ESPN Men's Basketball

This has long since made the rounds on Twitter by now, including via our friends at ESPN Home Court and SportsCenter, and you can read more about it at Larry Brown Sports. But come on. Really? You thought I wasn't going to post about this? You thought I wasn't going to find a way to get it on the site, if only to preserve its record (and make it more easily searchable) each and every time I want to see it again? Pshh. Of course I am.

Anyway, we're talking, of course, about Kentucky fan and portrait artist Danny Palmer, who tweeted his portrait of Anthony Davis around 5 p.m. Thursday. Kentucky Sports Radio soon picked it up, and away it went, blowing up across the Internet like a kid hugging goats. (Awwww.)

The portrait is four feet by four feet, and Palmer said he used three boxes of Kix, three boxes of Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs, and a few pieces of Cap'n Crunch for the earrings, because attention to detail is really what it's all about. And even the most die-hard Louisville fan would have to admit: It really is kind of cool. (You know ESPN's whole, "It's not crazy, it's sports" marketing campaign? Danny Palmer just made the marketing team's life really easy.)

When I first saw this portrait, the first thing I thought was, "Wow, I'm starving, and Reese's Puffs sound amazing right now. Do we have any cereal in the kitchen?" The second thing I thought was, "Wow, that really, really reminds me of a Frida Kahlo self-portrait." Which I then immediately Googled, and guess what: I was right. The similarities are, um, striking.

If only Kahlo had refined starch pellets with cartoon mascots to use for artistic materials in her day. Alas.

Naturally, Kentucky coach John Calipari heard the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics' complaints, immediately realized the error of his ways and got down to scheduling every big-time nonconference game on UK's schedule as a campus-bound home and home series.

Only kidding, kids. What happened Wednesday night -- when Calipari released a blog post on his website detailing his schedule plans for the next two seasons -- was pretty much the exact opposite of that.

Calipari says he wants to schedule not just games but "experiences," "events that grandfathers and grandsons will be talking about 25 years from now." Among the noteworthy items:

• In 2013-14, Kentucky will play Baylor in a men's-women's doubleheader in Cowboys Stadium, a game which he hopes breaks the collegiate hoops attendance record. Baylor will "return" that game this season at Rupp Arena, which is kind of funny, considering Cowboys Stadium is a neutral site and Rupp Arena is not. Cal wins on that front, as well as the whole "experience" bit, and even better gets to play a game at the site of the Final Four in 2013-14. Win-win-win.
• Speaking of which, that will be the second straight year UK will have a big nonconference game at the site of the Final Four; 2012-13's will come against Duke in the Champions Classic at the Georgia Dome.
• Why all the football arenas? His explanation: "It is important that we play in at least one if not two football stadiums every year to prepare our players for NCAA tournament venues. ... I’m convinced we would have won the title two seasons ago if we would have played in a dome during the regular season. Our guys weren’t prepared for it." Oh really? Jim Calhoun may beg to differ.
• And speaking of Duke, as Robbi noted over at the UNC blog, Calipari says he's "currently in conversations with Coach K of Duke for a multiyear, neutral-based series that will be played around the country in the best facilities ... [and] would take place on the same weekend every year and would be THE GAME to watch."
• UK is taking a one-year break with UNC in 2012, but looks likely to restart the series in 2013-14. Calipari wants to alternate the UNC and Louisville series, so that when one game is at home, the other is on the road, and vice versa.
• This isn't noteworthy so much as funny: The first comment on Calipari's blog post is from UK associate AD Dewayne Peevy, who writes, "We've been busy." We can't get Dewayne his own blog? A separate post, at least? Poor guy.

Anyway, you get the idea. The whole Kentucky-Indiana mess still grinds my gears, and I would argue most fans would prefer a few more nonconference events on campuses, with real, actual college environments -- real student sections, pep bands, banners hanging on the walls and rafters, the whole nine yards. That's what makes college basketball different, and often more exciting, than anything the NBA has to offer in the regular season. That's what makes college basketball what it is. The sterility of neutral-court sites -- like the corporatized plasticity of Jerry Jones's gigantic HD theater room -- undermines that romance. It just does.

But that's not Calipari's prerogative. As he makes very clear, he is interested in creating capital-E Events. Much of his schedule in the coming two seasons will do exactly that. You might not like it, but on all matters scheduling, the man is sticking to his (rather sizable) guns.

1. The Atlantic 10 will discuss and then likely decide Thursday on how it will schedule with 15 teams next season, according to commissioner Bernadette McGlade. The A-10, which will wrap up spring meetings Thursday, will have 15 schools in the league because VCU left the CAA immediately. Temple and Charlotte don’t leave for the Big East and C-USA, respectively, until 2013. The A-10 will add Butler in the fall of 2013. Xavier coach Chris Mack said one format discussed was to have each team have two partners (four games) and then play the other 10 five home/five road. McGlade said the A-10 has been looking at creative alternatives.

2. Baylor picked up a road game with Kentucky, adding again to the Bears' solid schedule. Bears coach Scott Drew said Baylor will also play at Gonzaga in a return game from two years ago in Dallas, and also will host Northwestern and BYU. The Bears are one of the marquee teams in the Charleston Classic with Murray State, Colorado, St. John’s and Dayton. Auburn, Boston College and the College of Charleston are also in the field. Baylor will get plenty of power-rating pop for this schedule, especially with the addition of Kentucky. No one should be surprised that the return game is in a neutral setting at Cowboys Stadium. Duke and North Carolina have done similar scheduling agreements many times.

