In case you missed the big, red banner on top of the site, Braylon Heard is on his way to Lexington for a visit today. This is big news for Kentucky football, as many in the know believe he is leaning to Kentucky.

Tweet of the Morning:

Hey, soooo what is John Calipari doing right now? (via @nfl_memes) twitter.com/UNITE/status/3…

— ESPN UNITE (@UNITE) March 22, 2013

Okay, this was last night, but it's hilarious.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Kentucky football's Mark Stoops sees talent, wants more depth // The Courier-Journal

  As you might expect, there just isn’t a whole lot Stoops & Co. are willing to say right now, except for one phrase that keeps creeping up over and over again - "We need to build some depth."

• Kentucky QBs discuss three-way competition for starting job // Kentucky.com

  Smith’s quick throwing release, ability to make reads and his accuracy in the short-passing game would seem a good fit in Brown’s system. "I like it a lot," Smith said of UK’s new offense.

  The biggest drawback to Smith in his two seasons at Kentucky has been not staying on the field. As a true freshman in 2011, he made three late-season starts but was knocked out of starting the season finale against Tennessee by a shoulder injury.

  Smith’s been working on his body to improve his durability.

• Orlando NFTC Analysis, OL: Plant City's Montel McBride takes all comers // OrlandoSentinel.com

  Offered by UK, considered "warm". (Hank)

• Orlando NFTC Analysis, WRs: East Lake's Tay Scott shines, as usual // OrlandoSentinel.com

  Offered by UK, considered "warm". (Hank)

• Florida Recruiting | Your source for college recruiting in the Sunshine State // OrlandoSentinel.com

  The Sentinel DOES have the best recruiting coverage in Florida. If you don’t recruit Florida and Georgia hard, you’re an idiot. (Hank)

• Nick Saban raids Georgia for another top recruit // College Recruiting - www.ajc.com

  When Alabama calls….Scratch two from our offer list. Just like when Calipari calls. There are similarities between Alabama Football and Kentucky Basketball. (Hank)

• Mark Stoops out revive Kentucky on field and recruiting trail // Zac Ellis - SI.com

  Nothing was more imperative to Stoops than bringing Hatcher and Timmons to campus. He needed to prove that no players were too high profile for the ’Cats to pursue. "We went hard at [Hatcher] right from the very beginning, right after I was named head coach," Stoops said. "Jason Hatcher and Ryan Timmons were the first players we had anybody on this staff go see. And we ended up landing both of them. It was very significant for us."

  Sure was. Big time.

• NFL pro day results 2013: Larry Warford on display for Kentucky, D.J. Harper puts up impressive 40 time for Boise State // SBNation.com

  The best prospect of the bunch was guard Larry Warford. Without much left to prove, Warford only performed in positional drills and not in any of the other events. Center Matt Smith was also hoping to impress scouts at the pro day.

  Here’s hoping both these kids do well in this year’s draft.

• Warford, Smith have NFL career on their radar after Kentucky's Pro Day // The Courier-Journal

  CoShik Williams and Matt Smith just might have. It was UK’s pro day and 27 professional scouts – representing 25 NFL franchises, one CFL team and a scouting agency – took out their tape measures, stop watches and notepads for 15 former Cats hoping to get noticed. Williams, listed as a 5-foot-9, 178-pound tailback on UK’s roster last season, cranked out 20 reps on the bench. Afterward, Smith called him a "total freak," who squats in the neighborhood of 600 pounds.

  Wow! Who knew CoShik Williams was that strong?

Kentucky basketball

• John Calipari Is Having A Really Great Spring Break In The Big Apple

• JukeLeft // Fake Sports News and Funny Sports Photos; When the Going Gets Tough, JukeLeft " John Calipari commits shit-ton of recruiting violations to cheer himself up

  This is great stuff. I love parody, and we have seen so many parody sites cited as authoritative, leading to all sorts of embarrassment.

