When Mark Pope announced that he would be taking questions directly from BBN, we all knew things could get interesting. But honestly, it turned out pretty good; you had some honest questions and some good answers. Sure, there were sarcastic questions that just were never going to be answered, but Pope did address the GM situation. While it wasn’t the answer a lot of people hoped for, at least there is now a clear hierarchy within the basketball front office. Let’s break it down.
Kentucky
KSR Today: Transfer Portal opens, Gonzaga aftermath, Kentucky WBB vs. Queens
Good morning, friends. Everyone catch up on the sleep they lost on Saturday night cheering for the Cats? Despite a very busy Sunday, I certainly tried. We’ve got another busy week ahead of us with more departures coming for the football team now that the transfer portal is officially open, the men’s basketball team preparing for games vs. Colgate and Louisville, and the volleyball team taking on Missouri in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh. It’s also gameday for the Kentucky Women’s Basketball team, which hosts Queens.
Lots to do, so let’s get to it, starting with the most chaotic item on the agenda.
Announcements have been coming out for almost a week, but starting now, the transfer portal is officially open for business. It won’t close until Dec. 28, meaning players have 20 days to tell their current schools they’re interested in leaving; beyond that, they have however long they like to commit to the school of their liking.
So far, 15 of Kentucky’s scholarship players have announced they intend to enter the portal. There will be more; Nick Roush estimated that 35 players from the 2024 roster will enter the portal when all is said and done.
- DL Keeshawn Silver
- DB Avery Stuart
- LB Jayvant Brown
- LS Walker Himebauch
- TE Tanner Lemaster
- TE Khamari Anderson
- TE Jordan Dingle
- OL Courtland Ford
- OL Ben Christman
- DL Tommy Ziesmer
- WR Dane Key
- WR Barion Brown
- WR Anthony Brown-Stephens
- EDGE Tyreese Fearbry
- EDGE Noah Matthews
Who will Kentucky pursue in the portal? That will be changing by the new minute as new players go in, but Roush outlined Kentucky’s biggest areas of need in his Transfer Portal preview last night. If you’re a KSR+ member, you can go even deeper with Adam Luckett’s scholarship distribution breakdown.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. Keep closer tabs on the Cats with our staff-only sticky thread on KSBoard, which will have updates on departures and targets throughout the offseason.
Jon Sumrall is staying put at Tulane
One more quick football note: despite being one of the hottest names in the coaching carousel, Jon Sumrall is staying put. According to Pete Thamel, Sumrall will not pursue any of the open jobs this offseason, electing to stay at Tulane. Sumrall has had a wildly successful first season with the Green Wave and was mentioned as a candidate for the North Carolina job, but instead, is going to sit this cycle out, leaving the dream of him returning to Kentucky one day on the table.
The biggest news on Sunday was that Kerr Kriisa will be out indefinitely with a foot injury suffered vs. Gonzaga. Kriisa came up limping after a turnover with about eight minutes to go in the second half vs. the Bulldogs. At the time, it appeared to be just cramps, but Kriisa never returned to the game and afterward, was captured in a locker room video in some pain. He underwent testing on Sunday, and according to Jeff Goodman, has a Jones fracture in his foot, the recovery from which has a timetable of 3-6 weeks. He is scheduled to have surgery in the coming days.
Lamont Butler was close to returning vs. Gonzaga after suffering a knee injury in the Clemson game. With Butler and Kriisa out, Jaxson Robinson stepped in at point guard and led Kentucky to the comeback win vs. the Bulldogs. The Cats host Colgate on Wednesday night. The Raiders are 2-8 and No. 272 in KenPom, by far the worst team left on Kentucky’s schedule. Even if Butler is capable of playing Wednesday, I’d expect to see a healthy dose of Robinson and Travis Perry at point guard.
