KSR Today: Game 7, MTEs, FB recruiting and the Cats head to Laurel County

Happy Friday, folks! Hopefully you guys are enjoying the turn of the weather as the sun shines brighter and the temperature rises in Kentucky (or wherever you’re reading this). It’s certainly starting to feel like summer out there — and the best part is we still have plenty to talk about before we really hit the dog days waiting for football and basketball seasons to roll around. Between the NBA Finals, major recruiting updates and camps for Mark Pope and the Cats, along with summer practice starting this past week, prepare for content overload until there is no more content to overload you.

For now, here is what you’ll be talking about today at the water cooler.

Game 7 it is!

For the first time since 2016, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. With Tyrese Haliburton playing through a strained calf and risking catastrophic, career-altering injury, the Indiana Pacers were able to cruise to a 108-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday — a game that wasn’t ever particularly close, thanks to a plus-19 second quarter to enter halftime up 64-42.

Obi Toppin led the Pacers with 20 points and six rebounds, followed by Andrew Nembhard with 17 and Pascal Siakam with 16. Haliburton added 14 points on 5-12 shooting with five assists, two steals and one rebound.

As for the former Cats on the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went for 21 points on 7-15 shooting and 7-8 from the line with four rebounds, two assists and eight turnovers in 31 minutes. Cason Wallace added two points on 1-4 shooting off the bench with three rebounds and one steal.

The winner-take-all Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday, June 22 at 8 PM ET in Oklahoma City, live on ABC.

Valparaiso and Eastern Illinois are coming to Rupp

Has the non-conference schedule been finalized? Dates are filling up fast, the latest names added to the list being Valparaiso and Eastern Illinois as part of a Multi-Team Event (MTE) held once again inside Rupp Arena. Last year was the BBN Invitational. What will this one be called? TBD, but at least we have the opponents.

The non-conference schedule as we know it:

• Oct. 24 (Fri.): vs. Purdue | Rupp Arena (Exhibition)
• Oct. 30 (Thu.): vs. Georgetown | Rupp Arena (Exhibition)
• Nov. (TBA): vs. Valparaiso | Rupp Arena (MTE)
• Nov. (TBA): vs. Eastern Illinois | Rupp Arena (MTE)
• Nov. 11 (Tue.): at Louisville | Yum Center (Louisville, KY)
• Nov. 18 (Tue.): vs. Michigan State | Champions Classic | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
• Nov. 21 (Fri.): vs. Loyola University Maryland | Rupp Arena
• Nov. 26 (Wed.): vs. Tennessee Tech | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 2 (Tue.): North Carolina | SEC/ACC Challenge | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 5 (Fri.): vs. Gonzaga | Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
• Dec. 7 (Sun.): vs. Southern | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 9 (Tue.): vs. NC Central | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 13 (Sat.): vs. Indiana | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 20 (Sat.): vs. St. John’s | CBS Sports Classic | State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA)
• Dec. 23 (Tue.): vs. Bellarmine | Rupp Arena

UK MBB heads to Laurel and Russell Counties

Speaking of men’s basketball, the Wildcats are headed to Laurel and Russell Counties over the next two days, starting with North Laurel High School for the team’s first satellite camp, scheduled for Friday from 5-7:30 p.m. ET.

From there, they’ll head to Russell County High School on Saturday for satellite camp No. 2, slated to run from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET.

The first camp is completely sold out while waitlist spots remain for the latter right here.

Kentucky has another scheduled for the Town & Country Sport Complex in Wilder, Kentucky on June 28 from 9:30 a.m – 12:30 p.m. ET. Spots are still available for purchase here.

4-star OT Jarvis Strickland decommits from Kentucky

After a run of excellent recruiting news for the football program, Mark Stoops and company were hit with their first real loss of the cycle, losing Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman offensive tackle Jarvis Strickland — the first player commit for UK in 2026 in March backing away from his pledge less than three months later. A four-star prospect and ranked No. 2 in Kentucky, he decommitted on Thursday, likely thanks to Vince Marrow flexing his muscles a bit with Louisville expected to be a major player.

The Cardinals now have six in-state commitments while the Wildcats are down to zero.

Official visitors at the Joe Craft Football Facility

Have no fear, though, because SirPaul “Jesus In Cleats” Cheeks is here! Well, he’s not committed yet, but he did just wrap up an official visit to Lexington — along with three other prospects between June 17-19.

That group includes: IOL Da’Ron Parks (3-Star, No. 431 overall), DL Garrett Witherington (3-star, No. 949 overall), RB SirPaul Cheeks (3-Star, No. 1,159 overall) and TE Ben Moseley (3-Star).

As they leave, another group comes in starting Friday, including: CB Jaedyn Terry (4-Star, No. 345 overall), IOL Tyreek Jemison (3-Star, No. 660 overall), DL Ben Duncum (3-Star), CB Kosci Barnes (3-Star) and DL Walt Frazier (3-star).

Kentucky has been adding commitments left and right in June. Who will be next?

Football Q&A on KSBoard

Don’t let me be the one to give you those answers — KSR’s Nick Roush and Adam Luckett will be doing it all day in a member-exclusive Q&A on KSBoard starting at 12 p.m. ET.

Maybe the biggest name to watch? 4-star QB Matt Ponatoski, who looked like a star out West at the Elite 11 Finals. He was a top performer at the event, and now, the Wildcats could be on the cusp of a commitment.

“Matt Ponatoski made a strong case as the most accurate quarterback on Day 1 at the Elite 11 Finals,” On3’s Charles Power said of the major UK target. “Few, if any, were more consistent on a throw-to-throw basis on Tuesday evening. Ponatoski delivered well-placed, timely passes all night. The dual sport star made it look easy. He showed excellent touch on tight window throws on the goal line. We loved the location of his back shoulder passes. Ponatoski was buttoned up mechanically and showed quick footwork. The physical tools may not overwhelm relative to some others, but the skill and feel were apparent.”

The KSR crew will give you the latest there — and everything else you need to know about Kentucky’s recruiting efforts.

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