3. Class move by new Illinois State coach Dan Muller to retain the coach he beat out for the job in Illinois State assistant Rob Judson. Judson didn’t have a job after losing out to Muller since Tim Jankovich left for a coach-in-waiting position at SMU. Judson and Muller made the mature decision that this was the best move for all parties to keep the Redbirds near the top of the Missouri Valley after losing in the tournament title game against Creighton. Muller clearly showed that he is comfortable in his own skin to hire Judson. This kind of move is certainly a rarity, not the norm.

Kentucky coach John Calipari didn't want to continue UK's longstanding rivalry with Indiana as a home-and-home series. Indiana coach Tom Crean didn't want to play on a neutral floor. Turns out, fans of both teams, and fans of college basketball in general, aren't the only ones incensed with the turn of events.

The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics -- a group of 59 faculty senate members from Football Bowl Subdivision schools, whose mission is to "provide a national faculty voice on intercollegiate sports issues" and which supports the traditional student-athlete model -- is none too pleased, either. This week, the COIA released a scathing statement on Calipari's justification of his new scheduling strategy, saying Kentucky's refusal to play on campus sites marks "the type of warning sign we would expect to see on the path toward a full professional model." An excerpt:

Consistent with COIA policy, the Coalition Steering Committee calls for strong opposition to such policy changes from the NCAA leadership, conference commissioners, and Division-I schools, and we urge NCAA member schools to refrain from signing contracts with Kentucky on such terms. [...]

Now Kentucky is taking its professional model to the next level. By demanding as a matter of policy that non-conference games be moved to neutral sites that emulate professional conditions it is breaking the connection between campus and school sports and insisting that contracted opponents do likewise. Programs designed with the balanced goals of the collegiate model cannot compete with this approach, and UK’s actions will place schools under enormous pressure to follow suit.

We call on all those who support the collegiate model of athletics to speak out against this further move to professionalize college sports, and -- most importantly -- to decline to participate in such a separation of competitions from campuses. Even a “non-traditional” sports program needs opponents to play.

It's a shot across the bow, but there are a few things in the statement worth disputing. For one, the idea of moving more nonconference games to neutral sites is not a new one. It has been happening in one form or another -- whether through exempt tournaments or events like the Crossroads Classic -- for decades. Nor is it specifically speaking about "emulating professional conditions." It's more about emulating end-of-season conference and NCAA tournament conditions. Calipari is hardly the first coach to take the idea so seriously. (See: Krzyzewski, Mike.) Plus, Indiana-Kentucky was played for more than a decade at neutral sites in Indianapolis and Louisville. This is not a new thing.

Indeed, this ship has long since sailed in football and men's basketball, where off-campus events are nearly as common as games on campus during the nonconference portion of the season. It is difficult to see the logical jump required here: How do off-campus events undermine the student-athlete model, exactly?

Michael G. Bowen, a South Florida professor and co-chair of the COIA Steering Committee, was quick to point out that Calipari's move is merely an example of a larger issue endemic to collegiate athletics.

"It's not Kentucky or Calipari specifically," Bowen said via phone Wednesday. "It's a larger problem of professionalization in college athletics. This is taking things in the wrong direction. It's sort of defeating the purpose of what a university is about, or what an education at a university should be about."

If you disagree with the current collegiate model in the first place -- and many people wonder why college athletes can't be paid at least something for the money they generate for their universities, conferences and TV partners -- then you would have to reject the COIA's premise. If you think professionalization of revenue sports is a good thing, or at least in Kentucky's case, an understandably pragmatic approach, then you will wonder exactly what all the fuss is about.

Which is why, in the end, this is probably not the best argument against the end of the Indiana-Kentucky rivalry.

For my money, the best argument is still the simplest one: Ending a traditional regional blueblood rivalry that has been played continuously since 1969 because you're only willing to play at neutral sites is, for lack of a better phrase, weak. It robs the fans of a game they deserve, in an atmosphere they control. It sterilizes or even destroys the things that make college basketball great: tradition, passion, the roar of the home crowd.

I'm less concerned about a move toward professionalization than a move toward isolation: Where each elite school becomes an island unto itself, worried only about doing what's best for its RPI and bottom line on a yearly basis, its coaches are devoid of concern for the greater good of the sport that allows them to make millions of dollars and wield such power in the first place. Instead of playing anybody anywhere, or even playing teams fans would rightfully expect to play, coaches follow Calipari's lead, justifying it with an us against the world approach.

Calipari is far from the only one guilty of this. He's only the most extreme recent example.

"Professionalization" or no, the sport and its fans deserve better. To me, that's still the real gripe here.

Incoming freshmen should anticipate major adjustments at the Division I level. The players are bigger, stronger and faster.

But the uptick in competition is only part of the transition from high school to college. The 21st-century college basketball player should understand off-court expectations, too.

They're all about adhering to proper swagger etiquette.

