KSR Today: Matthew Mitchell Day at Rupp Arena

Good morning, folks! Tonight at Rupp Arena should be extra special. Let’s talk about why and everything else you need to know to get your Thursday rolling.

Kentucky WBB set to honor Matthew Mitchell

Later tonight, Kentucky Women’s Basketball is playing for more than just another mark in the win column. The No. 14 Wildcats (6-1) will take on the DePaul Blue Demons (7-2) at 7 p.m. in Rupp Arena. Playing in a different setting isn’t the only unusual thing about Thursday evening’s contest.

For the first time since his retirement, Matthew Mitchell will be properly honored by fans and players, alike. As head coach of the ‘Cats for 13 years, Mitchell won 303 games, making him the winningest Kentucky Women’s Basketball coach of all time. His career at UK came to an end just weeks before the start of the 2020-21 season due to medical concerns. Many former players are expected to be in the building to celebrate Mitchell’s special night.

#BBN, we need you at @Rupp_Arena tomorrow! A big one for @KentuckyWBB vs. DePaul at 7 p.m.

It's going to be a special evening as the program celebrates my good friend @UKCoachMitchell.

Get your tickets at https://t.co/M6GB8arHL7! pic.twitter.com/c0bAoRSmFJ

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) December 8, 2021

You can read Grant Grubbs’ full preview of the game right here. And as Calipari said, remember to purchase tickets if you haven’t already. Lower-level seats are just $10.

Postseason awards for several ‘Cats

Darian Kinnard received the most postseason honors of the day on Wednesday, but plenty of his teammates were also recognized for their season-long efforts.

Postseason Awards for Kinnard:

• First-Team All-America (Reese’s Senior Bowl, CBS Sports)
• First-Team All-SEC (AP, PFF, Coaches)
• 2021 SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy

Joining Kinnard on the Associated Press All-SEC First-Team are running back Chris Rodriguez and defensive end Josh Paschal. Earning Second-Team honors was wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.

Alabama’s Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. won the league’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Kirby Smart took home SEC Coach of the Year for what he did in 2021 (until the SEC Championship game).

Citrus Bowl broadcasting team announced

We now know who will be calling Kentucky’s win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. ESPN announced its broadcasting teams for the postseason and Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Tom Luginbill will be on the call for the ‘Cats vs. the Hawkeyes on Jan. 1 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The game will be televised live at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. Marc Kestecher, Ben Hartsock, and Taylor Davis will call the game for ESPN Radio. Of course, you can also hear Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro on the UK Sports Network.

Oscar has high expectations for himself

Oscar Tshiebwe wants to be mentioned in the same breathe as Anthony Davis. If he continues to rebound at the rate he’s at right now, that might be the most likely outcome.

Following Tuesday’s win over Southern, Tshiebwe spoke with Matt Norlander of CBS Sports to discuss the history that the Kentucky big man is chasing. Tshiebwe isn’t going after a scoring record though; he wants to make his mark on the glass and win a national title.

“I don’t care about scoring,” Tshiebwe said. “I want to bring something special. I want my name one day to be remembered like Anthony Davis.”

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No Divison I college basketball player has averaged 15 rebounds per game over an entire season since 1980 (!). Tshiebwe is on pace to be the first to do as such.

University-6 is still a mess

What else is there to say at this point…

Update:

So the UL AD wanted to get rid of the Football coach to bring in Jeff Brohm but was told no by the UL President. This made the AD upset so he is leaving for Fla St and now the President is also leaving for Penn St

And UL fans are left with Satterfield and no one else

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) December 9, 2021

Brandon Boston Jr. shows out

Give Brandon Boston Jr. a normal season at Kentucky and I GUARANTEE (in my best Charles Barkley voice) he looks much closer to the guy balling out in the NBA right now as a young rookie. On Wednesday night, during a three-point win over the Boston Celtics, Boston exploded for 27 points (easily a career-high) on 9-13 shooting and 5-8 shooting from deep. He also added two rebounds and four steals.

Boston has quickly found himself a spot in the Los Angeles Clippers rotation. He began the season in the G League and was given spot minutes with the Clips through the first 20 or so games, but now he’s playing real clock. He also had 13 points on Dec. 1 against the Kings and another 13 on Dec. 6 against the Trail Blazers. He’s averaging nearly 18 minutes per game over his last five outings.

Granted, Paul George’s absence on Wednesday night surely helped Boston pop off, but doing so in a win over the Celtics is still incredibly impressive. The Clippers got away with a second-round steal in Boston.