KSR Today: Take some Spring Football to ease the March Madness pain
Good morning, KSR readers.
Today was to be the day Kentucky Sports Radio touched down in New York City for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Tomorrow, a pregame show at Jack Demsey’s and Kentucky versus Michigan State down the block in Madison Square Garden for a spot in the Elite Eight.
But, March Madness had other plans for Kentucky Basketball and its fans in Big Blue Nation. We’re now home until next year (more on that in a moment), wondering and arguing about where it all went wrong.
To help with the pain and disappointment, dare we say it is…
Football time in the Bluegrass?
March used to be about the NCAA Tournament and how far the Kentucky Wildcats could go in the Big Dance each year. Nowadays, our attention turns toward Kentucky Football much earlier in the spring due to the basketball team’s much earlier exits from the tournament.
On Tuesday, a mere 12 hours after getting home from the NCAA Tournament, I and many others in the media flipped the switch on sports and attended an open Kentucky Football practice. In the second practice since the team returned from spring break, we saw new installs, position changes, and mistakes along the way. Still, the potential is there with a dynamic offense starting anew and yet another talented Mark Stoops defense.
For instance, Deone Walker is back.
To see more from Tuesday’s practice, hit play on KSR’s highlight video from behind closed doors:
Liam Coen and select players talked offense after practice
Once Tuesday’s practice concluded, offensive coordinator Liam Coen answered questions about the offense, including comments on Devin Leary, Dekel Crowdus, rebuilding the Big Blue Wall, and lots more. To hear all Coen had to say, hit play on the 10-minute conversation below. Comments from Leary, Jager Burton, Barion Brown, Marques Cox, and Izayah Cummings are also included.
Vito Tisdale dismissed from the team
The most significant news out of the football facilities was the unexpected, yet unsurprising, dismissal of Vito Tisdale midway through his fourth spring in Lexington. Tuesday afternoon, the team announced Tisdale was dismissed for violating team rules.
Moments later, Tisdale tweeted his goodbye to Big Blue Nation.
Dear Big Blue Nation,
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO PURSUE MY ACADEMIC AND MY ATHLETIC CAREER AT THIS PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED ME ON AND OFF THE FIELD. TO MY BROTHERS, I LOVE YOU GUYS. WE MADE A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS SUPPORTING ME THROUGH THICK AND THI
– Vito Tisdale
Twitter: @vitotisdale7
It’s still not his best tweet. This one about Anthony Richardson is:
On the field, Tisdale’s hard-hitting, trash-talking approach will be missed for its intensity. But Mark Stoops and Brad White planned around Tisdale’s ACL injury this time last year, so the team is already equipped to proceed without the senior from Louisville, whose final game in a Kentucky uniform was the 2021 Citrus Bowl.
KSR’s Rapid Reaction from Tuesday’s football practice
Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and I stuck around the Kroger Field parking lot after Tuesday’s practice to share what we saw from the team in the media’s first glimpse into spring ball.
Freddie Maggard wrote out his thoughts from the open practice, too.
Tyler Thompson on “next season” for John Calipari
While most of the KSR office was dialed into the football beat, Tyler Thompson wrote a piece on yet another disappointing result for John Calipari and what it means for “next season.”
Give it a read here, if you haven’t already: “Next Season” has new meaning for Kentucky and John Calipari.
Rick Pitino wants John Calipari off his resume
Playfully, new St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said he wants to take St. John’s to the Final Four to “get rid of Calipari off my resume.” Pitino and Calipari are the only two coaches in college basketball history to coach three different schools to the Final Four.
Calipari apologized to Markquis Nowell for the “little kid” comment
In his postgame remarks from Greensboro Coliseum after Kentucky’s exit from the tournament, Calipari mistakenly called Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell the “little kid.” On Tuesday, Calipari reportedly called Nowell to apologize for not calling the 5-7 point guard, who scored 27 points in the win, by his name in the press conference.
Kentucky Baseball is HOT!
Tucked behind basketball and football in the headlines lately, Kentucky Baseball is rolling through the early part of the 2023 schedule as the Wildcats have now won FIFTEEN straight games. Yesterday catcher Devin Burkes hit a two-run, seventh-inning homer to flip the scoreboard in the game against Eastern Kentucky in Lexington. EKU had the lead when Burkes’ shot put Kentucky up one. The Wildcats kept scoring from there until the 9-3 finish at Kentucky Proud Park.
With the win (did I mention it’s the FIFTEENTH in a row?), Kentucky moved to 18-2 on the season. The team has a few days off before traveling to Alabama for a three-game series, the first road series in SEC play.
I’ll leave you with the World Baseball Classic finish
I’m not a big pro baseball guy (go Braves though), but Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to win the World Baseball Classic seems significant.
Stick with us. Lots more to come throughout the day.
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