Today on KSR, presented by Premium Seats at the SEC Tournament

@MrsTylerKSR

KSR is partnering with Bridgestone Arena to offer premium seating at the 2020 SEC Tournament in Nashville. Check one of the best BBN experiences off the bucket list with one of these amazing options:

Hap & Harry’s Tap Room

40-person private suite. 40 tickets per session for all 7 sessions. Four arena attached parking passes per day
Full service bar with private bartender and suite attendant
Unlimited food and beverage, including beer, wine and select spirits
In-seat wait service

Suite

18-20 tickets per session for all 7 sessions. Two arena attached parking passes per day
Suite attendant service for each event

Table Top at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row Smashville

8 tickets per session for all 7 sessions. One parking pass per day
Unlimited food and beverage, including soft drinks, beer, and wine

Loge Box

4 tickets per session for all 7 sessions. One parking pass per day
Center court location
Access to the Lexus Lounge throughout the tournament
- Unlimited upscale buffet
- Soft drinks, beer, wine, and select spirits

Lexus Lounge

Lower or Club Level seat per session for all 7 sessions
Access to the Lexus Lounge throughout the tournament
- Unlimited upscale buffet
- Soft drinks, beer, wine, and select spirits

501 Club

501 Club seat per session for all 7 sessions
Food and beverage throughout the tournament
- Unlimited upscale buffet
- Soft drinks, beer, wine, and select spirits

For more information on pricing and availability, head to: https://nashvillepredators.formstack.com/forms/sectournament2020depositform

Kentucky needed a win to get back on track after Saturday’s loss at Auburn and last night, they got it, beating Mississippi State 80-72. We’ve already got a lot of coverage of the game on the site, but let’s roll through a few quick-hitters before moving on with the morning.

— What a second half for Nick Richards. At halftime, it looked like his lackluster performance vs. Auburn was carrying over, but he came out of the locker room on a mission, scoring 25 points to finish with a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, his tenth double-double of the season. Included in that stat line was a 13-15 mark from the free-throw line, career highs in both categories. Kentucky is 16-1 this season when Richards scores in double figures and 10-0 when he grabs ten or more boards.

— If not for Richards’ performance, I would have led off with EJ Montgomery, who looked like a totally different player vs. the Bulldogs. The coaching staff has been challenging EJ to step up, and with over a dozen NBA scouts in Rupp to watch Richards and Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry, EJ made a statement of his own, finishing just shy of a double-double with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block and 1 assist. EJ received a standing ovation from the Rupp Arena crowd for his performance, a very cool moment that goes to show just how much the Big Blue Nation appreciates watching these players grow. After the microwave success of the first half of Calipari’s tenure, we’re finally accepting that not every five-star recruit is a one-and-done.

— Shoutout to Immanuel Quickley for tying the Kentucky Basketball record for most free-throw attempts without a miss in a single game. He’s averaging 17.8 points over the last 11 games, which is crazy.

— Don’t worry, Nate Sestina’s shoulder is okay. After a hot start which included six straight points in three minutes, Sestina gave us all a scare when he grabbed his shoulder and ran to the locker room, but he later returned to action. Afterwards, he told reporters that his shoulder — the same one he injured his freshman year at Bucknell — “slipped a little bit” but it’s nothing some ice and rehab can’t fix.

— The Cats were able to hold off the Bulldogs despite hitting only 1-10 from behind the arc. Did you know Kentucky is 10-1 under Calipari when making one or fewer three-pointers? Me neither, but let’s keep that stat random, okay?

— Another weird stat: for the first time this season, Kentucky won a game despite being outrebounded. The Bulldogs won the boards 40-37, 17-9 on the offensive glass, which led to a 22-4 advantage in second-chance points. Again, let’s not make that a thing.

— Is there new hope for Dontaie Allen playing this season? Calipari brought it up last night, telling reporters he doesn’t want to burn Allen’s redshirt, but with Kahlil Whitney gone, the team could use him. “We are down to two and the rent is due. We could use one more guy.”

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— After the win, Cal was a little off the rails in the press conference, talking about his guys playing “erect,” (a jab at a funny Twitter moment between Kyle Tucker and Jerry Tipton) and joking that Darrell Bird has short muscles. Enjoy all the goofiness below:

Those good vibes continued in the locker room, where Calipari told his guys that if EJ plays like that, the team is on a whole other level.

"That's a helluva win."

🗣@UKCoachCalipari | #BBN #TGT pic.twitter.com/nogJG1Wt0u

— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 5, 2020

It’s National Signing Day

The Early Signing Period has stolen the thunder from National Signing Day, but there’s still excitement around the Kentucky Football program this morning. While three-star running back Torrance Davis will not sign his letter of intent, the Cats could add a huge piece to the puzzle in four-star all-purpose back Michael Drennen. The Dublin, Ohio native will announce between Kentucky and USC today, and if you go by his comments last week about how close he is with Vince Marrow, the Cats are in good shape. Drennen has been compared to Lynn Bowden in terms of athleticism and versatility, so landing him would be very, very big. Plus, his nickname is Donut.

Donut will sign his letter of intent this evening at 6 p.m. Stay tuned to KSR throughout the day for the latest intel.

PSA🍩🗣: I will be signing tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. at Hope Fitness academy.

4480 Refugee rd. #6Paths #AllBlack🖤

— Mike Drennen II ⁶ (@UhhMyNameDonut) February 5, 2020

Updated SEC Standings

Kentucky moved to 17-5 on the season, 7-2 in conference play. Auburn escaped Arkansas with a win in overtime, remaining a game and a half behind LSU with Kentucky, although the Tigers hold the tiebreaker thanks to last Saturday. Here’s a look at the updated conference standings:

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
LSU	8-0	–	17-4
Auburn	7-2	1.5	20-2
Kentucky	7-2	1.5	17-5
Florida	5-3	3	13-8
South Carolina	5-3	3	13-8
Mississippi State	5-4	3.5	14-8
Tennessee	5-4	3.5	13-9
Texas A&M	5-4	3.5	11-10
Arkansas	4-5	4.5	16-6
Alabama	4-5	4.5	12-10
Georgia	2-6	6	12-9
Missouri	2-7	6.5	10-12
Ole Miss	1-7	7	10-11
Vanderbilt	0-8	8	8-13

The SEC: It’s a mess!

College Basketball on TV today

6:30 PM: #10 Villanova at #19 Butler, FS1
7:00 PM: Georgia at Florida, ESPNU
7:00 PM: South Carolina at Ole Miss, SEC Network
7:00 PM: Iowa State at #13 West Virginia, ESPN2
7:00 PM: #17 Iowa at Purdue, BTN
7:00 PM: #21 Creighton at Providence
8:30 PM: #12 Seton Hall at Georgetown, FS1
9:00 PM: Wake Forest at #5 Louisville, ESPN2
9:00 PM: #18 LSU at Vanderbilt, SEC Network

Nothing that happens tonight will top Andy Kennedy confusing Ron Burgandy for Ron Jeremy:

Andy Kennedy: “Ron Jeremy”
⁦@tom_hart⁩: “That’s Ron Burgandy!”

Andy Kennedy: “Oh, that’s a whole nother’ channel.”

Pure gold pic.twitter.com/bpjTQ518fw

— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) February 5, 2020

Can we get Kennedy and Tom Hart back on UK games, please?