On Saturday, star Kentucky freshman DeMarcus Cousins said that tonight’s game with Alabama is “going to be a big game” for him.  Why?  “There was a lot of bad blood between me and that school.”

A number of Lexington media folks tried to get to the bottom of the “bad blood” yesterday, but Cousins kept mum.  “Just a bad situation.  I really don’t want to talk about it.”

According to Gentry Estes of The Mobile Press-Register, Cousins might be ticked by the fact that former Tide coach Mark Gottfried didn’t spend much time recruiting him.  As you’ve probably noticed from watching him, Cousins is a tremendous talent, but that talent comes with a pretty short fuse. 

(John Calipari suggests Cousins’ temper is a product of being picked on for his weight back in the seventh and eight grades… by Alabama residents.  So maybe that plays a role in the “bad blood,” too.)

Then Anthony Grant arrived in Tuscaloosa and he — like Gottfried before him — pursued in-state recruit Eric Bledsoe rather than Cousins.

In the end, Calipari lured both players to Lexington.  And Cousins could be on his way to earning SEC Player of the Year honors and top-pick status in the NBA draft.

1.  This writer provides a weekly report card for the Alabama basketball team… which will lug a three-game losing streak into Rupp Arena tomorrow.

2.  LSU’s Trent Johnson says you can’t replace the NBA guys he lost last year with freshmen straight out of high school.

3.  Mississippi State’s team has a lot of issues right now… including the lack of a solid NCAA tourney resume.

4.  MSU kicks off a three-game stretch at home (where they’re undefeated in league play) against Ole Miss on Thursday.

5.  As for the Rebels, they need the MSU game, too, but a home game against Vandy on Saturday is even more critical.

6.  Out of 1,868 state employees in Arkansas, Bobby Petrino and John Pelphrey are the highest paid.  Big shock.

7.  The Razorbacks might be without Michael Washington against LSU on Wednesday due to a leg injury he suffered over the weekend against Auburn.

The Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic has once again earned its title as the “Pipeline to…
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The Crimson Tide blew a 23-point second half lead before falling 74-67 today against the 25th-ranked Rebels.
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By Cecil Hurt
Sports Editor

TUSCALOOSA | The University of Alabama men’s basketball team managed to end its streak of one-point losses on Saturday — only to find something worse.
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From combined reports

Tuscaloosa | The University of Alabama men’s basketball team hits the road to play its second game in three days when it faces No. 25 Ole Miss tonight.
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Sorry for the delay between posts.  I can assure you I’d have rather been uploading stories than driving four hours through a monsoon behind several people who’ve apparently never seen rain before… much less driven in it.

Here are a few of the bigger stories from across the SEC this afternoon:

1.  A special prosecutor who looked into the case involving three Arkansas basketball players who were accused of rape last fall has decided not to file charges.  This is the same decision that was reached by authorities shortly after the frat party incident occurred.

2.  Here’s a collection of recruiting class reviews from a number of different analysts.  The big surprise seems to have been Derek Dooley’s work at Tennessee.

3.  This writer breaks down the basketball race in the SEC West.

4.  New Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator Dave Rader said he’ll learn Houston Nutt’s system “and go from there.”

5.  Rader also said that for UM’s new quarterbacks “there’s nothing between them but air and opportunity.”

6.  Folks are still talking about Tim Tebow’s soon-to-air Super Bowl ad.  (Enough already.)

Jimmy Kimmel also had a little fun with the controversy last night:



7.  This Georgia writer/fan says “thank goodness for AJ Green and Orson Charles.”

8.  John Calipari asked his Kentucky team three questions during yesterday’s practice.

9.  John Wall and Devan Downey are among 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.

10.  Tennessee has finally sealed the deal and hired Chuck Smith as defensive line coach.



In other news, it’s expected that Kentucky won’t make the hiring of receivers coach Tee Martin official until next week.

And just weeks after he turned them down, the name of Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix is once again being associated with Florida NEW search for a D coordinator to call their own.  (If Nix wouldn’t go the first time around, why would he go into what is now a “co-coordinator” job?)

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1.  Phillip Sims has the high school resume and the tools to become the best Alabama quarterback in a while.

