KSR Gameday: Kentucky hosts LSU on Senior Night (and Mardi Gras)
It feels like only yesterday we were cramming inside Rupp Arena for Mark Pope’s introductory press conference. Ten-plus months and 29 games later, it’s Senior Day. Tonight, the No. 19 Wildcats will host the LSU Tigers at Rupp Arena, the final home game of Mark Pope’s first season as head coach.
Six Wildcats will participate in the Senior Night festivities: Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Amari Williams, and Jaxson Robinson (Kerr Kriisa still has a pathway to more eligibility). Robinson will undergo season-ending wrist surgery tomorrow but will be in Rupp tonight to support his teammates and say goodbye to the Big Blue Nation before flying out. If you’re going to the game, make sure to be in your seats by 6:40 p.m. ET for the ceremony.
The news about Robinson’s injury has Kentucky spinning a bit in the final week of the regular season. On Saturday, the Cats looked all of sorts vs. Auburn. Granted, the Tigers are the No. 1 team in the country, but Robinson’s absence was felt in more ways than one. Yesterday, Ansley Almonor and Amari Williams said the team is dedicating the rest of the season to Robinson and Kriisa, who has been out since mid-December with a foot injury. Tonight’s game vs. LSU, which is just 14-15 and 3-13 in SEC play, is the perfect opportunity to steady the ship going into the final stretch.
Coincidentally, the game vs. the Tigers also takes place on Mardi Gras. This is the third time Kentucky has played LSU on Fat Tuesday, the first since Feb. 20, 2007. You may not remember that game (a 70-63 Kentucky win), but I bet you remember the one before it. On Feb. 15, 1994, Kentucky rallied from a 31-point deficit with 15:34 remaining to beat LSU 99-95 in Baton Rouge. The Mardi Gras Miracle is still tied for the largest second-half deficit overcome in Division I history (Duke over Tulane in 1950 is the other).
Those highlights feel like a wonderful way to get a big day going.
How to Watch, Listen
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Television: ESPN2 (Brian Custer, Daymeon Fishback)
- Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
- Online Radio: iHeart
- Satellite Radio: Sirius 106 or 190
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard. The KSR Pregame Show will start at 4:30 p.m. live from KSBar and Grille.
Odds
Kentucky opened as a 12.5-point favorite, with the total set at 157.5 points. The morning line remains the same, with Kentucky’s team total set at 85.5 points.
KenPom projects an 86-72 Kentucky win, giving the Cats an 89% chance of victory. BartTorvik goes slightly closer at 86-73 (87%). ESPN’s Basketball Power Index favors the Cats by 11.2 points.
Daimion Collins’ return to Rupp Arena
It’s been almost two years since Daimion Collins transferred from Kentucky to LSU. Tonight marks his first return to Rupp Arena. Kentucky played the Tigers last February in Baton Rouge (and LSU won on a buzzer-beater), but Collins was out due to a dislocated shoulder. He’s back this season and playing well for the Tigers, averaging 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 clocks in 21.0 minutes per game. He’s started 21 of LSU’s 29 games, his best performance coming in the win over Oklahoma last month, in which he scored a career-best 22 points and tallied four blocks.
Former Kentucky players have gotten the best of the current Cats this season, but I think Collins will get a warm welcome in Rupp tonight.
Amari Williams, Ansley Almonor preview Senior Night
Yesterday, Amari Williams and Ansley Almonor met with reporters to preview the matchup vs. LSU and reflect on their year at Kentucky. Both expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to play at Kentucky and talked about how and when the team found out that Jaxson Robinson would be out for the season. When it comes to LSU, the veterans know they can’t overlook the Tigers, even if they’re just 3-13 in conference play.
“They’re a great team,” Williams said. “It’s the SEC, you can’t really (look at) their record. Just knowing that they are going to come in here hungry for a win. Something we’ve got to take care of.”
The Tigers may be shorthanded tonight. Freshman guard Vyctorius Miller (8.9 PPG) and freshman forward Corey Chest (6.1 PPG) were listed as doubtful with ankle and foot injuries on last night’s initial SEC Availability Report. Senior guard Dji Bailey (8.4 PPG) is probable. Thankfully, no one outside of Robinson and Kriisa made the report for Kentucky.
Mark Pope Show updates
After a day of reflection, Mark Pope didn’t feel any better about Kentucky’s performance vs. Auburn, On his radio show last night, Pope insisted Kentucky is a “much better team” than the one that got drilled by the No. 1 Tigers on Saturday in Rupp. Here are some other quick-hitters from his conversation with Tom Leach (who happens to be celebrating his birthday today — Happy birthday, Tom!).
Top 10
- 1New
Change afoot in ACC
Impact on FSU, Clemson
- 2
Deal falls through
UNC, Hard Knocks a no-go
- 3Hot
Cancelation call-out
Greg Sankey points finger at CFP
- 4
Top 25 Shakeup
Big changes in AP Poll
- 5
Baseball Top 25
New No. 1 team in country
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— LSU playing small ball: Amid a very long losing streak, LSU coach Matt McMahon decided to shake things up and go with a small-ball lineup. LSU won two games in a row, beating Oklahoma and South Carolina. Pope said the new-look Tigers are perimeter-oriented and shouldn’t be overlooked. “They just haven’t had quite the finishing results that they want, but they’re a good team and it’s going to be a great game.”
