Ho-hum.  That’s John Calipari’s attitude toward conference tournaments.  Reading his statements on this week’s gathering in New Orleans, you can almost imagine a pause for a yawn:


“Three games in three days doesn’t prepare you for anything.  We just played a whole league schedule…

Fans spend their vacation money, their rent money, their cigarette money, and they go to this tournament. … You almost feel an obligation.  Let’s go play.”


Well, if they’re blowing their money for smokes on getting to New Orleans, then ya gotta at least show up.  Still, Calipari told The Lexington Herald-Leader that all this is just “prelude” to the NCAA tourney.


“For our league, (the SEC Tournament) has no bearing on seeding.  We proved that last year. …

Maybe one team can play in (to the NCAA tourney, but) they had all season to play in…

Three games in three days is like nothing.  It’s like playing in Maui (in November).  It wears you out…

But we’ll be there.”


Mike Slive’s likely thought: “We’re trying to sell some tickets down here, fella.”

1.  It’s a biased opinion, but Bill Self says Kansas City is a Kansas State town first, Kansas second and Missouri third.  (Would the SEC really consider playing a tourney there?)

2.  Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen is feeling better after shoulder surgery.

3.  Several ex-Tigers are gearing up for their Pro Day.

4.  A loss to Ole Miss did some damage to Alabama’s RPI.

5.  Arkansas will be fighting to keep their season alive in New Orleans.

6.  Ex-Razorback gridders are prepping for their Pro Day, too.

7.  LSU will be looking for a fresh start at the SEC Tournament.

8.  Tiger AD Joe Alleva is starting his five-year tour of duty on the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

9.  MSU’s “Mr. Double-Double” Arnett Moultrie is a changed man.

10.  “Newfound confidence” has State feeling good about themselves again.

11.  Ole Miss needs win in New Orleans if it’s to keep its bubble hope alive.

12.  Murphy Holloway has been key to the Rebels’ revival.

Georgia’s Greg McGarity was one of four SEC ADs to enter last week’s scheduling talks in Nashville hoping to save “permanent cross-divisional rivals” when the league adopts its new scheduling format.

He told The Chattanooga Times Free Press that he feels better about the odds of Georgia-Auburn and Alabama-Tennessee being preserved:


“I do feel better.  The tone of the conversations that everyone had sort of gave the impression that everyone had a sense, at least the majority had a sense, of liking the rivalry game with an opponent from the opposite division.  The tone led us to believe that this has a good opportunity moving forward…

I think everything is still on the table.  We spent one full day on it, and I’m sure we’ll spend one full day on it in New Orleans once everybody’s had a week to think about it.”


From what South Carolina president Harris Pastides says, it sounds like things are further along than McGarity wants to say.

Just a quick note from Nashville where I’ve ventured on some MrSEC.com business…

The SEC’s athletic directors are descending on the Music City as planned for their talks regarding the SEC’s future scheduling formats.  Jeremy Foley (Florida), Greg McGarity (Georgia), Pete Boone (Ole Miss) and David Williams (Vanderbilt) were in and around the lobby as I checked into the Hilton downtown this afternoon.

Perhaps I should slide a copy of this under a few doors.

The ADs will meet in Nashville during this week’s women’s basketball tournament and then reconvene next week in New Orleans to continue talks during the men’s tourney.  Whatever the ADs come up with over the next two weeks will likely have to pass muster with the presidents and commissioner Mike Slive in Destin at the SEC Meetings in late-May, early-June.

Tyler B.

The general consensus amongst basketball “experts” or “historians” is that the 1996 UK hoops team will be remembered as one of the best college teams ever, and several list them #1. Neither expert nor historian, simply just a big hoops fan, I have them firmly pegged at #1.

