KSR Gameday: Kentucky seeks revenge vs. LSU

Good morning, BBN. I hope you’re ready for a long day. Twelve hours from now, your Kentucky Wildcats will take on the LSU Tigers with hopes of avenging last month’s loss in Baton Rouge. For the second game in a row, they may have to win without their starting backcourt.

TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler‘s availability remains uncertain. Washington is still recovering from a lower leg injury he suffered vs. Florida on Feb. 12, while Wheeler injured his wrist vs. Tennessee the next game out. On Monday, John Calipari said the two guards remain day-to-day and he expects to be short-handed against the Tigers tonight. We should find out shortly before tip-off if they’re able to go.

Thankfully, Saturday showed us that Kentucky is capable of beating a ranked opponent without TyTy and Sahvir, even if it requires overcoming a double-digit deficit in the first half. Will the Cats be able to do it against a team that’s already beaten them this season? Both TyTy and Sahvir went down in the loss in Baton Rouge on Jan. 4, Wheeler leaving the game four minutes in after running into a hard screen and Washington checking out with cramps in the second half. Without their primary ballhandlers, the Cats struggled, stalling on offense. Kentucky has improved since then (and now knows how to play without Sahvir and TyTy), but LSU presents a greater challenge defensively than Alabama. The Tigers lead the country in steals (11.3 per game), rank third in KenPom defensive efficiency, sixth in turnovers forced (18.2 per game), and eighth in field-goal percentage defense (38.2%).

So, big game and a long time to wait for it. To get us rolling, here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

What’s up with LSU lately?

After beating Kentucky, the Tigers knocked off Tennessee and Florida before losing six of their next seven. They got back on track with wins over Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and Georgia before losing at South Carolina 77-75 on Saturday. The Tigers are now 19-8 on the season, 7-7 in SEC play. Tari Eason comes off the bench to lead LSU in scoring with 16.9 points per game, followed by Darius Days with 13.3 points per game and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game. Eason had 21 points in the Tigers’ loss at South Carolina and a team-high 13 points in the victory over the Cats in Baton Rouge.

Gonna need you tonight, Rupp

It’s a 9 p.m. game on a Wednesday, but with two starting guards potentially out, the Cats could use a rowdy Rupp Arena. On Monday, Calipari raved about the crowd at the Alabama game and said his guys will need that same energy in the building tonight.

“The crowd was really [big], especially those last four minutes of the first half. We’re going to need that same crowd this Wednesday. And I know it’s a late game. I would suggest having dinner downtown. Being able to walk across the street or drive. We’re going to need fans because this is going to be a really, really hard game.”

Vegas, Computers

Kentucky opened as a 7.5-point favorite in most sportsbooks last night, with the total set at 142 points. KenPom likes the Cats by ten, predicting a 75-65 victory and an 80% probability of winning. ESPN’s BPI gives the Cats an 80.5% chance of victory.

TV, Radio Information

Tonight’s game tips off at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN with Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes on the call. If you’re unable to watch the game, there are several ways to listen.

• AM: 840 WHAS; 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Satellite: XM 84; Sirius 84; SXM App: 84
• Online: iHeart Radio

The KSR Pregame Show will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on 630 WLAP and iHeart Radio. 

Tale of the Tape

Orlando Antigua, Keion Brooks preview the game

Kentucky’s assistant coach and junior forward hopped on Zoom with reporters yesterday morning to preview the rematch with the Tigers. Among the topics discussed were the team’s resiliency without TyTy and Sahvir, Brooks and Jacob Toppin playing alongside each other, and a potential senior season for Oscar Tshiebwe. See it all below.

College Basketball on TV tonight

In the SEC last night, No. 17 Tennessee beat Missouri 80-61, No. 18 Arkansas got an 82-74 win on the road at Florida, and No. 24 Alabama survived a scare at Vanderbilt, winning 74-72. In the lower half of the standings, Texas A&M handed Georgia its eighth straight loss, beating the Bulldogs 91-77.

Here is tonight’s schedule. Duke vs. Virginia leads into LSU vs. Kentucky on ESPN, so go ahead and prepare to switch to ESPN News for the start.

• 6:30 PM (SECN): Mississippi State vs. South Carolina
• 7:00 PM (ESPN): No. 7 Duke vs. Virginia
• 7:00 PM (CBSSN): Xavier vs. No. 11 Providence
• 7:00 PM (ESPN2): TCU vs. No. 20 Texas
• 8:00 PM (ESPN+): No. 14 Houston vs. Tulane
• 8:30 PM (SECN): Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Auburn
• 9:00 PM (ESPN): LSU vs. No. 6 Kentucky
• 9:00 PM (BTN): No. 13 Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

Kentucky Baseball hosts Bellarmine in home opener

Kentucky Baseball was originally supposed to open the home season vs. Southeast Missouri on Tuesday but Mother Nature had other plans. Instead, the Bat Cats will host Bellarmine today. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. If you can’t make it to Kentucky Proud Park, you can watch online via SEC Network+. The Bat Cats are 3-0, starting the season with a sweep of Jacksonville State. They took a page out of TyTy Washington’s playbook and performed a victory Griddy on Saturday:

I love it 🅿️ https://t.co/suXteltV5a

— Tyty Washington (@tytywashington3) February 20, 2022

The hunt for a new offensive coordinator continues

It’s been two days since the news that Liam Coen was accepting the offensive coordinator position with the LA Rams first broke and still no official word from Coen on the move. The delay probably means some back-and-forth negotiations between Coen and the Rams over financial terms, but on Kentucky’s side, the hunt for a new OC has begun. Yesterday, Kentucky put up a job listing for an assistant coach and we got our first bit of scoop. Sources tell Nick Roush that Stoops is considering Rob Calabrese for the position. Calabrese is the quarterbacks coach for the New York Jets and prior to that, was an offensive quality control coach for the Denver Broncos. KSR’s Hot Board 2.0 includes several other candidates for the role.

With spring practice just around the corner, the clock is ticking. We’ll bring you updates as they happen.