KSR Today: Kentucky baseball awaits NCAA fate, basketball awaits stay-or-go decisions
Hopefully, you are out in the sun near a body of water on this beautiful Memorial Day weekend enjoying the best poolside or lakeside snacks and grilling up something delicious. Maybe a drink or two as well to briefly forget about the fact that Kentucky only has seven scholarship players on its basketball roster for the upcoming season.
It is National Hamburger Day, so even if you aren’t firing up the charcoal or propane, celebrate this uniquely American holiday with your favorite burger. If anyone winds up with an extra, I could use one as well. I’ll be right here.
Alright, let’s get to the news.
Kentucky basketball roster is still in wait-and-see mode
With the NBA combine complete, players are assessing their draft status and have moved to individual workouts and interviews. Cason Wallace has done more interviewing than working out, but the three Kentucky players who could potentially return, Oscar Tshiebwe, Antonio Reeves, and Chris Livingston have showcased their talents to any and all teams showing interest.
Oscar Tshiebwe
Boston Celtics (No. 35)
Houston Rockets (No. 4, No. 20)
Milwaukee Bucks (No. 58)
Sacramento Kings (No. 24, No. 38, No. 54)
Chris Livingston
Boston Celtics (No. 35)
Los Angeles Lakers (No. 17, No. 47)
Antonio Reeves
Atlanta Hawks (No. 15, No. 46)
Utah Jazz (No. 9, No. 16, No. 28)
With the deadline for draft withdrawal quickly approaching on May 31, Big Blue Nation is just a few days away from ending the speculation and simply knowing which of the three (if any) will return to Lexington for another season. If they all remain in the draft, Calipari is going to have to cook up some players in a hurry, or else he’ll be picking up mounties to fill out a full team when Kentucky takes the court in a slate of Canadian exhibition games in less than six weeks.
Kentucky baseball awaits their NCAA Tournament fate
The Bat ‘Cats are just one day away from knowing their NCAA Tournament path, as the full field will be released on Memorial Day. D1 Baseball projects Kentucky will receive the No. 13 seed and earn hosting duties in a Lexington regional.
Nick Mingione’s squad finished the season 36-18 after Alabama bounced them from the SEC Tournament in the first round. However, they are just one of six teams who have played at least 30 Quad-1 games and made it out with a winning record (18-16).
The 16 regional sites for the tournament will be announced tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST through social media (@NCAABaseball) and on the ESPN Bottom Line. A full release will be distributed by the NCAA and posted on NCAA.com. The entire tournament selections and pairings will be announced on the NCAA Baseball selection show on ESPN2 at 12:00 p.m. EST tomorrow.
If your college baseball itch extends beyond Kentucky, you can catch Vanderbilt battle Texas A&M for the SEC tournament championship at 3:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat lose a Game-6 heartbreaker
Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat could potentially make NBA history, but not in the most ideal fashion. The Heat seized a 3-0 series lead but dropped two in a row to make the series 3-2. The Heat had the opportunity to finally close the door on the feisty Boston Celtics on Saturday at home but after coming back and taking the lead with three seconds left, Derrick White tipped in a Marcus Smart miss at the buzzer to win the game and force a Game 7.
150 times NBA teams have taken a 3-0 series lead and not a single one has ever coughed it up. The Heat will try to avoid being the first on Monday in Boston.
Bam Adebayo had a solid outing with 11 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, a block, and a steal, but he’ll have to step up even more if he wants to avoid being part of NBA history in a less-than-ideal way. Tyler Herro has been participating in pre-game workouts but isn’t quite ready for game action after breaking his hand in the first round.
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