John Clay's Sidelines

Mark Coury (AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

H-L staff report on Enes Kanter’s commitment to UK: “Enes Kanter, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center from Turkey, committed to Kentucky on Tuesday, Scout.com’s Evan Daniels reported. Kanter came to the United States last August and played for Stone Ridge Prep in Simi Valley, Calif. “He’s not the typical European big man,” Daniels said of Kanter. “He’s physical, strong and a real good rebounder.”"

Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe on UK-Cornell culture clash: “You can have Kentucky. You can take Ashley Judd, Adolph Rupp, Sam Bowie, Pat Riley, Coach Cal, Refuse to Lose, the one-and-done freshmen bound for the NBA, and all the bags of cash needed to make the Wildcats run. I’ll take Cornell and the Ivy League, which has long been a joke in college basketball.” (Hat tip to Walter’s Wildcat World.)

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes that Mark Coury is eager to face Kentucky: “Former University of Kentucky player Mark Coury was asked Tuesday whether it’s special to be playing against his old school. “Of course,” he said. “It’s extra special” because he’ll get to see his former teammates. “It will be a great battle,” Coury said. “I think it’s going to be a great game. I can’t wait.”"

Dave Telep of Scout.com reports that Florida is no longer recruiting Brandon Knight: “We can’t tell you where No. 2 Brandon Knight is going to attend college, but as of Tuesday, we can tell you the list shrunk by one school. Scout.com, according to a source, learned that Florida took itself out of contention for Knight’s services. The move will do nothing except fuel the theory that Kentucky is in the driver’s seat for Knight.”

John Gasaway of Basketball Prospectus on the East: “So the case for Kentucky, in this game or indeed in this tournament, can be stated pretty succinctly. They already defend. Between DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, and Daniel Orton, they already tell you to forget about making twos. And they already make their own twos (Cousins and Patterson) while absolutely dominating their offensive glass (Cousins). If the Wake Forest explosion is repeatable and John Calipari starts to get dependably accurate shooting from John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, well, good luck rest of the field.”

Thayer Evans of the New York Times on Calipari’s social media: “When Kentucky Coach John Calipari was talking to a group of 15 Chinese basketball coaches at his home last November, one pointed to Calipari’s hulking German shepherd, Dash. Through an interpreter, she asked Calipari, “Is that the mean and nimble one?”"

Jennifer Smith of the H-L writes UK women not satisified yet: It had the sounds and sights of a championship. The band played as cheerleaders jumped up and down and fans screamed. Some Kentucky players got a little misty-eyed after the Cats busted through the second-round NCAA Tournament ceiling for the first time since 1983 with their 70-52 domination of Michigan State.”

Tipton also writes that Cornell excels at chemistry: “Consider Ryan Wittman, the sharpest of Cornell’s three-point sharpshooters and the son of former Indiana star Randy Wittman. Cornell Coach Steve Donahue has noted how lucky the Big Red were to get Ryan Wittman. That good fortune started when the player sustained a deep thigh bruise that hindered him throughout his senior year of high school. Big Ten schools doubted his athleticism, so Wittman fell into Cornell’s lap.”

Tom Leach talks to ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes.

Stewart Mandel of SI.com says UK is better than the rest: “Still, the Big Red be considerable underdogs against the Wildcats, and understandably so. Their first two opponents were slow-down defensive teams with limited options offensively. Wall and Cousins are two of the most athletic scorers in the country. Cornell is more experienced (four senior starters), but the Wildcats’ reliance on freshmen hasn’t slowed them down to date.”

Cornell coach Steve Donahue (AP photo)

Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal on DeMarcus Cousins: “t was a scene befitting a game-winning basket in this NCAA Tournament, but the only shot Cousins was applauding was the one he’d taken in the face – without reacting – from Wake Forest center Chas McFarland. Some might say that merited a celebration.”

C.L. Brown of the C-J writes that Cornell’s Wittman is living a dream: “He’s one reason the Big Red is dreaming of an upset Thursday night against No.1 seed Kentucky in Syracuse, N.Y. The 6-foot-7 senior forward, who was named Ivy League Player of the Year, is a sharpshooter in the mold of his father.”

