Gary Parrish

There is plenty of time to discuss how Kentucky fell behind by 18, why it failed to get back on defense early, and whether DeMarcus Cousins will ever start a game without picking up senseless fouls. Important issues, all of them. I'll address them at some point.

But first things first: How does John Calipari not foul Kenny Hayes?

(Stop me if you've heard this one before.)

Calipari's team was ahead by three points late, but rather than foul and send Miami (Ohio) to the line -- which is generally accepted as the proper way to handle the situation -- Calipari opted to let the players play, and the result was a Hayes 3-pointer that tied the score with six seconds remaining. It was the latest version of Chalmers for the tie ... Got it! -- the same sequence that cost Calipari the 2008 national title when Mario Chalmers hit a 3-pointer, forced overtime and helped Kansas to an eventual 75-68 victory.

The only difference this time: John Wall.

Man, what a clutch shot.

The freshman point guard and likely top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft struggled early, forced things and committed five turnovers. But when it was time to do it, he did it. The CBSSports.com Preseason National Player of the Year took the ball length of the court and sank a jumper with 0.5 second remaining. Final score: UK 72, Miami (Ohio) 70.

Far as debuts go, it was impressive.

Wall got 19 points (on nine field goal attempts), five assists and three steals.

More important, he made the non-foul not matter.

For that, Kentucky is fortunate.

John Calipari has issued a response to the NCAA's decision to make Memphis vacate its 2008 Final Four.

It reads:

"I’m very disappointed and disheartened by the NCAA’s findings. I fully support the University of Memphis’ appeal and until that process is carried through to its completion, I will have no further comments on the matter. I am anxious to coach the team at the University of Kentucky beginning this Fall."

The NCAA Committee on Infractions is forcing Memphis to vacate its appearance in the 2008 Final Four, sources familiar with the case told CBSSports.com on Wednesday.

The NCAA's report will be released Thursday.

Memphis appeared before the Committee of Infractions in June and faced allegations of major infractions -- among them that Derrick Rose used a fraudulent SAT score to gain freshman eligibility, and that his brother, Reggie Rose, traveled on team charters and stayed in team hotels at no expense. With the Final Four now officially wiped from the record books, John Calipari becomes the first coach in history to vacate Final Fours at two different schools.

Calipari's 1996 Final Four at UMass has also been vacated.

He's now the head coach at Kentucky.

Attempts to reach new Memphis coach Josh Pastner were not immediately successful.

CLEVELAND -- One of the things I gathered from my three days at the LeBron James Skills Academy and King City Classic is that Class of 2011 star Michael Gilchrist doesn't appear to be getting the kind of attention from college coaches that's typical of a top-ranked prospect.

The reason is simple: Everybody thinks he's a lock for Kentucky.

"I should be fired if I waste one cent recruiting that kid," said one high-major coach who apparently knows his boundaries. "[Gilchrist] is going to play for [John Calipari]. It's done. Trust me. He's playing for Cal. If you recruit him, you're wasting your time."

This perception is based on Gilchrist's relationship with Calipari confidant and basketball powerbroker William Wesley , plus a newspaper article two summers ago that quoted Gilchrist talking about how he planned to play for Calipari. Far as anybody can tell, nothing has changed even though Gilchrist has never publicly committed in a traditional way to Calipari at Memphis or Calipari at Kentucky, and that's why Gilchrist's phone isn't constantly bombarded by most of the elite programs.

It's not because he isn't talented enough.

Or smart enough.

Or good enough on a personal level.

He is all of those things, and I can't imagine there's a single school that wouldn't love Michael Gilchrist on its roster. It's just that coaches are hesitant to invest time and money into recruiting the gifted wing only to watch him sign with Kentucky in November 2010. That's the dilemma. But it should be noted that Gilchrist, his family and his high school coach are making an effort to convince schools that Gilchrist is open to being recruited by anybody and everybody. Whether it works remains to be seen.

