KSR Today: Kentucky MBB heads to Gainesville, WBB wins in Nashville

Kentucky’s impressive regular season run comes to an end on Saturday, as the Wildcats are set to take on the Florida Gators in Gainesville for one final game before postseason play.

Coming in with a 19-11 record on the year, the Gators have won three of their last four, including a win over then-No. 2 Auburn. Overall, though, it’s an overall resume with just two Quad 1 wins and one Quad 4 loss. The team has lost eight of its last nine Quad 1 matchups.

In the teams’ last head-to-head matchup, the Wildcats won quite comfortably, cruising to a 78-57 victory at Rupp Arena. Oscar Tshiebwe led the way with 27 points and 19 rebounds, followed by Kellan Grady with 15, Davion Mintz with 11 and TyTy Washington with 10. As for the Gators, only one player finished in double figures, with Colin Castleton finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

This time around, ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the edge to Kentucky with a 72.0% chance to win, while Barttorvik projects the Wildcats as 3.5-point favorites with an 83% chance of coming out on top. Official odds will be released later today.

Game information can be found below:

When: Sat., March 5 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center (Gainesville, FL)
TV: CBS
Stream:  CBS Sports Online or the CBS Sports app
Radio: UK Sports Network with Tom Leach and Mike Pratt

Calipari, players preview Florida

What does John Calipari think of Kentucky’s final regular-season game of the season? What are the team’s thoughts going into postseason play? The UK head coach and select players will speak to the media at 11:30 a.m. ET to break it all down.

KSR will have all of the coverage you need right here on the website throughout the afternoon.

SEC Tournament tickets go on sale this morning

Looking to make the trip to Tampa to watch Kentucky in the SEC Tournament? Single-session tickets are available starting this morning.

A limited number of single-session tickets are set to go on sale at 9 a.m. CT (10 a.m. ET) this morning, with prices ranging from $15 (Wednesday’s first-round session) to $70 (Saturday semifinals). All-session ticket books are still available for $300 and $250 and provide admission to all seven sessions.

Tickets can be purchased on the ticket page at SECsports.com or at Ticketmaster.com. All available tickets are located in the terrace level.

London tickets are also on sale

While you have your credit card out, go ahead and purchase your tickets to Kentucky’s game in London against Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022.

Tickets officially went on sale at 4 a.m. ET (9 a.m. in London [GMT]) online through AXS.com and The O2 Arena. General public tickets are priced between £35 to £200 (approximately $45 to $260) and will include entry into both games (Kentucky vs. Michigan and Marist College vs. the University of Maine). Limited floor and VIP seating is also available. Everyone will require a ticket, regardless of age. All tickets will be delivered in the O2 app through flash mobile delivery. All tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. 

The Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase will be Kentucky’s third regular-season trip outside the U.S. and the first in Europe. It will also mark the first college basketball game ever played at O2 Arena.

Purchase your tickets here.

Kentucky WBB wins first game of SEC Tournament

As the men’s team gears up for its trip to the SEC Tournament, the women’s team has already earned a statement win to open the conference tournament. And it’s one that may have earned the Wildcats a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Down in Nashville for the 2022 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, Kentucky knocked off the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a final score of 83-67. Freshman Jada Walker led the Wildcats with a career-high-tying 21 points to go with eight rebounds. Junior forward Dre’Una Edwards added 18 points and 14 rebounds, while senior star Rhyne Howard added 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Despite shooting just 2-12 (16.7 percent) from three, Kentucky still managed to knock down 36-68 shots overall (52.9 percent) and 9-12 from the line (75 percent). Defensively, the Wildcats allowed the Bulldogs to shoot just 42.9 percent from the field and 30 percent from three.

What’s next for Kentucky? Well, it won’t get any easier, as the Wildcats are set to take on No. 2 seed LSU in the quarterfinals. The Tigers enter the game ranked No. 6 in the nation with a 25-4 overall record and 13-3 in conference play. That game will take place at 7 p.m. ET, with the matchup broadcast live on SEC Network. UK lost to LSU back in January, falling in Baton Rouge by a final score of 78-69. It was a loss that came during a stretch where the Wildcats lost eight of nine SEC games, including four in a row.

Since that stretch, though, Kentucky has won seven straight games to close out the season.

No matter how his evening’s matchup goes, the Wildcats’ opening-round win vs. MSU likely pushed them over the edge as a potential NCAA Tournament team. They entered the conference tournament firmly on the bubble, but a convincing win over another fellow bubble team may have been enough to convince the selection committee to reward UK with an at-large bid.

A second-round upset over LSU would certainly do the trick.

Wan’Dale Robinson cruises in 40-yard dash

Looking to stand out among a group of elite wide receiver prospects at the NFL Combine, Wan’Dale Robinson made a statement Thursday.

In his first and only attempt, Robinson ran an unofficial 4.38 40-yard dash, which was later announced officially as a 4.44-second time. That’s good for No. 15 among all wide receivers participating in the combine.

Kentucky's Wan'Dale Robinson also breaking 4.4 with a 4.38 40-yard dash#NFL #NFLCombine #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Pu3sLrliGL

— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) March 4, 2022

He also showed off a 34.5-inch vertical, good for No. 19 among all players on Thursday.

Here were his official measurements:

Height	5’8″
Weight	178 lbs
Arms	27 5/8″
Hands	9″
40 Yard Dash	4.38 unofficial, 4.44
Vertical Leap	34.5”
Broad Jump	118
3 Cone Drill	N/A
20-yard Shuttle	N/A
60-yard Shuttle	N/A

Robinson is one of seven Wildcats participating in the NFL Combine, joining the likes of Darian Kinnard, Luke Fortner, Dare Rosenthal, Josh Paschal, Yusuf Corker and Marquan McCall.

Must-see videos of the morning

Chris Oats surpassed another major milestone in his journey back after suffering a stroke in May 2020. After nearly two years since the tragedy, the Kentucky football standout is now back on his feet.

pic.twitter.com/2o4aMp8fgo

— DueceDuece (@ChristopherOats) March 3, 2022

Oscar Tshiebwe also went viral Thursday by singing a song from Disney’s Moana on his Instagram page.

Oscar Tshiebwe singing songs from Moana is the wholesome content you need today.

🎥: @Oscartshiebwe34 pic.twitter.com/zaBNfdq1bP

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) March 3, 2022

If those videos don’t put a smile on your face this morning, I’m not sure what will.

KSR is LIVE at Kentucky Branded

It’s a big day for the KSR crew, who will be live at Kentucky Branded in Lexington for one of the biggest remotes of the year.

Loaded with OVW stars and a film crew, KSR will be giving away cash, gift cards and KSR apparel every 30 minutes. Doors open starting NOW.

The show is live from 10 a.m. to noon ET. Be there.