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KSR Today: My Players First Fantasy Experience Begins (Pt. 2)

Jack PIlgrimby:Jack Pilgrim•08/26/22
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The moment none of you have been waiting for (but I have, so it’s OK): my return to the Rupp Arena hardwood to participate in the 2022 Players First Fantasy Experience.

After leading my team (or serving a crucial role off the bench, if we’re being honest) to an event championship, coached by Oscar Tshiebwe, Daimion Collins, Keion Brooks Jr. and Brennan Canada, it’s time to run it back for year two.

Held annually at Rupp Arena, grown adults spend good (very good) money to live the life of a Kentucky basketball player for the weekend. You show up, get a duffle bag full of cool gear and play five-on-five games for three days with the current Wildcats serving as coaches. When you’re not playing, there are trainers and massage chairs available to help with recovery, along with other cool resources like film room breakdowns and access to the locker room. And then when the games are over, there are fancy dinners and cocktail hours to close out the evenings.

I’ll be making my way to Lexington in a few hours to get settled in, hoping to not make a fool out of myself in front of the Kentucky players and coaches. And if I do, we’ll make sure there’s a camera rolling. My embarrassment is your entertainment — KSR’s photographer Dr. Michael Huang will also be playing, so same rules apply for him.

Be prepared for updates on the website and KSR YouTube page throughout the weekend. Fingers crossed for no injuries.

College football starts tomorrow

The wait for college football season is over — well, it will be tomorrow, at least. Week Zero is here, the kickoff to 2022 with a slate of games that will make you say, “Well, at least it’s something.”

11 games, with 10 televised throughout the day on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the complete schedule:

  • Austin Peay at Western Kentucky – 12 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
  • Nebraska at Northwestern – 12:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
  • Idaho State at UNLV – 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
  • UConn at Utah State – 4 p.m. ET (FS1)
  • Wyoming at Illinois – 4 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
  • Duquesne at Florida State – 5 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
  • Charlotte at Florida Atlantic – 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
  • Florida A&M at North Carolina – 8:15 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
  • North Texas at UTEP – 9 p.m. ET
  • Nevada at New Mexico State – 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
  • Vanderbilt at Hawai’i – 10:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)

Riveting stuff, right? Like I said, it’s something. And with football comes betting on football, so why not hear from the KSR experts on how they’re picking this weekend’s matchups?

From there, you get some bigger teams taking the field on Thursday, Sept. 1, namely No. 12 Oklahoma State (vs. Central Michigan), No. 17 Pittsburgh (vs. West Virginia), No. 22 Wake Forest (vs. VMI), Tennessee (vs. Ball State) and Purdue (vs. Penn State), among others. Then a few more games on Friday before the real fun begins on Saturday.

Look at it this way: no more Saturdays without football until January. And no more weekends without football (NFL included) until February.

Life is good.

Beau Allen wins starting QB job at Tarleton State

Former Kentucky quarterback Beau Allen has earned the starting quarterback job at Tarleton State, the program announced Thursday afternoon.

The four-star recruit out of Lexington Catholic entered the transfer portal at the end of July and committed to open the month of August. Now a few short weeks later, he’ll be under center for the Texans to open the season.

Allen appeared in five games during his two-year career and completed 11-of-19 passes for 132 yards (6.9 yards per attempt). He also scrambled for a rushing touchdown against New Mexico State.

With the former LexCath standout taking his talents to Tarleton State, Deuce Hogan and Kaiya Sheron are battling for the backup quarterback spot in Lexington.

Rhyne Howard wins WNBA Rookie of the Year

Former Kentucky women’s basketball superstar Rhyne Howard is your 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

The Atlanta Dream standout received 53 of the 56 total votes for the prestigious honor after finishing her first professional season averaging 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest. She was also one of five players tabbed to the WNBA All-Rookie Team.

 The 6-foot-2 guard won all four of the WNBA’s Rookie of the Month honors throughout the season while leading all rookies on points, assists, steals, and minutes per game. Howard was also selected as an All-Star and even won Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors during her debut week as a rookie.

This fall, Howard will continue her basketball season overseas with Famila Wuber Schio, an Italian women’s basketball team that plays in Italy’s Serie A and the EuroLeague. Schio finished the 2021-22 regular season with a perfect 23-0 record before winning the league Finals this past May in four games.

Oscar Tshiebwe partners with a horse for NIL

“Oscar Knows.” He made that very clear during his first commercial released to the public following his time in the Bahamas.

The Kentucky basketball superstar has partnered with Life Is Good, a racehorse owned by WinStar Farm, with the commercial making its debut on Thursday.

“I feel blessed to partner with WinStar Farm to help promote their talented race horse, Life Is Good,” Tshiebwe wrote on social media. “Thanks for the opportunity, and I can’t wait to cheer him on in the Breeders’ Cup. #Godisgreat #Lifeisgood #OscarKnows”

On the same day, Tshiebwe was named one of the Top 25 most marketable players in men’s and women’s college basketball today by ESPN. He is No. 3 behind women’s hoop stars Aliyah Boston (South Carolina) and Hanna and Haley Cavinder (Miami).

“Yes, the reigning men’s college basketball Wooden Award winner is back for another season to chase a championship with the Wildcats,” Myron Medcalf wrote. “A factor could be the nearly $3 million he has reportedly made so far in NIL deals. That’s more money than the projected second-round pick would’ve made as a rookie in the NBA.”

Oscar knows money, too.

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