KSR Today: March Sadness is back

Good morning. You know what happened. I know what happened. Yeah, the sun came up this morning but it still sucks. Let’s just get this rundown over with and try to move on with our Friday.

No, Oscar has not made a decision on next year

Nothing broke my heart more than seeing Oscar Tshiebwe double over with emotion when the buzzer sounded. Thank goodness the locker rooms are no longer open to the media or I may have lost it.

Oscar Tshiebwe is sobbing on Kentucky’s sideline. I hate this, but most of all for him. pic.twitter.com/Iv3C5iWryc

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) March 18, 2022

The only thing that could make any of us feel better about last night is Oscar announcing he’s coming back. As you might expect, Oscar said he hasn’t made any decisions about his future while he and his teammates processed the stunning end to the season.

“I don’t know yet. I don’t know. That’s a decision I’m going to talk with Coach [about]. I don’t know yet.”

Oscar’s started showing up on NBA Mock Drafts in the end of the first round/second round. With a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, he could have cemented his status as a first-rounder, so one could argue the early exit is good for the chances for him to return for another season; however, then you look at his box score from last night and remember he put up 30 points and 16 rebounds while covered up with defenders. Hopefully, the powers that be can finally iron out the kinks in his visa so he can fully appreciate the truckloads of NIL money coming his way if he stays in Lexington for one more year.

He. Deserved. Better.

Postgame links (if you dare)

It sucked. It really, really sucked! If you’re a glutton for punishment, we’ve got you covered.

• Final Score Post (like you don’t know)
• Transcript: John Calipari, Kellan Grady, Keion Brooks, Oscar Tshiebwe after the game
• Tyler: Oscar Tshiebwe deserved better
• Jack: KSR’s takeaways from Kentucky’s embarrassing loss to Saint Peter’s
• Zack: Kellan Grady’s career at Kentucky comes to an unfortunate end
• Drew: It wasn’t supposed to happen like this
• Tyler: Calipari wants fans to remember the joy this team brought
• Zack: Nervous energy doomed Kentucky from the opening tip
• Nick: Please, Never Play a Kentucky NCAA Tournament Basketball Game in Indianapolis Ever Again
• Adam: Analytics on the loss

Hey, let’s move on to better things!

The Boys’ Sweet 16 rolls on

If you want to divert your attention elsewhere, there are some big games happening at Rupp Arena today. Today’s schedule features Lincoln County vs. North Oldham, George Rogers Clark vs. Pikeville, Lyon County vs. CovCath, and Murray vs. Warren Central. KSR will be at Rupp to help you move on from that awful basketball in Indianapolis.

Save us, Kentucky WBB

It’s all up to the Kentucky Women’s Basketball team to save us from a truly depressing March. This afternoon, the ladies will preview their game vs. No. 11 seed Princeton tomorrow in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in Bloomington. The press conferences start around 12:30 p.m. ET, so stay tuned to Kentucky Sports Radio for all the news and quotes you could dream of as we double down on our support of Rhyne Howard, Kyra Elzy, Dre’Una Edwards, and a team with a chance left at a happy ending.

BRB, need to see what a game-winning play coming out of a timeout looks like.

.@UKCoachLZ draws up the game-winning play for @KentuckyWBB 🏆

SEC Inside: SEC WBB Tournament | 7 PM ET pic.twitter.com/rlay6rX6rH

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 8, 2022

Cheer for CSU Fullerton and/or Davidson tonight

If you love your Editor-in-Chief or Kellan Grady, it’s time to root for the Davidson Wildcats to upset Michigan State late tonight, or CSU Fullerton to shock the world. The only thing that could make today a little less painful is a Duke first-round or second-round exit. Duke plays CSU Fullerton at 7:10 p.m. tonight on CBS, followed by Davidson and Michigan State at approximately 9:40 p.m. If you’re still planning to watch basketball, here’s the TV schedule:

• 12:15 PM | CBS | South | No. 10 Loyola Chicago vs. No. 7 Ohio State
• 12:40 PM | trueTV | Midwest | No. 15 Jacksonville State vs. No. 2 Auburn
• 1:45 PM | TNT | West | No. 14 Montana State vs. No. 3 Texas Tech
• 2:00 PM | TBS | East | No. 14 Yale vs. No. 3 Purdue
• 2:45 PM | CBS | South | No. 15 Delaware vs. No. 2 Villanova
• 3:10 PM | truTV | Midwest | No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 USC
• 4:15 PM | TNT | Midwest | No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Alabama
• 4:30 PM | TBS | East | No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Texas
• 6:50 PM | TNT | South | No. 13 Chattanooga vs. No. 4 Illinois
• 7:10 PM | CBS | West | No. 15 CSU Fullerton vs. No. 3 Duke
• 7:20 PM | TBS | Midwest | No. 11 Iowa State vs. No. 6 LSU
• 7:27 PM | truTV | South | No. 16 Wright State vs. No. 1 Arizona
• 9:20 PM | TNT | South | No. 12 UAB vs. No. 5 Houston
• 9:40 PM | CBS | West | No. 10 Davidson vs. No. 7 Michigan State
• 9:50 PM | TBS | Midwest | No. 14 Colgate vs. No. 3 Wisconsin
• 9:57 PM | truTV | South | No. 9 TCU vs. No. 8 Seton Hall

Kenny Payne is introduced at Louisville

Down the road, Kenny Payne will formally accept the job at the University of Louisville in a press conference at 10 a.m. He arrived in town yesterday and if the sight of him in a UofL polo didn’t hurt me so much, I’d share the video with you. You can click on this link if you like. Big day for Louisville fans. Dangit.

Shoutout to my awesome team

None of this ended how we all would have liked, but I have to give a shoutout to my team for their awesome coverage this season. Drew Franklin, Jack Pilgrim, Zack Geoghegan, Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Dr. Mike have put in the hours to bring you coverage of this group in the most ridiculous — and comprehensive — matter possible. Late last night, those of us in Indy raised a glass and drowned our sorrows.

Hated the end to this, but love my crew and proud of our coverage. Leaving Indy without two wins and a @stelmo’s Shrimp cocktail sucks but we’ll be back. pic.twitter.com/LRkG9TBE14

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) March 18, 2022

Group therapy starts soon

Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, and Shannon the Dude will be on your airwaves in an hour to talk through it all. If you can’t wait that long, Shannon the Dude and Billy Rutledge have you covered on the KSR Preshow, which starts right now.