Parliament and Big Ben want some Pre-London Notes
Good afternoon, friends. Your friendly neighborhood editor here, checking in before I depart for London. I think I can count on one hand, maybe two, the people I know that are going, so it’ll be interesting to see how much Blue gets in across the pond.
I’ve got a few minutes before I need to finish packing, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts on the trip, which has been a long time coming.
Did you realize this is a double-header?
Michigan and Kentucky aren’t the only teams playing in the Hall of Fame London Showcase. The event is actually a doubleheader. Maine and Marist will tip things off at 10:30 a.m. ET/3:30 p.m. London time. The game will be televised on ESPNU. I will be counting each Maine and Marist fan I see throughout the weekend.
Karl Ravech and Jay Bilas will call the game
Two familiar names will be on the call Sunday. Karl Ravech and Jay Bilas are making the trip to call the game for ABC. This will be the first Kentucky game for both announcers this season. For Jay’s sake, I hope the O2 has decent ice cream.
This is Kentucky’s 7th regular-season game overseas
The Cats have played six regular-season games outside of the continental United States with a 5-1 record. Kentucky went 2-1 in the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico in the 1998-99 season, earning wins over Colorado and UCLA and losing to Pittsburgh. The Cats beat Cleveland State and Stanford at the Cancun Challenge in the 2009-10 season and also defeated Arizona State in the Atlantis Showcase in the Bahamas in 2016.
As Ben Roberts notes, this won’t be the first time Kentucky Basketball players have played in London. Five Wildcats were members of Team USA in the 1948 London Olympics: Alex Groza, Wah Wah Jones, Ralph Beard, Ken Rollins, and Cliff Barker. Those five combined to outscore Mexico and France in the semifinal and championship games.
We’re looking for a pregame meet-up spot
As far as I know, there is no official pregame gathering for fans going to the game Sunday. That’s disappointing, so we’re going to have to make our own. Complicating matters is the fact that England’s World Cup match begins an hour after Kentucky vs. Michigan, so most pubs will be packed with people trying to save spots or watching the France vs. Poland game. If you’re over there and have a suggestion on where #BBN can gather near the O2, hit me up on Twitter (@MrsTylerKSR). Steven Peake, our videographer, and I are hoping to get as many Kentucky fans who are making the trip on camera as possible. The Observatory Pub inside the O2 looks like the frontrunner right now.
Over/under on how many English fans go to the game?
As mentioned, England’s Round of 16 match vs. Senegal kicks off at 7 p.m. London time, one hour after the tip of Kentucky vs. Michigan. One of the reasons the Hall of Fame is putting this event on is to promote American college basketball abroad (it’s the first college hoops event in the O2), so that timing is…unfortunate. I’m not sure how many English fans would have come to the games anyway, but with a massive World Cup match happening at the same time? Should be plenty of room to spread out in the O2.
Watching USA vs. Netherlands in England will be fun
An unexpected benefit of this trip is the chance to watch USA compete in the World Cup in England, a place that really, really cares about the World Cup. Because USA finished second in Group B, the match takes place Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. London time), giving fans in London the perfect opportunity to check out one of the city’s many fine drinking establishments. We’ll be posted up at Temple Brew House, so if you’re looking for a place to watch, please join us as we root for America and against the Dutch. My suitcase is almost exclusively Kentucky, USA, and KSR apparel.
Oscar is open for business while overseas
As you probably recall, one of the loopholes in Oscar Tshiebwe‘s complicated NIL situation is doing “work” overseas. Oscar’s student visa prevents him from doing commercials, photoshoots, signings, etc. in the United States, so he made Kentucky’s trip to the Bahamas in August a business trip of his own. Oscar’s agent tells me he doesn’t have a similar NIL workload for the trip to London because he wants to focus on basketball and the team, but he is opening up his Cameo for requests.
Speaking from experience, Oscar Cameos make great Christmas gifts, so take advantage while you can, BBN.
Okay, I really need to finish packing. I’ll check back in once I’ve touched down in London town. Steven and I will be posting updates on Twitter (@MrsTylerKSR and @StevenPeakeKSR) and KSR’s Instagram throughout the trip, so please follow along. If you really want a deep dive into the sights and sounds from overseas, my personal Instagram will be full of them too.
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