KSR Today: The Saint Peter's Peacocks are Elite

We thought Kentucky suffered one of the greatest losses in NCAA Tournament history. Hindsight is 20/20 and it appears the Wildcats just ran into a feathered buzzsaw. Saint Peter’s is the hottest team in America, marching on to the East Region Finals.

A battle of David vs. Goliath is a commonly used trope, but it felt like the most appropriate description when Zach Edey and Trevion Williams stood next to any of the Peacocks. Edey had an eight-inch advantage in the post, yet Purdue still could not exert its will on Shaheen Holloway’s squad. The Boilermakers’ bigs scored 27 points, but they struggled to get anything going elsewhere, allowing Saint Peter’s to hang around and apply pressure during crunch time.

Attempting to become the first 15-seed to ever make the Elite Eight, the Peacocks were never rattled. Saint Peter’s hit 19-of-21 free throws and sank all eight attempts in the final two minutes to escape with a 67-64 victory.

I’m sure some around the BBN still have mixed emotions about Saint Peter’s success. It’s okay, jut like it’s okay to cheer for them when they take on North Carolina tomorrow. Besides, losing in the NCAA Tournament doesn’t hurt so bad when it’s at the hands of a Final Four team.

Elite Eight Tip-Times

There are only seven college basketball games remaining in the 2021-22 season. Houston is a 2.5-point favorite over Villanova in San Antonio with tip-off set for 6:09 pm ET. Duke will get the late night spotlight as a four-point favorite over Arkansas. Tip-off for Coach K’s final game is set for 8:49 pm ET. Both games can be watched on TBS.

Miami and Kansas held off some late runs by Iowa State and Providence, respectively, to earn a spot in tomorrow’s Elite Eight. The Jayhawks are 6-point favorites for the early tip-off at 2:20 pm ET. It’s Miami’s first ever Elite Eight appearance. Saint Peters is an 8-point underdog against North Carolina for the 5 pm ET tip-off. Those games will be broadcast on CBS.

Cinderella's not ready to leave the Dance 🕺#MarchMadness @PeacocksMBB pic.twitter.com/4W7n8MhGQR

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022

Kentucky’s Roster is Under Construction

The unexpected early arrival of the offseason has John Calipari knocking on doors all across America. Dozens of players are entering the transfer portal and Kentucky is quick to touch base and make contact, even if it is just a text or two. Weeding through the portal to see who is a plausible addition can be difficult. What’s interesting is happening on the high school front.

Andrew Slater reports Kentucky visited Leonard Miller, an under-the-radar late bloomer that has captivated audiences since he underwent a six-inch growth spurt. Unranked by Rivals and 247 Sports, On3 believes Miller is one of the best in the class of 2022, ranking the 6’10” forward as the No. 11 player in America. He has the length of a center, but the skills of a guard. The Cats might have stumbled into something amazing down the homestretch.

Kentucky WBB Exodus

The Kentucky women’s basketball team has been gutted. Just a few weeks removed from the miraculous run that ended with an SEC Title over top-ranked South Carolina, seemingly every top player is leaving the program. Rhyne Howard’s eligibility has expired, now three of her top teammates — Dre’Una Edwards, Treasure Hunt, and Jazmine Massengill — are taking their talents elsewhere via the transfer portal. To add insult to injury, there’s also a report that Matthew Mitchell is interested to returning to the sideline, potentially at Georgia. It was a rough day for Kyra Elzy, to say the least.

Spring Practice Resumes at Kroger Field

The Wildcats are back in action on the gridiron for the fourth time this week. The first Saturday spring practice of the year usually marks the first scrimmage at Kroger Field. All eyes will be on Will Levis in Rich Scangarello’s exciting new offense. Mark Stoops will share his thoughts on how the team performed today around lunchtime. Adam Luckett will have all of your updates throughout the afternoon.

After Mark Stoops meets with the media, he’ll be taking his talents over to Manchester Street to sign Citrus Bowl commemorative edition bottles of his Wm. Tarr bourbon. Kash Daniel will also be in the house for a VIP meet and greet. You can find more details about Stoops’ RD1 spirits right here.

Big Blue Bombs Away

Just 1-4 over their last five games, the Kentucky softball team got its groove back with a huge six-inning victory over No. 18 Auburn at John Cropp Stadium. Renee Abernathy blasted a grand slam, her seventh home run of the year, to take down the Tigers with an 11-3 win.

Game 1 ✅
Game 2 🔜

See you tomorrow, #BBN! 😏 pic.twitter.com/5tkr3Gsl6l

— Kentucky Softball (@UKsoftball) March 26, 2022

Game two of the series begins today at 1 pm ET. Right down the street the UK baseball team will try to get off the snide at Kentucky Proud Park after falling 4-2 Friday night. They’ll face off against Georgia at 2 pm ET.

Louisiana Derby Day

We are only 42 days away from the Kentucky Derby. Steve Asmussen has more wins than any other trainer in North America, but he’s never won the fastest two minutes in sports. Today his three-year-old Epicenter could become the Kentucky Derby favorite with a win at the Fair Grounds. Brad Cox’s Zozos, Kenny McPeak’s Rattle n Roll and long shot LeComte winner Call Me Midnight will try to play spoiler. Post time is 6:44 pm ET.