The average margin of victory for ‘96 team was shocking (22), and offense startling (91.4 ppg). It carried incredible depth – 10 players on this team made an NBA roster at some point – and was armed with first-round talent, too. The 1996 NBA Draft took the #6 (Antoine Walker), #16 (Tony Delk), #19 (Walter McCarty) and #52 (Mark Pope) players from UK, and the 1997 NBA Draft called Lexington for the #6 (Ron Mercer) and #13 (Derek Anderson) picks. Their only two losses came against two teams that made the Final Four (UMass and Mississippi State), both losses avenged, and Rick Pitino was near the pinnacle of his Hall of Fame coaching career. All this evidence supports the reasoning behind the 1996 UK teams being one of the greatest ever.

So why such little national chatter about the chance of the 2012 Wildcats being the greatest college team ever if they cut down the nets in New Orleans? The 2012 average margin of victory is enormous (19.8), offense efficient, and the hallmark of this team is stifling defense (58ppg). And what about the team’s future Hall of Fame coach at the pinnacle of his career and the current crop of NBA prospects on the roster? According to nbadraft.net the 2012 NBA Draft looks like this: Anthony Davis #1… MKG #7… Doron Lamb #16… Terrance Jones #18… Marquis Teague #21… Darius Miller #60. All those dots mean you’re supposed to think about what you just read for a minute…

So what if the 2012 team doesn’t lose again and ends the season as champs with a 37-1 record? A team that’s lone loss was a buzzer-beater on the road against Indiana? Let’s compare the stats between the ’96 and ’12 team. (***2012 Stats compiled before Mississippi State game***)

1996 Averages in 36 Games // 2012 Averages after 27 Games

FG-FGA:    

33.2-68.3 (48.7%)

27.6-56.6 (48.7%)

3FG-3FGA:

7.38-18.61 *(39.7%)

5.74-15.07 (38.1%)

FT-FTA:      

17.5-24.5 (71.3%)

16.9-23.5 *(71.8%)

Rebounds:

*41.7 (+5.9)

39.4 *(+7.4)

Assists: *21.75 – 13.6

Turnovers: 15.38 – *11.9

Blocked Shots: 4.8 – *9.2

Steals: *12.08 – 6.5

PPG: *91.4 – 77.8

Points Allowed: 69.4 – *58

Avg. Margin of Victory: *22 – 19.8

TOP-10 ROSTER SCORING

C – Anthony Davis: 13.9 // SG -Tony Delk: 17.8

SG – Doron Lamb: 13.8 // PF – Antoine Walker: 15.2

SF -Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: 12 // C – Walter McCarty: 11.3

PF -Terrence Jones: 12.3 // SF – Derek Anderson: 9.4

SF – Darius Miller: 9.9 // SG – Ron Mercer: 8

PG – Marquis Teague: 9.6 // C- Mark Pope: 7.6

PF – Kyle Wiltjer: 7 // PG – Anthony Epps: 6.7

C – Eloy Vargas: 1 // SG – Jeff Sheppard: 5.5

PG – Sam Malone: 1 // PG – Wayne Turner: 4.5

SG -Brian Long: .2 // PF – Jarred Pricket: 3.4 

POSTION BREAKDOWN

Point Guard: Edge 1996. This is actually a very fair comparison because both Anthony Epps and Marquis Teague were/are asked to be “game managers” before Nick Saban made the term popular. To further prove my point, when Delk moved to point he was better than Epps at times, similar to when Lamb takes the ball from Teague. I give the edge to Epps over Teague because of his experience; nearly 100 games of it before ’96 titles game. Additionally, Teague’s terrified of the open 3, and tends to play a bit loose with the ball in his hands, whereas Epps shot 40% from 3 in 1996.

*It also should be noted that Epps didn’t have the luxury of dropping a deuce anywhere within 20 feet of the rim and having Anthony Davis flush it.

Shooting Guard: Big Edge 1996: Tony Delk (AA, SEC POY and FF MOP), Ron Mercer (1^st Team All-SEC Freshman and NCAA All-FF Team), Derek Anderson (NCAA All-Regional Team) and Jeff Sheppard could all play shooting guard very well. 2012 starts one of the best shooters in Kentucky history, Lamb, but take away his 48% stroke and you’re left with Vinnie “The Microwave” Wiltjer and Darius Miller. If Lamb and Delk scratch each other out Mercer, Anderson and Sheppard fill the gap nicely. Conversely, without Lamb the 2012 team has trouble getting points outside the paint.

Small & Power Forward: Edge 1996. Darius Miller, Kyle Wiltjer, MKG and Terrance Jones vs. a mixture of Antoine Walker (1^st Team All-SEC, NCAA All-Regional Team), Derek Anderson, Waltah McCarty (2^nd team All-SEC) and Ron Mercer. 1996 scored better from this position, but 2012 is more physical. Jones reminds me a lot of Walker in a variety of ways because you are/were never sure if the engine would crank up when the key turned in the ignition. Posturing and theatrics were/are big for both, as ‘Toine rocked his Shimmy and Jones loves the Blank Stare. I would pick Walker over Jones 100% of the time.

Even with the different skill sets, both Anderson and MKG, were/are the glue guys of their respective teams. But if we’re talking glue it should be noted that Anderson is Elmer’s and MKG is superglue. Anderson was a better pure scorer, but the rebounding, defense, toughness and leadership from MKG make him more valuable. And that’s difficult to write considering Anderson would come back in 1997 and be a leading candidate for player of the year before blowing his knee out mid-season. Wiltjer against McCarty is a very interesting and similar match-up… but McCarty played a decade in the NBA and Wiltjer, as much as I love him, plays like he’s got gout and is wearing ski boots. I give the edge to the 1996 team because the combination of Miller, Jones, Wiltjer and MKG has trouble scoring for long stretches.

Center: Giant Edge 2012. Because Anthony Davis has the potential to be the best defensive newbie in college basketball history the edge obviously goes to 2012. While Davis flies around the paint with his unibrow, looking like an Angry Bird swatting everything in the flight path of his wings, the’96 center position would give Davis trouble by moving him away from the basket.  While McCarty and Pope had the letter C, as in Center, next to their names, both were good shooters that would float around the three-point line for portions of games. Davis isn’t afraid to leave the paint on occasion to swat an outside jumper or 3, but he prefers to patrol the paint on the majority of defensive possessions.

1996  had enough frontline height to take away many of the 2012 lobs to Davis so he would have to use his rarely-seen post moves to score 16-18 points. On the glass Davis would gobble up loose boards, but what a treat it would be to see Davis and an equally gangly McCarty battle for a rebound. Two wet noodles trapped in a bowl fighting for a loose meatball is about all I can pitcture.

The edge at center goes to 2012 in every possible way unless Davis gets in foul trouble. UK’s only loss in 2012 came against IU because Davis got in early foul trouble, and Ole Miss put on a run when Davis left the court with early foul trouble, too. If Ole Miss and IU gave this team fits without Davis on the court the ’96 team would start doing work. Enough work that the 2012 team couldn’t recover?

Bench: Giant Edge 1996. When a team averages 91 points a game it’s clear the foot never comes off the gas on either end of the floor. It means a team must have incredible depth. The tenth man on the 1996 team had potential to reach double digits on any given night, and if a tenth man even exists on the 2012 team he might not be able to crack double digits after three hours in an empty gym.

Scoring for Top-10 on each rosters

C – Anthony Davis: 13.9 // SG -Tony Delk: 17.8

SG – Doron Lamb: 13.8 // PF – Antoine Walker: 15.2

SF -Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: 12 // C – Walter McCarty: 11.3

PF -Terrence Jones: 12.3 // SF – Derek Anderson: 9.4

SF – Darius Miller: 9.9 // SG – Ron Mercer: 8

PG – Marquis Teague: 9.6 // C- Mark Pope: 7.6

PF – Kyle Wiltjer: 7 // PG – Anthony Epps: 6.7

C – Eloy Vargas: 1 // SG – Jeff Sheppard: 5.5

PG – Sam Malone: 1 // PG – Wayne Turner: 4.5

SG -Brian Long: .2 // PF – Jarred Pricket: 3.4

Tougher Schedule: Edge 1996. On average the 1996 squad played a better team.

