KSR Today: Talking Season starts, Jerry Tipton on the Show, Justin Timberlake at Rupp

This is not one of those days on which I’m going to pretend there’s a ton to talk about; in the world of University of Kentucky sports, there is not. Outside of Justin Edwards and Tre Mitchell competing in the NBA Summer League and JuCo defensive lineman Dennious Jackson committing to the football team yesterday, we’re in a UK news desert until at least this weekend when Mark Pope hits the recruiting trail.

Thankfully, outside of the UK sports landscape, there is stuff happening. Talking season officially begins in college football with Big 12 Media Days and two JTs are taking over the Lexington entertainment scene: Jerry Tipton and Justin Timberlake. What do they have in common, other than initials? Both would be wise to call an Uber/Lyft after too many glasses of Chardonnay and they’re topics in today’s rundown. Let’s get to it.

Big 12 Media Days begin

SEC Media Days don’t start until next week, but today, the Big 12 kicks off its annual event, its first in Las Vegas and first since Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado became official members. Deion Sanders will dominate headlines during Colorado’s turn in the spotlight tomorrow. Before that, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will speak, followed by coaches and players from TCU, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Utah, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State.

I expect we’ll hear takes on all the big issues facing the sport right now, from conference expansion/realignment to NIL, the transfer portal, and probably even the EA Sports College Football 25 video game. If you’re really hurting for a college football fix, you can watch it all on ESPNU starting at 1 p.m. ET and Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The event continues through tomorrow.

Speaking of talking season, Kentucky’s representatives for SEC Media Days were announced yesterday. Senior offensive lineman Marques Cox, senior linebacker D’Eryk Jackson, and junior defensive lineman Deone Walker will accompany Mark Stoops to Dallas next week. Kentucky makes the rounds at the Omni Dallas Hotel on Thursday, July 18 along with Arkansas, Auburn, and Texas A&M.

BBNBA Summer League continues

Last night, we had some Cat-on-Cat action in the NBA Summer League as Justin Edwards and the Philadelphia 76ers faced Tre Mitchell‘s OKC Thunder. It wasn’t exactly a memorable debut for either, as Edwards tallied one rebound, one assist, and one steal with zero points in 18 minutes, going 0-2 from the floor, while Mitchell did not play. Tonight, they’ll have another shot when Edwards and the 76ers face Memphis (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Mitchell and the Thunder take on Utah (9 p.m., ESPN2).

Tyler Ulis TBT Media Day

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) starts a week from Friday and today, La Familia head coach Tyler Ulis will hold a Zoom with reporters to talk about the Kentucky alumni team’s chances at winning the grand prize of $1 million. We heard from Ulis on KSR right after he accepted the job, but it’ll be good to hear more from him now that the roster has added another of his former teammates, Aaron Harrison. We’ll bring you updates from the media scrum this afternoon.

Speaking of TBT, La Familia needs you, BBN. Ticket sales for the Lexington Regional are improving but still trail the Louisville Regional. We can’t let them have any kind of bragging rights, so secure your tickets right now.

LOUISVILLE vs LEXINGTON QF UPDATE:

Louisville leads Lexington in Round 1 tickets with under two weeks to go!@LaFamiliaTBT getting closer to @TBT_Louisville👀

TBT TICKETS: https://t.co/H68ywDnhLf pic.twitter.com/E0060DjsG7

— TBT (@thetournament) July 8, 2024

More EA Sports College Football 25 teasers!

We are ten days from the EA Sports College Football 25 release and today, we’ll get another look at the video game a big chunk of the people in my life can’t stop talking about. On Monday, EA Sports gave a first look at gameplay. Today, they will reveal the “College Football Ultimate Team.” What is that? Here’s what the press release from EA Sports says:

“Build your dream team of college football stars and legends. Play Solo Challenges or H2H Seasons to upgrade your squad and take on the toughest contests. Test your skills across consoles in more competitive formats like College Football Ultimate Team™ Champs and Champs Gauntlet.”

I guess we’ll find out once the internet gets its hands on it. Here is the EA Sports CFB25 release schedule for the rest of the week.

Big week of content coming…. It's starting to feel like GAME TIME‼️#CFB25 pic.twitter.com/9CVe498u2f

— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) July 7, 2024

Justin Timberlake at Rupp Arena

Something else that’s been making headlines recently: Justin Timberlake. Tonight, the pop superstar brings his world tour to Rupp Arena, the last stop in the U.S. before the tour heads overseas. The concert comes three weeks after Timberlake’s DWI arrest in the Hamptons, which makes the “if you go, be sure to take an Uber home!” jokes easy, but our spies will be in Rupp to see if he makes any Kentucky Basketball references. Maybe a Calipari reference since Timberlake was born in Memphis?

A quick glance at Ticketmaster shows plenty of tickets still available, so if you’d like to see for yourself and bring sexy back, tonight is your night.

Jerry Tipton on KSR the Show

Before that JT, we’ve got another JT to listen to. Jerry Tipton will be a guest on today’s KSR, which is also Ryan Lemond and Shannon the Dude’s first show back from vacation. Tipton will join Ryan, Shannon, and Drew Franklin to talk more about his book Déjà Blue: A Sportswriter Reflects on 41 Seasons of Kentucky Basketball, his career covering Kentucky Basketball, and what retirement is like. It’s also Washington County Day, so get ready to learn about Kentucky’s 16th county.