Calipari is perfecting the art of luring a player for one

And so, while there are no little vs. big stories this year -- the way tiny Butler or overlooked VCU beat the odds last season to make it to basketball's pinnacle -- we're regaled with tall tales of redemption and resurrection: Teams and coaches that overcame their problems and got everyone thinking about basketball instead of the underside of a business driven by a $10.8 billion TV contract.

"There are a lot of good players out there who are performing right now," Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

For his part, Calipari is perfecting the art of luring a player for one, maybe two seasons, to contend for a championship, then saying a guilt-free goodbye. During his more candid moments, he'll tell you he's no fan of the rule that allows players to leave college after a single year. But it's out of his hands. It's the NBA that put in the rule stating players must be 19 before they can enter the draft.

Johnson clawed his way back toward the front to finish fourth

Johnson did the best he could after his right rear wheel started shaking midway through the race.
The five-time Sprint Cup champion led early in the race, but had to pit twice during a caution because of a vibration and returned to the track in 25th.
Johnson clawed his way back toward the front to finish fourth, a nice result after he was docked 25 points for his car failing inspection the first day of Speedweeks and wrecked two laps into the Daytona 500.
"We'll take it," said Johnson, still 71 points behind Hamlin. "I'm not really satisfied. I really felt like we had a car to win the race with. Unfortunately, things didn't work out there. We had a little hiccup early in the race, but we still rebounded back and got a strong finish."
Johnson wasn't the only one feeling a little pride.