The Double Standard: News and Notes

We can all not so fondly remember last year when many media outlets were hooping and hollering about what was going on at Kentucky at the end of the basketball season. Daniel Orton quit going to school and five players (four freshmen) were leaving college early for the draft. Coach Cal was ruining college basketball, UK was to blame for all the ills of college sports, blah, blah, blah...

What Orton did was inexcusable and he should have been criticized. Orton has since apologized and thanked the fans for their support. He even went as far as showing up to one of Kentucky's games and took time to talk to the players after the game. He even stated that he maybe regrets his decision to leave early.

We now have a situation going on in Kansas that was similar to what happened at Kentucky last season. But all I hear is the chirping of crickets coming from the national media. Kansas juniors Marquis and Marquief Morris declared for the draft and have not attended classes since the loss to VCU. Freshman point guard Josh Selby has also missed class because he is working out for NBA scouts in Las Vegas and even skipped out on the team's year ending banquet.

And let us not forget that Selby was ruled ineligible to play early in the season because he had accepted gifts and money for playing basketball in high school.

So where is the criticism of Bill Self? Where are the pundits claiming that Kansas is the ruination of all things good in the NCAA? Kansas has had three students drop out of school, not just one, and nary a word has been said about it. The double standard is unreal.

News and Notes:

• Remember Trevor Lacey? The two time Alabama Mr. Basketball is going to make his decision about where he wants to go to school next season after he plays in the Derby City Classic. The experts say that he is Kentucky bound if Brandon Knight decides to leave. Sorry Trevor, I know you are good and all, but I know what Knight can do as a Wildcat right now.


• The Baseball Cats are playing the Baseball Cardinals today in Louisville. The Cats are 16-17 while the Cards are a kind of better 20-11. Not many people (including me) care about college baseball, but it's always fun when these two schools play. Go cats.


• Kemba Walker is entering the draft. Walker will be finished with his degree by the end of the spring, so he has no real reason to return. I hate the kid but damn it I respect him.


• The rumor is that Harrison Barnes is leaning towards staying at North Carolina, joining Tyler Zeller and John Henson as returning Tar Heels that could have gone pro. Word is that Barnes is nervous about the lockout and Roy Williams is collecting information for him. If UNC returns all of their players they and Kentucky will be #1 and #2 on everybody's preseason lists. If UK returns everybody they should be the unanimous preseason #1.


• Speaking of that, John Calipari had another meeting with Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight yesterday. He told Andy Katz that the decision is up to them but that he reminded them of the lockout that seems almost for certain in the NBA.


• The NBA lockout has already watered down what would have been a decent draft. With Zeller, Henson, Perry Jones, Jared Sullinger and possibly Harrison Barnes all electing to stay in school, it almost seems a definite that the lockout has something to do with their decisions. Right now it seems that Kyrie Irving and Josh Selby are the only Freshmen that are bucking the trend. Let's hope that Knight and Jones follow in the footsteps of Barnes and Sullinger.

That's all for now. Check back later and tomorrow for more with your two (and only) favorite bloggers on Sportsthat!