SPORTS HEADLINES 11/7/12

Sports Tonight with Todd Hamilton comes your way at 5:08 this evening on Newstalk 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP. A preview of Christian County’s 5-A playoff game at Bowling Green will be among the topics this evening.

College Football: Joker Phillips met with the media for the first time since his firing as Kentucky’s football coach Tuesday. Phillips said he was appreciative for the time he had spent as a player and a coach at Kentucky.

Phillips also said he had stressed to his coaching staff for the need for improvement this season to get to what he termed “13”. He said he thought next year the Wildcats would have an opportunity to make a huge movein the SEC.

The Franklin native at first didn’t want to coach the remaining two games of the season but did so for his players.  Kentucky is idle this week before hosting Samford a week from Saturday and closing the season at Tennessee.

Coach Phillips will have his weekly talk show at 5 this evening, followed by Big Blue Weekly at 6 on Lite 98.7.

The Bowling Green Daily News reported Tuesday a private fundraising group is working to raise money to offer a pay increase to Western Kentucky coach Willie Taggart. Multiple sources say the privately raised funding would be worked into an enhancement fund in a newly drafted contract. Taggart’s name has been mentioned as a possible candidate at the University of Kentucky.

College Basketball: Cardinal Authority.com reported Tuesday Louisville’s Mangok Maithang will not be eligible for the upcoming season. Coach Rick Pitino says Mathiang will have four years of eligibility to play. The NCAA ruled Maithang ineligible this season.

Pitino also says when the Cards host Bellarmine in their second exhibition tonight, Kevin Ware will be back from his one game suspension.

Meanwhile, Pitino says its 50-50 whether Chane Behanan will play the season opener Sunday against Manhattan. Behanan is sitting out tonight’s game due to a violation of team rules. Pitino says if Behanan takes care of his business, he will likely play Sunday.

NFL: The Tennessean reports Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker received a good report on his MRI Tuesday, with coach Mike Munchak saying there’s a chance Locker could play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Locker dislocated his non throwing shoulder in a game at Houston September 30th.