KSR Today: Recapping the first dud of the Mark Pope era

Mark Pope has checked all of the right boxes early in this tenure as Kentucky’s head coach. The Wildcats have two of the best wins in the country, took care of rival Louisville, and were very much in No. 1 seed contention with conference play right around the corner. One could say that the Wildcats were humming outside of a close true road loss to Clemson where starting point guard Lamont Butler was injured.

That good run ended on Saturday evening at Madison Square Garden. Top-five Kentucky was beaten in every facet by unranked Ohio State.

A bad shooting game was complemented by a poor defensive game. The final result was a 20-point blowout loss in the CBS Sports Classic on national television. Kentucky has some issues to get corrected heading into the week-plus break before playing Brown on Dec. 31 and Florida on Jan. 4.

KSR Today is taking a look back at the woeful performance in the highly unexpected loss.

KSR recaps Ohio State’s big win

KSR has you covered from every angle as we recap what all went wrong for Kentucky in the shocking double-digit loss. Almost nothing went well for the Wildcats.

Smash those links.

• Ohio State cruised to 85-65 win against Kentucky
• Mark Pope still took pictures with fans after the loss
• Kentucky played with fire again
• Aaron Bradshaw played well against his former school
• Kentucky could not hit anything
• Slow starts are becoming an ugly trend
• Mark Pope: “We’re going to lose a lot of sleep over this”
• Ohio State beat Kentucky in every phase
• Kentucky has never beaten Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic
• Box Score: Kentucky goes ice cold

Everything you need to know from yesterday’s upset loss is all right here.

More postgame coverage on KSR’s YouTube Channel

Want to know what Mark Pope, Andrew Carr, and Otega Oweh said after the game? We’ve got you covered. KSR’s YouTube Channel has the postgame press conference and a Rapid Reaction featuring Jack Pilgrim and Steven Peake recapping the brutal performance.

Smash that play button.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

More activity in the transfer portal for Kentucky football

We saw Kentucky add three transfers on Friday when Alabama wide receiver Kendrick Law, Nebraska tailback Dante Dowdell, and Wyoming defensive tackle Jaden Williams all committed to the program.

The Wildcats added another piece on Saturday when Maryland cornerback transfer Kevis Thomas made his transfer decision.

NEW on KSR+

Maryland Transfer Kevis Thomas Details Kentucky Commitment: 'I'm Going to Be a Lockdown Corner'

STORY: https://t.co/8C1FID4tVq pic.twitter.com/QZGyxDMN6w

— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) December 22, 2024

Kentucky is now up to 12 additions in the transfer portal. That trails only Texas Tech (16), Ole Miss (15), Kansas (14), and Auburn (13). We knew a massive roster overhaul was coming to the Joe Craft Football Training Facility and we have seen that play out.

Some buzz for Kentucky landing Kent State EDGE Kameron Olds started to build on Saturday night. The Cats are all considered the favorites for EKU center Evan Wibberley. The work in the transfer portal is nowhere close to being done.

The CFP quarterfinals are set

The first edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff arrived this weekend with four games on campus. Each one ended in a double-digit victory for the home team.

Chalk held in the College Football Playoff. That sets the stage for the quarterfinals.

The College Football Playoff Quarterfinals are SET🔥

🍿🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/nKqnLRZ9m2

— On3 (@On3sports) December 22, 2024

• Fiesta Bowl | Dec. 31 | No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State | 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Peach Bowl | Jan. 1 | No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas | 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Rose Bowl | Jan. 1 | No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State | 5:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Sugar Bowl | Jan. 1 | No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame | 8:45 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Indiana, SMU, Clemson, and Tennessee each went one-and-done in the playoff, but we’ve been given some intriguing matchups for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Oregon-Ohio State rematch in Pasadena stands out above the rest.

Happy Week 16 (and happy fantasy playoffs)

The NFL regular season only has two full weeks left after today. Playoff spots are being locked in and the top of the draft order is getting close to being locked in. Many of you have a big Sunday ahead as you try to lock in a sport in the championship of your fantasy football playoffs.

Much is on the line. The Luckett house will be cheering hard for another Cincinnati Bengals win to set up a huge home game next Saturday against the Denver Broncos that could determine the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Let’s have a Sunday.

• Browns (3-11) at Bengals (6-8) | 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS
• Giants (2-12) at Falcons (7-7) | 1:00 p.m. ET| FOX
• Lions (12-2) at Bears (4-10) | 1:00 p.m. ET | FOX
• Titans (3-11) at Colts (6-8) | 1:00 p.m. ET| CBS
• Cardinals (7-7) at Panthers (3-11) | 1:00 p.m. ET | FOX
• Eagles (12-2) at Commanders (9-5) | 1:00 p.m. ET | FOX
• Rams (8-6) at Jets (4-10) | 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS
• Vikings (12-2) at Seahawks (8-6) | 4:05 p.m. ET | FOX
• Patriots (3-11) at Bills (11-3) | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
• Jaguars (3-11) at Raiders (2-12) | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
• 49ers (6-8) at Dolphins (6-8) | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
• Bucs (8-6) at Cowboys (6-8) | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC