KSR Today: A Busy Day to Bury Your Kentucky Basketball Emotions

A late Kentucky collapse at Texas has BBN feeling blue in all of the wrong ways. Kentucky turned a 5-point lead into a 4-point loss, thanks to a myriad of miscues in the final four minutes.

Ahead of the game, we knew Kentucky might struggle to handle ball pressure. The Cats were without their top three ball-handlers. The result: 15 turnovers.

We knew Kentucky was playing a desperate team on the road. Texas had lost three straight games and four out of five. Rodney Terry was feeling the heat. They needed a win in the worst way to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume. Even so, Texas didn’t look like a quality basketball team for most of the night in Austin.

Tre Johnson went off for 32 points. That should not be too surprising, considering the circumstances. Tramon Mark scored in double figures in two of the last six games. He had 26 against Kentucky.

Those two did all of the damage for Texas. Kentucky needed more than Otega Oweh (20 points) and Amari Williams (18 points, 12 rebounds) to escape with a win. It was right there for the taking, and they let it slip away. It’s another tough pill to swallow on the road, and it makes you wonder what this team is capable of without Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, and Kerr Kriisa. At least we can avoid thinking about that harsh reality with a busy sports Sunday.

Injuries Aren’t an Excuse

While BBN may use the three absences to rationalize the loss at Texas, Mark Pope will not be using them as a crutch.

“We’re not leaving any space for that. Like, I have a good team. The guys on the court are good players, and we’re good enough to win. These guys have proven that. We just didn’t do it in the last three minutes and 45 seconds tonight. That’s just it. It was tonight, and it’s super painful. It’s not acceptable. All those things are true.”

Pope added, “We have the guys we need to win, and we’re going to figure out a way to do it.”

The Cats got Cold

Kentucky is the third-most efficient offense in the country because they have shot-makers. It’s hard for this team to win when they can’t hit open shots. That’s exactly what happened in Austin.

Kentucky shot 6-24 from three-point land. It’s the fewest threes they’ve hit in a game since the loss at Georgia (6) and the second-worst shooting night of the season from deep, trailing only a 4-22 night against Ohio State. Koby Brea went 0-6 from the field, including four misses from behind the three-point line.

They weren’t just missing from the three-point line. Forty-five personal fouls were called, giving each team a ton of opportunities at the charity stripe. Texas made 19-23 free throws, while Kentucky went 20-28 (71.4%).

More Postgame Coverage from the Kentucky Loss to Texas

Kentucky must balance injury disaster and maintaining the resume
Kentucky wasn’t Kentucky in the final minutes: “We weren’t ourselves”
The Losses All Have One Common Denominator
RECAP: Kentucky Runs Out of Gas
Kentucky is asking Amari Williams to do everything right now
BAD BEAT: Oweh’s late shot helps the Cats cover
Late-Game Lapses Cost Kentucky: “Definitely let this one get away”
BOX SCORE: Cold Perimeter Shooting and No Ball Security

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Kentucky Among the Top 16 Seeds

Before the college basketball Saturday tipped off, the NCAA Selection Committee gave us a sneak peak of where teams stand a month away from Selection Sunday. Prior to the loss to Texas, Kentucky was the No. 10 overall team, slated as the No. 3 seed in the West Region. The deck will be shuffled over the next month, but I got a feeling you’ll still see plenty of SEC teams occupying those top seeds.

Kentucky WBB at Historic Memorial Coliseum

The end of the SEC schedule is brutal for the Kentucky women’s basketball team. After falling at Ole Miss and to Texas at home, they’ll get a bit of a reprieve, hosting unranked Georgia at Historic Memorial Coliseum this afternoon. You can stream the action on SECN+ beginning at 2 pm EST.

Before the ball is tipped off, we’ll learn what the selection committee thinks of the Cats. Just like the men, there is an early bracket reveal on the docket for Noon EST on ABC, and Kentucky should be in position to be one of the Top 16 overall seeds.

Bat Cats Need a W

The Kentucky baseball team split a doubleheader with Lipscomb, run-ruling the Bison 11-0 in the opener before falling 3-1 Friday evening. It’s been pouring in Nashville, but the plan is to wrap up the series today at 2 pm EST. Hopefully, they can get off the mat and get a series W to start the season.

Sign up for the KSR Newsletter to receive Kentucky Wildcats news in the most ridiculous manner possible.

Tyler Herro Wins the NBA 3-Point Contest

Tyler Herro is still a bucket. He missed his mark in 2023, but returned for the event in the Bay Area in 2025 and took home the crown. Buddy Hield set a record score in the opening round by tallying 31 points, but he ran out of ammo in the finale against Herro. The former Cat put up 24 to take home the crown. See his best moments from the event that you missed while you were watching Kentucky at Texas.

He is one of four former Kentucky Wildcats who were selected to the NBA All-Star Game. This year’s game will be a tournament to crank up the competition. Herro will suit up for Kenny’s Young Stars. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Karl-Anthony Towns will team up for Chuck’s Global Stars. Anthony Davis earned a spot, but is injured and will not play for Shaq’s team. The action begins at 8 pm EST on TNT and truTV.

More Sports to Distract You from the Kentucky Loss

USA hockey beat up Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. They started the game with a bunch of fights, then took care of business with a 3-1 win.

If that doesn’t float your boat, maybe NASCAR can rev your engines. The Daytona 500 is this afternoon at 1:30 pm EST.

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Celebrate 50 Years of SNL

Saturday Night Live turns 50 with a star-studded celebration. Why it’s on a Sunday instead of a Saturday, I cannot explain. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what they have in store during a three-hour broadcast on NBC. The event begins at 8 pm EST and will feature tons of stars from the past, most notably Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Chevy Chase, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Jane Curtin, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, and Kate McKinnon. We got a nice little appetizer during Friday night’s concert.