KSR Today: Kentucky has Sweet 16 Fever

The Sweet 16 is on the horizon and Kentucky fans are all in. Big Blue Nation is so all in, that a cereal no one had ever heard of before Sunday is now one of the top sellers on Amazon. We’re hungry for success in March, and apparently finely-shredded whole wheat cereal.

It’s the final day before the Kentucky Wildcats make their trek to Indianapolis to prepare for Friday night’s matchup with Tennessee. Meanwhile at Rupp Arena, the best high school boys basketball teams from around the Commonwealth are meeting to crown a state champion in the Sweet 16.

A year ago, we saw history unfold. The state’s all-time leading scorer outlasted one of the greatest Sweet 16 performances ever as Lyon County took down Harlan County in the final. Now, Travis Perry and Trent Noah are wearing Kentucky jerseys in the NCAA Tournament. Who will make history at this year’s Sweet 16? Prepare for an exciting week of high school basketball.

Sweet 16 Wednesday Schedule

One of the first Sweet 16 games will determine who is the best high school basketball team in the city of Louisville. Jeffersontown has won three of the last four Sixth Region Tournaments. St. X has not played at Rupp in 30 years, but they’re the prohibitive favorite to cut down the nets Saturday night. The Tigers have yet to lose to a team from Kentucky. Will that record remain unblemished for four more games?

11:00 am | Bowling Green vs. Adair County
1:30 | St. X vs. Jeffersontown
6:00 | Danville Christian vs. South Oldham
8:30 | Ashland Blazer vs. Calloway County

You can stream the KHSAA Sweet 16 online by subscribing to the NFHS Network and check out the entire bracket here.

The Transfer Portal is Open for Business

No, the Kentucky basketball season has not ended, but Mark Pope’s coaching staff is already preparing for the offseason. The transfer portal opened on Monday. It did not take 48 hours for big names to enter free agency.

San Diego State 7-footer Magoon Gwath has been in touch with the Kentucky coaching staff. There’s another former SDSU Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year who’s done alright for himself in Lexington. We have a running list of players who have been in touch with the Wildcats, and the biggest one is Donovan Dent. The New Mexico guard averaged 20 points and seven assists per game and spoke with Jacob Polacheck Tuesday night.

“It’s always been a dream school to play at. It’s one of the highest colleges to play at in college basketball. I’m just excited I even have the opportunity to possibly go there,” Dent said.

Make sure you don’t miss any transfer portal intel by locking in with KSR+.

Three Go Portaling from Kentucky WBB

The offseason has already tipped off for Kenny Brooks and three of his Cats are on the move. The biggest of the bunch is 6-foot-7 center Clara Silva. She only played 12.5 minutes per game, but showed plenty of potential with size and athleticism you can’t coach. Silva was the only big surprise departure. The other two players who hit the portal, Saniah Tyler and Tanah Becker, were recruited to Kentucky by Kyra Elzy.

More Kentucky Weetabix Content

I know I already mentioned it once right off the jump, but we need more Weetabix to start our day. Mark Pope gave his ringing endorsement and one Kentucky fan turned Amari Williams into a superhero. It’s taken on a life of its own and that will grow exponentially with each win in March.

The sweeter the better, right @amxriwillixms? pic.twitter.com/WZsdGeZLfz

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 26, 2025

Red Bull gives you wings, @weetabix gives you championships @amxriwillixms #BBN pic.twitter.com/mCGdKE9KVI

— Ross Turner (@rossrenrut) March 26, 2025

Spring Practice Updates Resume

While most fans have been pounding cereal and marching through the madness with Mark Pope’s team, Mark Stoops’ Kentucky football team is going back to work. They enjoyed a week off for spring break, then returned to the field on Monday. Following Wednesday morning’s practice, Bush Hamdan and members of the Kentucky offense will chat with the media about the latest developments from the gridiron.

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

The Field of 68 with Kentucky Flavor

Matt Jones stayed up late for an After Dark edition of the Field of 68. KSR’s Fearless Leader joined Rob Dauster, Jeff Goodman, and Tyler Hansborough to talk about Mark Pope’s first season in Kentucky ahead of the Wildcats’ date with Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

Want more? Watch the entire 90-minute program on YouTube.

Pitino to Xavier

The proliferation of the transfer portal has made the coaching carousel spin faster than ever before. If you were busy watching NCAA Tournament games, you may have missed Sean Miller’s decision to leave Xavier for Texas. Chris Mack was reportedly in the mix to follow Miller’s footsteps by returning to the school he previously coached. When Mack shared on social media that he’s staying in Charleston for year two, it only took about 30 minutes for Jon Rothstein to report that Richard Pitino will be the next head coach at Xavier.

Pitino’s first power conference gig did not go so well, even though he did get an NCAA Tournament win at Minnesota over Louisville. After a couple of NCAA tournament appearances at New Mexico, he’s going to the Big East where he’ll get to face his father as a conference foe. Bring your popcorn.