KSR Today: Volleyball, KHSAA State Finals, Sumrall gone

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. We’ve got a rare weekend off from both Kentucky Football and Basketball, but there is still plenty happening. Let’s dive right in.

Kentucky Volleyball begins NCAA Tournament run

Tonight, the Kentucky Volleyball team will begin its quest for a second straight national championship. The Cats drew the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and host Illinois, West Virginia, and Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) in a sub-regional this weekend. Kentucky plays SEMO tonight at 7:30 p.m. Illinois and West Virginia play first, starting at 5 p.m. The winners will play tomorrow evening at 5 p.m.

Tickets are still available but if you can’t make it, the match will air on ESPN+. Here’s a look at Kentucky’s region and the entire bracket:

KHSAA State Finals begin at Kroger Field

Over the next two days, the Kentucky high school football champions will be crowned at Kroger Field. The KHSAA state finals kick off this afternoon in Lexington, with three games today and three games tomorrow. Here’s the schedule and a preview:

FRIDAY

• 12:00 PM: Russellville vs. Pikeville (Class 1A Championship)
• 4:00 PM: Lexington Christian vs. Beechwood (Class 2A Championship)
• 8:00 PM: Boyle County vs. Johnson Central (Class 4A Championship)

SATURDAY

• 12:00 PM: Paducah Tilghman vs. Belfry (Class 3A Championship)
• 4:00 PM: South Warren vs. Frederick Douglass (Class 5A Championship)
• 8:00 PM: Male vs. St. Xavier (Class 6A Championship)

Troy Howell and Barkley Truax will be in the Kroger Field press box for us, so check the site throughout the day for updates and recaps. If you’d like to watch the games, you can stream them via the NFHS Network ($10.99 a month) or listen for free on Mixlr. Our own Freddie Maggard is on the call for all six contests. Or, you can just come down to KSBar, where we’ll be streaming all of the games. If you’re going to the game, stop by the bar and show your ticket to our servers for 10% off your entree.

Headed to the @khsaa state football championship games Friday and Saturday? Bring in your ticket for 10% off your entree either day!

*Not valid on wings.

We will also be streaming all the games right here in the bar! pic.twitter.com/F6KKPTvHVL

— KSBar & Grille (@KSBarAndGrille) December 2, 2021

Jon Sumrall is headed to Troy

As expected, Jon Sumrall is going to try his hand at being a head coach. Late last night, the news became official that Kentucky’s co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach will be the next head coach at Troy, returning to the school where he spent three seasons (2015-17) as the assistant head coach on Neal Brown’s staff. Sumrall will be formally introduced at a press conference this morning. Here’s the moment he got the call from Troy AD Brent Jones:

The phone call that sealed the deal for @TroyTrojansFB & @CoachJonSumrall #OneTROY ⚔️🏈 pic.twitter.com/as19V4pzYK

— Brent Jones (@brentjones4) December 3, 2021

Massive congrats to Sumrall, a former Cat who helped build Kentucky’s defense into one of the best in the SEC. We’ll be cheering for him along the way.

Will Levis can hit home runs too

Will Levis and his friends took advantage of this awesome weather and went to Kentucky Proud Park last night for some batting practice. Turns out our quarterback can smash baseballs too:

Get well soon, Kentucky Basketball

The Kentucky Basketball team is still sick. Yesterday, John Calipari provided an update on his players, who are battling illnesses ranging from mono to strep to flu and the common cold.

“We are so beat up and sick thank goodness we’re not playing,” Calipari said. “We’ve had one with mono, one with strep throat. Probably can’t give all of them but we’ve had guys — today’s practice will probably have seven players there and like two managers.”

Calipari himself has a cold, which took him off the recruiting trail yesterday. It’ll be weird not having a basketball game tomorrow, but the team clearly needs the time off to rest. Send your healing thoughts to the lodge.

The BBN’s Spotify Wrapped

Sick of seeing your friends share their 2021 Spotify Wrapped summaries on social media? Well, we’ve got one more for you. Little did you know that Drew Franklin has been tracking your listens over the past 11 months. As you can see below, the BBN’s taste in music this year has reflected the highs and lows of the seasons.

That’ll do it. The radio show is live from Don Franklin Hyundai in Lexington (3340 Richmond Road) this morning, so if you want to start your weekend right, get on down there. Sounds like they’ve got a special prize giveaway planned…