UK Fans for the Day want Tuesday Night News and Views

by:Mrs. Tyler Thompson04/07/15

@MrsTylerKSR

eastnastycats Sorry, Kentucky residents, but let me talk to my ex-pats for a minute. For those of us Cats fans who live outside the Commonwealth, life ain't always easy, especially in March. Many of us deal with fans from rival teams, fans who generally dislike Kentucky, or the worst, people who just don't "get" why we care so much about kids putting a ball through a hoop. We're used to being the only ones wearing blue in the bar, defending John Calipari to casual fans who don't know any better, and being "that Kentucky fan" in our group. It's a badge we wear with pride, especially this season. One of the best parts about being a Kentucky fan is your true friends know how much it means to you. Because they care about you, they sort of care about the Cats in that if Kentucky is doing well, you're happy, and if they're not, they know not to ask about it. I'm lucky enough to have friends who, although they are passionate fans of other schools--Ohio State, Florida State, Vandy, Michigan--they'll put on a borrowed Kentucky shirt and sit in a bar late on a Saturday night and cheer for the Cats for me. While I was staring at my computer screen on Saturday night trying to figure out what the hell happened and how the hell to put it into words, my phone kept buzzing with condolences from my friends, and although I hate to be pitied, that made it all a little bit better. East Nasties, this one's for you. Although you can stop reading this post now if you want. You're off the hook. Now, to the news of the day...

Dakari Johnson will make his decision by the end of the week

Ye olde Adam Zagoria spoke with Dakari's mother, Makini Campbell, who said her son will make his decision on whether or not to declare for the draft by the end of the week. We know that John Calipari arrived back in Lexington last night and is currently meeting with all the players over the next few days to discuss their intentions. Yesterday, Cal said that Dakari and Devin Booker are the two players he thinks are most likely to return; however, on his radio show tonight, Tom Leach asked Cal if his prediction that 5-7 players will go pro had changed after meeting with the players. “I think it might be 6-7," Cal said, later adding, "There are kids in the wings that we’re still involved with. They’re waiting to see how many of these kids leave. I gave them..There’s an idea, it’s gonna be a lot." Calipari said he's encouraging the players that know what they want to do to go ahead and announce their decisions. Given the timetable that Dakari's mom gave Zagoria, that doesn't make me feel great about him returning, and tonight, Matt said he's becoming more and more convinced Devin Booker will also go. We'll know for sure soon. kentuckywhateverwewant1

"This is Kentucky. We do whatever we want."

Regardless of who stays and who goes, Calipari encouraged fans not to worry about the rebuilding process.
“If a bunch of them get drafted in the first round, maybe early second, that’s okay. We’re going to be ecstatic. We’re going to build a team that’s going to come back and I’d told Tyler, ‘let’s do the same thing.’ Why not? ‘Well, you can’t because you lost’—what? This is Kentucky. We do whatever we want. We may go out and have to sign a couple of more people. There are kids in the wings that we’re still involved. They’re waiting to see how many of these kids leave. I gave them...There’s an idea, it’s gonna be a lot. And I’m happy about that. I’m happy.”
I may not be able to buy a 40-0 shirt like I had planned to, but I definitely want a "This is Kentucky. We do whatever we want" tee. (Coming soon to Kentucky Branded!)

John Calipari named Adolph Rupp Coach of the Year

Congratulations to Cal on yet another award for the trophy case, this one from the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky. This is Cal's second Rupp award, the first coming in 2010 after another fantastic season with a disappointing ending. If you're keeping count, Cal has won four Coach of the Year Awards this season: the Naismith award, the NABC award, the Sporting News award, and the AP award. The USBWA kept it from being a clean sweep, of course.

Kentucky got two first-place votes in the final coaches poll

And looking at that just hurts, so let's move on.

Bo Ryan complained about the officiating last night

“It’s just a shame that it had to be played that way,” Ryan told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson in the post game interview. "I just feel sorry for my guys that all of a sudden it was like that." Ryan's rant continued in the postgame presser, where he quipped, "We have these things that we practice, okay? We practice in our practices where if an offensive player jumps into you, we always call it on the offensive player. It's just what we do."

Everyone in the Bluegrass was saying "same" Saturday night. The officiating in this year's tournament was particularly bad, often times at Kentucky's expense, but Ryan should know better than to air his grievances publicly.

Austin Kendall committed to Oklahoma

Something tells me the next Stoops family gathering may be a little tense. One month after decommitting from Tennessee, four-star quarterback Austin Kendall committed to Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. Kentucky was the early favorite for Kendall after his decommitment, especially considering that his older brother is a walk-on wide receiver for the Cats; however Mark's older brother got the best of him in this battle. Still a long way until Signing Day, but on to the next...

UK Baseball takes on Louisville tomorrow

I'll be honest, I don't love the little round ball, but I do love Kentucky beating Louisville. Tomorrow, the Bat Cats travel to #5 Louisville to play the Dirty Birds at 6 p.m. at Jim Patterson Stadium. You can watch the game via WatchESPN, or listen on the UK Radio Network (WLAP 630-AM, in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM and online at UKathletics.com).

Want to meet Sam Malone, Brian Long, and Tod Lanter?

The three seniors are touring the Bluegrass to meet fans and sign autographs. Here's the schedule so far:

  • Friday: Elizabethtown Mall 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday: Wildcats N More (Dry Ridge) 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tuesday: Sheppards Fan Shop (London) 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
That'll do it. See you guys in the morning.

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