I hope you all have notepads ready. Here’s what you’ll need to get ready for Division I basketball off the floor:

• An Instagram account: Twitter is so 2011. These days, college basketball players send messages through photos via Instagram. It’s a cool tool. You take photos, attach a brief memo and ship the image to the world. Or if you’re Jared Sullinger, you send photos of text-message exchanges with other All-America forwards. You need this. Trust me.
• Friendships with rappers: Blame Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins. Lil Wayne’s highly publicized crush on the talented guard dramatically increased her street cred and Twitter follower count. Jay-Z sat behind Kentucky’s bench during the Final Four. Romeo Miller (the onetime Lil' Romeo who now just goes by Romeo) didn’t just support USC basketball. He actually joined the team. Find a rapper. Become his friend.
• Fashionable specs: I know. You have 20/20 vision. Doesn’t matter. This is all about style. I learned about this recent development in college basketball fashion from Michigan State’s Adreian Payne. He says his black glasses project sophistication. It’s either that or an affinity for Clark Kent.
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Kelly Kline/Getty ImagesNerlens Noel brings a signature coif to Kentucky ... but does he have the right backpack?
• The Kevin Durant backpack: Throw the gym bag in the trash. That’s old school. You need a backpack. Not a normal backpack. You won’t haul anything in it. You need a backpack that’s also a fashion statement. Durant’s backpack -- one he wears to postgame press conferences -- started this trend.
• Access to a state-of-the-art facility: Florida State’s players get access to their team’s practice facility by placing their hands on some sort of “Star Trek” detection device. Indiana’s facility features underwater treadmills in the training room, his and hers gyms for the men’s and women’s squads and an atrium that doubles as a museum for Indiana basketball. Players’ lounges -- think college kids bonding, not “Shaft” -- are standard, too. And then, there’s Oklahoma State’s basketball facility. Is that legal?
• Trend-setting hair: Nerlens Noel is covered. But what about the rest of the incoming freshmen? Will your hair matter? It definitely did for Wisconsin’s Mike Bruesewitz. Stores in Madison sell wigs of his former curly-afro look. Still waiting for the cornrows version. The hair on top of St. Louis guard Jordair Jett’s head can only be described as majestic. Talk to your barber about this.
• Beats by Dre headphones: Yes, they’re $300 headphones, but a multitude of college players wears them and, somehow, purchases them. They’re a necessity, I guess. You either have a pair of mammoth Beats by Dre headphones or you don’t wear headphones in public as a Division I basketball player. I don’t think the headphones offer a real advantage over their competitors. But, they’re the norm for college basketball players. The obsession with Dr. Dre’s headphones among NBA players has certainly trickled down. Even high school players demand them now. Put it on the shopping list.

Feel free to add on …

Did Steve Kerr just spark serious progress on the NBA minimum age requirement? It certainly appears that way.

On Tuesday, Grantland published Kerr's essay on the reasons why a change to the NBA's current rule, which has spawned the current one-and-done environment everyone knows and hates, would be beneficial to the league and its players. As a 15-year former NBA veteran, Kerr blended experience and common sense into a borderline unimpeachable argument.

His point: All that really matters is whether the NBA and its players can agree on why an extra year in college would be good for the entire business. The arguments about fairness and freedom to pursue a career and why it isn't Eddy Curry's fault if a GM drafts him No. 4 overall don't apply, not when we're talking about business. Even better? A rule change in the NBA could have positive trickle-down effects on the entire basketball culture, from high school to AAU to the collegiate level. It could be good for everybody, not just the NBA's bottom line. That's my hope, anyway.

Which is why Andy Katz's Thursday afternoon report is so potentially exciting. Two days after Kerr published his essay -- and more than a month after NBA commissioner David Stern weighed in on the issue after the Final Four -- the National Basketball Players Association at least publicly addressed the issue. From Andy:

“The NBPA's position on the age limit has been consistent,’’ said NBAPA spokesperson Dan Wasserman after consulting with NBAPA director Billy Hunter on Thursday. “An overwhelming majority of the NBPA’s members support the ability of potential NBA players to freely pursue their livelihood by allowing high school graduate age players to apply for the draft. As a practical matter we recognize that any change to the current rule must sufficiently balance both the league’s and players’ interests.’’

[...]

The NBAPA wants the owners to give rookies a quicker path to free agency if they stay in school longer. The NBAPA wants the players to have more money up front as rookies if they have stayed in school longer.

“In our view, an increase in the age limitation benefits the teams and owners in a variety of ways,’’ Wasserman said. “These benefits include a reduction in compensation paid to some of the league's best players over the course of their careers. Although we are always willing to discuss any topic with the NBA, it will be difficult to make any progress in this area if the league seeks unilateral concessions from the players."

Last winter, many expected the one-and-done rule to be a hot topic during the collective bargaining discussions. At the very least, it was a chip -- something the NBPA could (theoretically) have used to extract a different demand from NBA owners.

As it turned out, last winter might have been the worst possible time to expect this sort of change. Both sides spent months fruitlessly bickering about the basic fundamentals of their agreement; the NBA owners were after far more than a one-year bump in the minimum NBA draft age requirement. The whole environment was poisoned. By the time the sides announced their agreement, discussion of the age limit was nowhere to be found.

As Wasserman's quotes show, the tone between the two sides is at least slightly less poisonous now. And believe it or not, there might even be cause for hope. At the very least, the NBPA is acknowledging the discussion. They are providing some sort of outline for an agreement. And their demands are reasonable: If the NBA wants its incoming players to spend not one, but two years out of high school not playing in the league -- whether in the lowly D-League, on a European club, or most often, on a college campus -- the league should be willing to give those players the benefit of fewer years on their free agency clocks. Based on the current rookie wage scale (which could be subject to some scrutiny in any age limit negotiations) that seems fair.

