KSR Today: Kentucky Exhibition No. 2 Headlines Super Sports Thursday
The weekend is starting early for the Big Blue Nation. This is not just a sports appetizer. It’s a slab of ribs on a three-meat barbecue platter. The headline for the Super Sports Thursday is the second exhibition of the 2023-24 Kentucky basketball season.
Kentucky State will make the short trek from Frankfort for tonight’s 7 pm tip-off at Rupp Arena. The action will be streamed on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ with Darren Headrick and Cameron Mills on the call. If you can’t access the action from home, you can watch all of it unfold at KSBar or follow along on KSBoard. The KSR Pregame Show tips things off at KSBar beginning at 4:30 pm where tonight Commonwealth Causes is giving away $500 to one lucky customer.
The game against the Thorobreds is the third edition of Kentucky’s “Unity Series.” Lexington leader P.G. Peebles and Hall of Famer coach George Raveling will be honored during the contest against the Commonwealth’s HBCU. The two spoke to both teams Wednesday night where Raveling shared his history with a basketball icon who recently passed away, Bob Knight.
Knight was a three-time National Champion as the head coach at Indiana and one of only three to ever win a title as a player and a coach. The leader of the Hoosiers was one of the Big Blue Nation’s greatest villains. He ended his career with more wins than any other college basketball coach. A cantankerous individual, Knight and Indiana publicly made amends before he was gripped by Alzheimer’s, ultimately succumbing yesterday at age 83. RIP.
Will Levis in Primetime
This is a two-screen kind of night for Kentucky fans. When the second half of the exhibition game resumes, Will Levis will step into the primetime NFL spotlight around 8:15 pm. After a four-touchdown debut, the former Kentucky quarterback makes his first road trip into hostile territory. T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense will make it an uncomfortable visit to Acrisure Stadium Heinz Field.
The Steelers are 2.5-point favorites in a game with a total of 36.5 points on FanDuel. A few other intriguing odds for Kentucky fans:
- Levis Anytime Touchdown: +650
- Levis Passing Yards: O 204.5 -113
- Levis Passing TDs: O 1.5 +215
- Levis Rushing Yards: O10.5 -113
Get in on the action with our partners at FanDuel Sportsbook. Head to FanDuel.com/kysports. New customers get $150 in BONUS BETS with any winning $5 moneyline bet.
Three College Football Games
In addition to the exciting NFL action on Amazon Prime Video, there’s a HUGE college football rivalry game in the Sun Belt. Troy (-4.5) hosts South Alabama as the 6-2 Trojans look to take a commanding lead of the western division in Jon Sumrall’s second season at the helm of the program. Kickoff is at 7:30 pm on ESPN2. If you need more juice, there’s also a pair of Power Five football games on the slate.
- TCU (+3) at Texas Tech, 7:00, FS1
- Wake Forest (+12.5) at Duke, 7:30, ESPN
Texas Rangers win the World Series
For the first time in franchise history, the Texas Rangers are champions of the world. It was 1-0 at the start of the ninth inning when the Rangers exploded for four runs, putting the game out of reach to clinch the World Series in Phoenix. The victory improved their postseason record to 11-0 on the road, a first in Major League Baseball history.
Kentucky Women’s Basketball gets Exhibition Win
Kentucky Sports Radio was cut short yesterday by Kyra Elzy’s Cats. The Wildcat women’s basketball team opened its doors to a midday crowd at Rupp Arena, inviting children from across Central Kentucky for their only exhibition of the preseason. Four Wildcats scored in double figures, led by 20 points from Ajae Petty, en route to an 88-71 victory over Kentucky State.
Kentucky Football Prepares for Mississippi State
The Cats are in the middle of a three-game skid. One common theme from the losing streak: not great defense. Opponents averaged 42 points per game against the Cats in October. Not great Bob. Brad White shared the message to his Kentucky defense ahead of a road trip to Starkville.
“It’s about getting up, putting one foot in front of the other, staying confident and playing ball,” the Kentucky defensive coordinator said Tuesday. “It’s not just going to happen. It just doesn’t. You’re not going to jump to a couple more wins just like that. It starts with one. You don’t get two wins before you get one. You don’t get two three-and-outs before you get the first one. We just have to get back to playing it drive by drive. Don’t think about anything else but that drive.”
Adam Luckett and I handicapped the Cats’ chances at bouncing back in an episode of 11 Personnel that started with plenty of technical difficulties. Enjoy a vintage KSR performance.
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