Good morning, folks! And a Happy Thursday to everyone in the Big Blue Nation. We have a busy day in store.
And it starts with men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope, who will chat with local reporters this afternoon to recap Tuesday’s win over South Carolina and preview what’s ahead with Saturday’s showdown against No. 25 Vanderbilt. Kentucky’s win over the Gamecocks wasn’t too inspiring, but it was desperately needed. With three games left on the regular season schedule, UK is still in good shape to receive a single bye in the SEC Tournament. Taking down Vandy in Rupp on Saturday sure would help make that happen.
As always, we’ll have everything Pope has to say on the website and the KSR YouTube channel as soon as possible. If you can’t wait, we already heard from him last night for his weekly radio show, where he had some notable things to say.
One, an international summer trip is coming soon for the program. “We do have something in the works,” he said of a foreign trip, adding that it was to a place he’s never been before. Nothing is set in stone just yet, but it sounds like the ‘Cats will be playing overseas at some point in the near future.
Second, Pope again talked about the possibility of hiring a general manager. “That’s been an ongoing conversation for us,” he said. “… We’re probably having conversations about it on a weekly basis.” With the transfer portal and NIL, schools all over the country are bringing in additional behind-the-scenes help. The BBN has been asking for Pope to hire a GM for what feels like the entire season — we’ll just have to wait and see if it’s a move he ultimately believes is one worth making.
Dive in below to read the rest of this morning’s news and notes.
Bat Cats pick up midweek win (plus an update on Tyler Bell)
No. 22 Kentucky baseball (6-2) bounced back on Wednesday with a high-scoring 13-9 win over Western Kentucky behind a season-high four hits from freshman Owen Jenkins. The Bat Cats recorded a season-best 20 hits in total to take down the Hilltoppers, seven of those coming in a four-run first inning. UK would put the game away for good in the seventh with three more runs.
After winning the first two games of its series against Evansville last weekend, Kentucky came up short in a 1-0 loss during game three. With the win against WKU, the Bat Cats will look to build a winning streak as St. John’s comes to Lexington this weekend for a three-game stint.
As for shortstop Tyler Bell, head coach Nick Mingione provided a semi-positive update on the sophomore star.
“He’s progressing along. Feels like he’s getting better and stronger,” Mingione said about Bell during the UK Sports Network radio broadcast on Wednesday. “So he’s taking his groundballs and he’s taking BP now… Seems as he’s progressing well so far.”
Bell has not played since suffering a shoulder injury in the season-opener. A timeline for a return remains up in the air, but Jeff Drummond of KSR+ shared some positive scoop over on KSBoard about Bell’s status moving forward. The ‘Cats could use him back in the lineup sooner rather than later.
Final road game for Kentucky WBB
Kenny Brooks‘ crew will play their final road game of the regular season tonight against Auburn.
No. 16 Kentucky (20-8; 7-7 SEC) is coming off another close loss, this time an 81-79 defeat on the road to No. 5 Vanderbilt. The ‘Cats will look to bounce back against a Tigers team that is 14-14 (3-11 SEC) on the season. UK is currently projected to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament — winning these games is key in solidifying that, especially with No. 3 South Carolina coming to town this weekend for Senior Day.
Tonight’s tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network+. Clara Strack and Tonie Morgan are both performing like All-SEC players. Don’t miss one of the final chances to watch them in action this season.
USA vs The World vs Kentucky
What if the NBA All-Star Game changed its new format to include an All-Kentucky Team? That’s what Max Kellerman and Rich Paul talked about on a recent episode of the “Game Over” podcast. Kellerman wondered if a team made up of only former Kentucky players would be able to beat a team of United States players and a team of international players. Once you hear the UK roster Kellerman rattles off, it doesn’t sound all that crazy.
@gameoverpod USA vs. International vs. Kentucky. Rob drops an email suggestion for the next NBA All-Star Game. Hit us up: GameOver@spotify.com #nba #nbaallstargame #kentucky #hoops #gameover ♬ original sound – Game Over
KSR Happy Hour at 4!
Another Thursday means another KSR Happy Hour! Close out the workday by heading over to the KSR YouTube channel. We’ll be going live around 4:00 p.m. ET to talk about Pope’s Wildcats, along with whatever other random topics we get ourselves into. We’ll see you there. Let’s have a great day, BBN.