John Clay's Sidelines

(AP photo/David Goldman)

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Three-pointer gives Georgia win over Georgia Tech, reports Carroll Rogers of the AJC.
• Ware makes seven threes in win over Yellow Jackets, writes Roger Clarkson of the Athens Banner-Herald.
• Bulldogs’ win big help to hoped-for breakthrough season, writes Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph.
• Arkansas prepared for Seton Hall tonight at Freedom Hall, writes Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.
• Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean reports that Vanderbilt faces a tough road test tonight at Missouri.
• Tennessee is set to welcome transfer Jeronne Maymon, reports Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Rachel George of the Orlando Sentinel compares Cameron Newton’s season with Tim Tebow’s Heisman season.
• Cecil Newton should be barred from the Heisman Trophy ceremony, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• BCS title game won’t feature much defense, writes Joe Medley of the Anniston Star.

Continue reading ‘Georgia beats Tech; Arkansas, Vandy ready for the road’

(AP photo)

SEC links for Sunday:

• At last Auburn gets to play for the BCS title, writes Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.
• Tigers to play Oregon for national championship, reports Brad Zimanek of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Auburn just too much for South Carolina, reports Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.
• It turned out to be child’s play for Cameron Newton, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Is Newton the greatest collegian ever? asks Mark Bradley of the AJC.
• Elezi scores 24 as Vanderbilt beats Belmont in basketball, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.
• Purdue sinks Alabama with three-pointers, writes Stacy Clardie of the Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette.
• Ole Miss knocks off Southern Miss 86-81, reports the AP.
• Johnson’s double-double leads Arkansas over Troy, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.
• The Gator Bowl is a possibility for Tennessee, writes Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

SEC links for Saturday:

• Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News writes that the NCAA has faced a firestorm in the face of Cameron Newton loophole.
• Chizik and Spurrier say they are both happy Newton will play today, writes Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Spurrier’s experience can stop Newton, writes Joe Biddle of the Tennessean.
• Spurrier and Garcia have become a good working pair, writes Ron Morris of The State.
• The old ball coach is ready for today’s title game, writes Charles Bennett of the Anniston Star.
• Defenses will decide the SEC title, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Georgia basketball holds on to beat UAB, reports Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph.

Continue reading ‘SEC: In Newton firestorm, SEC title decided today’

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Trying something different this morning, combining Big Blue Links and SEC links into one package.

BIG ENES — Breaking news, the ruling on the Enes Kanter case could come today. Wait, or tomorrow. Wait, or Sunday. Or maybe we’ll get it from WikiLeaks. Seriously, it could come today.

• Jerry Tipton reports that the Enes Kanter decision could come down at any time.
• It’s wait, wait, wait on Kanter, writes Matt May of the Cats Pause.
• Alan Cutler of WLEX-TV says UK players are just as anxious as everyone else.
• Wildcat Blue Nation chimes in on the Kanter factor.
• Kentucky Sports Radio is trying to use its law degree to figure out what might happen with Kanter, but seriously, what does the law have to do with the NCAA?

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE HEELS — Thursday was UK’s preview day for Saturday’s game with North Carolina. Usually, the pre-game interviews are done the day before, but the Cats are leaving early today for Carolina, so everything was moved up.

• North Carolina will test UK’s road readiness, writes Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• Doron Lamb says Saturday’s game will be the biggest of his life, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• The Cats are still working on communication with a trip to the Dean Dome coming, writes Hal Morris of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Kentucky doesn’t want to be North Carolina’s breakthrough game, writes Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.
• Darius Miller thinks UK can find some thrills in Chapel Hill, says Wildcat-Den.
• Click here here for a transcript of UK’s press conference quotes from yesterday.
• Ryan Clark of the Kentucky Enquirer blogs on Kanter and North Carolina.
• Opposing Views looks at the Cats-Carolina matchup.

TERRENCE JONES — Can he feel the love? Eamonn Brennan of espn.com ranks the UK guard/forward as the nation’s best freshman in November.

• The Jones-Barnes matchup is an intriguing one Saturday, writes Aaron Smith of the Kentucky Kernel.
• A Sea of Blue says UK fans should enjoy Jones, but root for Brandon Knight.

Continue reading ‘Enes, Heels, Newton, UK volleyball, open practices’

SEC links for Thursday:

• Central Florida upsets Florida 57-54, reports Iliana Limon of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Vanderbilt roles over Western Kentucky 82-62, reports Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean.
• Selective shooting key to Arkansas’ 84-74 win over Oklahoma, reports Chris Bahn for Arkansas Sports 360.
• NCAA rules that Cameron Newton did not know about scheme, reports Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News says the NCAA got it right on Cameron Newton ruling.
• Dan Mullen reportedly on Miami’s short list, reports Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• South Carolina wants to get Lattimore going in rematch, writes Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.
• Alabama basketball knocks off South Alabama, reports Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Houston Nutt is facing some tough off-season decisions at Ole Miss, writes Parrish Alford of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal.
• The plan to fix the football Gators, according to Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun.

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Alabama fires part-time employee who played “Take the Money and Run” when Cameron Newton came onto field during Iron Bowl, reports Izzy Gould of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Bama tries to do right after songs gone wrong, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Jeff Schultz of the AJC has video proof of the Alabama song selections.
• Fans upset that Urban Meyer blew off post-game radio interview following Florida’s loss to Florida State, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Auburn wants a complete game against South Carolina, reports Charles Bennett of the Anniston Star.
• Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel writes that Steve Spurrier and Gene Chizik have made the grade in the SEC.
• Middle Tennessee a trap game for basketball Vols, says Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Temple coach Al Golden is on Vanderbilt’s radar, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.
• Houston Nutt says he has no regrets about bringing in Jeremiah Masoli, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.
• No staff changes at Georgia, reports Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.

