KSR Today: Previewing Mississippi State, Waiting on Liam Coen News

Good morning, Big Blue Nation, and greetings from Nashville, where we have eight inches of snow on the ground, which means the city will be shut down for a week. Snow amounts may be lower in Kentucky but temperatures across the region are supposed to be dangerously cold today and tomorrow, so bundle up if you’re going to work or even just staying inside.

If you were offline Monday enjoying the holiday and/or snow day, you missed some stuff. Let’s catch you up and get ready for Kentucky vs. Mississippi State, which is Wednesday night, not tonight. The SEC midweek schedule is a little wonky for the next few weeks.

John Calipari Show Quick-Hitters

Last night’s John Calipari call-in show delivered a few items of note. Jack Pilgrim has a good rundown in yesterday’s “4-Point Play” notebook, but here are the quick hitters:

• Adou Thiero did not practice on Monday: The sophomore remains day-to-day with what Kentucky is officially calling “general soreness,” although Calipari has said on multiple occasions is a back issue. Cal said he did not practice on Monday — not a good sign for his availability tomorrow — and is still considered day-to-day. I don’t need to tell you how much Kentucky missed Adou’s physicality and rebounding vs. Texas A&M.
• Calipari is ready to get “aggressive” with the NCAA over Big Z: Still no word from the NCAA on the eligibility of Zvonimir Ivisic and Calipari’s frustrations are reaching a boiling point. He told Tom Leach that if the ordeal goes on too much longer, he is willing to “become aggressive” with the NCAA over the matter. What that means exactly remains to be seen, but Cal is clearly ready to go to bat for the Croatian seven-footer, hopefully with the help of the UK administration.
• Also aggressive? Mississippi State: Don’t let Mississippi State’s 1-2 record in the SEC fool you; Calipari knows the Bulldogs are legit, as evidenced by their win over Tennessee last week. He’s ready for another physical, aggressive game like the one Kentucky just played in College Station.

Coach O previews Mississippi State

Later today, we’ll get to hear Orlando Antigua’s take on where Kentucky stands following the loss to Texas A&M. Coach O will meet with reporters around lunch to talk about Saturday’s defeat and tomorrow’s game vs. Mississippi State. I have a feeling Tolu Smith, Preseason All-SEC First Teamer, is a big part of the Cats’ scouting report, as is freshman guard Josh Hubbard, who won SEC Freshman of the Week yesterday. The two combined for 87 points in the Bulldogs’ games vs. Tennessee and Alabama last week.

Check the site and YouTube Channel early this afternoon for a recap and replay of everything Coach O had to say. Maybe we can get him to share what he yelled at John Calipari during the Missouri game.

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

We’ll get the line for Kentucky vs. Mississippi State

At some point today, we’ll find out what Vegas thinks of Wednesday’s game vs. the Bulldogs. The computers favor Kentucky. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Cats a 73.3% chance of winning at Rupp and the BPI favors Kentucky by seven. KenPom projects an 80-75 Kentucky victory, while BartTorvik has it slightly closer at 80-77 Cats. We’ll bring you the opening line when it drops on FanDuel.

Liam Coen Watch continues

Will the Chicago Bears offer Liam Coen the offensive coordinator job? That’s what his future at Kentucky could come down to, sources tell our Matt Jones.

On Monday, we found out that Ohio State is an unlikely landing spot for Coen, who will reportedly only consider leaving Kentucky for the NFL. The Bears are in the midst of their offensive coordinator search, interviewing Coen, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak, and Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. If they offer the job to Coen, who left Kentucky to be the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2022, he’ll have a big decision to make. For continuity’s sake, fingers crossed he’ll decide to stay put.

We’ll bring you developments as we get them. KSBoard has been going nonstop as we digest each rumbling.

Join the KSR Club! With a KSR membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop. New members can try 1 month for $1.

An embarrassing loss for Kentucky WBB

It was another bad night for the Kentucky Women’s Basketball team. No one expected the Cats to upset No. 1 South Carolina in Columbia — the spread was 45 points, after all — but that doesn’t make their 98-36 loss to the Gamecocks any less embarrassing. Things got so bad that Dawn Staley called her team off in the final seconds so as to not cross the 100-point mark. Ouch.

It was Kentucky WBB’s third straight loss. They’ll be back in action on Sunday vs. Missouri at Rupp Arena.

College Basketball on TV today

Kentucky may not play until tomorrow but there’s plenty of basketball action to keep you warm, including four SEC games (bolded):

• 7:00 PM (Peacock): No. 2 Purdue vs. Indiana
• 7:00 PM (ESPN): Florida vs. No. 6 Tennessee
• 7:00 PM (BIG12/ESPN+): No. 19 TCU vs. Cincinnati
• 7:00 PM (SECN): Missouri vs. Alabama
• 8:00 PM (BIG12/ESPN+): No. 9 Baylor vs. Kansas State
• 8:00 PM (CBSSN): Saint Louis vs. No. 21 Dayton
• 9:00 PM (ESPN): No. 3 Kansas vs. Oklahoma State
• 9:00 PM (BTN): No. 11 Wisconsin vs. Penn State
• 9:00 PM (BIG12/ESPN+): No. 24 Iowa State vs. No. 20 BYU
• 9:00 PM (ESPNU): Georgia vs. South Carolina
• 9:00 PM (SECN): Texas A&M vs. Arkansas
• 10:30 PM (FS1): No. 16 Utah State vs. New Mexico

The Radio Show is back

The radio show crew was off yesterday for MLK Day, so tune in this morning to hear their thoughts on Kentucky’s loss at Texas A&M, tomorrow’s game vs. Mississippi State, and, most importantly, the latest on the Liam Coen situation. Tune in one hour from now on 630 WLAP or one of 40+ affiliates across the state, or right now for the KSR Preshow with Shannon and Billy.