The discussion of Coach Cal going here and there seems to be the concern keeping all of my blue blooded UK friends up at night. While several of them (which is more than usual) are facing this head on, and realize that the word of a college coach is not really as strong as oak, (Jerry Maguire reference) others seem to suffer from a strong does of denial, which is what I have come to expect. I don’t say this to ridicule or take easy shots at my Wildcat friends, for that is 2nd rate Louisville territory and I will leave that to them, but if you truly believe Coach Cal is not considering a jump to the NBA you are only kidding yourself. And while I find it hard to believe in this day and age that any program, regardless of stature, could believe a coach who says, “I will be the coach of (insert team) next year, I can hardly blame my friends from the Big Blue Nation for clinging on to some hope.

As fans of the University of Kentucky they are not used to the seat they have been forced to sit in the last four years. With the history and resources of UK Basketball how could they comprehend that they would have to settle on a guy like Billy G and not making the tournament, or come to grips with the possibility that Coach Cal (like Coach Pitino years before him) would even consider trying to make another soon to be failed run at the NBA? I know, I know it’s not fair guys but it’s life, and no matter how many tweets Coach Cal and Matt Jones send to the contrary, there is more truth to the recent Chicago Tribune article than you want to believe.

WKU fans, on the other hand, have become somewhat numb and humble to the fact that a coaches’ commitment to the university is day to day at best, and even when they say, “This is not a stepping stone job,” it is in fact just that. (Hey Coach Horn, how is that South Carolina weather treating you?) Now I’m not trying to draw parallels between UK and WKU basketball for I fully realize they are two totally different animals, I’m just saying maybe for once all my UK bretheren, who are always lecturing me on the ins and outs of college hoops, should for once sit down, listen, and take a lesson from a Hilltopper (or a second lesson, we will chalk up the 2001 game in Rupp as Lesson #1)

The video above is affectionately titled “Calipari, Memphis is where I want to be,” and was fillmed following Coach Calipari’s return from the National Championship game with Memphis in 2008. The video runs about 8:43 but the interesting part for most starts around 5:21, enjoy.

By: Charlie Polk

We all know by now that Syracuse, Kansas, and Kentucky are locks for #1 seeds in the upcoming 2010 NCAA Basketball tournament. The thing no one seems to know is who will secure that final top spot. Duke and Kansas State were the next teams in line and they both lost this past week. Purdue just lost their superstar Robbie Hummel and are now expected to go in decline mode the rest of the way. That leaves Ohio State as the next most likely candidate. The Buckeyes do possess Evan Turner who appears to be the front-runner for Player Of The Year. The problem is that I’ve never heard of a seven loss team getting the elusive #1 seed. Granted, most of their losses were to good competition. They did falter though by 22 at Wisconsin and then lost to a Michigan team that currently boasts a losing record. My pick for the fourth #1….. New Mexico They’re led by former Iowa coach and IU great Steve Alford. He’s guided the Lobos to 27-3 overall mark. The three losses were all to teams with winning records. The only eyebrow raiser was losing to a 19-12 Oral Roberts University squad. ORU is not exactly a quality loss, but seven wins above .500 is nothing to sneeze at either. We’re heading into the big conference tournaments next week and I fully expect that some more opinions will change on who should claim the fourth and final top spot. The one thing that I do know for sure is it’s going to be pure madness!