(AP photo)
John Calipari’s visit to Richmond for a fund-raiser on Wednesday saw the coach not only avoid the 500 wins controversy — “I’m 0-0,” he said — but also rib the Duke Blue Devils.
When asked about the possibility of a Coach Cal-Coach K matchup in the future, Calipari said, “They will not play us.”
The Duke Basketball Report issued a retort: “Here’s a reasonable guess: given the venom that still comes out of Lexington, nearly 20 years after The Shot, why would anyone from Duke wish to play there? It’s an unhealthy atmosphere which comes from the inability of Kentucky fans to deal with reality.”
UPDATE: Alert twitter follower points out that UK will play Duke on Nov. 13, 2012 in the Champions Classic at Georgia Dome. But think Cal was talking about a home-and-home series with the Dookies.
Program note: Kentucky is making certain basketball players available to the media this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. (We don’t know which ones.) Check the blog later today for video, details, etc.
Click on the continue line for today’s Big Blue Links.
- Calipari tells Richmond crowd that Duke won’t play Kentucky, reports Nathan Hutchinson of the Richmond Register.
- Duke Basketball Report takes issue with Calipari’s statement about the Blue Devils.
- Jenny Hansen is trying an unprecedented gymnastics comeback, reports Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.
- Dwane Casey says his NCAA title at Kentucky in 1978 was more exciting, reports Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
- Georgia coach sent an impermissible text to a UK target, reports the AJC. (h/t All Ky Hoops)
- UK finds one popular voice in support of its stand on 500 wins, says the lead to my Thursday random notes column.
- UK football commit says basketball signee Marquis Teague will be a star at Kentucky, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
- Brandon Knight will have a private workout with the Utah Jazz today, reports Jody Genessy of the Desert News.
- Kentucky needs to fess up about honoring Calipari way too soon, writes the blog Card Game.
I’ll be honest, I don’t really want to invite the Coach K and the Blue Devils into the hallowed halls of Rupp.
1992 is the past, and I’m getting old enough not to hate, but that doesn’t mean I want to invite them into our house. Let them do their thing, we’ll do ours…occasionally meet on a neutral court or in the tournament and just let it be…
Maybe not the most rational feelings, but it’s the truth.
Does Duke have a home-home non-conference series? St. Johns maybe?
That is a copy out though. What are Rupp fans going to do to Duke’s players? Yell at them? Insult them? How is that different than the organized low blow insult barage that takes place every game at the Cameron Basketball Barn? I mean, Duke fans yelled “Orphan” at Scott Williams, a guy that had lost both his parents in a murder-suicide. There is no high road for Duke fans to take on this discussion.
If memory serves I recall Jerry Tipton having a story in the Herald-Leader while Tubby was still the coach reporting that because the UK-UNC series was ending, Duke wasd making inquiries about the ‘possibility’ of starting a home and home series with Kentucky.
Duke’s idea of a ‘home and home’ was, ‘you come to Durham and we’ll play you in East Rutherford.’
Naturally UK refused. I remember getting royally angry reading that story. The unmitigated gall of those people.
We’re not talking North Texas, Southern Utah or Missouri State here.
A lot of the men’s basketball coaches here at Idaho State have connections to Iowa. I was told the story how a few years ago Iowa played at Duke, then instead of Duke coming to Iowa they added money to play the game in East Rutherford. I know the coaches were upset about it thinking they’d have a shot at them in their building. They told me Duke does this all the time so they don’t have to go on the road.
Duke has always claimed they won’t play a lot of road games ‘because the ACC’ is so difficult.’ That’s a complete farce.
In real road games the past three years Duke is 3-4.
Creative scheduling? True somewhat….it’s also a lack of guts.
That’s Coach K for you.
Mark Liptak
Why is it that everyone forgets about the “Goose” (Lexington native Jack Givens) slapping Duke with 41 points to win it all in 78 ?? Dang, lets get over it and get em next year again!!