GAMEDAY: Kentucky Opens SEC Play at Rupp Arena vs. Vanderbilt

A weight has been lifted off the Kentucky Wildcats’ shoulders as they enter SEC play. Kentucky snapped an historic six-game losing streak in double overtime at Mississippi State thanks to heroics from Dontaie Allen. The pressure is off, which should help them play freely when they open SEC play at home against Vanderbilt tonight at 7 pm on the SEC Network.

Jerry Stackhouse’s team is 4-3, with all three losses by double digits. They enter today’s game off a loss and have a common opponent with Kentucky, falling 78-67 to Richmond earlier this season.

The Commodores are led by Scotty Pippen Jr., yes, the son of that Scottie Pippen. The 6’1″ guard averages 22.6 ppg and shoots 40% from behind the three-point line. He has all of the tools to become the next player that goes off on a scoring rampage at Rupp Arena. He gets help in the paint from Dylan Disu, a 6’9″ sophomore that averages 11.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Kentucky finally got back to its winning ways in SEC play, but they cannot rely on seven three-pointers from Dontaie Allen to carry them through conference play. Tonight’s a test they must pass before they travel to Florida to pick up an NCAA Tournament resume boosting win.

How Much Will Dontaie Play?

Terrence Clarke will likely miss his second straight game as he nurses an ankle injury. The backcourt absence will assure that Allen does receive more minutes, but exactly how many? Let Bruiser Flint answer that question.

Vegas, TV, Radio

The Wildcats are 12-point favorites against the Commodores. The total for over/under bettors is set at 135.5. Vanderbilt has covered only once in their last five games, while the Wildcats have covered in two straight games.

Tom Hart and Jon Sundvold are on the call for the SEC Network at 7 pm ET. If you can’t watch all of the action, you can hear the Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach, on a variety of platforms.

• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Satellite: XM-190 and Sirius-138
• Online: iHeart Radio

Listen to the KSR Pregame Show

The KSR crew will have everything to prepare you for the Cats and the Commodores. Turn your radio dial to 630 WLAP or stream the hour-long show on iHeart Radio beginning at 4:30 pm.

UK Football Roster Turnover

It felt like every 30 minutes on Monday a different Kentucky football player revealed they were either departing or staying for another season. We knew this would be Terry Wilson’s last season of football at Kentucky. We did not know he would play another season of college football. That’s exactly what he’ll do next season after revealing he’ll enter the transfer portal. Best of luck to Terry.

The biggest surprise came from the trenches. Instead of replacing four starters, Eric Wolford will only need to find two. ‘Old Man’ Luke Fortner will return for a sixth season at offensive guard, while All-American Darian Kinnard is coming back for one more year, even though he was a projected day two NFL Draft pick. He explained why he chose to return and how Josh Allen played a part in his decision-making process.

Welcome back, @Darian_70!

"For the Team 😼🙏" | #2021 pic.twitter.com/DLjFNgx4VB

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) January 5, 2021

There’s been so many decisions made, I curated a list of all the moves for your convenience.

• C Drake Jackson — NFL Draft
• OT Landon Young — NFL Draft
• OT Darian Kinnard — Back 
• OG Luke Fortner — Back
• NG Quinton Bohanna — NFL Draft
• QB Terry Wilson — Transfer Portal 
• RB AJ Rose — NFL Draft
• OLB Boogie Watson — NFL Draft
• S Yusuf Corker — Back 
• TE Justin Rigg — Back 
• WR Josh Ali — Back 
• DE Josh Paschal — Back
• LB DeAndre Square — Back
• DB Davonte Robinson — Back 
• DB Quandre Mosely — Back
• KR Zach Johnson — Back

Chad Pennington to Marshall?

In a shocking move, the Thundering Herd parted ways with Doc Holliday on Monday after he guided the program to three league championships in 11 seasons. A political move, they have a replacement in mind, but who? Two former players are on their list: Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington. The former will likely stick around the NFL to become a head coach, while the latter is currently coaching Lexington’s Sayre High School. Of all the candidates Feldman emntioned, former Wildcat wide receiver Gerad Parker probably makes the most sense for the Herd.

What are those?

The Miami Heat were applauded for their Miami Vice jerseys. They took a good thing and went too far. Not only did they make wild jerseys, they put the rainbow pattern on the court.

The Miami Heat's new jersey/court combo is something else 😲 pic.twitter.com/c2vczcXFug

— ESPN (@espn) January 5, 2021

Sturgill Simpson starred on The Tonight Show

The Kentuckian who’s been Cuttin’ Grass showed off his talents Monday night on Jimmy Fallon’s program. You probably weren’t up late to watch, so give it a look now and enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btt8Kg7_qUY&feature=emb_title