KSR Today: So, what do you want to talk about?
Three major decisions are coming for Kentucky basketball in the next week, the withdrawal deadline scheduled for Wednesday, May 31. Oscar Tshiebwe, Antonio Reeves and Chris Livingston are all weighing their stay-or-go decisions, testing the draft waters while leaving the door open for a potential return.
Clarity is expected in the coming days as team workouts slow down and we approach the deadline. KSR broke down the latest with all three this week, including a potential trip from John Calipari to see Tshiebwe as he inches closer to a final decision.
From there, though, things are slow in the world of UK Athletics. No serious basketball targets to break down, players arrive on campus next weekend — just a brief standstill until the big dominoes fall. Beyond that, baseball and softball are out of the conference tournaments (the latter’s postseason done completely), while football recruiting is set to pick up in June.
Until then, we just, uh, wait. So for now, let’s roll through some of yesterday’s happenings, shall we?
Daimion Collins commits to LSU
Kentucky transfer Daimion Collins has found a new basketball home — and it’s one within driving distance of his hometown of Atlanta, Texas.
Hitting the portal to be closer to family after losing his dad and grandfather over the past six months, the former five-star forward announced his commitment to LSU — less than a five-hour drive home from Baton Rouge — on Thursday.
Collins decided to hit the portal back on April 21, announcing that a transfer was “the best decision for (his) future.” He averaged 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 2022-23 after putting up 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest as a freshman in 2021-22. The former five-star never averaged more than 7.9 minutes per contest as a Wildcat.
When weighing his options closest to Atlanta, TX — not the easiest place to get to, nor is it close to many major cities, Baton Rouge (308 miles) made quite a bit of sense. Factor in style of play under head coach Matt McMahon, exposure in the SEC and potential playing time, it’s hard to come up with a better option for him. It was exactly what he was looking for when he decided to transfer.
Now rather than figuring out flights and navigating security, luggage and potential delays that come with air travel, he can now jump in his truck and be home for dinner any given afternoon.
Celtics force Game 6 vs. Heat
No, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro — or his interesting wardrobe while he recovers from a broken hand, rather — will not be going to the NBA Finals. Not yet, at least.
The Miami Heat could not close things out in Boston, falling to the Celtics for a second straight time, this time by a final score of 110-97. Adebayo had a solid outing, finishing with 16 points on 8-15 shooting while adding eight rebounds, three steals, two steals and a block (but also six of the team’s 16 turnovers). Elsewhere, Duncan Robinson finished with a team-high 18 points off the bench while Jimmy Butler added 14 points.
For the Celtics, four different players hit the 20-point mark, led by Derrick White with 24 on 8-11 shooting and 6-8 from three. Marcus Smart went for 23 points and five steals while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each had 21.
Next, a Game 6 matchup in Miami, scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT. The Heat look to avoid three straight losses and a return trip to Boston for Game 7.
As for Herro, he participated in pregame warmups for the first time since breaking his hand over a month ago, but there remains no timetable on a potential return to game action.
Kentucky to the CFB Playoff?
Could Mark Stoops’ Wildcats sneak into the new 12-team College Football Playoff starting in 2024? Josh Pate from CBS Sports’ “Late Kick” believes so.
Joining 11 Personnel with Nick Roush and Adam Luckett, Pate made it clear he believes it’s possible after two 10-win seasons in four years.
“If I were watching a heart monitor on them, they consistently sit at a certain amount of beats per minute that would put them in the upper-middle part of the SEC. But then they have that spike every two or three years where they can knock on the door,” Pate told KSR.
“They’re probably not going to end up in Atlanta or anything like that, but they can be in the mix in November, which most people don’t expect. They can pull a big upset, they can take a Georgia or an LSU to the wire, any given year.”
Take a look at the CFB expert’s appearance below:
A top-five defense in CFB this season?
Maybe we shouldn’t be relying on a 12-team playoff to dream big. After all, Kentucky is set to have a top-five defense in college football next season, right?
In ESPN’s complete post-spring college football SP+ rankings, the Wildcats came in at No. 22 overall going into 2023, good for No. 8 in the SEC and No. 4 in the East. Taking a look closer, UK is projected to have the No. 5 defense in the nation, behind only Iowa, Texas A&M, Georgia and Michigan.
Check out the complete rankings below:
- Georgia (29.9)
- Ohio State (29.6)
- Michigan (29.2)
- Alabama (27.9)
- LSU (25.2)
- Tennessee (23.9)
- USC (23.6)
- Penn State (23.5)
- Texas (23.3)
- Florida State (21.6)
- Oregon (21.5)
- Clemson (21.3)
- Oklahoma (19.7)
- Utah (19.4)
- Notre Dame (19.3)
- Texas A&M (18.8)
- Washington (18.3)
- Ole Miss (17.5)
- Wisconsin (15.8)
- TCU (15.8)
- Florida (14.8)
- Kentucky (14.5)
- Kansas State (14.3)
- UCLA (14.3)
- Mississippi State (14.1)
Fingers crossed for a Friday news dump. Time to get the ball rolling — hey, did you know Kentucky currently has seven scholarship players on the roster with exhibition games in Toronto set to begin in seven weeks?
I sure do.
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