KSR Today: Mark Pope, Thurby, and the Commonwealth Cup

Good morning, folks! And a Happy Thurby to all who celebrate. But before we talk about the ponies, we’re opening today’s morning post with Mark Pope‘s nearly 30-minute-long interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. It was the first long conversation Pope has had with the media since the season ended, and he did not disappoint with his answers.

Pope touched on nearly every player that will suit up for Kentucky in 2025-26, including Otega Oweh, who continues to go through the NBA Draft process but is ultimately expected to return. He had high praise for the likes of Jayden Quaintance and Brandon Garrison, in particular, and mentioned how he’s still looking to fill out some of the remaining roster spots.

Dive into everything Pope had to say below.

• Mark Pope: “A lot of (Otega Oweh’s) heart is back here at Kentucky.”
• Mark Pope is ‘scouring the planet’ for Kentucky roster additions: “We need to add a couple more.”
• Mark Pope expects returning players to take a ‘massive leap’, says Brandon Garrison can be a ‘superstar’
• Mark Pope on Jayden Quaintance, “a hulking mass of physicality,” and when he’ll return to the court
• Mark Pope excited to ‘unleash’ Jaland Lowe at Kentucky: “He’s got a complete package”
• Sources Say goes LIVE to talk Otega Oweh and new potential roster additions

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Georgia Amoore suffers ACL injury

Former Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore, who was taken 6th overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics back on April 14, went down during Tuesday’s practice with what the franchise is calling a “right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury”. The Mystics only started practicing on Sunday and held their Media Day on Monday. There is no indication of how severe the injury is, nor is there a current timeline for her recovery.

“Amoore and the team will examine treatment and rehabilitation options and provide an update as appropriate,” the Mystics wrote in a press release.

Just brutal, brutal news to someone who quickly became a fan favorite during her lone season in Lexington.

Thurby at Churchill Downs

The 12th annual Thurby has arrived, a primer for the main events this weekend at Churchill Downs. We’ve got 12 races on the card today, which include some possible candidates for the 2026 Derby.

Gates open at 10:30 a.m. with the first race going off at 12:45 p.m. The weather is still looking questionable, so prepare accordingly. If you happen to see Nick Roush at any point, tell him I said hello. Tickets for Thurby are still on sale if you’re willing to cough up some coin.

• Race 1 – 12:45 p.m.
• Race 2 – 1:15 p.m.
• Race 3 – 1:45 p.m.
• Race 4 – 2:17 p.m.
• Race 5 – 2:52 p.m.
• Race 6 – 3:27 p.m.
• Race 7 – 4:03 p.m.
• Race 8 – 4:38 p.m.
• Race 9 – 5:13 p.m.
• Race 10 – 5:47 p.m.
• Race 11 – 6:18 p.m.
• Race 12 – 6:47 p.m.

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TBT Home Court Advantage

You, members of the Big Blue Nation, can be the reason La Familia has home court advantage throughout this year’s The Basketball Tournament. The players need your help with ticket sales to make it happen. And you don’t want to disappoint the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein, DeAndre Liggins, and Doron Lamb — who will all suit up for La Familia — right?

Pre-sale tickets will be available in Lexington starting Friday before opening to the general public on May 6 at 10 AM ET. It will be a race to 4K tickets among all 10 possible host teams, with the top eight being ranked based on how quickly they reach that mark. Lexington (Memorial Coliseum) and Louisville (Freedom Hall) are among those 10 host sites. The fastest team to sell 4,000 tickets will receive home court advantage for the entirety of the event.

[TBT TICKETS]

Debut of the Commonwealth Cup

It’s Derby Week in Louisville, and while most eyes are glued to the track at Churchill Downs, there’s a new tradition kicking off just down the road at Lynn Family Stadium. Louisville City FC hosts Lexington Sporting Club tonight in the first leg of the Commonwealth Cup — the latest chapter in Kentucky’s I-64 rivalry. LouCity is the established powerhouse, while Lexington SC is the newcomer to the league. Tickets start as low as $13.

• $10 general admission tickets with a Pegasus Pin
• $2 beers and sodas during happy hour
• Kickoff at 8:00 p.m.
• Stadium gates open at 6:30

Softball begins road series vs. No. 3 Texas

It hasn’t been the best 2025 campaign for Rachel Lawson and the Kentucky softball program (29-22; 7-14 SEC), but the Wildcats can finish the regular season strong this weekend in Austin, TX. UK will be on the road for a three-game series against No. 3 Texas, which begins tonight and runs through Saturday. After that, it’ll be time for all 15 teams to meet in Athens, GA, for the SEC Tournament from May 6-10.

• G1 (Thursday): 7:00 p.m. ET
• G2 (Friday): 7:00 p.m. ET
• G3 (Saturday): 2:00 p.m. ET (SEC Network)

Lakers eliminated, Rockets survive

The Los Angeles Lakers’ season came to an end last night. Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves closed out the Lakers in LA by a final score of 103-96, winning the series 4-1. Randle finished with 23 points (8-16 FG), five rebounds, and four assists in a game Minnesota controlled from start to finish.

The Wolves advance to face the winner of Rockets-Warriors (which was extended another game after Houston blew out Golden State last night) in the next round. An offseason of questions surrounding Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and the Lakers now begins. But in the meantime, we have some excellent Game 6s on tap for tonight.

Eastern Conference First Round | Game 6 | NYK leads 3-2
7:30 (TNT) | (3) Knicks (Towns) @ (6) Pistons

Western Conference First Round | Game 6 | DEN leads 3-2
10:00 (TNT) | (4) Nuggets (Murray) @ (5) Clippers