KSR Today, presented by Jeff Ruby's: Finals Week, UCLA, Transfer Portal rumblings
Good morning, Big Blue Nation. Welcome to another week with only one basketball game — albeit a big one — and likely a lot of football news. Before we jump into it, let’s hear from our sponsor today, Jeff Ruby’s.
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As someone who is going to Jeff Ruby’s on Friday, I’m going to take advantage of that deal right now. While I do that, you check out today’s rundown.
It’s Finals Week at UK
Kentucky notched its seventh win of the season Saturday, beating Yale 69-59. Oscar Tshiebwe saved the day for the Cats, putting up 28 points and 12 rebounds in his most dominant performance yet this season. On one hand, it was good to see Oscar take over a game like that; on the other, the fact that he had to take over against a team like Yale that was without its best player is concerning. Kentucky’s offense is clearly still a work in progress. Cason Wallace, Antonio Reeves, and CJ Fredrick were a combined 5-13 compared to Sahvir Wheeler‘s 5-14. Part of that is due to Yale’s style of play, but the Cats’ backcourt simply has to take more shots. Oscar can’t save the day every day.
Saturday’s game vs. UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic looms on the horizon. With finals starting today, John Calipari gave his team a few days off before they start preparing for the No. 19 Bruins.
“They’ve got three days off because we’ve been traveling all over the world — I can say that literally. They’ve got the rest of today off, they’ve got Sunday off, and they’ve got Monday off. They’re preparing for finals. We’ll practice in a two-hour slot every day, probably at 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. every day so you get your work in and then go to finals.
“We leave on Thursday after finals to go to New York. We’ll be there Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and come back here. I think we have another game and then they go home for Christmas for four days.”
We’ll hear from John Calipari tonight
How does Calipari feel about his squad after watching the tape? Tune into his radio show at 6 p.m. on 630 WLAP or iHeart Radio to find out.
New AP/Coaches Polls drop
Around lunch, we’ll find out where the Cats land in the new AP and Coaches Polls. Currently, Kentucky is No. 16 in each. UCLA is No. 19 in the AP Poll and tied for No. 18 in the Coaches Poll. The Bruins won their only game of the week, beating Denver 87-64.
Transfer Portal Watch
If you’ve been offline since Friday, there still is no official announcement that Liam Coen is returning to Lexington, although all reports suggest it’s just a mere formality at this point. On Friday afternoon, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said he expects Coen to finish the season with the team, but Chris Mortensen’s report that the move is happening is likely enough to appease recruits and prospects in the transfer portal.
We could hear from one of those transfer portal prospects soon. Vanderbilt running back Re’Mahn “Ray” Davis tweeted on Saturday that his decision is “coming soon.” The 1,000-yard rusher is considered the No. 57 overall player in the On3 Transfer Portal Player Rankings and the fifth-highest-rated running back. Kentucky is considered a favorite for his services. Elsewhere in the portal, quarterback target Graham Mertz visited Florida over the weekend, while the Cats hosted Cincinnati cornerback JQ Hardaway. Kentucky also offered Penn State defensive end Davon Townley Jr. and remain in hot pursuit of Northern Illinois offensive lineman Marques Cox.
On the high school recruiting front, it was another big weekend as the staff hosted recruits on the second to last weekend before Early Signing Day. Tight end Khamari Anderson, linebacker Asa Newsom, cornerback CJ Blocker, EDGE Rico Walker, and safety Rahmir Stewart are among the prospects in town. Current Cat Zion Childress took to Twitter to ask the BBN for help in bringing Blocker, his former high school teammate, to Lexington.
Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard put on a show in PBP Classic
John Calipari and Orlando Antigua were in Louisville yesterday to watch Justin Edwards and Reed Sheppard in the Play-by-Play Classic at Freedom Hall. Edwards’ Imhotep beat North Laurel 59-54 and both future Cats were named MVP. Sheppard finished with 14 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds, while Edwards put up 15 points and 12 rebounds. We’ll have more coverage of the event throughout the day, but you can start by watching Jack Pilgrim and Zack Geoghegan break it down courtside.
Yellowstone, Season 5, Episode 6 Recap
If you’re like me and spent your Sunday night watching the season finale of The White Lotus, you’ll spend your Monday night catching up on Yellowstone. If you don’t have that kind of time, our friends over at Outsider have a recap for you. I’m going to drop this link here quickly before I get spoiled on what happened on the Dutton ranch.
I’m sure The White Lotus will be a big topic of discussion on today’s show, but count me among those who thought season two was better than season one. Bravo, Mike White (the show’s creator, not the Georgia basketball coach).
College Basketball on TV today
Monday Night Football is Patriots vs. the Cardinals (7:15 p.m. ESPN). If you’d rather watch basketball, there are four Top 25 games tonight. No. 2 Texas and No. 18 Gonzaga will both be in action. If you watched CBS at all this weekend, you know that the Zags host No. 8 Alabama on Saturday right before the first game of the CBS Sports Classic.
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | TV |
| 8:00 PM | Rice | 2 Texas | LHN |
| 9:00 PM | N. Illinois | 18 Gonzaga | ROT+ |
| 9:00 PM | 21 Creighton | Arizona St. | FS1 |
| 10:00 PM | Kennesaw St. | 22 San Diego St | 10:00 pm |
Get well soon, Mike Leach
Yesterday, Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach was rushed to a hospital after suffering a “personal health issue” at home. There aren’t many details on his condition other than it is very serious. Social media has been flooded with support for the Pirate, one of the most colorful characters in college football. Join me in sending your thoughts, prayers, good vibes, etc. to him and his family today.
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