at Justin Coleman: “It has been previously reported that Coleman considers Kansas, Kentucky, and UCONN as his leaders. According to Coleman, that’s not the case, and he’s still waiting on those three schools to extend a scholarship offer.” (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal also reports on the Cancun conditions: “Chandeliers hang from the ceiling in the Galactic Ballroom on the Moon Palace Resort. The basketball court that’s been installed over the carpet has gaps, cracks and dead spots. That’s the less-than-glamorous setting for the Cancun Challenge, where the University of Kentucky basketball team faces Cleveland State on Tuesday.”

• Chip Cosby of the H-L reports on Rich Brooks’ anger over retirement talk: “Brooks re-delivered that message at the conclusion of his news conference. He pointed out that he has three years remaining on his contract and that he planned to meet with administration at the end of the season to discuss the future. He also made reference to the Mississippi State game, when he felt a UK-planned ‘Blackout’ became a major distraction for his team, which ended up losing 31-24.”

• Mark Story of the H-L gives thanks for Trevard Lindley: “When South Carolina victimized Kentucky’s young cornerbacks for three touchdown passes in what became an excruciating UK road loss, Lindley had his sprained left ankle parked in a Lexington Bw3′s and was watching on television.”

• B.W. Jones of the Kentucky Kernel was also at the press conference: “Brooks said this class has been a part of several big wins and has broken several streaks holding the program back. With all that in mind, senior defensive tackle Corey Peters said a win over Tennessee would be one of the biggest in his time with the team.”

• Ken Howlett of A Sea of Blue gives thanks to others: “Thankful for not only the UK win, but upon reflection, thankful for those who have propelled the football program forward in 2009, instead of settling for a “rebuilding” year. It would have been easy for the team to call it a year after starting quarterback Mike Hartline was injured six games ago, but this squad has persevered.”

• Tom Leach has video of John Calipari talking about Cleveland State.

• Cats Pause has video of Patrick Patterson talking about first practice at Cancun.

• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes that the Cats don’t know Bo: “I thought it might be fun to see if the players on Monday had any idea who Brooks was referring to and what they knew about Derek, who was a heartthrob among most males when the movie came out.”

• Aaron’s UK Football Blog has some recruiting news: “UK will receive a visit from 3-Star athlete D.J. Howard (Lincoln, AL) on December 10th. Howard has given his verbal to Auburn, but the Cats are clearly in the mix.”

• Nick Craddock of the Kernel writes on Kentucky natives playing women’s hoops for UK: “For two sophomore guards on the UK women’s basketball team, returning to the Bluegrass was almost as easy as tapping the heels of their basketball shoes together three times and saying ‘There’s no place like home.’”

• Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches writes on UK-Tennessee football: “But negatives somehow have a way of presenting opportunities. If there was ever a time to end “the streak,” this would be the year. Kentucky is riding a season of emotional highs and program firsts. With wins at Auburn and Georgia, losing streaks that spanned decades, what better year than this to tear down the tallest barrier of them all?”

• Wildcat-Den says Cats are adjusting to each other: “Growing pains can be painful. Just ask Kentucky coach John Calipari. Although Calipari has an unblemished record through his first four games as coach of the Wildcats, the team’s early mistakes have been a learning experience for both the players and the coach.”