1996 Opponent Averages in 36 Games // 2012 Opponent Averages after 27 Games

FG-FGA: 24.5-59.3 *(41.5%) // 21.2-58.6 (36.2%)

3FG-3FGA: 5.03-15.8 *(33.6%) // 5.4-17.2 (31.6%)

FT-FTA: 14.8-22.19 *(67.1%) // 10-15 (66%)

Rebounding Average: *35.8 // 32

Assists: *13.52 // 10.3

Blocked Shots: *3.91 // 3.4

Steals: *7.1 // 5.5

PPG: *69.4 // 58

Turnovers: 22.2 // *12.8

Coaching – 1996 Pitino or 2012 Cal: TBD. After the 1996 title season Pitino’s resume had Final Four visits with UK ’93 and Providence ’87. If Cal wins a title this year his resume includes Final Four trips with UMass (1996), Memphis (2008) and UK (2011 and 2012). Is Pitino a better coach than Cal simply because Mario Chalmers hits a 3?

Swaggle: Giant Edge 2012. Cal is the coolest guy on the block, and when he throws parties Jay-Z, Drake, Ashley Judd, LeBron, World Wide Wes and maybe Kate Upton show up. He’s the CEO of the most recognizable college basketball brand in the world. He’s expanded the UK brand into China, raised money for Haiti and coached the team of another country in the off-season. During the NBA lockout its best players – even those with no affiliation to UK – came to his office to practice, and each year the best high school seniors send resumes to Cal’s desk in hopes of attending his Basketball Executive Program.

In reference to the UK hoops teams the last two years, Kentucky Senator and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Cal “creates more millionaires than a Wall Street firm.” Well, I can do him one better. In the world of college basketball in 2012, an innovator and PR man like no other college coach before him, Cal’s like the late Steve Jobs running the Harvard Business School. Simply put, in 2012 Cal “gets it.” Pitino “got it” like no other coach back in 1996, but he also eventually got Karen Sypher.

So after scribbling nearly 2,000 words comparing the two teams I think it’s finally time to pick a “better” of the two. The biggest fear of a winner take all game is always the opponent shoots the lights out for the better part of it, and when that happens a usually great defense that suffocates a team to death around the 60-point mark is left helpless. There is no effective defense to employ when five or six guys are hitting shots from all over the court, regardless of who is guarding them. And those five or six guys hitting shots from all over the court, all on one team and in nearly every game, wore the 1996 UK jersey.

Exclusive of averaging 91 points per game, the ’96 Cats won their first four tournament games by at least 20 points and no team came closer than seven. They made a great defense look very vulnerable, and that’s exactly what they would do to the ’12 team. If both teams played each other 10 times I believe the ’96 team wins seven, but what if they played just once? 

Kentucky 1996 – 77

Kentucky 2012 – 68

*Just for pleasure, Digger, Bobby Knight and Jimmy Dykes would call the game.

Tyler B. works as a communications specialist for a Louisville, Kentucky company.  A lifetime SEC fan – long before it became “acceptable” to cheer for every team in the conference – he plans on writing several books about college football that have a fantastic chance of never being written. 

Add another name to the list.  This time, the name of a quarterback who looked incredibly limited during LSU’s loss to Alabama in the BCS Championship Game.

Jordan Jefferson told WCNN-AM in Altanta yesterday that he, too, was unhappy with the Tigers plan of attack in the big game:

“I think we should’ve spread them out a little bit more, put the ball in different passing areas, use our talent on the receiving side,” Jefferson said. “We had that in as far as play-calling, we just didn’t get to it.

We have great guys in those areas and sometimes we just wonder why we don’t use those guys. But we’re not the one calling the plays. We still have to go out and execute what the coaches and coordinators are calling. We can’t complain as players, but sometimes we do question that…

I definitely didn’t expect for it to play (out) like that.  Alabama was a little bit more prepared than us. There was a lot of things that we should’ve did different to catch a rhythm on offense. To win a type of game like that, you’ve got to win all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – and we just didn’t get over that hump to winning those phases. We kind of fell short in that game.”