There are other concerns, like hardship and medical loans, which Kentucky coach John Calipari has evangelized repeatedly in recent months. But they, too, seem reasonable. Besides, as Calipari is quick to point out, we are really talking about 15 to 20 players per season. Most college basketball players are not going pro in basketball, let alone after one season. It's a minority group, and that makes the logistics much easier.

In any case, at least we're talking about this -- and not in vague and whiny terms, but in tangible and reasonable ones. Maybe it doesn't mean much, but I'm choosing to be hopeful. Part of it is selfish: I want college basketball to be better, and more good players on campuses for two years means better college basketball. But as a fan of the college game, and the NBA, and pickup basketball, and local high school games and you-name-it-as-long-as-it's-hoops-I'm-watching, I do think there are legitimate, unselfish reasons to get behind this idea.

The NBA will have to give the players something, and the players will have to respond in kind. What are the chances of that? I don't know. But maybe, just maybe, the right people have finally been persuaded.

Steve Kerr, take a bow. The rest of us will be crossing our fingers.

Late Tuesday night, right around the time my boy JaVale McGee was chucking his Denver Nuggets game ball into the stratosphere (McGee had just played the best game of his life in a playoff elimination contest, but he has no use for silly trinkets such as these), The New York Times ran this story by college sports reporter Pete Thamel on the NCAA's investigation of Nerlens Noel.

According to the Times, the NCAA "sent two members of its enforcement staff to Massachusetts this week to inquire" about Noel, the No. 1 prospect in the ESPNU top 100 for the class of 2012, at his former high school, Everett High in Everett, Mass., where Noel spent his freshman and sophomore seasons. Thamel spoke with the Everett High principal, Louis Baldi, who said the conversation with NCAA investigators was centered on "concerns we had as adults" about the people surrounding Noel as he prepares to embark on his college career. From the story:

“I didn’t get any sense,” Baldi said when asked about the conversation’s tone. “It was a conversation, very collegial. That was really it. They didn’t ask me any investigative-type questions.”

The "concerns we had as adults" bit comes, as Thamel writes, from Noel's associations with two people. One is Chris Driscoll, a former Providence associate who is reportedly close with Noel. Driscoll was banned from campus at the Tilton School, the boarding school where Noel spent his junior and senior seasons. The other person of interest is Errol Randolph, a former substitute teacher at Everett High, "who is another of Noel’s advisers, according to the person briefed on the inquiry." From the story:

Until recently, Randolph had a link on his LinkedIn page directing people to the Web site of the sports agency run by the prominent basketball agent Andy Miller. The link to Miller’s ASM Sports Web site has since been removed.

Randolph said that he had no formal affiliation with Miller and had never received money from him, and that the Web site ended up on his LinkedIn page because he was browsing it. Randolph said he knew Miller from another relationship more than 10 years ago.

I haven't used LinkedIn since its early days, back when it seemed like a totally pointless thing. So I'm not positive here, but if LinkedIn is like pretty much every other social network except Facebook -- which is determined to share a link to everything you read and listen to all day, every day -- links on the site don't auto-magically show up without your intent to post them on your profile. So that explanation doesn't really hold.

But anyway, that's a brief aside. This is an interesting story, and one Kentucky fans will be watching closely as their highly touted prospect prepares for his freshman season at the school. But the words "Nerlens Noel" and "investigation" give this an air of suspense that doesn't really exist. I think Rob Dauster at NBC has it pretty much right: This isn't a big story yet. If the NCAA finds something improper in Noel's prep career, then yeah, that's a big deal. But the news that the organization is checking in on the top college basketball prospect in the country shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Of course the NCAA is looking at Noel. The NCAA looks at a lot of players, particularly high-profile basketball recruits, who almost universally know a person or two in their lives who could possibly harm their eligibility. It happens.

Chances are, Kentucky coach John Calipari and his athletics and compliance staff have done their own due diligence on Noel's situation, and wouldn't have taken him if they weren't sure they wouldn't run the risk of NCAA penalties. Until the NCAA finds something to counter that stance, this is a story to watch. But it's nothing out of the ordinary, not just yet.

In an ideal world, Indiana and Kentucky would meet at some point this coming December, preferably in Rupp Arena (but a neutral floor would be fine, too!). We'd get to see two bitter adjacent state rivals square off in a matchup with massive emotional and practical implications, populated with future NBA talent, coached by two of the best in the game.

Of course, ours is not an ideal world. There are reasons -- some of them good, even -- why Kentucky and Indiana won't match up on the floor in 2012-13. But those reasons are about what's good for Kentucky and Indiana specifically, rather than the sport of college basketball generally. That's the biggest drag about all this. The sport deserves this game. We've had it since 1969. Now on the precipice of brilliance, the rivalry dies, and all because of an expanded SEC schedule and some mutual stubbornness and John Calipari's "protection" of his "nontraditional" program.

I'll be honest: Some part of me hoped the outrage from both programs' fan bases would be so loud that Calipari and Crean would realize the error of their ways, schedule a peace accord at the Galt House, and find a way to make this thing happen. Instead, both sides seem to have dug in. Besides, it's not like either fan base is about to criticize their coach. Both are head over heels in love; Crean just resurrected Indiana from the abyss, and Calipari just won a national title. ("Blind faith" doesn't begin to describe the comments on his blog.)

