Good morning, KSR readers. March is here. It’s been here for more than a day now, and we already have one SEC Tournament ahead this week, with the other lining up for Nashville next. Today provides a quick breather in the action before your University of Kentucky Wildcats play the second-to-last game of the regular season tomorrow night. Until then, we’ll check in on the Wildcats’ place in college basketball, plus recaps of the weekend action and what’s ahead. Refill your coffee and join me for a couple of minutes.
Last SEC road trip for Kentucky Basketball
Tomorrow, Kentucky Basketball plays Texas A&M in College Station in the final road test of the regular season. At one time, the Aggies led the SEC with a 7-1 record, but lost six of the next eight leading into Tuesday night’s matchup with the Wildcats.
It will be Senior Night in College Station, and A&M is part of that six-team crowd at 10-6 or 9-7 in the league standings, so expect a desperate home team in Reed Arena. KenPom picks A&M by one point. We’ll be watching at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh will preview the A&M game
Later today, Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh will host a Q&A to preview the trip to Texas A&M. Two-thirds of the three-headed goat will recap Saturday’s win over Vanderbilt and look ahead to their last true road trip in Kentucky uniforms.
KentuckySportsRadio.com will be there among the question-askers, so check back here this afternoon for comments from Aberdeen and Oweh.
Mark Pope’s show postponed due to travel
With Monday being a travel day and Texas being far away, Mark Pope‘s weekly radio show will wait until Wednesday evening. You can hear Pope with Tom Leach on the UK Sports Network the night after the Wildcats vs the Aggies in College Station.
Kentucky in Bracketology, the NET, KenPom, etc.
It’s unlikely that Kentucky will slide back into the AP Top 25 this week after receiving zero votes a week ago. Maybe we will be surprised. Still, the Wildcats saw a big boost in the analytics from Saturday’s win over Vanderbilt, climbing to No. 27 in the NET and No. 25 in KenPom.
Over at ESPN, Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology predicts a No. 7 seed, playing SMU in the opening round in Buffalo. Illinois is the No. 2 seed that would likely be waiting in the second round of the West Region, with Arizona as the No. 1.
And in the latest SEC Tournament projection, Kentucky’s win over Vandy moved the Wildcats from a Wednesday game to the SEC’s No. 5 seed, debuting on Thursday against the winner of Ole Miss/Oklahoma. However, a fall to No. 9 is still on the table, as is a climb to No. 4. It’s a very important last week in the conference.
Shut up, Gohlke
Kentucky WBB came up short vs South Carolina on Sunday
No. 16 Kentucky Women’s Basketball gave the best team in the SEC everything it had but came up just short against No. 3 South Carolina, 60-56, inside Memorial Coliseum. Clara Strack was terrific with 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Cats actually won the battle on the boards 40-34, but untimely turnovers (13) and 38 percent shooting proved costly against the SEC champs.
UK kept fighting, trimming a double-digit second-half deficit to two in the final minute after a late push from Strack, Asia Boone, and Teonni Key. They couldn’t get over the hump, even with a good look to tie it late.
[Kentucky puts up valiant effort but comes up short in 60-56 defeat to South Carolina]
The Cats earn the No. 9 seed in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament
After losing Sunday’s game to South Carolina in Lexington, Kentucky Women’s Basketball found itself in the No. 9 spot in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket. Kenny Brooks’ team will open SEC Tournament play against Arkansas in Greenville, South Carolina. The Wildcats and Hogs will play the first game of the tournament at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4. A win will set up a matchup against No. 8 seed Georgia in the next round.
Kentucky Baseball swept St. John’s; heading to Richmond tomorrow
Kentucky Baseball rattled off three straight home wins against St. John’s over the weekend, wrapped up by Sunday’s 3-1 win at Kentucky Proud Park. The 22nd-ranked Wildcats handled their business with pitching, allowing just two runs all weekend long. Kentucky is now 9-2 on the season.
[Strong pitching carries Kentucky to three-game sweep of St. John’s]
Up next: Kentucky goes on the road for two games at nearby Eastern Kentucky University, playing the Colonels tomorrow and Wednesday. Tuesday’s game begins at 5:00 p.m. at Earle Combs Stadium, followed by the 4:00 p.m. start for Game 2. Both games will air live on SEC Network+.
Kentucky Softball won on a walk-off
Yesterday, Kentucky Softball wrapped up a perfect 5-0 weekend at the John Cropp Classic with an 8-0 win over Murray State, punctuated by Maddy Anson blasting a walk-off homer, the fifth of the freshman left fielder’s young career in Lexington. The Wildcats jumped ahead early behind a Peyton Plotts solo shot and a six-run second inning, with Carly Sleeman going 3-for-3 and launching her first career homer at John Cropp Stadium. Anson’s home run in the bottom of the sixth ended the game at 8-0.
UK Softball moved to 17-4 on the season with the win over the in-state Racers. The Wildcats are back home on Wednesday to host IU Indy in Lexington.
College basketball on TV tonight
Monday’s ESPN doubleheader features three top-four teams, headlined by No. 2 Arizona vs No. 4 Iowa State in Tucson:
- #1 Duke @ NC State – 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
- #4 Iowa State @ #2 Arizona – 9:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Tune in to KSR at 10 a.m.
We’ll be live from the studio from 10 a.m. to noon with a recap of the Vandy game and lots more. Go Cats.