Desmond Allison: News and Notes

The News and Notes for today will start off a little somber as we remember former Wildcat Desmond Allison. Desomond was found murdered in Ohio and the details are still murky on what happened. There was an argument involving two women and that is about all we know.

Allison was a part of one of Tubby Smith's first big recruiting classes that included Tayshaun Prince. Allison was dismissed as a sophomore due to a DUI bust and marijuana possession. He was averaging 8 points and 4 rebounds at the time.

It's sad when anyone dies, especially a former Wildcat. On to the News:

-Dick Vitale released his preseason rankings. He has the Cats as #2 overall (UNC #1) and Louisville at #9. As far as conference rankings he has the Cats atop the SEC but has Louisville at #3 in the Big East behind Syracuse and UConn. See the rankings here. I find nothing wrong with these rankings except the fact that Louisville is in the top 10. Why the hell are they in the top 10?

-Jodie Meeks will be joining John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe in facing the Dominican National team in August. Where can I get tickets, where can I get tickets and where can I get tickets? This is going to be amazing.

-Rick Pitino continued saying dumb things. Not only did he say that Kyle Kuric is now "unguardable", but he also said that Peyton Siva will for sure go pro after this season because he is that good (John Wall and Brandon Knight beg to differ) and that Angel Nunez is the second coming of Francisco Garcia, only better. Pitino really needs to stop setting his players up for failure. Mike Marra is somewhere sighing with relief that his name wasn't mentioned in Pitino's lunatic rant.

-The Cats opened up as an 8 point favorite of Louisville in their showdown in Commonwealth stadium on September 17. I think this is a dead on spread. More on that in a bit.

-Our government is leading us headlong into an financial Apocalypse. It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

-Joker Phillips will be all over ESPN today doing shows, interviews and a "car wash". I'm not sure what that entails but I am sure it will be entertaining. It is good to see Kentucky football getting some national publicity. Charlie Strong will be on MSNBC's "Lock Up: The Dirty Birds of Duh Ville" if anyone is interested.

Come back later when I explain why the Charlie Strong lovefest will take a major hit this year with Louisville fans. It's going to be a good one.