LIVE BLOG: KSR takes over SEC Tipoff '26

Piggybacking off of what John Calipari said about not wanting college basketball to become “transactional”, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes was similarly asked what one issue the current landscape of basketball is facing. He gave an insightful answer: it all starts at the beginning.

“I think the kids that we continue to teach the game, we can’t let other countries teach it better than us,” Barnes said. “I think you go way back in the 70s, I remember hearing Dave Gavitt talk about how all the European coaches used to come over here and want to learn the game, and went back and actually started teaching it better than we did. We got so caught up in recruiting and trying to get guys and maybe not coaching them at the level that we should have.”

“I would love to see us someway, somehow improve our, at the lower level, teaching kids at a very young age the fundamentals of the game. They watch highlights on TV and it’s always dunking the ball or three-point shooting. And there is so much of the game that, even today, our team that we’re coaching, I’ve actually said to them a couple of times in practice, ‘I would have thought you learned that in junior high.’ I hope that we never get away from wanting to be teachers of the game, the fundamentals of the game of basketball. It’s our game and we should be the best at teaching it. I don’t want to ever get away from that.”

Todd Golden reloaded his guard spots at Florida after losing arguably the best backcourt in the entire country last season, one that led the program to a national title. One of those departures was Denzel Aberdeen, the Gators’ sixth man who is now at Kentucky. Golden was asked about Aberdeen leaving Florida and what UK is getting in the senior guard.

“We love Denzel,” Golden said. “Incredibly grateful for the contributions he made to our program. He was a huge part of our national championship team. He was a guy that came with us right when we got the job. The reality is, we would have loved to have Denzel back, and there were other things that were more important to him than what we had to offer.

“That’s the opportunity and the right that every student-athlete has, to be able to dictate and determine what’s important to them. He had played well enough to put him in a position where he was desired by a lot of programs…

“I think he’s going to have a really good year for Mark (Pope). I think he’s a great kid, comes from a really good family. And I expect him to help them become really successful this year.”

The wait from Chris Jans and Mississippi State to Todd Golden and the Florida Gators is a long one at over two hours, so help pass the time with last night’s edition of Sources Say featuring Myron Medcalf, Zack Geoghegan and me.

Can the Cats win the SEC? We break it all down with ESPN’s best college basketball expert.

As a former junior college coach, Mississippi State’s Chris Jans understands how quickly the transfer portal can move. For the current college basketball landscape, he’s in favor of moving the transfer portal window to the Monday after the Sweet 16/Elite 8 weekend wraps up.

“I think that’s the perfect time for it to open, where there’s only four teams that are left playing,” Jans said, adding that those four teams in the Final Four would likely be perfectly fine with the inconvenience of the portal window taking place while their season is still alive. He called it a “travesty” when the portal window opened before the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago.

In Jans’ words, moving the window to after the Sweet 16 weekend would allow players more time to make a decision on the portal and coaches more time to re-recruit their current players. “It’s very time sensitive,” he said of the portal.

With Bruce Pearl stepping down from his post as Auburn head coach, his son, Steven, has filled in to lead a team that just reached the Final Four. Steven Pearl kicked off the second and final day of SEC Media Days with his debut as the Tigers’ new head coach on Wednesday.

“BP and I have been having hypothetical conversations about his departure for years now,” Pearl said about his dad. Steven added that a decision was made about two weeks before Bruce actually stepped down. “It all happened really fast.” he added. It sure did!

Steven Pearl also talked about UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall and how he’s ahead of his teammates in terms of putting the ball on the floor, how tough his team’s non-conference schedule is (matchups against No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Houston, No. 7 Michigan, and No. 13 Arizona), and how coaches such as Steve Forbes (Wake Forest) and Todd Golden (Florida) played a major influence in his coaching career. Welcome to the SEC, coach.

Things have wrapped up on day one of SEC Tipoff ’26 at the Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook, but content is just getting started here with KSR.

Up first? A brand new Sources Say featuring ESPN’s Myron Medcalf to talk all things SEC, and more specifically, Kentucky’s chances to win the league (and banner No. 9 after that).

Don’t go anywhere, folks.

Kentucky’s SEC Preseason Player of the Year is back at practice, full-go after missing since the end of the summer due to a turf toe injury. How is he feeling?

“I’m feeling good, no restrictions,” Otega Oweh said. “That’s a blessing. I’m just grateful that it was just this type of injury and nothing more. But I’m getting back into the flow of it. I’m in every drill, every competition rep, so I’m happy.”

The best part? He threw down a poster slam in an ultimate welcome back moment — one that scared the heck out of Mark Pope.

“As a coach, you just shake your head and be like ‘Young people. We love these young people,'” he said. “Otega’s a guy where you just cannot turn off his competitive motor.”

