KSR Today: A very busy day to start a very busy week

Good morning, Big Blue Nation, and welcome to a new week, and man, do we need one. The football team’s loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday left a proverbial cloud of suck over the Commonwealth. What we believed could be a truly special season has spiraled into disaster, leaving far more questions than answers on the table with two games remaining. Go ahead and pass me the Tums because that Louisville game is already looming large.

Alas, as I said, it’s a new week, one that includes THREE basketball games, a football game vs. No. 1 Georgia, and a massive recruiting announcement coming from DJ Wagner. Over the course of the next six days, the basketball Cats will play Michigan State in the Champions Classic (Tues., 7 p.m., ESPN), South Carolina State at home (Thurs., 7 p.m., SEC Network), and No. 2 Gonzaga in Spokane (Sun., 6:30 p.m., ESPN). Add in a women’s basketball game, pivotal conference matches for volleyball, and the launch of Kentucky’s collective and it’s a little overwhelming. That’s why we’re here. Let’s walk through it all, step by step.

Noon: Mark Stoops press conference

At noon, Mark Stoops will hold his weekly press conference to share his thoughts on the 24-21 loss to Vanderbilt after watching the tape. On Saturday, Stoops was honest in his assessment of the season, admitting that for whatever reason, he has failed to get through to this squad. Will Levis also voiced his frustrations over his teammates’ lack of energy and execution vs. the Dores, who hadn’t won an SEC game in 26 tries. At this point, I’m not sure anyone believes that Kentucky can upset No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, leaving the Louisville game looming large on the horizon, the difference between a mediocre season and a dumpster fire.

KSR will be in the house to see what Stoops says at noon. Follow the site and YouTube channel for updates. We’ll hear from Stoops again tonight on his call-in show beginning at 6 p.m. ET on WLAP and iHeart Radio.

1 p.m.: John Calipari press conference

It will be a mad rush across campus for reporters attempting to cover both Stoops and John Calipari’s pressers today. At 1 p.m., Calipari will preview tomorrow’s game vs. Michigan State in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis. The Spartans are 1-1 this season, losing to No. 2 Gonzaga by one, 64-63, in the Peraton Armed Forces Classic on the USS Abraham Lincoln on Friday. It’s hard to know what to make of the aircraft carrier games, but there’s no denying tomorrow night will be the first real test for the Wildcats, who are 2-0 after easy tune-ups vs. Howard and Duquesne.

Sahvir Wheeler returned in Friday’s 77-52 win vs. the Dukes, coming off the bench to chip in 11 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds, and only 2 turnovers in just 27 minutes. Oscar Tshiebwe (knee) remained out and Daimion Collins was with his family in Texas for his father’s funeral. Collins will rejoin the team for tomorrow night’s game, but what about Oscar? Calipari said he was unsure of Oscar’s status for the Michigan State game when asked on Friday night. We’ll see if he’s seen him today.

Finally DJ Wagner time in the Bluegrass?

The early signing period in basketball ends on Wednesday and two potential future Wildcats have yet to put ink to paper. Current UK commit Aaron Bradshaw is expected to sign with Kentucky in the coming days and when he does, his Camden teammate DJ Wagner is expected to join him. Wagner’s announcement could come as early as today.

For years, Kentucky was the frontrunner for the five-star son of Dajuan Wagner, coached by John Calipari at Memphis. After Kenny Payne and Louisville hired DJ’s grandfather Milt, the Cards took the momentum in the recruitment, but the Cats are back in the driver’s seat. Kentucky has a 99% chance of landing the 2023 star in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. Wagner is the No. 6 player in both the On3 and On3 Consensus Rankings. Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, and Justin Edwards already signed their letters of intent last week.

We’ll find out the Governor’s Cup kickoff time

The nation will get to see No. 1 Georgia play Kentucky at Kroger Field on CBS Saturday afternoon, a sentence I was much more excited to write one week ago. What about the regular season finale vs. Louisville? Game times for Nov. 26 will be released today. Here’s what the Governor’s Cup is up against in the SEC:

• 3:30 PM (CBS): Arkansas vs. Missouri
• 7:00 PM (ESPN): Mississippi State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss
• 7:30 PM (ABC): Florida vs. Florida State
• TBD: Louisville vs. Kentucky
• TBD: Georgia Tech vs. No. 1 Georgia
• TBD: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt
• TBD: No. 7 LSU vs. Texas A&M
• TBD: Auburn vs. No. 9 Alabama
• TBD: South Carolina vs. No. 10 Clemson

…So, SEC Network at noon? Cool.

Kentucky’s NIL collective launches

Given the loss to Vanderbilt, the timing for this isn’t exactly ideal, but today, we’re expecting some big NIL news for the University of Kentucky. Kentucky’s collective, The 15 Club, launches this afternoon. There are several levels of membership with corresponding perks, including unique fan experiences. We’ll have all the details for you on the radio show and website in a few hours.

