Bryan Cranston's Beat Florida Saturday News and Views

Unless this very visit to KSR late in the evening is your very first glimpse at news on the day, then I virtually guarantee you've heard of today's most notable celebrity birthday. If you've logged onto any assorted social media account, pop culture news site, or even turned on your local drive time radio show on the way to work this morning, you've almost assuredly heard that today, March 7th, is Bryan Cranston's birthday. The American born actor, most known for his role as Walter White in AMC's Breaking Bad, turned 58 years young today. While the younger population around the world currently knows him for his critically acclaimed role in Breaking Bad, others recognize Cranston for his roles in wildly popular shows like Malcolm in the Middle and Seinfeld. He hasn't been limited to those three shows either, judging by his IMDB profile, Cranston has been credited with 130 acting jobs since his career began back in the early 1980's. This is usually the part of the celebrity bio where I'd try and say something complementary about Cranston and his wonderful career, but alas, I can't really add anything as it's all already been stated by everyone else who writes about pop culture on the internet. So, to conclude, I'll leave you with my personal favorite (and wildly underrated) scene from Breaking Bad where Walt confronts Drug lord, Tuco Salamanca. (It's Breaking Bad, so I'll throw in a NSFW tag.) On to the day's news: -The Cats opened up as an 8-point underdog for tomorrow's contest in Gainesville. According to Vegas Insider, Kentucky is 12-14-2 against the point spread this season and is 4-6-1 against the spread on the road. I've seen numerous predictions from Twitter and other sources, but it seems as though people are leaning toward a Gator cover in tomorrow afternoon's match-up. It's also worth noting that Kentucky is 6-13 all-time when facing the nation's top ranked team. In case it has slipped your mind, the tip for tomorrow's contest is slated for high noon on CBS. -Willie Cauley-Stein and James Young had the opportunity to speak with members of the media today about the state of the program and the prospects for the team's immediate future. Their full comments can be found by following this link, but below you'll find some of their most notable statements.

WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN:

On if this team can make a run … “Definitely. It’s to that point where our backs are kind of against the wall. Players are going to have to show that they’re players — everybody on the team. It’s definitely a thing that we've got to keep in mind when we go in there.” On what he took from the first Florida game … “After that game I felt like we could beat anybody in the country. And then the next couple of games (I felt like we could) lose to anybody in the country. So it’s like a wide spectrum of our team. That just goes with what Cal tries to do here.” On if they hit a wall against Florida after doing so well the first 30 minutes and if that’s a conditioning thing … “No. I think being a young team you make those mistakes at the end. We’re so young you don’t really know when the crunch time or the winning time is. It’s the last five minutes of the game and that’s when — everything else before that really doesn't matter. You win or lose a game in the last five minutes, and I think we've learned that the past year pretty much. The last five games have been a struggle, but definitely watching that game back on film, easily you win if you take care of the things that you’re supposed to do as an individual.”

JAMES YOUNG:

On going back and looking at his video from a down shooting night against Alabama … “I looked at the video and I just kept leaning back a little bit too much and just kicking my leg out. I came to the gym a little bit later and worked on my shot a little bit so it should be good.” On it getting discouraging to keep missing shots … “I try to just not think about the next shot and just keep moving forward and just shoot. I kind of got my confidence down last game and I think that’s really affecting my shot.” On playing with pressure off their shoulders … “Yeah and just play with an unleashed offense is what Coach says. Go out there and have fun with it and we’re doing a lot better with that in practice. We just got to turn that into game and have more fun with it.” -During his pre-Florida presser, John Calipari told the press he didn't believe that this team was done - not by any stretch of the imagination. "To have people say ‘this team is done,’ I just don’t believe it. A team that has this kind of skill and ability?” Calipari said. However, numbers aren't the whole story. The x-factor for this team is confidence. “Let’s hope the light goes on. If it goes on this game, fine. If it takes another game, fine. We just need the light to go on. I've had teams come around at all different times. I believe in this team, I believe in the individual players. These are great players.” -Matthew Mitchell and his UK Hoops squad earned a much needed victory over Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament this afternoon. The Cats held off numerous runs from the Gators and ended up prevailing 75-70 despite trailing by seven at the halftime intermission. Our own Wilder Treadway gave a full recap of this afternoon's game in Duluth, Georgia and it can be found by following this link or scrolling down a bit further. The women will do battle with the top-seeded Gamecocks of South Carolina at noon tomorrow on ESPNU. Set your DVR accordingly. - In news that makes you go "D'awwwww," John Wall took to Instagram today to help grant a young cancer patient named Miyah's dream of meeting pop star, Nicki Minaj. In a mere matter of hours, Wall's video reached Nicki Minaj and plans are in order to help fulfill young Miyah's dream of wearing one of Minaj's signature pink wigs. Way to help make the world a better place, John! [caption id="attachment_153449" align="alignnone" width="298"] @johnwall[/caption] We'll see you bright and early for pregame coverage tomorrow, Cats fans.