In a Crain's New York Business report on progress at Barclays Center, reporter Matthew Flamm writes that one of the first events at the arena (beyond the Nets opener and a Jay-Z concert) will likely be a college basketball game between the Wildcats of Kentucky vs. the Terrapins of Maryland.

John Calipari, UK's coach, had said it was his hope that UK would play the first college game at the 18,000-seat arena. Brett Yormark said Barclays has now booked 163 dates out of a planned 220 for 2012-13 and said initial sales of All-Access seats have exceeded his expectations.  Meanwhile, the Daily News in an editorial slammed arena critics, saying they continue to "sue their way toward preserving an urban wasteland", Critics immediately called the editorial "flagrantly ignorant".

• Barclays Center takes shape at Atlantic Yards - Matthew Flamm - Crain's New York Business
• The new Nets' arena rising in Brooklyn is shaping up as a huge plus - Editorial - New York Daily News
• Flagrantly ignorant, Daily News calls arena rising "huge plus for an underused neighborhood" - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
• Another reason to distrust the New York Daily News's editorial today: a dishonest photo - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
  
• Debate continues over new Nets arena - Arena Digest
• Crain's article on arena calls documentary "latest insult," relies on ever-spinning Yormark - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
• Kentucky Will Open New York Arena - Alan Cutler - Lex18.com
• Maryland to play Kentucky at the Nets' new arena in 2012-13? - Jakob Engelke - Baltimore Sun