SEC
Southeastern Conference's teams, coaches, style of play.
Kentucky’s defense – or lack of – is killing John Calipari.
Three days after watching Miami of Ohio’s Nick Winbush hit 8 of 10 from beyond the arc and escaping thanks to John Wall’s late heroics, it was more of the same for the Wildcats against Sam Houston State on Thursday. Corey Allmond made 11 of 16 from deep and finished with 37, a Rupp Arena record. Kentucky still eked out a 102-92 victory, but it didn’t sit well with Calipari.
“If we don’t do better defensively folks, we are in trouble,” he said afterward. “Do you think we can score 100 against everybody? Because we’re going to have to. They are going to score 100 against us.”
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Kentucky isn’t the only uber-athletic SEC team this season. Tennessee showed as much Tuesday.
The Vols’ 124-49 win against UNC Asheville was them at their best: pressing defense, balanced scoring and hitting from beyond the arc. Kinda like Bruce Pearl’s team played in 2007-08.
Can’t say it’s a huge surprise, though. Tennessee was capable of doing this last season.
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John Wall’s Kentucky debut wasn’t perfect. It just had a storybook ending.
And that’s what Big Blue Nation wants, especially when March rolls around. For now, they can relish a win that probably wouldn’t have happened the last few years and think about what Wall can do the rest of the season.
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When Jodie Meeks torched Tennessee for 54 points last season, I figured I’d never see a more efficient performance.
Less than a year later, Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke blew that to shreds. Note to self: Avoid such statements in the future.
Clarke, a 6-foot sophomore, drilled 13 three-pointers – and SEC record – and finished with 50 points in the Hogs’ 130-68 win against Alcorn State on Friday. It was one of those games where even Clarke came away slightly amazed by his night.
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Any day now, Mississippi State could get some really good news. At least, that’s what Renardo Sidney’s lawyer thinks.
The 6-10 forward is one of the nation’s top freshmen, but he’s been in NCAA eligibility limbo because of amateurism issues rising from his family’s two-year stay in the Los Angeles area. Basically, rumors flew that they couldn’t afford that house they were living in, so someone else was paying. The family says it’s hogwash.
After a long investigation into the matter, Sidney’s lawyer says the NCAA will come to the same conclusion and clear Sidney to play.
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Via John Calipari’s Twitter account, Kentucky’s athletic department has translated Coach Cal’s speech at Big Blue Madness into eight different languages. This is not a typo.
Maybe it’s just the next step in creating an unstoppable Kentucky basketball force in a 24-7 Internet world, but … it just leaves me kind of speechless. Now Kentucky fans can see Calipari’s speech in Spanish, Kazakh, Russian, Chinese, Afrikaans, German, Arabic and American sign language.
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Those seeking a quick resolution to the questions surrounding John Wall’s eligibility won’t find any answers today. Just a lot of Internet chatter.
The mess – Wall’s former AAU coach, Brian Clifton, was once a licensed sports agent and the NCAA has questions about that relationship – will probably end up being less than a mess. More like a hiccup. Wall could miss a few games.
And it won’t loom over Kentucky’s head all season. There’s already a report that Wall will be cleared before the Wildcats’ opener against Morehead State on Nov. 13.
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This is every Kentucky fan’s worst nightmare. Kind of.
Star point guard John Wall, the nation’s top recruit, is dealing with an eligibility issue that could affect his season. SEC commissioner Mike Slive confirmed the report to ESPN.com on Thursday.
It question centers around Wall’s former AAU coach, who was a certified agent. The school has been investigating Wall’s the situation for months. Mississippi State recruit Renardo Sidney also is dealing with eligibility issues. It goes back to 2007 when Wall made two unofficial visits to the UK campus but it’s unclear how much money he may owe for the visit.
Slive says the NCAA’s agents, not NCAA enforcement, is handling the investigation.
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Without even coaching a game, John Calipari’s given Kentucky basketball fans everything they could want.
National attention. A recruiting class for the ages. Making himself accessible to fans and generally being an exceptional ambassador for the program.
And somehow, Calipari keeps topping himself. The response to his speech at Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness has already reached mythical proportions among the Big Blue Nation.
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Plenty of fan bases – Kansas, Duke, Indiana, UNC – go nuts for their schools. But I’m with The Dagger on this one: Kentucky fans just go above and beyond.
Big Blue Madness, the school’s annual midnight scrimmage, is set for Oct. 16. Tickets go on sale Oct. 3 at 6 a.m. ET. Fans are camping out en masse for those tickets – and have been for days.
Wow. That’s equal parts devotion, excitement and a little bit crazy. Even new coach John Calipari is blown away by the number of tents filled with fans.
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