Today on KSR: Kentucky arrives in London; KHSAA State Championships begin

Phew, OK. Let’s take this one step at a time, because we’ve got a lot to cover here and we certainly don’t want to let your coffee get cold. To put it simply, it’s going to be a busy weekend across the board here at the KSR offices with a lot going on from Friday to Sunday. Everything from high school football state championships to Kentucky men’s basketball playing in London to bowl announcements to UK volleyball playing in the NCAA Tournament to coaching searches and decisions to the transfer portal — on top of the normal day-to-day news and updates.

And that’s what the morning post is for, an easy little breakdown to get your day started off on a positive note. Let’s jump right into the eye of the storm, shall we?

Kentucky arrives in London

The Wildcats have arrived in London for the Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase vs. Michigan, making the journey across the pond on Wednesday and getting their first practice in on Thursday.

Right to work. #GoBigBlue pic.twitter.com/bTLd0FBgZz

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 1, 2022

It’s not all about basketball, though, as the team spent this morning at the iconic Stamford Bridge, the 145-year-old home of Chelsea F.C., one of the world’s premiere soccer clubs in West London.

A great morning at Stamford Bridge 😺

Thanks for having us, @ChelseaFC! pic.twitter.com/0aCudwTyEn

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 2, 2022

The Wildcats will continue their sightseeing and touristy fun over the next few days before things get serious on Sunday. After all the fish and chips and double-decker bus rides, Kentucky will take on Michigan at 1 p.m. ET, live from O2 Arena. The game will be broadcast live on ABC with Karl Ravech and Jay Bilas on the call.

You can see how the Cats are preparing here:

KSR’s Tyler Thompson is set to arrive this morning, with Steven Peake joining later in the day. They’ll have all of the sights and sounds you need from London throughout the weekend.

KHSAA state championships begin Friday

Back in Lexington, six champions will be crowned on Friday and Saturday at Kroger Field, as the 2022 KHSAA state title games are set to take place over the next 48 hours. Six championship battles across two days, featuring 1A, 2A and 4A on Friday and 3A, 6A and 5A on Saturday.

Friday

1A: Pikeville (11-2) vs. Raceland (13-1) – 12 p.m. ET
2A: Beechwood (13-1) vs. Mayfield (14-0) – 4 p.m. ET
4A: Boyle County (12-2) vs. Corbin (14-0) – 8 p.m. ET

Saturday

3A: Christian Academy of Louisville (14-0) vs. Bardstown (14-0) – 12 p.m. ET
6A: Bullitt East (13-1) vs. Male (10-4) – 4 p.m. ET
5A: Frederick Douglass (14-0) vs. Bowling Green (12-2) – 8 p.m. ET

Games will take place at Kroger Field, with tickets available at khsaatickets.org. General admission passes for the weekend are $75, while single-game tickets are $15. Children five and under are free of charge.

Can’t make it to Kroger Field? The games will also be streamed at www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/khsaa/football, with KSR’s own Freddie Maggard on the call for all six matchups. You won’t get better expert analysis, that’s a guarantee.

To get you ready, catch up on Daniel Hager’s preview of Friday’s slate here. Great stuff.

Bowl matchups coming Sunday

As high school football players fight for their championship dreams, college players are set to find out their postseason fates this weekend.

First, it starts with conference championships, which start Friday evening and last through Saturday.

• Pac-12 Championship: No. 11 Utah vs. No. 4 USC – Friday, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Big 12 Championship: No. 10 Kansas State vs. No. 3 TCU – 12 p.m. ET (ABC)
• SEC Championship: No. 14 LSU vs. No. 1 Georgia – 4 p.m. ET (CBS)
• AAC Championship: No. 22 UCF vs. No. 18 Tulane – 4 p.m. ET (ABC)
• ACC Championship: No. 23 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Clemson – 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
• Big Ten Championship: Purdue vs. No. 2 Michigan – 8 p.m. ET (FOX)

That will lead to the college football bowl schedule being announced Sunday afternoon, which will include 43 games starting Dec. 16.

Where are the Wildcats projected to land? Here are the morning’s latest updates:

• Brett McMurphy (Action Network) – Kentucky vs. Illinois, Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN) – Dec. 31
• Jerry Palm (CBS Sports) – Kentucky vs. Oklahoma State, Texas Bowl (Houston, TX) – Dec. 28
• Erick Smith (USA Today) – Kentucky vs. Utah, Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, NV) – Dec. 17
• Steven Lassan (Athlon Sports) – Kentucky vs. Kansas, Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN) – Dec. 28
• Richard Johnson (Sports Illustrated) – Kentucky vs. Notre Dame, Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL) – Dec. 30)

Ah, gotta love a consensus. Sounds like Sunday will be a blast.

Kentucky VB coasts to first-round win in NCAA Tournament

The Wildcats have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, sweeping the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers on Thursday (25-17, 25-14, 25-20), led by 15 kills from Adanna Rollins and 44 assists from sophomore setter Emma Grome.

Kentucky will play Western Kentucky on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET inside Memorial Coliseum for a spot in the NCAA Sweet 16’s Palo Alto Regional. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with Jeff Greer and Leah Edmond on the call from Lexington. Tickets are available by visiting UKathletics.com/tickets or by contacting the UK Athletics Ticket Office.

Coaching changes and searches? What about the portal?

Where does that lead us with the rest of the news? Mark Stoops has some tough decisions ahead of him, starting at offensive coordinator and quarterback. Rich Scangarello was let go and Will Levis will be declaring for the NFL Draft. Some slight clarity came from those two situations on Thursday, as Brian Hartline is unlikely to wind up in Lexington after announcing his goal is to stay at Ohio State (and his brother Mike, former UK quarterback, was announced as the new WR coach at Charlotte), while Michigan QB transfer Cade McNamara — an early favorite for some Kentucky fans — announced a quick commitment to Iowa.

New beginning #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/qrK2PJY4NX

— Cade McNamara (@Cademac_12) December 2, 2022

Where could Stoops turn? Momentum is building for Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen to return to Lexington, undoubtedly a home-run hire if it comes to fruition.

From there, I’m all for Coen hand-picking his own QB. That worked out just fine last time around.