Associated Press
The college basketball notebook …
LAWRENCE, Kan. ó Kansas officials are checking to see if basketball coach Bill Self’s brief encounter with a top recruit might constitute an NCAA infraction.
Self agrees he said hello to John Wall, a 6-foot-4 guard who had just played in a high school tournament in Springfield, Mo. Wall is rated the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2009 by Rivals.com. The Springfield News-Leader said the exchange took place between Self and Wall outside Wall’s locker room after a game Thursday night.
“Basically, it’s accurate,” Self said after beating Texas A&M 73-53 Monday night. “I don’t know if the exact quote is accurate. After the game was over, like I always do, like every coach always does, I had to catch a plane. So I went back to tell the coaches, ‘Congratulations, good win.’ I was approached and shook a hand and said, ‘I can’t talk to you, but you played really well.’ ”
KENTUCKYLEXINGTON, Ky. ó Despite getting off to a hot start in Southeastern Conference play, Kentucky isn’t ready to proclaim itself as the team to beat.
The Wildcats (14-4, 3-0) host struggling Auburn (11-6, 1-2) on Wednesday hoping to get off to a 4-0 start in conference play for the second time in three years. Yet a hot start in 2006-07 didn’t translate into a hot finish, as the Wildcats finished 9-7 in conference play.
The Wildcats have owned the Tigers through the years, leading the all-time series 82-17.