KSR Today: SEC Tournament Week begins after a Big Night with Drake

Good morning, friends, and welcome to one of the best weeks of the year. “Championship Week” technically tipped off on March 4, but this week, everyone gets involved. For our purposes, the SEC Tournament begins on Wednesday; thanks to the massive win over Tennessee, Kentucky won’t play until Friday night. Thankfully, there is plenty of basketball to keep us all entertained until then.

Today, we’ll revel in the win over the Volunteers a little more and look ahead to a very exciting week. There’s nothing better than March when Kentucky is rolling and the 85-81 win over No. 4 Tennessee was the biggest of the year, elevating the Cats to the double-bye in Nashville and bringing a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament within reach. It’s amazing to think how far this team has come in just a month.

Before we begin the rundown, here is the official SEC Tournament bracket. Kentucky plays the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Ole Miss on Friday at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET. Win and the Cats could face No. 3 Alabama or No. 6 Florida on Saturday.

Where will Kentucky be ranked?

The final polls of the regular season will be released around lunch. Kentucky is currently No. 15 in the AP Poll, No. 13 in the Coaches Poll. How far will the Cats climb after wins over Vanderbilt and No. 4 Tennessee? Eight teams ahead of them in the AP poll lost last week.

• 4. Tennessee (L to No. 15 Kentucky)
• 5. Arizona (L @ USC)
• 6. Iowa State (L @ Kansas State)
• 8. Marquette (L @ No. 2 UConn)
• 9. Duke (L vs. No. 7 UNC)
• 11. Baylor (L @ Texas Tech)
• 12. Illinois (L vs. No. 3 Purdue)
• 14. Kansas (L @ No. 1 Houston)

I doubt anyone who watched the Tennessee game would argue Kentucky isn’t a top-10 team. I’m not sure the Cats will get quite that high, but they certainly deserve to.

Coaches All-SEC Teams, Postseason Awards announced

Some Cats could be taking home some hardware today when the Coaches All-SEC Teams and individual awards are announced. We’ll find out the coaches’ picks for First and Second All-SEC Teams, All-Freshman Team, All-Defensive Team, Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and Freshman of the Year.

Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard, and Rob Dillingham better clear some space off their mantles.

We’ll hear from John Calipari

Kentucky will hold its pre-SEC Tournament media opportunities later this week; tonight, we’ll get to hear from John Calipari himself. Calipari was still battling a cough following the Cats’ win over the Vols, so hopefully, he spent Sunday recovering with some homemade soup and Alaska TV shows. Tonight, we’ll hear his thoughts on the win over Tennessee after a day of rest and reflection. You can hear his conversation with Tom Leach and Bob from Jamestown starting at 6 p.m. ET on 630 WLAP or UK Sports Network affiliates across the state.

Kentucky Basketball’s connection to Drake is strong

Calipari did make it down to Rupp Arena for a little bit last night to say hello to his friend Drake, who performed a concert with J. Cole. Cal and Drake posed for a picture before the show, but it was Rob Dillingham whom the rapper brought on stage to give a very big shoutout.

“Y’all make some noise for my brother. I’ve been watching this guy for a long time. Turn around, let people see you, man. Let people see you. Shifty!”

Drake gave Rob Dillingham a shoutout and brought him on stage during his concert tonight at Rupp Arena!

😼🏀🦉 #BBN pic.twitter.com/Q2B59ObaFO

— Jordan Adams (@Jordan_Adams4) March 11, 2024

A quick scan of social media this morning suggests almost the entire team was at the show, with DJ Wagner and Kareem Watkins helping escort Lil Durk to the stage:

DJ Wagner and his brother Kareem Watkins were a part of Lil Durk’s walkout at the Drake Concert in Rupp Arena tonight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UEInVNYobn

— Blue Chips (@UKBlueChips) March 11, 2024

During the concert, Drake talked about how far he has come since dropping out of high school and how, when he returned to school in 2012 to get his degree, Calipari came to his graduation and offered him a scholarship to Kentucky. He also recreated the famous picture of him in the locker room with the 2014-15 team, writing, “Oh hell nah, all my brothers left me.”

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We’ll hear from Karter Knox

Amid the postgame celebrations was a basketball commitment. Four-star small forward Karter Knox committed to Kentucky on Saturday night, becoming the sixth pledge in the 2024 class. The younger brother of former Cat Kevin Knox shared the news during halftime of his game during the Overtime Elite finals. Today, Knox will talk to reporters about his decision. We’ll be tuned in to bring you all the content.

The moment Karter Knox announced he would be rocking Kentucky blue 😼🔵 pic.twitter.com/21Q4CF5ZC1

— KSR (@KSRonX) March 10, 2024

College Basketball on TV today

Four teams have punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament: Morehead State (Ohio Valley), Longwood (Big South), Drake (Missouri Valley), and Stetson (Atlantic Sun). Today, two more teams will join them from the Sun Belt (Arkansas State or James Madison) and Southern (East Tennessee State or Samford) Conferences.

• 6:00 PM (CBSSN): Towson vs. Charleston | CAA Semifinal
• 6:00 PM (ESPN+): New Orleans vs. Lamar | Southland 2nd Round
• 7:00 PM (ESPNU): Cleveland State vs. Oakland | Horizon Semifinals
• 7:00 PM (ESPN): Arkansas State vs. James Madison | Sun Belt Finals
• 7:00 PM (ESPN2): East Tennessee State vs. Samford | SoCon Finals
• 7:00 PM: St. Thomas-Minnesota vs. South Dakota State | Summit Semifinals
• 7:30 PM (ESPN+): Montana State vs. Weber State | Big Sky Quarterfinals
• 8:30 PM (CBSSN): Stony Brook vs. Hofstra | CAA Semifinals
• 8:30 PM (ESPN+): Texas A&M-Commerce vs. Nicholls | Southland 2nd Round
• 9:00 PM (ESPN): Santa Clara vs. No. 23 Saint Mary’s | WCC Semifinals
• 9:30 PM (ESPN2): Milwaukee vs. Northern Kentucky | Horizon Semifinals
• 9:30 PM: Denver vs. Omaha | Summit Semifinals
• 10:00 PM (ESPN+): Portland State vs. Montana | Big Sky Quarterfinals
• 11:30 PM (ESPN2): San Francisco vs. No. 19 Gonzaga | WCC Semifinals

A big Monday show

Nothing is better than KSR on the Monday after a big win. Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, and Shannon the Dude are ready to talk about the win over Tennessee some more one hour from now (Drew Franklin is out today as he travels home from a wedding). Better yet, get the party started right now on the KSR Preshow with Shannon and Billy. They’ll share the plans for the week, which include at least one Alice Blue Gown show in Nashville and the big Friday morning show at Tin Roof Broadway.