Towns is a 6-foot-10 center, who is playing for St. Joseph’s prep in Metuchen, New Jersey.

In fact, he is pictured via Instagram using Anthony Davis’ locker.

Towns is in town as part of the Dominican National Team training camp. That team is being coached by John Calipari.

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Related links

• Karl Towns’ profile by Rivals
• 16-year-old UK target on Dominican Republic National Team
• Video: Dominican Republic players give interviews at UK (last summer)

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Links of interest

• Follow John Clay on twitter
• Information of the Dominican Republic National Basketball team
• Calipari accepts offer to coach Dominican team

The South Carolina-Clemson showdown is the only one being televised. It’s 4 p.m. on ESPNU.

As for the UK-Valpo game, which starts at 4 p.m., get updates by following Mark Maloney on twitter.

Related links:

• Kent State beats Kentucky 7-6 in 21-inning marathon
• Box score from the Kentucky-Kent State game
• NCAA’s Baseball Tournament main site

When it was finally over, after six hours of baseball, Kentucky had nothing but a 2-1 7-6, 21-inning loss to Kent State and a losers’ bracket date today with Valparaiso at 4 p.m. today.

Click the continue line for today’s Big Blue Links.

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• UK loses a 21-inning marathon to Kent State, reports Mark Maloney of H-L.
• Cats play Valpo, which loses to Purdue, reports AP.
• UK loses second-longest game in post-season history, reports TCP’s Matt May.
• Cats suffer one long exhausting loss, writes C-J’s Kyle Tucker.
• Herculean efforts fall short for Cats, writes Guy Ramsey of Cat Scratches.
• Marathon taxes pitching staffs, writes Paul Oren of NWI Times.
• It was the game that wouldn’t end, writes Jim Peters of NWI Times.
• Crowd grew from 756 to nearly 5,000 by end, reports PD’s Elton Alexander.
• UK-Notre Dame only quality Challenge matchup, says SN’s Mike Decourcy.
• Kentucky coming to South Bend, reports Tribune’s Tom Noie.

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Related links:

• Follow Mark Maloney on twitter
• Austin Cousino has been Kentucky’s rock
• Barnhart says UK football “has to make some progress”

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More links you may like:

• Schedule of SEC baseball teams in NCAA Tournament today
• SEC: A no-hitter, Devonta Pollard and playoff news
• Jeff Goodman likes Bradley Beal over Kidd-Gilchrist

Overall, the SEC went 6-2 in first round tournament games played yesterday, with only Kentucky (in 21 innings) and Mississippi State being banished to the losers’ bracket.

Meanwhile, the SEC Spring Meetings closed in Destin with support for a four-team college football playoff involving the four top-ranked teams, not exclusively four conference champions. And Alabama picked up a notable basketball commitment in Devonta Pollard.

Click the continue line for Saturday’s SEC links.

SEC links for Saturday:

• Devonta Pollard picks Alabama, reports Cecil Hurt of T-News.
• College football playoff should keep it simple stupid, says News’ Jon Solomon.
• SEC supports four-team playoff, reports Joel Erickson of Ledger-Enquirer.
• Florida’s Crawford throws no-hitter, reports Sun’s Pat Dooley.
• Home Run derby sinks Mississippi State, reports C-L’s Brandon Marcello.
• Ole Miss rallies to beat TCU, reports Journal’s Parrish Alford.
• Vandy off to running start in regional, writes Tennessean’s Jeff Lockridge.
• South Carolina beats Manhattan, reports Darryl Slater of Post and Courier.
• Nola gets it done for LSU in 4-1 win, reports Les East of the Advocate.
• Arkansas rallies to face Rice in winner’s bracket, reports News’ Robbie Neiswanger.

What is the AD looking for this year?

“We’ve got a lot of good, young players,” Barnhart told the Rivals site. “We have got to find a way to build off the people we’ve got in our program, and we have to find a way to make some progress. How is that defined? I think I’ll know it when I see it.”

UK fell to 5-7 last year and did not qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2005. The Cats lost by 30 points at Vanderbilt, by 51 at South Carolina, by 28 at LSU and by 38 at home to Florida. It did defeat Tennessee for the first time since 1984.

Mike Slive announced at the SEC Spring Meetings today that the league is going to an 18-game schedule, with one “permament” opponent and 12 rotating opponents.

Here are the so-called “permanent” foes, meaning the teams will be guaranteed to play home-and-home games each season:

• Kentucky-Florida
• Alabama-Auburn
• Arkansas-Missouri
• Georgia-South Carolina
• Ole Miss-Mississippi State
• Tennessee-Vanderbilt
• LSU-Texas A&M

As far as the SEC Tournament goes, all 14 teams will participate. The top four seeds will receive a “double-bye.”

• Off the Reds’ bench, Miguel Cairo is hitting .152, Mike Costanzo is hitting .067 and Wilson Valdez is hitting .174.
• Reds are 14th in the National League in batting average and on-base percentage.
• Zack Cozart is two-for-19 over his last five games.

• Chris Heisey has raised his batting average from .200 on May 13 to .283 today.
• Mike Leake starts tonight at Houston. After consecutive quality starts, Leake allowed nine hits and three runs in just 3.2 innings against Colorado on Saturday. Leake’s WHIP was 1.17 last year when he won 12 games. It’s 1.5 this year. Last year, Leake gave up 0.95 hits per inning. This year, he’s allowing 1.20 hits per inning.
• Reds took two-out-of three from Houston back at GABP on April 28-29. Leake started the April 27 game, which the Reds dropped 6-4. Leake allowed three runs in 3.2 innings to take the loss.
• Ryan Ludwick has drive in 20 runs on 22 just hits and 107 at-bats. The chart at right shows how Reds with at least 80 at-bats have done as far as at-bats per RBI ratio.

Jeff’s tweets:

• Love some of these KY fans acting like because MKG shot it well in a workout today front of @chadfordinsider, it means he’s a good shooter.
• This is just one of the reasons why nearly every NBA GM doesn’t place much emphasis on workouts. MKG is a below-average perimeter shooter.

• I think it’s funny how some of you UK fans think MKG is the only ones who plays hard.
• It’s great that he plays hard. And he is a winner. Terrific kid. Just don’t think he is worthy of number 2 pick.
• Exactly. Love MKG. Love Beal more.

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Related links:

• Video: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is going to spoil his mother
• If Kidd-Gilchrist falls to No. 4, Cavs will snatch him

Excerpt:

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might not fit with Charlotte or Washington, or at least it’s very possible they might not think he does. I’€™m confident he fits better than any player in this Draft not named Anthony Davis alongside Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers though, and I strongly believe the Cavs organization agrees. As I mentioned in a SLAMonline article I did on MKG last week after spending time watching him workout in Cleveland, I believe he is a player who can play either wing position in the NBA. At 6-7, I also believe he can guard one through four on the defensive end as well, and that’s an aspect of his game he prides himself on. His work ethic is off the charts as well, rare for player still eighteen years old, and his athleticism is spectacular. He would excel in an environment with a Kyrie Irving, who he calls his best friend, and he could be a big part of something special for year’s to come in this town.

That’s Rick the father vs. Richard the son.

That’s the date that new Florida International coach Richard Pitino will bring his first FIU team to Louisville to play Rick Pitino’s Cardinals, who are expected to be a pre-season top three pick.

As Card Chronicle points out, the elder Pitino keeps using the line, “I never got to spank you as a child, would you like to get a spanking this year.”

The younger Pitino says his father needs some new material.