Gene Chizik and Pat Dye. (AP photo/Jamie Martin)

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Pat Dye defending Cameron Newton is a joke, writes George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Jeff Schultz of the AJC thinks that Georgia’s Mark Richt does deserve to be back next season.
• Florida beats Florida Atlantic 79-66 in basketball, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• LSU and Arkansas will match strengths on Saturday, writes Randy Rosetta of The Advocate.
• Gene Chizik’s path is similar to Nick Saban’s path, writes Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier reports that South Carolina claims it is not looking past Clemson.
• One writer judges Auburn with or without the facts, writes Mr. SEC’s John Pennington.
• Jeffery Taylor has added the three-pointer to Vanderbilt’s offense, writes Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean.
• Auburn’s Nick Fairley could be a handful for the Alabama offensive line, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser writes that Auburn’s Cameron Newton still has a smile.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Dye defends Newton as Iron Bowl ramps up’

(AP photo/David Tulis)

SEC links for Thursday:

• Alabama plays host to Bill Curry and Georgia State in a rare Thursday night game tonight, reports Izzy Gould of the Birmingham News.
• At Georgia State, Bill Curry is doing what he loves most, writes Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Curry is busy building the Georgia State program, reports A. Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Georgia State is preparing for Goliath, writes Ken Sugiura of the AJC.
• ESPN reports that Bill Bell had outline of the Cameron Newton payment plan.
• Cameron Newton reports fire up again, reports the Anniston Star.
• Could TMZ report be a game-changer in Newton case? asks Tony Barnhart of the AJC.
• The Newton story has blown up again, writes John Pennington of Mr. SEC.
• Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says it’s time to open the door on the SEC’s ethics policy.
• Tennessee makes the most of a (Trae) Golden opportunity, writes Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Bill Curry brings upstart back to Alabama’

(AP photo/Phil Sandlin)

SEC links for Wednesday:

Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun: “Florida proved it could play physically enough to beat No. 4 Ohio State on Tuesday night. But the No. 9 Gators didn’t play smart or poised enough in the final 10 minutes of a 93-75 loss to the Buckeyes at the O’Connell Center. After Florida sophomore guard Kenny Boynton hit a 3-pointer to cut Ohio State’s lead to 63-60 with 10:26 remaining, the Gators were outscored 30-15 the rest of the way. During that span, the Gators committed nine turnovers, including eight in 11 possessions.”

Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun: “For the second time in four nights, a Florida team had no answer for a freshman. On Saturday night it was Marcus Lattimore. On Tuesday night, it was Jared Sullinger. Both left Gators gasping in their wakes. The difference is that the South Carolina running back will have to wait two more seasons to turn pro. I doubt Ohio State’s center will have to wait much longer than next June.”

Rachel George of the Orlando Sentinel: “In an early season test for both teams, No. 9 Florida found maybe it didn’t deserve all the preseason hype. The Gators fell to No. 4 Ohio State in the O’Connell Center on Tuesday 93-75, hanging with the Buckeyes for the first 30 minutes before falling apart in the final 10. Leading 41-38 at halftime, the Gators (1-1, 0-0 SEC) were down three midway through the second half before getting outscored 30-15 in the final 10 minutes of the game.”

Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch: “”We went into halftime and we talked about a couple of things we needed to get better at,” Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta said. That put it very mildly. “He yelled at us,” Sullinger said. “His face was red. He let us know it was time to rebound. ‘It’s either buckle down or just get out the gym.’ We answered the bell.”

George Sipple of the Detroit Free-Press: “Michigan State built its biggest lead of the game at end of the first half and then struggled to deal with South Carolina’s press in the second half. The No. 2-ranked Spartans were outrebounded, 44-41, missed half of their 34 free-throw attempts and committed 19 turnovers. Still, they were able to pull out an 82-73 victory at the Breslin Center.”

Continue reading ‘SEC: Florida flops in basketball loss to Ohio St’

SEC links for Tuesday:

Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun: “If Florida’s frontline is the heavyweight heading into today’s showdown at the O’Connell Center, then Ohio State is the super heavyweight. Led by 255-pound senior forward Dallas Lauderdale and 6-foot-9, 280-pound freshman Jared Sullinger, Ohio State out-rebounded North Carolina A&T 60-22 in its season-opening 102-61 win. The Buckeyes grabbed 30 offensive rebounds. Lauderdale had all of Ohio State’s eight blocked shots.”

Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel: “The 24th-ranked Vols will need to win them against hungry, quality mid-major programs, beginning with Belmont tonight (TV: ESPNU, 9:30 p.m.). It’s the second game of a doubleheader at Thompson-Boling Arena. Arkansas State (0-1) and Missouri State (1-0) play in the opener at 7. The winners and losers of tonight’s games will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. and 9:30. UT (1-0) will play in the 7 p.m. game regardless of tonight’s outcome.”

Clay Travis of AOL FanHouse: “Let’s get this out of the way early: Cam Newton is going to be ruled ineligible to play college football at some point. That ruling will mean that every game he participated would not count as an Auburn victory. This isn’t a question of if, it’s a question of when. It might take 10 days, it might take two years, but the ineligibility ruling is coming. No reasonable person can believe that Cecil Newton Sr. didn’t solicit funds from Mississippi State for his son to play football there.”

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “Not anymore. Now when I think of Urban Meyer, I see a coach who is uncertain, shaky, wishy-washy. I see a man who cannot make up his mind about who he is, where he is headed and what his program is all about. His indecisiveness started last December when he resigned suddenly and reneged the very next day. Remember? He told everyone he was quitting because he wanted to spend more time with his family and then he made the decision to come back without consulting with his family.”

Continue reading ‘SEC: Florida ready for Ohio State in hoops’