John Clay's Sidelines

(AP photo/John Bazemore)

Just a third of the way through the SEC basketball season, there is no doubt that Florida is holding the steering wheel. At least in the SEC East.

Florida’s chest-pounding 104-91 double-overtime triumph over Georgia last night in sold-out Athens was not just one of the better college basketball games of the season, but established Billy Donovan’s club as the SEC favorites.

Consider that Florida now has road wins at both Tennessee and Georgia, and that both of those wins came in overtime. The Gators blew a seven-point lead with seven minutes to go in Knoxville, yet rallied to win the game 81-75 in overtime. Last night, Florida lost an eight-point lead with 3:12 to play, fell behind by three in overtime before Irving Walker’s dramatic three-pointer forced a second overtime, then ran away from the Bulldogs in the second extra period.

Kentucky has already lost at Georgia, and the Cats have yet to play Tennessee. Or Florida. John Calipari’s club plays host to the Bulldogs in the return match on Saturday.

The reason for Florida’s close road wins? Surely experience is a factor. Remember, Florida returned every player from the team that made the NCAA Tournament last year.

Continue reading ‘Florida now in the SEC East’s drivers seat’

At least one internet source is reporting that Jon Davis will re-affirm his commitment to Kentucky today, but others are not so sure.

The tight end prospect out of Louisville committed to Kentucky earlier, but had visited Louisville and Illinois in recent weeks and was giving consideration to changing his pick. Davis is expected to make some sort of announcement today.

Wildcat Blue Nation is saying that Davis will stick with UK.

But Brian Eldridge of Kentucky Sports Report has tweeted, “On Jon Davis, I can’t really tell you want he’s going to do. My gut says it’s Louisville, but nothing would surprise me.”

Jay Bruce and Walt Jocketty. (AP photo)

May be snowing outside, but baseball is not that far away. As proof, the winter staple known as the Cincinnati Reds Caravan will stop in Lexington on Sunday. Reds’ officials, players, etc. will be at the Lexington Center Shops from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Those expected to attend the Lexington stop include:

• Walt Jocketty – President of Baseball Operations and General Manager
• Jim Kelch – broadcaster
• Phil Castellini – Reds Chief Operating Officer
• Yasmani Grandal – minor league catcher and 2010 first round draft pick
• Tom Browning – Reds Hall of Famer and pitching coach for the Arizona League Reds
• Jay Bruce – outfielder
• Bob Castellini – Reds President and CEO
• Joe Morgan – Hall of Famer and Special Advisor to Baseball Operations

(H-L photo)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

Scott Powers of espn.com: “Ten years have passed since the Chicago area claimed the consensus No. 1 senior in the country. Simeon’s Derrick Rose, Proviso East’s Shannon Brown and Homewood-Flossmoor’s Julian Wright all reached the top 10 in the last decade, but only Thornwood’s Eddy Curry earned the top spot. Perspectives’ 6-foot-10 senior forward and Kentucky recruit Anthony Davis is now on the verge of giving the area the No. 1 player again. Davis remained at No. 2 in the Class of 2011 when ESPN Recruiting released its new rankings on Tuesday, but he has a great shot at being No. 1 when the final rankings are updated in the spring.”

Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal: “There has been a lot of Jon Davis talk in recent weeks. The Eastern High School standout is ranked as the state’s top college football prospect by ESPN.com – and the No. 138 prospect nationally – and has been committed to the University of Kentucky since Dec., 2009. Davis, who moved to the Bluegrass State from New Jersey in middle school, has been looking at three schools in recent weeks. UK, Louisville and Illinois are the schools. It appears all the speculation will end on Wednesday.”

Garrett Tucker of Nation o f Blue: “After a 32-point performance tonight with John Calipari in attendance, junior Archie Goodwin (Sylvania Hills, Ark.) received a scholarship offer from Kentucky. Goodwin has been reported to love the ‘Cats and this should be one of his personal favorite offers. ‘I got the offer from Kentucky,’ he told me via text.”

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader: “Lexington Mayor Jim Gray on Tuesday called for a study to determine the feasibility of redesigning and renovating Rupp Arena and the Lexington Center. He did not mention building a new downtown arena. ‘There are many people who believe the civic center’s arena and the convention complex need a total redesign and renovation to bring the facilities up to competitive standards,’ Gray said. ‘It needs to be the best – state of the art. Making it the best is a responsible investment in our Lexington brand.’ Gray said he will appoint a task force in the next two weeks and charge it with conducting a study ‘to get our arms around what is possible’ at the civic center, which houses the arena used by the University of Kentucky basketball team and the city’s convention center.”

Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: “t was just a couple of games ago in an eventual 68-66 loss at Alabama that Kentucky coach John Calipari trotted out his tried and true motivation tactic that University of Memphis fans know so well. A snoopy ESPN camera caught Cal at a timeout in his huddle screaming an expletive at star freshman forward Terrence Jones. While some of the Big Blue Nation was horrified, somewhere before an NBA game, former University of Memphis stars Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans probably heard about the incident and wanted to text Jones, ‘Welcome to Cal’s Cuss Club.’”

Continue reading ‘BBL: Anthony Davis could be No. 1; Jon Davis picks today’

Florida's Patric Young fouls Georgia's Trey Thompkins in last night's game.(AP photo)

SEC links for Wednesday:

Paul Newberry of the AP: “Chandler Parsons took control in the second overtime after the teams traded tying last-second shots, leading No. 24 Florida to a 104-91 victory over Georgia on Tuesday night. Trey Thompkins put back a missed shot just ahead of the buzzer at the end of regulation, capping the Bulldogs’ rally from an eight-point deficit in the final 3 minutes. Florida (16-4, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) forced a second overtime when Erving Walker raced down the court and hit a long 3-pointer with 1 second remaining.”

Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun: “Since Florida junior point guard Erving Walker was a kid, he’s been used to taking a step or two back when shooting 3-pointers. That advice came from his dad, who used to coach the 5-foot-8 Walker in youth basketball leagues. On Tuesday night against Georgia, Walker hit the biggest of his deep 3-pointers to date. With Florida on its way to a potential heartbreaking overtime loss at Georgia, Walker drained a miracle 30-footer with one second left to tie the game at 85 and send it to a second overtime. From there, Florida dominated the next five minutes to beat Georgia 104-91 before a stunned sellout crowd of 10,523 at Stegeman Coliseum.”

Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register: “Auburn set a breathtaking new standard for futility in a miserable start to the second half before nearly pulling off an equally incredible comeback. Auburn’s 73-64 loss to Arkansas Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena was another chapter in what might be a historically bad season that has produced its share of games that are both bizarre and riveting. The Tigers (7-13, 0-6 SEC) missed 22 consecutive field goals and failed to score a basket for almost the first 12 minutes of the second half.”

John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel: “When Tyler Summitt joined the Tennessee men’s basketball team as a walk-on this season, I wondered, “What’s the point?” Having grown up in the same house with Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, he already had an advanced degree in the sport. When other children were cutting out paper dolls, he was cutting down nets. He learned more about the game in dinner conversation than most kids did in a childhood full of pricey basketball camps. No wonder, he wants to be a basketball coach. He has a lifetime head-start on his contemporaries.”

Continue reading ‘SEC: Florida now 5-1 after double-OT win at Georgia’

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Writing for the New York Times’ Fifth Down blog, the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock lists the top five NFL draft prospects at each position, with numerous ties.

Mayock lists now former UK receiver Randall Cobb as being in a three-way tie for fifth among the top wide outs.

Excerpt:

Wide Receiver:
*1. A.J. Green, Georgia
*2. Julio Jones, Alabama
*3. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
4. Titus Young, Boise State
T-5. Jerrel Jernigan, Troy
T-5. Greg Little, North Carolina
*T-5. Randall Cobb, Kentucky

* Underclassmen

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• John Calipari says his team’s up-side is enormous, reports Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• Mike Hartline receives community service on alcohol-related charges, reports Josh Kegley of the H-L.
• Former Connecticut forward transfers to Kentucky women, reports Jennifer Smith of the H-L.
• Calipari likes his team’s growth potential, writes Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Terrence Jones should make a splash in the NBA, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Upperclassmen taking a larger role leading Cats, writes Aaron Smith of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Samarie Walker was too good to pass up for UK hoops, writes Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.
• Jon Hood’s twitter account has disappeared, reports Nation of Blue.
• Kentucky adapts to slower pace at South Carolina, writes Keith Taylor of the Winchester Sun.
• Kentucky gets back on track, writes Ira Combs of Kentucky Sports Network.
• What constitutes a successful football recruiting class? asks Bleed Blue Kentucky.
• How is the Bruce Pearl situation affecting UK? asks Wildcat Blue Nation.

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Mark Bradley of the AJC writes that it’s a big week for Georgia basketball.
• Florida’s front line starts crucial test tonight at Georgia, writes Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• Revived Georgia ready to meet Florida, writes David Jones of Florida Today.
• Georgia now selling out for men’s basketball, reports David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Fans taking notice of Georgia’s success, writes Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph.
• Auburn travels to Arkansas tonight looking for first SEC win, reports Charles Bennett of the Anniston Times.
• Tennessee says no Woolridge wrong-doing even though witnesses contradict investigation, reports Andrew Gribble of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• With his team leading the SEC West, Alabama coach Anthony Grant is getting better looking every day, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Dee Bost says Mississippi State doesn’t play with enough heart, writes Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Vanderbilt’s Lance Goulbourne is on the rise, writes Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Georgia starts big week tonight with Florida’

(H-L photo/Jonathan Palmer)

Big Blue Links for Monday:

• A 30-5 run helps Kentucky women beat Vanderbilt, reports Jennifer Smith of the Herald-Leader.
• Matthew Mitchell won’t talk about possible transfer from Connecticut, reports Smith.
• Former UK women’s guard Ceal Barry honored, reports Jack Brammer of the H-L.
• To get best possible NCAA seed, Cats will have to win the SEC, says my Monday column.
• Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal writes that at South Carolina, UK basketball relied on old guard to step up.
• Kentucky football trying to put pieces together before signing day, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Some Kentucky basketball notes from Aaron Smith of the Kentucky Kernel.
• A Sea of Blue looks at Kentucky’s outstanding defense at South Carolina.
• Darius Miller is coming out of his shell, writes Ryan Clark of the Kentucky Enquirer.
• Polson plays and Poole disappears, reports Nation of Blue.

SEC links for Monday:

• Boynton is stepping up on offense and defense for the Gators, writes Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun.
• Tennessee women stop Auburn comeback, reports John Zenor of the AP.
• LSU women beat visiting Florida, reports Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.
• Georgia women cruise past Mississippi State, reports the AP.
• Ole Miss women win at No. 23 Arkansas, reports the AP.
• Alabama women lose at South Carolina, reports the Tuscaloosa News.
• Bruce Pearl hints rotation could be altered when Tennessee returns to SEC play, reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Pearl and McRae won’t be following Vols back to SEC, writes Patrick Smith of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Former Auburn football great Ed Dyas passes away, reports Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News.
• Arkansas seeking approval for facility funding, writes Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.