KSR Today: Game 3 in Omaha, NBA Draft Week, Stanley Cup Final, and More
Oh, hey there, readers of KentuckySportsRadio.com. It’s been too long since you and I have caught up. That distance is on me; I snuck off to South Florida for some rest and relaxation away from phone and computer screens. It feels good to turn those things off occasionally, but now I face that back-to-work Monday morning feeling and a sunburn. Luckily, we have plenty to address here on the website, and I am eager to return to the radio airwaves at 10 a.m. after the week away. But first, our regular Monday morning conversation about what’s going on.
The College World Series heads to Game 3
There is one more day of baseball in Omaha after the Tennessee Vols forced a third game in the College World Series final against Texas A&M. Down 1-0 in the best-of-three series and down 1-0 early in the game, the Vols beat the Aggies on Sunday, winning 4-1 to stay alive in Nebraska.
Tonight, Tennessee or A&M will win its first-ever CWS trophy when the two SEC schools collide in the decisive championship game in the first Omaha appearance for both sides. First pitch is at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Go Aggies? Go Aggies.
UK’s Alexis Holmes heads to Paris
Late Sunday evening, Kentucky Track & Field alum Alexis Holmes punched her ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Holmes earned bronze in the 400-meter finals with a personal-best time of 49.78, good enough to qualify for her first Olympic team.
Will Riley heads to Illinois with Orlando Antigua
Kentucky scratched Will Riley off its list of prospective student-athletes for Mark Pope‘s basketball program. Riley, a five-star small forward in the high school class of 2025, announced a commitment to Illinois on Sunday, picking the Illini over the Wildcats, Alabama, Arizona, and the New Zealand Breakers.
The 6-foot-9 talent from Canada is expected to reclassify and suit up for Brad Underwood this upcoming season. Former UK assistant Orlando Antigua was the primary recruiter for Illinois in Riley’s recruitment, which included a Kentucky visit in early June. Antigua had been in contact with Riley for the Kentucky side since John Calipari was still the head coach in Lexington.
Jasper Johnson visiting Illinois, Alabama
Jasper Johnson is also on Antigua’s radar at Illinois. In fact, Johnson, the five-star guard from Lexington, Kentucky, visited Illinois on Sunday.
Johnson will travel to Alabama today for an official visit with the Crimson Tide’s basketball program. His decision is expected “within a month or two.”
Pope was out recruiting again
Mark Pope is a hard man to track down. He seems to be everywhere, although I was disappointed when he wasn’t standing at baggage claim when I landed back in Lexington over the weekend. He wasn’t there or in Lexington at all because he and his staff were busy bouncing around the recruiting trail from nearby Shelbyville, Kentucky, to Maryland, Indiana, and Arizona. Zack Geoghegan tried to keep up with the staff’s movements here.
One of Pope’s top targets? Jasper Johnson, of course.
It’s NBA Draft week
On Wednesday, former Kentucky stars Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham will learn their basketball futures when they are selected in the 2024 NBA Draft. In the latest projection from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, Sheppard is the No. 3 overall pick to the Houston Rockets, followed by Dillingham five spots later at No. 8 to the San Antonio Spurs with the Spurs’ second top-10 pick.
“The Rockets have demonstrated serious interest in (Sheppard) at No. 3, with both the front office and ownership intrigued by his fit as a shooter and playmaker next to their established young talent,” the story notes. [ESPN]
Top 10
- 1
Upset
Kentucky beats No. 6 Ole Miss on the road
- 2Hot
Travis Hunter
Colorado star hits Heisman pose after ridiculous interception
- 3Live
Meltdown
Auburn fans react to 27-21 loss to Oklahoma
- 4Trending
Arch Manning Dime
Texas QB finds DeAndre Moore Jr. for six
- 5
Cheerleader levels OU player
Auburn cheerleader destroys Oklahoma player
There will be plenty more draft talk in the coming days, and KSR will aggregate all of the Reed and Rob talk for you here as their biggest fans (that’s us) count down until their draft night. Fans can watch the 2024 NBA Draft on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+. The first round begins June 26 at 8 p.m. ET. The second round has its own day on Thursday, June 27, starting at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Former Wildcats Antonio Reeves and Justin Edwards could be second-day selections and hopefully will.
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight
Last Tuesday afternoon, I sat at a bar (hey, it was vacation) about 10 miles from the Florida Panthers’ home arena as fans were counting down to Game 5 in Fort Lauderdale with a Stanley Cup trophy on the line. They were planning to party later that night, and I thought I lucked into a fun night as a bystander in the right place at the right time. To be honest, I didn’t know about the game until I woke up to the local news that morning.
Edmonton spoiled the fun that evening (I fell asleep anyway), then won Game 6 back in Canada on Friday (I attended part of a watch party on Hollywood Beach), forcing tonight’s Game 7. Now, the Oilers are on the verge of becoming the first team since 1942 to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the Stanley Cup Final.
The game is at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight on ABC. The Panthers are back home, and their fans are probably day-drinking again.
USMNT beat Bolivia in the Copa América opener
Christian Pulisic struck first, minutes into the match in Dallas. Captain America scored a goal and assisted another in the United States’ 2-0 win.
Up next: the U.S. heads to Atlanta to play Panama for the next game in group play.
Pardon My Take to host KSR on Thursday
It’s that time of year again, KSR listeners. On Thursday, Pardon My Take takes over Kentucky Sports Radio for the entire two-hour show. Big Cat and PFT’s annual KSR show will include a first-round draft recap, their thoughts on Mark Pope, and their role in John Calipari’s exit as the first two people to put him on the hot seat.
Monday with Myron up next
Today’s KSR show will be broadcast from the iHeart studio in downtown Lexington. Myron Medcalf will be in the driver’s seat on another Monday with Myron, and I’m back to join the guys from a weeklong vacation. Talk to you then. Go Cats. (And Aggies.)
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