The incident Issac Humphries will never forget.

Saturday’s pinnacle moment in the teenager’s athletic life became a big ole sucker punch to the solar plexus.

The Aussie, game official Pat Adams decided, had committed an unsportsmanlike act in violation of Rule 10, Section 3, a Class A Unsporting Technical Infraction.

Flash! Sixth foul on Humphries, two free throws for Texas A&M.

Given how (NBA) animated and showy college players have become, the charge against Humphries was a cheap overreaction.

But then A&M’s overtime win was bizarro worldly before and after the incident.

Story line that wasn’t – Australian teen comes off bench, gives his all to wrest a rebound, is fouled, is exultant, is getting two free throws, chance to be a hero, be rewarded with more playing time, and “gonna be on Sports Center, boys.”

Hold the phone, Cawood!

Adams essentially decided the game’s outcome.

When it was over and wounded Kentucky fans Fairview to Monkey’s Eyebrow were in a call-in show rage, coach John Calipari issued a tweet.

Not mad at his team, he said. “It’s really simple. I feel really good about the game because our kids fought.”

Really? Fought?

Humphries was certainly a warrior, Jamal Murray ran a half-marathon to free himself to shoot, Tyler Ulis doubled up on points and assists, and played all 45 minutes. But Marcus Lee spent his 31 minutes doing his customary “who me?” routine, Skal Labissiere was behind the curve on everything during his nine minutes, Charles Mathews the same in seven, and Derek Willis had one rebound in 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, A&M had 20 offensive rebounds. Twenty, including a winning put-back. A&M had 18 more shots at the basket than Kentucky.

These numbers, this performance and progress shown at mid-February, looks like plenty to be concerned about.

But then Big Blue Nation’s gazillion assistant coaches are savvy enough to know Calipari tweet for what it was, weak spin.

POINT-COUNTER POINT

ESPN had a plan. At its production meeting before Game Day at Texas A&M last week, I’m betting network decision-makers were fine-tuned how to poke a hornet’s nest.

Rece Davis wondered if John Calipari, considering the long list of NBA caliber players he’s coached, should have more than one NCAA title to his credit?

A reasonable question for the reasonable. After Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg played guys wearing white hats, Davis left it to ESPN resident contrarian Stephen A. Smith to poke the hornets’ nest.

It worked famously.

Big Blue Nation citizens, a radio show cheerleader and Big Blue commentators were sucked into the black hole. Drawn into a feisty pre-game talk and tweet skirmish. Precisely what ESPN had in mind, knowing any criticism of Calipari is enough to ignite a verbal crucifixion for Davis and Smith who won’t be traveling to Lexington anytime before next winter.

YOUNG TURKS INCLUDE HOLTMANN AT BUTLER

A decade has passed since young turks to college basketball coaching with Kentucky ties were John Pelphrey, Travis Ford, Darin Horn and Sean Woods.

Until the coach carousel cranks up next month, Pelphrey works for the SEC Network, Ford in on a hot seat at Oklahoma State, Horn is assistant to Shaka Smart at Texas and Woods (16-11 at Morehead State) is a coach of the year candidate in the OVC.

A new list of on-the-rise college head coaches includes Scott Padgett at Samford (13-17), Mark Pope at Utah Valley (12-15), but its hottest name could be Chris Holtmann at Butler (18-9).

Padgett and Pope played at Kentucky; Holtmann is a native of Nicholasville in Jessamine County, who has a 33-12 record at Butler.

Top ranked Villanova held off feisty and entertaining Butler by 10 last week, but Holtmann’s Bears are in the hunt for an NCAA at-large berth.

DIS ‘N DATA

√ Amazin’ Dept. Union County High School, perennial wrestling powerhouse won another state championship last Saturday in Lexington. Matching nearby University of Kentucky’s men’s NCAA basketball titles, this was the Braves’ eighth state wrestling crown in school history and fifth in last decade.

Elsewhere …

√ Texas and formerly Louisville football coach Charlie Strong is allegedly linked to a sex scandal at University of Louisville?

Comment: Perfect case to … keep emphasis until the last possible moment on allegedly. And, “leave it alone until all the washing is hung out to dry.”

WORTH REPEATING DEPT.

“God knows I’m a Hall of Famer,” ex-Major League baseball player Barry Bonds said last week.

One cannot help but wonder, why would God care?

And so it goes.