KSR Today: Bahamas, Governor's Cup and Satellite Camps

Kentucky basketball is heading back to the Bahamas, another four-game trip from August 8-14 at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas. The Wildcats will take on the Dominican Republic National Team on Aug. 10, a professional team from Mexico on Aug. 11, the Carleton University Ravens (Ottawa, Ontario) on Aug. 13, and the Bahamas National Team on Aug. 14.

What do you need to know about the trip?

Lexington-based bdG Sports, who is managing this year’s Big Blue Bahamas tour and hosts 24+ games at Baha Mar Resort each November, wants to highlight additional information on the event in terms of accommodations, tickets, and more.

There are no restrictions on fans staying at Baha Mar in order to attend the games as it was at UK’s previous Bahamas summer trip in 2018. Fans can also book at the new Courtyard by Marriott downtown, at smaller hotel properties around Cable Beach, or even book a private rental through AirBNB or VRBO.

You are able to book a room at the Baha Mar Resort without purchasing one of the fan packages. This option would allow for trip planning flexibility as you can determine the number of days at the hotel and number of game tickets to purchase. For those wishing to stay at Baha Mar, the Grand Hyatt is offering fans the lowest rate available right now and a better deal than their typical promo.

The fan packages are built for those that want a one-stop shop (minus the airfare) to deliver a first-class experience from the minute you land until you depart.

Game tickets are priced the same as the 2018 tour, but as we mentioned above fans are no longer required to be staying at the host resort in order to purchase tickets or attend games. Fans can also buy individual game tickets. 
bdG Sports is wanting to provide as much flexibility as possible for fans to attend. For example, fans do not need to book a six-night trip but rather can come to two games.

For more information on the Big Blue Bahamas tour, head to https://kentuckybahamastour.com. 

The Governor’s Cup is in jeopardy

Could Kentucky football’s annual matchup against the Louisville Cardinals come to a close? Actions made this week in Destin at the SEC Spring Meetings could unfortunately make that happen.

The SEC is in talks about changing its football scheduling format, deciding between an eight- or nine-game conference schedule. Kentucky is pushing to keep the eight-conference game model alive, one that would allow Louisville to stay on the schedule. Meanwhile, a rule that forces teams to schedule at least one non-conference opponent from a Power 5 conference each season is expected to be lifted, which would take out the need to play the Cardinals in the eyes of the decision-makers.

Should a nine-game conference schedule be implemented, Kentucky could technically play Louisville, though that would allow the team to play just two cupcake opponents every year — a crucial aspect of racking up wins for every team in the country. As much as the Wildcats have dominated the series in recent years and in-state recruiting has ramped up because of it, it’s a situation that puts the team in a difficult spot when juggling future schedules.

The current Governor’s Cup contract is scheduled through 2030. Will that contract remain moving forward?

Players First Satellite ProCamps continue in Shepherdsville

The Players First Satellite ProCamps tour featuring the Kentucky basketball roster is set to continue in Shepherdsville on Friday. CJ Fredrick got things rolling in Louisville on Wednesday, followed by Sahvir Wheeler in Danville on Thursday.

Today, Daimion Collins, Brennan Canada and Kareem Watkins will lead the camp of kids in grades 1-8, with campers going through various stations specializing in the fundamental skills of basketball. The camp is set to take place at North Bullitt High School from 1-4 p.m. ET.

KSR will be on hand to speak to Collins, Canada and Watkins, with coverage on the site to follow.

Missed our interviews with Fredrick and Wheeler? You can watch those below:

Boston wins Game 1 of the NBA Finals

The start of the NBA Finals was as-advertised Thursday evening, a must-see Game 1 that featured Golden State’s first home playoff loss (9-0) of the postseason. It was a loss that came after Boston trailed by 12 going into the fourth quarter, only to respond with a 40-16 run to close things out, the largest point margin in a fourth quarter in Finals history.

The Celtics knocked down 9-11 three-pointers in the fourth, with five different players knocking down shots from deep. It resulted in a 17-5 run in the final 5:40 to pull off the 120-108 victory to go up 1-0 in the series.

Al Horford led the way for the Celtics with 26 points, followed by Jaylen Brown with 24 and Derrick White with 21. Steph Curry put up an impressive 34 points and seven 3-pointers in the loss, followed by Andrew Wiggins with 20 and Klay Thompson with 15.

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday evening at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.