KSR Today: Mark Stoops, Pro Day, Baseball and Basketball on SEC Tournament Eve

Good morning, friends, and happy SEC Tournament Eve. The fun doesn’t tip off in Nashville until tomorrow, but there’s a ton going on to keep us busy as we prepare for the madness.

The basketball team heads to Music City today to get settled in, it’s Kentucky Football Pro Day, the baseball team hosts its final game before conference play begins, and, oh yeah, Mark Stoops is coming on today’s radio show. That last part is where we’ll start today’s rundown.

Mark Stoops on KSR

Spring practice is underway for the Kentucky Football team. Yesterday, Mark Stoops chatted with reporters after the Cats’ first practice. Today, he’ll come to the iHeart studios to do the same with the KSR crew. Stoops will sit down with Matt and the gang to start off the show.

I’m sure they’ll cover a variety of topics, including the easy stuff like spring practice, the 31 newcomers on Kentucky’s roster, and the recent staff additions. Hopefully, they’ll get into some of the more uncomfortable stuff, like Kentucky’s trajectory over the last few seasons and how Stoops will turn things around. Turn on the show at 10 a.m. to find out.

It’s Kentucky Football Pro Day

Stoops will go immediately from the iHeart studios to the Nutter Fieldhouse for Kentucky Football Pro Day. Fourteen former Wildcats will strut their stuff for scouts and player personnel from nearly every NFL team, including projected first-round pick Maxwell Hairston, one of the stars of the NFL Combine earlier this month.

• 11: Zion Childress, DB                        
• 75: Eli Cox, OL **                     
• 69: Marques (MARK-us) Cox,  OL                         
• 2: Jamon (jah-MON) Dumas-Johnson, ILB **                    
• 1: Maxwell Hairston, DB **                        
• 54: D’Eryk (dee-ERIC) Jackson, ILB                         
• 54: Gerald Mincey, OL                    
• 8: Octavious Oxendine, DL
• 16: Alex Raynor, K
• 90: Tre’vonn Rybka, DL
• 4: Kristian Story, DB   
• 0: Demi Sumo-Karngbaye, RB                  
• 0: Deone Walker, DL **
• 13: J.J. Weaver, OLB

 **Participated in the NFL Combine

Starting at 11 a.m., the Cats will go through measurements and a variety of skills tests which include running and agility drills, bench press, position-specific drills, and the vertical jump. KSR’s football guys Nick Roush and Adam Luckett are there for us, so check the site this afternoon for updates. They’ll also be going live for a special Tuesday edition of 11 Personnel between 2:30-3 p.m. on the KSR YouTube Channel.

The basketball team leaves for Nashville

The Kentucky Basketball team is making its way to Music City today, although Mark Pope would like to find a better nickname for when the Big Blue Nation takes over Nashville. BBNashville and NashVegas were suggested, but neither really roll off the tongue like Atlanta’s “Catlanta” or “Cat City,” my personal favorite from Quade Green.

On his call-in show, Pope tripled down on the team’s desire to win the SEC Tournament, a stark contrast from his predecessor’s feelings about the event (which Calipari echoed again on Monday). Pope and his staff are so motivated that they’re doing three scouts this week to prepare: a self-scout, a scout on Oklahoma, and a scout on Georgia. Pope said it may be three times the work but they have a little extra time, plus, “it’s fun.”

We’ll have more from Pope’s call-in show as the morning goes on. Here are some other basketball quick-hitters from Monday:

• Kentucky is up to No. 15 in the AP Poll – They also climbed to No. 19 in the Coaches Poll. Duke, Houston, and Auburn are the new top three in both.
• The Cats can get up to four more Quad 1 wins in Nashville – They currently have 10,
• Otega Oweh was the only Cat on the Coaches All-SEC Teams – Amari Williams was snubbed!

Catch up on all the news and preview Kentucky’s run in Nashville on the latest episode of Sources Say:

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Kentucky Baseball hosts Northern Illinois

Kentucky wasn’t supposed to have a midweek game this week as it prepares to open SEC play Friday vs. Georgia, but the Cats added a team to the schedule at the last minute to make up for some weather-related cancellations. Northern Illinois will come to Kentucky Proud Park tonight. The Huskies are 7-6 this season, coming off a series loss at Kent State. Kentucky is now 12-2 after this weekend’s 2-1 series win vs. Wofford.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. It’s a beautiful night for some baseball, but if you can’t make it to Kentucky Proud Park, you can watch live on SEC Network+.

Five Region Championships tonight

Five more teams will punch their ticket to the Boys’ Sweet 16 today. Tonight are the championships for the 3rd, 6th, 11th, 12th, 15th, and 16th Regions. In the 11th Region, future Cat Malachi Moreno will try to lead Great Crossing past Frederick Douglass at Dunbar. KSR will have boots on the ground to cover it, so refresh the site tonight for updates.