“Just had to test it to see if I still had my legs after a couple months,” the senior guard responded. “It’s still there.”

Trent Noah didn’t work out at South Carolina — he backed out of his commitment when a family emergency pushed the Harlan native to stay closer to home, opening the door for a move to Kentucky — but that didn’t stop Lamont Paris from finding another Bluegrass State standout.

Insert EJ Walker of Erlanger, KY, a three-star signee for the Gamecocks. He’s just a freshman, but he’s making a strong first impression in Columbia.

“He’s very intelligent on the basketball court. You don’t have to tell him things multiple times very often,” Paris told KSR. “… Tremendous young man. Got a good personality. He loves basketball. You think that would be something that goes with it, but not always. He really loves basketball. He wants to get better. We’re really excited about EJ.”

Speaking of Coach Cal, a familiar face also took center stage at SEC Tipoff ’26, DJ Wagner one of two Razorbacks representing Arkansas in Birmingham. It’s year three for the former Wildcat in college, all under Calipari. What are the expectations for Wagner this season?

“I want him to be more aggressive offensively,” Calipari said of Wagner. “I want him to shoot the balls that he has. They go under ball screens, shoot it. They go under a dribble handoff, shoot the ball. You come down in transition, they back away, shoot the ball. That means get in the gym and get more confidence.

“I can’t build it. He can do it. He’s done it in games. He is as good a kid as I’ve ever coached, works as hard as anybody I’ve ever coached. The breakthrough is all within himself. It’s there. Now it’s time to go show it all. I’m just happy he’s still with me and I’m coaching him. Love being around him every day.”

Coach Cal’s first rockstar at Kentucky called it a career recently — and made quite the statement upon his return to Lexington with a full-circle Big Blue Madness appearance. John Wall did the John Wall Dance, throwing it back 16 years to 2009, Ice Cream Paint Job and all.

His former coach’s reaction to the retirement announcement? Let his actions speak louder than words.

Calipari shared a story about recruiting Wall to Kentucky and how his late mother, Frances Pulley, helped guide the five-star guard to Lexington.

“She was such a great lady,” he told KSR.

Coach Cal also talked about playing Wall and Eric Bledsoe in the same backcourt and how his first No. 1 pick at Kentucky has kept in touch every step of the way, both with the Wildcats and following his move to Arkansas.

“He’s a good one.”

Many coaches use talking season to share their gripes about the current state of college sports and why life isn’t as good as it used to be with NIL and revenue-sharing and general change. Chris Beard doesn’t share that same opinion.

Coaching at the JUCO, Division II and low-major Division I levels before making his way to the top of the sport, he knows how good he and every coach in the SEC have it. When it comes to playing small violins, he doesn’t want to hear any of it.

“Not to be Ted Lasso, captain positive all the time, but I’m just not one of those guys who thinks a lot about all the things in our game that are challenging. I still think it’s the best game. I think March Madness is sacred, I think college basketball is the best game,” the Ole Miss coach said. “It educates players, it rallies communities and states. It takes over the whole world come March.

“So on rules and so on, we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about anything other than, ‘Hey, this is the rule, here’s how to get it done.’ … If anybody has gripes around here, talk to the Division II coach who only has one assistant. Talk to the low-major guys who have three or four guys on the staff.
At our level, any coach who gets up here to bitch — I mean, come on, man. We got 12, 15 guys (on staff).”

Kentucky a “sleeping giant” in the SEC? Dawn Staley doesn’t believe that. She thinks the Wildcats are far more than that, especially under Kenny Brooks’ leadership in Lexington.

When you have the Big Blue Nation on your side and the administration’s complete support, there’s not a whole lot you can’t accomplish, the legendary coach believes.

“I don’t think most people outside of Kenny’s comment would think they’re a ‘sleeping giant.’ Kentucky is Kentucky, Kentucky is a brand, right?” the South Carolina coach told KSR. “I think he walked into a situation where people love to wear (blue) and people love to be a part of Big Blue Nation. I think he’s done extremely well, his first year, and I think he’ll continue to do so in our league.

“We look forward to — well, that was our rivalry. That was the team that we played twice every year, but we don’t have that situation anymore. But I certainly look forward to the asset he’s become in our league.”

Remember Somto Cyril? He was once a Kentucky pledge, ready to take on life as a Wildcat under John Calipari — and then Arkansas happened, leading to a pivot from the four-star center, ending up at Georgia. The 6-11 big had a solid first season in Athens, averaging 4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest. What’s in store for year two?

Mike White expects him to take his game to another level.

