John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Pablo Alcala)

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A’dia Mathies was the Big Blue story on Thursday, scoring 34 points and hitting the game-winner as No. 9 Kentucky beat the No. 6 Tennessee women 61-60 before a sold-out crowd at Memorial Coliseum.

The Kentucky men travel to Knoxville on Saturday to play the Tennessee men. It’s a noon start on ESPN. John Calipari and selected players will have a media opportunity this afternoon, so look for notes, video, etc. on this blog later today.

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Mathies’ 34 saves Kentucky, reports Jen Smith of Herald-Leader.
• More lore for Memorial Coliseum, writes Mark Story of H-L.
• Photo gallery from UK-UT women, by Herald-Leader.
• UT’s comeback stalls at Memorial, reports Dan Fleser of KNS.
• Kidd-Gilchrist could be No. 1 pick, writes NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper.
• Judd’s kindness lifts Malone’s spirits, reports Larry Vaught of A-M.

(H-L photo/Pablo Alcala)

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Get to know the power players on UK sidelines at interactive site from the H-L.
• Kentucky men running out of time, reports Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• Mathies layup lifts Kentucky over Arkansas 55-54, reports Jennifer Smith of the H-L.
• Victoria Dunlap hits all the right notes in home finale, says Mark Story of the H-L.
• Heart-stopping win for UK women, writes T.J. Walker of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Group wants Billy Gillispie at Texas Tech, writes Jon Arnold of the Daily Toreador.
• Some question method of Lacey’s record, writes Gregg Dewalt of the Times Dailey.
• To be the best is Marquis Teague’s goal, says Brett Carney of WLEX-TV.
• Wiltjer ready to return to action, writes Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.
• Brett Dawson of C-J reports that Calipari believes Kentucky needs to get angry.
• Meaning of  three-point sign is unclear, writes Nick Craddock of the Kernel.
• Road woes raise March questions about Cats, writes Jeff Eisenberg for Yahoo.
• It was deja vu in Fayetteville, writes Tom Leach.
• Does Calipari have to accept blame for close losses? asks Larry Vaught of A-M.

Continue reading ‘BBL: New Billy Gillispie group; Lacey scoring controversy’

Matthew Mitchell talks about UK’s 49-47 win over LSU. After the jump, UK players Brittany Henderson, Victoria Dunlap and A’dia Mathies talk to the media. Finally. LSU coach Van Chancellor says the loss hurts.

Continue reading ‘Post-game videos from UK women’s win over LSU’

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

Paul Strelow of The State reports on Clemson’s poor bowl ticket sales: “In the week since the announced pairing, Clemson has sold 4,000 tickets – just more than half of its minimum 7,500 allotment per the ACC’s contract with the Music City Bowl. Kentucky has sold close to 16,000, rifling through its initial allotment of 12,000 within one day. Those figures don’t take into account the nearly 4,000 tickets the bowl sold in the four-day window before the selection was announced when media reports surfaced that the Wildcats were the likely choice.”

Jennifer Smith of the H-L on UK women’s unbeaten mark: “t sounds glamorous to say that Kentucky is just one win away from the best start in program history. It sounds exciting to say the 9-0 Cats can get to historic win No. 10 with a victory over in-state rival Louisville on Sunday. But you might as well be telling UK Coach Matthew Mitchell a bedtime story.”

Ian Ruder of the Oregonian on a UK basketball target who is only a sophomore: “His name is Jordan Tebbutt and while only the most die-hard high school fan may have heard of the 6-5 sophomore, college coaches are flocking to the 3A school’s campus to recruit him. Not small time programs either: Kentucky, Washington, Washington State, Oregon State and most of the rest of the Pac-10.” (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

St. Petersburg Times has a UK football commitment: “Largo tight end/defensive end Mike Douglas put an end to the recruiting process by committing to Kentucky.”

Continue reading ‘BBL: Clemson bowl ticket sales running slow’

A'dia Mathies (H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Jennifer Smith of the Herald-Leader writes that UK’s Amber Smith has shed her brace for a faster pace.
• Mark Story of the Herald-Leader writes that UK is a comfortable fit for the state’s Miss Basketball.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports on UK cornerback Randall Burden’s search for his swagger.
• Jerry Tipton’s clarification concerning Patrick Patterson’s new truck, something that got blown way out proportion on Thursday.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal reports that UK spent $185,000 more on Big Blue Madness than the year before.
• Chris Low of ESPN puts Micah Johnson as the fifth scariest player in the SEC.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger talks to Tywanna Patterson about the supposed truck-gate.
• Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches previews the UK women’s basketball team.
• Nick Craddock of the Kentucky Kernel writes on the hope for a curling club.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Women’s hoops and UK-Mississippi St grid’