KSR Today: Filling a Void Without Kentucky Basketball

Posted by author January 22, 2025 Basketball

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Getting into a routine has been a challenge in 2025, especially for folks with children in school. The calendar extended winter break into January, a few days longer than normal. Then a nasty Kentucky winter storm extended it for another week. MLK Day gave us a four-day work week and now frigid temps have coerced many school districts around the state to keep children at home.

At least we were finding a nice rhythm with the Kentucky basketball team. The Cats had a nice Tuesday-Saturday schedule cooking until this week’s abrupt bye. That’s no fun, especially when you have to wait a week to get rid of the stink of a loss.

Instead of starting our day by discussing a get-right win, we’ll have to wait until Saturday to see the Wildcats in action again. While Andrew Carr and Lamont Butler use a few days off to get healthy, here’s what’s happening around the sports world on your hump day.

Jay Williams is Joining Kentucky Sports Radio

The absence of Kentucky basketball made for an uneventful Tuesday, until Jay Williams logged online. The former Duke Blue Devil saw a clip of Matt Jones from KSR and decided he was ready to go to war with Big Blue Nation. Fortunately, it wasn’t just Twitter fingers. The ESPN college basketball analyst is joining Kentucky Sports Radio this morning to discuss Kentucky basketball and BBN’s relationship with John Calipari now that he’s at Arkansas. Tune in from 10 am-noon for fireworks.

Calipari Might Be Cooked

Speaking of Calipari, the former Kentucky head coach’s nightmare season in Fayetteville just got worse. Jon Rothstein reported late Tuesday night that Boogie Fland will miss the remainder of the season with a hand injury. The freshman is averaging 15.1 points and 5.7 assists per game. In most games, he is the best player on the court. Now Cal is going to have to find a way to win in the SEC with his best creator.

Consider yourself blessed that what is unfolding in Arkansas is not happening in Lexington. Fland’s hand injury would’ve been another Shaedon Sharpe situation. We’re far too scarred to live through another one of those injury/opt-out debates. They can have fun jumping through those hoops in Fayetteville.

The Next Kentucky Opponent Got Grilled

The last Kentucky opponent beat up on the next Kentucky opponent. Alabama had a double-digit lead for most of the night in Tuscaloosa, ultimately prevailing with a 103-87 victory over Vanderbilt. Tennessee got Chaz Lanier rolling for the first time in a while. He scored 23 as the Vols easily handled Miss. State in a 12-point win. Missouri’s four-game winning streak ended in Austin as Texas pulled away with a 63-51 over the 23rd-ranked Tigers.

Outside of the SEC, the win over Louisville just keeps getting better. On the road against SMU, likely the Cards’ last game as a dog, they completely dominated the Mustangs. At one point the Cards had 14 assists on 14 made field goals. Chucky Hepburn broke the school’s single-game assist record (16) and Reyne Smith broke Taquan Dean’s single game three-point record (10) in the 25-point win.

College Basketball on TV

There are three Top 25 teams in action in three SEC games tonight. Arkansas is searching for its first SEC win of the John Calipari era, but the headliner will be in Oxford when Chris Beard’s squad hosts the Buzz-cuts of Texas A&M.

Utah at No. 7 Houston, 6 pm, ESPN+
No. 5 Florida at South Carolina, 7 pm, SEC Network
No. 12 Kansas at TCU, 7 pm, ESPN2
Xavier at No. 20 St. John’s, 7 pm, FS1
Syracuse at Clemson, 7 pm, ACCN
Indiana at Northwestern, 7 pm, BTN
No. 13 Texas A&M at No. 16 Ole Miss, 9 pm, ESPN2
Kansas State at Baylor, 9 pm, ESPNU
Georgia at Arkansas, 9 pm, SECN
USC at Nebraska, 9 pm, BTN

We always have college basketball on the TVs at KSBar and Grille. It’s even better on Wednesday because it’s WINGSday. Celebrate by dining-in for $1 wings. It’s a deal that’s too good to be true. Oh, and don’t forget to plan to return on Thursday for trivia with Matt Jones.

Sign up for the KSR Newsletter to receive Kentucky Wildcats news in the most ridiculous manner possible.

Baseball Writers are Grumpy Old Losers

Imagine getting paid to cover the sport of baseball and not thinking Ichiro Suzuki is a Hall of Famer. There is always one curmudgeon who refuses to make an no-brainer selection a unanimous Hall of Famer. Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., and now Ichiro are three players who received 99.7% of the vote, but one salty dog couldn’t just make them a unanimous selection. Grow up. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is still the only unanimous selection to Cooperstown.

Of all of Ichiro’s accomplishments, making Bob Costas giggle like this must be his crowning achievement.

C.C. Sabathia joined Ichiro as first-ballot Hall of Famers. Billy Wagner made the cut for Cooperstown in his tenth and final year on the ballot.

After spending a month recruiting free agents in the transfer portal, the coaching staff is pivoting back to recruiting underclassmen from the high school ranks. The Kentucky football coaches are on the road across the country, meeting with coaches and dishing out offers to prospective players.

New wide receivers coach, L’Damian Washington, and Chris Collins were scouring the sunshine state for players in Florida. Frank Buffano was in South Carolina on Tuesday. Eric Wolford and Vince Marrow are hitting the pavement across the state of Ohio.

Want more Kentucky football recruiting intel? Join KSR Plus for the most comprehensive coverage of the Cats on the internet. With a KSR membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.