KSR Today: Kentucky baseball takes on South Carolina
The show goes on in Hoover for Kentucky baseball after pulling off a big win over Arkansas to stay alive on Thursday. What’s next? We’ve got you covered in what is certain to be another busy day here at KSR headquarters ahead of the weekend.
Baseball and landmark NCAA decisions. What more could you ever ask for in late May? Let’s get rolling.
Bat Cats take on Cocks
It’ll be another win-or-go-home matchup for Nick Mingione and the Bat Cats in Hoover, this time with a spot in the SEC Tournament semifinals on the line. No. 3 seed Kentucky is set to take on No. 10 seed South Carolina on Friday at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT after pulling off the 9-6 victory over No. 2 seed Arkansas on Thursday.
With a win, the Bat Cats would advance to the conference tournament semis for the fifth time in program history (2022, 2014, 2012, 1996) and the third time in the modern 12-team format, which began in 2013.
As for USC, they match up against UK after taking an 11-10 loss to LSU on Thursday, the Cocks’ first loss after leading through eight innings this season after winning the previous 23. The two previously met in late April, South Carolina handing Kentucky its second series loss of the season, one that ultimately cost the Cats an outright SEC Regular Season Championship.
Now, UK can get its revenge by sending USC home in Hoover, first pitch set for 4ET on SEC Network.
Nick Mingione previews USC
How did the big-time win over Arkansas come together on Thursday? Ryan Waldschmidt led the way with a game-opening run in the first to make it 1-0, followed by home runs in the fifth and seventh innings to finish 2-4 with two home runs and three RBI — he was the MVP of Kentucky’s 9-6 victory. Limiting 2024 SEC Pitcher of the Year Hagen Smith was huge, too, certainly after a no-show from the offense in the tournament opener on Wednesday.
“We challenged them, and this team has done what it’s done all year. Every time we challenge them, they respond. … This is a tough tournament to win, as you know,” Mingione said afterward. “It is a challenge. But you do want to feel good about your team and you do want to be clicking on all cylinders. Quite frankly sometimes you’re going to face an opponent and an arm that just shut you down and you don’t do as well as you’d like.
“But there’s no question that you want to feel good about your team heading into next week and this is a great opportunity to do that.”
NCAA agrees to pay players
How about a landmark decision by the NCAA and Power 5 conferences on Thursday, one that will change the future of collegiate athletics forever? An agreement has been reached to allow schools to pay payers directly, moving forward with a $2.7 billion settlement to pay past and current student-athletes dating back a decade. A revenue-sharing plan has also been agreed upon that will allow schools to share $20 million per year with student-athletes.
“The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a joint statement with all five Power 5 commissioners on Thursday. “This settlement is also a road map for college sports leaders and Congress to ensure this uniquely American institution can continue to provide unmatched opportunity for millions of students.
“All of Division I made today’s progress possible, and we all have work to do to implement the terms of the agreement as the legal process continues. We look forward to working with our various student-athlete leadership groups to write the next chapter of college sports.”
KSR’s Adam Luckett laid out the landscape-altering agreement and what it means moving forward perfectly in a site post Thursday evening, noting simply “the amateurism model is officially dead with this move.”
A new era of collegiate athletics is here.
Celtics blow out Pacers to go up 2-0 in ECF
After an all-time choke job down the stretch that would make Reggie Miller shudder in game one, the Pacers crumbled in the second half of game two in Boston, falling to the Celtics 126-110 with Jaylen Brown going for a career playoff-high 40 points on 14-27 shooting. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum added 23 points apiece while Jrue Holiday went for 15 points and 10 assists, Payton Pritchard rounding out double-figure scorers with 12.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 28 points and five boards, followed by Andrew Nembhard with 16 and Obi Toppin with 11 off the bench while star Tyrese Haliburton left the game early with a hamstring injury after scoring 10 points to go with eight assists in 28 minutes. Former Cat Isaiah Jackson finished with three points on 1-3 shooting with five rebounds in 17 minutes of action while G-League Rookie of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe was inactive on the bench.
The series now heads to Indianapolis in a pivotal Game 3 matchup on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Can KAT tie the series vs. PJ Washington?
It was a tough loss for the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals opener on Wednesday, going up 102-98 with just over three minutes to go before allowing an 8-0 run down the stretch to hand over the 108-105 win to the Mavericks. Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 and seven in the losing effort while PJ Washington went for 13 and seven in the win for Dallas.
How will things go in the follow-up? We’ll find out tonight when Minnesota hosts Dallas at 8:30 p.m. ET with the game broadcast live on TNT. It’s a big one for the Wolves before the series heads down to Texas.
Wheel Of Fortune (After Dark)
Of all of the wrong answers in the history of Wheel Of Fortune, last night may have been the most bizarre — and it came just two weeks before Pat Sajak’s final show as host after 41 seasons.
With just five letters on the board, one contestant swung for the fences with an emphatic “RIGHT IN THE BUTT!” answer, leading to an equally emphatic “no” from Sajak.
Instead, the correct answer was “This is the best!”
Missed it by that much.
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