Tiger fans will love the part about Alabama being a little bit more prepared.  I’m sure that won’t be used against Les Miles on pro-Tiger messageboards.

While Jefferson shot down “many rumors that are not true,” he did confirm that LSU practiced one plan and then called another on gameday.  The ex-Tiger said that his team had studied Utah’s 2007 Sugar Bowl victory over Bama before this year’s BCS title game, but to no avail.

“We were going to spread out our guys to make sure we’d get them the ball.  But once we got in the game, it wasn’t how we practiced.”

The biggest question now?  When are players and ex-players going to stop talking about what went wrong that night in New Orleans?

As most of you know by now, former NFL quarterback and current New Orleans radio host Bobby Hebert opened Les Miles’ post-BCS title game press conference with an emotional rant that forced someone in charge to ask Hebert if he even had a question.

Some LSU fans — who were also mad at Miles for losing one game out of 14 this season — have supported Hebert’s bush league actions.   But most media members — who know that a) you don’t cheer in the press box and b) you behave professionally in press conferences — have come down hard on the admitted Tiger fan.  (The fact that Hebert’s offensive lineman son, T-Bob, didn’t play in Monday’s game might have had more to do with Papa’s rant than the his fandom.)

In addition to most media members, LSU has also tsk-tsked Hebert.  Sports information director Michael Bonnette said: “Bobby said he was a fan, and we don’t credential fans.”

Sugar Bowl spokesman John Sudsbury apologized to LSU for Hebert’s behavior.  “It was very disrespectful. … We don’t want to credential people who go into a press conference and act like a fan.”

One group that’s behind Hebert?  His employer, WWL-AM radio in New Orleans.  Though even the station that enjoys good ratings for Hebert’s show admitted that he was out of line.

“Bobby’s in no trouble (with the station),” said WWL vice president Chris Claus (we presume no relation to Santa).  “The tone of the question Bobby asked was not appropriate.   The content of the question was fine, and Bobby knows he made a mistake.  Bobby’s incredibly passionate about LSU, and his emotions bubbled up, as they often do.”

Bobby knows he made a mistake?  Actually he said on his own show that he’s not a journalist and “so what” if he’d been thrown out of the presser for his behavior.  Later in the week on ESPN radio he went through a list of Miles’ previous coaching gaffes.  On Sirius radio he suggested Miles had just been lucky this season.  Sure doesn’t sound like Hebert “knows he made a mistake” to those of us at MrSEC.com.

It will be interesting to see if Hebert receives his usual media credentials for LSU home games next season.

From our viewpoint, if Hebert says he’s a fan, then he should buy a ticket and sit with the fans.  If, instead, he wants to receive the “perks” of being in the media — a cold hot dog, a seat in a sterile press box and then a seat in the postgame interview room — then he needs to act professionally.

In an effort to keep you up to date on the latest buzz from New Orleans, we’ll bring you 10 BCS title game-related headlines every day this week.  Here’s the first collection:


1.  With Alabama and LSU arriving in New Orleans today, the hype can now truly commence.

2.  One thing’s for sure — the winning coach stands to make a heap of cash via bonus money.

3.  All-American LSU corner Tyrann Mathieu has been as opportunistic off the field as he is on it.

4.  Here’s a breakdown the Tide’s running backs versus LSU’s linebackers…

5.  And now here’s a breakdown of the Tigers’ running backs versus Alabama’s linebackers.

6.  Outland Trophy-winning O-lineman Barrett Jones’ ankle is A-OK and he’s ready for a second shot at LSU.

7.  In just five years, Nick Saban has returned Alabama to the top of the college football world.

8.  Les Miles had his team “bring the wood” to Bama in the teams’ first meeting.

9 and 10.  If you trust those of us in the media, this writer says Bama will win the BCS title.  If you trust psychics, then seer Otis Biggs has an LSU pick for you.  One’s about as likely to be right as the other.

