KSR Today: Victory Sunday

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Dec 7, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (77) knocks the ball away from Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (99) during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images — Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

There were a few of you reading this that went to sleep at halftime. Heck, some probably didn’t even decide to watch the game at all. You sleepers all missed a thriller.

Gonzaga led 52-34 with 19:19 left in the second half. Kentucky won the game. The top-10 non-conference matchup was an instant classic.

Despite another poor three-point shooting performance (7-of-25), the Wildcats found a way to post 1.25 points per possession against a top-25 defense. Kentucky went toe-to-toe with Gonzaga’s biggest strength and beat Mark Few‘s team inside.

Kentucky recorded 16 second chance points on 16 offensive rebounds, shot 14-of-19 at the rim, beat Gonzaga in paint points (48-44), shot 54 percent from two of 50 attempts, and were plus-one on the glass. Mark Pope‘s team beat the Bulldogs at their own game. Even with their point guard depth decimated following a second half injury to Kerr Kriisa, Kentucky found a way by playing downhill on offense and making Gonzaga’s pace-and-space ballscreen-heavy offense play slow with hybrid 1-3-1 defense that would switch to man-to-man at any point.

The 90-89 victory was sweet. That will be a victory that could be hard to top this season. All eyes will quickly shift to next weekend’s matchup against Louisville at Rupp Arena, but KSR is taking one final look at the big Quad 1 win to start off this Victory Sunday.

Let’s ride.

For the second straight game, Kentucky dug itself into a hole with a bad start and fought back. This time, they won.

Afterward, Mark Pope joked that fans who went to bed at half missed a heck of a show. #BBN

MORE: https://t.co/TYveaSRe0Q pic.twitter.com/ld3HB225eA
— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) December 8, 2024

KSR recaps Kentucky’s big win

KSR had boots on the ground in Seattle and our basketball coverage team was also providing remote coverage from our comfy Bluegrass homes. We will have more postgame coverage publishing all day on Sunday.

Let the victory celebrations roll on by smashing those links. We touched on a lot after the madness of that overtime victory.

Everything you need to know from Seattle is all right here.

Six state champions crowned at Kroger Field

The Kentucky high school football season officially came to a close on Saturday at Kroger Field. After three exciting games on Friday, we saw the 3A, 5A, and 6A champions crowned before the big Kentucky-Gonzaga game on Saturday.

Christian Academy-Louisville (3A), Bowling Green (5A), and Trinity (6A) all defended state titles yesterday. KSR’s Daniel Hager and Piper McCoun was in the house to provide coverage.

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1A: Sayre 27, Raceland 22
2A: Beechwood 50, Owensboro Catholic 34
3A: CAL 42, Union County 21
4A: Paducah Tilghman 27, Franklin County 20
5A: Bowling Green 37, Cooper 20
6A: Trinity 42, Ryle 23

RECAP: Trinity runs away from Ryle

RECAP: CAL defeats Union County

RECAP: Bowling Green beats Cooper

KSR’s Kentucky preps coverage will now shift to basketball as teams across the state are on the road to the Sweet 16.

Happy Transfer Portal Eve

There were plenty of blowouts in conference championships this weekend, but Saturday delivered the goods with the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC title games all coming down to the wire. Oregon locked up the No. 1 seed, Georgia secured the No. 2 seed, Arizona State and Clemson punched their tickets, and SMU is officially on bubble watch along with Alabama and South Carolina.

We will get the bracket at some point after Noon ET when ESPN’s selection show goes live. KSR will have full coverage around lunchtime. The playoff will drive the conversation around the sport, but the offseason is off and running.

The winter transfer portal window officially opens on Monday. Kentucky’s roster overhaul is already underway with 14 scholarship players announcing their intentions to become free agents over the last week. There will be some more.

DL Keeshawn Silver
DB Avery Stuart
LB Jayvant Brown
TE Tanner Lemaster
TE Khamari Anderson
TE Jordan Dingle
OL Courtland Ford
OL Ben Christman
DL Tommy Ziesmer
WR Dane Key
WR Barion Brown
WR Anthony Brown-Stephens
EDGE Tyreese Fearbry
EDGE Noah Matthews

Kentucky will be active shoppers during the free agency window and could need double-digit starters to come from the portal. The madness officially ramps up on Monday. KSR will be locked in to provide coverage every step on the way.

Some more team intel was dropped on KSBoard on Saturday detailing where the program sits and what to expect over thee next few days. It’s head on a swivel season. This will feel like anarchy over the next few weeks as the playoff begins in the middle of free agency season.

What a sport.

Want more Kentucky football intel? Join KSR Plus for the most comprehensive coverage of the Cats on the internet. With a KSR membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.