More links from Wednesday night’s game:
Jason King of Yahoo Sports was in New York: “Moments after her only son left his mark on Madison Square Garden – after Kentucky freshman John Wall proved once more why he is the best college basketball player in America – Frances Pulley stood in Section 88 of the nation’s most historic basketball venue and couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.”
Kevin Armstrong of the New York Times on the game at the Garden: “As fast as Kentucky Coach John Calipari’s lips move when peddling his brand of up-tempo basketball, his freshman point guard John Wall’s legs may move more quickly when on a basketball court.”
Metz Camfield of the Kentucky Kernel made the long drive to the Big Apple: “Battered, bruised and down by seven, UConn rallied and took a one-point advantage with 1:12 remaining thanks to a hanging jumper by sophomore guard Kemba Walker with Wall in his face. Wall still had an answer.”
Mike Miller of nbcsports.com says watch Wall while you can: “OK, so what can’t John Wall do? He does what’s necessary to win games. Wall drilled a game-winning shot in his debut. He carried Kentucky down the stretch against Stanford and nailed the clinching free throws against North Carolina. Everyone who watched Kentucky beat Connecticut on Wednesday got a taste of nearly all of the above.”
Bill Eichenberger of the Sporting News on Wall at the Garden: “‘He’s legit. That’s it. The kid is good,’ Walker said of Wall, who scored 12 of his game-high 25 points down the stretch, including the game-winning shot, a three-point play in which he somehow powered past a defender to make a left-handed layup. That is putting it mildly. On a night when Madison Square Garden honored Oscar Robertson as part of its 75th anniversary of college basketball in the arena, Wall put on a performance worthy of the Big O.”
Dan Shanoff of the Sporting Blog goes Wall, Wall, Wall: “Maybe he is one of those players that is so good, he doesn’t need a nickname. But I’m going to try, in honor of the pop star of the moment: ‘Ga-Ga.’ Because that’s what people go when they watch Wall play.”
Dan Spears of the Wilmington Star-News says drop what you’re doing: “My Christmas present to all of you: 1. Pick a game off the Kentucky schedule that’s going to be on national TV (heck, pick 2, it’s the season of giving! … and he won’t be back after this year, so you really only get one shot).”
While some UK fans are still having a party up in Lexington the NCAA committee is holding meeting. They are thinking about expanding the NCAA basketball tournament to 96 teams and sending the games to cable.
link – http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/64263
I already have mixed feeling about. I don’t want to pay for the games, but I also want to be able to see more of them.
The NCAA won’t give us even an 8 team playoff in football, and now they want us to endure Dick Vitale talking about the bubble temas that screwed b/c they didn’t make the 86 team cut?
I’d rather give myself paper cuts and soak them in lemon juice.
Left our “were” and meant “96 team cut.”
The best part of the alley-oop video is that he got the basket and didn’t really celebrate. He got back and got the steal. Amazing basketball player. Would it be wrong to put his jersey in the rafters before the season is over??