KSR Today: Kentucky begins NCAA Tournament run against Saint Peter's

ZGeogheganKSR

Good morning, folks! The moment that the Big Blue Nation has been waiting over 1,000 days for (or just two weeks shy of three full calendar years) has finally arrived. Kentucky Men’s Basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament.

The ‘Cats come into the Big Dance as the two-seed in the East Region with a first-round matchup against the 15-seeded Saint Peter’s Peacocks (19-11), which won the MAAC Tournament to earn an automatic bid. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EST on CBS up in Indianapolis in what will be part of a 16-game slate throughout the day. Kentucky is currently an 18-point favorite to take down the Peacocks, with ESPN’s Matchup predictor giving the ‘Cats an over 95 percent chance at victory.

As usual, KSR has an entire crew on standby to bring you everything and anything that happens. Make sure to check out our regional previews, as well.

On Wednesday, head coach John Calipari and a few of the players previewed the matchup. He spoke on the looming hire of Kenny Payne at Louisville (which we’ll talk about more in a minute), what he knows about Saint Peter’s, and his team’s mindset heading into the postseason. Check out all of KSR’s links from Wednesday’s press conferences (including practice scouting reports from Jack Pilgrim) and expect plenty more to pop up throughout Thursday.

This isn’t the typical Cal team in the sense that it isn’t comprised of mostly freshmen, but at that same time, this group still doesn’t have much NCAA Tournament experience at all, despite the presence of so many veterans. That’s just how things have shaken out over the last two seasons for Kentucky. Whether it was COVID-19 robbing players such as Keion Brooks Jr. of his first opportunity at the Big Dance in 2020 or an all-time worse season in 2021 leaving UK on the outside looking in at the postseason, unique circumstances have placed a gloomy cloud over the program as of late.

But 2022 is here to remedy that. Calipari knows he has a team that can make a deep run. The bracket has shaken out in a way that it might actually favor the ‘Cats to reach the Final Four as opposed to getting knocked out early. The run begins tonight.

Time for the next chapter in the Greatest Tradition in the History of College Basketball.

March is Kentucky time. pic.twitter.com/nDc37VXHXU
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 17, 2022

Yup. We Back.

Additionally, for those of you in Indy looking for ways to spend your time outside of a basketball gym, allow us to point you in the direction of Brandon Ramsey (KSR’s resident Indiana-lover) and his visitor’s guide to enjoying the city. This is no Ryan Lemond visitor’s guide, either. Brandon knows exactly where to go and when to be there when it comes to Indy. You can find the link here. It’s a must-read for those traveling with the ‘Cats.

TyTy Washington Mic’d Up

There might not be a better player on the roster for a Mic’d Up session than bubbly freshman TyTy Washington, and not just because it gives us an excuse to watch him dance in front of the camera. Listen in as he refers to Lance Ware as No. 55, asks Kellan Grady if he needs hearing aids, and poses the age-old question: Can Coach Cal shoot?

Also, we need to link an article done by The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker, which details the medical issues Washington’s mother has been experiencing as of late, and how she’s making a surprise trip to Indy from Arizona to watch her son play in the NCAA Tournament. It’ll make you smile the rest of the day.

Boy’s Sweet 16 Day One in the books

Four first-round games down, four more to go.

Wednesday kicked off opening round action of the 2022 UK HealthCare Boy’s Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena where 16 of the state’s best teams come together to compete for the ultimate crown. Four schools locked in their quarterfinal fate on Wednesday with another four to do the same on Thursday. Unfortunately for the Kentucky fans hoping to get an early peek at future Wildcat Reed Sheppard, you already missed your chance.

Fear not though. As Thursday’s schedule is packed with even more overall talent than what we saw on Wednesday. The firepower at the top should make for some title-worthy matchups in the opening round. Warren Central and Male will feature a battle between two of KSR’s top five teams in the state, while Covington Catholic and Ashland Blazer will showcase two top seven squads in the nightcap. Class of 2023 Louisville commit Kaleb Glenn suits up for the Male Bulldogs, who will kick off the action on Thursday.

If you need to brush up on your high school basketball knowledge, check out KSR’s tournament preview here.

Thursday’s schedule

11:00 AM – No. 5 Warren Central (26-3) vs. No. 2 Male (28-5)
1:30 PM – No. 22 Lyon County (28-6) vs. No. 25 John Hardin (25-9)
6:00 PM – No. T14 Henry Clay (27-8) vs. No. 23 Murray (25-6)
8:30 PM – No. 3 Covington Catholic (28-4) vs. No. 7 Ashland Blazer (26-5)

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Kenny Payne on his way to University-6

Louisville has found its next head coach, and it’s a familiar face. After emerging as the program’s top candidate, former Kentucky assistant coach Kenny Payne is now expected to be introduced as the Cardinals’ next head coach on Friday.

The University of Louisville Athletic Association Board of Directors has called a meeting for Friday at 9 a.m. ET, with the school set to make a “special announcement regarding its men’s basketball program” at approximately 10 a.m.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein was the first to report the news, with several other national and local insiders later confirming the hire.

Payne played at Louisville and won a national championship with the Cardinals in 1986. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Oregon from 2004-09 before joining John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky in 2010, serving as an assistant until 2014 before taking over as associate head coach. Payne was then hired as an assistant with the New York Knicks in August 2020.

The Kentucky-Louisville rivalry just got… weird.

Za’Darius Smith returning to the Ravens

In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Kentucky defensive end Za’Darius Smith in the fourth round. Now the pro will return to the AFC North franchise for his eighth season in the NFL.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the two-time Pro Bowl selection has agreed to terms with Baltimore and will be returning to the organization that gave him his start in the NFL.

Former Packers’ pass rusher Za'Darius Smith is signing a four-year, $35 million deal that has a max value of $50 million with the Baltimore Ravens, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2022

After the Green Bay Packers decided to release Smith on March 14 after three seasons spent in the NFC North, the 29-year-old will now spend his 30s with the Ravens. The four-year deal has an average value of $8.75 million for the veteran and could bump up to $12.5 million if certain incentives are hit.

That’s all I’ve got you this morning. Make sure to tune into the radio show at 10 a.m. as Matt Jones and the crew preview tonight’s game.