The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA draft came and went Monday at 5PM. Plenty of underclassmen had already made decisions to not even test the waters (Willie Warren, Oklahoma) or previously decided to return (Patrick Patterson, Kentucky). Still, plenty of others never looked back by hiring an agent right away (Earl Clark, Louisville).
The focus is strictly on the players that took it up until this weekend or even right under the wire Monday afternoon. Before getting to the programs that "won" and "lost" with the decisions to stay or go there are two teams that have counter-intuitive situations.
According to an ESPN.com report by Andy Katz, Jodie Meeks is still going to forgo his senior year in favor of entering the NBA Draft. Meeks had joined the early entrant list to the NBA Draft prior to the hiring of John Calipari as the Wildcats' head basketball coach. Once Calipari was brought on board, there was some thought amongst the general public Calipari's presence would somehow convince Meeks to change his decision, but that isn't the case.
Meeks was arguably the best player in the SEC last season. The 6-foot-4 junior averaged 23.7 points per game, and put together a brilliant 54-point outburst against Tennessee mid-January, which was a school record. He shot brilliantly for the season, hitting 41 percent of his threes and 90 percent of his free throws.
All mock drafts are not created equal. And why would you want them to be? That'd be awful boring, just reading lists of names over and over. At FanHouse, we emphasize the commentary -- so in our mocks we'll (try to) explain why we think certain players fit in their theoretical slots. We will also project our own biases (positive and negative), of course.
At this early stage -- and let's be honest, at every stage -- this is 5% homework, 5% supreme divination, 90% guesswork. (A great endorsement, no?) After the jump, a full first-round mock draft for your amusement bemusement.
It's a marriage of mutual necessity. He needs them -- and, oh, do they need him, as sure as Ashley Judd can fill a "Go 'Cats'' t-shirt. The anguished looms at Kentucky need John Calipari because he'll hustle, sell the program, recruit stud players, kiss babies and embrace the psychotic romance that is Big Blue Nation. And John Calipari needs Kentucky because, well, he still isn't roundly accepted as an elite coach, a perception he'll change if he resurrects a fallen dynasty.
BOSTON -- Tubby Smith is much too dignified to laugh out loud, or LOL in the text-message age. But for all the abuse he took at Kentucky during a decade that was absolutely dreadful -- a national championship, a 263-83 record, an NCAA tournament appearance every season, just horrendous stuff -- who could blame him if he wanted to giggle to himself Friday?
Seems the bluegrass has turned to fertilizer in Lexington.
As far as gimme games go for a bubble team, this was the absolute definition of one for Kentucky. They were playing Georgia in Rupp Arena -- a Georgia team that had already fired their coach and only had two conference wins. The Bulldogs were absolutely the best team to get at this point, as their season is circling the drain.
Kentucky absolutely needed the game. It was at home. It was the final home game (and possibly the last night at Rupp for junior Jodie Meeks). It was a must-win, can not lose. Yet, somehow the Wildcats managed to do just that.
Patterson had initially committed to Mississippi State last year but, as it became apparent he was a national-level player, his offers increased and he opened things up. Ultimately he remained in the state of Mississippi, but not without a few nervous moments after a last-hour trip to Tennessee.
It's rare that a meeting between the two winningest programs in college basketball history would be missing something. Yet, there were a few things that weren't available when Kentucky took on North Carolina in the Dean Smith Center.
First was Player Of the Year Tyler Hansbrough. Psycho T has a stress reaction in his shin and was held out of tonight's game. He really wouldn't be missed as Deon Thompson and the Tar Heels beat down the Wildcats, 77-58. The Heels jumped all over Kentucky early, built a 15-2 lead and never looked back.
The stat of the game were the 28 turnovers Kentucky committed. North Carolina trapped Kentucky to force mistakes that turned into quick points for the Tar Heels. Carolina feasted on the fact that Kentucky has no real point guard right now.
Big Blue Nation is mourning the loss of their uber-talented freshman F/C, Patrick Patterson, after the big fella was diagnosed with a season-ending injury today. ESPN reports:
Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, the Southeastern Conference's top freshman scorer, will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left ankle.
Patterson, a blue chip recruit out of West Virginia and the only freshman ranked among the SEC's top 10 scorers (16.4 points per game) and rebounders (7.7 per game), underwent an X-ray Friday morning at UK Hospital, at which point the injury was confirmed, the university announced.
Patterson is wearing a cast on his left foot and will be out approximately eight weeks, the school said in a statement.
God seems to be mashing the "Smite Big Blue Nation" button on his keyboard repeatedly this season, and it's anyone's guess as to why. The Heavenly Father seems to be taking a special glee in watching the Wildcats rebound from their terrible pre-season play and endless injuries/team issues to rack up a 10-3 SEC record, only to yank out their MVP with three games remaining.
The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA draft came and went Monday at 5PM. Plenty of underclassmen had already made decisions to not even test the waters (Willie Warren, Oklahoma) or previously decided to return (Patrick Patterson, Kentucky). Still, plenty of others never looked back by hiring an agent right away (Earl Clark, Louisville).
According to an ESPN.com report by Andy Katz, 
FanHouse covers the 
It's a marriage of mutual necessity. He needs them -- and, oh, do they need him, as sure as Ashley Judd can fill a "Go 'Cats'' t-shirt. The anguished looms at 
BOSTON -- 
As far as gimme games go for a bubble team, this was the absolute definition of one for Kentucky. They were playing Georgia in Rupp Arena -- a Georgia team that had already fired their coach and only had two conference wins. The Bulldogs were absolutely the best team to get at this point, as their season is circling the drain.
Nervous Nellies in Oxford can relax, as the state of 
It's rare that a meeting between the two winningest programs in college basketball history would be missing something. Yet, there were a few things that weren't available when Kentucky took on North Carolina in the Dean Smith Center.
Big Blue Nation is mourning the loss of their uber-talented freshman F/C, Patrick Patterson, after the big fella was diagnosed with a season-ending injury today. 
