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(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.

Pat Summitt and assistant Holly Warlick coach UT to win over Auburn. (AP photo)

SEC links for Monday:

• Florida looks to make Gator Bowl statement today, says Robbie Andreu of Sun.
• Gators have more to gain, writes Rachel George of Orlando Sentinel.
• Gator Bowl wants to move up ladder, writes Gary Smits of Times-Union.
• Tennessee women top Auburn in SEC opener, reports AP’s John Zenor.
• LSU women cruise past Ole Miss, reports AP.
• Virginia visits LSU men tonight, reports Chris Abshire of Times-Picayune.
• Tennessee men look to keep streak going, reports Mike Griffith of KNS.
• Richt has Dogs on right path, says David Paschall of Times Free Press.
• Richt says Dogs knocking on greatness’ door, writes AJC’s Mark Bradley.

(AP photo)

Tennessee’s women end up splitting two games on their trip to the Left Coast, beating UCLA and losing to Stanford. Meanwhile, the SEC men had a good night, sweeping four games. Now Alabama takes on Travis Ford and Oklahoma State tonight. Plus, Steve Spurrier is looking for a defensive coordinator while Mark Richt was paying his Georgia assistants a little extra on the side

• Lady Vols fall on West Coast to Stanford 97-80
• John Adams: Summitt t-shirts setting sales records
• Tennessee men snap losing streak to beat UNC-Asheville
• Gerald Robinson leads Georgia past Mercer in Athens
• Arkansas snaps slide with ugly win over Eastern Kentucky

(AP photo)

SEC links for Thursday:

• Tennessee players tweet they want black jerseys for Halloween
• Auburn would like to finish grueling October with 3-2 record
• Auburn offense missing injured wide receiver Emory Blake
• Georgia’s Malcolm Mitchell now doubtful for Florida game
• Ranking the best in the Georgia-Florida football rivalry
• Georgia’s Cornelius Washington trying to put DUI arrest behind him
• Only something shocking would prevent Florida’s John Brantley from starting
• Gators simplifying their defensive playbook with Georgia up next
• South Carolina’s Bruce Ellington battling a slight hamstring injury
• Arkansas’ wide receivers are looking for more
• Vanderbilt coach doesn’t want any part of bowl discussion
• Ole Miss has a bad case of the second-half blues
• Alabama and LSU pacing themselves before showdown Nov. 5
• Pat Summitt welcomes yet another colleague at Tennessee
• Only time will tell if Renardo Sidney has changed for the better
• NCAA poised to make sweeping changes

SEC links for Thursday:

• Vanderbilt’s David Williams is more than an AD, which is why he earns $2.56 million.
• Pat Summitt says she has a game plan, and is ready to get started at Tennessee.
• “Honey Badger” awaits Florida in Baton Rouge, writes Pat Dooley of Gainesville Sun.
• Mike Bianchi wants to know why Florida is playing games with its quarterbacks.
• LSU’s Blue enters Saturday with a lot on his mind.
• UT’s DaRick Rogers says the Georgia game is “sort of personal.”
• Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has no fear and a stone-cold glare.
• Auburn’s punter has played major role in field-position gambit.
• Petrino optimistic about Bequette’s return.
• Missouri needs to Mi-zippit, says Mr. SEC.

The big and sad story on Tuesday was Tennessee’s announcement that legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. Summitt had given an interview to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, complete with video, on Monday night only to have the story leak Tuesday when Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports reported that former UT players had been told to come back to Knoxville for the announcement.

The KNS story has the heartbreaking details. Among them:

No matter how grim the prognosis, Summitt seems relieved to have a definitive answer. Small wonder, considering how low she felt at times last season. She confessed to not being as confident on the court and second guessing some of her decisions.

“There were some mornings I would wake up and think I don’t even want to go in,” she said. “That didn’t last long but it was like ‘What’s wrong with me? What’s going on with me?’ “

Continue reading ‘Reactions to Pat Summitt’s Tuesday announcement’

(AP photo/Wade Payne)

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

Scotty Hopson likely limited tonight, reports Mike Griffith of News-Sentinel.

Hopson, who averages 16.5 points per game and is from Hopkinsville, Ky., has missed the past two games with a sprained left ankle suffered during a Feb. 1 practice.

Tennessee (15-8, 5-3 SEC) will try to become the first team to beat Kentucky (16-6, 4-4) at Rupp Arena since John Calipari took over as Wildcats coach prior to last season.

Bruce Pearl better be up to speed, writes Mike Strange of News-Sentinel.

After serving his eight games in timeout, as dictated by SEC commissioner Mike Slive, Pearl emerges rested and ready – and chastened – for the remaining eight games of the conference season.

And what a stretch run it will be. The SEC East standings are a logjam. Pearl had better be up to speed when he hits the court.

“I think when Commissioner Slive penalized me the eight games, he originally wanted to do 10,” Pearl said Monday. “But when he looked at the schedule and saw that we have to go to Rupp and the O-Dome, he decided to settle for just eight and make me go to those two places.”

