KSR Today: Oscar goes for the sweep, Baseball hosts No. 4 Louisville
Good morning, friends. Long time, no type. Well, four days at least, which feels like a lifetime to this blogger. Shoutout to the crew for holding down the fort while my husband, dog, and I enjoyed a weekend getaway to Asheville. It was lovely, and I’ll share more about it in a minute. First, I guess we have to address what happened last night.
Kansas beat North Carolina 72-69 to win its fourth national title. I could only stomach watching part of the first half, but based on all the recaps I’ve skimmed this morning, it was a hell of a game. North Carolina led by 16 with 2:23 before halftime; however, the Jayhawks would not be denied, storming out in the second to take a six-point lead with 10 minutes left, completing the biggest comeback in title game history. Just look at the win probability throughout the game:
Ochai Agbaji took home Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Bill Self has two title rings…for now. If you’re looking for any solace this morning, the Jayhawks’ NCAA investigation is still out there, so maybe this will all be for naught.
If you can bring yourself to watch it, here is One Shining Moment. As feared, Oscar Tshiebwe‘s tearful moments following the Saint Peter’s loss made the cut.
I’m going to offset that version of Oscar with this one because no one needs to start their Tuesday sad.
Speaking of Big O…
Oscar goes for the clean sweep
Before we totally close the book on the 2021-22 college basketball season, we’ve got one more item of business to attend to. Tonight on SportsCenter, the winner of the Wooden Award will be announced, the final National Player of the Year honor. Of course, you know that Oscar has won every POY award thus far. If he wins the Wooden Award as expected, he will be the first unanimous National Player of the Year in Kentucky Basketball history. Pretty incredible stuff. We’ll bring you the news if/when it happens. Until then, marvel at Oscar’s long list of accolades:
- Naismith Player of the Year
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
- USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy
- Associated Press Player of the Year
- NABC National Player of the Year
- NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year
- NCAA Consensus All-America First Team
- Wooden Award All-America Team
- USBWA First-Team All-America
- NABC First-Team All-America
- Associated Press First-Team All-America
- Sporting News First-Team All-America
- Wooden Award All-America Team
- NABC All-District 20 First Team
- Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (coaches/media)
- All-SEC First Team (coaches/media)
- All-SEC Defensive Team (coaches)
- USBWA District IV Player of the Year
- USBWA All-District IV team
- CBS Sports National Player of the Year
- USA Today National Player of the Year
- USA Today First-Team All-American
- The Athletic’s National Player of the Year
- Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
- The Field of 68 National Player of the Year
- The Field of 68 First-Team All-America
- College Hoops Today National Player of the Year
- USA Today SEC Player of the Year
- USA Today First-Team All-SEC unanimous selection
Please come back, Oscar. Or rather, please figure out the NIL stuff, people behind the scenes.
Baseball hosts No. 4 Louisville
It’s always a good day to beat Louisville, and tonight, the Bat Cats get their first shot at the No. 4 Cards. Last season, each program won on the other’s home turf. Louisville is 21-7 this season and coming off a losing effort vs. Pitt, dropping two of three in the series. The Cats are 18-11 this year and won one of three vs. No. 9 Ole Miss over the weekend.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET at Kentucky Proud Park, with gates opening an hour prior. Kentucky is pulling out all the stops. The first 1,000 fans to arrive will receive a lapel pin, Marlana VanHoose will sing the national anthem, and Will Levis will throw out the first pitch.
If you can’t make it in person, you can watch online on SEC Network+.
Roster Tracker movement
Monday provided a few interesting 2022-23 roster notes. First, junior forward Keion Brooks announced he’s testing the NBA Draft waters, leaving open the option to return to school for a senior season. Second, Morehead State power forward Johni Broome entered the transfer portal, an intriguing potential addition to next year’s team. Kentucky was not among the initial schools to reach out, but something to keep an eye on.
Spring Practice updates on the way
It’s Tuesday, which means we get to hear from offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello and members of the offense after Spring Practice. Stay tuned to the site around lunch for updates from Freddie Maggard, who will be our boots on the ground. Remember, the spring game is Saturday at 1 p.m. at Kroger Field. Looking at the forecast, it’ll be a chilly one. (Go away, winter!)
Asheville Brewery Rankings
As mentioned, I’m fresh off a long weekend in the mountains, where my husband, dog, and I hiked, ate, and drank our way through Asheville in hopes of avoiding basketball. I won’t bore you with all the details, but a quick ranking of the breweries we visited. (There are around 40 in town; try as we might, we didn’t see them all.)
- Sierra Nevada – I never would have imagined this would be at the top of my list because I tend to champion smaller operations over big ones, but Sierra Nevada’s magnificence is impossible to deny. We stopped by after hiking to some nearby waterfalls (shoutout to KSR fan Ben and his wife Sarah, whom we met on the trail) and were floored by the grandeur of the campus, which features a taproom, restaurant, amphitheater, gift shop, and a massive production facility. It really is the Disneyland of craft beer and the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon. If you like West Coast IPAs, get the Dankful.
- Wicked Weed – I already loved their beer, and their taproom is a fun and lively spot with a very impressive food menu. My pint of Pernicious paired perfectly with the beer cheese nachos.
- Zillicoah – A very pretty riverfront brewhouse just outside of downtown that specializes in farmhouse-style beers. It’s 21+ Monday through Saturday — they actually check your car at the gate to make sure no kiddos are inside.
- Dssolvr – Hip brewery downtown with a unique selection and vibe. In addition to the usual menu of IPAs, ales, stouts, and pilsners, they offer kolsch and ciders.
- Greenman – Impressive space, especially the higher levels. Would like to see it during a more happening time (we were there Sunday early afternoon and it was empty).
- Burial – I wanted to like Burial more than I did. It’s a very cool space, especially on a pretty day, as evidenced by the huge crowd and long lines we endured. Next time I’ll check it out during slower hours.
Sadly, we didn’t make it to Wedge or Hi-Wire. Next time. As for food, two amazing meals at Rhubarb and Curate. Asheville’s food scene is almost as good as its beer scene, and that’s saying something. We’ll be back.
Tiger Watch continues
We are one day closer to the start of the Masters and all any of us want to know is if Tiger Woods will play. He did a practice round with Fred Couples and Justin Thomas yesterday, after which Couples said Tiger looked “phenomenal.” Does that mean he’ll play, 14 months after nearly losing his leg in a car accident in LA?
Tiger is scheduled to appear at a news conference today at 11 a.m. ET. We’ll be watching. Also, please come back to us, @GCTigerTracker.
Matthew Mitchell joins the show
The former Kentucky Women’s Basketball coach and Kelly Clarkson superfan is joining Ryan, Drew, and Shannon for today’s show. Tune in to hear how things are going with the Coach Mitchell Band and if he’s really interested in a return to coaching…
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