So, no, Kentucky-Indiana isn't happening. I've officially abandoned all hope. Which means I'm ready to settle on the next best thing. As Andy Katz reported in his 3-Point Shot this morning, that next best thing may indeed involve the Louisville Cardinals and one Rick Pitino. From Andy:

Louisville coach Rick Pitino said he wants to play Indiana next season. Hoosiers coach Tom Crean confirmed that the two sides are discussing the idea of a home-and-home series. “This is something we have to consider,’’ Crean said. [...]

“The polls have us 1 and 2,’’ Pitino said. “It would be good for us to have a game a 1-[hour], 45-[minute] bus ride away. It would be good for college basketball.’’

Any time Pitino and Calipari are mentioned in the same 800 words, there's a tendency to assume everything either is saying is intended to tweak the opposite number. And that may indeed be the case here; from a public relations standpoint, Pitino knows exactly what he's doing.

But guess what? I don't care! Because Pitino is right: Indiana-Louisville would be good for college basketball. It doesn't carry the same longstanding rivalry cachet as Indiana-Kentucky, and fans surely wouldn't be quite as rabid for this game as IU-UK, but that dream is dead. In its place is an opportunity for both teams to add a marquee, top-5 matchup, for fans to get to see two of the nation's best teams play early in the college hoops calendar. In a sport that has increasingly been marginalized by an awkward TV schedule and an apathetic approach to much of the regular season, that is a good thing.

It is also the long view. Crean and Calipari may not need the IU-UK game in any obvious tangible way, but discontinuing it in such fashion paints a picture of two programs who have lost the forest for the trees. The long-term approach would be to build a mutual level of interest and national awareness by keeping the rivalry as healthy as possible. That national interest wouldn't just help the sport, it would increase the Q ratings for both programs. Hey, why should UNC-Duke get to have all the "Oh, that game's on? We need to watch that!" casual fan fun?

Maybe that rivalry is now Indiana-Louisville. The two programs share a natural geographic rivalry, even if the historic skirmishes have never been as epic as either team, particularly Louisville, has shared with the Wildcats. Oh well. In the short term, Indiana-Louisville would give us one more great basketball game in 2012-13, and maybe the year after. In the long term, a healthy Hoosiers-Cardinals rivalry could come to be a defining tentpole in the early season nonconference schedule.

Either way, Pitino is right. It would be good for the sport. It would also be good for both programs, and good for their fans. Believe it or not, these concepts need not be mutually exclusive.

The Indiana-Kentucky rivalry is dead. That's sad.

Fans of both programs don't agree on much, including the various reasons given as to why the series had to end, but in general this would seem to be one of the few things on which IU and UK fans could assemble a quorum. Indiana-Kentucky, an ongoing series since 1969, was just about to get really, really good -- a longstanding baked-in blueblood regional rivalry with the boost of massive 2012-13 on-court implications -- just before the two programs pulled the plug.

The essential disagreement boiled down to venue. Kentucky coach John Calipari wanted the games at neutral sites, like Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, while Indiana coach Tom Crean wanted the game -- including this year's would-be fixture at UK's own Rupp Arena -- to remain on both programs' campuses. There are plenty of reasons both coaches stuck to their guns: Crean wanted the student atmosphere in Assembly Hall, and didn't want to grant Calipari a huge recruiting audience in Indianapolis every other season, among others. Calipari, as is usually the case, is more than happy to explain his motivations. He did so to Andy Katz during the White House visit, telling Katz that Kentucky was looking to schedule more and more like Duke -- i.e., fewer true nonconference road games, more emphasis on neutral courts -- in the coming seasons.

Calipari expanded on that view in a blog post on his own web site Sunday. In "Forming a nontraditional schedule for a nontraditional program," Calipari tells fans "We are going by our own model now: the gold standard. Everyone has to accept that," before outlining his reasons for the shift. They are mostly what you'd expect. Calipari highlights the lack of true road games in the postseason, and thus the lack of need for them in the nonconference schedule, as well as the ability to sell more tickets to UK fans that "can't afford to get into Rupp" and the opportunity for the school to bring in more money for its athletics programs from neutral-court contracts.

He closes somewhat defensively, telling people to look at other programs' schedules (Duke, Indiana, North Carolina, Kansas, Louisville), again naming his own program "nontraditional," and assuring everyone that he isn't backing down from any challenges:

When I was at UMass, I saw what John Chaney and Temple were doing and adopted the motto “any team, any place, any time.” My last year at UMass, we played 10 home games and 27 games away from home, and I carried that over to Memphis.

What, have I changed over the years? Do I get nervous in big games? Come on, it has nothing to do with that. I’ll play teams on I-64. We’ll close it down. I’m good with that. But this program is not traditional. This program is in a position right now that we must protect as we march forward to try to grow it to another level.

All of which is fair enough, I suppose. Calipari has legitimate reasons why the Indiana game couldn't work out; he's dealing with an expanded SEC schedule to boot. He's doing the smart thing here: He's taking on Duke's model. But the Duke model, effective though it may be, doesn't exactly get anyone excited about the sport in November and December. And make no mistake: The Duke model is not "any team, any place, any time." It is in fact the direct antithesis of that motto. It relies on a position of power and influence -- one Kentucky has long wielded, but now more than ever -- and the ability to eschew major early-season road challenges wherever possible. With so many freshmen coming in every season, this style is arguably even more beneficial.

