KSR Today: Veterans Day, Duke Eve, Football back from the Bye
Good morning, friends. It’s a very busy day around these parts as we get ready for tomorrow’s massive game vs. Duke and the football team returns from the bye week to prepare for Murray State. It’s also Veterans Day, so let me take this moment to thank our current and former U.S. military members for their service. I’m going to do my best to give you an A+ rundown of the UK Sports news in the most ridiculous manner this morning.
We’re fully in crossover season, so we’re gonna split this post between basketball and football with some room for what’s happening with the rest of UK Athletics and beyond on at the end.
BASKETBALL
Otega Oweh, Amari Williams preview Duke
Kentucky wasn’t perfect in Saturday’s 100-72 win over Bucknell, but they still won by 28 points and crossed the century mark for the second game in a row, the first time that’s happened to start the season since 1978-79. Tomorrow, we’ll really find out what the No. 23 Cats are made of when they head to Atlanta to face No. 7 Duke in the Champions Classic (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Before heading south, Otega Oweh and Amari Williams will chat with reporters, conversations you can see around lunch on the site and KSR YouTube Channel. Excitement is high for tomorrow night’s game, even more so after hearing Kerr Kriisa talk a little smack about Duke superstar freshman Cooper Flagg, who many believe will be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Where will Kentucky land in the new AP Poll?
We’ll get our first AP Poll update of the season today. Kentucky is No. 23 in both the AP and Coaches Preseason Polls. Where will they land after dominant wins over Wright State and Bucknell? We’ll let you know as soon as the news breaks. If you haven’t yet, download the KSR/On3 app and turn those notifications on so the news comes directly to your phone.
KSR is at OTE
Jack Pilgrim and Steven Peake are making the trip to Atlanta for the Champions Classic. Even though tomorrow’s game won’t tip until most of us are ready for bed, they’re going down early to check in on future Cat Jasper Johnson and 2026 target Tay Kinney. Both Kentucky kids are spending this season at Overtime Elite and will hold an open practice for the media and coaches tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned to the site and our socials to see what they think about the exciting start to the Mark Pope era.
ICYMI, Duke opened as the early favorite
FanDuel dropped an early line for the Champions Classic on Sunday afternoon and Duke opened as a 6.5-point favorite. We’ll get a more solid line today with point totals, but if you’re like me, you may have hopped on that action while you could.
Need more basketball?
Sources Say went live yesterday afternoon to talk about the Cats’ first two wins and what lies ahead. Catch the replay below on YouTube or the audio version wherever you get your podcasts.
College basketball on TV today
Lots of Top 25 and SEC action today if you’d rather watch hoops than Dolphins vs. Rams on Monday Night Football. No. 21 Florida is in action, which means Todd Golden will likely be asked about the sexual harassment and stalking charges brought against him in the postgame press conference (I’m sure he’ll have no comment).
- 7:00 PM (SEC Network): McNeese vs. No. 2 Alabama
- 7:00 PM (SECN+/ESPN+): Grambling vs. No. 21 Florida
- 7:00 PM (B1G+): Saint Peter’s vs. No. 25 Rutgers
- 7:00 PM (SECN+/ESPN+): Eastern Washington vs. Missouri
- 8:00 PM (ESPN+): Kansas City vs. No. 5 Iowa State
- 8:00 PM (SECN+/ESPN+): Lamar vs. No. 13 Texas A&M
- 8:00 PM (BTN): Yale vs. No. 14 Purdue
- 8:00 PM (SECN+/ESPN+): Northwestern State vs. Oklahoma
- 9:00 PM (FS1): Central Michigan vs. No. 18 Marquette
- 10:00 PM (BTN): Boston University vs. No. 22 UCLA
FOOTBALL
Mondays with Mark are back
After a bye week for some much-needed reflection, Mark Stoops will be back at the podium today at noon to preview Kentucky’s game vs. Murray State. As you are well aware, the Cats are spiraling, losing four straight. To avoid snapping the school’s record eight-year bowl streak, they need to run the table, which is easier said than done with a trip to No. 3 Texas and the Governor’s Cup vs. No. 22 Louisville coming up.
