KSR Today: Back at it for Music City Bowl Week, the Mizzou trip, and more

Put the presents away and start cleaning up the mess left over from yesterday’s Christmas gathering because it’s time to get down to business with a busy week ahead. I hope you all had a merry and happy holiday with loved ones and stayed safe from the treacherous weather conditions, but now we need you focused on a big week for both Kentucky Football and Kentucky Basketball.

It’s Music City Bowl Week

Kentucky Football gets back to work this week with preparations for Saturday’s Music City Bowl in Nashville. The team broke for Christmas break last Wednesday but it’s back to football on a short week in Lexington before traveling down to the Music City for all of the Music City Bowl fun.

Along with the team’s return to action, KSR will amp up its bowl week coverage as Kentucky gets set to play Iowa for a second consecutive year. Remember, the nation’s longest non-conference win streak is at stake too. Kentucky has won 20 straight out-of-conference games and four straight bowls. The last loss? The 2017 Music City Bowl.

Let’s check in on the point spread

At last glance, Kentucky is a 2.5-point underdog in Saturday’s game against the Hawkeyes. For fans sick enough to bet the under (I’m one of those sickos), the total is still at 31 points for the game, the lowest total in the history of college football. (In my defense, I got it at 31.5 so I’m not that sick.)

The KSR Football Podcast returns tomorrow night

Need something to get you juiced up for one last Kentucky Football game? Tomorrow night over on KSR’s YouTube channel, the KSR Football Podcast will go live with a one-hour preview of the Music City Bowl. If you can’t make it, the bowl preview will be in audio form however you get your KSR podcasts.

We’d love to have you on the live broadcast so we can interact, if you can.

Two more sleeps until Kentucky Basketball’s SEC opener

Coming up on Wednesday, Kentucky Basketball will tip off league play with the SEC opener at Missouri, a game that is now completely sold out as of Christmas Eve. A real challenge for the slow-progressing Wildcats, Mizzou is up to 11-1 on the year and recently demolished 16th-ranked Illinois in their annual rivalry game in St. Louis.

KenPom gives Kentucky a 60 percent chance of escaping with a W, while ESPN’s BPI predictor is slightly more confident with 65.6 percent belief in the Cats.

Numbers aside, it’s a big test as all SEC road games are, and Kentucky needs some wins for the tournament resume and to keep the “yacht” from taking on more water.

Listen to John Calipari on the radio tonight

For updates out of Camp Cal and Christmas break, John Calipari will be on the radio airwaves tonight from 6-7 PM for his weekly call-in radio show on the UK Sports Network. Calipari will chat with Tom Leach and take questions from the fan base before Kentucky’s trip to the Midwest.

A new Top 25 coming soon

Unless the voters took the day off, the Associated Press will bless us with a new Top 25 in college basketball later this afternoon. The Wildcats currently rank 19th in the poll after a six-spot drop a week ago and soon we will see the reranking of the best teams so far this season.

(16) Illinois’ loss to Mizzou, (14) Duke’s loss to Wake Forest, and (15) Mississippi State’s loss to Drake should free up some room to climb if the AP values Kentucky’s win over Florida A&M.

Positive Vibes Game Watch Party at KSBar and Grille

The pre-Christmas portion of Kentucky’s schedule was a pretty big disappointment, but we’re hitting the reset button and leaving the negativity behind us as Southeastern Conference play begins. On Wednesday, the KSR radio crew is having a positivity party at KSBar in Lexington in hopes of a statement game from the Wildcats during their trip to Missouri. The team needs a win in a big way and we’re going to get behind them as best as we can from a distance. We’ll all be at KSBar from the 4:30 pm pregame show through the end of the game, which is hopefully a big win to lead off league competition.

No KSR today

Though the work never stops here on Kentucky-Sports-Radio-dot-com, the KSR radio show has one more day off before returning from the holiday break. Today’s two-hour show will be a replay episode before we’re back on your radio airwaves tomorrow morning to begin previewing the Music City Bowl and the trip to Mizzou.

Here on the website, we’ll be working all day; although, I need to drive home from Ohio at some point. That’s going to suck.

Go Cats!