KSR Today: Losing to Vanderbilt, Rick Pitino, and Volleyball hosting Texas

Good morning, folks! So how are we feeling after… whatever the hell that was last night?

Myself? I’m just a bit confused. Confused because I have no idea who this Kentucky team is. I believe the defense to be good (and they were last night, although Diego Pavia had his fair share of moments), but I lack any trust in the offense’s ability to execute consistently at this point. Kentucky had more first downs, more passing yards, and more rushing yards than Vanderbilt, but was tagged with seven more penalties while allowing the Commodores to own the possession battle. The Wildcats finished with just two scoring possessions. That’s how you lose a game 20-13. Botching a field goal and an extra point thanks to poor holds gets you there too. Those extra four points would have been nice to have down the stretch.

Mark Stoops‘ teams have now lost 10 of their last 12 games against SEC opponents. Fans were leaving Kroger Field in droves by the middle of the third quarter. Kentucky still had a chance to win the game in the final few minutes and the stadium was half-empty. Fans appear to be getting tired of the confusion I share. A group that beat a very good Ole Miss squad two weeks ago on the road went and laid a stinker at home against Vanderbilt — of all teams — coming off a bye week. Discipline was severely lacking. Vanderbilt (VANDERBILT!!!) didn’t trail for a single second.

Before we dive into KSR’s excellent postgame content and everything else that’s in store for your Sunday, I’ll leave you with this Kash Daniel tweet…

This is what happens when you have zero leaders and an opposing team that would rather die than lose.

— Kash Daniel (@KashDaniel15) October 13, 2024

• Missed Opportunities Cost Kentucky in Loss to Vanderbilt
• Every phase fails Kentucky in another SEC home loss
• Sick of Losing, Jamon Dumas-Johnson Pleas, “We gotta make some changes”
• Stoops searching for answers for Kentucky’s 2-10 record in its last 12 home SEC games
• Mark Stoops after loss to Vanderbilt: “I’m as frustrated as any fan out there”
• Embarrassing numbers from Kentucky’s embarrassing loss to Vandy (which was embarrassing)
• A special weekend in Lexington ruined by Kentucky’s letdown against Vanderbilt

Mark Stoops’ postgame interview

KSR Rapid Reaction

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Rick Pitino went on KSR (no, he seriously did)

Rick Pitino shocked the Big Blue Nation (and most of the college basketball world, honestly) when he showed up at the end of Big Blue Madness on Friday alongside Mark Pope. He’s looking to get back into the good graces of the fan base now that Pope is running the show, and if Friday night was any indication, he’s being welcomed back with open arms.

Pitino took it a step further and decided to make his voice heard to every member of the Bluegrass State when he made an appearance on the KSR Pregame show yesterday. He talked about donating $15,000 in NIL to the football program and the emotions he felt on the Rupp Arena floor when fans cheered him on. For a full rundown of everything else he had to say, click the link here, or just listen to the man himself through the audio player below.

Anthony Thompson picks up BBM offer

Kentucky men’s basketball brought just two recruits to Lexington for Big Blue Madness. One was Acaden Lewis, a 2025 four-star point guard who actually celebrated his birthday on the day of BBM. Pope has the Wildcats trending as the favorite to lock him up and nothing about that has changed now that his official visit is in the books.

The other recruit joining Lewis was 2026 four-star wing Anthony Thompson. The 6-foot-7 native of Ohio is considered the 18th-best high school junior in the country by the On3 Industry Ranking. While on his visit to UK, Thompson was extended an offer by the coaching staff. He becomes the 10th 2026 prospect to receive a scholarship from Kentucky. Thompson has upcoming visits to Ohio St. (Oct. 13), Michigan (Oct. 19), and Michigan State (Oct. 20).

Take advantage of our KSR+ FLASH SALE to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. Use promo code JOIN50 for 50% off the annual price.

‘Cats in the NFL: Week 6

TIME (EST)	MATCHUP
9:30 AM (NFL Net)	Jaguars (L. Fortner, J. Allen-Hines) @ Bears
1:00 PM (FOX)	Cardinals @ Packers (C. Valentine)
1:00 PM (CBS)	Colts @ Titans (W. Levis)
1:00 PM (CBS)	Texans @ Patriots
1:00 PM (FOX)	Buccaneers @ Saints (L. Young)
1:00 PM (FOX)	Browns (Z. Smith) @ Eagles (D. Kinnard)
1:00 PM (CBS)	Commanders (J. Davis, C. Rodriguez) @ Ravens
4:05 PM (CBS)	Chargers @ Broncos (K. Smith)
4:05 PM (CBS)	Steelers @ Raiders
4:25 PM (FOX)	Lions (J. Paschal) @ Cowboys
4:25 PM (FOX)	Falcons @ Panthers (L. Johnson, T. Wallace)
8:20 PM (NBA/Peacock)	Bengals @ Giants (D. Phillips, W. Robinson)

Kentucky volleyball hosts Texas

After being honored on the field during the Vanderbilt game for their 2023 SEC championship (the program’s seventh straight, I should add), Kentucky volleyball will take over Memorial Coliseum later today for a very important SEC matchup. The No. 12 Wildcats host No. 7 Texas at 1:00 p.m. EST this afternoon on ESPN.

This will be a rematch of the 2020 national championship game that saw Kentucky take down Texas in four sets to win the program’s first-ever title. But the Longhorns have won back-to-back nattys in large part due to the assistance of a pair of former Wildcats in Reagan Rutherford and Madisen Skinner — two preseason National Player of the Year candidates.

Kentucky is still the SEC’s dominant volleyball school until proven otherwise, but Texas is quickly coming for the crown. A lot is on the line this afternoon as Craig Skinner’s team looks to pick up their first Top 10 win of the season.

Club Blue is the official collective partner of the University of Kentucky. Support your volleyball team today.

KAT vs. Randle (and Dillingham) on ESPN

Interested in some hoops? NBA preseason action is underway and there’s an especially interesting matchup happening this evening. The Knicks host the Timberwolves at 6:00 p.m. EST on ESPN in what will be the first game against their former teams for Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle, who were traded for each other in a blockbuster deal earlier this month. Towns was traded from the Wolves to the Knicks while Randle was shipped from the Knicks to the Wolves. A Kat for Cat exchange, if you will.

This will also be a good opportunity to get a look at rookie Rob Dillingham for the Wolves. In two preseason games so far, he’s averaged 14 points and 6.5 assists per outing with just one total turnover. The shooting numbers still aren’t great, but Dillingham remains must-watch TV when on the floor.