KSR Today: The NCAA Tournament tips off in Dayton

Pat yourself on the back, Big Blue Nation. We made it. The 2025 NCAA Tournament officially tips off tonight, making the start of the best three weeks in sports.

…Okay, yes. Technically, it’s just the First Four that begins tonight, typically reserved for basketball junkies, but there’s some intrigue on tap in Dayton. North Carolina, a team that many believe should not have made the field, plays San Diego State, Lamont Butler’s old squad, for the No. 11 seed in the South Region. A blueblood relegated to the First Four, fighting for the chance to face an SEC team (Ole Miss) in the real first round? Sign me up. I’ll even suffer through the Impossible Jokers commercials on truTV.

North Carolina vs. San Diego State is the second game of the night, starting at 9:10 p.m. ET. Saint Francis and Alabama State tip things off at 6:40 p.m. ET. The winner gets No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday afternoon in Lexington.

Here’s the complete First Four schedule. Tomorrow night, we’ll find out which team will be the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region, Texas or Xavier. The winner goes on to face No. 6 seed Illinois, and, potentially, Kentucky in the second round if the Cats beat No. 14 seed Troy.

Tuesday, March 18

UD Arena (Dayton)

Time (ET)	Game	TV
6:40 p.m.	(16) Saint Francis vs. (16) Alabama State Spero Dedes / Jim Spanarkel // Jon Rothstein	truTV
9:10 p.m.	(11) North Carolina vs. (11) San Diego State Spero Dedes / Jim Spanarkel // Jon Rothstein	truTV

Wednesday, March 19

UD Arena (Dayton)

Time (ET)	Game	TV
6:40 p.m.	(16) Mount St. Mary’s vs. (16) American Spero Dedes / Jim Spanarkel // Jon Rothstein	truTV
9:10 p.m.	(11) Xavier vs. (11) Texas Spero Dedes // Jim Spanarkel // Jon Rothstein	truTV

While the First Four gets underway, the Kentucky Basketball team prepares for its run. Let’s start with some of Mark Pope’s comments from last night’s radio show.

Mark Pope Show Notes

Mark Pope sat down with Tom Leach to preview Kentucky’s quest for No. 9, which starts Friday night in Milwaukee. Here are a few quick-hitters:

The “Post Alabama Debacle” – A caller asked Pope what he told his team after the 29-point loss to Alabama and how tough it is to regroup after a loss like that in the postseason. He coined the team’s final hours in Nashville the “Post Alabama Debacle” and said he and his players cycled through all five steps of the grieving process before moving on to NCAA Tournament prep.

“It was pretty brutal, a pretty brutal locker room, really tough night. Once we got back to the film room, the staff was together till, I don’t know, three or four in the morning. Then we met again as a team for breakfast and had a long, animated, intense truth-telling film session, team talk session, growing session, and kind of healing session.

“I say this all the time, but after a game like that, you really do go through a grieving process,” Pope added. “By the time we jumped on the plane, there had been a shift in our hearts, in our focus, in our togetherness. … I think we’re in an unbelievable space where we are full steam ahead and cannot wait to get to the NCAA Tournament. Let’s go see what we can do.”

Gas Money for Milwaukee – Remember the time Mark Pope bought ice cream for everyone at his postgame show at Rupp? He made another pricey promise to BBN last night, offering to give gas money to fans to make it to Milwaukee. He didn’t share how to get in touch with him, but before the end of the show, he already had an email from a UK student vacationing in Florida for spring break who asked Pope to help fund his drive to Milwaukee and buy him a ticket. The first of many requests, I’m sure.

Team bonding activity – The team leave for Milwaukee tomorrow, making this their last night in Lexington before the Big Dance. Pope said tonight, the players will have a group outing somewhere in town — he declined to say where as to give them privacy — to enjoy a stress-free night before the madness begins.

Pope didn’t talk about this on his show, but it was cool to see this picture of Oscar Tshiebwe, currently on a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, pose with Mark Pope’s daughter Layla, a dancer for the Jazz. Last month, Layla performed with the UK Dance Team in her dad’s jersey while visiting her parents, a very cool moment for the family.

#BBN in Utah pic.twitter.com/gbnAYwjuXm

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 18, 2025

The KSR YouTube Channel is loaded with basketball content

Still filling out your bracket? Let the KSR crew help. Yesterday, we convened on YouTube to share our upset picks, Final Four and National Championship predictions, and where we think Kentucky will finish. One of us was very surprised to learn just how many schools there are in San Diego. We also got some Milwaukee recommendations from Jacob Polacheck.

Looking for some more in-depth talk on the Cats? Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith recorded a new episode of Sources Say to recap Kentucky’s trip to Nashville and what lies ahead in the NCAA Tournament.

We didn’t forget about Kentucky WBB! Phoenix Stevens and Katie Hutchison broke down the women’s path in the NCAA Tournament, which starts at Historic Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky is a No. 4 seed in the Spokane 4 Region, hosting the first and second-round games in Lexington before potentially playing in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Spokane, and ultimately, the Final Four in Tampa. Their journey starts vs. the No. 13 seed Liberty Flames Friday at Noon ET.

Tonight, Jacob Polacheck will release a special Tuesday edition of “Here Comes The Boom” featuring an interview with Troy coach Scott Cross. He dropped a preview of that last night in which Cross talked about his team’s love for Waffle House, which I’m sure hits home with many of us, ranging from Ryan Lemond to Myron Medcalf.

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Sign up for the KSR/On3 Bracket Challenge

Now that you have all of our “expert” picks, put them up against us in the KSR/On3 Bracket Challenge. Register now. Selections lock in at 12:15 EST on Thursday, March 20. Be sure to select “Kentucky/KSR” as your team. Invite your family and friends to play. There are multiple ways you can win. Prizes include:

• 1st place: 75-inch 4K Smart TV and a 1-year comped subscription to On3
• 2nd place: 1-year comped subscription to On3
• 3rd place: 6-month comped subscription to On3

[On3 Bracket Challenge]

Kentucky Baseball hosts Murray State

It’s time for the Kentucky Baseball team to get right at home. The No. 24 Cats lost their first SEC series at Georgia, losing two of three vs. the Bulldogs. Tonight, they’ll host Murray State at Kentucky Proud Park (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+). Kentucky is now 14-4 on the season, while the Racers are 12-4, coming off a series win at Southern Indiana.

Kentucky Softball hosts Dayton

Next door, the Kentucky Softball team will also be looking to get back in the win column. The No. 23 Cats host Dayton tonight at 6 p.m. Rachel Lawson’s squad has lost four straight games, dropping the series at No. 4 LSU over the weekend. They’re 17-10 on the season, 3-3 in conference play.

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

Looking for some new Kentucky gear for the tournament? 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.

Kentucky fan plays Billy Strings on tobacco cans

I’ll leave you with this Kentucky fan playing “Dust in a Baggie” by Billy Strings on dip cans, the perfect way to get ready for March Madness to tip off.

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