KSR Today: Kentucky Basketball is No. 1 (Again)

The Kentucky basketball program is once again the most dominant in the history of the sport. The Wildcats are so good, they didn’t even have to play a game to retake the top spot on the NCAA Basketball All-Time Wins List.

Kentucky has tallied 2,375 wins in 120 years of basketball. That’s five more than the Kansas Jayhawks.

But wait, how did Kentucky leapfrog Kansas before the 2023-24 season even began? Well that’s because Bill Self’s Jayhawks are the cheatingest cheaters who ever cheated. They got caught red-handed and were stripped of wins. Unfortunately, the IARP is afraid to actually levy out real punishments. Kansas had FIVE Level I violations, but most of those were reduced and penalties were limited to three years probation and stripping the program of wins from 2017.

It’s a shame that the Jayhawks only received a slap on the wrist. However, that slap was just enough to put the Cats back on top of the college basketball world… for now.

Kentucky Basketball Back in Action

The BBN got its first taste of Kentucky basketball Wednesday night when the Wildcats hosted UK Pro Day at Rupp Arena. Fifty-two NBA scouts from all 30 teams were in Lexington to watch John Calipari’s team in action. What did we learn? Some good and some bad.

— Adou Thiero got injured. The sensational sophomore rolled his ankle prior to 5-on-5 drills and did not return. Injuries defined the event because it was also the first time we got to hear more from the coaching staff about Kentucky’s banged up frontcount. John Calipari does not expect Aaron Bradshaw or Ugonna Onyenso to be available for another five or six weeks, and even that feels like an optimistic outlook.

–– Joey Hart got buckets. Somebody had to play in Thiero’s absence. The freshman from Indiana arrived without any fanfare, but opened some eyes with his shooting ability.

— A new and improved format. This year Kentucky ditched the combine-like drills and measurement portion of the process. After all, how many legit NBA Draft prospects actually go through the Combine? Instead, the Cats stuck to 3-on-3, 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 scrimmaging. It created a more entertaining for the ESPN+/SECN+ audience. If you were unable to catch the action, tune into KSR’s Rapid Reaction.

Kentucky Basketball Coming to Northern Kentucky

Wednesday night the BBN was served an appetizer. We’ll get another side of fried pickles at Friday’s Big Blue Madness. Taking this analogy a step further, soup and salad will be served in Northern Kentucky when the Wildcats take the Blue-White Game on the road. You can catch Kentucky’s intrasquad scrimmage at Truist Arena, the home of the NKU Norse, Saturday, Oct. 21 at 6 pm EST. The game will stream digitally on SECN+. Tickets are available for $10-$25 on Ticketmaster.com.

It’s the Bye Week for Mark Stoops’ squad. If you’re in the area and you’ve never been to the Bank, go. It’s a great place to watch hoops.

Are You Ready for Kentucky vs. Missouri?

We understand if you aren’t. Mark Stoops’ NIL comments from the radio show took up a lot of oxygen after the blowout at Georgia. He put the talk to bed on the SEC Coaches Teleconference and sent out the Batman signal to rally the Big Blue Nation.

“I love our fans whether they give one cent, one dollar, or a lot of money. It doesn’t matter,” Stoops said. “I love our fanbase. I think we have a great relationship with myself and the fanbase. We need them here this week. We’ve got to get back on track. We’ve got to have a great week and we need that environment rocking.”

Now that we’re finished with that, turn your full, undivided attention to the Missouri Tigers. Wednesday night Adam Luckett and I invited diehard Missouri fan, and former Louisville radio host, Jason Anderson onto 11 Personnel. He talked about the game against the Cats like many Kentucky fans discuss the Tennessee series. This game has gotten the best of Mizzou far too many times and they’re desperate for a win. The season is hanging in the balance Saturday night on the road. Can Mizzou knock off the Cats? We break it all down in the best Kentucky football game preview you’ll find anywhere this week.

Win Money at KSBar and Grille

You look like you could use $500. You can get that with a side of ice cold drinks and delicious food tonight at KSBar and Grille. Every week we’re giving away $500 to a customer at halftime during Thursday Night Football. This week we get a special treat, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Few wonder if they’ll be able to beat Denver, arguably the worst team in football, but many people are asking if Taylor Swift will be in the building (SPOILER: She will!). The Chiefs are 11-point favorites at home and the action kicks off just after 8 pm EST on Amazon Prime.

In addition to the NFL, we have a couple of intriguing college football games. Dana Holgorson will face his former team in a Big 12 matchup when Houston (+3) hosts West Virginia at 7 pm on FS1. Meanwhile, SMU is a 12.5-point favorite over East Carolina at 7:30 pm on CBSSN.

Championship Series Tickets Punched

For the second straight year the LA Dodgers won a 100+ regular season games but had nothing to show for it in the playoffs. The Diamondbacks hit four solo shots in one inning to power Arizona to a 4-2 win, sweeping the Dodgers to earn a spot in their third NLCS. They’ll face the Phillies tonight if Philadelphia can knock off the Braves in game four at Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is at 8:07 pm on TBS.

It will be an all-Texas ALCS as the Astros defeated Minnesota 3-2 to set a date with the Texas Rangers. Justin Verlander celebrated Houston’s seventh-straight ALCS appearance with a NFSW locker room speech that was carried live over the air.

KSR Blood Drive at Kentucky Branded on Friday

As much as Kentucky sports can seem like life and death, Kentucky Sports Radio and Kentucky Branded are partnering for something that truly is: boosting the local blood supply. Kentucky Blood Center will be at the KSR remote on Friday, Oct. 13 at the Kentucky Branded Fayette Mall location (3801 Mall Road) to collect blood. KBC and its donors provide lifesaving blood products for Kentuckians as a supplier for more than 70 local hospitals.

The KBC bloodmobile will be parked outside Kentucky Branded from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday during the KSR Preshow and KSR. As a thank you for donating, donors will receive an exclusive “KSR Save Lives” T-shirt. The shirt will only be available Oct. 13. Donors who cannot make the remote at Kentucky Branded can also receive the shirt if they donate at any of KBC’s eight donor center locations spread across six cities (Lexington, Louisville, Corbin, Frankfort, Pikeville and Somerset). The limited-edition shirt is available while supplies last.

Donors are encouraged to sign up here or by calling 800.775.2522. Walk-ins are welcome. For more details, visit kybloodcenter.org.