KSR Today: Louisville Week is here...maybe?

Good morning friends, and welcome to Christmas Week. Isn’t it nice to start the most wonderful time of the year with a big win? I’m still reveling in Kentucky’s 98-69 victory over North Carolina on Saturday. I wrote about it that night, but the win really felt like exactly what the fanbase needed. Even though North Carolina is finding its feet in the Hubert Davis era, seeing the Cats completely dominate a blueblood after their lackluster effort vs. Notre Dame wasn’t just refreshing; it was reinvigorating.

You know what would make things even better? A big win over Louisville. The Cards come into Wednesday evening’s showdown fresh off an 82-72 loss to Western Kentucky at Diddle Arena. It was so bad many in Card Nation spent Saturday afternoon wishing for self-imposed sanctions to avoid missing the 2021 NCAA Tournament on merit alone.

But will the game happen? Thirty-two teams across the country are currently on pause due to COVID as the Omicron variant sweeps the nation. Louisville is not one of them; however, Matt Jones tweeted last night that there is some concern around the Cards’ program over being able to play. We should get an answer today.

Louisville folks telling me they are worried about being able to play the game on Wednesday due to Covid issues

Will likely know for sure tomorrow

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) December 19, 2021

So, yeah. Big week, potentially. Let’s dive in.

Where will Kentucky end up in the new rankings?

Kentucky fell 11 spots to No. 21 in the AP Poll after the loss to unranked Notre Dame. Where will they end up after the win over unranked North Carolina? We’ll find out around noon.

This evening, we’ll also hear from John Calipari on his radio show starting at 6 p.m. ET. It was a busy weekend for Cal, who went to Western Kentucky yesterday with Mitch Barnhart, Goose Givens, Darius Miller, and Governor Andy Beshear to distribute shoes to those impacted by the deadly storms. Through a partnership with Samaritan’s Feet, Kentucky was able to donate 10,000 pairs of shoes, which is in addition to the over $3 million the athletics department raised for the Kentucky United for Tornado Relief fund.

“I’m not a machine, I’m Santa”

Back at the Joe Craft Center, the team held its annual holiday dinner for Lexington families in need. Dating back to his time at Memphis, Calipari’s teams have worked with local businesses to partner and help families (usually around 10-12 families) for the holidays. Families are identified by local leaders and are uplifted with gifts, gift cards, food for the holidays, a new mattress, and other items.

This year, Oscar Tshiebwe played the role of Santa, which is perfect. Check out the pictures courtesy of UK Athletics:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

As is also tradition, the players sang some Christmas carols. Thank goodness they’re good at basketball.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear pic.twitter.com/oo67pWZ7hV

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 20, 2021

Bowl prep continues

Over at the football training center, the team continues to get ready for the Citrus Bowl. Today the Cats will hold another practice, after which we’ll hear from Liam Coen and a few members of the offense. Check the site this afternoon for a recap.

Kentucky WBB gets back on the winning path

After back-to-back losses to DePaul and Louisville, the No. 19 Kentucky Women’s Basketball team needed a win; they got it yesterday afternoon, beating USC Upstate 67-44. Rhyne Howard led the way with 22 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Robyn Benton, Kentucky’s third-leading scorer, sat out the game with an ankle injury. She’s considered day-to-day. Hopefully, she’ll be back in time for Dec. 30’s game at Auburn, the SEC opener.

Bid on Dr. Mike’s photos autographed by the players for tornado relief

The KSR Tornado Disaster Relief fund has raised over $720,000, an incredible testament to the spirit and generosity of the Big Blue Nation. ICYMI, Will Levis, Wan’Dale Robinson, Chris Rodriguez, and Josh Paschal raised over $20,000 for the fund at Saturday’s signing at KSBar and Grille. If you missed out, there’s still a way to contribute while receiving a unique piece of Kentucky memorabilia.

Our photographer Dr. Michael Huang has graciously donated an incredible large-format, four-piece canvas art print, which is currently displayed at KSBar where you can personally view this stunning tribute to a historic season, autographed by the key contributors. Measuring a total of 3×4 feet, the installation includes a 24×36 inch canvas print signed by Wan’Dale Robinson of his incredible TD vs Florida, an 11×20 canvas print signed by Will Levis featuring Ls down vs Louisville, an 11×20 canvas print signed by Josh Paschal picturing him pressuring the LSU quarterback in the decisive victory, and a 14×24 canvas print signed by Chris Rodriquez featuring a TD celebration vs Missouri.

This is the only one of its kind in existence, a fantastic piece featuring the most memorable moments of the 2021 9-3 regular season. One hundred percent of the money raised in this auction will go to Western Kentucky Tornado Relief. All items are available for bidding at 32auctions.com/KSR.

Sports on TV today

If you’re off this week or are simply just looking for a distraction at work, we’ve got afternoon football to watch. At 2:30 PM, Old Dominion will play Tulsa in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Tonight, you can watch three top-five college basketball teams beat up on inferior opponents or treat yourself to a Monday Night Football doubleheader.

• College Football
  • 2:30 PM (ESPN): Old Dominion vs. Tulsa in the Myrtle Beach Bowl
• College Basketball
  • 7:00 PM (ESPN+/SECN+): Western Carolina vs. Georgia
  • 7:00 PM (Big 12/ESPN+): Alcorn State vs. No. 1 Baylor
  • 8:00 PM (BTN): Incarnate Word vs. No. 3 Purdue
  • 9:00 PM: Northern Arizona vs. No. 5 Gonzaga
• NFL
  • 5:00 PM (NFL Network): Raiders vs. Browns
  • 8:15 PM (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+): Vikings vs. Bears

That should be enough to get you rolling this morning. Matt, Shannon, and Drew are traveling back from Las Vegas, so Ryan Lemond, Jack Pilgrim, and the Sunday Morning Sports Talk crew will take over KSR starting in an hour. In the meantime, you should turn on the KSR Preshow, featuring Billy Rutledge and a very special guest (me!).