Thursday Night Headlines

Unfortunately, the excitement of today's release of the new basketball schedule was overshadowed by the announcement of the NCAA rulings against the Memphis basketball program. As I'm sure you know by now, the 38 wins and Final Four appearance from the 07-08 season have been "vacated." The school was also placed on three years probation, which almost always goes with any penalty passed down from the NCAA's high court. Coach Cal hasn't said much about today's verdict, except the brief statement released earlier today, which we quickly posted here at BBNR.

The media is taking their punches now, and this was to be expected. Morons like ESPN's Pat Forde were quick to bash Calipari and just about anything else to do with Kentucky basketball. Again, we covered this earlier today, but it bears repeating. Pat Forde co-authored a book with Rick Pitino, you know, the guy that got a random (and crazy) woman pregnant and then paid for her abortion and then did everything within his power to cover it all up. Oh, and I think he coaches college basketball too. Anyway, Pat Forde was oddly absent from saying anything critical of his co-author's scandal. The few times he did show up to say anything about Pitino's indiscretions, he was always quick to point out that the Louisville coach hadn't been charged with any crimes and that it was just an unfortunate situation. Why he couldn't say the same thing for Calipari, who has not been named in either NCAA investigations, only points to his conflict of interests and biased reporting. Forde should shut his mouth, and if he won't do it, ESPN should at the very least address the situation. Of course, they won't, but hopefully Big Blue Nation will continue to call him out on his hypocrisy.

The facts are clearly in Calipari's favor. Why anyone would think Calipari would be involved in a player receiving money from an agent or a high school recruit (not yet signed) cheating on an exam is beyond me. Calipari is a smart, successful person. He knows the spotlight is on him, and he knows the penalty of being caught doing something against the rules. I'm not saying that Cal hasn't ever bent the rules (or perhaps even broken them), but I am saying that I don't believe he does it any more than every other coach looking for a quick leg-up on the competition. I certainly do not think he had anything to do with the poor decisions made by two young men, who were both trying to better themselves and their careers. And in the words of Forrest Gump, that's all I've got to say about that.

The schedule did come out today, and its a dandy. The Cats will face UConn, North Carolina, Indiana, Louisville and Virginia or Stanford in Cancun, not to mention a very improved SEC schedule after that. One thing's for certain, Calipari won't have the criticism he faced for weak schedules while coaching in the A-10 and CUSA. The fun begins on November 2nd with an exhibition game against Campbellsville. I know we'll all be watching.

Some football news was released today too... some good, some bad. The bad news first: talented freshmen linebacker, Qua Huzzie will miss this season following his recent shoulder surgery. He was expected to be a solid contributor for the UK defense, and he will be surely missed. The good news is, UK did receive commitments from a pair of highly recruited 3 star players; Tyler Brause and Teven Eatmon, high school teammates from Ohio. Brause is a quarterback that chose Kentucky over Maryland, Stanford and Syracuse, while Eatmon is a tight end, who chose UK over Louisville, Syracuse and Iowa State, among several others. We welcome them both to Big Blue Nation and look forward to their future careers in blue.

Well, I guess that's all for the night. Remember to stay positive and don't let the haters get you down. They know what's coming, and they don't like it. As always, good night and good luck, Big Blue Nation. Thanks for reading.