SEC Basketball
1. Florida forward Damontre Harris arrested . He failed to appear in court after being cited for driving without a license earlier this year.
2. Reason for concern in Gainesville? “Florida has played three close games this season. They’ve lost all three.” Gators have lost eight straight games decided by fewer than 10 points.
3. Missouri beat Florida Tuesday night despite going 5-of-22 from three-point range and turning the ball over 19 times.
4. Thanks to that Missouri win over Florida, Alabama will finish no worse than a first-place tie if it can win its six remaining SEC games.
5. Not only is Tennessee winning- they’re dominating. Won four in a row by an average margin of 14.3 points.
6. Due to a lingering ankle issue, Alabama’s Andrew Steele “doubtful” tonight against Mississippi State.
7. The current 10-game losing streak at Mississippi State is the longest for the Bulldogs since 1982. Suspended from the team for the last three games, Jalen Steele is making the trip to Tuscaloosa, indicating a likely return.
8. Ole Miss travels to South Carolina. Gamecocks coach Frank Martin on the antics of Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson: ”Heck, how many people ask you, ‘God, I can’t stand Frank and his sideline demeanor’? So who am I to form opinions of other people, whether I like it or not?”
9. Texas A&M travels to Auburn. Aggies coach Billy Kennedy: “They have a really good player in Frankie Sullivan, who is kind of like their Elston Turner. They struggle with the same thing, getting consistent scoring from their other guys.”
10. Coach Tony Barbee on Auburn’s struggles - Tigers have lost nine of their last 10 games. “We’ve had more meetings than a White House cabinet.” Buyout of Barbee would cost roughly $3.25 million.
11. Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt tonight. UK guard Jarrod Polson on playing without Nerlens Noel: ”Maybe we were a little shocked. We didn’t realize how much (Noel’s absence) affected the defensive end.”
12. Vanderbilt center Josh Henderson on what to expect from a Kentucky team that lost by 30 points Saturday: “I think they’ll be mad and focused.”
13. This bracket tracker has Kentucky and Alabama on the first four out list.
14. Arkansas plays Georgia Thursday night. If the Razorbacks win, it will be their first time they’ve won three straight SEC games under Mike Anderson.
15. Five years ago, Georgia was the only SEC team to not average at least 70 points. This year – there are eight teams averaging under 70.
16. Ever wonder where “drop a dime” started? The changing language of the game of basketball.
SEC/College Football
17. New LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron getting a three-year contract. Will receive $600,000 this year, escalating to $1.5 million in 2015.
18. Nick Saban is scheduled to speak at an event in Tennessee and some Vol fans are not happy. But it’s sold 981 tickets. Last year’s event featuring Phillip Fulmer and members of the 1998 national championship team sold 276.
19. With former Tennessee assistant John Palermo taking a job at Pittsburgh, only one member of Derek Dooley’s 2012 staff – special teams coordinator Charlie Coiner – has yet to find another job in the college or pro ranks.
20. AJ McCarron’s vehicle gets booted - Twitter spat ensues.
21. Buyer’s remorse at West Virginia? Athletic department is $13 million in debt – all-time record of nearly $93 million in expenses. ”With numbers like those, are Big 12 Conference athletics really worth the cost?”
NFL Scouting Combine
22. Draft experts project former Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner as a first-round pick, but where? NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock thinks it comes down to his 40-yard dash time. “If he runs sub-4.5, I think he’s going to be a top-10 pick.” Teammate Nico Johnson won’t participate - recovering from hernia surgery.
23. Same questions face former Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks: “He’s going to have to run fast to go in the first round.”
24. Mayock on the 13 former LSU players in the draft – which includes 11 underclassmen. “There are so many (LSU) kids, we could sit here and talk about them for an hour.”
25. Former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu is training with former LSU teammate Patrick Peterson to get ready for the combine. ”Patrick goes at him hard; he’ll push him on the ground or whatever he’s got to do to get Tyrann prepared.”
26. When it comes to the most interesting players at the combine - Bruce Feldman says Mathieu is No. 1 on the list. Three other SEC players make the list.
27. Former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson will be throwing in Indianapolis. “I think my advantage is throwing the football.”
28. Receptionist at Andrews Institute on Marcus Lattimore: “He’s just awesome. I’m telling you. We get a lot of good guys here (at Athletes’ Performance). He is … incredible.”
29. Lattimore on his progress: “I’m going to start running right after we get back from the combine.”
Extras
30. Stanford University becomes the first college to raise $1 billion in a single year.
31. ESPN confirms the hire of Ray Lewis.
32. Katherine Webb dons a purple swimsuit and Ndamukong Suh takes note.