2.  For the second game in a row, Bama lost a nailbiter… this one 66-65 to Florida last night.

3.  For the second game in a row, Alabama failed to get off a potential game-winning shot in the closing seconds.

4.  It was a case of the teacher (Billy Donovan) beating the pupil (Anthony Grant).

5.  Auburn cornerback Aairon Savage has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.

6.  Recently-promoted offensive coordinator Garrick McGee earned his keep by leading Arkansas’ recruiting charge into Oklahoma.

7.  Former UA linebacker Khiry Battle will play at Memphis next year.

8.  John Pelphrey used some reverse psychology to spark the Hogs’ come-from-behind win at Georgia on Wednesday.

9.  Pelphey has been pushing a lot of correct buttons during the Razorbacks’ three-game win streak.

10.  Les Miles’ signing class looks to have filled a lot of needs.

11.  LSU made a valiant comeback late, but the Tigers still fell to Tennessee 59-54 last night…

12.  And dropped to 0-8 in the SEC in the process.

13.  The loss wasted a terrific 25-point effort from Bo Spencer.

14.  Reggie Buckner’s sprained ankle is getting better, but it’s still not certain that he’ll be back on the court for Ole Miss against Alabama on Saturday.

15.  Dan Mullen has done a good job recruiting Mississippi kids, but some feel he needs to broaden his approach.

16.  Here’s more on the Renardo Sidney situation.

17.  ESPN’s Andy Katz took up the Sidney issue, too.

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What’s the first thing many of you thought of when you read that headline?  Let me guess: “How ’bout his commitment to the Miami Dolphins!”

Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, the man did coach the Dolphins for a couple of years before leaving town, so it wasn’t like he just showed up and left.

And sure, he did say he wasn’t going to leave Miami for Alabama, but that’s the kind of thing all coaches say to keep from destroying their current lockerrooms.  So let’s put all of that aside and focus on what Saban had to say post-signing day about commitments:



“I’m old-fashioned.  I think a commitment is a commitment.

“We tell guys when they commit that we want the recruiting to be over or we really don’t want them to commit.  If you’re not really ready to stop recruiting, then you aren’t really ready to commit because committing means you are coming to that school.

“I would rather you go visit other schools until you’re sure that this is what you want to do rather than making a commitment and then not feeling comfortable and wanting to go explore other opportunities.

“There is an old saying, ‘If you’re shopping, then we should shop.’  It shouldn’t be that way, but when guys make commitments and then don’t stick up for them, then you kind of get stuck a little bit because there may be other guys that you didn’t recruit, that you could have recruited, that could have actually taken their place.

“I wish there was a better way, but there is not.  We’ll just have to manage it and keep recruiting guys and do the best we can with them.”



Sounds good.  In fact, Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News believes a policy/rule should be written based on Saban’s statements.

Mr. Scarbinsky writes: “In the recruiting world, your commitment, even if it’s verbal, should end your recruitment.  You don’t continue to pursue other schools, and they don’t continue to pursue you.”

That sounds good, too.  But it would be an impossible rule to enforce. 

There would be questions of whether or not a verbal commitment behind closed doors differs from a verbal commitment made in the media.

And what if a recruit gives a commitment only to see the NCAA begin and investigation of his fav school before signing day?  Shouldn’t he have the right to back out?

Mr. Scarbinsky is right that a “my word is my bond” recruiting rule would make life easier for everyone (including folks like us who try to cover the whims of 17-year-olds).  Unfortunately it’s just not practical.  As I’m sure he realizes. 

Still, there is iron in Saban’s words of life.  No signed paper can hold the iron.  It must come from men. 

(And yes I wrote that last line just so I could quote “The Outlaw Josey Wales.”)

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Hope you folks like our links, digits, grades, breakdowns and recruiting studies today.

I’m heading off to Atlanta where tonight I’ll be a guest on “SportsNite” with Bob Neal.  If you want to see someone who should NOT be on television, you can catch the show at 6pm on CSS.

I’m just thankful to be invited.

Our recruiting guru, Josh Ward, should be fully recuperated from yesterday and posting some more recruiting updates here this afternoon.

And if any breaking news should occur, we’ll have it for you right here.

Til then… have a good rest of your morning and afternoon.

John

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1.  Alabama didn’t pick up any surprises on signing day… but they didn’t need to.