Time	Teams	Location	Region
6:00 PM	Nicholas County vs. Augusta	Montgomery County	10th Region
6:00 PM	North Hardin vs. Bethlehem	Marion County	5th Region
6:00 PM	Union County at Madisonville-North Hopkins	Madisonville-North Hopkins	2nd Region
6:30 PM	Cooper vs. Covington Catholic	Northern Kentucky University	9th Region
6:30 PM	Franklin-Simpson vs. Russell County	Western Kentucky University	4th Region
6:30 PM	Simon Kenton vs. South Oldham	Henry County	8th Region
7:00 PM	Butler vs. Jeffersontown	Valley	6th Region
7:00 PM	Daviess County vs. Grayson County	Owensboro Sportscenter	3rd Region (Championship)
7:00 PM	Great Crossing vs. Frederick Douglass	Paul Laurence Dunbar	11th Region (Championship)
7:00 PM	Mercer County vs. Danville Christian	Lincoln County	12th Region (Championship)
7:00 PM	Lawrence County vs. Martin County	Pike County Central	15th Region (Championship)
7:00 PM	Boyd County vs. Ashland Blazer	Morehead State University	16th Region (Championship)
7:30 PM	Campbell County vs. George Rogers Clark	Montgomery County	10th Region
7:30 PM	Henderson County vs. Lyon County	Madisonville-North Hopkins	2nd Region
8:00 PM	Bowling Green vs. Glasgow	Western Kentucky University	4th Region
8:00 PM	Newport vs. Lloyd Memorial	Northern Kentucky University	9th Region
8:00 PM	Spencer County at Henry County	Henry County	8th Region
8:30 PM	Green County vs. Taylor County	Marion County	5th Region

Champ Week TV Schedule

In the college ranks, two more teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament last night. In the Sun Belt Conference, Troy beat Arkansas State, and in the Southern Conference, former Kentucky walk-on Dwight Perry led Wofford to a win over Furman. The Terriers are going dancing for the first time since 2019.

Feeling good 😎 pic.twitter.com/loAEaH6rpK

— Wofford Men's Basketball (@WoffordMBB) March 11, 2025

If Dwight Perry isn’t enough reason for you to cheer for Wofford, their center Kyler Filewich shoots Granny Style free throws:

We’ve got Granny Style free throws on national TV, courtesy of Wofford’s Kyler Filewich.

The BEAUTY of Conference Tournament Week. pic.twitter.com/FaTzJs42VB

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) March 11, 2025

That brings the total of teams in the tournament so far to seven: Wofford (SoCon), Troy (Sun Belt), Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun), High Point (Big South), Drake (Missouri Valley), SIUE (Ohio Valley), and Omaha (Summit League). Today, four more teams can join them as the Colonial Athletic Association, Horizon League, Northeast Conference, and West Coast Conference hold their finals. Delaware faces UNC Wilmington for the CAA title, so you know Andrew Car will be cheering for his Blue Hens to make it back to the Big Dance. Gonzaga vs. No. 19 Saint Mary’s in the WCC is another one to watch.

Some power conferences also get in on the fun today, with the Big 12 and ACC Tournaments tipping off. Here’s the schedule:

Time	Teams	Tournament	TV
12:30 PM	Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma State	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
2:00 PM	Alabama A&M vs. Grambling	SWAC Tournament – 1st Round	ESPN+
2:00 PM	Pittsburgh vs. Notre Dame	ACC Tournament – 1st Round	ACC Network
3:00 PM	Colorado vs. TCU	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
4:30 PM	Utah Tech vs. Southern Utah	WAC Tournament – 1st Round	ESPN+
4:30 PM	California vs. Virginia Tech	ACC Tournament – 1st Round	ACC Network
6:00 PM	Siena vs. Rider	MAAC Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
6:30 PM	Sam Houston vs. UTEP	CUSA Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
7:00 PM	Delaware vs. UNC Wilmington	CAA Championship – Final	CBSSN
7:00 PM	Maine vs. Vermont	America East Playoffs – Semifinal	ESPN+
7:00 PM	Northwestern State vs. McNeese	Southland Tournament – Semifinal	ESPNU, ESPN+
7:00 PM	St. Francis (PA) vs. Central Connecticut	Northeast Conference Tournament – Final	ESPN+
7:00 PM	Youngstown State vs. Robert Morris	Barbasol Horizon League Championship – Final	ESPN+
7:00 PM	Arizona State vs. Kansas State	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
7:00 PM	Syracuse vs. Florida State	ACC Tournament – 1st Round	ACC Network
8:30 PM	Prairie View A&M vs. Florida A&M	SWAC Tournament – 1st Round	ESPN+
8:30 PM	Fairfield vs. Sacred Heart	MAAC Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
9:00 PM	Florida International vs. Western Kentucky	CUSA Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
9:00 PM	UAlbany vs. Bryant	America East Playoffs – Semifinal	ESPN2, ESPN+
9:00 PM	Montana State vs. Northern Colorado	Big Sky Championship – Semifinal	ESPNU, ESPN+
9:00 PM	Gonzaga vs. No. 19 Saint Mary’s	West Coast Conference Tournament – Final	ESPN
9:30 PM	Nichols vs. Lamar	Southland Tournament – Semifinal	ESPN+
9:30 PM	UCF vs. Utah	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship – 1st Round	ESPN+
11:30 PM	Idaho vs. Montana	Big Sky Championship – Semifinal	ESPN2, ESPN+

Rhoback’s new University of Kentucky Gameday Collection is awesome.

Looking for some new Kentucky gear to bring to Nashville? I’ve got great news for you. Rhoback just launched its new University of Kentucky licensed collection, the perfect way to rep the Cats in March. The collection features two unique Kentucky-themed polos (one which has a really cool Rupp Arena design), a white UK quarter-zip, and a hoodie in the brand’s signature VSoft™ fabric. My Rhoback gear arrived yesterday and I’m happy to report it’s just as awesome as advertised.

Use the code KSR on Rhoback.com for a generous 20% off for all new customers.

KSR the Show is back in studio today

As mentioned today’s radio show will be held at the iHeart studios as the crew hosts Mark Stoops. Tomorrow, they’ll be at a to-be-determined location in Bowling Green as they make their way to Nashville for the tournament. Thursday’s show is live from Tin Roof Broadway as the long wait for tipoff begins.