First thing’s first: Murray State. We’ll bring you Stoops’ remarks about the Racers shortly after lunch.
Top 10
- 1
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 2
Dan Lanning
Oregon coach getting NFL buzz
- 3Trending
UK upsets Duke
Mark Pope leads Kentucky to first Champions Classic win since 2019
- 4Hot
5-star flip
Ole Miss flips Alabama WR commit Caleb Cunningham
- 5
Second CFP Top 25
Newest CFP rankings are out
We’ll find out the Texas game time
Saturday’s game vs. Murray State will kick off at 1:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+. Kentucky’s final two games of the season, at Texas and vs. Louisville, are both designated as FLEX, meaning they’ll kick off in either the afternoon or night windows. We’ll find out the exact kickoff time for the game vs. the Longhorns this afternoon. Here are the other games on Nov. 23 if you’d like to take a guess:
| Ole Miss at Florida | ABC or ESPN | 12:00 PM |
| UMass at Georgia | SECN | 12:45 PM |
| UTEP at Tennessee | ESPN+/SECN+ | 1:00 PM |
| LA Tech at Arkansas | ESPN+/SECN+ | 4:00 PM |
| Missouri at Mississippi State | TBA | AFTERNOON |
| Wofford at South Carolina | ESPN+/SECN+ | 4:00 PM |
| Alabama at Oklahoma | TBA | FLEX |
| Texas A&M at Auburn | TBA | FLEX |
| Kentucky at Texas | TBA | FLEX |
| Vanderbilt at LSU | TBA | NIGHT |
New KSR Football Podcast
Vibes in BBN are not great when it comes to football, but the KSR Football Podcast crew is not throwing in the towel. After listening to Stoops, they’ll break down their thoughts on the remainder of the season and share how they spent the bye weekend. Check the KSR YouTube Channel around 2 p.m. ET or simply subscribe and turn your notifications on to get an alert the minute they go live. Fingers crossed for no technical difficulties.
Mark Stoops’ call-in show
The day wraps up with Mark Stoops’ call-in show at 6 p.m. Last week, Stoops was very introspective, admitting some shortcomings regarding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and explaining to a caller how he put the program before friendship when he fired Eddie Gran in 2020. As a disappointing season wraps up — Stoops’ 12th in Lexington — you can’t help but wonder if a similar decision is coming down the line.
EVERYTHING ELSE
Volleyball went 2-0 this weekend
Congrats to the No. 13 Kentucky Volleyball team, which extended its winning streak to seven with straight-set wins over Texas A&M and LSU. Craig Skinner’s Cats have a week off from competition before hosting Georgia on Saturday. Currently, they are atop the SEC standings at 10-2, edging out Missouri at 9-2.
Men’s Soccer advances to the Sun Belt semifinals
It was a big Sunday for the Kentucky men’s soccer team, which advanced to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals with a 1-0 win over South Carolina. Logan Dorsey scored the lone goal for the No. 4 seed Cats, a penalty kick in the 65th minute. Kentucky faces No. 1 seed and host West Virginia Wednesday night at 7 p.m. for a spot in the finals.
Get well soon, Kasey
If you’re a regular KSR listener, you know Kasey, who starts each call with, “Hey fellers.” Kasey took a rough fall on Friday and has suffered some complications during recovery. We’re thinking of you, Kasey. Get well soon.
KSR Schedule for the Week
Matt is still in Chicago after hosting ESPN’s Countdown to Kickoff from Soldier Field on Sunday and Drew Franklin is headed home from a quick trip to New York. The show must go on, so Matt will connect with Ryan Lemond in the Lexington studio and Shannon the Dude in the Louisville studio. Tune in an hour from now to hear them preview a big week, or right now for the KSR Preshow with Shannon and Billy Rutledge.
Here’s where the show will be this week:
Mon., Nov. 11: In studio
Tue., Nov. 12: KSBar & Grille
Wed., Nov. 13: KSBar & Grille
Thu., Nov. 14: KSBar & Grille
Fri., Nov. 15: Whiskey Thief Distilling Company, Louisville
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