KSR Today: Sports betting and player decisions, presented by Louisville City FC

On3 imageby:Jack Pilgrim03/31/23

Louisville City FC is set to face neighboring Lexington SC at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville on Wednesday, April 5 at 7pm in the second round of the US Open Cup! The second Round sees non-Major League Soccer professional teams enter the Open Cup. The history-filled tournament is open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. LouCity belongs to the USL Championship, America’s second division, and Lexington SC will open play this year in the third-division USL League One.

LouCity has advanced as far as the Open Cup’s Quarterfinals back in 2018 and last year, the boys in purple won three games in the tournament.

Don’t miss the new intrastate rivalry on the pitch this Wednesday and enjoy $2 beers in the Fan Zone leading up to the match! Call 502-LOU-CITY or visit LouCity.com/tickets to buy.

Louisville City

The clock keeps ticking for Kentucky basketball regarding stay-or-go decisions with minimal movement. Sahvir Wheeler entered the transfer portal to open the week, an announcement exactly zero people were shocked to hear. The pen hit paper on that one as soon as the clock struck midnight on the season. Then the first returning piece came through the news feed — again, not a surprising one. Walk-on-turned-scholarship-player Brennan Canada, a workhorse and leader in practice and the locker room, announced he would come back for one final season as a super senior.

“I know I could have had other opportunities, but this is the only place I want to play college basketball,” Canada wrote on social media. “Let’s run it back one more year BBN!”

There’s two… out of 12 total players with actual decisions to make. Jacob Toppin, CJ Fredrick, Adou Thiero, Daimion Collins, Antonio Reeves, Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston, Ugonna Onyenso, Oscar Tshiebwe and Lance Ware. All could conceivably either turn pro, hit the transfer portal or make announcements regarding their returns. Hate it or love it, that’s just where we are in the world of college basketball, especially at Kentucky.

Hell, even Eastern Kentucky just held a press conference to announce its entire roster would be back in 2023-24 following a run to the College Basketball Invitational championship game. 12 returning players, only two departures due to graduation.

“In the world that we live in with the transfer portal, this is unheard of, what just happened,” Colonels head coach A.W. Hamilton said. “These guys can get in the portal. All of them could. That’s the new thing to do.”

He’s not wrong. And the folks down the road in Lexington very well could prove that with a roster full of toss-ups.

Let’s go through some of the clear decisions, those that could (and should) be announced at any time. Wallace is a lottery lock, he’ll turn pro and sign with an agent, forgoing the remainder of his eligibility. Toppin is expected to do the same, taking a shot on himself as a pro after four years in college. Reeves is a toss-up that could favor the Wildcats when it comes down to NIL opportunities, but he’ll test the draft waters first regardless.

What happens with Livingston? He’ll test the waters, as well, though NBA teams expect he’ll ultimately keep his name in the draft in hopes of being selected by a contender at the end of the first round — the Klutch pull certainly won’t hurt his chances. Don’t be surprised to see him consider his transfer options, either.

Tshiebwe is expected to look for a fresh start in the pros, but a final decision there could come down the road a bit. Could a mega pot of NIL money entice him to return to school — in Lexington or elsewhere? Those conversations are ongoing. Just as they are with Daimion Collins and CJ Fredrick, the former potentially mulling a transfer and the latter deciding whether to retire or return to school for one last go-round. Ugonna Onyenso’s status remains very firmly up in the air, as well, unfortunately.

Adou Thiero and Lance Ware appear to be the safest bets to return, but some confirmation will probably be necessary because — well, again, it’s Kentucky.

And what about staff changes? John Calipari has at least one spot to fill with KT Turner taking the head coaching job at UT Arlington. Potentially more, including the support staff.

Potentially the busiest offseason for the basketball program in recent memory is officially underway.

Kentucky reaches out to Northern Colorado’s Dalton Knecht

With so many stay-go decisions to keep track of, Kentucky hasn’t been very active in the transfer portal when exploring other options for next season. The Wildcats reportedly reached out to North Carolina wing Puff Johnson, but it’s been rather silent beyond that, at least until Thursday evening.

Kentucky has now reportedly thrown its hat in the ring for Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht, a 6-foot-6 wing who averaged 20.2 points per game en route to Second-Team All-Big Sky honors in 2022-23.

Knecht shot 38.3% from three on 6.3 attempts per game while also being the school’s top rebounder as a big wing/small-ball four hybrid. One of the top names in the portal, Kentucky joins the likes of Texas, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, UCLA, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kansas, Arkansas and North Carolina to express early interest.

Sports betting passes, will be signed into law

The chance to bet on the Wildcats (along with all sports) is now here, as sports betting House Bill 551 was passed with a final vote of 25-12 on Thursday. Once signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear, which is expected Friday morning at 10 a.m. ET, sports gambling will officially be legalized, regulated and taxed in Kentucky.

Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia were all states in the region that previously legalized sports gambling. Now, Kentucky has joined in on the action, with sportsbooks now expected to pop up at the likes of Churchill Downs, Keeneland and Kentucky Speedway, among other locations.

It’s been a long time coming.

Medical marijuana also legalized

It wasn’t just sports betting approved in Kentucky on Thursday. The House also voted 66-33 in support of the legalization of medical marijuana, sending the bill to Beshear for a quick signature on Friday.

“Today the General Assembly finally took action and passed a bill to legalize medical cannabis – something the majority of Kentuckians support,” Gov. Beshear announced Thursday. “I am thankful this progress has been made, and I will proudly sign this bill into law tomorrow.”

The bill will allow medical cannabis to be prescribed for cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. Vapors and edibles will be allowed, but smokable products remain prohibited.

KSR at 10 a.m. ET

As Beshear signs the sports betting bill into law, Matt Jones and the KSR gang are set to go live to break it all down. State Senator Damon Thayer will join the show to break down how it unfolded and what comes next. Then, some talk about Will Levis’ draft stock, spring practice and Opening Day.

You won’t want to miss it.

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2024-03-28