"You talk to his mom, talk to him, they both tell me he's not automatically going to Kentucky," said Kevin Boyle, who coaches Gilchrist at St. Patrick's High in New Jersey.  "They say there is no guarantee that he's going to Kentucky, that he's pretty wide-open. So the mom is putting that out there, and I'm putting that out there, and hopefully more people will respond ... because he probably hasn't gotten a number of phone calls that you'd expect for a guy of his level."

Former Kentucky student Matt Pilgrim is expected to visit Memphis Sunday and could announce a transfer to the C-USA school in the next week, a source close to Pilgrim told CBSSports.com on Saturday.

An initial attempt to reach Pilgrim for comment was unsuccessful.

This development is interesting because Pilgrim transferred from Hampton to Kentucky after the 2007-08 season, sat out last season per NCAA transfer rules and was expected to play for the Wildcats in 2009-10. But that all changed when John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, oversigned and thus needed to move players out of the program to allow his six incoming freshmen to enroll.

One of the players moved out was Pilgrim.

He did not want to leave.

And that's one of the reasons why a source close to Pilgrim told CBSSports.com that Calipari is working with new Memphis coach Josh Pastner to make this likely transition go as smoothly as possible. According to a source close to Pilgrim, Calipari and Pastner have been in contact, and Calipari has told Pastner he will not only release Pilgrim to Memphis, but that he will back Pilgrim's expected request of a waiver that, if granted, would allow Pilgrim to play for the Tigers this season.

Under normal circumstances, Pilgrim would have to sit out another year before becoming eligible in 2010-11. But the hope is that the NCAA recognizes that Pilgrim is only transferring for a second time because he was nudged out of Kentucky. In other words, Pilgrim had no say in the matter. And a source close to Pilgrim said there is precedent for the NCAA to grant a waiver under these circumstances.

Pilgrim's connection to Memphis is through Tiger assistant Glynn Cyprien.

Cyprien spent the past two years on Billy Gillispie's staff at UK.

He worked in practices with Pilgrim all last season.

Jon Roser -- a radio producer in Memphis who cannot sing -- got a karaoke machine and a back-up singer (Mark McCleskey) and recorded a song inspired by the allegations of NCAA rules violations at Memphis. Naturally, it's called "Johnny Calipari." Everybody except Kentucky fans will probably get a chuckle out of it. But remember, this dude is a terrible singer (even if he is quite funny).

Click this link to check it out.

It's best described as an alternative version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California."

Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner confirmed to CBSSports.com on Thursday that he was never told the school had been charged with major NCAA rules violations when he accepted the job last month.

"I was unaware," Pastner said by phone from his office. "That's the truth."

Memphis received a letter alleging violations in January.

Pastner was hired nearly three months later.

So no, it does not appear athletic director R.C. Johnson was forthcoming with some crucial information when he offered Pastner the opportunity to replace John Calipari. But the good news for the first-year coach is that it seems highly unlikely that he'll be affected in any tangible way by the possible violations that happened while he was still an assistant at Arizona.

In other words, this is about the Tigers' past, not the Tigers' future.

So while it's possible Memphis might have its 2008 Final Four appearance banished from the NCAA record books, there is no indication whatsoever that a postseason ban, TV ban or any scholarship losses are on the way. That's a key point Pastner must stress going forward, if only because opposing schools will undoubtedly use the threat of harsh penalties in an attempt to scare prospects away from Memphis.

"I've been told by our athletic director and other people in the administration that none of this will affect the current team or any future team," Pastner said. "This is all about [the 2007-08 season]."

Kentucky officials released a statement late Wednesday in response to allegations of NCAA rules violations at Memphis under John Calipari.

According to the school, Calipari "was forthcoming with the University of Kentucky during the hiring process about any issues under investigation at the University of Memphis." The statement also explained that Calipari has received a letter from the NCAA stating that he is not at risk of being charged with any violations in this case, and it closed by pointing out that this is a "University of Memphis issue and the University of Kentucky will not comment further."

"Even though I'm not at risk, I will fully cooperate with the NCAA hearing," Calipari said via the statement. "Beyond that, I concur with the statement from the University of Kentucky and will have no further comment."

