Bryan the Intern's Picks to Click

  RPI Update: 70 (up 2 spots, Arkansas' RPI is 32, that game is HUGE)  1. Well, if UK wants to have a McDonald's All-American in their class of 2008, it will have to be Scotty Hopson, after the 2008 team was released yesterday.  Hopson, along with Samardo Samuels are the only players will local ties selected for the game.    2. An interesting thought popped in my head as I was watching last nights game.  I saw this new promotion that ESPN is doing (and aren't they always doing a stupid promotion) where they list the Top 25 college basketball players of all-time.  They have revealed through number 14 (Elvin Hayes), and guys such as David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Magic Johnson have already been listed.  The thought that came to me was: I don't think there will be a UK player on the list, which makes the accomplishments of the program that much more impressive.  UCLA basically rode Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton to 5 national titles.  Kentucky did it with great TEAMS.  Dan Issel was probably the program's best player, and he wasn't better than Magic Johnson.  Your thoughts? 3. This has really turned into an exciting, special year in UK basketball, certainly one of the most unique years in history.  And, if this team somehow plays its way to the NCAA Tournament, it will have to go down as one of the most special, non-championship teams.  Eric Crawford discusses the turnaround and whats ahead for the Cats in his column in the Courier-Journal. 4. John Clay points out in his article today, this team is specializing in keeping the game close and then pulling it out in the end.  A couple reasons for this: great free throw shooting, senior leadership, great defensive adjustments. 5. Congrats to Indiana, which won its second big game in four nights, taking down Purdue 77-68 last night.  Kelvin Sampson deserves to be fired and soon, but you gotta like this IU team going into the NCAA Tournament the way they have handled all the adversity around them.  If you want a darkhorse for the Final Four, I give you the Hoosiers. 6. Pat Forde gets his shots in on a Memphis team that John Calipari said would be "America's Team".