All-American offensive guard Will Blackwell admitted yesterday that he and his LSU teammates aren’t thrilled with the fact Alabama’s being given a second shot at them in the BCS Championship Game:


“We kind of have a chip on our shoulder.  We went to Tuscaloosa, and we beat them.  And they get another shot.  We don’t necessarily see that as fair.  We kind of fell like that if it were the other way around, we wouldn’t be getting this opportunity.  But it is what it is.  You can’t change it.  We’ll accept this challenge head on like we would every other team.”


In reality, the Tigers likely would be getting a second shot at Alabama, they lost a 9-6 overtime game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.  LSU’s strength of schedule has been — without question — the toughest murderer’s row in college football this season (at least among those teams in the title chase).  And Alabama’s second shot has more to do with the strength of the SEC than it does some perceived voter love for the Crimson Tide.

But this storyline was predictable.  At LSU, for inspiration, the Tigers have created a chip on their shoulders tied to facing the same team twice.  They’ve been “disrespected.”  While at Alabama, Tide personnel have already manufactured a “we beat ourselves the first time” chip for their own motivation.

Sorry, but we’re not into such nonsense.  Especially considering these two teams are playing for the BCS title and they shouldn’t need any added motivation.  But what we do like to hear is what Blackwell said as a follow-up to the above quote:


“I don’t think there’s any team out there that we dislike more, and I don’t think there’s any team out there that they dislike any more.  This is a definition of a rivalry game.  We’re just glad we get to play in New Orleans this time.”


Game on.

On Sunday, an LSU-Alabama rematch was locked in place for the BCS Championship Game in New Orleans.  Obviously, that was going to be a problem for people from other conferences and for people who believe a team must win its league — or at least its division — in order to win a BCS crown.

So on Monday morning, we wrote that “with enough controversy, a seeded plus-one format might begin to gain some traction among schools.”

That afternoon, Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas called or such a plan to get some new consideration.  On Tuesday, NCAA president Mark Emmert said that he believed some type of change would come to the BCS.

Today, the snowball continues to grow and roll.

* Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby says the plus-one model is “inevitable at this point.”

* Washington AD Scott Woodward says a plus-one plan will “eventually” happen.

* UCLA AD Dan Guerrero says he was “vehemently” against anything playoff-esque initially, “but I’m a little more open to the discussion” of a plus-one at this point.

* Kansas State AD John Curries is pushing for changes in the way all the BCS bowls are selected (though bowls always have been and always will be about tourism first, fair selections second).

* ESPN executive VP John Skipper says his network is happy with the BCS games it now televises, but “the fan discontent concerns us a bit.”

From ESPN to Sports Illustrated, the national media seems to agree that all signs point to change.  And that’s a good thing.

Many people still don’t realize this, but the NCAA doesn’t officially recognize a champion in college football.  For a century, we’ve had polls and coalitions and alliances and now a Bowl Championship Series to help determine who wins what trophy… but none of it is official.  Thus the talk this year of a split national title between Alabama and LSU if the Tide win in New Orleans.  (That talk is already growing and will continue to grow right up until kickoff in the Superdome, by the way.)

It’s time the sport decide its champion on the field… and not just in a game where people vote in their top two teams.  A seeded plus-one format is the best solution.  That would create a national semifinal for football.  Whether the top four are chosen by committee or the current BCS rankings matters little.  A fifth-place team has a lot less room to whine than a third-place team.  (And no matter how much you want it, there will never be an eight or 16-team playoff under the current set-up.  The only way that happens is if the BCS schools create their own division within the NCAA.)

If you’re a fan of the plus-one system, then you need to be pulling for Alabama next month.  A Tide win would create more controversy and more debate and would likely bring more people to the “okay, we’ve got to fix this” conclusion.  A win by LSU might dull the argument as the nation’s obvious best team would have defeated all comers, including a team that it had already beaten once on the road.

More than likely, however, the snowball has already reached the point of no return.  The only question now appears to be how fast that snowball will travel.  The current BCS deal runs through January of 2014.  With enough debate in the weeks and months ahead, a new seeded plus-one format could be in place by January of 2015.

And as we stated above, we believe that would be a very, very good thing for college football.