KSR Today: Top 10 showdown in Memorial Coliseum, Mark Pope talks Longhorns

Good morning, folks! We’re expecting a busy day at the KSR headquarters. It starts with Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope giving us the low-down on the Texas Longhorns, the Wildcats’ opponent for Saturday night.

Kentucky and Texas have met just twice before throughout history, both victories for the blue and white. UK was ranked among the Top 10 in those matchups too. The first meeting was in Maui back in Dec. 1993, an 86-61 win for the ‘Cats. Over two decades later in Dec. 2014, top-ranked Kentucky took down No. 6 Texas 63-52 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The conferences have changed up a bit since then…

With the game being in Austin, TX, this marks just the second time ever Kentucky will play on Texas’ campus. The only other instance was in the 2005 NCAA Tournament when UK beat Utah in the Sweet 16 and lost to Michigan State in the Elite 8. That Patrick Sparks shot will always be one of my favorite moments though.

That’s your history lesson for the morning. Pope will give us some actual intel to work with when he previews the Longhorns this afternoon for his weekly press conference. Texas hosts Kentucky on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. As always, stay tuned for everything the head coach has to say.

Before you dive into the rest of this morning’s news and notes, check out the latest episode of Sources Say as Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith break down the Tennessee win and what to expect out of the Longhorns.

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A Top 10 showdown in Memorial Coliseum

They don’t get much bigger than this… After losing to Ole Miss on the road earlier this week, No. 8 Kentucky women’s basketball has an excellent opportunity to bounce back with a statement win. Similar to the men’s team, both basketball programs will be taking on Texas in the coming days. But Texas has a much better women’s team, currently ranked No. 3 in the country.

Tonight’s matchup is set for 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2. It’ll be the third ranked opponent in Memorial Coliseum this season. Kentucky brings a 19-3 (8-2 SEC) record into this contest with a 4-1 mark against ranked teams. Tickets are still on sale if you want to make your way over to campus this evening. Pei Pei is performing at halftime. You won’t want to be watching it from home.

We’ll have a full preview of the game up on the website later this morning. In the meantime, there’s a fresh episode of Memorial Memo in your podcast feed as KSR’s Phoenix Stevens and Katie Hutchison help get you ready for tonight’s massive game.

Another softball doubleheader

Kentucky softball opened the 2025 season last weekend in Clearwater, FL with a 4-1 record. The Wildcats won both doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday before coming up short 6-3 against No. 8 Duke on Sunday. But that winning stretch was enough to lift Rachel Lawson’s team into the Top 25 (No. 23) going into another Clearwater-based event.

UK will participate in the 2025 ESPN Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, playing five games across three days from Thursday until Saturday. The ‘Cats will face a pair of Top 10 opponents to cap off the trip. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Below is the schedule.

• THU: 11:00 AM | Wichita State
• THU: 2:00 PM | Virginia
• FRI: 1:00 PM | Clemson
• FRI: 6:00 PM | No. 9 Oklahoma State
• SAT: 12:00 PM | No. 4 UCLA

Bat Cats open 2025 season on Friday

Softball is already in action, but baseball isn’t far behind. Nick Mingione and the Bat Cats open the 2025 season with a doubleheader on Friday in Nashville against Lipscomb. Expected inclement weather on Saturday has shifted the schedule around, but Kentucky is planning to play Lipscomb twice on Friday and once on Sunday. Both games on Friday will remain nine-inning contests.

• FRI (G1): 1:00 PM (ESPN+)
• FRI (G2): TBA (ESPN+)
• SUN: 2:00 PM (ESPN+)

Senior right-hander Nic McCay will start for Kentucky in game one, while sophomore left-hander Ben Cleaver will start for Kentucky in game two.

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Relive the Tennessee win one more time

I’m not sure about you, but Steven Peake’s recap videos of Kentucky games this season have been some of my favorite postgame fodder. He had the camera rolling again for Tuesday’s win over Tennessee as Rupp Arena was rocking from start to finish. As we know by now, the Wildcats polished off the series sweep of the Volunteers, doing so without key backcourt pieces.

The crowd pops from this win were some of the loudest I’ve ever heard at Rupp. And now you can experience it all over again through Steven’s video below.

Rest in Peace, Ben Christman

Ben Christman, who played offensive line at Kentucky during the 2023 and 2024 seasons before transferring to UNLV, unfortunately passed away this week in Las Vegas.

Christman was found deceased in an off-campus apartment Tuesday morning, UNLV announced its official statement. A cause of death will be released by the Clark County Coroner’s Office at a later time. Christman was only 21 years old.

Mark Stoops shared his sympathies on social media Wednesday afternoon. “We are all at a loss right now hearing about the passing of Ben Christman. He was a player who came in every day and went to work. He was tough as nails on the field but off the field he was a gentle and kind soul. He was loved by all of us and our prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”