No more steak and lobster. No more high-stakes showdowns against the Dukes of college basketball. No more flying -- chartered flights at that.

But also no regrets.

That's how former UK player Cory Sears termed his feelings about leaving the Cats for Union College, an NAIA school in Barbourville, Ky.

"I thought it would be tough," Sears said. "But this is the honest truth. Ever since I went to the Coliseum and told Coach (Tubby) Smith, I felt a sense of relief. It's over with. I was excited. I felt good about it.

"It seems weird. Those games against teams like Duke, there's glamour. It's fun. But it's not what it's all about. It's about playing basketball. A lot of athletes get caught up in (the glamour) instead of worrying about the basketball."