There are a bunch of loose ends to tie up on what so far has been a very busy Monday. Upcoming are notes about men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and football:
- First up, Anthony Davis collected yet another honor as the Southeastern Conference announced weekly awards for the final time this season. The forward was once again named Freshman of the Week after averaging 15.5 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against Georgia and Florida as Kentucky completed a perfect regular season in conference play for just the third time since 1956. The award figures to be a precursor for more as the league office announces full-season awards later this week.
- If you’ve been online today, odds are that you’ve seen this Q & A Mike DeCourcy posted with John Calipari this morning. Coach Cal addresses an array of topics, ranging from the one-and-done rule to this year’s UK team to the Kentucky head-coaching job as a whole. If you haven’t yet read it, I encourage you to do so.
- Following a loss in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament to LSU, Matthew Mitchell and the UK women’s team fell from No. 10 to No. 12 in the AP Top 25. The Wildcats will now focus on improving this week as they await their NCAA Tournament fate. The 64-team field will be announced on Monday, March 12 and the Cats are expected to receive a three or four seed.
- The UK baseball team swept through another five games this past week to move to an NCAA-best 11-0. On Monday, the Wildcats were recognized for the fourth-best start in school history with a No. 23 ranking according to Collegiate Baseball. UK is one of just two unbeaten teams in the nation and will look to keep it going in another five games this week. Head out to Cliff Hagan Stadium to support the Cats on Tuesday against Tennessee Tech, Wednesday against Marshall and Friday through Sunday against Canisius.
- In a bit of UK alumni news, congratulations to former star wide receiver Stevie Johnson on inking a five-year, $36.5 million extension with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was set to become a free agent next week, but expressed a desire to stay with his first NFL team when he made an appearance at Rupp Arena recently. The California native burst onto the scene in 2010, then became the first player in team history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2011.
- It’s a Monday in early March, which means a wave of bracket projections were unveiled. Rather than pointing you to all the different Bracketologies, here’s a link to the Bracket Matrix, which combines all those predictions with links therein if you’re so inclined.