Or is it early morning? Whatever the actual time of the day is, let’s run through a few notes from Sunday that we didn’t get around to because of the softball game and tennis match:
– Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News is reporting that the Southeastern Conference will consider divisions in men’s basketball. The idea is expected to be discussed at the upcoming conference meetings in Destin, Fla. The central idea behind the proposal, according to Solomon’s story, is that there is a feeling by some that the SEC’s structure gives a false picture of the best teams to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The last three SEC West champions have failed to make the NCAA Tournament. How to seed the tournament, scheduling and other factors will be talked about at the meetings. Here is the full story from Solomon.
– John Calipari attended the sixth annual Dick Vitale Gala to benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research on Friday. Calipari was one of the featured speakers at the event. CoachCal.com has the transcript of his speech as well as some behind-the-scenes photos.
– The Kentucky men’s tennis team’s NCAA Tournament run came to an end Saturday in a 4-1 loss to No. 2 Southern California. While it was a tough end for Dennis Emery’s club, I think the run made some people realize how strong the tennis program is. Athletics can be an up-and-down business full of emotional peaks and valleys, but Emery has somehow managed to keep the program on solid footing in just about every year of his three decades at UK. The Cats will lose a few seniors to graduation but will return the core of this year’s team, including star Eric Quigley, Alex Musialek and Tom Jomby.
– After the Kentucky softball team’s win over Michigan on Saturday, I wrote that UK is in the driver’s seat to make it to super regionals — and I still believe that notion — but Michigan certainly gained some momentum Saturday evening with an amazing five-run comeback against Notre Dame. Facing a disappointing and devastating collapse, the Wolverines rallied from down 8-3 in the sixth inning to win 9-8. That comeback up a rematch with UK on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Alumni Field. UK only needs to beat Michigan once while the Wolverines will have to win two in a row to advance, but you have to wonder if Michigan finally gained some confidence with that Notre Dame comeback (and the five-run inning against Chanda Bell in the seventh inning against Kentucky, for that matter).
– Speaking of Bell, head coach Rachel Lawson said she has not decided who she is going to start in game one Sunday. She said she is going to wait until Sunday morning to see how her pitchers feel. Although Lawson said she could throw freshmen pitchers Ellen Weaver or Lauren Cumbess, chances are it’s going to be Bell or Rachel Riley. My guess is Lawson will go with Riley just to present Michigan a different look. Riley relieved Bell on Saturday when the wheels were falling off in the seventh and closed the door shut with three straight outs. Look at it this way: Even if Bell is your ace, you can always start her in game two if it comes down to that. By going with Riley in the first game, you offer a different look and give Bell time to recover. But again, that’s just my opinion.
– We’ll once again have a live blog of the action Sunday in addition to the ESPN telecast. Should be a great enviornment again at Alumni Field with Michigan still in the tournament.
– The UK baseball season ended Sunday with a 19-3 loss to No. 4 Florida, and while the year didn’t go as hoped, Thomas McCarthy deserves some recognition for the way he played down the stretch. The third baseman finished the year on a 10-game hitting streak, raising his average in SEC play to .411 and his overall average to .371, just shy of the SEC batting title.
