Today on KSR: Ouch

Losing is never fun.  After years of watching sports, there are plenty of ways to cope with a loss.  My typical strategy is to completely ignore it for one day, then snap back to reality and embrace the suck with open arms.  It’s not going to be so easy this time around.

There’s only one word to describe Kentucky’s second half start at Texas A&M: embarrassing.  For the first time all year this team looked hopeless.  A&M did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted and nobody seemed to care.  I know they cared after the game, as players walked into the lock room teary-eyed, but nobody played with any pride when it mattered most.  Nobody decided, ‘I have had enough,’ and tried to do something differently until it was too late.

One bad game should not define a season.  The loss should not completely alter the trajectory of this team, especially when nobody expected UK to leave College Station with a win.  Cal isn’t quitting on this team; he will not crack.  I will not quit on the team either, but I do question this team’s capabilities.

What once appeared to be a team with a limitless ceiling has transformed into a team without an identity, a rotation or a reliable leader entering the important final stretch of the season.  Accepting a loss is never easy; accepting that reality is downright painful.

UK’s Tourney Stock Drops

Yesterday the NCAA Selection Committee released the tourney’s Top 16 seeds to date.  It will all dramatically change before Selection Sunday, but Kentucky isn’t going to get into that group.  The CBS gurus projected UK as a seven-seed after that loss, lower than any seed line Joe Lunardi has projected all year.

Not Cool

This weekend Kentucky became a punchline.  The Kings have no room to talk trash, but I can’t even be mad.  I just miss these guys.

These guys never lost 3 straight at Kentucky 🤭 pic.twitter.com/jbfG4pRbnS

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 12, 2018

Sports on TV

Time	Game	Network
7:00	Notre Dame at #21 North Carolina	ESPN
7:00	Delawware State at Norfolk State	ESPNU
9:00	TCU at #19 West Virginia	ESPN2
9:00	Baylor at Texas	ESPN
9:00	Jackson State at Praire View	ESPNU

It’s a decent night for college basketball, but it’s not too good to turn down to watch the Olympics.  Ski jumping and the luge kick things off on NBC at 3:00.  In primetime you can see alpine skiing, snowboarding and speed skating on NBC.  Find out what’s on every channel here and pray that one day you can be as cool as this Korean figure skater.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. pic.twitter.com/t8a4rdvj6E

— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) February 12, 2018

UK Hoops takes an L

The Cats’ trip to Starkville wasn’t pretty.  The Kentucky women’s basketball team fell to the nation’s No. 2 team 74-55.  The silver lining: Maci Morris scored 22 points to move up two spots on UK’s all-time scoring list.  She’ll be in the top 20 before the season is over.  They’ll be back in Lexington to host Arkansas this Thursday at 7:00.

In other news around UK Athletics, The UK softball team started their season this weekend in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  It was a rough start; Rachel Lawson’s squad dropped the first two games to New Mexico State before rebounding Sunday for a 10-2 win.

New Football Coaches Introduced 

Today at noon we’ll meet UK’s two new assistant football coaches, wide receivers coach Michael Smith and outside linebackers coach Brad White.  If nothing else, it’ll be a nice distraction from whatever is happening with the basketball team.

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