KSR Today: 9 days until kickoff, food bracket, and men's soccer
Good morning, folks! It might still feel like a burning desert across the state, but at least the smell of football is in the air. Kentucky is now just nine days away from opening the 2023 season against Ball State next Saturday at Kroger Field. The countdown has been on for a while now (since we hit the 100-day out mark, really), but now that we’re within single digits, it’s beginning to feel more and more real.
Classes at UK began on Monday, so the practice schedule has been modified a bit. On Wednesday night, we were treated to updates from members of the Wildcats’ defense. Defensive coordinator Brad White kicked off the media session before defensive line coach Anwar Stewart, along with players DL Kahlil Suaners, CB Maxwell Hairston, and DL Jamarius Dinkins, got in on the action to talk with reporters.
You can hear everything they had to say below. Also, Nick Roush has sifted through the 10 biggest lessons we learned from Kentucky’s fall camp, which you can read here. Some of the highlights include Devin Leary being awesome, the offensive line improving, and starting jobs getting locked up.
It’s almost that time, BBN…
After practice was over, Nick and Adam Luckett jumped on the 11 Personnel mic to give their boldest takes ahead of the 2023 season. Highlights from yesterday’s podcast include…
- Stars that could exceed expectations
- Under the radar players that will make an impact
- Jimbo Fisher, Jim Harbaugh and Dabo Swinney: Who will rise and who will fall?
- Week Zero picks to kickoff the college football season
Food Bracket Day on KSRadio
Looking ahead to what’s in store for Thursday, the biggest news is obviously the return of KSR’s Fast Food Bracket. When the radio crew takes over the airwaves today from 10:00 a.m. to noon EST, they’ll make the toughest decisions of their lives. The voters will be Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon The Dude, and Chris Tomlin. This will end up being a multi-day activity. Today’s bracket will get trimmed down from 64 to just an Elite Eight. A winner will be crowned on Friday.
Our top overall seeds are McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Cane’s (my pick to win it all), and Outback. At first glance, Culver’s as a 12-seed is setting up the burger chain for a Cinderella run. Jersey Mike’s is a sneaky good pick as a 15-seed underdog too. 3-seed Chipotle has 2-seed Chick-fil-A to deal with in its region, but I feel confident an upset is brewing. Let’s just go ahead and eliminate Domino’s right now while we’re at it.
No. 3 Men’s Soccer begins 2023 season
Football is only nine days away, but football is even closer. No. 3-ranked Kentucky Men’s Soccer will begin its 2023 season this evening against Florida Gulf Coast. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST at The Bell in Lexington, KY.
Top 10
- 1
The Fighting Irish
Notre Dame beats Penn State to advance to CFP National Championship
- 2
Notre Dame odds
Irish natty line released vs. OSU and Texas
- 3Hot
Carson Beck
QB entering portal
- 4
Lee Corso
Near fall puts scare into CGD crew
- 5
Ohio State fans mistake
A brutal, costly error
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After entering the 2022 NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed, Kentucky was knocked out early in the bracket but will be right back in the national conversation again in 2023. The Wildcats return the Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year Casper Mols and Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Casper Grening, both of which are projected to repeat as winners for those awards. Those two, plus Finn Ballard McBride and Andre Erickson, enter the season as UK’s Preseason All-Conference members. The roster is loaded with talent.
If you plan on attending as a fan, you can purchase single match or season tickets by clicking here. Tickets will also be available for purchase upon arrival at The Bell. Gates will open one hour prior to kick-off. Taking into account the excessive heat in Lexington, fans will be permitted to bring one additional unopened bottle of water into the game.
KSR’s Katelyn Perkins did such a good job of covering the team last year that she’s back again for year two — hopefully with a better postseason result. Follow her on Twitter/X (@KPerkinsKSR) to stay up to date on the Footy ‘Cats.
8/24 is Mamba Day
Today is August 24th, otherwise known as 8/24, otherwise otherwise known as Mamba Day. The late Kobe Bryant rocked both the Nos. 8 and 24 on his Los Angeles Lakers jersey throughout his legendary career, and this day now lives as an honor to remember Kobe. Also of note — Bryant’s birthday was yesterday, August 23.
So why are we talking about Mamba Day? Because Kentucky Men’s Basketball and head coach John Calipari has a vested interest. If you remember (KSR’s Jack Pilgrim was the first to report on it, after all), the Wildcats became the first team in the country to ink a deal as a Mamba Program for the 2023-24 season. They’ll receive special Kentucky-themed shoes and apparel along with the possibility of unique Mamba jerseys.
To get Mamba Day rolling, Calipari sent out a heartfelt message to the Bryant family.
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