2.  Two of the Tide’s big name signees are already getting to work.

3.  Alabama’s signing class includes seven defensive backs.

4.  Here’s a breakdown of everyone UA signed.

5.  The Bama basketball team will be looking for a big win against Florida tonight.

6.  Billy Donovan sees “a lot of similarities” between his own background and Anthony Grant’s.

7.  Gene Chizik wants folks to know that Auburn’s Top 5 class is “the first building block of a foundation that is going to take us some time to build.”

8.  Here’s a look at the Tigers’ signees.

9.  AU had to wait a while, but they got two of their best signees late.

10.  This writer believes Tiger fans need to remember that these top recruits will need to be developed and coached well, too.

11.  One recruiting analyst said, “I’m not sure that when Gene Chizik was hired, there was an expectation that Auburn would be recruiting with the top teams in the country.”

12.  This writer breaks down the AU class with a series of Top 5 lists.

13.  The goal was defense for Bobby Petrino on national signing day.

14.  The class includes five defensive linemen.

15.  Here’s a quickie look at the Razorbacks’ signees.

16.  Don’t look know, but John Pelphrey’s basketball team just won it’s third game in a row, 72-68 at Georgia last night.

17.  Once again the Hogs fell behind by double-digits and once again Courtney Fortson brought ‘em back.

18.  A strong finish made for a better signing day than expected in Baton Rouge.

19.  This writer believes Les Miles realizes that the 2010 and 2011 classes will have to be the foundation for his future success.

20.  Two players expected to sign with LSU didn’t… but there are reasons for both.

21.  Here’s a look at the guys Miles signed.

22.  The Tiger basketball team will be looking for answers when they try to get their first SEC win at home against Tennessee tonight.

23.  Trent Johnson says his team just needs “a guy to make a shot.”

24.  Ole Miss climbed in the national recruiting rankings thanks to a strong finish and a stronger-than-usual showing in its home state.

25.  Two players are on campus and in school though neither will count toward this signing class.

26.  UM’s focus was on the defensive side of the ball.

27.  Did Houston Nutt take a subtle jab at Mississippi State yesterday?

28.  Speaking of MSU, the Bulldogs did a good job in the Magnolia State, too.

29.  Mullen fired a shot at “the school up north” regarding the number of Mississippians who’ve signed with State over the last two years.

30.  MSU fell behind by 14 before rallying in Nashville last night… but they could get no closer than  a 75-72 Bulldog loss.

31.  Rick Stansbury said “this is one of the better Vanderbilt teams” that he’s seen “in a long time.”

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1.  Alabama will have an invited walk-on competing for kicking duties next season.

2.  One Tide football signee has already talked with Anthony Grant about playing basketball, too.

3.  Gene Chizik said today was “a great day for Auburn.” 

4.  The Mobile Press-Register’s Super Southeast 120 is all signed up.

5.  Houston Nutt once again finished strong in recruiting… and he did well with in-state recruits to boot.

6.  Folks in Starkville are pleased with the Bulldogs’ class, too.

7.  It may or may not be the best recruiting class in college football history, but it certainly looks to be the best class in Florida history.

8.  Urban Meyer says his leave of absence begins tomorrow, but he’ll be back sometime before spring practice opens in mid-March.

9.  Meyer said of his signing class, “As far as the defensive front, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like this.”

10.  Georgia landed a surprise 19th signature today, but receiver Lonnie Outlaw won’t play for the Dawgs until 2012.

11.  Mark Richt is excited “about what the future holds.”

12.  UGA athletic director Damon Evans got a new five-year contract today that includes a yearly salary of $550,000.

13.  Kentucky got a boost from a pair of in-state signees today.

14.  Steve Spurrier says he’s happy with Carolina’s recruiting class because it fills needs.

15.  Top defensive coach Ellis Johnson has come to terms with USC on his new contract… which will likely pay him $700,000 a year.

16.  Tennessee made it official today, hiring Chris Wilcox from Boise State to head up the Vols’ defense.

17.  Vandy inked 24 players today and suffered only one surprise defection.

18.  Arkansas fans hope Bobby Petrino can “coach up” this year’s signing class the way he did with his poorly graded classes at Louisville.

19.  LSU had a stronger than expected signing class.

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1.  Lane Kiffin has grabbed a second former Tennessee commitment in linebacker Glen Stanley.  He had already nabbed receiver Markeith Ambles.

