John Clay's Sidelines

An unhappy camper, Joker Phillips talks to media after this morning’s practice.

CoverItLive has a new Ticker feature, which I’m going to play around with here. You can get on at any time and leave a comment, or link. I will be on it off and on. We’ll see how it goes, and whether it’s worth keeping.

(H-L photo/Charles Bertram)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• UK basketball players deliver breakfast this morning to campers, reports Cat Scratches.
• NCAA should expedite investigations, says Dick Vitale.
• How can Calipari be so optimistic about Kanter’s eligibility? a reader asks espn.com’s Eammon Brennan.
• Chris Matthews finally showing what he can do, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Kentucky fans set up camp at Memorial, lobby for Kanter, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• Louisville beats UK 2-0 in men’s soccer, reports Michael Grant of the Courier-Journal.
• Grandy is flashing familiar form for Ole Miss, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Mississippi’s running game is showing life, writes Parrish Alford of the NE Mississippi Daily News.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Cats deliver breakfast to tent dwellers’

Florida's Ahmad Black hits UK's LaRod King last Saturday. (H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

SEC links for Thursday:

• Alabama-Florida owes a lot to Steve Spurrier, writes David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Alabama is now Florida’s biggest rival, writes Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun.
• That Alabama defense is on an impressive 38-game streak, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Mark Ingram has rejoined the Heisman conversation, writes John Zenor of the Associated Press.
• Gators want to get heavy on the run, reports David Jones of Florida Today.
• Greg McElroy and John Brantley are friends, just not at game time, writes A. Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• NCAA reinstates Mississippi State’s Dee Bost, but suspends him nine games, reports Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger. (Bost is also academically ineligible.)
• TMZ’s erroneous report led to NCAA looking into A.J. Green, writes Matt Hinton of Dr. Saturday.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Alabama-Florida now each’s biggest rival’

Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline after practice this morning, talking about last Saturday (Florida) and this Saturday (Ole Miss).

The Michigan Messenger, a Lansing, Michigan news site, is reporting that two “high-profile” Michigan State basketball players have been accused of sexual assault, though no charges have been filed.

The Messenger did not report the names of the accused in the police report.

Excerpt:

According to the five-page victim’s statement in the police report, the victim had attended a Wonders Hall orientation meeting and had noticed the basketball players there. She then went room to room with friends and had several drinks. At about 11 p.m. she ran into the accused in the lobby of the dorm and introduced herself to them.

She agreed to go back to the players’ room after a conversation with the two.

Once in the room, the three started playing basketball using a mini-hoop. When the victim missed a basket, one of the men told her she had to remove an article of clothing. The victim agreed and removed her t-shirt because she had a tank top on underneath.

At this point, the victim says, the players began to deliberately miss baskets until they were stripped “completely naked.” One of the men allegedly blocked the doorway to the room, while the other “cornered” the victim in the room.

Police said they decided not to press charges, though the victim disputes the reason why charges were not filed.

The Grand Rapids press has also picked up on the story.

Hat tip to @MRudolphComedy.

When John Calipari was in Birmingham on Monday for a speaking engagement, the Kentucky coach took some time to answer some questions from Abby Chin of SEC Insider for the SEC Digital Network.

Click here for the link to the video.

A female UK basketball fan, who came to Memorial Coliseum with six male friends (who have left her), at Midnight Madness Tent City says “it’s definitely crazier this year.”

Video by Jerry Tipton.

Kentucky coach Joker Phillips talks to the media after what he termed an “upbeat” practice on Wednesday.