KSR Gameday: Kentucky Hosts Georgia at Rupp Arena

Two days before the Dawgs play for a college football National Title, the Georgia basketball team will take on college basketball royalty at Rupp Arena. Kentucky hosts Georgia Saturday night at 6 pm ET.

You’ll never believe this, but Tom Crean’s basketball team is not very good. Georgia enters Rupp Arena on a three-game losing streak, only 5-9 this season. They have not defeated a Power Five team, but they did take down Memphis. That probably outweighs the loss to East Tennessee State.

This game is less about what Georgia will do and more about how Kentucky will bounce back following the LSU loss, particularly with TyTy Washington running the show at point guard. John Calipari liked what he saw from the freshman this week in practice.

“He’s going to have the opportunity that Tyrese Maxey had, Jamal Murray had and some of the other guys that were playing off the ball, now you’re gonna play on the ball. You look at those guys now professionally, that’s where they’re playing,” Cal said.

“I’m anxious to see him. I told him, ‘What a great thing for you. You get this chance.’ … Yesterday he was really good. We’ll see what happens for us if he’s that guy. If Sahvir cannot play, the ball will be in his hands.”

Kentucky fans have a bade taste in their mouths after the loss at LSU. It’s unlikely that a big win over the Dawgs will completely solve that issue, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. It’s always a good time watching Tom Crean lose.

No Sahvir Wheeler Revenge Game

Unfortunately, it does not appear that Sahvir Wheeler will be able to take his old team out behind the Rupp Arena woodshed for a good ole fashion spankin’. Kentucky’s point guard suffered a neck injury against LSU. Friday afternoon Calipari was not optimistic about Wheeler’s status for today’s game.

“He’s still day-to-day. He’s day-to-day and I doubt — I don’t think he’ll practice today. The neck is still bothering him so it’ll be day-to-day,” he said.

Wheeler led the Dawgs in points (14) and assists (7.4) per game last season before he entered the transfer portal and made the wise decision to complete his college basketball career at UK.

BBN Needs Revenge for 2021

Of all the awful memories from the 2020-21 Kentucky basketball season, the collapse at Georgia is the one I want to forget most. The Wildcats led by six with two minutes remaining, then gave up two layups in the final 30 seconds to hand Tom Crean a win. For the love of Keion Brooks and Jacob Toppin, please take out last year’s frustrations on this God awful basketball team.

TV, Radio Info

The game tips off at 6 p.m. ET on the SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald and Dane Bradshaw on the call. If you can’t watch it, you can listen in a variety of ways:

• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Satellite: XM-190, Sirius 136, SXM App: 961
• Online: iHeart Radio

The KSR Pregame Show will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on 630 WLAP and iHeart Radio. Can’t wait till 3:30? Jack Pilgrim has a Georgia preview with Shawn Smith on Sources Say. If you prefer a little football talk, Adam Luckett and I produced some bonus 11 Personnel ahead of the weekend.

Vegas, KenPom Prediction

Kentucky opened as a 22-point favorite over the Bulldogs with a total of 146. Georgia has covered the spread just once in its last five games. KenPom predicts and 86-64 win for UK, giving the Wildcats a 98% chance to win.

Will Shaedon Sharpe Play?

Kentucky’s sensational early enrollee is officially on campus and with the team. As talented as Sharpe may be, John Calipari thinks it’s going to take some time to get him ready for the rigors of SEC basketball.

College Basketball on TV

There are a ton of college basketball games on TV today, but here’s a small sample of the best of the best.

• Noon: #3 Purdue at Penn State on BTN
• Noon: Wichita State at #12 Houston on CBS
• 1:00: Virginia ta North Carolina on ESPN
• 2:00: #14 Texas at Oklahoma State on CBS
• 2:00: #19 Villanova at DePaul on FS1
• 2:30: #10 Michigan State at Michigan on Fox POSTPONED
• 4:00: #6 Kansas at #25 Texas Tech on ESPN2
• 4:00: #20 Colorado State at San Diego State on CBS
• 6:00: #18 Tennessee at #21 LSU on ESPN2
• 8:00: Florida at #9 Auburn on ESPN2

If you aren’t prepared to dive head first into college basketball, this afternoon we have two NFL games on ESPN. The Broncos host the Chiefs at 4:30 pm ET, followed by the Eagles vs. the Cowboys at 8:15 pm ET.

Five Future Kentucky Wildcats in the All-American Bowl

Even though it’s the first Saturday since the Kentucky football season ended, you can still watch a handful of future Wildcats in the All-American Bowl. Kiyaunta Goodwin, Keaten Wade, Alex Afari, Nik Hall and Barion Brown will be representing the BBN. Brown has been one of the most talked about athletes at the event. Prepare to see pass-catcher pour in plenty of highlights. The game at the Alamodome kicks off on NBC at 1 pm ET.

Potential Yahtzee

There will be a number of players announcing their college decisions during the All-American Bowl. Kentucky is a finalist for one elite athlete. Unfortunately, a positive COVID-19 test has forced Davison Igbinosun to share his announcement via Zoom. Ranked by On3 as the No. 128 player in the 2022 recruiting class, the four-star safety is down to Kentucky, Tennessee, Rutgers and Ole Miss. Most believe the New Jersey star will ultimately choose to play for Lane Kiffin, but anything is possible in college football recruiting.

For the Team

Start your day with eight minutes and thirty seconds of pure Kentucky football bliss. You won’t need another cup of coffee after seeing Mark Stoops’ halftime speech at the Citrus Bowl.