KSR Today: Kentucky WBB begins SEC Tournament run as MBB heads to CoMo

Go west, young man, haven’t you been told? Mizzou’s full Tigers, Dennis Gates and gold.

It’s not my best effort, but we’ll try workshopping it some as we head down I-64W toward Columbia this morning ahead of Kentucky’s final regular season matchup of the year. Zack Geoghegan, Steven Peake and I are hitting the road this morning, the KSR crew ready to get to town a little early and soak in whatever it is CoMo has to offer on a basketball weekend. Why not go all out right before postseason play begins?

The plan is to get there by the early afternoon, hopefully in time for the start of the Kentucky women’s basketball game at 2:30 PM ET as the Wildcats begin their SEC Tournament run in Greenville. We’ll keep you updated on all of the craziness from the Show Me State over the next couple of days (and hopefully bring home a win to wrap up the regular season), but until then, a few notes to get your Friday morning started off on the right foot.

Cats vs. Sooners in Greenville

Nothing is more important today than Kenny Brooks and Georgia Amoore putting on their superhero capes once again to lead Kentucky to a win in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, the No. 4 seed Wildcats set to take on No. 5 seed Oklahoma with tip-off scheduled for 2:30 PM ET on ESPN.

The Sooners stormed through their second-round battle vs. No. 12 seed Georgia on Thursday, earning the 70-52 win in Greenville. As you may remember, it’s the same OU team Amoore tied a single-game program scoring record against, going for a career-high 43 points in a 95-86 win in Norman back in February. Since then, though, Oklahoma has not lost, winning eight straight while leading the SEC in scoring (82.6 PPG) and rebounding (39.8 RPG). A fun, but tough matchup coming your way from Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

From there, the semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 PM ET with UK potentially set to take on either No. 1 seed South Carolina — a rematch from the regular season finale — or No. 8 seed Vanderbilt.

Win that one and the Wildcats advance to the SEC Tournament championship on Sunday at 3 PM ET.

Mark Pope previews Mizzou

Missouri did not win a single SEC game last season, finishing 0-18 in the league and picked No. 13 out of 16 in the SEC preseason poll. Today, the Tigers are ranked No. 15 nationally and No. 5 in the league with a 21-9 record overall and 10-7 in conference play. With six Quad 1 wins and no bad losses, Dennis Gates’ group sits comfortably in the top 20 of the NET at No. 16 overall the week before the postseason.

Quite the turnaround for Gates and the Tigers, who will host Kentucky as favorites in CoMo on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 12 PM ET on ESPN.

“I’m really happy for him because I’m a huge fan of (Gates),” Pope said Thursday. “I think it’s one of the great stories in college basketball, is how they’ve responded. … I think Coach Gates does a great job. Dennis does a great job with that. They’re a really well-constructed roster.”

Pope also talked about the importance of the SEC Tournament — “We’re going there with one goal, which is to go win,” he said — while also sharing updates on Jaxson Robinson’s surgery and Kerr Kriisa’s status the remainder of the season.

Take a look:

Get your tickets to Kentucky vs. Gonzaga in Nashville!

Speaking of the Cats in Nashville, we know the focus is on next week’s SEC Tournament, but it’s not too early to get excited for Kentucky’s matchup vs. Gonzaga at Bridgestone Arena next season. That one is scheduled for Dec. 5, 2025, the fourth installment of the current series dating back to 2022.

Tickets go on sale to the general public this morning at 11 AM ET,  available on Ticketmaster right here.

Kentucky is 2-2 against Gonzaga all-time, but only 1-2 in games in the current series with the lone win coming this season out in Seattle. Can the Cats take over the series lead in 2025? You can make sure you’re in attendance when they do by buying tickets today.

The Rhoback Kentucky Gameday collection is here

Our friends at Rhoback have some of the highest quality activewear on the market, and now, their officially licensed University of Kentucky collection has dropped — a must-have for BBN.

They’ve got polos, q-zips and hoodies to help you represent your favorite program just in time for March Madness. And we’ve got the promo code to help you get your gear at a discounted rate: KSR for a generous 20% off your purchase.

The Big Dawg is not going to Bowling Green

It’s not all about basketball this morning as Vince Marrow’s name is being thrown around in yet another coaching search. Will the Big Dawg be leaving Lexington, this time for Bowling Green?

On Wednesday, FootballScoop reported that the longtime Kentucky associate head coach was a candidate for the head coaching vacancy following Scot Loeffler’s abrupt departure for the NFL — past tense.

KSR’s Nick Roush reported that he interviewed with Bowling Green on Monday, but Marrow will remain at Kentucky, as expected.

Why is winning on the road so hard?

Why is winning on the road so hard in college basketball? It’s not the fans. It’s not the travel. It’s not even the rims. There’s one big reason home teams have a built-in advantage, Steven Peake is certain.

In his latest video, Peake breaks down the science behind home-court advantages. From subconscious bias to the psychological power of a roaring crowd, his goal is to expose the hidden factor that shifts the game — a must-see for BBN.

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That’s all for this morning, folks. We’ll see you in CoMo! Go Cats.