(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader on tonight’s battle of the blurs:

Kentucky point guard John Wall, certainly no cartoon figure although his exploits this season tested the bounds of credulity, might give Aminu a new perspective on speed when the teams play in the NCAA Tournament second round Saturday night.

DeMarcus Cousins certainly thought so. He frowned and shook his head, as if in pity, at the suggestion that someone believed Smith was faster than Wall.

Mark Story of the Herald-Leader on how Wake plans to agitate Big Cuz:

Will Rogers - who famously said he never met a man he didn’t like - never encountered Chas (pronounced Chase) McFarland on a basketball court.

In its Feb. 22 edition, ESPN The Magazine featured the Wake big man with a headline that asked “why does everyone, no, really, everyone, want to take a swing at Chas McFarland?”

Jennifer Smith of the H-L previews UK women’s NCAA opener:

Matthew Mitchell isn’t from Kentucky, but he often sounds as though he might be.

When the coach talks about UK basketball and what it means to the commonwealth, he sounds as though he spent his childhood shooting hoops in his driveway re-enacting the 1978 national championship.

“Kentucky is such a unique place and the passion for basketball is so strong here,” he told the media gathered before No. 19 UK’s start in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Freedom Hall.

Luke DeCock of the Raliegh News and Observer writes that Wake has reason to smile:

When Wake Forest’s players entered the interview room at the New Orleans Arena on Wednesday, there was little interest and a lot of gloom. As the last of eight teams to proceed to the podium, pushing East Coast deadlines at 7 p.m. Central Time, Wake was questioned only by three North Carolina reporters and one local reporter — and given the Demon Deacons’ run of five losses in six games, it was a grim line of inquiry.

Forty-eight hours later, the Deacons were back, and they couldn’t stop smiling. Thursday’s overtime win over Texas took an unimaginable amount of pressure off Wake Forest, from last season’s upset by Cleveland State to this season’s slide to the finish. As the Deacons prepared to play Kentucky tomorrow, there’s suddenly reason for optimism.

Dan Collins of the Winston-Salem Journal reports that Wake knows what it faces:

The challenge will now be to take the floor with the same passion and intensity for tonight’s game against No. 1 seed Kentucky, scheduled for around 8:30 at New Orleans Arena. The Wildcats, who steamrolled East Tennessee State 100-71 Thursday, will be as heavily favored as one would expect a 32-2 team playing an opponent that is 20-10.

There’s no guarantee that the Deacons’ best effort will be enough. But anything less could obviously make for a long day against the brawny and fast Wildcats.

Lenox Rawlings of the Journal thinks Wake has a shot:

That’s not saying the Deacons will upset the No. 2 choice for the NCAA championship, behind Kansas. That’s not saying the Deacons will come closer than the nine-point spread. That’s not saying John Wall should haul his sweet dribble to the NBA before sundown Sunday, driven out of town by that one-man Texas posse Ish Smith.

But stranger things have happened. N.C. State beat Houston in 1983. Villanova beat Georgetown in 1985. In this year’s first round, deep seeds Ohio U., Murray State and Cornell flipped the tables on Sweet 16 pretenders Georgetown, Vanderbilt and Temple.

Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal on speedy backcourts and big frontcourts:

Kentucky forward DeMarcus Cousins has heard the theory that Wake Forest, the Wildcats’ opponent in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round game at the New Orleans Arena, is a mirror image of UK.

There’s the fleet-footed point guard (Kentucky’s John Wall, Wake’s Ishmael Smith).

There are the big bodies up front (UK boasts five players 6-foot-10 or taller; Wake Forest has four listed at least 6-foot-11).

Thayer Evans of the New York Times on Calipari’s fondness for the Big Easy:

The night before top-seeded Kentucky romped over No. 16 seed East Tennessee State in the opening round of the N.C.A.A. tournament, Wildcats Coach John Calipari allowed his team to visit Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.

