Just when our town needed a March Madness spike in ticket sales, the NCAA came through. It sent us the Kentucky Wildcats. Or, to be more accurate, it sent us the “legacy” of a man named Adolph Rupp. It’s a legacy carved in concrete. You leave such a legacy when you’re around long enough to…
Kentucky’s freshmen will ultimately be judged by their postseason run
There are times when Kentucky coach John Calipari boasts like he has the best team in college basketball. He even encourages comparisons to Michigan’s great Fab Five teams. Then there are other times when Calipari sounds like his young team is turning him into a full-blown neurotic. Even this late in the season, with the…
Why Kentuckians are so crazy about basketball
No one who has followed University of Kentucky basketball down through the years should ever be surprised at what the Big Blue Nation’s fans do. Many Kentuckians used to buy Vanderbilt season tickets just for the one game when the Wildcat played Vandy in Nashville. The school was embarrassed when so many UK fans would…
President Obama’s NCAA picks: Kansas over Kentucky
President Barack Obama’s full NCAA tournament bracket has been unveiled on ESPN.com, and he breaks down how he put Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky and Villanova into his Final Four. Last year, Obama correctly picked North Carolina to win the national championship. This year, the president once again is going with the tournament’s top seed, taking…
Demarcus Cousins makes the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is releasing six regional covers this week for the magazine’s March Madness preview issue. Sharing the honor this year are Ohio State’s Evan Turner, Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson, Gonzaga’s Matt Bouldin, Kansas’ Sherron Collins, Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins and Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds.
Kentucky right back where it belongs
This is the way the University of Kentucky basketball team is supposed to travel: Faster than John Wall dances downcourt. Less than two hours after the Wildcats left Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., with the Southeastern Conference championship trophy Sunday, they were outfitted in blue “Refuse to Lose,” T-shirts, sitting in John Calipari’s new Kentucky home, celebrating their East Regional top seed in the NCAA basketball tournament.
Win or lose, Kentucky is back
It was his introduction to Kentucky, to its people, and to its basketball fans. He was utterly at ease and utterly at home. Swirling around him, out of sight and sound, were the echoes and the basketball ghosts from another time and place.
President Obama picks Kentucky in his Final Four
The First Fan’s NCAA’s men Final Four: Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky and Villanova. Obama Tuesday taped his entire NCAA men’s and women’s brackets for ESPN, which will air those picks on SportsCenter at noon ET Wednesday. Last year, Obama picked men’s brackets for ESPN — correctly picking North Carolina to win the tournament — but…
Forbes ranks Kentucky as 2nd most valuable college basketball program
The North Carolina Tar Heels won’t be defending their title in this month’s NCAA tournament, but when it comes to team value they can claim bragging rights for another year.
John Wall named to writers’ All-American first team
Two pairs of teammates from the nation’s top two teams headline the 2009-10 U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s All-America Team. Senior guard Sherron Collins of Kansas and freshman guard John Wall of Kentucky pace the first team. Along with Collins, Notre Dame senior forward Luke Harangody returns to the All-America team as a second-team choice. Collins and Harangody were both second-team selections a year ago.