KSR Today: Nike EYBL rolls on in Louisville; Game 7, baby!

ZGeogheganKSR

Good morning, folks! I hope everyone is behaving appropriately on this fine Sunday ahead of Memorial Day. The weather across the Bluegrass is looking like a picture-perfect setup for opening the pool and taking the party outside.

As for me? I’ll be up in enemy territory alongside Jack Pilgrim to cover day two of the Nike EYBL third session in Louisville. Big-time shoutout to air conditioning. Day one was loaded with 13 straight hours of basketball, and we’ll have plenty of content coming from what we saw and learned. The highlight of Saturday was easily the insane crowd in attendance to watch the nightcap between the NJ Scholars (DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw, Mackenzie Mgbako) and Strive For Greatness (Bronny James).

The crowd for NJ Scholars (DJ Wagner/Mackenzie Mgbako/Aaron Bradshaw) and Strive for Greatness (Bronny James) is the largest I’ve seen for an AAU game.

Fans are several rows deep. pic.twitter.com/G0WIXCpdZA
— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) May 29, 2022

We already have a couple of updates on a pair of Kentucky targets: Matas Buzelis and Justin Edwards.

Also, five-star point guard Robert Dillingham has a decision date in mind: June 24. All signs are pointing towards the ‘Cats.

Games for Sunday once began at 9:30 a.m. EST. But all of the action starts around 12:30 p.m. DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw, Dillingham, Amier Ali (’24), Ron Holland, and John Bol (’24) will all play at the noon timeslot. The final set of games for the day will begin at 6:30 p.m. EST

Below are some of the need-to-watch games over the next two days. A full schedule is available here and tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Sunday, May 29

12:30 pm | Houston Hoops vs. Drive Nation

Amier Ali (Houston Hoops) 6-8, 175-pound SF
4-star, No. 24 overall; No. 7 SF
Class of 2024

Ronald Holland (Drive Nation) 6-8, 195-pound PF

6:30 pm | NH Lightning vs. NJ Scholars

Elliot Cadeau (NH Lightning) 6-2, 165-pound PG
4-star, No. 8 overall; No. 1 PG
Class of 2024

Dajuan Wagner Jr. (NJ Scholars) 6-3, 165-pound CG

Aaron Bradshaw (NJ Scholars) 7-1, 210-pound C

A matchup between Elliot Cadeau and DJ Wagner is one made up of the two top guard prospects in the entire country, regardless of class. Kentucky is showing some early interest in Cadeau, who is an elite 2024 point guard. We already know about Wagner’s talent (along with his serious Louisville connection) and he’s been putting it on full display this summer, but Cadeau will not be an easy challenge. Also, the continued rise of Aaron Bradshaw as a legit top 25 player in his class is something everyone in attendance will be keeping an eye on.

Monday, May 30

11:00 am | CP3 vs. All Ohio Red

Robert Dillingham (Team CP3) 6-2, 165-pound PG

George Washington III (All Ohio Red) 6-2, 165-pound CG
4-star, No. 50 overall; No. 9 CG
Committed to Ohio State, played high school basketball in KY

11:00 am | Meanstreets vs. NJ Scholars

Dajuan Wagner Jr. (NJ Scholars) 6-3, 165-pound CG

Aaron Bradshaw (NJ Scholars) 7-1, 210-pound C

Bat Cats out of SEC tourney

Kentucky Baseball (33-26, 12-18 SEC) was knocked out of the SEC Tournament semifinals early Sunday morning, falling to No. 1 Tennessee by an ugly final score of 12-2. The ‘Cats were actually tied with UT 2-2 entering the eighth inning, but four runs in the top of the eighth for the Vols and six more in the ninth made this game look far more lopsided than it truly was throughout most of the night.

It was a disappointing end to what was an otherwise unbelievable run for the Bat ‘Cats, which made the program’s first SEC semifinals since 2014.

Incredibly proud of what this TEAM did in Hoover. pic.twitter.com/ieLfgECO5e
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 29, 2022

Heading into Selection Monday, Kentucky is going to have to rely on the work it did over the last several days to sneak into the Field of 64. It was an impressive run for the ‘Cats, which entered the tourney as the conference’s 12-seed. UK took down a trio of quality opponents in Auburn, Vanderbilt, and LSU. A win over UT would have been the cherry on top of the proverbial ice cream.

Top 10

View All

But that’s not the way the bats were swinging, and Kentucky will have to hope its season-long resume stacks up better than the rest. Following the loss to Tennessee, D1Baseball had UK as the “5th team out”. Despite plenty of quality top 25 wins, an RPI of 52 is what’s preventing the ‘Cats from being seen as a Field of 64 lock.

Heat-Celtics in ECF Game 7

We’ve got a GAME SEVEN, BABY!

Bam Adebayo, an injured Tyler Herro, and the rest of the Miami Heat will look to make the NBA Finals for the second time in the past three seasons. Standing in their way? The defensive-minded Boston Celtics, which hasn’t been to the Finals since winning the title back in 2008. The two teams will enter Sunday night’s game in Miami tied 3-3 with the loser going home and the winner taking on the Golden State Warriors starting next week.

Jimmy Butler was the much-needed superstar for Miami in Game 6 on Friday, exploding for 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals in nearly 46 minutes played. The Heat needed every single second of production from Butler in the 111-103 win.

Adebayo, on the other hand, was off once again in Game 6, finishing with just six points and nine rebounds in 41 minutes of action. Miami proved it can win without Adebayo playing at an All-Star level, but it sure wouldn’t hurt if he showed up in a win-or-go-home Game 7.

The status of Herro, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year winner, remains up in the air, as well. He’s missed the previous three games with a groin strain and could sit out again tonight. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, this type of injury would typically keep Herro out for two to four weeks if this were the regular season. Herro initially suffered the injury on May 21, just eight days ago. Even if Miami wins and advances to the Finals, which begin Thursday, June 2, he would only be 13 days removed from the strain come Game 1.

Kentucky Football cracks another preseason Top 25

Anotha’ one.

Athlon Sports has published their own edition of rankings and the Wildcats check at No. 21 overall.

“Mark Stoops has raised the bar for success in Lexington,” writes Athlon’s Steven Lassan. “The Wildcats have won 10 games in two out of the last four years, and Stoops needs just two victories to pass Bear Bryant as the winningest coach in school history. Despite some key losses on both sides of the ball, optimism runs high thanks to the return of quarterback Will Levis and a deep backfield anchored by Chris Rodriguez Jr.“

Let’s just hope Rodriguez is around to do the anchoring…

That’s all the news and notes I have for you this morning. I’m headed off to Louisville again for another day of hoops. Enjoy the long weekend, folks!