KSR Today: Kentucky basketball takes over the state
For the first time since the fall, the in-season Kentucky football news cycle is over. Excluding Monday’s national championship matchup between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington, bowl season is over and teams are now scrambling to rebuild their rosters through the transfer portal — now closed for new additions through April. What you see is what you get in the pool of chaos. Beyond that, though, the wait begins until spring ball with a quick signing period sprinkled in starting Feb. 7. No more game prep, press conferences or Mark Stoops call-in radio shows.
On the flip side, basketball season is officially full steam ahead, the Cats wrapping up the non-conference slate and entering the beast that is SEC play. It starts with a trip to Gainsville to take on Florida, a projected NCAA Tournament team and a Quad 1 opportunity for Kentucky.
Cats prepare for the Gators
It’s a real test, one that hits the Cats in some problem areas, particularly on the glass. The Gators come in ranked No. 1 overall in rebounds per game (45.4), No. 4 in offensive rebounds (16.2) and No. 13 in rebound margin (11) while the Wildcats are No. 113 (38.3), No. 245 (9.9) and No. 172 (1) in those respective categories. And this comes after giving up 24 offensive boards and losing the overall rebounding battle 45-40 to an undersized Illinois State team.
“We reverted back to where we were, which is looking at the ball as it is shot, they drive us under the basket and tip it out,” John Calipari said after the win.
His answer to those woes? Well, fix it or sit on the bench.
“(I’m) keeping it real with guys,” he added. “If you are not going to rebound, I am not going to play you. I don’t care who you are.”
Something will have to give one way or another to open SEC play, tip-off scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 6 at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
DJ Wagner, Tre Mitchell set to break down the matchup
What do the Wildcats think of their first true road test of the season (sorry Louisville)? Two key players will break things down Friday morning with Wagner and Mitchell scheduled to speak to the media starting at 10:30 a.m. ET.
How do they plan to slow down the Gators on the glass? Are there any worries entering enemy territory in what is expected to be a rowdy environment — certainly the most hostile they’ve been in thus far?
Mitchell gave his thoughts earlier in the week, joining Coach Cal’s call-in radio show Monday evening.
“It’s going to be loud for sure. Being a part of Kentucky, it comes with it,” he said. “The crowd is going to show up early, they’re gonna be screaming at you during warmups. The second those doors open, they’re gonna be in there flooding. They’re going to have something to say, but it’s because we have something that they fear. That’s just kind of how I see it.”
It’ll be a challenge, but it’s one Mitchell feels confident about. After all, this is why you sign up to play at Kentucky.
“These dudes are ready for the moment,” he said. “We put the work in to be here, it’s just a matter of staying together while we’re on the road.”
Kentucky up to a No. 2 seed?
At least Joe Lunardi (finally) thinks so. It took some convincing, the ESPN bracketology expert listing the Cats as a No. 6 seed in his first update to open the month of December. Since then, Kentucky has slowly crawled up his seed lines, now to a No. 2 in the South Region and the No. 8 team overall.
In short, the Wildcats swapped places with Clemson while his other 14 top-four seeds remained unchanged.
He’ll release a new bracket projection on Friday over at ESPN.com. In the meantime, Lunardi will be featured on KSR+ in an interview with Jacob Polacheck. What are his in-depth thoughts on your beloved Cats? Keep your eyes peeled for his answers this morning.
Coach Cal visits VJ Edgecombe, Darius Acuff
The Kentucky coaching staff made one quick pitstop before the trip to Gainesville, traveling to Indiana for the La Porte Invitational tonight to check out some top recruiting targets.
Calipari and Chin Coleman caught the tail-end of five-star senior VJ Edgecombe’s game before sticking around for five-star junior Darius Acuff.
A decision is coming soon for Edgecombe, who is expected to choose between Kentucky, Duke and Baylor. As for Acuff, he’s coming off an official visit to Lexington in October — his most recent trip.
Kentucky WBB defeats Arkansas in SEC opener
As the men’s team prepares for its first SEC matchup, the women’s team took care of business in their own, upsetting Arkansas by a final score of 73-63 inside Rupp Arena on Thursday.
Senior Ajae Petty led all scorers with 22 and pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds in the win. Brooklynn Miles added 12 points while Emma King scored 10.
“Petty’s an absolute great player for sure and she’s grown up – 22 and 19 today. Very proud of her and the work that she put in,” coach Kyra Elzy said. “But we do it together. Everyone has to make plays. This is a team and we’re going to have to do it together night in and night out.”
Kentucky returns to the floor on Sunday, traveling Tennessee to take on the Volunteers in Knoxville, tip scheduled for noon ET on SEC Network.
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