KSR Today: NBA Draft Combine, Collin Chandler, Bat Cats, PGA Championship Week
Good morning, BBN, and welcome to a new week, one that brings with it the end of the Kentucky Baseball regular season, and, if we’re lucky, some more Kentucky Basketball roster news. Today, there’s also a very important visitor on campus checking out his new digs.
Let’s catch you up on what you missed if you unplugged for Mother’s Day weekend and look at what’s ahead.
Kerr Kriisa visited, Collin Chandler arrives today
Both Kerr Kriisa and Collin Chandler committed to Kentucky without even visiting. That must make their first trips to Lexington even cooler.
On Friday, West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa arrived on campus and enjoyed an especially VIP experience. In addition to checking out the town and posing in the locker room in a Kentucky jersey, Kriisa got to attend John Legend’s concert for the 500 Strong branch of the 15 Club collective. The Central Bank Center was the place to be in the Bluegrass Friday night, with Kentucky’s coaches, players, and super boosters prowling the halls and several more thousand folks seated in Rupp Arena to see comedian Nate Bargatze, who got some shots up at the Joe Craft Center and hung out with Mark Pope prior to his set.
The John Legend concert looked like a blast as well through the lens of KSR photographer Dr. Mike:
Today, incoming freshman Collin Chandler arrives on campus for his visit, his first since committing to Kentucky on April 16. Chandler is coming off a family vacation to Hawaii — in which he put in some work at the University of Hawaii gym — and a two-year mission to Sierra Leone and London. If you see him around town, please make him feel welcome. Apparently, he’s grown two inches to 6’6″ since high school.
NBA Draft Combine begins
This is an important week for a handful of players still considering joining Kentucky’s 2024-25 roster. Chaz Lanier and Wooga Poplar both participated in the G League Elite Camp over the weekend in Chicago. Neither was among the five participants to earn invites to the Combine; however, Mark Pope did make the trip to Chicago to see them play.
With Pope watching, Poplar scored 18 points (8-15 FG, 2-7 3PT) in just under 20 minutes of play while Lanier came off the bench for five points (1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes. Check out the box score and Wooga’s highlights below:
While Poplar and Lanier head home to mull their decisions, BYU star Jaxson Robinson gets his turn in the spotlight at the NBA Draft Combine, which tips off today and runs through the 19th in Chicago. As you know, Robinson is also in the transfer portal, and, if he doesn’t decide to stay in the draft, Kentucky is his most likely destination. One way or the other, this week will influence that decision.
TV coverage of the combine starts tomorrow. On Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-5 p.m. ET on ESPN2, fans can watch players go through measurements, drills, and scrimmages. Four former Kentucky Wildcats will also participate: Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards, and Antonio Reeves. For two of those four, yesterday was a very big day…
NBA Draft Lottery results
The NBA Draft Lottery was held Sunday afternoon, giving us a clearer picture of when Rob Dillingham and/or Reed Sheppard could hear their names called on June 26. Both projected lottery picks were in attendance, Reed rocking a blue suit and Rob a blinged-out ensemble with specs:
With picks Nos. 1-14 set, here is the entire order of the first round:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Washington Wizards
- Houston Rockets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Detroit Pistons
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Utah Jazz
- Chicago Bulls
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Sacramento Kings
- Portland Trail Blazers (via GS)
- Miami Heat
- Philadelphia 76ers
- New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL)*
- Orlando Magic
- Toronto Raptors (via IND)
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- New Orleans Pelicans (via MIL)
- Phoenix Suns
- Milwaukee Bucks (via NO)
- New York Knicks (via DAL)
- New York Knicks
- Washington Wizards (via LAC)
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Denver Nuggets
- Utah Jazz (via OKC)
- Boston Celtics
*Pelicans have the option to defer the Lakers’ pick to 2025
After the lottery, a fresh round of mock drafts hit the internet. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Reed going No. 3 to the Houston Rockets and Rob to the San Antonio Spurs at No. 4. The Ringer also has Dillingham going to the Spurs at No. 4 and Reed going to Charlotte at No. 6. Justin Edwards cracked the first round in ESPN’s mock, going to the Wizards at No. 26, while Jaxson Robinson comes in at No. 52. The Athletic included Antonio Reeves in the second round, at No. 44.
Click here for a full rundown. A lot can change over the next month and a half for the guys who stay in, but Robinson will have to decide whether or not to return to school by May 29, the NCAA’s deadline.
ICYMI, there was some important scheduling news
On Saturday, we got our first bit of 2024-25 scheduling news of the Pope Era. According to Matt Norlander, Western Kentucky will come to Rupp as part of a three-game multi-team event. It will be only the eighth time the Cats and the Hilltoppers have squared off, the most recent meeting in 2021-22 when Oscar Tshiebwe broke the single-game Rupp Arena rebounding record. Norlander says the dates of the MTE are not set but the other two teams will also be mid-majors, one potentially an HBCU.
