KSR Game Day: Let's all boo the ice, snow, and Georgia Bulldogs

It’s basketball time in the bluegrass! That doesn’t nearly have the same ring to it as when Carl Nathe, the voice of Kentucky football, says it before kickoff, but I’m shouting it with the same sense of enthusiasm. If you’re anything like me, the days on which this season’s Kentucky team plays a basketball game have turned into Christmas mornings. The giddiness. The excitement. The anticipation of not knowing exactly what you’ll get but having full confidence it is going to be awesome. All the feelings are there.

Today’s rendition of cherubic exuberance comes at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. After playing several early Saturday games this season, today’s matchup will take place as the sun is setting over a snowy Lexington skyline. The ball will tip at 6:00 p.m. and if you’re going to the game, make sure you bring your coat, beanie, and possibly skis because getting around outside today will not be for the warm-blooded.

Inside Rupp Arena, however, Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves will be shooting the rock, so that should warm the place up in a hurry.

The Wildcats enter the game with a 3-1 SEC record, looking to upend a respectable Georgia team, who have won 10 out of their last 11 games. Good morning, Big Blue Nation. Get cozy by the fire, feast on some s’mores, and pull out your favorite electronic device. KSR has your snowy game day covered.

How to Watch

No. 8 Kentucky (13-3) vs. Georgia (13-4)
6 p.m. ET | Saturday, Jan. 19 | Rupp Arena

• TV: SEC Network (Mike Morgan, Jon Sundvold)
• Streaming: WatchESPN
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 84 and on the SiriusXM App
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

The odds are trending toward Kentucky

Kentucky opened as a 10.5-point favorite over Georgia, but the bettors out there seem to know what’s up. At the time of this writing, the line over at Fanduel is up to -12.5, showcasing how much the gambling community likes the ‘Cats in this one.

Similarly, these same bettors know the Thunder Cats (eh, are we really doing that?) can put the ball in the basket. The total points line started at 158.5 but has since been bet up to 161.5. Kentucky, the highest-scoring team in all of college basketball, is averaging 90.8 points per game and is no fluke with regard to hitting overs. They’ve done it in 13 out of their 16 games. Unless the frigid air makes its way into Rupp, look for yet another high-scoring affair.

As always, remember to save some money for Girl Scout cookies.

Don’t expect Adou Thiero to play

Calipari’s general rule of thumb is if you don’t practice the day before a game, you don’t play. That should be the expectation for Adou Thiero with the Bulldogs in town on Saturday, who was seen on Instagram on the sidelines of Friday’s practice.

The sophomore forward is dealing with a back issue, which has kept him out each of the last five games. He was dealing with back spasms in early December, then took a hard fall at Louisville, further tweaking his back and keeping him out indefinitely from there. Coach Cal has said Thiero will be taking further tests to determine a return timeline, but it’s probably safe to assume we won’t see him through this weekend and into next week, at minimum.

It’s unfortunate because Kentucky could really use him about now. His rebounding and defense are exactly where this team struggles, but if it means getting things right ahead of postseason play, so be it. Get well soon, Adou.

Kentucky will honor the 1984 team at halftime

National Championship teams get their rightful praise but sometimes Kentucky’s Final Four teams don’t feel quite the same type of love. That will change today as the university will honor the 40th anniversary of the 1983-84 Final Four (not to mention SEC champion) team.

If you’re at the game, you can pick up a commemorative poster if you get there early enough.

This team featured greats like All-American Sam Bowie, Conference All-American Melvin Turpin, All-SEC Kenny Walker, and the NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player, Dicky Beal. Tip of the cap to this group. Respect.

We will celebrate our 1983-1984 Final Four & @SEC regular season & tournament-title team, this weekend.

A poster commemorating the team will be distributed for free before the game on the @Rupp_Arena concourse behind sections 42-44 while supplies last.
📰🔗… pic.twitter.com/cRJS7MSz9F

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 19, 2024

Inside the Huddle

The good folks behind the scenes with Kentucky basketball gave us a peek inside the huddle. The social media team posted an awesome mashup of what Coach Cal drew up for the Wildcats during their win over Mississippi State on Wednesday night, and how that plan played out on the court.

Spoiler alert: it worked.

Inside the huddle 👀 pic.twitter.com/hStDxLvyfG

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 19, 2024

Karter Knox is on his official visit to Kentucky

Mother nature must be either a Louisville fan, a South Florida fan, or a season ticket holder for the G-League Ignite because it sure did not cooperate with Karter Knox‘s official visit weekend.

Regardless, the 5-star small forward, who plays his high school ball for Overtime Elite, arrived on campus yesterday to soak up all that Kentucky basketball has to offer. Thankfully, the 6-foot-6 wing has someone in his family who can share some good info. Karter is the younger brother of former Wildcat and SEC Freshman of the Year winner Kevin Knox, who has been playing well for the Detroit Pistons as of late. He’s down to just four options for the next level: Kentucky, Louisville, South Florida, and the NBA’s G League. Knox is considered the No. 13 overall recruit in his class, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

After taking an official visit to Louisville in the middle of December, this trip to Lexington, which runs from Friday through Sunday, will be Knox’s final visit before making a decision. He’ll be in attendance for the Georgia game and if his dad is to be believed, will make a college selection within the next 60 days.

RIP Sports Illustrated

The free market can be a cold place sometimes. Sports Illustrated, the long-time gold standard of sports reporting, announced it will be laying off its entire staff, all but spelling the end for the once illustrious publication.

The details are a little murky and SI may still exist in some form, but if so, it will be in name only. To some of you, Sports Illustrated may be nothing more than the fondness of its yearly swimsuit edition, but to many, it was the longstanding cornerstone of legitimate sports journalism. To be enshrined on its cover meant a level of prestige difficult to articulate to someone who knows only of the internet era.

Let me try to explain it if you fall into this category. People would pay actual money to this company and in return, they would mail a magazine (which is kind of like a big book with flimsy pages) each week. It was filled with articles, pictures, and everything in between about sports happenings across the country. Kentucky players and coaches had the honor to grace its cover over the years on several occasions, and KSR’s Drew Franklin broke down the top 20.

My personal favorite is the 1998 National Champions edition with Tubby Smith cutting down the net, primiarly because somehow got my copy signed by Coach Smith himself. The list of great ones runs deep, though.

RIP Sports Illustrated.