KSR Today: The Masters, Toronto exhibition details, Bat Cats roll
It’s a tough pill to swallow when college basketball season comes to a close. Sure, it means warm weather is right around the corner, but it’s the unofficial start of the dog days of summer in the sports world. Spring football is just about wrapped up, too, leaving the NBA, baseball — both college and MLB — and grassroots basketball recruiting to get us through to college football and NFL season, followed by the return of college basketball in mid-October. Oh, and golf. Lots and lots of golf, this weekend being arguably the biggest in the return of The Masters (more on that in just a second).
This year is a bit different, I suppose. There are more stay-or-go decisions for the Kentucky basketball roster than any in recent memory, seemingly everyone on the team with a choice to make whether that be staying in Lexington, turning pro or hitting the transfer portal. And then on the flip side, the Wildcats have to explore said portal to fill any necessary gaps on the roster left by departing players, a process that can and will last deep into the spring.
Oh, and this year, Kentucky has yet another exhibition tour to pass the time a bit. We won’t have to rely on behind-the-scenes whispers regarding roster standouts and breakout talents, fans will be able to see what this team looks like against real competition — real meaning ‘not 40-year-old hungover men recovering after a long night at the craps table in the Bahamas.’ The Wildcats are headed to Canada in July, representing the United States in the GLOBL JAM, an Under-23 tournament in Toronto.
A few quick notes on that event for planning purposes:
- Games will take place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens
- Tentative schedule includes games vs. Germany on July 12, vs. Canada on the 13th and vs. Africa on the 15th, followed by a potential championship game on the 17th.
- Fairly reasonable ticket prices to maximize fan support
- List of participating teams/further details will be released next week
Hold off until final details are released in the coming days before booking your flights and hotels, but loosely plan on a mid-July trip to Toronto to check out your Cats.
All that being said, we’ve got to have some fun in the meantime before things really ramp back up later this summer. And it starts with The Masters this weekend.
Master’s Leaderboard
The first of four major championships in golf is here, with day two of The Masters officially underway, the prestigious event teeing off Thursday, April 6 and closing out Sunday, April 9. Broadcast live on CBS and ESPN, the winning purse comes in at a whopping $15 million at Augusta National Golf Course.
Who is in position to take home the green jacket and hefty payout? Let’s take a look at the updated leaderboard through day one.
T1 – Viktor Hovland (-7)
T1 – Jon Rahm (-7)
T1 – Brooks Koepka (-7)
T4 – Cameron Young (-5)
T4 – Jason Day (-5)
T6 – Shane Lowry (-4)
T6 – Xander Schauffele (-4)
T6 – Adam Scott (-4)
T6 – Gary Woodland (-4)
T6 – S Bennett (-4)
T6 – S Scheffler (-4)
T6 – S Burns (-4)
…
T13 – Jordan Spieth (-3)
T17 – Justin Thomas (-2)
T26 – Patrick Reed (-1)
T26 – Phil Mickelson (-1)
T26 – Dustin Johnson (-1)
T37 – Rory McIlroy (E)
T54 – Tiger Woods (+2)
Former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is ready for an eventful weekend down in Augusta, rocking the retro hat and “Hello Friends” slippers, a nod to the legendary Jim Nantz of CBS.
Day two tee times have been moved up 30 minutes due to inclement weather in the area, with the first starting at 7:30 a.m. ET this morning. Coverage will last throughout the morning and into the afternoon.
Enjoy the sweet sounds of fake birds chirping and the event’s famous theme song, ‘Augusta,’ throughout your Friday.
Pulaski County’s Andrew Dodson laid to rest, tributes coming throughout the state
It will be a somber day in Pulaski County, as Maroons junior tight end Andrew Dodson will be laid to rest after tragically passing away earlier in the week after suffering a head injury during a spring football scrimmage. His father told the Herald-Leader that the injury occurred after his son was tackled — “a simple, clean tackle” — and his head hit the turf, causing blunt-force trauma to the brain. After major surgery, Andrew never woke up.
Today, Dodson’s legacy will be honored throughout the state. Pulaski County High School will burn the lights at PC Stadium starting at 7:30 p.m. (kickoff) for 80 minutes, which was Dodson’s jersey number. Countless programs across Kentucky have agreed to do the same in honor of the late 17-year-old, including the UK Football program.
Head coach Mark Stoops said the lights at Kroger Field will be lit for 80 minutes tonight in Dodson’s honor.
“The University of Kentucky will be glad to participate in honoring Andrew Dodson in Pulaski County for their loss. Our hearts and prayers are with them, with the family. It’s a terrible tragedy and we’re glad to just be a small part in honoring him (Friday) at 7:30.”
Kentucky baseball begins series at Georgia, in position to host regional
In his first season at Kentucky, Nick Mingione led Kentucky to a 39-20 record and the No. 10 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats haven’t been back to the postseason since.
That’s almost certain to change in 2023, as the Bat Cats are off to a 26-3 start, including 8-1 in the SEC — currently sitting on a five-game winning streak and 18-1 at home, 8-2 on the road. They’ll look to build on that momentum in Athens with a series at Georgia this weekend. It starts with a game tonight at 5 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ (moved up one hour due to expected inclement weather), followed by one Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on SEC Network+, then Sunday at noon ET on SEC Network.
That leads into a Tuesday-night battle at Louisville, scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on ACC Network. A chance to give Kentucky 30 wins on the year, should the Wildcats take care of business in Athens.
As things stand today, UK sits at No. 1 in the RPI, the top metric used to determine seeding in college baseball. An updated look at the resume:
- Record: 26-3
- Strength of schedule: 5
- Non-conference record: 18-2
- Quad 1: 14-2
- Quad 2: 3-1
- Quad 3/4: 9-0
The schedule is about to get very tough, very quickly, but it’s impossible to argue with the results thus far. Mingione has things rolling in a make-or-break season for the program.
Time to keep it going.
Happy Friday, BBN — Good Friday, at that. Go Cats.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard