John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Scott Shive of Herald-Leader reports that John Wall will get a shout-out on tonight’s Cougar Town: “In the episode of the TV comedy airing at 9:30 p.m. on ABC, Hopkins will sport a Sayre T-shirt. Emblazoned on the back will be the name “Goodman” – after his friend and former Sayre point guard Robert Goodman. If that’s not enough, at the end of the scene, which involves a basketball game, Hopkins does his rendition of Kentucky point guard John Wall’s much-imitated dance from last month’s Big Blue Madness.”

• High School Hoops reports that Shawn Teague says UK is still in the mix for his son, Marquis: “HSH: Is his school list the same? ST: Yeah, it’s Kentucky, Louisville, Wake Forest, Indiana, Purdue, Cincinnati and Ohio State.” (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader reports from Cancun on UK’s win over Cleveland State: “Calipari tried to jump-start UK early by inserting his best blue collar player, Ramon Harris. By halftime, with the Cats dominating around the basket yet stuck in an eight-point game in part because of turnovers, Calipari previewed his late-game tirade with some jalapeno-hot rhetoric.”

• Tipton reports that Calipari is happy with one Cat: “Yet Calipari noted Harris’ defense (physical and in communication with teammates) and rebounding. ‘He changed the game around,’ the UK coach said. ‘… Every day I watch him, he’s impressing me more and more. Great kid, and he’s trying. Offensively, he does some stuff. I’m trying to get him to just do what you can do.’”

• Herald-Leader slide show from UK win over Cleveland State.

• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader writes that unsung players have driven UK’s year: “What if you had pulled aside any college football coach in America at the conclusion of spring practice and told him that he’d lose an NFL-quality defensive end before the first game, that his All-America-caliber cornerback would miss four games with an ankle injury, and that he’d have to play the second half of the season with a true freshman quarterback who was deemed not quite ready for prime time?”

• Brett Dawson of the C-J reports from Cancun on UK’s no day at the beach: “The Cats cranked up their intensity after halftime, and it turned into a ballroom blitz. UK opened the second half with an 18-4 run to ignite its fans, who made up the vast majority of the 832 in attendance at the Galactic Ballroom, transformed into a makeshift gym for the tournament.”

• Matt May of the Cats Pause reports from Cancun about UK’s slow start: “Wall scored a team-high 15 points, including 11 after halftime, as he zipped in and out of the Cleveland State defense. The nation’s top-rated recruit last year repeatedly took charge with the ball, drawing trips to the free-throw line or setting up teammates for open looks at the basket. Cousins added 14 points and seven rebounds while dominating the paint.”

• Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches has an update on Patrick Patterson’s ankle: “Official word out of Cancun is that Patrick Patterson (right ankle injury) and Ramon Harris (right knee injury) are day-to-day and will be re-evaluated Wednesday. Their status for the final game of the Cancun Challenge is uncertain.”

• Aaron’s UK Football Blog reports that UK lost tight end prospect to North Carolina.

• A Sea of Blue gives its thoughts on the Cancun Cats: “Cleveland State could not throw the ball in the ocean from the beach. They were ice-cold from everywhere, but UK kept giving them the ball before they could get off a shot. I can’t wait to see the stats on this game, they should prove instructive.”

• Tom Leach talks to ESPN’s SEC blogger Chris Low about the football Cats.

• Wildcat Blue Blog looks at UK’s and Tennessee’s common opponents: “Regardless, this is the biggest game for UK and the matchups have been (and will be) picked apart every possible way between now and Saturday so let’s add to the ever growing list of Vol/Cats comparisons and look at the common opponents and how the teams fared against them.”

• Jimmie Tramel of the Oklahoma World gives a Matt Pilgrim report: “It’s fair to say Ford pushed the right buttons after what transpired Tuesday night. Page scored a career-high 22 points and hit a career-best six 3-pointers. Pilgrim produced his most points (15) and rebounds (12) ever as an OSU player. And they helped lift the unbeaten Cowboys to an 80-58 victory over Prairie View A&M at Gallagher-Iba Arena.” (Hat tip to Wally’s Wildcat World.)

• Straitpinkie gives its thoughts on the win over Cleveland State: “The unbelievably bad floor and awful ball room court lighting obliterated basically any chance of an enjoyable game, and whatever chance was left was eliminated by the Vikings overly physical defense. Add to that the fact that TV coverage was handled by a station that 99.9% of Big Blue Nation didn’t know existed before today and that they broadcast in what apparently was the opposite of HD. Seriously, my parents have home videos of me playing rec league ball that were filmed better than that game. Oh yeah, and who plays a game at 4:30 pm on a Tuesday? Thanks Billy G for scheduling this little gem. The bar next the floor was a fitting memorial for your UK tenure.”

• KSR is getting a fan report from Cancun: “Why am I tired today? I blame Mr. Patterson. A bunch of us hung out at the hotel last night, with Mr. Patterson hanging out with us. He has a way of making people do what he wants. Ugh. I tried to explain to him that I was allergic to whiskey-which is true-but he just gave me one of his looks. I’d rather get hives than cross that man.”

• Inner Circle gives a scouting report on Stanford: “This matchup is one that is a made-for-tv showcase. Stanford, our foe in the 1998 Final Four, is lead by Johnny Dawkins who played for the dUKe Blue Devils. Stanford, a once pretty decent team now finds themselves a shadow of the team they once were. However, given Kentucky’s performance over the last few seasons, the same could be said about us.”