KSR Today: Merry Christmas Eve!
To all those who celebrate, Merry Christmas Eve! For as long as I can remember, this has been my favorite day of the year. The anticipation is better than the actual event that unfolds the following day. Kitchens are busy, filled with aromas for dinner and baked goods for dessert. The Roush Family Christmas Eve Party is the event of the year, bringing together family and friends from all over to celebrate the season.
I wish I could be more poignant in my prose, but I’m not gonna lie, we’ve gone hard in the paint this holiday season. There are three children in my household under five. We’ve seen multiple Christmas light shows, attended two children’s Christmas programs, a Christmas concert, the Nutcracker, and saw Santa Claus on back-to-back days leading into Christmas Eve. Oh, and on top of that, we had a football coaching search, pre-transfer portal madness, and a basketball game on Tuesday.
Not only is this Christmas Eve full of anticipation, but there’s also a sense of relief for this middle-aged Dad. The finish line is in sight for a magical holiday season. Let’s relish it all and share a little bit of what’s happening around Big Blue Nation, starting with a win to close out non-conference play.
An Unforgettable Shooting Performance from Kam Williams
The Bellarmine basketball team is a formidable mid-major foe because of the way they play. The Knights are small in stature, but they’re fundamentally sound and force you to earn every bucket. Bellarmine dared Kentucky to shoot it over the top of the Knights’ multiple zone defenses. The Cats happily obliged.
Denzel Aberdeen hit two of his four three-pointers in the first ten minutes of the game to get the Cats going, then Kam Williams brought a couple of haymakers. The 6-foot-8 small forward who started his career at Tulane hit 8-10 three pointers to lead the Cats with 26 points. Williams hit just six threes in his first ten games as a Wildcat.
Only two Wildcats have hit more three-pointers in a game than Williams. Jodie Meeks had games with nine and ten, while Tony Delk sank nine against TCU back in 1996.
”Having my teammates have the confidence in me to go out there and make shots even when I am missing just makes me want to play harder,” Williams told reporters. “We have a great group of guys, and I cannot wait to go into SEC play.”
Kentucky shot 58.9% from the field in the 99-85 win over Bellarmine, including a season-high 16 makes on 30 three-point attempts.
Early Christmas Gifts for BBN
Williams wasn’t the only one who got to celebrate Christmas early. The Tuesday afternoon tipoff drew some of the most passionate fans from around Big Blue Nation, and many of them stuck around until after the game to hear from Mark Pope. Some were rewarded with t-shirts that included $100 cash gift certificates. Others received books commemorating Pope’s first season in Lexington. Everyone who stuck around and wanted something signed got to meet the Kentucky basketball team in a postgame autograph session.
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Light Work for a Couple of Kentucky Wildcats
It’s no secret that Kentucky has been dealing with injury issues since before the season started. Jayden Quaintance made his return against St. John’s, but Mark Pope took it easy on JQ against BU. Quaintance logged four points and two rebounds in only eight minutes of action. Brandon Garrison did not play in the second half after tweaking his knee. Jaland Lowe was sidelined as a precautionary measure.
“He had a little bit of soreness and just a little bit of pain,” Pope said after the win. “We just made the calculated decision to, you know, when he steps on the floor, I would like him to be at full strength. I think that’s going to be important for us going forward. I expect him to play every game, but this was an opportunity for us to maybe let him heal up a little more, especially with a break coming up now for a few days.”
More from the Kentucky Win over Bellarmine
5 Things You Need to Know from the Kentucky Win
Without Jaland Lowe, Jasper Johnson Stepped Up
Mark Pope’s Postgame Press Conference
Bellarmine Dared Kentucky to Shoot Threes, and It Worked (for the Cats)
Williams, Johnson, and Aberdeen Speak After the Win
Eye-Opening Stats from the Kentucky Win
Kam Williams Joined Elite Kentucky Basketball Company
Highlights from the Kentucky Win over Bellarmine
Western Kentucky Wins the New Orleans Bowl
Matt Jones made his play-by-play debut for ESPN Radio in the New Orleans Bowl and got a front-row seat to what was an exciting game in the Big Easy. “Exciting” doesn’t necessarily mean it was the cleanest game of football, but it featured plenty of twists and turns. Southern Miss led 13-6 at half, when the Tops needed to turn to a backup QB. Maverick McIvor responded by taking WKU down the field to deliver an equalizer. Southern Miss kicked a field goal to regain the lead, but the Top delivered in closing time with a 27-16 win.
Earlier in the day, Louisville pulled away in an eventful second half of the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans. Most Cardinal fans were more concerned about their head coach’s future. Jeff Brohm has been tied to the Michigan job. He commented about the vacancy after the game, but these words were much more interesting.
We only have one bowl game on the Christmas Eve slate. The Rainbow Warriors get a home game in the Hawaii Bowl against Cal (+1.5). Kickoff is at 8 PM ET on ESPN.
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