KSR Today: Liam Coen is back, Kentucky WBB hosts No. 1 South Carolina
Good morning, folks! Happy Thursday to everyone checking in on their favorite (or maybe least favorite, we don’t judge) Kentucky Wildcats sports site. Normally, Thursdays at this point in the year aren’t all that exciting. The routine Tuesday-Saturday SEC men’s basketball schedule and no more college football create a bit of a midweek lull — but not this week!
Later today, we’ll hear from Liam Coen as he sits down for his first (Zoom) interview since announcing his return to Kentucky football as the offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach earlier in the week. Coen, who spent last season as the OC with the Los Angeles Rams, actually signed his new contract with the Wildcats on Dec. 12, but the news wasn’t made official until this week once the NFL regular season was all wrapped up. Make sure you’re glued to the site this afternoon to hear everything he had to say. It should be refreshing.
Now let’s dive into the rest of today’s news and notes.
Kentucky WBB hosting No. 1 South Carolina
This will certainly be a game.
It’s been tough sledding for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs this year, and it doesn’t figure to get any better this week. Before the men head to Knoxville for a clash against No. 5 Tennessee, the women will host the top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks (16-0) at Memorial Coliseum later tonight.
Kyra Elzy’s group has yet to win an SEC game so far this season (8-8; 0-3) and would love to break that streak against the defending national champions. Remember, it was Kentucky that ended the Gamecocks’ run in the 2022 SEC Tournament title this past spring (which ultimately ended in SC winning the national title), but Rhyne Howard isn’t walking through that door today. South Carolina has been absolutely dominant so far this year, especially during SEC play, beating conference foes by an average of 29.5 points across four outings. UK will need its best performance of the season to pull this on off.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network+. A full breakdown from KSR’s Grant Grubbs will drop later in the morning.
Kentucky among First Four Out in latest Bracketology
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update, Kentucky men’s basketball is one of the “First Four Out,” meaning that if the tournament started today, the Wildcats would be sitting at home watching the games instead of preparing for one themselves.
Following the 71-68 loss to South Carolina, Kentucky is down to No. 63 in the NET, a 17-spot drop from Tuesday morning. The Gamecocks jumped from No. 263 to No. 245, but unless they rise above No. 161, that game is staying in Quad 4. Michigan State is up to No. 41 in the NET, moving that loss from Quad 2 to Quad 1. So, as of Jan. 12, here is Kentucky’s resume:
- Quad 1: 0-5
- Quad 2: 1-0
- Quad 3: 3-0
- Quad 4: 6-1
Kavosiey Smoke commits to Colorado
After five seasons at Kentucky, tailback Kavosiey Smoke decided to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 1. The Wetumpka (Ala.) High School product took visits to both Colorado and Troy during the recruiting process. On Wednesday afternoon, the former three-star recruit decided to end his transfer recruitment.
Kavosiey Smoke will spend his super senior season in the Pac-12 playing for Coach Prime.
During his career in Lexington, Smoke rushed for 1,583 yards and 13 touchdowns. The tailback averaged 5.2 yards per rush ranking in the top 10 in school history. Smoke is No. 21 on UK’s all-time rushing list.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire and the Kentucky Football Transfer Portal Tracker.
Rob Dillingham snubbed from McDonald’s All-American Game
Kentucky signee Rob Dillingham will not participate in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game, sources tell KSR’s Jack Pilgrim.
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And it won’t be due to effort or interest on the future Wildcat’s side of things — his high school, Overtime Elite, tried on his behalf. OTE’s nomination, though, was denied by the MCDAAG selection committee after being declared ineligible for participation.
Dillingham, along with other OTE players — Kanaan Carlyle and Trey Parker were also nominated by the school — do not meet the criteria for eligibility. This has no bearing on Dillingham’s college eligibility at Kentucky, as he’s already been cleared academically for the 2023-24 season.
Podcasts! Come and get your podcasts!
Sources Say: Ep. 229
We rolled out a couple of must-watch/listen to podcasts on Wednesday that will be great to fill your workday with. First up is some Sources Say action, as Jack Pilgrim and I break down Kentucky MBB’s loss to South Carolina from Tuesday, preview the Tennessee matchup this weekend, and discuss where the Wildcats go from here.
You can find all past and future episodes of the show by subscribing to the official Sources Say Podcast feed on iTunes right here. Not on iTunes listener? You can also subscribe to the show on Spotify.
11 Personnel
Next for your viewing/listening pleasure, we’ve got a brand new edition of 11 Personnel with Nick Roush and Adam Luckett. The football-minded duo discuss a few big-picture college football issues before taking a look at things closer to home around the Kentucky football program.
You can easily stream online through Spotify, watch the action on KSR’s YouTube Channel or get the podcast sent directly to your phone by subscribing to 11 Personnel on Apple Podcasts.
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