KSR Today: Kentucky still full of the March blues after Kentucky's loss to Oakland
Pulse check, Big Blue Nation. How is everybody doing now that we are 36 hours out from yet another devastating NCAA Tournament exit? Good? Better, at least? Still miserable? Yeah, me too. Kentucky’s postseason defeats always hurt no matter the circumstance, but this one hit different.
Sure, the St. Peter’s loss in 2022 was technically the bigger upset, and my soul still stuffers from the Final Four loss to Wisconsin in 2015, but there is something gut-shattering about seeing one of the most fun and beloved teams in a long time go up in similar flames as less-memorable ones in recent years.
There is still a ton to be figured out. Rumors are flying. Lexington bars are giving out Fire Cal shots. Stay-and-go decisions are revving up. But before we can get to any of that, Big Blue Nation is navigating through an emotional tornado.
KSR will walk through that lonely path with you as we can while we stare joylessly as other schools keep dancing in the tournament. There’s also the Kentucky High School Sweet 16 to watch, that is if the Wildcats didn’t completely extinguish your appetite for basketball altogether.
But, hey! The Kentucky baseball team is pretty good! Oh, and Spring Football practice is here!
Still nothing? I’m trying here. Let’s see what else we can do.
Local media have thrown their hands up at the Calipari situation
By his own admission, Matt Jones is a Kentucky fan first and foremost. To perceive any type of conspiratorial motives behind Kentucky Sports Radio’s founder is nonsensical. That being said, he has been brutally honest with the state of the program over the last few years, and Thursday night’s loss to Oakland was the straw, no, the lead pipe that broke the big blue camel’s back.
During his postgame monologue, Jones voiced his uncomfortably honest conclusion that the Calipari-Kentucky relationship has become untenable and it is time for a mutual separation. Will it happen? Who knows. The university would owe Cal $33.4 million if they relieved him of his duties, a lot of money that isn’t exactly sitting around in a willing donor’s pocket. It puts everyone between a rock and a piece of coal with no real exciting way to move forward in the aftermath of yet another horrific and inexcusable March loss.
The feeling of a dreadful conclusion to an era did not just end with Matt Jones. KSR’s Tyler Thompson went as far as to say it felt like there is potential clarity and certainty about the path forward in the postgame Rapid Reaction. She followed it up with a scathing albeit numbing summation that likely reflects where many fans sit right now with their view of a man they once adored more than members of their own family.
Drew Franklin agreed on Friday’s morning show that a move is both necessary and possible within the next few weeks.
The pessimism isn’t contained just within the KSR crew, however. The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker went on the Paul Finebaum show Friday to voice his opinion on the state of the program. In his view, if the $33 million buyout wasn’t prohibitive, the move may have already been made.
National folks are ripping Kentucky and Calipari too
Sure, Matt Jones is calling for a Calipari-Kentucky separation. He, along with Tyler, Drew, Jack, and those close to the program see what is going on and are, quite frankly, sick of it. However, national folks jumped on the, “What the heck is going on with Kentucky and Calipari?” bandwagon, too.
Most surprisingly, one of Calipari’s closest media friends and ardent defenders, Seth Greenberg, got on ESPN to blast his comrade, albeit in a somewhat uplifting and encouraging way.
“[Calipari] brings in great talent. That’s great.” Greenberg said. “Talent without toughness does not win. Those guys are all going to be great pros. That’s great. [But] they don’t help you win in the moment.” He went on to talk about how Cal needs to get back to Old School Cal, focused on toughness and being physical.
Stephen A. Smith is not atop Kentucky fans’ list of favorite sports talking heads. Still, he echoed what many KSR callers have complained about for years: Calipari has put individual players over winning. Cal is always talking about how successful these kids become in the pros, and how much their success has helped their families. However, maybe that focus has come at the cost of winning according to Stephen A.:
“Perhaps the problem is [Calipari] has gotten soft because [he’s] gotten so caught up in bringing in these young kids and prioritizing being a father figure to these young guys, that in the process of doing all those other things, he hasn’t prioritized doing what it takes to win.”
The Kentucky High School Sweet 16 is now down to the Final Four
It is weird but somewhat expected at this point: Kentucky High School basketball players are still balling while the University of Kentucky’s season is over. But alas, more basketball at Rupp Arena! After four hard-fought quarterfinals matchups on Friday, the Boys’ Sweet 16 tournament is now down to the Final Four.
- Great Crossing handily took care of Magoffin County 83-48
- Lyon County glided by Adair County 98-48
- Harlan County beat Campbell County 85-71 in overtime
- Evangel Christian downs Trinity 57-46
In the Lyon County game, future Kentucky guard, Travis Perry, scored 21 points in his team’s 50-point win. Afterward, Trent Noah dropped 48 in Harlan County’s OT win.
Lyon County will face off against Great Crossing today at 11:00 a.m. while Harlan County and Harlan will take on Evangel Christian at 1:30 p.m. for a spot in the Finals which will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Kentucky Football Hosts UK Pro Day
Kentucky’s basketball loss made UK’s Pro Day more somber than it should have been, but it did not stop current players from hyping up their former teammates as they repped 225 pounds on the bench press in front of NFL scouts.
A few players with professional aspirations brought out the burners, Brenden Bates in particular. The talented tight end flew in his 40-yard dash, clocked at 4.61 and 4.68 in the sprint. There will be some injury concerns, but Bates will certainly be able to prove himself on a team during preseason training camps.
Running back Ramon Jefferson performed well too. He posted a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump, which would have ranked in the top three among all running backs at the NFL Combine. He was clocked at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and threw up 18 benchpress reps, catching the eyes of NFL scouts.
Once Dru Phillips completed his drills, there were plenty of people wearing NFL logos grabbing the defensive back’s ear. He very well may end up making a huge impact on Sundays.
Kentucky Football Spring Practice marches on
When my phone alerted me of Kentucky Football’s official account posting emojis from Spring practice Friday morning, my first thought was, “Too soon.” But is it?
The video that accompanied a rocketship and football icons was that of new Wildcat quarterback, Brock Vandagriff, hurling, well, rockets to Dane Key inside the Nutter Fieldhouse.
That isn’t the only football footage from the first week of Kentucky spring practice. We also saw snippets of Barion Brown and Fred Farrier catching passes from the team’s new QB1. The ‘Cats will strap on the shoulder pads today for the third day of Spring Practice.
Kentucky baseball beats Missouri 9-4 in extra innings
The Bat Cats of Kentucky baseball scored six runs in the top of the 11th inning to hold off Missouri 9-4 in extra innings Friday night to start the weekend road series right. After totaling just six hits and three runs through the first 10 innings of play, the Wildcat offense exploded for six runs and four hits in the second frame of bonus baseball.
Mitchell Daly continued his impressive veteran play, going 2-4 at the plate with three RBI. Emilien Pitre notched just one hit, but his two-run double in the 11th wrapped up the victory for Kentucky.
Along with totaling at least nine runs and nine hits for the seventh consecutive game, the Cats increased their win streak to seven games. Kentucky improved to 19-3 (4-0) on the season with the win.
The first pitch of Game 2 is today at 4:00 p.m. EST.
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