KSR Today: Mark Pope, Shiyazh Pete, and Caleb Wilson

Good morning, folks! It’s that time of the week once again. Mark Pope Day.

The head coach of Kentucky men’s basketball will meet with reporters later today to recap Tuesday’s win over Texas A&M and preview what’s ahead this weekend. The Wildcats will take on yet another Top 15 opponent in a few days, this time hosting No. 4 Alabama not long after a bad loss for the Crimson Tide to Ole Miss (the SEC is hell, people). Kentucky will look to extend its record this season against ranked opponents to 6-0. Tipoff on Saturday against Alabama is set for noon EST on ESPN. No spread has been announced yet, but KenPom projects a 90-89 win for UK.

As always, we’ll have a full report on everything Pope says coming to the website, KSBoard, and on YouTube. While you wait for his thoughts on the ‘Cats, dive into the rest of this morning’s news and notes.

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Keep an eye on Shiyazh Pete

Kentucky’s transfer portal class is shaping up to be one of the best in the country, a necessary step this offseason after the debacle that was 2024. Could one of the final additions to the 2025 roster jump into the mix soon? New Mexico State offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete is trending toward the Wildcats.

Once thought to be a battle between Michigan and Nebraska (with Vanderbilt and a return to New Mexico State also in the mix), Kentucky has emerged as the frontrunner on the heels of Pete’s visit to Lexington earlier this week. A 6-foot-8, 320-pound lineman, Pete was All-Conference USA First-Team in 2023 before injuries kept him off the field until Week 8 this past season. He started the Aggies’ final six games of the season at left tackle.

An announcement for an announcement?

Caleb Wilson is still expected to announce his college decision sometime this month. But we’re over halfway through January without even so much as a commitment date. That should change soon. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog reported yesterday afternoon that an announcement on Wilson’s announcement timeline is “coming in the next day or so.”.

Wilson is down to five finalists, but all signs point to either Kentucky or North Carolina landing the 5-star power forward. The Tar Heels have been gaining a ton of momentum over the last week, but UK is still firmly in the mix. We appear to be heading down the home stretch of this recruitment.

Let’s watch Otega Oweh’s dunk again

High-flying @OtegaOweh 🚀 pic.twitter.com/UkkNJLxPba

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 15, 2025

Beautiful…

3 Kentuckians named to 2025 Nike Hoop Summit

Two Kentucky boys and one Kentucky girl will represent the Bluegrass State at the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit. Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, two of Pope’s three prized signees in 2025 and natives of Lexington and Georgetown, respectively, were named to the USA Men’s roster. Additionally, LSU pledge ZaKiyah Johnson out of Shelbyville, KY will suit up for the USA Women’s roster.

The 26th annual Nike Hoop Summit will be televised live on USA Network and streamed on Peacock with tipoff for the women’s game scheduled for Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. EST followed by the men’s game at approximately 10:00 p.m. EST.

Nick Richards linking up with Devin Booker

A former Kentucky big man is on the move. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Charlotte Hornets are trading Nick Richards to the Phoenix Suns. Now in year five as a pro, Richards has appeared in 21 games this season for the Hornets, including nine starts. The seven-footer is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game this season on 56.1 percent shooting.

Along with Richards, the Suns traded for one second-round pick from Charlotte. The Hornets will receive guard Josh Okogie and three second-round picks. Richards will team up in Phoenix with another former ‘Cat, Devin Booker, who is having another terrific season for a struggling Suns team.

NCAA will pay WBB tournament teams

Men’s college basketball teams have been receiving payment for participating in the NCAA Tournament for years. As of Wednesday, a plan was approved by the NCAA to ensure that women’s college basketball teams receive the same treatment. The voting was unanimous.

ESPN’s report states a team that reaches the Final Four would bring in around $1.26 million to its conference over the following three years. A total of $15 million will be handed out to teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that is expected to grow to as much as $25 million in 2028. A good move for the sport.

Two hoops podcasts in your feed

Need even more Kentucky basketball talk in your life? You’re in luck. We’ve got fresh episodes of both Sources Say and Memorial Memo in your podcast feed. Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith discuss Kentucky MBB’s latest win over Texas A&M and the current state of the Wildcats’ resume. Meanwhile, Phoenix Stevens and Katie Hutchison break down Kentucky WBB’s two most recent wins and answer the question everyone wants to know: is Kenny Brooks‘ team for real?

Sources Say

Memorial Memo

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