  So read this and laugh, and just imagine how many lunatics out there will believe this is true, their tinfoil hats flapping in the March breeze. You have to love them.

• March 20, 2013? How is John Calipari Doing Today? // A Sea Of Blue

  Heh. Very funny!

• Karl Towns of St. Joseph-Metuchen selected Gatorade State Player of the Year // NJ.com

  "Someone said they saw it on twitter,’’ said Towns, a Piscataway resident, taking a break from lunch. "So when I went on the internet and saw it, I just started jumping and screaming. I was just so happy and honored.’’

  This is just awesome. So high school. This kid is smart and extraordinarily skilled. Via Aaron’s blog.

• Vaught's Views: Toughness, maturity were biggest issues for Kentucky // centralkynews.com

  Kentucky players had no fear of the bench — or practice competition — this year. Next season the five players who could come back may not produce a starter among them. After all, who could argue with a freshman starting lineup of guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison, small forward James Young, power forward Julius Randle and either Dakari Johnson or Marcus Lee at center. Add Andrew Wiggins if he was to pick UK and the returning Cats will have to battle harder daily than they did at any time this year just to play.

  This is an example, if you really need one, of what happens when you don’t have enough players. I think all of us, Calipari included, have learned a lesson in that regard. You don’t need to play that many, but if you don’t have options when somebody decides he doesn’t need to work hard, you get seasons like this.

• 10 most hated coaches in college basketball

  John Calipari, Rick Pitino, and Adolph Rupp are all there. No Tubby Smith, Billy Gillispie, or Eddie Sutton.

  Coincidence? I think not. Calipari, Pitino and Rupp were all feared for their success, and that’s what produces the "hate." In my view, being hated as a coach or a team is an honor. If you are liked, it probably means you are losing. Via KSR

• Scarbinsky: John Calipari's out so my new NCAA Tournament crush is Indiana's Tom Crean // al.com

  That’s an exaggeration, of course, but let the record show that one year ago, Calipari and Kentucky did win the national championship, and my long and unnatural faith in his ability was finally validated.

  Heh.

• Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting // Mailbag: Does Madness matter?

  How much does a team’s NCAA performance matter to recruits? – Micah, Dallas (via email)

  [Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi] My general view is that it doesn’t really seem to matter all that much, or at least not as much as I wish it did. I do think that many recruits would at least like the chance to play in the tournament, but nobody is cutting Kentucky off their list because they lost to Robert Morris in the NIT.

  I think this is absolutely right. It isn’t as if Kentucky’s NIT appearance, and subsequent loss, drove off Julius Randle.

• Father of Harrison twins thrilled to have Randle in UK fold // Kentucky.com

  The friendly chat didn’t fit the story that’s been so popular for the last few months. The one that painted Randle and the Harrisons as bitter rivals on the Texas AAU circuit who didn’t get along and would never play at the same school.

  I heard these stories months ago as well. Seems they were contrived, and likely as a part of an attempt at negative recruiting.

• Goodwin says way UK played this season was as "embarrassment, unacceptable" // vaughtsviews

  "I just want to win so bad that sometimes I just feel that I can try to put a team on my back and maybe other guys will follow suit and it will pick up other guys but sometimes it didn’t work out like that. I think at times I tried to do too much," said Goodwin after Tuesday’s NIT loss at Robert Morris. "I’ve tried to do all I can, but we just didn’t win enough.

  "I am a competitor. For us to wear this Kentucky across our chest and play like we did this year, it is an embarrassment. To represent this university like we did is really unacceptable. Totally unacceptable."

  You’ll find a lot of agreement with that last paragraph among the Big Blue Nation, Archie.

  Make it right next year, and last year will be fully paid.

  "I am a competitor. For us to wear this Kentucky across our chest and play like we did this year, it is an embarrassment. To represent this university like we did is really unacceptable. Totally unacceptable."

• National media pits U of L vs. UK // WDRB 41 Louisville

  In fact, there’s a feeling between the programs [Kentucky and Louisville] that these tournaments need to continue to be played in the state’s two major arenas. North Carolina and Duke have had this advantage for years. The Kentucky schools should have the same.

