KSR Today: Sweet 16 Madness without Kentucky, Pro Day is here

Kentucky’s official path to the Final Four was No. 11 seed Providence, No. 3 Kansas State, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 9 Florida Atlantic, needing to beat just one team seeded lower in the entire region to advance. It was within reach, breaking the perfect way right before our eyes, top competitors dropping left and right.

And then Markquis Nowell happened, single-handedly taking over in the second half of the Round of 32 matchup to send the opposing Wildcats home and advance his own. Moving on to the Sweet 16 in New York City, Nowell did it again, exploding for 20 points and an NCAA Tournament record 19 assists to lead the charge for K-State in the 98-93 overtime victory.

That comes after a 17-point, 14-assist effort vs. Montana State in the Round of 64 and a 27-point, nine-assist performance vs. Kentucky in the Round of 32. Once again, the 5-foot-8 point guard was terrific, this time putting together one of the all-time great individual March Madness efforts.

And that was just the evening opener. No. 4 UConn also steamrolled No. 8 Arkansas, with Jordan Hawkins leading the Huskies with 24 points, followed by Adama Sanogo with 18 points and eight rebounds in the 88-65 win. Anthony Black led the Razorbacks with 20 points and four rebounds, while Ricky Council IV went for 17 points, three rebounds and two assists.

From there, our first upset of the evening, and it’s one Kentucky fans are certain to appreciate. No. 9 Florida Atlantic pulled off the 62-55 victory over No. 4 Tennessee, yet another rock fight where the Volunteers couldn’t score enough points to hold off the opposition. Johnell Davis led the Owls with 15 points and six rebounds, followed by Nicholas Boyd with 12 and eight, while Michael Forrest added 11 to round out double-digit scorers. The Vols didn’t have a single player score over 10 points, with both Josiah-Jordan James and Jonas Aidoo hitting that mark. As a team, UT shot just 33.3% overall, 26.1% from deep and 58.3% at the line. Not gonna win many NCAA Tournament games like that.

The evening finale saw the most dramatic finish, another game-winner in a Gonzaga vs. UCLA matchup — the second in three years. Bruins guard Amari Bailey knocked down a dagger three with 12.2 seconds to go to take a 76-75 lead, only to see Zags standout Julian Strawther respond with the go-ahead game-winner from the logo with seven seconds to go. Bulldogs win 79-76 to advance to the Elite Eight.

STRAWTHER FROM WAY DEEP

GONZAGA HAS THE LEAD 😱#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/jBYf4gpn4q

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

Doesn’t get much better than that.

Friday’s schedule

If that’s night one of the regional matchups, who knows what’s in store for night two? Take a look at tonight’s matchups.

• No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 5 San Diego State – 6:30 p.m. ET
• No. 1 Houston vs. No. 5 Miami (FL) – 7:15 p.m. ET
• No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 15 Princeton – 9 p.m. ET
• No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Xavier – 9:45 p.m. ET

Four of the Elite Eight spots finalized, four more to go.

Kentucky Football Pro Day is here

All eyes will be on Kentucky football on Friday, with over 90 media credentials issued for the program’s annual Pro Day, 11 former players set to work out for NFL teams inside Nutter Field House.

NFL Network and SEC Network will have broadcast crews in Lexington, head coaches and countless scouts in attendance. They’re all there to see the Will Levis show, with the Kentucky gunslinger considered one of the top quarterback options in this year’s draft, a likely top-10 pick. Levis will throw to the likes of Barion Brown and Dane Key with the whole football world watching, dissecting every pass to determine just how high he should go — and no number is too high.

The former Wildcat star met with Carolina Panthers owners David & Nicole Tepper, general manager Scott Fitterer, head coach Frank Reich, assistant general manager Dan Morgan, vice president Samir Suleiman, and coaches Jim Caldwell, Thomas Brown and Josh McCown, sitting down for dinner at Jeff Ruby’s on Thursday. You don’t jump through those hoops if you’re not seriously considering Levis with the No. 1 pick.

While the Panthers were at Ruby’s, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was eating wings and watching basketball at KSBar and Grille — not a bad place to hang out, I’ve heard.

Titans Coach Mike Vrabel and staff watched the games tonight ⁦@KSBarAndGrille⁩. Hope they enjoyed the wings pic.twitter.com/LWXKI63Qtr

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 24, 2023

And it’s not just about Levis. Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Carrington Valentine were both invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, while Keidron Smith participated in the NFLPA Bowl and Senior Bowl. They’re all draftable prospects to keep a close eye on. Jacquez Jones, Jordan Wright, Tyrell Ajian and DeAndre Square are also UDFA possibilities, if not late-round fliers in the draft. Either way, Kentucky’s got pro talent NFL teams want to watch closely.

The complete list of Wildcats set to participate:

• Tyrell Ajian (DB, 5-11, 204)
• Colin Goodfellow (P, 6-2, 230)
• Jacquez Jones (LB, 6-0, 228)
• Will Levis (QB, 6-4, 229)
• Tashawn Manning (iOL, 6-3, 327)
• Chris Rodriguez Jr. (RB, 6-0, 217)
• Matt Ruffolo (K, 5-11, 200)
• Keidron Smith (DB, 6-2, 203)
• DeAndre Square (LB, 6-1, 225)
• Carrington Valentine (DB, 6-0, 193)
• Jordan Wright (OLB, 6-5, 243)

And the schedule:

• 10:30 a.m.: Measurements
• 11:15 a.m.: Vertical, broad jump, bench press
• Noon-2:00 p.m.: 40-yard dash, short shuttle, 3-cone, 60-yard shuttle, position drills

SEC Network will be live on the scene starting at 11:30 a.m. ET, followed by the NFL Network tuning in on-site starting at 1 p.m. ET.

KSR will be live on the scene bringing you all the content you need from Will Levis Day in Lexington.

New KSR YouTube content

Need to get your morning started off right? Look no further than the KSR YouTube page, which hosted two live shows on Thursday. The first, an 11 Personnel Podcast episode with Nick Roush and Adam Luckett, breaking down the latest with Kentucky football spring practice and previewing Friday’s Pro Day.

Then, the Sources Say crew fought through internet struggles to discuss who is staying and who is leaving on the Kentucky basketball team. Also, will there be any staff changes? It’s a wacky hour-plus show that should help you pass the time on this rainy Friday.

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