I will be giving it everything I can in Rio to try and win anothe

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Latest from SEC mens basketball media day on Wednesday (all times local):6:05 p.m.John Calipari has ignited another firestorm at Kentucky. This time its an internal squabble.The Kentucky coach said Wednesday at SEC media day his statement that his current crop could be one of his best prompted an immediate reaction from some of his past Wildcats.All those guys have already hit me like, `So, this may be your best group, Calipari said. Trey (Lyles) hit me, Karl (Anthony Towns) hit me. Devin (Booker), they all hit me. Tyler (Ulis). `Really? This may be your best group?Towns led the Wildcats to a 38-0 start before losing 71-64 to Wisconsin in the Final Four, denying Kentucky the first unbeaten championship season since Indiana in 1976. Calipari said that group had some alpha dogs on it, more into winning and supporting teammates.So how did Calipari respond? He texted back that he needed to see if he has any alpha dogs like they were.And they went, `Thank you.Kentucky is the preseason favorite to win the SEC again and Calipari has two preseason first-team All-SEC picks in freshmen Edrice Bam Adebayo and guard DeAron Fox. Guards Isaiah Briscoe and Malik Monk are on the second team.---4:15 p.m.Alabama coach Avery Johnson says he has benefited from working at the same school as Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban.Coach Saban laughs all the time and say Ive met with him more in the last 16 months than the last two coaches combined, Johnson said. Thats intentional. I like to pick his brain about things. I like going to their practices and watch him work with the defensive backs every day, just like I work with our point guards. Its a lot of synergy there. We have a strong relationship.Johnson, who led his squad to an 18-15 record and an NIT berth last season, says he doesnt worry about getting overshadowed by an Alabama football program that has won four of the last seven national championships.Were not trying to be in the shadows of football, Johnson said. Were trying to partner with football, walk side by side and figure out a way that we can leverage their success to help us. I embrace it.---2:30 p.m.Auburn coach Bruce Pearl says its understandable why SECs football can stifle early season enthusiasm for basketball on league campuses.Pearly says, The SEC West is stronger than the AFC South right now in football.Pearl noted that isnt the case at other conferences.When we are playing college football in late October and early November, were just getting started in the SEC, Pearl said. Were just getting warmed up. Our best games are just coming. Half the Big Ten is ready for college basketball right now. ... Half of the ACC is ready for college basketball right now. Their football seasons over. Not in the SEC.Pearl emphasized he wasnt blaming the SECs football prowess for the leagues basketball struggles. He instead said that we should celebrate the SECs football strength and that we shouldnt shy away from it.Its not the reason why basketballs not good, Pearl said. We do have to get our fans and our kids a little bit more excited about November basketball. And we as coaches have to go out and win some more games in November.---1:35 p.m.In the first injury news of the SEC basketball season, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes arrived for his news conference Wednesday at SEC media day wearing a sling after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.Barnes said at the start of preseason practice that hes been wearing the sling since late September and was told at the time that he would need it for six weeks. That should enable him to have the sling removed in plenty of time for Tennessees Nov. 11 season opener with Chattanooga.---12:25 p.m.South Carolina coach Frank Martin says he has dropped 35 pounds during the offseason to make up for the weight gain that had occurred in the early years of his tenure.Martin said he weighs somewhere between 259-263 pounds now and wants to get to 250. He said he was touching 296 in April.I cut out the two things I love the most in life outside of my wife -- bread and rice, Martin quipped. I started working out pretty hard again. ... I dont do sodas. I dont drink alcohol, but I like me a piece of dessert, so we had to cut that out.Martin offered a simple reason for changing his diet and workout habits.I want to be a father to my children, Martin said. Thats the most important thing to me in my life. I want to see them grow and I dont want to deprive myself of that because I dont take care of myself.Martin said he had gotten out of shape from all the hours spent trying to build South Carolina into a winning program.There were a lot of nights shaking hands, doing dinners, having late-night conversations, eating junk food at midnight trying to turn every stone, watch every minute of tape, make every phone call to bring fans back into the building, to recruit a better player, to be better as a coach to help your present players, Martin said. That beats you up a little bit. I stopped working out and my eating habits kind of soured.---11:55 a.m.LSU coach Johnny Jones says it is fair to criticize him for the Tigers inability to earn an NCAA Tournament bid last season with the No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Ben Simmons on the roster.Ill be that guy who will stand up and say anything that was lacking in last years team, you can certainly point it at me, Jones said Thursday. Im the head basketball coach. At the end of the day, all that falls on my shoulder and we continue to get better. But at the end of the day, if youre in the top three in a conference of this magnitude, youd think youd get in the NCAA Tournament, but you just didnt have any control over that.Jones stopped short of saying the entire season was a disappointment, pointing to LSUs accomplishments. The Tigers went 19-14 overall and 11-7 in conference play to finish in a three-way tie for third place in the league.I think at the end of the day, not making the tournament was a disappointment, but we did not declare that as a disappointing year for us, Jones said. We were 8-1 at home (in conference play). We had a tremendous fan base. We averaged over 11,000 fans a game, the third-largest increase in the country last year. So a lot of positive things happened for our team last year.