John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Kentucky offers 2012 guard Archie Goodwin, reports Arkansas 360. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog)
• Yahoo Sports info on Archie Goodwin, out of Little Rock.
• Doron Lamb’s 32 sets freshmen record and leads UK rout of Winthrop, writes Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• My post-game column says a super six might be all John Calipari needs.
• Eloy Vargas asserted himself, writes Tipton in his post-game notes.
• Lamb chops Winthrop is the clever Cats Pause headline over Matt May’s roundup.
• Lamb scores 32 as UK wallops Winthrop, writes Will Graves of the AP.
• Kanter’s father guarantees his son would come back if asked to sit out a year, reports Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News.
• UK quarterback Ryan Mossakowski will play baseball, reports Bleed Blue Kentucky.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger thinks Enes Kanter will absolutely stay at UK.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Report says UK offers Archie Goodwin’

Furman's Jordan Miller scores on USC. (AP photo)

SEC news and links for Thursday:

SOUTH CAROLINA GETS SMACKED – What in the world happened to South Carolina? Darrin Horn’s team was blasted 91-75 at Furman last night. It was Furman’s first win over South Carolina in 30 years, reports the AP.

The Paladins beat the Gamecocks, 91-75, to improve to 8-2, claiming their first victory over their in-state rival since Feb. 20, 1980. South Carolina dropped to 7-3 and 8-18 on the road under third-year coach Darrin Horn, who is also 0-4 against in-state teams on the road during his tenure.

“I’m just happy for our guys,” Furman coach Jeff Jackson said. “I thought the maturity of our team, at times, took over.”

LSU LOSES BY 20 TO NORTH TEXAS – North Texas coach Johnny Jones loved his homecoming. The former LSU assistant brought his North Texas team into Baton Rouge and exited with an impressive 75-55 win, reports Scott Hotard of The Advocate.

North Texas dominated the Tigers in a 75-55 victory, allowing its LSU alumnus of a coach to celebrate his return home in style.

“I thought our guys came out and did exactly what I asked them to do. They played with vigor and energy,” Jones said. “I think it says a lot about the players that we have here in the program and what these guys have been able to do over the years.”

The Mean Green (10-2) sent LSU (7-5) to its third setback in five games, but this one wasn’t like the previous two.

Click the jump for other SEC games last night.

Continue reading ‘USC and LSU take two more bad losses for SEC basketball’

Videos of Josh Harrellson and Brandon Knight talking to the media after UK’s win over Winthrop.

Video of Kentucky coach John Calipari’s press conference, first five minutes, after the Cats’ 89-52 win over Winthrop.

(Photo used with permission)

I kept meaning to post this, but, well, time flies. Anyway, in case you missed it, here’s the AOL FanHouse story on DeMarcus Cousins, which also features fromer UK manager and Winchester native Andrew Rogers.

This morning, I received a message from WTVQ news director, Doug Hogan, who is the father of 7-year-old Jacob mentioned in the Cousins story.

Doug wanted me to know that Jacob got his picture from DeMarcus.

Excerpt from the AOL story:

One of his favorites in college was 12-year-old Olivia Pruitt, whose touching experience with Cousins last year was chronicled in the local media and who will be receiving a present from him this Christmas. A passing mention of the Pruitt encounter prompts Cousins to remember another youngster he adores — a 7-year-old named Jacob who will also receive a present from Santa Cousins late next week.

“He was so funny,” Cousins recalls of the boy. “I had a great relationship with his family.”

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

Winthrop faces tough challenge in Cats, writes Karl Lyles of the Rock Hill Herald.

There’s no question tonight’s game at 13th-ranked Kentucky represents the best opponent Winthrop will see in this regular season. Kentucky (8-2) is one of the least experienced teams in the country, and one of the most talented. The team is young because five players off last season’s NCAA Elite Eight squad were drafted in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft. But don’t feel too bad for Kentucky. Coach John Calipari has restocked the team with point guard Brandon Knight and forward Terrence Jones, both freshmen, leading the way. Another freshman guard, Doron Lamb, is a key reserve.

Tough defense leads to playing time, writes Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.

When Kentucky freshman Stacey Poole took a turn applying single-minded defense on Notre Dame shooter Ben Hansbrough, he earned a promotion. His three-pointer in the same game, the only shot he’s made this season, was purely coincidental when Coach John Calipari said Poole would be the second perimeter player off the bench. Then UK played Indiana, a game that saw Poole nearly match his season’s total of four shots by launching three times in seven frantic minutes. Not so coincidentally, he never got off the bench in the next game as the Cats beat Mississippi Valley State last weekend.

UK basketball signee Michael Gilchrist is on ESPNU tonight, reports H-L.

Barnhart knows bowl date is difficult, writes the Advocate-Messenger’s Larry Vaught.

Kentucky fans have flocked to Nashville, Tenn., for the Music City Bowl in three of the last four years and took a hefty crowd to Memphis, Tenn., for the 2008 Liberty Bowl. But Birmingham to see a 6-6 team play that lost again to Tennessee after schools are back in session and holiday breaks are over? “The date is a little more difficult, to be real honest,” Barnhart said of the BBVA Compass Bowl. “We have sold a few thousand tickets so far, which is really good. We are doing OK. We are asking our fans to support a couple of things down there. This is our way of saying ‘Operation Thank-You.’”

UK women beat Arkansas Pine-Bluff by 72, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.

The Kentucky vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff game didn’t seem like a good matchup on paper, and it wasn’t. But that doesn’t mean there was no value for Coach Matthew Mitchell in his team’s 107-35 win over the outmanned Lady Lions. With a road trip to No. 3 Duke and the start of the SEC schedule looming on the horizon in January, Mitchell wanted to see his 11th-ranked squad maintain a high intensity level for 40 minutes. And while the winless Lady Lions didn’t offer much resistance, the Wildcats did just that.

Herald-Leader photo gallery from UK women’s win last night.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Winthrop knows Kentucky a tough task’

(AP photo/Wade Payne)

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Tennessee loses its third straight, this time to Kevin O’Neill and Southern Cal, reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Tennessee left looking for answers, writes Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Vols see their skid extended, writes Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Renardo Sidney suspended by Mississippi State, reports Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Three-point barrage helps Alabama beat Lipscomb 71-51, reports Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Frankie Sullivan leads Auburn past USC-Upstate 68-54, reports Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Vanderbilt heats up to beat Middle Tennessee, writes Tom Kraeger for the Tennessean.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Tennessee basketball is free falling’