Big Blue Links for Saturday:
Yahoo Sports Jason King on John Wall: “A few months ago, Wall was almost late to a tutoring session because he was continually asked to stop and pose for pictures with fawning classmates. When the problem persisted, Wall began walking with his headphones on – and his head down.”
Robbi Pickeral of the Charlotte Observer writes that UK fans are dancing to Wall tune: “t seems that everyone in royal blue is emulating the arm-flexing, wrist-rotating moves that he showed off during the Wildcats’ season-opening Big Blue Madness – from a fan gyrating on the Great Wall of China, to a hunter celebrating beside his latest kill, to actor Josh Hopkins showing it off during a recent scene in the ABC comedy ‘Cougar Town.’”
Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader previews Kentucky-North Carolina: “It’s time for the Kentucky Wildcats to bare their hairy chests. Pardon the sexism, but John Calipari became macho man this week when talking about UK playing North Carolina in Rupp Arena on Saturday.”
My column on how today starts UK’s voyage of discovery: “That’s old-school Denny Crum talk, the kind that speaks to me. Who wins Saturday on the scoreboard doesn’t mean as much as who learns the most come Monday’s practice. And there is so much to learn.”
Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal on the battle of the blue bloods: “UK (7-0) enters Saturday’s game with 1,995 all-time wins. North Carolina (7-1) has 1,991. Even if the Tar Heels beat the Wildcats head-to-head, UK will probably hit the 2,000-win mark first, likely late this month.”
Matt May of the Cats Pause has a scouting report on the two teams: “The two regal programs have 12 national championships, 31 Final Fours, 90 NCAA Tournament appearances and 3,983 all-time victories between them…North Carolina coach Roy Williams was 176-37 at North Carolina entering his seventh season.”
Jennifer Smith of the Herald-Leader reports on UK women running record to 8-0: “It was “Education Day” at Fifth Third Arena, with area school children there to see a women’s basketball game. Kentucky’s players walked away with an education of their own. The Cats learned that even when they give up a big lead and let their opponent go up by as many as eight points in the second half, they can still find a way to win.”
(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)
Smith did double-duty, reporting on UK volleyball victory at Memorial: “UK let a chance at a share of the Southeastern Conference title slip away – not once, but twice – with those losses. But the Cats never let those doubts overwhelm them as they kicked off the NCAA Tournament with a three-set win over Michigan State 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 at Memorial Coliseum Friday.”
Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches on the UK volleyball advancing in NCAA Tournament: “They tried not to show it last week, but the losses to Florida and Tennessee to close the regular season were devastating; the vanishing of the Southeastern Conference championship even more gut-wrenching.”
T.J. Walker of the Kentucky Kernel reports on the UK volleyball win: “The Spartans gave the Cats all they could handle going back and forth for most of the first and second sets with UK using timely kills to put itself in position to win the set. In past games the Cats would let the opposing team fight back. Tonight, while UK might have budged, they never broke.”