So, in the end, it's hard to blame Calipari -- just as it is hard to blame Crean for his bargaining position -- for making the shift. He has Kentucky's interests to protect. He has a new roster, and will probably have one each and every season, and he has to account for that. But none of that changes the fact that the quirks of scheduling have robbed America's college basketball fans of one of the biggest and best potential games the 2012-13 season could have offered.

No matter how rational the reasons behind it, it remains a shame. Man, that Rupp Arena crowd would have been rocking. At the end of the day, if it was important enough to both sides, this game would have been on the schedule. That it's not says as much about the state of college hoops -- and the often feckless scheduling tropes that dominate it -- as it does about Calipari or Crean.

The Afternoon Links are back, and they are exactly what they say they are. Some days will bring more links than others. This is the offseason, after all. If you have a link you'd like included, your best bet is to hit me on Twitter. You can also e-mail your link to collegebasketballnation at gmail.com, or use the submission form here.

• James Johnson's first item of business was winning the news conference, and that seemed to go pretty well, at least according to Hampton Roads Daily Press' David Teel: "James Johnson didn't act like the ACC's youngest, least-experienced and probably lowest-paid head basketball coach Tuesday. Conversely, Virginia Tech's new boss appeared comfortable during his introductory news conference. Comfortable in the spotlight, confident in himself. Don't misunderstand. There wasn't a whisper of brashness. He wasn't glib, emotional or long-winded. Some may interpret that as anxiety. But I saw comfort mixed with humility." Even better? As planned, Johnson's hiring prompted recruit Marshall Wood, who had asked for his release after former coach Seth Greenberg's departure, to remain in the fold.
• Western Kentucky freshman Derrick Gordon announced his transfer to UMass, where he will sit out a year before becoming eligible in 2013-14, via Twitter. Judging by the COPIOUS USE OF CAPS LOCK, Gordon is excited about the news.
• Over the weekend, Team USA added Oklahoma City's James Harden and (more relevant to our interests) likely No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis to the pool of players eligible for selection to this summer's Olympic team. Davis would still have to make a final cut, but given the dearth of true big men available to Mike Krzyzewski this summer -- Dwight Howard is out, and without him the only true center in the player pool is NBA defensive player of the year Tyson Chandler -- Davis might have an outside shot at making the squad. I'll be honest: I would love to see Davis play in the international system. (And also: I can not wait until the 2012 Summer Olympics. You're going down, Spain! Who's with me?)
• We missed this late last week, but Connecticut got a commitment from Phil Nolan, a 6-foot-10 forward ranked No. 23 at his position in the class of 2012. Nolan might not make an immediate impact, but in the wake of Andre Drummond's draft departure, Alex Oriakhi's transfer to Missouri, and Roscoe Smith's defection, Nolan's sheer size makes him an important get.
• The Washington Post recognized the 10th anniversary of Maryland's 2002 national championship with a photo slideshow. When done poorly, photo slideshows are one of the worst things about the Internet. When done well, they're totally awesome. This is an example of the latter, complete with "Where are they now?" updates on each of the beloved title-winning Terrapins. For example: Did you know Juan Dixon is in Turkey? True! And that Steve Blake plays for the ... ha, just kidding.
• Obligatory in-house links: Today, Myron Medcalf breaks down how Kentucky's 2012 freshmen raised the expectations bar forever. In case you missed it, be sure to see Myron's story on Trent Lockett, who transferred from Arizona State to Marquette be closer to his mother, who is fighting her second diagnosis of a "crazy" and "rare" brand of lymphoma cancer. And don't miss last week's feature on a renewed Bruce Weber, who looked refreshed and ready for a new challenge at Kansas State when he spoke with our Jason King.
• Daily basketball break: "Any faceted solid, he showed, no matter how complex or irregular, could be folded from a single uncut sheet of paper. Start with a piece of paper big enough, and you could model Notre Dame down to the last gargoyle." You may want to read this story.

On Saturday and Sunday, Anthony Bennett made news. The top unsigned player in the class of 2012 narrowed his list of schools from four to two. In somewhat expected fashion, Bennett cut out Florida and then Kentucky from his list , according to ESPN Recruiting analysts Dave Telep and Paul Biancardi, leaving just UNLV and Oregon vying for the No. 7-ranked prospect's considerable services.

In the abstract, that's a ... slightly surprising recruiting coup! UNLV and Oregon outlasting Florida and Kentucky? When does that happen?

In reality, it's not all that shocking. Bennett is looking for immediate impact playing time, and he would have joined a crowded Kentucky frontcourt, one that landed the top big man in the country -- No. 1 overall player Nerlens Noel -- just a few weeks ago.

Likewise, Xavier transfer Mark Lyons, who had been considering Kentucky but chose Arizona instead, takes a possible guard addition off the board, too.

Which means, allowing for the possible exception of another incoming transfer, or a hard push for another unsigned prospect (forward Amile Jefferson being the only real option), Kentucky is almost certainly done adding players for 2012. Given that, now probably as good a time as any to take a look at what the Wildcats are going to be in 2012, a season they will enter ranked again among the top five teams in the country -- even as coach John Calipari overhauls his lineup and incorporates an entirely new group of players.

