Well, that couldn’t have gone much better.All is well in the world of Kentucky sports after a weekend that saw the men’s and women’s basketball teams keep their tournament runs alive, baseball pull off a sweep of the two-time defending national champions and gymnastics finish off the regular season on a high note.A big thanks to Metz Camfield and Ryan Suckow who stepped in and provided some great coverage of UK Hoops and baseball as I follow the men throughout March Madness. We’re going to keep the content coming over the next few weeks, so stay with us.Anyway, there’s never a dull moment in March, so let’s get to a few odds and ends on another nice morning in Lexington:
- The big story on this Monday is Matthew Mitchell and his Wildcats taking the floor for a second-round matchup with seventh-seeded and 10th-ranked – yes, you read that right – Green Bay (31-1). It’s not often that a No. 2 seed like Kentucky faces a more highly ranked team in the second round, but that’s the unique circumstance that will take place on Monday at 9:45 p.m. in Ames, Iowa. Metz wrote about that exact topic on Sunday afternoon, so check it out if you haven’t already. We’ll be live blogging the game beginning around 9:30 p.m., so come join us.
- The only other UK team in action today is No. 7 men’s tennis, which takes the court for the first time in over a week with a doubleheader against Baylor at noon and Murray State at 6:45 p.m. It’s a beautiful day, so head over to the Boone Tennis Center.
- After a pair of impressive performances in Louisville, the men get a few days off before they have a Sweet 16 rematch with fourth-seeded Indiana. Late last night, it was announced UK-IU would tip off at 9:45 p.m. on Friday in Atlanta. Based on the fact that Georgia Dome officials tweeted last night that tickets in the upper level are now available due to demand from fans, it should be quite an atmosphere. Additionally, UK will hold an open practice at the Georgia Dome on Thursday from 3:10 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Anthony Davis is among four finalists for the Naismith Award, given annually to the national player of the year. Now that the field has been narrowed, fans can submit their votes on behalf of Davis. Fan votes will comprise 25 percent of the final tally, so you can really make a difference in Davis’ candidacy. The other three finalists are Thomas Robinson of Kansas, Draymond Green of Michigan State and Doug McDermott of Creighton. Text VOTE to 34763 or head to this link to cast your ballot.
- It got lost in the shuffle a bit with the NCAA Tournament’s first weekend going on, but the No. 23 gymnastics team had yet another strong showing this weekend, defeating Centenary in its final meet of the regular season. Tim Garrison has carried the team to new heights in his first season as head coach and Ryan Suckow will have a story on that topic later this afternoon. Next up is a trip to Duluth, Ga., for the SEC Championships. Conveniently, Duluth is less than 30 miles from Atlanta, so fans can stop over on Saturday, the day between basketball games.