But because of the short trip, there was not time to take his team on a Hurricane Katrina tour as he did when he coached at Memphis. He said on Friday that he planned to discuss the devastating storm that ravaged this city with his players.

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News says Wake wants an up-and-down game:

When Wake Forest PG Ish Smith nailed a running shot to beat the buzzer and eliminate Texas from the NCAA Tournament, it wasn’t the first time he’d nailed a game-winner. “He makes big shots,” coach Dino Gaudio said. Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy spoke with Smith, who gets a game against this year’s big-shot freshman, John Wall of Kentucky, in the NCAA second round Saturday night.

James Pennington of the Kentucky Kernel says shock and awe won’t faze Wake:

All year, two things have undeniably played into UK’s favor: speed and size. Scout all you can and watch film until your eyes turn red, but nobody can understand how to corral John Wall’s speed until it is seen in person. Well, nobody but Wake Forest’s own blur of a guard, Ishmael Smith.

Texas coach Rick Barnes called Smith a one-man fast break. Perhaps the only other player in college that could be called the same will be pitted against him Saturday with a Sweet 16 berth at hand.

Metz Camfield of the Kernel writes that big men have Cats’ attention:

Wake Forest is up next for the Cats, but when circling around the UK locker room Friday afternoon, much of the talk circled back to South Carolina.

The Gamecocks, led by senior guard Devan Downey and 44 team rebounds, handed UK their first loss of the season on Jan. 26. UK is hoping when they face Wake Forest on Saturday, it won’t be their last game of the season.

Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger reports on Daniel Orton and NBA:

He’s not really thinking about what might happen once the season ends, but Kentucky freshman Daniel Orton won’t deny that the NBA could be a possible destination for him as early as next season.

Tom Leach has videos previewing UK-Wake Forest.

WKYT has video story on teen getting a UK birthday surprise.

Chris Low of espn.com thinks Wake could give UK a run for its money:

Getting into an up-and-down, shoot-’em-up game with Kentucky is like chumming off the coast of South Africa … and doing it while sitting in one of those blowup floats.

In other words, you just don’t do it.

Try telling that to Wake Forest, which not only wants to run with Kentucky, but wants to run the No. 1-seeded Wildcats ragged Saturday in their East Regional second-round game.

Keith Taylor of the Winchester Sun on UK’s chemistry:

In order to avoid getting shoved around in the post, Cousins will have to stay on the floor longer than he did in the team’s tournament opener. Because of foul trouble, Cousins scored just five points in 24 minutes. While on the court, Cousins did collect four blocks against the Bucs.

Brian Allee-Walsh of NewOrleans.com on Daniel Orton:

Orton is brimming with potential and is viewed by NBA scouts as a possible first-round draft pick this June. But he’s not good enough to crack the starting lineup on a Wildcat team that is 33-2 and has its sights set on reaching the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 3-5.

Orton will come off the bench in Saturday night’s second-round game against Wake Forest in the NCAA East Regional at New Orleans Arena. Tipoff is approximately 7:30 p.m., or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the day’s first game between Baylor and Old Dominion at 4:50 p.m..

(Hat tip to Walter’s Wildcat World.)

Blogs:

• Danny Jett’s Inner Circle writes that Wake Forest looms large.
• Cat Scratches blog has funny video of Cousins trying to avoid the media.
• Kentucky Sports Radio wasn’t much on the Friday games.
• Nation of Blue on Patrick Patterson and the fans.
• Wildcat Blue Blog goes inside the numbers with UK and Wake.
• Straitpinkie previews the Cats and Demon Deacons.
• Bluegrass State Basketball says there is one person in Memphis who still likes Calipari.
• Nathan Brooks of Kentucky Sports Network gives his thumbs-up/thumbs-down.
• Kentucky Ink takes a look at Wake Forest.

• Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports on Tennessee’s chance at the Sweet 16.
• The Ohio bandwagon is growing, writes John Adams of the News-Sentinel.
• Ray Melick of the Birmingham News writes that Tubby Smith or not, it’s time for Auburn to get serious about basketball.
• Jon Solomon of the News reports that Auburn is trying to change its perception in basketball.
• Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register reports that Jeff Lebo could be the next coach at East Carolina.
• Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel on Lady Vols’ NCAA Tournament opener.
• Kareem Copeland of the Clarion-Ledger reports on Ole Miss’ NIT win over Memphis.
• Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean writes that Vanderbilt hit the wall in March.
• The Athens Banner-Herald on Georgia men’s tennis having its 71-match home winning streak snapped.
• Seth Emerson of The State reports that Austin Steed is leaving South Carolina basketball program.
• Randy Rosetta of The Advocate reports on LSU’s loss to Arkansas in SEC baseball opener.
• David Jones of Florida Today writes that Gators basketball needs more depth.

Photo by Charles Bertram.

All kinds of reports and rumors this morning linking Tubby Smith with Auburn’s search for a basketball coach.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports claims Auburn is about to hire Smith: “Auburn is “close to hiring” Tubby Smith as its new basketball coach, a source that I trust told me Thursday night.”

Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News writes on the Tubby rumors: “People familiar with the search process say the university is willing to significantly increase what it has paid former coaches in order to attract someone with a proven record to replace Jeff Lebo, who was fired last Friday. A list of candidates includes coaches who could command high salaries, such as Minnesota’s Tubby Smith, who has SEC experience at Kentucky and Georgia.”

Smith’s Minnesota team, a No. 11 seed in the West Region, plays No. 6 seed Xavier today.

(H-L photo)

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader reports that a barrage of threes led UK to easy victory: “Kentucky (33-2) assumed a 10-point lead less than seven minutes into the game, expanded the margin to 30 late in the first half and breezed into Saturday’s second-round game against Wake Forest. East Tennessee State (20-15) hoped to stay close and rattle Kentucky. UK wanted to crush the Bucs’ spirit quickly and decisively. “We did a good job of that today,” Daniel Orton said.”

• Mark Story of the H-L writes that Eric Bledsoe looked a lot Tony Delk: Before his first NCAA Tournament game ever, Eric Bledsoe sought counsel from his own personal Yoda. Tony Delk, star of Kentucky’s 1996 NCAA champions and current UK coach in training, told the freshman from Alabama that the first tourney game is the hardest one.”

• Herald-Leader photo slide show of UK’s 100-71 win over East Tennessee State.

• Tipton’s notes lead with DeMarcus Cousins and the marriage proposal: From her seat 14 rows from the court in the corner closest to UK’s bench, Woods had a chance for Cousins to see her sign. Then again, she could have been at the top row of the arena and been seen. Maybe heard, too. The upper bowl of The New Orleans Arena was mostly empty and the lower bowl included a good number of unoccupied seats.”

• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal on UK’s yawner of a victory: “To call this one a yawner would be understating things. Kentucky’s blowout of East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA tournament was so thorough that fans were sleeping in the stands-and not even the collective laughs of conscious spectators could awaken some of those caught snoozing on large video boards.”

• Matt May of the Cats Pause on UK’s first-round rout: “The Cats (33-2) used their almost unfair size advantage in the post to dominate the Buccaneers, most it coming from Patrick Patterson and Daniel Orton, an unlikely offensive source. By the end of the first half UK was staging its own alley-oop competition to complement the scorching three-point shooting of Eric Bledsoe. The trio combined for 38 points, 12 rebounds and four triples by the break and the Cats made 7-of-14 from beyond the arc for a balanced attack before cruising over the final 20 minutes.”

• Jennifer Smith of the Herald-Leader on UK’s Keyla Snowden: “It wasn’t because she couldn’t score. The 5-foot-7 standout from Lexington Catholic can definitely score. It wasn’t because she was too small or too slow to play in the SEC. It was because she wasn’t playing defense.“

• James Pennington of the Kentucky Kernel writes that inexperience and youth are two different things: “People will continue to say the Cats will falter down the stretch because of their youth and inexperience - terms which mean completely different things but are often tied together. But count me among those confused as to how one looks at a team that’s faced as many adverse situations as UK (and prevailed in just about every instance a winner) and the first thing that pops to mind is, “Wow, talk about inexperience!”"