Straitpinkie talks to Cornell play-by-play man Barry Leonard: “I don’t know if they’re overlooking talent. As you get more experienced the talent comes to the surface and that is definitely the case with this team. If you look at the sum of the parts, Cornell has three guys that stand out above everyone else in the Ivy League. They have the best center in Jeff Foote, the best small forward in Ryan Wittman, and the best point guard in Louis Dale.”

Kenny Colston of the Kentucky Kernel on UK’s twin drives: “Both teams are dominating opponents and streamrolling into the regional semifinals. The only differences seem very small, with the men breaking in a new coach (Mitchell’s obviously been around for a few years) and one team accomplishing the feat 12 hours away while the other sealed the deal one hour down the road. Otherwise, it’s hard to see major differences.”

Metz Camfield of the Kernel on the state of basketball: “Hitchcock didn’t get into UK basketball until the late 1960s when she entered high school. From there, she says the moves of the players fascinated her. She’s been hooked ever since. The Paintsville, Ky., resident calls herself UK basketball’s biggest fan. She watches every game with a keen eye. Telemarketers are better off calling during dinner than a game. The walls and roof of her house are painted blue. For Hitchcock, it’s all UK, all the time.”

Kanter

Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger on Enes Kanter: “Kanter, who arrived in the United States in August, originally committed to Washington before deciding to re-open his recruitment. He’s a five-star prospect and turned down multi-million dollar offers to play in Turkey.”

UK baseball knocks off Xavier: ” Taylor Black, Cory Farris and Marcus Nidiffer each hit home runs, and reliever Nick Kennedy struck out five in his first career victory, as Kentucky (16-5) overcame five errors to defeat Xavier 11-6 on Tuesday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The teams were almost even in hits, with Kentucky getting 13 had Xavier 12. And Xavier (4-15) was right with the Wildcats until the sixth inning when Kentucky scored three runs, then added two more in the seventh.”

A Sea of Blue looks at the Cornell stat sheet: “We’ve all heard about how the Cornell Big Red are the best 3-point shooting basketball team in Division I, and of course, that should have fans rightly concerned. But what does it really mean to an offense?”

Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches on Eric Bledsoe and the NBA: “Should all four UK players go in the lottery, it would be the first time four players from the same team have been selected in the top 14 since North Carolina’s foursome of Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants were picked in the 2005 NBA Draft Lottery.”

Ryan Wittman (AP photo)

Ira Combs of Kentucky Sports Network says UK is ready for Red: “Whatever their mindset is, the youthful Cats have another different type dilemma for their next game in their march toward the Final Four this coming weekend when they travel north to Syracuse, New York for the Sweet 16 round.”

Wildcat Blue Blog on Enes Kanter: “So, how big of a grab is this for John Calipari and Kentucky? In a word …. HUGE! As of right now, Kanter is not on a lot of the top 100 lists due to the fact he was a relative unknown when these lists were originally compiled. But it will not remain that way for long.”

Kentucky Sports Radio’s news and views: “With Auburn apparently looking at Tony Barbee and St. Johns talking to the worst coach in America, Paul Hewitt, a new rumor of Tubby possibly heading to Georgia Tech has emerged. While obviously a much better destination with better recruiting opportunities and a better conference, you have to really be intrigued by the rivalry possibility. Georgia would absolutely lose their mind.”

Big Blue Lowdown is looking at more roster turnover: “We’ve already reported here that Brandon Knight is a done deal to Kentucky. We’re staying with that. We also think there are a few big time names who have Lexington on their super short list, and we are going to assume that Orton returns.”

Inner Circle with a Corny post: “While listening to the Eagles ‘Take It Easy” I tried my best to remove the popcorn from my teeth, that had annoyingly become wedged by my gums. This delightfully painful treat was given to me earlier, right when I decided to put some tobacco in my corncob pipe. Let me be the first to say that they aren’t the best for getting your nicotine fix.”

Nation of Blue has phone problems: “s I was driving home from work today my phone blew up. Enes Kanter’s decision to commit to the Cats today had my S10 racing to warp speed to get to the house to post an article. I think this is a great get by Coach Cal. Now the big question is will he be eligible? He played as a pro in Turkey when he was 15 so I really don’t know how that effects his amateur status.”