KSR Today: Post-Christmas Day notes

Good morning, Big Blue Nation! I hope Santa was nice to you all as he was committing good-hearted, breaking-and-entering felonies across the globe. It was another 65 degree Christmas Day here in Lexington, the newest holiday tradition that no one asked for. Personally, I spent the day hanging out with family for a few hours before napping on my couch until the fourth NBA game rolled around. It was relaxing, which is all that I ask for.

Now that you opened your KSBar and Grille gift card stocking stuffers and KSR-themed hoodies, let’s talk some Kentucky sports.

MBB prepares for SEC play

With Christmas in the rearview, Kentucky Men’s Basketball will turn to the Southeastern Conference portion of the 2021-22 schedule. It’ll be a full seven-day break between the 35-point win over Western Kentucky and this week’s home matchup against Missouri. During that time, the ‘Cats will look to hammer home the moments that helped them win its last two games by a combined 64 points.

The SEC slate (with High Point and Kansas mixed in there) won’t be an easy one, either. As of right now, Kentucky is scheduled to play 10 SEC games where the opponent ranks among the KenPom top 50. LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn are all nationally-ranked programs. UK is currently playing its best basketball of the season, but the road ahead will test them often.

Kentucky will tipoff against Missouri on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7:00 p.m. EST. The game against High Point is scheduled for New Year’s Eve at noon inside of Rupp Arena.

White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic

Lexington Catholic is set to host the 2021 White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic from Dec. 26-29. The high-profile action begins right away with Sunday morning’s matchups and will continue until Wednesday night when a champion is crowned. The tournament includes a slew of the state’s high school programs, including Ballard, Madison Central, and North Laurel.

Barkley Truax (who has a full preview of the event located here) and I will be there throughout the tournament to bring you all the updates, especially when UK commit Reed Sheppard takes the floor for North Laurel. Action begins at 11:00 a.m. between Henry Clay and Woodford Co.

KSR Film Breakdown: Shaedon Sharpe

Kentucky basketball signee Shaedon Sharpe is set to arrive on campus in the coming days, joining the program as a mid-year enrollee for the current season.

What happens from there remains up in the air. When he announced his decision to enroll early back in November, Sharpe said his plan was to redshirt the remainder of the year before returning for the 2022-23 season. It’s a move that would allow him to practice with the current team and begin training with Kentucky’s strength and conditioning staff, a clear head start on the competition for next year.

What should Kentucky fans expect? To prepare fans for Sharpe’s arrival, basketball expert Ant Wright partnered with KSR and On3 Sports to break down the five-star guard’s game.

‘Cats in the NFL: Week 16

1:00 (FOX): Lions @ Falcons
1:00 (CBS): Ravens @ Bengals
1:00 (FOX): Rams @ Vikings
1:00 (CBS): Bills @ Patriots
1:00 (CBS): Jaguars @ Jets (B. Echols)
1:00 (FOX): Giants @ Eagles
1:00 (FOX): Buccaneers (M. Edwards) @ Panthers (P. Hoskins)
1:00 (CBS): Chargers @ Texans
4:05 (FOX) Bears @ Seahwaks
4:25 (CBS): Steelers (S. Snell Jr.) @ Chiefs
4:25 (CBS): Raiders @ Broncos
8:20 (NBC): Washington (J. Davis, J. Toth) @ Cowboys (Q. Bohanna, K. Joseph)

Monday Night Football
8:15 (ESPN): Dolphins @ Saints