Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Top 5 stories making headlines in Kentucky Wildcats basketball for Thursday, March 12, 2015.
Marcus Lee is more than a pretty darn good basketball player. Marcus Lee is a pretty darn good human being. Kyle Tucker writes:
"“It should’ve come as no surprise. This is what Lee does. The University of Kentucky’s 6-foot-9 sophomore power forward works quietly, behind the scenes mostly, until you need him. That’s when Lee, like a kangaroo in sneakers, springs into spectacular action.”"
Ole Miss and Texas A&M are on the “bubble”. Joe Lunardi currently has Ole Miss in the tournament but TAMU as one of the first team out. How different might their situation be if either (or both) had pulled off the upset of Kentucky back in early January? Jerry Tipton writes:
"“Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy had an immediate and emphatic answer Wednesday to a pointed question: How many times has Stefan Moody suffered from cramps before or since muscle spasms removed him from the potentially historic takedown of Kentucky.‘None,’ Kennedy said with a can-you-believe-it expression his face. ‘Not one day in practice since.’”"
Kentucky’s path to a ninth national championship won’t be easy—no champion’s path is ever easy. And, while everyone has focused on the “Big Boys” that could beat Kentucky in the Elite 8 or Final 4 or National Championship, who might the Wildcats want to avoid in the Round of 32 or Sweet 16? Michael Bohlin writes:
"“The Kentucky Wildcats appear to be on the fast track to the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament as they head into the SEC Tournament with an unblemished record.Since a 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed, and more than likely won’t come close to keeping pace with the Wildcats, Kentucky should have little trouble in their opening round game no matter the opponent.However, that doesn’t mean that the first weekend of NCAA Tournament play will be a cake walk for the Wildcats as the winner of the 8/9 matchup could potentially provide an intriguing game for the Big Blue Nation.In using the current NCAA Tournament projections from ESPN and CBS Sports, here are five teams that could give Kentucky trouble should they meet in the first weekend of tournament play.”"
When the bracket is revealed on Sunday, geography—more than anything else—will be the reason why the WIldcats path to the Final Four is more difficult than the other number one seeds. Stewart Mandel writes:
"“A year later, it’s Kentucky that takes an undefeated record into its conference tournament, and while John Calipari’s team is a lock to earn the committee’s No. 1 overall seed, it will likely run into a similarly stacked draw. Not because of some grand conspiracy theory, as Calipari would have you believe (“I bet they slide the Lakers in there,” he said last weekend), but simply because Kentucky sits in a section of the country with a whole bunch of other good basketball teams.”"
Like it or not, John Calipari is the face of college basketball these days. He has revolutionized the game in ways few dared before him. But what does it mean? Tommy Tomlinson writes:
"“That’s a 56-year-old white guy from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, quoting the wisdom of Young Jeezy.‘I’m not a genius,’ Calipari will say if he spots a microphone within 100 yards. For a man who talks so much about honesty, this is a bullpile. He is undoubtedly a genius at college basketball in its current form. The only thing to decide is whether he is a regular genius or the evil kind.”"