Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader: “With Kentucky playing at Portland on Friday, that kind of shooting ability has John Calipari’s attention. He noted Stohl by name while assessing the Pilots for listeners to his radio call-in show Monday night. “I’m scared to death,” the UK coach said Tuesday. ” … They have the best three-point shooter in the country.”

Steve Brandon of the Portland Tribune: “Last year, Jared Stohl made a name for himself. This year, he hopes to make a game for himself. And for his potential future employers. Stohk, a guard listed at 6-2 and 165 pounds, led the nation in 3-point accuracy as a University of Portland junior. The native of Marysville, Wash., has an expanded role now with the Pilots, who are 3-0 going into Friday’s 7:30 p.m. clash with the Kentucky Wildcats at the Rose Garden.”

David Hinojosa of the Brownsville Herald: “Patrick Patterson is well aware of the allure of the NBA. He’s also aware that not getting any playing time while he’s in the NBA isn’t exactly productive for his development. So, the Rockets’ first-round draft pick from Kentucky now finds himself wearing a Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ uniform, and he’s OK with that. “I took it as a challenge,” Patterson said Tuesday afternoon shortly after the Vipers’ practice at Summit Sports Club. “Nobody really wants to not play, and I was frustrated with that because I really wanted to play in Houston.” (Hat tip to Walter’s Wildcat World.)

Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal: “Cobble, a 6-foot, 321-pound defensive tackle, said he encountered both at Commonwealth Stadium this season – fans who urged him to keep his head up and others who voiced their frustration that his struggles in the classroom had left him unable to contribute to a defensive line in need of depth. “It was hard,” Cobble said. “Eventually, it got to the point where when I went to the games I would just sit there and be quiet.”

Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports: “Which is why I’m confused. Not angry. Not steaming mad at the NCAA for its treatment of poor Enes Kanter or John Calipari or the Kentucky basketball program. All three will survive. Kentucky has the best freshman class in the country, with or without Kanter, and Calipari makes winning look easy because, for him, it is. He’s a natural in college, a force of nature, a recruiting monster who is respected by the best coaches in the business — Tom Izzo and Mark Few, to name two — for his X’s and O’s.”

Tom Leach writes: “UK fans need to root hard for Arkansas to beat Mississippi State but lose to LSU and for Florda to win out. And it wouldn’t hurt if Ole Miss upset Miss State, too. If that happens, then there are six teams (Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida) that figure to occupy two BCS bowl slots plus the Capital One, Outback, Cotton and Chick-fil-a. If the Gators finish 8-4, I think the Chick-fil-a Bowl would take them over Miss State.”

Matt Murray of the Kentucky Kernel: “There’s no time to get complacent. A 23-point win is good, but no matter how much people want to idolize last year’s team, that particular group had a tendency to show an inability to put its foot on the throat of opponents after building a lead. This team’s size and inability to rebound demands that it take advantage of every point they put on the board. Gone are the days where the frontcourt will swallow up every rebound in its vicinity.”

Ira Combs of the Kentucky Sports Network: “The big question with John Calipari’s 2nd team (without Enes Kanter) concerns two categories in particular and what makes them so important and intriguing is that none of the players, nor Coach Cal can prevent or control either. Those two extremely important items that will make a difference in Wildcat fortunes this season are: #1 – Foul trouble concerns, even playing some zone. Game officials will still have that final call and don’t expect any consistency. #2 – Injury concerns. Simply put, pure luck will have to be depended on.”

John Clay’s Sidelines

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