KSR Today: TBT run ends for La Familia, Kentucky football hosts Fan Day

Friday turned out to be quite the day in the Bluegrass State. The Kentucky football program got the party started with media day and an open practice. There is more on deck with Fan Day taking place this morning. That was all before we saw La Familia play in the TBT semifinal.

But it wasn’t all good news.

We saw a postseason run end and some unfortunate news hit the football program. KSR Today is here to recap it all.

Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State) knocks off La Familia

The long run ended for La Familia in the TBT semifinals on Friday night in Philadelphia. Kerem Kanter led the way with 17 points but poor three-point shooting (5 of 19) doomed La Familia as Carmen’s Crew poured in 14 three-point field goals and got 16 points plus seven rebounds from former two-time consensus All-American Jared Sullinger.

Despite falling in a big hole in the third quarter, La Familia made a strong push in the fourth quarter and cut the lead down to four points entering the Elam Ending. The lead was immediately cut to two following but consecutive threes from Carmen’s Crew ended the game at 76-70.

La Familia could not continue their strong run with John Calipari in attendance. There are current plans for this group to run it back in next year’s TBT. The run is over now but this group made the last couple of weeks a memorable one.

Much to unpack from Kentucky Media Day

Before welcoming fans to the practice fields outside of the Joe Craft Football Training Facility, we heard from head coach Mark Stoops, coordinators, and players at Kroger Field during Media Day. There was also an open practice.

We have a ton to unpack. The biggest takeaways leaving the day were that Kentucky is aware of the criticism regarding offensive tempo and lack of aggressive pass coverage and is working to fix the issues. Expect more coverage over the next few days but there is plenty to catch up on as we get to know this new team.

• Getting Barion Brown the football is a top priority
• Kentucky has a plethora of weapons at wide receiver
• Defense shows high ceiling in open practice
• Photos from Kentucky Media Day
• Mark Stoops and Bush Hamdan address Kentucky’s pace of play goals
• 5 most insightful quotes from Kentucky
• Kentucky could play more man coverage in 2024
• Kentucky likes the leadership in the QB room
• Multiple defensive players will miss most of the season
• Open practice notes (KSR+)

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More football coverage on KSR’s YouTube channel

The KSR crew was pumping out some written content throughout the day but we also have some videos up on YouTube ready for the Big Blue Nation’s consumption. Miss the press conferences? Want to see KSR’s first Rapid Reaction of the season?

We’ve got you covered.

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Kentucky football will vacate wins from 2021

The 2021 season was a memorable one for the Kentucky football program as the Wildcats beat Florida and LSU at home in consecutive weeks, smashed Louisville to end the regular season, and defeated Iowa in the Citrus Bowl to secure the second double-digit win season of the Mark Stoops era.

But the NCAA now says those wins did not happen.

The NCAA announced Level II violations on Friday which resulted from 11 Kentucky football players being paid for work not performed at the University of Kentucky hospital between Spring 2021 and March 2022. Eight of the student-athletes went on to compete and receive actual and necessary expenses while ineligible. When UK self-reported the violations in September 2022, Mark Stoops confirmed that several members of his team were being held out of games due to an undisclosed off-field incident, including Jordan Wright and Chris Rodriguez. Rodriguez played in every game of the 2021 season.

In the release, the NCAA says both its enforcement staff and the University of Kentucky agreed that no staff member in the athletics department knew or reasonably should have known about the players receiving payment for work not performed. Due to that, there is no failure-to-monitor violation for the football program. However, the program will be on probation for two years, wins from the 2021 season will be vacated, and UK will have to pay a fine. There will not be a bowl ban or scholarship reductions.

The Wildcats were slapped on the wrist but it’s one that stings. Kentucky has agreed to a punishment regarding impermissible benefits.

Happy Kentucky Fan Day

An eventful football weekend is only halfway over. Kentucky will host its annual Fan Day later on this beautiful Saturday in August. It’s a great day to watch some football.

The event will include an open practice just outside of the Joe Craft Football Training Facility next to Kroger Field. Parking and admission is free. Fans can begin entering the facility at 10 a.m. ET at the practice field gate in the plaza outside Gate 12 of Kroger Field. The workout begins at 11 a.m. ET will run to 12:45 p.m. ET before the gates close.

If inclement weather arrives, Kentucky’s Fan Day will be canceled. Details regarding weather and a potential cancellation can be found at UKAthletics.com. KSR will also keep fans posted. Free Kentucky football posters will be available at the event.

KSR’s football crew will be live on the scene to provide coverage. We will have live updates on KSBoard from the workout to go along with a full report on the site later. There will be another Rapid Reaction coming to our YouTube channel. It’s time to get locked in because football is coming.