Will the Tyler Ulis / Devin Booker package deal happen for Kentucky Wildcats Basketball?

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

This week is of course Louisville week and while the game has huge implications for bragging rights, it could affect the 2014 recruiting classes even more. Both Louisville and Kentucky have been bumping heads on the recruiting trails lately and that is not going to change.

"Both UK Coach Mark Stoops and Cardinals Coach Charlie Strong discussed the potential recruiting significance of this year’s version of the annual rivalry at their news conferences this week. Despite winning two in a row in the rivalry and guiding the team with the Heisman Trophy candidate and national championship dreams, Strong seemed to feel the intensity getting cranked up. “When teams have something to play for, then it becomes a bigger game and it will become bigger, because now you get the recruiting on both sides,” Strong said. “You look at two programs that are beginning to take steps now and when those steps are taken, you get the program into a position where you need to get it to, then those games will have more meaning to it.” The Louisville coach noted how the two schools suddenly have similar geographical interests. “Both of us are trying to get into Ohio,” he said. “They have some commitments in Ohio, we’re both into Florida, we’re both in the city here. We’ll always battle them in recruiting.” A look at the 2014 commitments for both schools provides a possible glimpse at the future of the rivalry — both on and off the field. There are a combined 16 players from Ohio in both schools’ 2014 recruiting classes. By contrast, Ohio State and Cincinnati have only 13 combined players from Ohio in their 2014 classes. Of Kentucky’s 24 known commitments (a class ranked No. 7 in the country), nine hail from Ohio, and of the Cats’ eight four-star commitments, half of those are from Ohio. In Louisville’s 2014 class, rated No. 17 nationally by Rivals.com, seven of the Cards’ 25 commitments are from Ohio. Their only four-star, defensive back Nilijah Ballew, is from Ohio. Both schools are reportedly in the hunt for three-star wide receiver Dorian Baker of Ohio. He recently told Rivals.com that while he’s leaning toward UK his father seemed more smitten with Louisville. The Cardinals already have five wide receivers in the class."

Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Dyer is one of the Louisville players that has drawn the ire of the Big Blue Nation, mostly due to his checkered past. And I do get it in a way as we all want our programs to recruit not only the best players but those players with high moral integrity that will represent out schools. And I do get Charlie Strong giving Dyer another chance. Everyone deserves another chance.

And that may just be the case with a player that Kentucky is recruiting for the 2014 class.

"Roger Lewis, a four-star wide receiver who recently plead guilty to falsification in exchange for dismissal of a rape charge, has emerged as a new target for Kentucky’s coaching staff and plans on attending Saturday’s game against Louisville, according to Cats Illustrated’s Justin Rowland. A week ago, Lewis — originally a top-rated prospect in the Class of 2012 — plead guilty to falsification, a first-degree misdemeanor, in exchange for dismissal of a rape charge that was set to go to a second trial in September, according to the Columbus Dispatch. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, which was suspended for three years on probation. According to the Dispatch, Lewis was charged with two counts of rape in the initial trial in February. He was accused of raping a high school classmate on a basement couch in another classmate’s house in December 2011. The jury acquitted him of that charge. He was also accused of raping the same classmate in January 2012 in her car’s back seat while it was parked in an empty subdivision lot. The jury deadlocked on that charge. It was that charge that was attempted to go to a second trial. Lewis faced a maximum of 11 years in prison if found guilty. It was that charge that was dismissed last week. The falsification charges “stem from false statements” to police who pulled him over for speeding the same night of the alleged second rape."