KSR Today: Looking ahead to Alabama; WBB travels to Athens
Good morning, folks! In two days, Kentucky men’s basketball will be in Tuscaloosa to take on No. 7 Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. Kentucky is coming off a must-have win over LSU earlier this week, pushing the team into a mini two-game winning streak.
The good vibes are certainly on the rise, but the ‘Cats are still missing a statement victory — beating Alabama on the road would certainly change that.
We won’t hear from any of the UK coaches or players today, but we do expect to speak with an assistant coach sometime on Friday to preview the Crimson Tide. Alabama features one of the best freshmen in the entire country, Brandon Miller, and currently holds a 70.4 percent chance to beat the ‘Cats, per ESPN’s Matchup Predictor.
We’ll have much more on that matchup over the next 48 hours. Now let’s dive into the headlines for today.
Kentucky FB early enrollees arriving on campus
With classes at UK ramping back up next week, the latest batch of early enrollees is making their way onto campus.
On Tuesday Koby Keenum and Ty Bryant became two of the first incoming high school recruits to move their belongings into the dorms at the University of Kentucky. The offensive lineman from Alabama will room with the state champion from Frederick Douglass High School.
Classes begin in Lexington Monday, Jan. 9. Incoming players can be enrolled for the spring semester as late as Jan. 13. Here is a list of Kentucky’s high school early enrollees.
- TE Khamari Anderson
- WR Anthony Brown
- DB Ty Bryant
- IOL Koby Keenum
- TE Tanner Lemaster
- OL Malachi Wood
- DL Tommy Ziesmer
Also expected on campus this week are the incoming transfers for the 2023 season. Here is who’s expected in Lexington over the next couple of days.
- IOL Tanner Bowles (Alabama)
- LT Marques Cox (Northern Illinois)
- RB Ray Davis (Vanderbilt)
- CB Jantzen Dunn (Ohio State)
- CB JQ Hardaway (Cincinnati)
- QB Devin Leary (NC State)
Kentucky WBB travels to Athens
Kyra Elzy’s group could use some serious positive momentum at this point in the season. Kentucky women’s basketball (8-6; 0-2 SEC) has lost five of its last six outings and both games against SEC opponents heading into Thursday night’s road matchup against Georgia.
Kentucky’s most recent loss was a 21-point defeat at the hands of a ranked Arkansas program in Memorial Coliseum. The ‘Cats were without leading scorer Robyn Benton due to injury, and her status for tonight’s game is still uncertain. Georgia is coming off a valiant effort against No. 1 South Carolina earlier this week that saw the Bulldogs lead at halftime before the Gamecocks mounted a comeback.
UK and UGA will meet for the 61st time in the all-time series, with the Wildcats winning eight of the last 10 meetings against the Lady Bulldogs, including four of the last five. The ‘Cats have also won the last four meetings in Stegeman Coliseum.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.
Oscar makes Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List
Big O is looking for a repeat.
On Wednesday night, it was announced on ESPN2 that Kentucky men’s basketball senior center Oscar Tshiebwe has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List. Tshiebwe was the unanimous National Player of the Year during the 2021-22 season, collecting the Wooden Award in the process.
Through 12 games (10 starts) played in the 2022-23 season, the 6-foot-9 big man is averaging 16.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 61.1 percent from the field.
Over his last three games, Tshiebwe has been especially dominant against Missouri, Louisville, and LSU. The 23-year-old averaged 22.0 points, 16.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting an insane 76.7 percent from the floor during that span. His campaign for back-to-back national player of the year trophies is officially underway following Wednesday’s news.
Matt Jones talks UK and NIL
KSR’s Matt Jones spoke on the topic of NIL Wednesday morning on his radio show, explaining what changes must be made to ensure UK Athletics isn’t left behind in the new world of paying college students. In short, Kentucky football is fine and will continue to be regarding its star talent. If the help with collectives doesn’t improve, though — specifically involving coaches having greater opportunities to use their platforms to raise money — depth could take a serious hit.
Jones broke it all down in depth to open the second hour of KSR, discussing where things stand and what needs to change sooner rather than later. Take a look at the complete segment below:
Bryce Hopkins continues to shine
Bryce Hopkins is doing special things at Providence right now.
In a 27-point effort against No. 4 UConn last night, Hopkins was the brightest star on the floor in the Friars’ massive 73-61 upset win. The sophomore forward and former Kentucky Wildcat shot 6-12 overall from the floor (2-2 from deep) and 13-15 from the free throw line while chipping in five rebounds across 35 minutes played.
Through 16 games this season, Hopkins is looking like the early favorite for Big East Player of the Year. The Oak Park, IL product is averaging a near-double-double with 16.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG. In 28 games played for Kentucky last season, Hopkins averaged just 2.1 PPG and 1.4 RPG.
Duke lost to NC State by 24
College basketball is being extra weird this season, but when that weirdness involves Duke getting embarrassed, the entire country can get on board with it. The Blue Devils were run off the court in an 84-60 loss on the road to unranked NC State. The contest was never truly close either — NC State held a 44-22 halftime lead.
It could always be worse.
Happy Birthday to Tyler Ulis and Isaac Humphries!
A pair of former Kentucky Wildcats (well, technically one is a current Wildcat once again) celebrate birthdays today, Jan. 5: Tyler Ulis and Isaac Humphries, who turn 27 and 25 years old, respectively.
Ulis, who played under head coach John Calipari for two seasons from 2014-16, is back on the team, but this time as a student assistant coach. As for Humphries, he’s back playing professional hoops in his home country of Australia with Melbourne United. Let’s wish both a Happy Birthday!
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