When watching the press conference yesterday, I kind of cringed at the speaking ability of Gillispie at first. He seemed to slowly grasp the questions of reporters and was searching for words when asked questions that didn't really deal with on-the-court topics. Then the basketball questions came, and I felt like Gillispie's IQ jumped 50 points.

Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart was very confident that he could lure Donovan to Kentucky and made it very clear that he was willing to offer in the neighborhood of $3 mil a year. Now, every coach eyeing the job is going to expect something within a reasonable vicinity of that number...

Remarkable. That's really the only true way to describe what transpired Monday night in Atlanta. The Florida Gators, the once downtrodden doormats of just their own conference now once again stand alone at the top of all of college sports.

I predicted that Travis Ford would be the next head coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats. I said that Travis Ford would be the coach in 2008. The only problem is, he might be in The Commonwealth a year early.

J Hickson (NC State): I first learned about Hickson when he was a high recruiting target of Tubby Smith. I heard great things about him, but this is the first time I've seen him play in a full game setting. Hickson is not a great ballhandler, though he does have good post moves....

Being from the Bluegrass, I hear a ton of commentary on Tubby Smith and his effectiveness as a coach at the University of Kentucky. Before I even get started on this topic, I have to admit that basketball at Kentucky is a religion, not a sport. Central Kentucky, even all of Kentucky, and parts of Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Tennessee have a love affair with Wildcat basketball. They even have a saying around here that Kentucky fans "bleed blue"...

After Sunday's loss to Kansas, Kentucky basketball has found itself in the midst of controversy. This season marks the second straight year that UK has uncharacteristically been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. The national media has hounded the UK program to the point of absurdity. According to the media, UK fans are unrealistic, Kentucky is no longer an elite school, and that Tubby should move else where.

(Begin Bud Light theme music) Deep Voiced Announcer: Bud Light Presents, "Real Men of Genius"...Falsetto Backup singer: Reaaaaal Men Of Genius...

This is the best basketball I've seen played at Rupp Arena all year. The first round of the NCAA tournament at Rupp Arena went like much of the rest of the tournament, fast and with the favorites winning. The first three games at Rupp Arena on Thursday were never in question. Louisville, Texas A&M, and OSU left their respective opponents behind early and made sure there was never a real game to be played.

It may not be official, but it's a very good bet that Tubby Smith will be back as head coach for at least one more season. Believe it or not, it's a smart move. The stars only align themselves so perfectly, once in a Kentucky-blue moon.

No one can be mad about the Terps' 62-59 loss to Butler today in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In all honesty, this team shouldn't have even made the tournament. After starting 3-6 in the ACC, the Terps showed true grit and determination to win the last seven games of the season to qualify for a NCAA birth. But overall, they aren't a very good team. They have no consistant scorer or go-to player as they have in the past. In a nutshell, they were overall inconsistant this season.

Kentucky vs. Kansas in most years would be a game reserved for the final rounds of the NCAA tournament. Together, Kentucky and Kansas account for over 3,800 wins, 99 conference championships, and 9 National Championships. The history of these two teams are linked irrevocably. Adolph Rupp himself attended Kansas and played for famed coach Phog Allen. The founder of basketball, James Naismith was born and raised in Kansas. A fact which many KU fans hang their hat. But as Kentucky fans would say, 'Naismith created basketball, Kentuckians perfected it.'

From the opening tip, Maryland played a game that mirrored the Miami loss last week. The Terps didn't rush to loose balls. They jogged back down the court on defense and allowed Davidson to get easy transition buckets. Oh and did I mention it appeared that they did not even read the scouting report...

43 SEC regular season championships. 25 time champions of the SEC tournament. 7 National Championships. The Winningmost team of all time. The arrogant records flaunted by the University of Kentucky program go on seemingly forever. However, this is not one of 'those' teams.

With a team that's twice as deep, twice as talented, UNC is set to sweep the season series against Duke this Sunday. After beating Duke at Cameron Indoor surrounded by some of the most annoying and unattractive student fans known to Earth, the Tarheels will have the pleasure of stomping on Duke at the Dean Dome, where the fans are much less annoying and far, far more attractive. Why am I so sure the 'Heels are going to abuse Duke so badly? Glad you asked...