Penitent Pearl makes his return, writes Jerry Tipton of the H-L.

Pearl accompanied the team to Arkansas for its first SEC game on Jan. 8. He stayed at the hotel and watched the game with his wife and an associate UT athletic director.

Bob Kessling, the radio play-by-play announcer for UT, noted how the team and traveling party did not see Pearl that day until they boarded the plane for the flight home after a 68-65 loss.

“He looked like a lonely, isolated figure,” Kessling recalled. “That was different for everybody.”

Tennessee women rally to beat Kentucky, reports Jennifer Smith of the H-L.

Kentucky came out swinging, but much bigger Tennessee refused to go down.

It was a Big Monday heavyweight fight and the No. 4 Lady Vols were rattled, but they found a way to win, 73-67, over No. 15 Kentucky in front of 7,126 in Memorial Coliseum.

Shekinna Stricklen led the Vols with 20 points, including 18 in the second half when the Volunteers used a 16-2 run to start the half to grab some momentum on the way to their 13th straight victory and 10th straight win in the Southeastern Conference. Stricklen had nine points in that spurt after what Coach Pat Summitt referred to as a bit of a “prayer meeting” with her swing player.

UK’s effort produced a classic, writes Mark Story of the H-L.

Former Kentucky coach Mickie DeMoss got a standing ovation from the Memorial Coliseum crowd when the Lady Vols assistant entered the court with the Tennessee coaching staff. It was a nice moment.

Once the game started, DeMoss got booed and good when she bounded on the floor to protest a first-half foul call during a TV timeout. That, too, was how it should be.

Continue reading ‘Bruce Pearl to return in Rupp; Lady Vols win in Memorial’

(AP photo/Dave Martin)

SEC links for Friday:

• Pat Summitt says remarks were not critical of Bruce Pearl, reports Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Pearl’s old contract terminated, new one in the works, reports Mike Griffith of the News-Sentinel.
• SEC East has gone from feast to famished, writes Joe Biddle of the Tennessean.
• A tired Auburn ready for another big weekend, reports Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News.
• Auburn feels more equipped for its game with LSU, writes Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Cameron Newton has brought sudden impact to the Tigers, writes Randy Rosetta of The Advocate.
• Alabama, Tennessee coaches are not strangers, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Mississippi State football is moving on up, writes Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• South Carolina needs to stay focused, writes Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.
• Arkansas defense plans to “do something” about Auburn loss, writes Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.
• Florida cautiously optimistic at SEC Basketball Media Day, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• Chris Warren expected to expand his role for Ole Miss basketball, writes Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.

SEC links for Thursday:

• Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma actually talk, reports Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Tennessee basketball is eager to erase memory, writes Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Scotty Hopson is getting serious about winning, reports Mike Griffith of the News-Sentinel.

• Georgia’s dream team recruiting pitch is getting a mixed review, reports Michael Carvell of the AJC.

• South Carolina credits its good-luck charm, writes Ron Morris of The State.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Tennessee wants to erase memory’

(H-L photo/Charles Bertram)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes on Devan Downey: ” After leading South Carolina to an unprecedented three straight victories over Kentucky, Devan Downey has a good idea of the bad reception he’ll receive in Rupp Arena on Thursday night. ‘I’m pretty sure I’m going to get a not-too-warm welcome,’ he said with comedic understatement on Tuesday. ‘I know it’s all in fun. But I’ve gotten my share of hate mail and Facebook messages from Kentucky fans.’”

My column about how UK is nationall ranked in several sports: “I mentioned in Monday’s column that UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart had gotten one right in hiring Matthew Mitchell to head the women’s basketball program after Mickie DeMoss’s surprising resignation. Also wrote, “And that’s not the only one.” I wasn’t kidding.”

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News shows DeAndre Liggins some love: “Let’s hear it for Kentucky’s DeAndre Liggins, who began the season outside John Calipari’s good graces and is ending it as an essential member of a title contender.”

Tom Leach makes John Wall’s case: “Kentucky’s John Wall was the early favorite to win some or all of college basketball’s player-of-the-year awards but Ohio State’s Evan Turner is coming on strong. If you make your choice based on numbers, then Turner’s case is as strong or stronger than Wall’s. But if you base it on impact, that’s where I think Wall gets the edge and Saturday’s 58-56 win at Vanderbilt was a good example of why.”

Nick Craddock of the Kentucky Kernel on the bond shared by Matthew Mitchell and Pat Summitt: “The UK women’s basketball coaching staff is comprised of UK employees, but they all were Volunteers at one time. UK head coach Matthew Mitchell and his assistant coaches Kyra Elzy, Matt Insell and Shalon Pillow all share, in an ironic twist, a connection to one of UK’s most-hated rivals: the Tennessee Volunteers.”

Continue reading ‘BBL: UK men prepare for USC; UK women prepare for UT’