John Clay's Sidelines

(AP photo/Kerry Smith)

SEC links for Monday:

• Lady Vols beat Stanford in overtime, reports Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times Free Press thinks it’s time to renew the Tennessee-Connecticut rivalry.
• Keeping Dan Mullen could be the start of something great for Mississippi State, reports Brad Locke of the NE Mississippi Daily News.
• Tennessee men trying to find their focus, writes Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News says fans are permitted to avoid Auburn and Alabama basketball this season.
• Auburn returns to prepping for BCS title game, writes Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Some Alabama football juniors have difficult decisions ahead, reports Michael Casagrande of the Anniston Star.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Lady Vols win; Mullen’s magic at Mississippi St’

You can never tire from watching Mike Davis of Indiana get thrown out of this UK-Indiana game.

And the Bob Knight chair-throwing.

After Calipari being tossed last night, went back and put together a database of Kentucky’s technical fouls the last five+ seasons.

This includes Tubby Smith’s final year two years (2005-06 and 2006-07), plus Billy Gillispie’s two years (2007-08 and 2008-09), plus Cal’s first year (2009-10) and this season.

Reducing the chart to fit made it a bit fuzzy, so click on it to make it appear full-size.

Randall Cobb and Danny Trevathan were honored for being first-team All-Americans. (H-L photo)

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

Click here for Herald-Leader photo gallery from last night’s game.

Click here for Cats Pause photo gallery from Joe B. Hall reunion.

CALIPARI GETS THE HEAVE-HO, NOT HO-HO-HO – Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader: “In a game that made a mockery of this supposedly being the most wonderful time of the year, Kentucky sloshed to an 85-60 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday night. The most interesting moment came when UK Coach John Calipari received two technical fouls and an automatic ejection. That marked what was believed to be the first ejection of a UK coach since referee Andre Pattillo threw out Rick Pitino from the 1996-97 regular-season finale in Rupp Arena. Calipari’s premature exit came with less than seven minutes left in a game that made the hymn Silent Night seem rollicking.”

EJECTION BRINGS LIFE TO BORING GAME – My column: “n the end, Cal being told to leave the floor didn’t have any affect on the outcome of the game, but it was interesting to see the coach get himself run in a game that was already decided. Maybe Calipari had some Christmas shopping to do. Maybe he wanted to beat the traffic. Or maybe he just wanted to get Jones’ attention. UK’s fab freshman was a no-show in the first half, picking up two fouls against just one field goal. He played just six minutes. No word on whether he again took a pre-game nap, a la North Carolina, where the Portland native suffered through an off-game.”

CATS ROLL ON AFTER JOE B. HONORED – Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal: “About 40 former players – including past UK greats Kenny Walker, Jack Givens and Kyle Macy – gathered at halfcourt for the halftime festivities. “I should have won a lot more games,” Hall joked as he surveyed the talent. Givens took a microphone and addressed Hall, telling him, “We hope you get into the Hall of Fame, which is exactly where you deserve to be.”

MINTER THE MAN IN CHARGE – Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader: “Upon announcing last week that Steve Brown and Rick Minter would share the title of co-defensive coordinator on his Kentucky football staff, head coach Joker Phillips never explained how such an arrangement would work. Saturday, he did, saying “somebody has to be in charge” of the defense, and that somebody will be Minter.”

Continue reading ‘After UK win and Cal walk, Big Blue Links for a Sunday’

(AP photo/Jeffery M. Boan)

A roundup from a big SEC basketball day Saturday:

• Florida 57, Kansas State 44
  • Florida held Kansas State to 27 percent shooting in the Orange Bowl Classic. K-State shot 21 percent in the second half.
  • After making just three of 21 shots in his last two games, Kenny Boynton led the Gators with 15 points.
  • Florida outscored the Wildcats 37-21 in the second half.
  • It was Florida’s first win in its last five games against ranked teams.
  • Kansas State was 0-of-10 from three-point land in the second half.
  • Its 44 points are since a 57-42 loss to Nebraska on January 11, 2006, long before Frank Martin became head coach.
  • Defensive intensity leads Florida to win, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• South Carolina 79, Ohio State 57
  • Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger had 30 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
  • He hit a 30-foot shot at the buzzer to give team 42-21 lead at the half.
  • South Carolina had outrebounded seven of its last eight opponents, but lost the boards 44-35.
  • Sam Muldrow led the Gamecocks with 14 points.
  • South Carolina’s only other loss was to a Big Ten team, 82-73 to Michigan State on Nov. 16.
  • “Plain and simple, it was a good old-fashioned whipping from a veteran team that just makes all the little plays and does all the right things,” USC coach Darrin Horn said. “We looked like a team that has very little experience.”
  • Buckeyes make South Carolina pay for strategy, writes Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Florida gets huge win, others not so lucky’

Mississippi Valley coach Sean Woods, the former UK point guard and “Unforgettable”, talks about his team’s Saturday loss at UK.

UK basketball coach John Calipari talks about being ejected from his team’s win over MVSU.

A clarification: Cal says he had never been thrown out of a game before. He was actually thrown out of a game in 1996.

Click here to see this video on YouTube.

(H-L photo)

News and notes from UK’s 85-60 win over Mississippi Valley:

• Calipari said afterward that he had never been ejected from a game. He misspoke. He was kicked out of a game on Feb. 25, 1996 when coaching UMass. According to UK: ”Coach Calipari’s last ejection was at UMass vs. George Washington on February 25, 1996. He received two first-half technicals and was ejected with 10:31 remaining in the first half. UMass lost the game 86-76 at home after starting the season 26-0.”
• Kentucky forced 23 turnovers, the most since Georgia committed 26 against the Cats on Jan. 9, 2010. UK won that game 76-68.
• Josh Harrellson had his second consecutive 12-rebound game. He got 12 rebounds in 24 minutes tonight.
• DeAndre Liggins has scored 35 points in his last two games.
• Darius Miller scored 14 points, but grabbed just three rebounds in 30 minutes.
• UK was outrebounded by four, just the third time this year the Cats have been beaten on the boards. North Carolina outrebounded UK by six. Connecticut outrebounded UK by three.

Continue reading ‘News and notes from the Calipari ejection game’

Before tonight’s UK basketball game, Kentucky coach Joker Phillips introduced new co-defensive coordinator Rick Minter and new running backs coach Steve Pardue. First video is Minter. After the jump is video of Pardue. And third video is of Phillips explaining the moves.

The Minter video is pretty much a monologue, by the way.

Continue reading ‘Videos: Rick Minter, Steve Pardue, Joker Phillips’