KSR Today: Louisville Game Eve, Tennessee Tech Week, Monster Blocks, and More

I want to start today’s Monday rundown with a shoutout to Kentucky Volleyball’s win over Tennessee on Sunday because I was there, part of the record-setting crowd inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. The match was completely sold out, with 6,236 fans packed into the gym, forming the largest home volleyball crowd in Lexington since 1983 and just the third ever to top 6,000.

6️⃣,2️⃣3️⃣6️⃣❕❕❕❕❕

THANK YOU, #BBN!!!!! The most since 1983! We couldn’t have done it tonight without you!💙💙💙#WeAreUK x #BBN pic.twitter.com/TM7C928eFk

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) November 10, 2025

Lines wrapped around the block an hour before the first serve, as I enjoyed my Tacos Tapatio at El Mariachi next door. Once the crowd moved inside, it filled every corner of the Blue Out for a battle of ranked SEC teams.

HMC (that’s what they’re calling Memorial now) was electric from start to finish. Great music from the DJ, whose name I didn’t catch, and volleyball fan traditions new to me, like singing “Monster Block,” a song that will stick in my head until at least Thursday.

As for the actual volleyball, the No. 3 Wildcats beat No. 19 Tennessee in four sets (22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-18) to stay perfect in SEC play. The Vols struck first with a surprise comeback in the first set, but the Wildcats took the next three for a 17th straight win.

Now, we look ahead to what’s next…

Tennessee Tech and Senior Day up next for Kentucky Football

After winning two in a row, Kentucky Football will play one more at home on Saturday afternoon with Senior Day at Kroger Field, hosting undefeated Tennessee Tech out of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Golden Eagles come to Lexington with a perfect 10-0 record, so the Wildcats can’t overlook the last FCS opponent on the schedule. Tennessee Tech averages 45.2 points per game, the best mark in the country at that level. With a defense ranked fourth, it’s the hardest FCS team Kentucky could play.

For Kentucky, it’s about finishing strong for the home crowd, saying goodbye to the seniors, and building on back-to-back wins before two road trips to end the year. Saturday’s kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.

Monday with Mark Stoops

Expect a good mood from Mark Stoops in his two Monday speaking engagements, a weekly tradition during the season. First, Stoops will invite questions from the media in his usual Monday press conference. Then, he will hear from the fans during his one-hour call-in show with Tom Leach. Catch that at 6 p.m. on the UK Sports Network.

New KSR Football Podcast at 2 p.m.

It’ll be another celebratory episode when the KSR Football Podcast crew goes live later today. The live stream will begin in its usual 2 p.m. time slot over on KSR’s YouTube channel, with thoughts on Kentucky’s win over Florida from Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, Van Hiles, and me. Tune in for a second straight show after a Kentucky win. It should be a good time.

The Kentucky-Louisville basketball game is tomorrow

The Battle for the Bluegrass has a new spot on the basketball schedule, and nobody likes it. Kentucky and Louisville will face off in the second week of the season, with the heated rivalry game tipping off Tuesday night at 8 p.m. inside the KFC Yum! Center. It may feel too early for a game of this magnitude, but the animosity between the two fan bases doesn’t need time to build. Like it or not, it’s on tomorrow night. No waiting around. Mark Pope’s first road trip to play the Cards behind enemy lines is almost here.

Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh to preview the Louisville trip

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s game, Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh will hold a Monday press conference to preview the trip to Louisville. Chandler and Oweh are two of Mark Pope’s returners from a year ago, so they’ve already tasted the rivalry, even though Chandler did not play in last year’s game. Oweh did. He scored 17 points in the 93-85 win. KSR will share the replay and quotes from Monday’s conversation around lunchtime today.

Mark Pope dodged jury duty

Good news for Mark Pope: jury duty won’t get in the way of his first trip to Louisville. Pope called in last night to learn his service schedule for the week, only to hear via an automated message that he will not be needed in Fayette County Circuit Court.

First jury service check-in ✅

Now we're on to rivalry week 😼 pic.twitter.com/oqs9vcRuvN

— Mark Pope (@CoachMarkPope) November 10, 2025

Mark Pope will NOT have jury duty on Monday or Tuesday: ‘Let’s go beat the Cards.’

Kentucky WBB wins at Buffalo

Kentucky Women’s Basketball improved to 3–0 in the new season with a dominant 81–47 win at Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Playing in her homecoming game, Buffalo native Clara Strack led the way with 27 points and 12 rebounds in another double-double performance, her second, while Teonni Key added 17 points and 12 boards of her own to help the Cats control the paint.

Kentucky shot 46% from the field and outscored the Bulls 44–22 in the paint while forcing 23 turnovers. The Wildcats led wire to wire, with a 20-point cushion by halftime and cruising through the second half for their third straight win to start the season.

KSR’s top takeaways from Kentucky’s 81-47 victory at Buffalo

UK Men’s Soccer won in PKs to stay alive

Kentucky Men’s Soccer survived a thriller on Sunday to keep its postseason run alive, advancing past Coastal Carolina in a 0-0 draw that came down to penalty kicks, where the Wildcats won 6-5. Kentucky will host UCF in the Sun Belt semifinals on Wednesday.

Relive the Cats' penalty shootout win over Coastal Carolina to advance to the Sun Belt semifinal!! ⚽️🎞️#WeAreUK | #GBED pic.twitter.com/DGuzjRbVFK

— Kentucky Men’s Soccer (@UKMensSoccer) November 10, 2025

College basketball that you can watch tonight

There’s a full college basketball slate for your Monday evening viewing, featuring three top-25 teams and two from the SEC. First, No. 4 UConn hosts Columbia at 6:30 p.m. on FS1. As that one ends, turn to Mississippi State versus No. 16 Iowa State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, airing at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. The nightcap is No. 12 UCLA, led by Donovan Dent, against West Georgia at 10 p.m. on B1G+, if you have it.

Or, there’s a great Monday Night Football game between the Packers and Eagles in Green Bay.

KSR is live from the iHeart studio today, and Bearno’s tomorrow

Today’s KSR show will broadcast from behind closed doors today, but you can find the crew for the annual show at Bearno’s in New Albany, Indiana, to preview the Kentucky-Louisville game.