KSR Today: Reset Mode For Kentucky, A Big Week Ahead

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. I am back to work after spending the weekend in Nashville, and while I made it home, the chorus of boos still rings in my head. Big Blue Nation sent a message Friday night, and the shocking response was to an equally shocking basketball performance as UK fell to 0-4 against teams with a pulse.

Tomorrow, Kentucky returns to Rupp Arena to host NC Central, the 350th-ranked team in KenPom. It is a get-right opportunity on paper, but a step down in competition is unlikely to fix anything or answer the many questions hovering over this team before Indiana comes to town on Saturday.

Still, let’s get you ready for what’s next.

Q&A with Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson

Before tomorrow night’s game, Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson will hold a Monday press conference to preview the game. We’ll hear their thoughts on the team’s issues and the loss in Nashville, what it will take to turn the season around, and more.

Check back here for those conversations later today.

We’ll hear from Mark Pope on the coach’s show

Tonight, Mark Pope will sit down with Tom Leach for their weekly radio chat. Pope can be heard on the UK Sports Network at 6 p.m. as Kentucky fans look for answers from their head coach, whose second season has been a disaster so far. The phone lines will be open for fans, too. This is an important coach’s show for Pope.

The Wildcats will likely drop from the Top 25

Kentucky may be kissing its top-25 ranking goodbye later today when the AP and Coaches Polls reshuffle their rankings. Kentucky is No. 18 in both, but likely to fall out of the conversation. The Wildcats dropped to No. 30 in the NET Rankings after losing to Gonzaga. Fun.

Kentucky WBB rolled past Central Michigan

How about some good basketball news? No. 17/16 Kentucky Women’s Basketball improved to 10-1 on Sunday with a comfortable 82-55 win over Central Michigan in the return to Historic Memorial Coliseum. Five Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Teonni Key‘s 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, with 13 of those points coming after halftime as Kentucky pulled away.

Clara Strack and Jordan Obi added 14 points apiece, Tonie Morgan notched a double-double of her own with 12 points and 11 assists, and Asia Boone came off the bench for 11 points and seven boards. After a competitive first half, Kentucky blew it open with a 12-0 run to start the third quarter and never looked back, stretching the lead to as many as 30. The Cats are back in action Sunday at Belmont, tipping at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

More: Kentucky moves to 10-1 on the year with 82-55 win over Central Michigan

College Football Playoff bracket revealed

On Sunday, the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was revealed, but not without controversy. Three-loss Alabama made the field, pushing Notre Dame and others away and out of contention. The Irish will not participate in the postseason after their CFB snub.

Indiana earned the No. 1 seed, with Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech filling out the top four seeds. Those spots come with first-round byes. A couple of UK connections: Will Stein’s Oregon Ducks are the No. 5 seed, and Jon Sumrall’s last stand with Tulane begins in the No. 11 spot, playing Ole Miss.

The first round:

• No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET
• No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M on Dec. 20 at 12 p.m. ET
• No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss on Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET
• No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET

The quarterfinals:

• No. 10 Miami/No. 7 Texas A&M vs No. 2 Ohio State on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• No. 12 James Madison/No. 5 Oregon vs No. 4 Texas Tech on Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. ET
• No. 9 Alabama/No. 8 Oklahoma vs No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET
• No. 11 Tulane/No. 6 Ole Miss vs No. 3 Georgia on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET

Kentucky Volleyball playing for a Final Four this week

Kentucky Volleyball is back on the floor later this week in the Lexington Regional. Historic Memorial Coliseum will host more NCAA Tournament action on Thursday and Saturday, with a trip to the Final Four up for grabs. Top-seeded Kentucky opens play Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET against Cal Poly, fresh off its five-set upset of USC. Before that, No. 2 seed Arizona State will meet No. 3 Creighton at 1 p.m., with both matches airing on ESPN2.

The winners advance to Saturday’s regional final, where the victor punches a ticket to Kansas City for Championship Weekend. All-session tickets go on sale this morning at 10 a.m. through UKAthletics.com and the UK Ticket Office, with single-session options available Tuesday.

Tune in to KSR at 10 a.m.

Matt Jones is back in the host chair for today’s KSR show. KSR will broadcast from the studio today and tomorrow, then will return to KSBar and Grille on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Today, we’re picking up the pieces from an unbelievably disappointing trip to Nashville and what’s wrong with the team. Tune in, and Go Cats.