“He’s one of the best shot blockers in the country, Somto Cyril,” he told KSR. “Defense, physicality, presence, length with a 7-6 wingspan and 40-inch vertical leap. He’s working on his conditioning, his wind. The challenge every day is just fighting through that discomfort to be a guy who can improve his motor and make multiple efforts. And he finishes at a high clip, too. He did last year. He’s working to improve at the foul line, shooting a really high percentage in practice right now, which gets you excited about his offense. …

“He’s a guy that we need to have a big year. We expect him to make a big jump from his freshman to sophomore season.”

Vanderbilt’s leading rebounder is back in Nashville for his senior campaign, Devin McGlockton averaging 10.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest last season for the Commodores. He’s an excellent player and will be among the best in the league this year, maybe a sneaky All-SEC candidate.

He also talks a big game.

When asked about reading headlines of Kentucky’s reported $20 million roster in 2025-26, he told KSR, “I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people this year. I don’t really care about the money they spent on their team, I think we have a better roster than they do. We can compete with everybody in the SEC.”

The Vanderbilt head coach talked about getting picked to finish last in the SEC entering his first year and turning it into the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016-17 — but expectations are different this go-round. Byington is cool with that, saying he prioritized bringing back Devin McGlockton, Tyler Nickel and Tyler Tanner first when the offseason began and built another competitive roster around them to get back to the Big Dance.

“This year, there’s new excitement,” he said. “… They’re very talented basketball players, but they care about winning. 
I don’t think that’s everybody (in college basketball) right now.”

Tonie Morgan is taking over starting point guard duties this season for Kentucky women’s basketball in place of an All-American. Morgan came over from Georgia Tech, where she was an All-ACC performer with the Yellow Jackets. One of her former teammates at GT, Dani Carnegie, is now at Georgia, and she had plenty of good things to say about the new Wildcat.

“Tonie, that’s my dog,” Carnegie said. “She taught me more than she thought she taught me. As a leader last year, she grew me into the person I am today. I have the utmost respect for her and how she prepares herself on and off the court… I love her actually, as a sister. I built a sister that year.”

Carnegie says she and Morgan still talk to this day. She even teased that they nearly chose the same school in the portal this past offseason, but wouldn’t say which one. They’ll go head-to-head as opponents when Georgia comes to Lexington in January.

Tuesday is NOT off to a hot start, specifically for the Georgia Bulldogs. Mike White was scheduled to get things rolling at 10:05 a.m. ET, but due to a mechanical issue with the team plane, they did not make it in time and will have to talk with the media later.

I know you’re all truly devastated by this development.

Instead, Mark Byington and the Vanderbilt Commodores will start the day at 10:30 a.m. ET. PIVOT!

The event starts bright and early on Tuesday, so the only way to make it work is by driving down the day before, giving us a few hours to make Birmingham our oyster Monday evening. How did the KSR crew spend it? By playing Top Golf, of course.

I will be the first to admit I absolutely stunk up the joint to start with — I swear the clubs were broken. Zack Geoghegan was running away with the easiest win of his life and talking trash to the point of pity, tapping me on the head like a lost puppy just finding his way. Fortunately, the sleeping giant arose and I finished strong to make up for the horrific start.

What about the grub? We managed to find the best hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the city called Saw’s Soul Kitchen. If you’re ever in town, it’s worth the wait.

I went with the smoked chicken, mac & cheese and fried green tomatoes while Zack went with the classic sandwich and mac & cheese. 10/10, would recommend.