The NCAA has accused the Memphis basketball program of major violations during the 2007-08 Final Four season under John Calipari.

In a letter first obtained by The Commercial Appeal and dated Jan. 16, 2009, the NCAA alleges "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" on an SAT exam by a player on the 2008 Final Four team. The player is not named in the report. But the letter states that the student-athlete "competed for the men's basketball team through the 2007-08 season, which included his participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship."

The lone Memphis player who only competed in the 2008 NCAA tournament -- as opposed to multiple NCAA tournaments -- is Derrick Rose, a one-and-done prospect who was the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and subsequent NBA Rookie of the Year for the Chicago Bulls. If the allegation is proven true, Memphis could be forced to forfeit its Final Four appearance, meaning both of Calipari's Final Fours -- 1996 at UMass and 2008 at Memphis -- would then be removed from the offical NCAA record book.

Memphis is also accused of providing $2,260 in free travel for an associate of a player.

Calipari is not named or directly implicated in the report.

He now coaches at Kentucky.

CBSSports.com's initial attempt to reach Calipari by cell phone Wednesday was unsuccessful.

I've received a few emails about -- and there are various message boards addressing the topic of -- Kentucky's scholarship situation, which is to say, how John Calipari has over-signed this stellar recruiting class that many are calling one of the best in history. All I can tell you is that somehow, someway, it'll end up being a non-issue, and I know this from past experiences.

I was a beat writer who covered Calipari for four seasons before I moved to CBS.

Every year, it seemed like he over-signed.

Every year, it seemed like I had to ask him about it.

Every year, he explained how he doesn't worry about the numbers.

Every year, it was a complete non-issue by the time August approached.

So yeah, the NCAA's scholarship limit for men's basketball is 13. And yeah, the signing of John Wall means Kentucky has 16 scholarship players set to enroll. And yeah, that number will rise to 17 if Jodie Meeks withdraws from the NBA Draft. Make no mistake, those things are all true. But remember, Calipari has been doing this a long time, and there's no doubt he already knows how this will play out.

Eric Bledsoe might never qualify.

Meeks might remain in the NBA Draft.

Two, three or even four current Wildcats might transfer.

If you want a prediction, it'll probably be a combination of those things, plus something else unexpected. But rest assured, it won't matter in the long-term, and that's why I'd advise all fans to stop worrying about it in the short-term.

John Calipari spent the weekend in Memphis.

With Chris Douglas-Roberts.

And Derrick Rose.

And Joey Dorsey.

And this sure does feel like 2008 again, doesn't it?

"It was really neat," Calipari said by phone late Saturday night. "Everybody had a great time."

Calipari flew to Memphis to celebrate the graduation of four former players -- Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier, Shawn Taggart and Chance McGrady -- by throwing a party at his home that also lured Douglas-Roberts, Rose and Dorsey (all of whom are now in the NBA) back to the city in which they played college basketball. Calipari did not attend Saturday's graduation ceremony because he had no interest in creating a scene, particularly a possible unpleasant one. But he said he still wanted to provide a presence for the players he recruited to Memphis, so Calipari came home, organized a cookout and invited all sorts of people with UofM ties -- from academic advisors to trainers to new Memphis coach Josh Pastner.

By all accounts, it was good for everybody involved.

Lots of old friends together for a day, even if they will go their own way again soon.

Calipari will head back to Kentucky.

Douglas-Roberts to New Jersey.

Rose to Chicago.

Dorsey to Houston ... although he plans to return next year.

"You should've seen Joey," Calipari said. "He watched those guys graduate, and he said, 'I want to do that.' So he said he's going to finish up (school) and walk next year."

If so, party at Cal's.

It was not a surprise that Eric Bledsoe signed with Kentucky on Wednesday.

What was a surprise was the point guard's rationale.

Asked for the decisive moment in his recruitment, Bledsoe said it was when John Calipari told home he could "come in right off the bat and start." Problem is, the Wildcats are widely considered to be the leader to also land John Wall, and there isn't a point guard on any team in America who would start in front of Wall, Bledsoe included. So if Bledsoe wants to start, he'd better get to rooting for Duke or Miami or Florida to sign Wall, because if Bledsoe finds himself on the same roster as Wall he's going to find himself starting the game on the bench.

