With Kentucky now out of the NIT at the hands of Notre Dame Wednesday night, it seems like only a matter of time before Wildcats coach Billy Gillispie is fired.
University President Lee Todd told the Herald Leader that no announcement on Gillispie’s future will be made before Friday.
Under Gillispie, Kentucky had 14 losses this season, tied for the second-most in school history. The Wildcats snapped a streak of 17 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and did not appear in the SEC semifinals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-91.
The fans are not happy.
“How many coaches can we have in this country that could have two first team, all-SEC players [Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks] and not make the NCAA tournament?,” one UK fan asked, according to WLKY.com. “Not very many.”
Florida coach Billy Donovan is reportedly Kentucky’s top choice to replace Gillispie and it will be interesting to see if Donovan pulls the trigger two years after backtracking on his decision to leave Florida to coach the Orlando Magic.
HITTIN THE LINKS’
**Gotta love this Pete Thamel piece about DeJuan Blair’s big butt and how he uses it to his advantage.
**Another great NYT piece on former Seton Hall coach Billy Raftery and his expansive vocabulary behind the mic