• Metz Camfield of the Kernel on UK coasting to win over Bucs: “For a team not known for its 3-point shooting , the Cats bombarded ETSU with seven in the opening half and 15 for the game, one short of tying the UK team record for most 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game. The Cats said they’re still not a 3-point shooting team, but if they shoot the way they did Thursday night, they’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

• Tom Leach on ballin’ with Bledsoe: “Remember a few weeks back when coach Cal talked about the “dog days” of the season and having to push through till March Madness started. Well, the Cats last night looked like a team that got what they were waiting for–the big dance–and they relished the chance to step on that big stage.”

• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger wants to know what happened to the Big Blue Nation: “There was one big surprise here Thursday night when Kentucky played East Tennessee in the NCAA Region. The New Orleans Arena had a Big Blue tint, but at best only half of the 17,000 seats were occupied.”

(H-L photo)

• Trey Iles of the Times-Picayune on Bledsoe’s three spree: “Casual college basketball observers can probably name Kentucky’s top two players - point guard John Wall and forward DeMarcus Cousins - but there’s more to the Wildcats than those two. East Tennessee State and fans watching the first half of Thursday’s game saw that.”

• Thayer Evans of the New York Times reports that UK slammed its way to the second round: “Before halftime, top-seeded Kentucky had turned the game into a dunkathon. During a 54-second span against overmatched No. 16-seed East Tennessee State, the Wildcats had alley-oops on three consecutive possessions that caused their rabid fans to roar. The sequence left Coach John Calipari beaming like a proud father as the Wildcats cruised to a 100-71 victory Thursday in the first round of the East Region at New Orleans Arena.”

• Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News on UK’s big win: “The Wildcats (33-2) needed eight minutes to put the Buccaneers (20-15) in a 20-point hole. They led by as much as 30 before finishing the first half up 54-26. ETSU never threatened the rest of the way.”

• Chris Low of espn.com on Kentucky’s cruise to victory: “Kentucky played a bunch of players and shot lights out from 3-point range. They finished 15-of-33. Freshman Eric Bledsoe was 8-of-9 from behind the arc and scored a career-high 29 points. At times, the Wildcats have tended to turn it off and on this season because they’re so talented. But they were wide open Thursday from the outset and showed no signs of any tournament jitters.”

(AP photo)

SEC links for Friday:

• Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports on Tennessee’s 62-59 win over San Diego State.
• John Adams of the News-Sentinel on Melvin Goins’ role in a day of underdog stories.
• David Climer of the Tennessean writes that Tennessee scrapped its way into the second round.
• Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun reports on Florida’s double-overtime loss to Brigham Young.
• Also in the Sun, Pat Dooley writes that lack of depth did in the Gators.
• Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel on Florida’s marathon loss to the Cougars.
• David Jones of Florida Today writes that Florida couldn’t withstand Jimmer Fredette’s 37 points.
• Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean on Vanderbilt’s loss to Murray State.
• Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that running back Bryce Brown may be leaving the Vols.
• In the AJC, Michael Carvell reports that Georgia’s Travis Leslie is being told to stay in school.
• David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger on tonight’s Ole Miss-Memphis NIT game.

His was the family medical issue I posted about some three weeks back. It has been a tough time for my family, but as I’ve found myself saying many times the past few days, my two sisters and I could not have asked for a better dad.

I am very grateful for the loyal readers of this blog, of which my father was certainly one. I just wanted to let you know there probably won’t be many posts on here the next couple of days, but I hope to resume blogging this weekend.

One last thing, my family would like to publicly thank the dedicated doctors and nurses who took care of my father, those in his hometown of Paris, and those over the past three weeks at the University of Kentucky Hospital. The people who work in UK’s CCU Intensive Care Unit will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and sympathies over the past few weeks. They are greatly appreciated.