If you’re keeping track at home, here is Kentucky’s 2024-25 non-conference schedule as we know it:
- vs. Duke (Champions Classic, Atlanta)
- vs. Western Kentucky (MTE, Rupp Arena)
- vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic, TBD)
- ACC opponent (ACC/SEC Challenge, TBD)
- Gonzaga (Seattle)
- vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena)
Kentucky Men’s Tennis moving on to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
On Saturday, the No. 5 seed Kentucky Men’s Tennis team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals with a 4-2 victory over No. 12 seed Harvard. It’s the third year in a row and the seventh time in program history the Cats have made it to the Elite Eight. They’ll face No. 4 seed TCU on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Troy Howell was at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on Saturday to recap the thrilling victory for us. Kentucky hasn’t lost since February 11 to Duke.
Final week of the regular season for the Bat Cats
It was not a boring weekend for the Kentucky Baseball team. On Sunday, the No. 4 Cats defeated the Florida Gators 7-5 to win the series, the second time in three days they needed extra innings to secure a victory. Kentucky is now 37-11 overall, 20-7 in SEC play. Thanks to Vanderbilt, who beat Tennessee on Sunday, the Cats remain in sole possession of first place in the SEC with three conference games remaining. Before you thank the Commodores, they come to town this week and desperately need some big wins to make the NCAA Tournament.
SEC Standings (through May 12)
- Kentucky* – 20-7 (.741)
- Arkansas* – 19-8 (.704)
- Tennessee* – 19-8 (.704)
- Texas A&M* – 17-10 (.630)
- Georgia* 16-11 – (.593)
- Mississippi State* – 15-12 (.556)
- South Carolina* – 13-14 (.481)
- Alabama* / Vanderbilt* – 12-15 (.444)
- Alabama* / Vanderbilt* – 12-15 (.444)
- Florida^ – 11-16 (.407)
- Ole Miss^ – 11-16 (.407)
- 12. LSU – 10-17 (.370)
- Missouri – 8-19 (.296)
- Auburn – 6-21 (.222)
*Clinched tournament berth
^Florida 1-2 vs. Kentucky; Ole Miss 0-3 vs. Kentucky
This was Kentucky’s first series win over Florida since 2016, and the game went so long that the team had to head to the airport in uniform to catch their flight home:
Kentucky closes the regular season this week with games vs. Wright State (Tuesday) and Vanderbilt (Thursday-Saturday) at Kentucky Proud Park, giving you an excellent chance to cheer the Cats on in person. The SEC Tournament starts a week from Tuesday, May 21, in Hoover. Barring a collapse, the Cats will have the double bye and start play on Wednesday, May 22. Take care of business and they could win the SEC regular season title for only the second time in program history.
Kentucky Softball makes NCAA Tournament
The softball team had a tough run in the SEC Tournament, losing in the play-in game, but the season’s isn’t over just yet. Yesterday, the Cats received an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, the 15th season in a row they’ve made the field. They’re in the Stillwater regional hosted by No. 5 seed Oklahoma State and will open play vs. Michigan on Friday at 3 p.m. ET. You can watch on ESPN2.
PGA Championship Week at Valhalla
In non-UK sports news, it’s PGA Championship week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. The tournament doesn’t start until Thursday, but the city will be buzzing all week, with practice rounds starting today. If you can’t make it to the course, you can watch Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice rounds from 12-3 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Tickets to practice rounds and the main event are available through the event’s official ticketing partner SeatGeek.
The field includes 16 PGA champions and 33 major champions, including three-time winner and defending champ Brooks Koepka; Tiger Woods (2000) and Rory McIlroy (2014), who won the last two PGA Championships at Valhalla; and Louisville native and two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas. The KSR crew will be paying close attention to JT Poston, whose caddy is former KSR writer/friend of the family Aaron Flener. Fingers crossed for Glasgow’s finest.
Another ridiculous bucket by Jamal Murray
It was another big weekend in the NBA playoffs. You’ve probably already seen this clip of Jamal Murray hitting a halfcourt shot to give the Nuggets a 64-49 lead over the Timberwolves at halftime. If the 55-foot heave wasn’t impressive enough, Murray stared down TNT’s Kevin Harlan afterward, making for an epic call.
The Nuggets would go on to win 115-107 to tie the series at 2-2. The Pacers also beat the Knicks to even that series at 2-2. Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder hope to do the same in their series.
East Semifinals | Game 4 | BOS leads 2-1
7:00 PM (TNT): Celtics vs. Cavaliers
West Semifinals | Game 4 | DAL leads 2-1
9:30 PM (TNT): Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Olivier Sarr) vs. Mavericks (PJ Washington)
Arrivederci!
I volunteered to take the Monday morning post this week in part to stay focused. Tomorrow, my husband and I take off for a ten-day trip to Tuscany. We’re very excited to return to one of our favorite places in the world, so my workday will likely be interrupted by last-minute laundry, packing, and weather forecast refreshing. Three hours of radio should help pass the time, starting with the KSR Preshow, which begins right now on 630 WLAP.
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