2.  All the letters are in at Alabama and there were no surprises.

3.  Arkansas landed a surprise signature from a linebacker who had been committed to Oklahoma for quite some time.

4.  LSU’s class is looking better as the day wears on.

5.  It looks like Mississippi State did pretty well inside the Magnolia State.

6.  Florida got another boost when four-star receiver Adrian Coxson chose the Gators today.

7.  Receiver Da’Rick Rogers says he decided to switch from Georgia to Tennessee three weeks ago.

8.  Georgia fans are expressing disappointment over the Dawgs’ signing class.

9.  UGA running back Richard Samuel is finally going to move to linebacker.

10.  Kentucky has 20 signed letters of intent and is still waiting on four more.

A few notes — some recruiting-related, some not — for your morning perusal:

1.  If all goes as planned, Vandy’s signing class will likely be the best of the Bobby Johnson era.

2.  Peyton Manning would like to have Tim Tebow on his team on third-and-one or fourth-and-one.

3.  Georgia b’baller Travis Leslie has taken a new approach on and off the court… and he believes that’s made a difference in his play.

4.  MSU’s Rick Stansbury wants point guard Dee Bost to play with more poise.

5.  Arkansas’ post players will need to come up big again tonight when they travel to Georgia.

6.  Razorback fans should be prepared for a “blue collar” signing class.

7.  Tennessee’s two freshman basketball players haven’t hit “the wall” yet.

Everyone’s talking recruiting today, but there are two SEC basketball games tonight.

First, Arkansas travels to Georgia at 7pm ET.

Then Mississippi State visits #20 Vanderbilt at 8pm ET.



And for those that missed it, #4 Kentucky bested Ole Miss 85-75 at Rupp Arena last night.

John Wall said he had fun for the first time in a while in the win.

Balance was the key to UK’s win.

Ole Miss’ Terrico White said after the game, “To tell you the truth, we were a little scared.”  Wow.  Kudos to the kid for his honesty.

A few more nuggets from around the conference this afternoon…

1.  Tailback prospect Marcus Lattimore will be choosing between South Carolina and Auburn tonight at 6pm ET (and we’ll bring you his decision).  He spoke with The Sporting News about how each school would use him.

2.  Tennessee’s Derek Dooley is just one new coach with signing day jitters.

3.  Gator commitment Mack Brown says a rival coach told him that Urban Meyer was leaving Florida to coach the Dallas Cowboys.  (Yet fans get made whenever the media dare not take a coach’s words as gospel.)

4.   Kirby Smart’s raise to $750,000 means that he and Georgia’s Todd Grantham are tied as the nation’s third-highest paid defensive coordinators (behind Monte Kiffin and Will Muschamp).

5.  Former LSU athletic director Skip Bertman says that Les Miles isn’t on the hot seat.  “Criticism?  Absolutely, positively, because he’s making a lot of money.  But hot seat?  No.”

6.  The man behind The AJC’s Junkyard Blawg says “a lot of UGA fans are feeling pretty depressed” about this year’s recruiting class.  (If I’d written that I’d be buried ‘neath an avalanche of emails telling me that no Dawg fans are upset.)

1.  You know those rumors that had Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart getting a raise to $750,000?  They were dead on.

2.  That doubles Smart’s pay from last year and matches the offer made by Georgia last month.

3.  Alabama has what some consider an unofficial “mental conditioning coach.”

3.  John Pelphrey is trying to keep his team’s recent success in perspective.

4.  Razorback Marshawn Powell has been named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week.

5.  This writer believes Arkansas is a more dangerous team when it’s balanced… and not just the Courtney Fortson show.

6.  MSU’s Rick Stansbury says communication is tough due to the layout of Vandy’s Memorial Gym.

7.  Point guard Dee Bost says he and his teammates need to get on the same page.

8.  State will not release the NCAA’s findings in its investigation of Renardo Sidney despite an public records request from The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

9.  Houston Nutt says Dave Rader is “a great teacher and he’s a good recruiter, too.”

10.  Without injured post player Reggie Buckner, it looks like Kentucky might have a big, big advantage in the paint tonight in Lexington.

11.  Andy Kennedy’s team is also having to deal with a quick, two-day turnaround.

Much has been made of Alabama’s plan to quickly erect a statue of Nick Saban for their Walk of Champions path on campus.

Across the Southeast folks have laughed at Bama’s audacity.  Jeff Schultz of The AJC wondered last week if Saban’s birthday had been made a state holiday yet.

Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News was apparently moved by a recent sermon and now believes Tide officials are rushing too fast toward idolatry.  His word, not mine.

“Shouldn’t someone draw a line between instant gratification and instant deification?”

My question is this: Would things be different if UA simply hung oil paintings of its title-winning coaches somewhere on campus?  Most schools in the SEC have a wall of photos or artists’ renderings of their past All-American players.  Is that not idolatry, too?

And how about Georgia fans who mourn their beloved UGAs with funerals and eulogies.  No, really.

Aside from the size of the marker, I don’t really see much difference in a statue, a painting or a name etched onto a wall or walkway.



At the heart of this story is tradition.  Alabama has a statue of every coach that has led them to a national football crown.  By winning last season’s BCS trophy, Saban made sure that he too would be honored with a statue.

Perhaps the folks in Tuscaloosa should have just waited a bit.  Let Saban finish up his reign and THEN put up their statue.  If they’d done that, folks across the SEC wouldn’t be saying much about it.  But to do it while Saban is still coaching… and still has to walk by the thing… well, that probably wasn’t the best idea.

To me, the timing is the issue, not the statue. 

(I just hope the statue shows Saban in a real gameday pose… like the one at left.  Now that’d be a statue.)

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The new college basketball polls have been released and as expected, Kentucky’s loss to South Carolina last week cost them the nation’s top ranking.  In fact, the Big Blue fell to #3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll and to #4 in the AP Poll.

Kansas is back at #1 in both polls and their only loss on the season came to an SEC squad — Tennessee.

Below are the current national rankings, computer rankings and RPI rankings for all 12 SEC teams… from the AP, the coaches, Ken Pomeroy’s computer and RealTimeRPI.com:

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It’s only a matter of time before we find out just what kind of a raise defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will be getting from Alabama… for turning down a job offer from his alma mater, Georgia, last month.

UA’s compensation committee will meet tomorrow morning to discuss the contracts being offered to Smart and new defensive assistant Jeremy Pruitt.

Smart made $432,000 last season, including $72,000 in bonus money.  It is believed that Smart’s new pact might pay him $750,000 or more.

Once the compensation committee moves on the contracts, the board of trustees will vote on the deal.  At that point, the numbers will become public.

Pruitt, by the way, has been promoted from a director of player development to a full-time slot on the staff following James Willis’ departure for Texas Tech last month.

1.  A four-fingered hand gesture by an Alabama football player means discipline, commitment, effort, and toughness.  “The thumb is pride.”

2.  This writer is handing out a weekly report card to Bama’s basketball team… following the Tide’s disappointing 58-57 loss at Auburn Saturday.

3.  Thanks to recruiting, it looks like Auburn is making up ground against Alabama.

4.  In five years as Auburn’s athletic director, Jay Jacobs has decided that his role is “steward.”

5.  A day’s delay worked fine for Arkansas as they snapped a 15-game road SEC losing streak with an 80-73 upset of Ole Miss last night.

6.   Amazingly, the Razorbacks did their heaviest lifting while Courtney Fortson was on the bench with foul trouble.

7.  In beating the Rebels, John Pelphrey’s squad accomplished a long list of firsts.

8.  LSU is 0-7 in the SEC, but Trent Johnson says Tasmin Mitchell’s fine play is “a testament to the kid’s character.”

9.  Without an injured Reggie Buckner, Ole Miss had no answer for Arkansas’ inside game last night.

10.  UM has now lost to SEC games at home… which is not a good way to win the division.

11.  If Renardo Sidney’s attorney is right (for once), the NCAA could deliver positive news to Mississippi State this week.

New coach, new playing style, same result as the Crimson Tide stumbles on The Plains for the fourth consecutive year.
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Despite Urban Meyer’s flip-flop on his future, Florida appears to have an insurmountable lead atop this year’s Rivals and Scout recruiting rankings.
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By Cecil Hurt
Sports Editor

There are always bragging rights involved when Alabama plays Auburn.
This year, the two teams hope that there aren’t last rites involved as well.
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By Chase Goodbread
Sports Writer

University of Alabama football players will receive three rings to commemorate their accomplishments during the 2009 season, one for winning the Southeastern Conference Championship, one from the Bowl Championship Series for its national championship and a third ring provided by UA.
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