UK Fans of the Day Want Friday Afternoon Notes

Good afternoon, friends. It’s a slow Friday afternoon here at the KSR South Compound as I contemplate a weekend without Kentucky Football. I was on vacation during the Mississippi State game and attempted to watch the game at a sports bar like a normal fan and failed miserably. At halftime, my husband and I called an audible, got our food to go, and watched the second half at our rental house with Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic cranked up loud. It was all I could do not to log onto the live blog.

Alas, no Kentucky Football tomorrow, but we will have Kentucky Basketball to watch on our streaming devices. With that in mind, let’s roll through some afternoon notes like it’s 2013.

Oh hey, the Blue-White Game is tomorrow

Confession: I watched about ten minutes of Big Blue Madness. After getting back to our rental from dinner, I was actually looking forward to seeing the scrimmage only to turn it on and have SEC Network cut away to volleyball. Apparently, I did not miss much. Combine that “meh-ness” with the news that only seven players were available in practice earlier this week due to minor injuries and I’m keeping my expectations in check for tomorrow night’s Blue-White Game. We know Oscar Tshiebwe won’t play as he continues to recover from a minor knee procedure, but what about Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware?

We’ve already seen this team play four times in the Bahamas, so it’s not like the Blue-White Game was going to tell us a lot. Hopefully, we’ll get a healthy dose of Ugonna Kingsley, Daimion Collins, and Antonio Reeves. CJ Fredrick was on the floor at Madness, so it’ll be good to see him in action. My hope is that with limited personnel, the event will more fan-focused to shine a spotlight on Eastern Kentucky and those impacted by the floods. The fan fest that precedes the event will be a good start but have Oscar present some checks and hang out with fans in the stands.

Regardless, KSR will have boots on the ground as Jack Pilgrim, Zack Geoghegan, Steven Peake, and guest photographer Aaron Perkins make the trek to Pikeville to cover it all. Join us on the KSR LIVE BLOG starting at 5:45 p.m. ET.

How many of you will hate-watch Tennessee vs. UT Martin game?

I’ve got my hand raised. The Tennessee fans in my neighborhood have been CHESTY this week (understandably). I’m not physically capable of cheering for the Vols, but I hope they beat UT Martin by a million. I want those chests puffed up to chin level when the Cats come to town next week. Years of heartache prevent me from picking Kentucky to win; however, that same heart has a tiny flame of hope burning for an upset. The last thing we need is UT Martin to catch the Vols off guard and give them any sort of reality check.

If you need a football fix…

Kentucky’s recap video from Saturday should do.

You can go ahead and inject Stoops saying “Play hard to have some damn fun” into my veins. Same with this guy yelling “Horse collar, come on!” in our sights and sounds videos from the stands.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Top 5 on Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”

“Midnights” is not my favorite Taylor Swift album, but there are still some bops. My top five after a few listens:

1. “Question…?”
2. “Karma”
3. “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
4. “Lavender Haze”
5. “Sweet Nothing”

I’m excited for Bud Dupree’s return

Dupree has missed the past few games with a hip injury but appears available for Sunday’s game vs. the Colts. I’ve been very entertained by the clips of him in practice this week.

.@Bud_Dupree ain’t messing around this week…#Titans pic.twitter.com/g0v4klZRId

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 20, 2022

Tornado!!! Bud Dupree is back 💪🏻 #Titans @RamonKaylaWill pic.twitter.com/JNokyUVZfL

— Kayla Anderson (@KaylaAndersonTV) October 20, 2022

Dang @Bud_Dupree, take it easy on Coach Crow … #Titans pic.twitter.com/gtiGQELvCj

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 19, 2022

I love it when my Kentucky and Titans Twitter overlap.

DJ Wagner to Kentucky feels inevitable

There have been good vibes surrounding DJ Wagner and Kentucky for months, but over the last week, the whispers have become a roar. Let’s just look at the timeline of the last few weeks:

• Oct. 10: DJ Wagner signs NIL deal with Nike, which reps Kentucky
• Oct. 14: Wagner’s teammate Aaron Bradshaw commits to Kentucky
• Oct. 14: Wagner visits Kentucky for Big Blue Madness, students chant “We Want DJ,” team uses NOCTA balls during three-point shooting contest (Wagner was featured in NOCTA ads)
• Oct. 20: John Calipari hints at Wagner commitment during Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club Tipoff Luncheon
• Oct. 20: Drake, who partnered with Wagner on NOCTA, posts picture in Kentucky uniform on Instagram
• Oct. 21: Ryan Lemond hints at Wagner silent commitment on KSR
• Oct. 21: Calipari tweets picture of NOCTA ball in his office

Got a new ball for the office and going to put it next to my Calipari Pack shoes!!

My good friend @Drake impacting basketball at all levels. Anything he touches turns to gold!! pic.twitter.com/4gQ1MwwSVR

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 21, 2022

The possibility that Wagner was going to Louisville felt very real this summer, so even if this feels inevitable at this point, we’re going to celebrate the hell out of it.