KSR Gameday: Kentucky hosts NC Central, the first step of getting back on track

Big Blue Nation is not over Friday night’s abysmal loss to Gonzaga. Kentucky is back in action tonight vs. North Carolina Central, but this game will likely do very little to move the needle.

The NC Central Eagles are 3-8 this season, 0-7 on the road. They’ve lost to North Carolina too, 97-53 on Nov. 14 in Chapel Hill. It’s one of NC Central’s three losses this season to Power Four opponents by an average of 37 points. The Eagles are No. 350 in KenPom and rank dead last, No. 365, in Division I in effective field-goal percentage (37.8%), two-point percentage (34.6%), and block percentage (18.6%). They are not a good basketball team, and Kentucky should crush them, even with all the current drama.

This will be Kentucky’s fourth opportunity to get back on track after a loss this season. The Cats are 2-1 in said games so far, beating Eastern Illinois by 46 after losing to Louisville and Loyola Maryland by 42. Kentucky is a 45.5-point favorite tonight on BetMGM. Again, even if Kentucky covers that, I doubt fans will feel a ton better, but it’s step one of getting back on track — and way better than the alternative.

Let’s talk about it.

How to Watch, Listen

We’ll have two newish faces on the sideline tonight. Matt Schumacker and Richard Hendrix will call the action on the SEC Network. Schumacker is best known for his work on Big Ten and Big East college basketball games. Hendrix played three seasons at Alabama (2005-08) before turning pro. This is his second year calling games on the Worldwide Leader.

• Tipoff: 7:00 p.m.
• TV: SEC Network (Matt Schumacker, Richard Hendrix)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 81

You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before tipoff, and join the conversation on KSBoard.

Take advantage of our KSR+ Introductory Offer to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. Join now for $1.

Pope Radio Show Notes

Mark Pope sat down with Tom Leach last night to discuss Kentucky’s 35-point loss to Gonzaga and how his team is regrouping in practice. Kevin Grevey, who knows a thing or two about beating Indiana, called in for half of the show to talk about the rivalry vs. the Hoosiers, which will be renewed on Saturday, but there was some news to pass along as well.

Mo Dioubate: Dioubate is making progress recovering from his high ankle sprain. Pope said his timeline to return is more “day to day” than “weeks and weeks,” as we heard last week.

Jayden Quaintance: Quaintance is also inching closer to getting on the court. Sources tell KSR he was a full participant in Monday’s 5-on-5 practice, which was open to select BBN United members. A few shared their takeaways on KSBoard, saying that JQ was the fastest player on the court, throwing down some dunks and blocking some shots. Conditioning needs some work –“He’s still a ways away from actually seeing in-game live action,” per Pope — so don’t expect to see him this week vs. NC Central or Indiana.

Jaland Lowe: No setbacks for the junior guard, who played 14 minutes vs. Gonzaga, his first game back after suffering a shoulder injury last month.

“Salty” practice on Monday: Pope said the aftermath of the Gonzaga loss has been “rough,” with his team and staff facing a “major overhaul and reconstruction.” As mentioned, members of BBN United were invited to Monday’s practice, and even with guests in the building, the team didn’t hold back.

“We had a big group in to watch practice today, and it was pretty salty. You know, usually when people come into practice, I think they feel all the joy and love that we want to establish here at Kentucky. And right now — I think that group, they were wonderful, they were unbelievable — but it was a salty, hard-fought, little bit of an angry practice, and it’s what we need right now. It’s exactly what we need right now for us to grow out of this.”

One final basketball note: it didn’t surprise anyone, but Kentucky fell out of the top 25 of both polls on Monday. If you count up the points in the group of teams receiving votes, Kentucky is No. 32 in the AP Poll and No. 34 in the Coaches Poll. Indiana also fell out of the rankings and is hovering near the Cats in that group. Saturday’s game is big.

Aberdeen, Johnson talk Gonzaga loss, boos, getting back on track

On Monday, Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson sat down with reporters to talk about the team’s mood following the Gonzaga loss. Both said the boos from fans were “understandable,” as fans paid good money to come support them, and insisted there are no issues in the locker room. Aberdeen said starting tonight, they’ll focus on bringing the competitive spirit we heard about all offseason to the court.

“The mood is always the same with us,” Aberdeen said. “No matter win or loss, we’re always going to bring it in the next practice. We’re definitely going to make a change. As far as our energy and effort coming into these games, they haven’t been where they’re supposed to be, but we’re definitely going to make a jump from now on forward.”

“We know we’re not playing to the capability that we’re supposed to be playing at right now,” he added. “So, each and every day, we’re going to try to come in practice and just give maximum effort every time.”

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ICYMI, two big football contract notes

Will Stein is back in Oregon, preparing for the Ducks’ run in the College Football Playoff. Last night, his contract details were revealed. Stein signed a five-year, $28.5 million deal with Kentucky. He’ll earn $5.5 million in year one and $100,000 more each year through January 31, 2031. Click here for all the details, including his buyout. The Ducks face James Madison in the first round of the CFP on Dec. 20.

Speaking of buyouts, we also found out the details of Mark Stoops’. Stoops will get the full $37.7 million he is owed for Kentucky firing him, but instead of it being due in 60 days, the payments will be spread out over six years. The first lump sum, nearly $4 million, is due next week. It’s been just over a week since the university officially parted ways with Stoops, and it’s still amazing to me that it worked out as well as it did.

What’s the latest on Stein’s staff? Adam Luckett has an update on KSBoard this morning on where things stand that you won’t want to miss.

Lock in for a pivotal Kentucky Football offseason KSR Plus! We’re giving you behind-the-scenes intel you won’t find anywhere else. Join the most vibrant online community in the BBN for the exciting start of the Will Stein Era.

College Basketball on TV tonight

If you can’t bring yourself to watch Kentucky just yet, there are plenty of other big games on tonight. No. 18 Florida vs. No. 5 UConn is the game of the night, the nightcap of the Jimmy V Classic in New York City. No. 2 Michigan, which has won each of its last four games by 40+ points, hosts Villanova at 6:30 p.m. ET.

You can also get a head start on scouting Indiana. The Hoosiers host Penn State at 8:30 p.m. on FS1.

Time (ET)	Matchup	Location	TV / Streaming
6:30 PM ET	Villanova at #2 Michigan	Crisler Center — Ann Arbor, MI	FS1
6:30 PM ET	Clemson vs. #10 BYU (Jimmy V Classic)	Madison Square Garden — New York, NY	ESPN
7:00 PM ET	North Carolina Central vs. Kentucky	Rupp Arena — Lexington, KY	SEC Network
7:00 PM ET	Maryland Eastern Shore at #24 Virginia	John Paul Jones Arena — Charlottesville, VA	ACC Extra
7:30 PM ET	#13 Illinois vs. Ohio State	Value City Arena — Columbus, OH	Peacock
8:30 PM ET	Penn State vs. Indiana	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall – Bloomington, IN	FS1
9:00 PM ET	#18 Florida vs. #5 UConn (Jimmy V Classic)	Madison Square Garden — New York, NY	ESPN

It feels wrong to mention Jimmy V without his famous speech, so here it is for your Tuesday.