KSR Today: Preparing for the Tide (and recruiting news)

They weren’t lying when they said this league schedule was going to come at you in waves and wouldn’t stop until March Madness when new variations of waves would hit — the best of the best from every conference rather than just everyone from the toughest twice a week through Nashville. By Saturday, Kentucky will have gone through No. 14 on the road, No. 11 at home and No. 4 at home in the span of eight days. It feels like we should still be coming down from the high of Starkville, certainly still doing so for Texas A&M at Rupp Arena. Then you realize we’re a day away from hosting the top-ranked team on the schedule to this point, one returning the SEC Player of the Year from the program’s first-ever Final Four and forget all about the past week.

It’s the Cats vs. the Crimson Tide, a battle of SEC heavyweights inside Rupp Arena and two of the most brilliant offensive minds in the sport. If that doesn’t get you fired up, you might want to check your pulse.

Kentucky is rolling in with a 5-0 start against top-15 competition while Alabama has the staying power in the league and is currently leading the country in scoring. How can the Cats keep that momentum in their favor and force the Tide into a two-game losing streak coming off a home loss to No. 21 Ole Miss? Mark Pope sat down with the media on Thursday to preview the anticipated top-10 home battle.

Mark Pope expects just as much toughness as quickness

Everyone knows about Alabama’s pace of play and shot volume, but it’s actually the rebounding that stands out to Pope. They come in ranked No. 2 in defensive rebounding, No. 3 in rebounding average and No. 13 in offensive rebounding, but in their last five matchups, they’re actually the best team in college basketball on the offensive glass.

Considering that’s been a top priority for Kentucky the past couple of games, don’t expect anything to change on Saturday.

“Their transition offense is incredible, their spacing is incredible, they’ve got the presumptive Player of the Year in the league (in Mark Sears),” Pope said. “In the last five games, they’ve been the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the country, which is so great, isn’t it? We just went to Mississippi State and they were the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the country for a reason, and now we get the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the last five games. 

“They’re a terrific team, obviously, they’re incredibly well-coached, and they’re veteran, veteran guys. It’s gonna be fun.”

Expect another big-time Rupp Arena environment

When you’ve got a top-10 home matchup, you expect the best of the best from the fanbase. We got a glimpse of that during the mid-week battle with No. 11 Texas A&M in town, not an empty seat in the house — unlike Louisville, who is currently giving away free tickets to anybody willing to come — as the Cats rolled to a 12-point victory.

Looking for a preview of what Rupp Arena will look like on Saturday? It’ll be a bigger, better version of that one, KSR’s Steven Peake giving you a behind-the-scenes look at that win (and what a day in the life of the KSR crew looks like on game day).

Give it a watch:

A Caleb Wilson update is coming

Is Pope on the cusp of a big-time recruiting win or are things trending in the wrong direction for his prized target? The wait is almost over for Caleb Wilson, who is set to decide in January — the same January with exactly two weeks remaining, meaning the clock is ticking on a decision.

On3’s Jamie Shaw shared the latest on his commitment in the latest episode of KSR’s Here Comes The Boom with Jacob Polacheck on Thursday.

Wilson will be joining the 247Sports College Basketball Show on CBS Sports Network at 1 PM ET to update his recruitment — likely sharing a commitment date (or a timeline, at the very minimum) with Travis Branham and the gang over there. Keep your eyes peeled for an update as we inch closer to the finish line.

Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the best basketball player in the world?

The answer is yes, very fortunately for everyone associated with the University of Kentucky. In ‘The Rematch’ between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Zack Geoghegan’s Cleveland Cavaliers last night, SGA went scorched earth en route to 40 points on 65.4 percent shooting with eight assists, three rebounds and two steals as OKC steamrolled to a 134-114 win to even up the season series between the two best teams in the NBA.

Cason Wallace added six points, six rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes in the winning effort.

The Cavs won the first head-to-head back on Jan. 8 — Gilgeous-Alexander still going for 31 in that one because, again, he’s the best player in the world.

🏀 THURSDAY'S FINAL SCORES 🏀

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads an efficient effort from the @okcthunder as they move into a tie for the best record in the NBA!

Lu Dort: 22 PTS, 6 3PM
Jalen Williams: 19 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/Tbr4iESMZ4

— NBA (@NBA) January 17, 2025

Seth Greenberg breaks down the Kentucky offense

Looking for more national love of Pope and the Cats? ESPN’s Seth Greenberg broke down a couple of plays he particularly enjoyed, finding two examples of their Peja action against Florida and Mississippi State in winning efforts.

“You read the defense. The defense tells you your read, and that’s the great thing about Mark Pope,” he said. “He teaches guys how to play out of their plays.”

A look at 2 reads out of ⁦@KentuckyMBB⁩ Peja set. pic.twitter.com/iLQKzHMuXv

— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) January 17, 2025

Expect to see more of that Saturday with the Tide in town.