Which is fine, if he's OK with it.

And this has nothing to do with the quality of Bledsoe.

The guy is a high-level prospect who could start immediately for most high-major programs, just not any high-major program that also has Wall. It breaks down like this: Bledsoe has the potential to be a great college point guard who someday develops into a pro; Wall is a pro who will spend a year in college. That's the difference between the two, and the only way Bledsoe won't learn this soon is if Wall decides to enroll somewhere other than Kentucky.

Short of that, Bledsoe won't "come in right off the bat and start."

Rather, he'll start on the bench, where he'll watch Wall become the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Which is fine, if he's OK with it.

But if he's not, then he's being delusional.

Eric Bledsoe plans to announce at a Wednesday press conference that he is signing with Kentucky instead of Memphis, sources involved in the recruitment told CBSSports.com on Tuesday.

Attempts to reach Bledsoe for confirmation were unsuccessful.

His press conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.

Bledsoe is a five-star prospect from Alabama many believe is the best point guard in the Class of 2009 not named John Wall. There are some questions about whether Bledsoe will become eligible to compete as a freshman because of academics. But under the assumption that he is ultimately cleared, this development ensures John Calipari will open his first season at UK with at least one competent point guard to play beside DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Dodson and perhaps Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson (both of whom could withdraw from the NBA Draft).

Of course, Bledsoe could also quickly turn into a back-up.

The reason is because Kentucky is considered the leader to land Wall -- the projected No. 1 pick of the 2010 NBA Draft whose presence would allow Calipari to operate with a one-and-done lottery pick at point guard for the third consecutive year. There is still no timetable on an announcement from Wall, and his recruitment could drag well into May. But if Calipari gets him -- and again, almost everybody believes he will -- then UK could have a best-case-scenario line-up that looks like this:

G: John Wall
G: Jodie Meeks
G: Darnell Dodson
F: Patrick Patterson
F: DeMarcus Cousins

Key reserves: Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins, Darius Miller, Jon Hood, Perry Stevenson

Simply put, that roster would be favored to win the SEC.

It would likely have Kentucky in the top five of most preseason polls.

I'm not sure what took so long, but nearly two weeks passed between the day John Calipari signed to be Kentucky's coach and the time the first rap video celebrating his arrival was produced by a Kentucky fan.

Come on, Big Blue Nation.

You're slipping.

Seriously, click this link and check it.

I think my favorite verse is as follows ...

Twice Coach of the Year/He's gotta be our future

Dribble-Drive offense and he's the best recruiter

Excellent.

First Xavier Henry asked for a release from his national letter of intent with Memphis.

Then DeMarcus Cousins decommitted from Memphis and committed to Kentucky

Now Nolan Dennis wants a release from Memphis, too.

"We just want people to know that we are not going to attend Memphis because we were going to attend Memphis because of (John) Calipari," Carol Dennis, the mother of Nolan Dennis, told Scout.com's Evan Daniels on Wednesday. “We are going to wait and see what we are going to do from here.

"I think Nolan wants to go to Kentucky; I’m not for sure," she added. "But I know he’s not going to go to Memphis."

Just last week, Memphis had a five-player class some considered the best in the county, but Calipari's departure has killed any chance of it materializing. Junior college standouts Will Coleman and Darnell Dodson are the only Memphis recruits who haven't publicly decommitted.

Meantime, Josh Pastner isn't sleeping.

Literally.

The new Memphis coach has not slept in days.

"I haven't slept since I got the job (on Monday)," Pastner told me this afternoon. "I've been up 48 hours straight."

Yikes.

Pastner said he plans to be in bed by 10 on Wednesday night, get a solid six or seven hours of sleep and be ready to hit the road recruiting Thursday. He'll start in the Memphis area, where Class of 2010 star Joe Jackson (of White Station High) is a clear priority.