KSR Gameday: Kentucky vs. Tennessee in the SEC Tournament Semifinals

Kentucky survived against Vanderbilt to advance to the SEC Tournament Semifinals. John Calipari improved to 10-1 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament in the Wildcats’ 77-71 win over the Commodores. The Wildcats will only get about a 17-hour break before they take on the Tennessee Volunteers this afternoon. Before we turn the page, let’s relish a few significant moments from the victory over Vanderbilt.

TyTy Washington is Back — Entering the game, all I asked for was a big weekend from Kentucky’s freshman phenom. He simply had not been himself since he suffered two or three nagging injuries over the last two months. Ask, and you shall receive. Washington had his first 20+ point game since before the injuries (which coincidentally happened against UT) and he came up big in the clutch, providing an eight-point burst when UK only led by one with six minutes to play.

Ain’t no Stoppin’ Jacob Toppin — A broken nose couldn’t keep Toppin from making one big play after another in the second half. He netted 5-of-6 shots to score 10 points and blocked three shots, including this stupefying swat from behind. Oscar Tshiebwe added five blocks to help UK total nine, the third-highest mark of the season.

SEC Tournament Bracket

After Texas A&M took down Auburn, it looked like the SEC might follow the Big Ten’s lead with a domino of top seeds falling. LSU and Mississippi State hung tight for a half, until Arkansas and Tennessee opened things up over the final 20 minutes.

TV, Radio Info

The action moves over to ESPN Saturday afternoon with Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes and Marty Smith on the call. The game will tip-off 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 1 o’clock semifinal at approximately 3:30 pm ET. If you can’t watch it, you can listen in a variety of ways:

• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Satellite: Sirius 134, XM 190, SXM App: 961
• Online: iHeart Radio

The KSR Pregame Show with Matt, Ryan and Drew will begin at 1:00 pm ET on 630 WLAP and iHeart Radio.

Vegas, KenPom Prediction

After failing to cover as a double-digit favorite over the Commodores, Kentucky opened as a 2-point favorite over Tennessee with a total of 139. You’ll currently find UK -3 in most sportsbooks. The opening line is spot on with KenPom’s analytics, which predict a 71-69 UK victory and give the Wildcats a 57% chance to win.

The Vols are Hot

Tennessee only has one loss since falling on the road to Texas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. They are 3-1 against AP Top 10 opponents this season and have the third-best defense in college basketball according to KenPom. Josiah Jordan-James has been Tennessee’s top dog as of late, averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2 steals over the last four games. Like the SEC Tournament duel in 2019, even though it’s a semifinal matchup, right now Kentucky and Tennessee are the SEC’s top two teams. A victory in a big-time, rivalry matchup could provide the perfect springboard into the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky Celebrity Sightings in Tampa

A few famous former Cats are enjoying the sun and the Wildcats. Super Bowl Champion Mike Edwards was blown away by the BBN. “Man, Kentucky travel(s) better than any other fan base,” he Tweeted. “Feel like I’m in Rupp.” In addition to the Buccaneer, Green Bay Packers’ team captain Za’Darius Smith was in the building rocking Kentucky Blue.

An Upset, Buzzer Beater out West

LONG BEACH STATE (+150 ML) BEATS UCSB AT THE BUZZER AND IS HEADED TO THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIPpic.twitter.com/bn2GNXyMJD

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) March 12, 2022

Long Beach State pulled off the upset to advance to the Big West Championship against Cal State Fullerton at 11:30 pm ET on ESPN2. Here’s who else is playing for a conference tournament title today.

• America East | UMBC vs. Vermont | 11 am | ESPN2
• MAAC | Monmouth vs. Saint Peter’s | 4 pm | ESPNU
• Big 12 | Kansas vs. Texas Tech | 6 pm | ESPN
• MEAC | Coppin State vs. Norfolk State | 1 pm | ESPN2
• Mountain West | Boise State vs. San Diego State | 6 pm | CBS
• SWAC | Texas Southern vs. Alcorn State | 6 pm | ESPNU
• Big East | Creighton vs. Villanova | 6:30 pm | Fox
• MAC | Akron vs. Kent State | 7:30 pm | ESPN2
• Big Sky | Montana State vs. Northern Colorado | 8 pm | ESPNU
• C-USA | Louisiana Tech vs. UAB | 8:30 pm | CBSSN
• ACC | Duke vs. Virginia Tech | 8:30 pm | ESPN
• Pac-12 | UCLA vs. Arizona | 9 pm | Fox
• Southland | Texas A&M Corpus-Christi vs. SE Louisiana | 9:30 pm | ESPN2
• WAC | Abilene Christian vs. New Mexico State | 10 pm | ESPNU

Kentucky Girls Sweet 16 Champion will be Crowned

The day begins with four high school girls basketball teams alive at Rupp Arena. Only one will end the day victorious. Returning to the traditional semifinal-final double-header, the KHSAA Girls’ 16 will conclude with three games today at Rupp Arena. The day begins with Bullitt East and Southwestern at 11 am ET. Sacred Heart can defend its crown by taking down Cooper at approximately 1:30 pm ET. The winners will get the afternoon off before going toe to toe at 7 pm inside Rupp Arena.