We’ll hear from Mark Pope on his call-in show
With football season and the Early Signing Period officially over, Mark Pope’s radio show will move to its normal Monday night home of 6 p.m. ET. Tune in tonight for the latest on Kriisa and Butler, Pope’s reflections on the Gonzaga win after a day of film study, and much more. The show airs on 630 WLAP in the Lexington area, UK Sports Network affiliates across the state, and on iHeart Radio. We’ll have a recap of the big talking points on the main site and live updates as they happen on KSBoard.
Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.
Where will Kentucky land in the new AP Poll?
It was another wild week for AP top 10 teams. Tennessee will likely be the new No. 1 team in the country after Kanas and Auburn lost. What does that mean for Kentucky, which lost at Clemson but notched a huge resume win vs. No. 7 Gonzaga? We’ll see around lunchtime.
RANK
TEAM
RECORD
LAST WEEK
1
Kansas
7-2
Losses at Creighton and Missouri
2
Auburn
8-1
Loss at No. 9 Duke; Win vs. Richmond
3
Tennessee
8-0
Win vs. Syracuse
4
Kentucky
8-1
Loss at Clemson; Win vs. No. 7 Gonzaga
5
Marquette
9-1
Loss at No. 6 Iowa State; Win vs. No. 11 Wisconsin
6
Iowa State
7-1
Wins vs. No. 5 Marquette, Jackson State
7
Gonzaga
7-2
Loss to No. 4 Kentucky
8
Purdue
8-2
Loss at Penn State; Win vs. Maryland
9
Duke
7-2
Win vs. No. 2 Auburn, at Louisville
10
Alabama
7-2
Win at No. 20 North Carolina
Kentucky Women’s Basketball hosts Queens
No. 14 Kentucky WBB (7-1) is back in action tonight, eager to get the taste of last Thursday’s 19-point loss to No. 16 North Carolina out of their mouths. The Cats host Queens University of Charlotte tonight at 6 p.m. ET at Memorial Coliseum. The Royals are 5-3 this season, two of those losses coming to Ole Miss and LSU. They’re coached by Jen Brown, who used to play for Kenny Brooks and coached on his staff at Virginia Tech.
Tonight’s game will stream on SEC Network+ starting at 6 p.m. If you’re going to the game, the theme is Monday Night CATS, a spinoff of Monday Night RAW. Fans are encouraged to enter to win a Kentucky Wildcats World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Legacy Title Belt at the entrance; doors open at 5 p.m. ET.
Phoenix Stevens and Katie Hutchison will be there to capture the action. Follow their updates on the KSR LIVE BLOG starting at 5 p.m. ET.
Kentucky Volleyball on to the Sweet 16
For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, Kentucky Volleyball is headed to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 3 seed Cats punched their ticket with a win over Minnesota on Friday night at Memorial Coliseum. On Thursday, Kentucky will face No. 7 seed Missouri at 1 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. The Cats swept the season series vs. the Tigers this year, winning six of the seven sets played, including the match in Columbia Thanksgiving week, which clinched the outright SEC title.
If Kentucky wins, they’ll face the winner of Oregon and Pitt in the NCAA Regional final Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
2024 NCAA Volleyball Championship
Pittsburgh Regional Schedule
Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024
- (3) Kentucky vs. (7) Missouri – 1 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
- (4) Oregon at (1) Pittsburgh – 30 minutes after (ESPN2)
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024
- Winner match 1 vs. Winner match 2 – 1 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
In case you were under a rock, the field for the first 12-team College Football Playoff was set on Sunday. There was some drama, as the committee elected to give the final spot to SMU instead of Alabama. That leaves three SEC teams that made the cut: Georgia (No. 2 seed), Texas (No. 5 seed), and Tennessee (No. 9 seed).
