John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Charles Bertram)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes on Devan Downey: ” After leading South Carolina to an unprecedented three straight victories over Kentucky, Devan Downey has a good idea of the bad reception he’ll receive in Rupp Arena on Thursday night. ‘I’m pretty sure I’m going to get a not-too-warm welcome,’ he said with comedic understatement on Tuesday. ‘I know it’s all in fun. But I’ve gotten my share of hate mail and Facebook messages from Kentucky fans.’”

My column about how UK is nationall ranked in several sports: “I mentioned in Monday’s column that UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart had gotten one right in hiring Matthew Mitchell to head the women’s basketball program after Mickie DeMoss’s surprising resignation. Also wrote, “And that’s not the only one.” I wasn’t kidding.”

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News shows DeAndre Liggins some love: “Let’s hear it for Kentucky’s DeAndre Liggins, who began the season outside John Calipari’s good graces and is ending it as an essential member of a title contender.”

Tom Leach makes John Wall’s case: “Kentucky’s John Wall was the early favorite to win some or all of college basketball’s player-of-the-year awards but Ohio State’s Evan Turner is coming on strong. If you make your choice based on numbers, then Turner’s case is as strong or stronger than Wall’s. But if you base it on impact, that’s where I think Wall gets the edge and Saturday’s 58-56 win at Vanderbilt was a good example of why.”

Nick Craddock of the Kentucky Kernel on the bond shared by Matthew Mitchell and Pat Summitt: “The UK women’s basketball coaching staff is comprised of UK employees, but they all were Volunteers at one time. UK head coach Matthew Mitchell and his assistant coaches Kyra Elzy, Matt Insell and Shalon Pillow all share, in an ironic twist, a connection to one of UK’s most-hated rivals: the Tennessee Volunteers.”

Michael Grant of the C-J writes on UK women’s seniors Franklin and Watkins: “Lydia Watkins smiled; Amani Franklin cried. Conflicting emotions run through the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team’s seniors. Watkins and Franklin have endured a coaching change and fought through injuries. That’s what makes the landmark success special for the 16th-ranked Wildcats (23-4, 11-3 Southeastern Conference), who play at No.4 Tennessee (25-2, 13-1) Thursday.”

Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes on UK’s team chemistry: “Even though Kentucky has a new coach and six new players on the roster this year, team chemistry has not been an issue for one major reason.”

Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches previews UK-Tennessee women’s basketball: “Although Tennessee has already wrapped up at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title, UK can still claim a share with two consecutive wins and two consecutive Lady Volunteer losses. There’s that, there’s the measuring stick of facing Tennessee, the spotlight of playing traditionally the best program in women’s basketball and the opportunity to bolster an already strong NCAA Tournament resume.”

Aaron Smith of the Kernel previews the UK baseball season: “Where the team wants to go this year is the SEC tournament. The man looking to guide them to that destination is second-year head coach Gary Henderson. In his first season as head coach, Henderson said he saw plenty of learning opportunities during a 28-26 campaign that saw five freshmen receive major playing time and injuries decimate his bullpen.”

WLEX’s Mary Jo Perino on Mark Krebs: “If you want to know why Kentucky basketball is so special, look no further than Mark Krebs. After being a walk-on for two different coaches at UK, John Calipari awarded him a scholarship this season. It wasn’t just a pleasant surprise, it was truly a blessing.”

Katie Martin of Kentucky Sports Radio looks at UK revenge games: “Thursday’s game against South Carolina ushers in a first for this season: the chance to avenge a loss. Vengeance in sports and in life creates a heightened sense of drama. Everyone longs to face something in their lives that defeated them and have a second chance at making things right. Hey, it’s the sole reason class reunions still exist.”

Inner Circle on a revenge-minded UK: “I think this game will be the extreme opposite of what we saw in Columbia. This time around I think the Cats not only beat South Carolina, but they destroy them.”

Straitpinkie previews UK-South Carolina: “Devan Downey scored 30 points on 9-29 shooting in the January loss. I’m going to say this right now: it’s going to take a better performance from Devan Downey to beat UK this time around. The kid is going to get his shots and he’s going to make some tough ones. He’s going to get his points. All UK can do is force him to make tough shots, because shutting him down completely is a nearly impossible task. I don’t think UK has to do any better against Downey this time around to win.”