Apologies for the lack of posts today. Had to head straight from football practice to an athletics department luncheon, and from there to do some interviews and writing. In an effort to catch up on today’s events (on a rather quite news day anyways), here’s some notes:

• Head coach Rich Brooks sounded pretty worried at practice Tuesday of the prospect of the flu circulating through his team. Free safety Taiedo Smith is still ill and has been tested for the H1N1 virus (swine flu). Those results are not available yet. Running back Moncell Allen – who will be a key component Saturday if Derrick Locke can’t play – missed practice with an illness. Cornerback Martavius Neloms, who was sick last week, was back at practice.
• Locke has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable. The swelling in Locke’s knee is gone, according to head coach Rich Brooks. They’ll have to see if he can move around at practice Wednesday.
• Single-game tickets for the two men’s basketball exhibition games on Nov. 2 against Campbellsville and Nov. 6 against Clarion are still available, as well as tickets for the regular-season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 13. For more information on how to purchase tickets, check out the UK ticket office.
• If you’re still hoping to get your hands on one of those coveted wristbands for the student-only practices, you still have two opportunities remaining. UK will give out wristbands to the first 2,000 students at the UK-Tennessee volleyball game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) and the first 500 students at the UK-Ole Miss women’s soccer game on Thursday at 7 p.m. (gates open at 6 p.m.). Students must show their UK student ID to receive a wristband.
• If you get one of the “Member of the Big Blue Nation” wristbands, we now have a confirmed practice time. The student-only practice will be Friday at 1:30 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum (doors will open at 12:30 p.m.). The only way to be admitted into the practice is to have both your UK student ID and wristband. Students must enter through the Euclid Avenue doors. All other doors to Memorial Coliseum will be closed for this event.

• Tennis sophomore and budding star Eric Quigley has been selected to represent the United States in the fourth annual Master’U BNP Paribas, an international collegiate competition held Dec. 9-14 in Poitiers, France. The event features eight teams composed of college players from around the world. Quigley, who toppled the nation’s No. 1 player earlier this season, is one of just three male players from the U.S. to make the team. Jeremy Strachan will be along with a full news release on Wednesday with all the details.