  These programs are never going to be BFFs. Few rivals are. But increasingly, both have had much bigger things than the rivalry to worry about lately, no matter what the national narrative might be.

  This is an interesting take. The rivalry means as much as it ever did, in my view, but we have seen a grudging respect from both sides recently, which is how it should be.

  I still think there is no greater rivalry in college sports than the ’Cats and the Cards, but a rivalry does not mean you have to disrespect and demean the other team, except to that subset of fans on both sides who get a kick out of acting like pre-pubescent tough guys behind a shield of anonymity.

• Kentucky Coach John Calipari dives into his offseason

  Even with the unexpected early ending to the season, Calipari doesn’t seem to have slowed down. On Wednesday, he landed a commitment from the nation’s top power forward prospect, Julius Randle of Prestonwood Christian in Plano (Tex.), for next season, adding to a recruiting class that’s now being debated among the greatest in history.

  If you think a tough season will slow Calipari down, you’re one of the delusional.

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Other UK sports

• Men’s tennis hosting two SEC foes // The Kentucky Kernel

  Kentucky tennis is now #4 in the land!

• Softball hosts Mississippi State // The Kentucky Kernel

  UK (20-8) fell four spots in this week’s polls after losing all three to SEC rival LSU last weekend. The Cats are 2-4 in SEC play and could use a big weekend against MSU to bounce back from last weekend’s sweep.

  Gotta get back on track, ladies.

• No. 8 Baseball Hosts No. 14 Miss. State in SEC Home Opener // UKAthletics.com

  The ’Cats will be up against John Cohen, former Wildcats coach, in this one. Mississippi St. ousted us from the SEC Tournament last year and also beat us during the regular season, so we need to get some payback today.

Links posts

• The Morning Mix // Troy Machir, CollegeBasketballTalk
• Tom Leach // Friday Links

College football

• Jadeveon Clowney in spring practice is Lawrence Taylor in Tecmo Bowl // SBNation.com

  Pretty soon, we’re going to be hearing Chuck Norris-style jokes about Jadaveon Clowney.

• How long will Tennessee’s welcomed momentum last? // Saturday Down South

• SMU adds former Kentucky coach Hal Mumme as passing coordinator // NCAA Football - CBSSports.com

  June Jones and Hal Mumme? That’s scary. I hope Hal doesn’t let the huge ego get in the way of success. (Hank)

College basketball

• Seven things to know from Thursday // ESPN

  Russ Smith had eight steals for Louisville in its win over North Carolina A&T;, matching the most in any NCAA tournament game (steals became official in 1986). The last player with eight steals in a game was North Carolina’s Ty Lawson in the 2009 national championship game.

  Very impressive. Will Louisville have to face a tough-minded team that doesn’t turn the ball over? If they do, look out …

• Bill Walton is wearing tie-dye, pleased with Oregon's upset // SBNation.com

  Bill Walton makes me laugh.

• NCAA Tournament scores 2013: Harvard, Cal, Oregon pull off upsets Thursday // SBNation.com

  How ’bout ya Harvard? Tommy Amaker is a very good coach, no doubt about it.

Other sports news

• New Orleans Hornets, Anthony Davis show something in comeback win // NOLA.com

  But there was Anthony Davis, on the last play in the last quarter in the last second of the season’s 69th game, making a hustle play, soaring over a pair of unwitting Celtics defenders like a condor for the game-winning tip-in.

  Tough season for the Hornets, but they’ll get better, I think. I know Davis will.

• Patrick Patterson continues to post key numbers for Sacramento Kings

  One of the Kings’ most enjoyable wins of the season came on Tuesday with a 116-101 victory over NBA West power Los Angeles Clippers. Patterson played for 26 minutes and shot 6-of-10 from the floor and 1-of-2 in 3-point shots. He also had five rebounds.

  I love reading stories like these about Patterson.