That's nothing new, of course; no coach in the country has become more adept at reloading with top talent and competing at the highest levels of the sport each and every season. The reason? The trait we once overlooked about Calipari, and one that can no longer be ignored by even the most casual of college basketball fans: defense.

For all of Calipari's strengths as a coach -- recruiting, his flexibility on offense, his ability to stage manage young players through the public rigors of playing at a place like Kentucky -- his unique ability to turn teams full of young stars into committed, cohesive defensive squads is perhaps his best. One look at Ken Pomeroy's adjusted efficiency data tells the tale (numbers indicate national offensive and defensive efficiency rankings):


Since 2006, every single one of Calipari's teams (first at Memphis, then at Kentucky) has ranked among the nation's top 15 in adjusted defensive efficiency. All but two of those seven teams -- 2011's Brandon Knight-led Final Four team and the 2007 Memphis Tigers -- have ranked among the top 10. This, in essence, was the most remarkable thing about the 2012 national champion Kentucky Wildcats: As good as they were on defense, with Anthony Davis blocking everything in sight and Terrence Jones muscling on the interior and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist locking down the opposing team's best guard on the perimeter, Kentucky was even better at scoring the ball than stopping it. By the end, the talk about Kentucky's offense -- as led by "National Kentucky's Offense is Even Better than its Defense Month" creator John Gasaway -- finally caught up to reality. The blitz through the NCAA tournament (through quality Big 12 defenses like Iowa State and Baylor) was more than enough for the non-converts. The Wildcats defended like usual, sure. But boy, could they put up points in a hurry.

As that team collected its final accolades at the White House Friday, Calipari said he "may never coach another group like this." He was referring to that team's collective spirit -- which is what allowed it to excel with such balance on the offensive end -- and in more ways than one, he's right. The 2011-12 Wildcats were a uniquely selfless bunch, particularly for a group led by one-and-done stars, but they were also an innately brilliant offensive team. The chances that 2012-13 Kentucky replicates that performance are slim.

But by now, we know Calipari's teams, and what he does to get them to defend like mad almost as soon as they take the court, and it's safe to expect a similar defensive trajectory for his new-look squad. That starts with Noel, a massive interior presence who specializes in blocking shots. Many recruiting analysts believe Noel is already a better shot-blocker than was Davis, who set all kinds of team and conference records as a freshman. Noel is a different sort of player than Davis, a more traditional big man who's been big all his life (as opposed to Davis's freakish high school growth spurt), but it's safe to expect him to provide a similar role on defense: When Kentucky's guards and forwards are beat off the dribble, Noel will be there to cover it all up.

Knowing Calipari, that will be step one in building out another defensive force. It never hurts when your best recruit just so happens to excel precisely at keeping the ball out of the basket. Handy, that.

The bigger questions are on offense, where Calipari has proved amenable to changing his system based on the needs of his current group of players. Noel is far rawer offensively than was Davis, but Calipari has a pair of talented incoming wings in small forward Alex Poythress and shooting guard Archie Goodwin, the No. 3- and No. 4-ranked players at their positions, respectively. He will also have former NC State transfer Ryan Harrow inheriting point guard responsibilities, and the lone holdover from the 2012 rotation, sophomore forward Kyle Wiltjer, stretching the floor with his shooting.

It's not inconceivable to think Wiltjer may become Kentucky's leading scorer in 2012-13. Though Wiltjer played just 11 minutes a game as a freshman, he took the highest percentage of his team's shots (25 percent) while on the floor, and he excels at running pick-and-pop plays designed to get him open looks on the perimeter. As SI's Luke Winn wrote in his latest power rankings, a Harrow-Wiltjer pick and pop may become UK's bread and butter play, a win-win for Calipari and his players. If Harrow can spread the floor and utilize all three of UK's weapons on the wing, he'll benefit right along with Kentucky's offense. (Pro scouts love a good pick and roll point guard, after all.)

But the offense will be a work in progress for much of the fall, into the winter, and maybe even in SEC play. There will be no immediate, obvious dominance on that end of the floor, or at least we shouldn't expect it.

What we should expect from Kentucky in 2012-13, however, is more of the same. That doesn't mean a repeat of 2012's irreplaceable team. What it does mean is more of what Calipari has done for the past seven years: He'll take a lauded recruiting class and turn it into one of the 10 best defensive teams in the country, sooner in the season rather than later.

Once that's done, Kentucky can figure out how it wants to score the basketball. But the defense will be there -- early and often. With Calipari, it always is.

Paul Biancardi and Dino Gaudio break down some key players that Kentucky basketball lost as well as who may replace them.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The Kentucky contingent went through two practice runs on the dais to make sure they got it just right. No one, after all, wants to mess up the procession into the East Room and the presentation of a jersey, ring and ball to President Barack Obama.

There was a scattering of people in the room at first, mostly security personnel and White House staffers when Kentucky first entered. But as soon as the doors opened to allow invited guests in, Kentucky fans painted the East Room blue.

They weren’t all dressed in UK colors, but they sure were boisterous -- even starting a few C-A-T-S chants.

Teams arriving for the now-annual celebrations that started under the late President Reagan are always celebratory, but not usually as euphoric as Friday.

After witnessing three of the past four NCAA men’s basketball champs to come to the White House, I can tell you that no fan base has rivaled Kentucky's.

