(H-L photo)
Big Blue Links and notes from a sunny, but chilly Newark this morning:
- Some Herald-Leader links previewing tonight’s Kentucky-Ohio State game:
- Calipari’s freshman formula will be put to the test tonight, writes Jerry Tipton.
- Cats must crowd Buckeyes shooters to have a chance tonight, writes Mark Story.
- My column says Kentucky is not settling for the underdog role.
- Calipari and Matta have different game preparation ideas, writes Tipton, along with other notes.
- Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal writes that Kentucky faces a tall order tonight with the Buckeyes.
- Here’s a stat for you, in the past five years, only one No. 4 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16. That was in 2006 when LSU knocked off Duke. The Tigers then beat Texas to reach the Final Four. Duke’s loss last night doesn’t count, as Arizona was a No. 5 seed. Arizona beat a No. 4 seed Texas to reach get the shot at the Blue Devils.
- Have to admit, having left the house at 4:40 a.m. to catch my flight on Thursday morning, I turned the Arizona-Duke game off at the half with Duke comfortably ahead. Big mistake. Would have loved to see the second half, not that I have anything against the Blue Devils. But apparently Derrick Williams was out of his mind.
- Some may be wondering why CBS’ Clark Kellogg is doing the analysis on the East Regional. After all, Kellogg is an Ohio State grade and is on the school’s board of trustees. And Clark has the Ohio State-Kentucky game tonight. As usual, he’s teaming with Jim Nantz. Personally, I like Clark and think he does a good job, but some will no doubt question the assignment.
- Some Ohio State links:
- Undersized Lighty will need to play big tonight, writes Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch.
- Bobby Hunter of the Dispatch writes that Kentucky’s tradition doesn’t scare Ohio State.
- Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger writes that Calipari is the best salesman around. He writes of Cal’s firing from his job as New Jersey Nets coach, “Many of us would speak of the ordeal with the kind of bitterness you could drop in a glass if you ever ran out of ice. But Calipari? “The best experience!” he proclaimed of his Nets days, standing in the hallway outside the Kentucky locker room at the Prudential Center, where the lecture dovetailed into valuable lessons learned from that disaster, how he reflected on his personal failure (Somberly: “I guess I’m still learning that. … “), how Jersey remains so close to his heart he was going to take a quick trip to see the old homestead up in Franklin Lakes, with a little revisionist history mixed in (not drafting Kobe Bryant was somebody else’s fault).”
- Here’s the Lexington media rundown of who’s in Newark, or at least was here yesterday: Both Alan Culter and Mary Jo Perino of WLEX, Rob Bromley of WKYT, Kent Spencer of WTVQ, Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger, Matt May of the Cats Pause, Jerry Tipton and myself of the H-L.
- Lexingtonian Shelvin Mack scored 13 points in Butler’s 61-54 win over Wisconsin last night. Butler’s defense was outstanding. And the Bulldogs get Florida in the Southeast Region final on Saturday.
- Jimmer Fredette scored 32 for BYU but didn’t get much help as the Cougars lost in overtime to Florida. Meanwhile, Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun writes that Florida’s Alex Tyus manned up in the win. The senior forward scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Billy Donovan is one win away from his fourth Final Four at Florida. Sadly for Kentucky, Billy D’s previous three have all come since the Cats last trip to the Final Four.
- Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger showed a good sense of humor yesterday. When someone asked if he was sad that his dad won’t be here on Friday — Satch Sullinger his coaching his high school team in the Ohio state championships — Jared joked that he wouldn’t miss his dad yelling at him during the game.
- In Ohio State’s Sweet 16 loss to Tennessee last year, Jon Diebler made just one of seven three-pointers and scored three points.
- Ohio State has made 28 of 50 three-pointers in its first two NCAA tourney games this year.
- Marquette is staying at the same hotel where I’m staying here in Newark. Lots of talk that Oklahoma is coming hard after Buzz Williams once Marquette’s run is over.
- Kentucky, meanwhile, switched hotels. John Calipari moved his team to a quieter hotel to get away from the band, cheerleaders and traveling party, which included Dr. Todd.
- There is talk here that Missouri is targeting Purdue coach Matt Painter. Can’t see him leaving West Lafayette, or Robbie Hummel.
- Nice story by ESPN’s Dana O’Neil on the city of Richmond, with two schools in the Final Four. VCU’s Joey Rodriguez received a standing ovation when he walked into his research methods class on Monday.
- CBS reports that March Madness On Demand viewing is up 47 percent over last year. Makes me think that those who think that newspapers should give away iPads might be onto something, after all.
- I did watch most of Florida-BYU and, sorry, Reggie Miller and Len Elmore do not mix all that well.