Kentucky is a 22.5-point underdog to Georgia

Predictably, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are a big favorite in Saturday’s game at Kroger Field. The line opened at Georgia -22 yesterday and is up to -22.5 at most books. The total opened at 53.5 points but has been bet down to 49.5. It’s like Kentucky struggles to score or something.

We’ll get the Michigan State line

Speaking of betting, we’ll get the line for tomorrow night’s basketball game vs. Michigan State at some point today. The Spartans are not ranked but as mentioned, only lost by one point to Gonzaga on Friday night, easily covering the 11.5-point spread. Meanwhile, the Cats have covered the spread in both of their wins this season.

7 p.m.: KSR Football Podcast LIVE on YouTube

Yesterday afternoon, Max Duffy and Miles Butler weighed in on the loss to Vanderbilt live on YouTube on the Pin It Deep podcast. Tonight, Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Freddie Maggard will do the same on the KSR Football Podcast. Join them at 7 p.m. ET on YouTube to ask a question or chime in with your grievances. There will be a lot of that.

Men’s Soccer finds out is NCAA Tournament path

It wasn’t all bad news for Kentucky Sports this weekend. Women’s Basketball beat Coastal Carolina 79-53 and the No. 2 Men’s Soccer team defeated James Madison 2-0 to win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Tonight, the futbol Cats will find out their seed/path in the NCAA Tournament, which begins Thursday. Kentucky is the only undefeated team remaining in Division I.

This is the Cats’ first Sun Belt Conference Tournament title in its first year in the conference. Prior to this season, Kentucky was a member of Conference USA in men’s soccer (the SEC does not sponsor the sport due to Title IX).

We’ll announce the next Kroger KSR Game of the Week

It’s Week 3 of the Kentucky high school football playoffs. On Friday, Bowling Green blanked South Warren 34-0 in our Kroger KSR Game of the Week to advance to the 5A Regional Championship. Where will we be headed this Friday? Stay tuned to the site to find out. Here are the contenders:

Class 1A

• Crittenden County at Holy Cross (Louisville)
• Newport Central Catholic at Kentucky Country Day
• Paintsville at Pikeville
• Hazard at Raceland

Class 2A

• Shelby Valley at Beechwood
• Breathitt County at Lloyd Memorial
• Metcalfe County at Mayfield
• Lexington Christian at Owensboro Catholic

Class 3A

• Union County at Bardstown
• Ashland Blazer at Bell County
• Paducah Tilghman at Christian Academy-Louisville
• Greenup County at Mason County

Class 4A

• Lexington Catholic at Boyle County
• Johnson Central at Corbin
• Central at Logan County
• Franklin County at Warren East

Class 5A

• South Oldham at Bowling Green
• Woodford County at Frederick Douglass
• Fairdale at Owensboro
• Southwestern at Scott County

Class 6A

• Madison Central at Ballard
• Trinity (Louisville) at Bryan Station
• Central Hardin at Bullitt East
• Henderson County at Male

Beat Tennessee in the Big Blue Crush blood drive

The 35th annual Big Blue Crush blood drive runs today through Friday, pitting the states of Kentucky and Tennessee against one another for a good cause. The Commonwealth has won four straight crowns in the week-long blood drive and leads the overall series 19-14-1. Donors can give at one of KBC’s eight donor centers or any mobile drive from Nov. 14-18. KBC donor centers are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during Big Blue Crush. Click here for a list of mobile drive locations.

“Yellowstone” Season 5 premiered last night

“Yellowstone” is finally back, restoring meaning to my Sunday nights. Last night, Season 5 premiered with two episodes to catch us up on the Duttons. They did not disappoint. If you watched live and want to dive into the analysis, please check out Jon D. B.’s recaps on our sister site, Outsider. Warning: these are episode recaps, so there are definitely spoilers.

• RECAP – S5, E1: “One Hundred Years Is Nothing”
• RECAP – S5, E2: “The Sting of Wisdom”

College Basketball on TV tonight

If it makes you feel better, No. 11 Tennessee lost to Colorado 78-66 yesterday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Vols shot only 25% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times. There are several more Top 25 games on tap today. Here’s the schedule if you’re interested in watching something other than the Washington Commanders vs. the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

TIME (ET)	AWAY	HOME	TV/Stream
6:30 PM	Delaware St.	16 Villanova	FS2
7:00 PM	Miami (OH)	Georgia	SECN+/ESPN+
7:00 PM	Florida Atlantic	Florida	SECN
8:00 PM	N. Colorado	5 Baylor	ESPN+
8:00 PM	Oral Roberts	3 Houston	ESPN+
8:00 PM	Northwestern St.	14 TCU	ESPN+
8:00 PM	La. Tech	25 Texas Tech	ESPN+
8:00 PM	N. Iowa	18 Virginia	ACCN
9:00 PM	Holy Cross	9 Creighton	CBSSN
9:00 PM	Monmouth	23 Illinois	BTN/B1G+
10:00 PM	Norfolk St.	8 UCLA	PACN