“I didn’t know it was going to be like that,’’ UK senior Darius Miller said. “It filled up fast. It was empty and then in five seconds it was full.’’

This is a program that can easily sell out a mundane practice. So no one should be surprised that the Big Blue Nation showed up.

But there was more to Friday then the annual meet-and-greet with the President. This was the last time the Kentucky players were together as one team.

Five of them declared early for the NBA draft, and that group -- as well as Miller -- will likely get a chance to be together at the Chicago pre-draft camp next month and again at the NBA draft in June. But all of them together? This was it.

And what better way to go out than a ribbing from the Commander-in-Chief.

President Obama had picked, like many of us, Kentucky in the final as he filled out his bracket for ESPN for the fourth straight year. He originally wanted to go with the Wildcats to win it all, but changed his mind and chose North Carolina in the end.

“I had them in the championship game," he said Friday. "But in the end, I thought, they got all these freshmen. These guys are too young. And keep in mind, at this time last year, three of the Wildcats’ five starters were still in high school. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist couldn’t even vote yet.

“But let’s face it, sometimes talent trumps experience. And sometimes, a bunch of young players, even if they’re used to being big fishes in their ponds, even if they’ve never played together before, they can buy into a system, they understand the concept of team, and they do something special right away. And that’s exactly what happened in Kentucky.”

As soon as they got to the White House, the Wildcats did what they had throughout the season.

They stayed together as a pack one last time, taking pictures with their iPhones, enjoying a fast-paced tour as quick as the run Kentucky put on Baylor in the Elite Eight.

National player of the year and projected No. 1 pick Anthony Davis as well as Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague, Terrence Jones, Miller and Kidd-Gilchrist were dressed in fine-tailored suits, not Kentucky uniforms. But they were a team just the same.

They loved cruising through the White House movie theater, posed in front of a bust of Abraham Lincoln, and just enjoyed each other’s company.

“I may never coach another group like this,’’ Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “I’ve never seen a group come together for each other since I’ve been coaching.’’

Lamb said that this team truly liked being with each other on and off the court. This group was selfless from the first game to the final against Kansas in New Orleans.

Miller couldn’t get over how wild his UK career has been. He was recruited by Billy Gillispie, grew and fostered under Calipari, won a title and met two presidents. Former President Bill Clinton was in Lexington recently.

“This is just another great memory to add to the collection,’’ Miller said.

Kentucky had a traveling party of 51 (would you expect anything smaller?). And while the Wildcats played in front of 70,000-plus at the Superdome, this rivaled the anxiety of that night.

The players said they were a bit more nervous walking out on the Dome court, but there were anxious moments in meeting Obama and being on this smaller, albeit historic stage.

Calipari, who spoke after the President, was as anxious as anyone.

“I was just so nervous,’’ Calipari said. “I didn’t breath until I stepped away from the podium. I’ve given speeches to 15,000 and I was more nervous doing this.’’

But now that the celebration of the title is over, the Wildcats will go their separate ways. The semester is finished. The early-entrants will select agents and get ready for the NBA draft. Miller and Eloy Vargas, the two seniors, will prepare for their post-college life, which will include professional basketball.

Freshman Kyle Wiltjer is the lone productive returenee. He said it will be odd to lose all of these players, but he’s up for the challenge and said he can’t wait to play with the new players.

Kentucky brought in another strong class, a new crop, this time led by another star in the middle named Nerlens Noel.

But for Friday, for one last time in front of a strong, loud and proud contingent from Big Blue Nation, the 2012 champs were together.

“We had such a special group of guys and had such a successful year,’’ Jones said. “For this to be the last thing is such a great way to finish.’’

At Friday's White House ceremony, former Kentucky big man Anthony Davis talks with Andy Katz about being selected for the USA Training Camp roster.

1. Indiana now has an open date with the Kentucky series dead and Kansas wants to fill the Hoosiers schedule with a game. One Kansas official said the Jayhawks would gladly start a home-and-home with Indiana, beginning next season in Lawrence. Indiana would have gone to Kentucky if the series had continued. Kansas and Indiana were in initial discussions of playing a game after the Final Four, but those talks were shelved. Memphis wanted to play Kansas in a home-and-home series and was willing to start on the road but the Jayhawks weren’t interested. Now, Indiana will have to make a decision as to how high profile a game it will put in Kentucky’s place on the schedule.

2. Hubert Davis wasn’t looking to become a head coach. But once he’s on the North Carolina staff he will become a potential contender for the job if he is a success as an assistant. Think about it: What natural North Carolina offspring is out there that would be the heir apparent to Roy Williams? There is no slam dunk and Williams’ current staff came with him from Kansas and wasn’t part of the Dean Smith lineage. It’s not a reach to consider Davis as a possible head coach if he wants to continue this career. He hasn’t started yet but he is part of the Carolina royalty and it is a job that must/will be kept in house.

3. The NBA put out its official early-entry list for the draft and there was one name that jumped out: Florida Atlantic’s Raymond Taylor. When Mike Jarvis signed Taylor he said that he was getting a Shawnta Rogers-like point guard for his team. Rogers was a point at George Washington under Jarvis. Taylor never led FAU to the NCAA tournament and according to the staff considered himself a “pro.” Taylor, and a number of other fringe draft entrants, better hope they get an invite to the Minnesota and New Jersey draft camps later this month before the NBA’s official one in Chicago next month.