By Aaron Smith

Bobby Knight’s seeming refusal to acknowledge UK’s existence is becoming a bigger storyline as the Cats continue progressing in the NCAA Tournament.

Knight’s views on UK — and, specifically, its head coach — go back a few years. But the story has picked up recently, starting when he said, “that team from the SEC” in response to a question about which No. 1 seed was most susceptible to an upset.

Now, national media are calling him out. SI media critic Richard Deitsch blasted not only Knight but ESPN for their actions. USA Today is covering the story, which includes some of Knight’s colleagues — including ESPN’s Rick Reilly — criticizing him. So is Awful Announcing. The Big Lead called Knight trying to ask him about the situation, and all Knight wanted to know was how the author obtained his phone number.

Will Knight’s issue ever be resolved, either by him or by ESPN? If UK keeps advancing, we’ll keep seeing what the answer will be.