---10:40 a.m.Kentucky is the media favorite yet again to win the Southeastern Conference basketball title.A media panel made the Wildcats as the overall preseason pick for the 12th time since the 1998-99 season in voting announced Wednesday.Florida was picked to finish second, followed by Texas A&M, Georgia, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi and Mississippi State rounding out the top 10. Rounding out the preseason picks is Auburn at 11, followed by LSU, Tennessee and Missouri.Arkansas senior forward Moses Kingsley is the preseason player of the year.Georgias J.J. Frazier, Tyler Davis of Texas A&M and Kentucky teammates Edrice Bam Adebayo and DeAaron Fox join Kingsley on the preseason All-SEC team with another pair of Wildcats on the second-team in Isaiah Briscoe and Malik Monk.---Online: www.collegebasketball.ap.org Wholesale Fake Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Fake NFL Jerseys . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. http://www.fakejersey.com/ . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. Fake Jerseys . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Fake Jerseys For Sale .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. The British were supposed to dominate the Olympic road race in London, ushering sprint ace Mark Cavendish over the lumpy course in the Surrey countryside and delivering him to the finish at Buckingham Palace.Instead, Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov boldly broke away for gold.Four years later, things could be even more unpredictable when riders line up at famed Copacabana Beach on the first full day of the Rio Olympics.The first medal event of the cycling program will feature one of the most challenging road courses in Olympic history, a hilly ride on the Brazilian coast that could whittle the field to a handful of riders by the time they reach the finish at Flamengo Park.Its a really gnarly course, said Jim Miller, the vice president of athletics for USA Cycling.Just as gnarly is the time trial course, which uses a rolling portion of the road course, and at 36 miles for the men and nearly 20 for the women is long enough to tax even the most powerful riders.I think its maybe one of the hardest stand-alone time trials Ive ever seen, Miller said. You are looking at an hour-long TT for the guys, and one thats not at all straightforward.Indeed, the road races and time trials are complex events. Here is a breakdown of what you should know:COURSES MATTERFast, flat courses favor sprinters, and the courses in Brazil are neither flat nor fast. They are more like a one-day race in Northern Europe, complete with cobbled sections and tough climbs. Riders such as Tour de France champion Chris Froome could have a chance to shine.AMERICAN HOPESThere are only two American men in the event, Taylor Phinney and Brent Bookwalter. Phinney has medal aspirations -- he was fourth in both races in London. The American women will arrive at the Rio Games as heavy favorites. Megan Guarnier is the top-ranked rider in the Womens WorldTour and will be backed on the road by a strong cast of veterans, while Kristin Armstrong is the two-time and defending time trial champ.I feel prepared, Armstrong said, and am really looking forward to the challenging time trial course.NAMES TO WATCHAlejandro Valverde and Joaquin Rodriquez of Spain, Vincenzo Nibali of Italy and Rui Costa of Portugal are some oof the men with the skills suited for Rios road course.dddddddddddd. Reigning gold medalist Marianne Vos and fellow Dutchwoman Anna van der Breggen are among the headliners in the womens field, while Britains Lizzie Armitstead will have to survive the tough climbs to have a shot.In the time trial, Bradley Wiggins decided to compete on the track rather than defend his gold, so Tony Martin becomes the favorite with Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin and Australian star Rohan Dennis joining Froome in trying to dethrone the German powerhouse. In the womens race, world champion Linda Villumsen of New Zealand, German star Lisa Brennauer and Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands should contend.I have great memories of London and winning bronze in the time trial, Froome said. I will be giving it everything I can in Rio to try and win another medal for Great Britain.WHO IS MISSINGVinokourov retired shortly after his road race triumph in London, while Cavendish joined Wiggins in switching back to the track. But the biggest name missing is world champ Peter Sagan, who decided to compete in mountain biking after deciding the road course was too tough for him.The aim is to achieve the best result, said Slovak Cycling Federation executive Jan Zilovec. Peter in the past managed to win the World Cup in mountain biking, so his chances of a good outcome are realistic.AVOIDING CONTROVERSYVinokourov put doping in the spotlight with his victory in London after his much-publicized history with performance-enhancing drugs. But perhaps getting more attention during the run-up to Rio has been mechanical doping, the use of tiny motors inside frames to give riders an edge. The sports world governing body, the UCI, has poured money and research into developing tablets and other devices to test for improper mechanics. Keeping the race controversy-free has never been more complex.Its cheating, and people will always try, UCI president Brian Cookson said. But well be working with the IOC, well have delegates to the technical checks and well work together to ensure a clean race. ' ' '