Tuesday, October 14

• 9:05-9:20 a.m.        Georgia (M) – Mike White
• 9:20-9:30 a.m.        Georgia (M) – Blue Cain, Dylan James
• 9:35-9:50 a.m.        Vanderbilt (M) – Mark Byington
• 9:50-10:00 a.m.      Vanderbilt (M) – Devin McGlockton, Tyler Nickel, Tyler Tanner
• 10:05-10:20 a.m.     Georgia (W) – Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
• 10:20-10:30 a.m.     Georgia (W) – Dani Carnegie, Savannah Henderson, Mia Woolfolk
• 10:35-10:50 a.m.     Vanderbilt (W) – Shea Ralph
• 10:50-11:00 a.m.     Vanderbilt (W) – Mikayla Blakes, Ndjakelenga Mwenentanda, Sacha Washington
• 11:20-11:35 a.m.     Ole Miss (W) – Yolett McPhee-McCuin
• 11:35-11:45 a.m.     Ole Miss (W) – Christeen Iwuala, Latasha Lattimore, Cotie McMahon
• 11:50-12:05 p.m.    South Carolina (W) – Dawn Staley
• 12:05-12:15 p.m.    South Carolina (W) – Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts, Ta’Niya Latson
• 12:20-12:35 p.m.    Ole Miss (M) – Chris Beard
• 12:35-12:45 p.m.    Ole Miss (M) – Malik Dia, Ilias Kamardine, AJ Storr
• 12:50-1:05 p.m.      South Carolina (M) – Lamont Paris
• 1:05-1:15 p.m.        South Carolina (M) – Meechie Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts, Myles Stute
• 1:35-1:50 p.m.        Arkansas (M) – John Calipari
• 1:50-2:00 p.m.        Arkansas (M) – Trevon Brazile, D.J. Wagner
• 2:05-2:20 p.m.        Alabama (M) – Nate Oats
• 2:20-2:30 p.m.        Alabama (M) – Houston Mallette, Labaron Philon Jr., Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
• 2:35-2:50 p.m.        Arkansas (W) – Kelsi Musick
• 2:50-3:00 p.m.        Arkansas (W) – Taleyah Jones, Wyvette Mayberry
• 3:05-3:20 p.m.        Alabama (W) – Kristy Curry
• 3:20-3:30 p.m.        Alabama (W) – Essence Cody, Jessica Timmons, Karly Weathers
• 3:50-4:05 p.m.        Texas (W) – Vic Schaefer
• 4:05-4:15 p.m.        Texas (W) – Madison Booker, Rori Harmon, Kyla Oldacre
• 4:20-4:35 p.m.        Kentucky (W) – Kenny Brooks
• 4:35-4:45 p.m.        Kentucky (W) – Teonnie Key, Tonie Morgan, Clara Strack
• 4:50-5:05 p.m.        Texas (M) – Sean Miller
• 5:05-5:15 p.m.        Texas (M) – Dailyn Swain, Chendall Weaver
• 5:20-5:35 p.m.        Kentucky (M) – Mark Pope
• 5:35-5:45 p.m.        Kentucky (M) – Denzel Aberdeen, Jaland Lowe, Otega Oweh

Wednesday, October 15

• 9:05-9:20 a.m.        Auburn (M) – Steven Pearl
• 9:20-9:30 a.m.        Auburn (M) – Keyshawn Hall, KeShawn Murphy, Tahaad Pettiford
• 9:35-9:50 a.m.        Mississippi St. (M) – Chris Jans
• 9:50-10:00 a.m.      Mississippi St. (M) – Shawn Jones Jr., Jayden Epps, Josh Hubbard
• 10:05-10:20 a.m.     Auburn (W) – Larry Vickers
• 10:20-10:30 a.m.     Auburn (W) – Ja’Mia Harris, Khady Leye
• 10:35-10:50 a.m.     Mississippi St. (W) – Sam Purcell
• 10:50-11:00 a.m.     Mississippi St. (W) – Madison Francis, Chandler Prater, Kharyssa Richardson
• 11:20-11:35 a.m.     Florida (W) – Kelly Rae Finley
• 11:35-11:45 a.m.     Florida (W) – Liv McGill, Me’Arah O’Neal, Laila Reynolds
• 11:50-12:05 p.m.    Tennessee (W) – Kim Caldwell
• 12:05-12:15 p.m.    Tennessee (W) – Janiah Barker, Talaysia Cooper, Zee Spearman
• 12:20-12:35 p.m.    Florida (M) – Todd Golden
• 12:35-12:45 p.m.    Florida (M) – Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh
• 12:50-1:05 p.m.      Tennessee (M) – Rick Barnes
• 1:05-1:15 p.m.        Tennessee (M) – Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara, Cade Phillips
• 1:35-1:50 p.m.        LSU (M) – Matt McMahon
• 1:50-2:00 p.m.        LSU (M) – Jalen Reed, Marquel Sutton, Dedan Thomas Jr.
• 2:05-2:20 p.m.        Texas A&M (M) – Bucky McMillan
• 2:20-2:30 p.m.        Texas A&M (M) – Pop Isaacs, Mackenzie Mgbako
• 2:35-2:50 p.m.        LSU (W) – Kim Mulkey
• 2:50-3:00 p.m.        LSU (W) – MiLaysia Fulwiley, Flau’Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams
• 3:05-3:20 p.m.        Texas A&M (W) – Joni Taylor
• 3:20-3:30 p.m.        Texas A&M (W) – Fatmata Janneh, Lauren Ware
• 3:50-4:05 p.m.        Missouri (W) – Kellie Harper
• 4:05-4:15 p.m.        Missouri (W) – Abbey Schreacke, Grace Slaughter
• 4:20-4:35 p.m.        Oklahoma (W) – Jennie Baranczyk
• 4:35-4:45 p.m.        Oklahoma (W) – Raegan Beers, Payton Verhulst, Sahara Williams
• 4:50-5:05 p.m.        Missouri (M) – Dennis Gates
• 5:05-5:15 p.m.        Missouri (M) – Jacob Crews, Mark Mitchell, Anthony Robinson II
• 5:20-5:35 p.m.        Oklahoma (M) – Porter Moser
• 5:35-5:45 p.m.        Oklahoma (M) – Tae Davis, Nijel Pack, Derrion Reid