All times Eastern
- First round (Dec. 20-21)
- Friday, Dec. 20: No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
- Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State | 12 p.m. | TNT/MAX
- Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas | 4 p.m. | TNT/MAX
- Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
- Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State/No. 11 SMU winner | 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 | ABC/ESPN
- Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas/No. 12 Clemson winner | 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ABC/ESPN
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee winner | 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ABC/ESPN
- Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 10 Indiana winner | 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ABC/ESPN
- Semifinals (Jan. 9-10)
- Orange Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9 | ESPN
- Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 | ESPN
- CFP National Championship
- 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 | ESPN
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
SEC Bowl Schedule
Obviously, Kentucky isn’t going bowling. What about the rest of the league’s teams? As you know, Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia made the College Football Playoffs. From there, ten other teams from the league earned bowl invites, including Vanderbilt, who will play Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl. Kentucky is one of just three SEC teams staying home this postseason alongside Mississippi State and Auburn.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAMES
- CFP First Round Game – Clemson at Texas (Austin) – Dec. 21 – 4 pm ET – TNT and MAX
- CFP First Round Game – Tennessee at Ohio State (Columbus) – Dec. 21 – 8 pm ET – ESPN and ABC
- Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) – Georgia vs. Indiana/Notre Dame winner – Jan. 1 – 8:45 pm ET – ESPN
SEC-AFFILIATED BOWLS:
- Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa) – Florida vs. Tulane – Dec. 20 – 3:30 pm ET – ESPN2
- Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth) – Oklahoma vs. Navy – Dec. 27 – 12 pm ET – ESPN
- Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham) – Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech or Big 12 – Dec. 27 – 3:30 pm ET – ESPN
- AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis) – Dec. 27 – Arkansas vs. Texas Tech – 7 pm ET – ESPN
- SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas) – Dec. 27 – Texas A&M vs. USC – 10:30 pm – ESPN
- TransPerfect Music City Bowl (Nashville) – Missouri vs. Iowa – Dec. 30 – 2:30 pm ET – ESPN
- Reliaquest Bowl (Tampa) – Alabama vs. Michigan – Dec. 31 – Noon ET – ESPN
- Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (Orlando) – South Carolina vs. Illinois – Dec. 31 – 3 pm ET – ABC
- Kinder’s Texas Bowl (Houston) – LSU vs. Baylor – Dec. 31 – 3:30 pm ET – ESPN
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville) – Ole Miss vs. Duke – Jan 2 – 7:30 pm ET – ESPN
Mondays with Myron are back as the KSR crew travels home
The KSR Road Trip to Seattle was successful, culminating in a wild postgame show following Kentucky’s comeback win vs. Gonzaga. The gang heads home today, and while they travel, some familiar voices will fill in. Myron Medcalf and Billy Rutledge will host the show, while Jack Pilgrim will join Billy on the KSR Preshow. The fun starts now on 630 WLAP, affiliates across the state, or iHeart Radio.
Warm and humid weather for Preakness Stakes this weekend
The second race of the Triple Crown is May 16 in Laurel, Maryland. Conditions at Preakness Stakes are expected to be warmer with humidity. There could be a spotty thunderstorm after the race.
Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby. He won’t be at the Preakness. And that’s becoming a familiar story.
This marks the second straight year and the third time in five years that the Derby winner has decided not to compete in the Preakness Stakes despite having a healthy horse. The reason is almost always the same: two weeks isn’t enough time.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux made the call quickly after Golden Tempo’s dramatic last-to-first Derby victory on May 2.
“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime,” DeVaux said in a statement. “We believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort.”
DeVaux and Golden Tempo are focused on the June 6 Belmont Stakes instead.
The pattern is pretty clear.
From 1997 to 2018, every Kentucky Derby winner ran the Preakness, keeping the Triple Crown path intact. That streak ended with Country House, who won the Derby on the disqualification of Maximum Security, was scratched from the Preakness. The sport has been wrestling with the question ever since. Maryland’s racing leaders have considered moving the Preakness one week later, from the third Saturday in May to the fourth, though no change has been made.
Of the 14 horses entered in the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, just three made the trip from Churchill Downs. None of them won the Derby. One nearly caused the biggest upset in recent memory.
Ocelli (Post 2, 6-1)
The most intriguing Derby returnee. Ocelli finished third at 70-1 odds on May 2, giving trainer Whit Beckman and jockey Tyler Gaffalione a surprise ticket to Laurel Park. He was the lone maiden in the Derby field and remains a maiden heading into Saturday. Nobody expected him to be here.
Incredibolt (post 12, 5-1)
The morning-line co-favorite among Derby runners. Incredibolt finished sixth at Churchill Downs and trainer Riley Mott moved quickly to point him to Laurel Park. Jockey Jaime Torres won the 2024 Preakness aboard Seize the Grey. The connections believe the 1 3/16-mile distance suits Incredibolt better than the Derby’s mile and a quarter.
Robusta (Post 4, 30-1)
The longest shot of the Derby trio is Robusta, who finished 14th of the 14 in the Derby. The question with any horse coming back this quickly after a tough Derby is how much the race took out of him. At 30-1, it seems the market has answered that question.
COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC) – A Northern Kentucky man is in jail, accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl who’d been reported missing.
Matthew Wade, 40, faces charges, including sexual abuse, unlawful transaction with a minor and assault.
Covington Police say they found the teen at Wade’s home on Highway Avenue on Monday. According to the police report, he was knowingly hiding her, knew she was missing and had cut her ankle monitor off.
Investigators say the teen was given alcohol, marijuana and magic mushrooms.
The girl told police wade slapped her and choked her.
Officers also say they found guns in the home.
Mark Pope has confirmed that no official GM position will exist for at least this season, and most likely won’t exist going forward. Why? Because he has the responsibilities spread out across 4 different people, and believes that is the best way forward.
“In this ever-changing college basketball dynamic, everybody is trying a different solution. For us, instead of hiring a singular GM, we’ve gone with a more comprehensive general management team approach. We have four members of the team. Keegan Brown is a data analysis and roster construction expert who’s worked in both college and the NBA. Nick Robinson is our salary cap strategy and management specialist. Kevin Sergent is our compliance officer, and he deals with all of our contracts and legal language. Kim Shelton is our JMI liaison, and she does all of our NIL contracts that deal with corporate sponsorships. That’s our four-person general management team.”
But who is each one of these people, and what makes them qualified?
Who’s doing what in the Kentucky basketball front office?
Well, Keegan Brown has been a video coordinator in the G-League. That essentially means he would go and watch all the videos on league opponents and potential prospects, and come up with data-backed scouting reports for the coaching and front office teams. Pope has worked with Brown at BYU, so there is some familiarity there.
Nick Robinson also worked with Mark Pope in Provo, being an assistant coach from 2019 to 2024 and following Pope to Lexington. He has been on staff all 3 seasons now, and is being tasked with handing out Kentucky’s money and setting a budget for each player.
Kevin Sergent is not new to Kentucky; he has been in Lexington since 2020. But this is his first time handling compliance on his own; his official title is Senior Associate AD for Athletic Compliance. He handles all the rules, applying for waivers, basically making sure the entire staff is doing everything the right way.
Kim Shelton is a UK alum who was more known for soccer than anything else. She was part of the very first Kentucky women’s soccer team and is a former CEO of Lexington Sporting Club. She worked for Kentucky when Commonwealth was renamed as Kroger Field, and played a role in setting up naming rights for Kentucky Proud Park. Right now, she is kind of the bridge between Kentucky and JMI, specifically handling BBNIL Suite.
If you don’t remember what BBNIL suite is, it’s essentially the opt-in program where student athletes agree to only work with deals through JMI. They find offers, broker deals, and help athletes make money. It is, of course, optional, but if players decline, they will not be able to use the University of Kentucky logos in their NIL marketing.
Trent Noah is probably the most successful NIL athlete who opted out. The Kentucky native is handling his own NIL, and by the amount of ads and cardboard cutouts I see littered around the state, he seems to be doing pretty well.
Seeing JMI integrated again into Kentucky Basketball is probably going to make some of you uneasy, and I get that. But everyone who has worked with them who has officially gone on the record says they are a pleasure to work with.
And that’s how Mark Pope wants it done. There is a theory out there that he wants a GM, but JMI won’t let him. Considering he has chosen 2 of the 4 people personally, I highly doubt that’s true.
What do you think of his explanation, and what do you think of how he is handling the GM role?
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