— Auburn’s belt celebration: On Saturday, Auburn broke out a leather belt and simulated the butt-whooping they gave Kentucky after the 94-78 win in Rupp. When asked about the celebration, Mark Pope put it simply: “If you don’t want guys celebrating, then win the game.”
— Jaxson Robinson’s emotions: I’ll have more on this later this morning, but Pope shared more about Jaxson Robinson’s state of mind as he prepares for season-ending surgery. Pope said that when Robinson fell on his wrist in the Oklahoma game, he knew almost immediately his season was over, but kept those emotions inside until well after the game, cheering his teammates on to the victory and celebrating in the locker room before bursting into tears. I hope he gets a huge ovation in Rupp tonight.
— Senior Dinner: After the radio show wrapped, Pope had dinner with the six seniors going through Senior Night festivities and their families. As Pope noted, Kerr Kriisa is not part of that bunch since he still has a pathway to more eligibility.
SEC Standings – March 3
With two games left to play Kentucky is tied for eighth in the SEC standings with Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. There are a lot of moving parts, even with just a pair of games remaining, but Kentucky needs to win tonight to narrow the chances of playing on Wednesday at the SEC Tournament. The only way to rule that out completely is to go 2-0, but the most likely result if Kentucky finishes the season 1-1 is the No. 8 seed. The Cats need some help from other teams to make that happen, but above all, they need to take care of business tonight at Rupp.
| TEAM | CONFERENCE | GAMES BACK | OVERALL |
| Auburn | 15-1 | – | 27-2 |
| Florida | 12-4 | 3 | 25-4 |
| Alabama | 12-4 | 3 | 23-6 |
| Tennessee | 11-5 | 4 | 24-5 |
| Missouri | 10-6 | 5 | 21-8 |
| Texas A&M | 9-7 | 6 | 20-9 |
| Ole Miss | 9-7 | 6 | 20-9 |
| Kentucky | 8-8 | 7 | 19-10 |
| Mississippi State | 8-8 | 7 | 20-9 |
| Vanderbilt | 8-8 | 7 | 20-9 |
| Arkansas | 6-10 | 9 | 17-12 |
| Georgia | 6-10 | 9 | 18-11 |
| Texas | 5-11 | 10 | 16-13 |
| Oklahoma | 4-12 | 11 | 17-12 |
| LSU | 3-13 | 12 | 14-15 |
| South Carolina | 2-14 | 13 | 12-17 |
No. 23 Kentucky Baseball at EKU
An hour before the basketball Cats take the hardwood, the baseball Cats will be hitting the diamond in Richmond. No. 23 Kentucky is playing EKU at Earle Combs Stadium tonight at 6 p.m. ET. Tomorrow, the Colonels will come to Lexington to play the Cats at Kentucky Proud Park (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).
The No. 23 Bat Cats are 9-1 so far this season, coming off a sweep of Hofstra this past weekend, which was part of an undefeated five-game homestand. EKU isn’t faring quite as well, just 0-11 and searching for its first win of the season after suffering a three-game sweep at West Georgia.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. You can see it live on ESPN+.
Rhoback just launched its University of Kentucky Gameday Collection
I know you’re a Kentucky fan. But are you also a fan of really nice and comfortable activewear? I’ve got great news for you. Rhoback just launched its new University of Kentucky licensed collection, the perfect way to rep the Cats in March. The collection features two unique Kentucky-themed polos (one which has a really cool Rupp Arena design), a white UK quarter-zip, and a hoodie in the brand’s signature VSoft™ fabric. Nobody else on the market is pairing these levels of custom designs with this quality of activewear.
Rhoback has also been proudly leading the NIL charge. Having signed partnerships with multiple college football stars, past and present, and are becoming the go-to brand for college athletes across the country. There is only one way to describe Rhoback – Best Fit, Best Feel.
Use the code KSR on Rhoback.com for a generous 20% off for all new customers.
College Basketball on TV today
Lots of good hoops on TV tonight, including two ranked vs. ranked matchups, No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 23 BYU at No. 10 Iowa State. There’s a rare midweek tripleheader on SEC Network tonight, with Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt — an important game for Kentucky when it comes to SEC Tournament seeding scenarios — not tipping off until 10 p.m. ET (or likely even later because games take 2.5 hours these days).
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV/Streaming |
| 7:00 PM | LSU at No. 19 Kentucky | ESPN2 |
| 7:00 PM | No. 16 Memphis at UTSA | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 PM | Rutgers at No. 18 Purdue | Peacock |
| 7:00 PM | Georgia at South Carolina | SEC Network |
| 7:00 PM | Miami at Georgia Tech | ACC Network |
| 7:00 PM | North Carolina at Virginia Tech | ACC Network |
| 8:00 PM | Texas at No. 25 Mississippi State | SEC Network |
| 8:00 PM | Baylor at TCU | ESPN+ |
| 9:00 PM | No. 1 Auburn at No. 22 Texas A&M | ESPN |
| 9:00 PM | No. 23 BYU at No. 10 Iowa State | ESPN2 |
| 9:00 PM | Florida State at Virginia | ACC Network |
| 9:00 PM | Syracuse at SMU | ESPNU |
| 9:00 PM | Indiana at Oregon | FS1 |
| 9:00 PM | Nebraska at Ohio State | Peacock |
| 10:00 PM | Arkansas at Vanderbilt | SEC Network |
| 11:00 PM | Arizona State at No. 24 Arizona | ESPN |
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