KSR Today: Kentucky Baseball makes NCAA Tournament, SEC Spring Meetings, and more
Good morning, friends, and welcome back to the computer or work for those of you who enjoyed the long Memorial Day weekend. I hope you’re rested and refreshed; I’d say I also hope you’re not sunburnt, but it was a surprisingly cool and cloudy weekend across the region. We’ll probably be begging for this type of weather in late July and August.
There was actually some news on Monday that we need to catch you up on, as Kentucky Baseball made the NCAA Tournament (phew!). There’s more to get you ready for, too, as some big meetings are about to take place in Destin, Florida, that could have big consequences on college sports. The NBA Conference Finals keep rolling on, and we’re another day closer to the NCAA’s NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline, which means we’ll soon know whether or not Otega Oweh will be on next season’s squad.
So, plenty to talk about. Let’s start with the Kentucky Baseball team, which found out its NCAA Tournament draw on Monday.
Kentucky Baseball draws the Clemson Region of the NCAA Tournament
It didn’t come without a little sweating, but the Bat Cats are going dancing for the third straight season. Kentucky drew the No. 3 seed in the Clemson Region of the NCAA Tournament, alongside the No. 1 seed Tigers, No. 2 seed West Virginia Mountaineers, and No. 4 seed USC Upstate Spartans. The Cats face West Virginia at Noon ET on Friday on ESPNU. Clemson, the No. 11 overall seed in the tournament, and USC Upstate play at 6 p.m. on Friday.
It’s a double-elimination format, so even if Kentucky loses that first game, they’ll have another chance to stay alive. The winner of the Clemson Regional will head to Baton Rouge for the Super Regional, the site of the 2023 team’s final games.
After all the handwringing about Kentucky potentially missing the field, the Cats weren’t even among the last four teams in and ended up with a pretty good draw. Daniel Hager broke it down yesterday, but Kentucky has a decent chance of winning the regional. Clemson has won six of its last seven games, but before that, the Tigers lost eight of ten. West Virginia lost six of its last seven regular-season games. This is USC Upstate’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Hear Daniel break down the region some more and make his own prediction at the start of our latest KSR Happy Hour.
Speaking of KSR Happy Hour, let us take this moment to tell you about one of our sponsors, the Woodford LPGA Legends Invitational Tournament, which is coming up June 7 and 8 at the Woodford Club in Versailles.
The Woodford Legends Invitational 3rd annual tournament showcases the talents of some of the biggest names in the history of the LPGA Tour teeing it up alongside top female amateur golfers from the state of Kentucky. This unique two-woman team event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 7–8, 2025. The week of family-friendly events will begin on Tuesday, June 3, and culminate in the main tournament on the weekend. The event takes place at The Woodford Club in Versailles. To secure tickets, visit their website at: www.woodfordclubfoundation.org/tickets
Mark Pope spent Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
Mark Pope is everywhere. Kentucky’s head coach was at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday, where he honored those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. He was even spotted by a member of the Bond That Bridge, So To Speak Facebook group, and agreed to a picture.
SEC Spring Meetings start in Destin
Where will Pope go next? Probably Destin, Florida, for the SEC Spring Meetings. Today through Thursday, the SEC’s coaches, athletic directors, and presidents will meet to discuss the issues facing college sports right now. There are A LOT of those, particularly as we wait to hear if the House Settlement is approved, but SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters last night that football scheduling and potential College Football Playoff expansion are the primary topics that will be discussed. Sankey even went after the ACC and Big 12 for statements they released last week after the decision to go to straight seeding in the playoffs, which Big 12 commissioner Clark Williams didn’t take too kindly to.
Top 10
- 1New
Greg Sankey reacts
House vs. NCAA Settlement
- 2Hot
Landmark Approval
House vs. NCAA Settlement
- 3
EA Sports CFB 26
Schools paid based on usage
- 4
Manning Passing Academy
College QB attendees announced
- 5Trending
Keelon Russell
Mother releases statement
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Other topics on the docket? As Adam Luckett outlined on Monday, Tennessee going rogue and passing a state law saying they don’t have to follow NCAA rules, spring OTAs, and more transfer portal talk. Mark Pope will continue to beat the drum for a 40-game college basketball season. Hopefully, some basketball talk will make it through the football and NIL headlines. We’ll be watching Twitter and The Paul Finebaum Show to find out. I hope Paul puts some sunscreen on that shiny dome.
Is today the day we hear from Otega Oweh?
The NCAA’s deadline for college players to withdraw from the NBA Draft to maintain their eligibility is tomorrow (at 11:59 p.m. ET, to be specific), meaning it’s only a matter of time before we know whether or not Otega Oweh will be a member of next year’s team.
It’s been all quiet on Oweh’s front as he goes through workouts. According to his Instagram story, he was in Brooklyn last night for a workout with the Nets, who have the Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27, and 36 picks. The expectation remains that he’ll return to Kentucky for another year, as only one major mock draft has him being selected, and even that, at the very end of the second round. Regardless, we’ll have our ears to the ground to bring you the latest rumblings.
NBA: Shai drops 40 to lead OKC to 3-1 lead, Knicks vs. Pacers Game Four
It was another big night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Western Conference Finals. The newly-crowned MVP dropped 40 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 128-126 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder take a 3-1 lead back to OKC, with Game Five scheduled for Wednesday night.
Shai was 13-30 from the floor and 12-14 from the free-throw line, hitting a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds left to push the lead back to three. When Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards hit a free throw on the other end to cut it to two and intentionally missed the second to try to get the rebound and putback, Shai tracked down the ball and flung it out of bounds to drain the clock:
Tonight is Game Four in the Eastern Conference Finals. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks to a comeback win on Sunday to cut the Indiana Pacers’ series lead to 2-1, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter. Can KAT conjure the same magic in Indy to tie the series up tonight? We’ll see at 8 p.m. on TNT.
The radio show returns
KSR the show returns to the airwaves this morning after the long weekend. Tune in to hear their thoughts on everything that happened and Kentucky’s draw in the NCAA Tournament. They’re in studio today but will return to KSBar on Wednesday.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard