Very few people have ever admitted they had a great weekend in Starkville, Mississippi. That is not true for the KSR crew — because we’ve never left the place with a loss.

Traveling down a few days early to beat the snowstorm, Steven Peake and I had plenty of time to kill. We stopped in Thursday evening for Mellow Mushroom trivia in Decatur (an overwhelming victory for the good guys, in case you were curious) before getting to Starkville at midnight. That led to a goofy campus tour on Friday, which can be found on our KSR YouTube channel, followed by some College Football Playoff action at the local watering hole that night — MSU coach Chris Jans also stopping in for a glass of wine while we were there.

From there, it was time for game day, talking with students camping out at Humphrey Coliseum for the anticipated matchup, followed by the heavyweight battle that night. You know the rest of the story, Kentucky taking down Mississippi State in a 95-90 victory, led by Jaxson Robinson with a career night. The Hump was rocking, but the Cats were able to overcome a truckload of adversity to pull off the win.

It was an all-time celebration and KSR was right there to capture it all, Peake absolutely CRUSHING it with behind-the-scenes access you won’t see anywhere else. If there is one thing you watch until tip-off vs. Texas A&M on Tuesday, make sure it’s the next edition of our KSR Roadtrip series.

Come for the game highlights and fan interactions, stay for the trivia and Hootie & The Blowfish singalong:

While you’re at it, check out our other MSU campus tour, which featured the craziest book selection you’ll ever see and what we thought was a near-death experience at our hotel:

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.

It was a roller-coaster week for Kentucky in the NET Rankings. After losing at Georgia, the Cats fell to No. 18. After beating Mississippi State in Starkville, they’re back up to No. 13, just one spot lower than last Monday.

Every Monday until Selection Sunday, we’ll be looking at Kentucky’s team sheet, which the Selection Committee will use as it determines the Cats’ seed in the NCAA Tournament. Both of last week’s games were in Quad 1 (Quad 1A, to be exact), bringing Kentucky’s Quad 1 record to 4-3. This week, the Cats could make it 6-3, as the Texas A&M and Alabama games are two of 11 Quad 1 games remaining on the schedule. Eight of those eleven are in Quad 1A, considered the best of the best when it comes to NCAA Tournament resumes.

Let’s break it all down.

• Quad 1: 4-3 (Games Remaining: 11)
  • Quad 1A: 4-2
  • Quad 1B: 0-1
• Quad 2: 1-0 (Games Remaining: 3)
• Quad 3: 2-0 (Games Remaining: 1)
• Quad 4: 6-0 (Games Remaining: 0)

Quad 1: 4-3

• Quad 1: Home: 1-30 | Neutral: 1-50 | Away: 1-75
  • *Quad 1A: Home 1-15 | Neutral 1-25 | Away 1-40
  • Quad 1B: Home 16-30 | Neutral 26-50 | Away 41-75

Quad 2: 1-0

Home: 31-75 | Neutral: 51-100 | Away: 76-135

Quad 3: 2-0

Home: 76-160 | Neutral: 101-200 | Away: 136-240

Quad 4: 6-0

Home: 161-362 | Neutral: 201-362 | Away: 241-362

Team Sheet Notes

— Kentucky is 4-3 in Quad 1. Only four teams in college basketball have more than four Quad 1 wins so far: Auburn (7), Oregon (7), Duke (5), and Marquette (5). Unfortunately, all four of those teams also have fewer than three Quad 1 losses. Houston is the only team in the top ten of the NET (No. 3) with zero Quad 1 wins.

— Speaking of Auburn, the Tigers have a whopping 13 Quad 1 games remaining. Add in the eight they’ve played so far and that’s 21 Quad 1 games, the most in the conference. Alabama’s next with 19, then Kentucky and Ole Miss with 18.

— Not a ton of team sheet movement since last Monday in terms of quads. Lipscomb fell from No. 70 to No. 86 in the NET, which moved the win over the Bisons from Quad 2 to Quad 3. Louisville is climbing the NET, now up to No. 35. If the Cards move into the Top 30, Kentucky’s win over them will move from Quad 2 to Quad 1.

Within Quad 1, Georgia is up ten spots to No. 26 after wins over Kentucky and Oklahoma. After losing to Mississippi State and Missouri, Vanderbilt is down 11 spots to No. 42, which puts Kentucky’s trip to Nashville on Jan. 25 right on the cusp of Quad 1A/Quad 1B.

The Road Ahead

It’s another Quad 1 week for Kentucky. Tomorrow’s game vs. Texas A&M is in Quad 1B but could move up to Quad 1A if the Aggies move up just two spots in the NET. Alabama is No. 7 in the NET, keeping this game firmly in Quad 1A. These two teams just played each other on Saturday, with Alabama leaving College State with a 94-88 win over the Aggies.

Hold serve at home and Kentucky will have two huge wins on its resume. Fingers crossed.

Andrew Carr’s availability for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State was uncertain until the very last moment. Head coach Mark Pope expressed significant doubt about his starting forward’s ability to play during a pregame interview with Tom Leach.

Despite dealing with back issues, Carr not only started but also logged 21 critical minutes, contributing key plays down the stretch to help secure the Kentucky Wildcats’ 95-90 victory over the No. 14 Bulldogs, their first true road win of the season.

During the broadcast, the SEC Network’s Dave Neal shed light on the severity of Carr’s injury, revealing that he had been dealing with debilitating back pain all week and was unable to practice.

Following the game, Pope provided additional insight into Carr’s situation, praising the graduate forward for his toughness and resilience. Calling him a “warrior,” Pope noted that Carr’s pain was so intense he couldn’t even sit during timeouts, making his performance even more remarkable.

“Andrew Carr, wow. We talked a lot the last couple of days. He hasn’t practiced yet, and he hasn’t done anything,” said Pope during postgame interviews. “A ton of credit to Brandon Wells and Randy Towner, our performance team, for even making it possible that he could play.

“We sat down and had a long talk yesterday. He’s feeling so much stress because he’s like, ‘I don’t want to be out there if I’m not helping the team, but I want to help the team so bad.’ Then, you look at him. It’s the second straight game where he can’t sit down during timeouts. He made it through his shootaround today.

“So, we came and said, ‘Let’s go through warmups before the game and just see.’ Then, he got through warmups. He’s like, ‘I think I’m okay to try.’ Every rotation, I’m making an eye contact with Brandon Wells. I’m like, ‘What are you thinking? Can we do more? Do we need to shut it down? Where are we?’

“And Andrew ended up making huge plays, man. Huge plays, not just because he got a couple of and-1s, but because he got some guys in foul trouble that really helped us. He’s a tough kid, man. He’s a warrior. He’s a really tough kid. He loves our team.”

Carr played a balanced 10 minutes in the first half and 11 in the second, contributing 13 points and six rebounds. With 15:55 left in the game, he grabbed his own missed shot, converting a three-point play that extended Kentucky’s lead to 14.

However, when that lead quickly shrank to just two points, Carr returned to the floor and immediately answered with another three-point play, increasing the lead back to five.

A few minutes later, Carr once again followed up a missed shot with a putback before exiting for the final time at the 7:59 mark. Ansley Almonor stepped in to take over, drilling three triples in just two minutes to help seal the win.

Amari Williams noted that Carr’s decision to play through the pain highlighted the Wildcats’ resilience, proving they’re tougher than many had anticipated before the game.

“That just shows, again, we’re not a soft team,” said Williams. “The fact that he’s got back problems, which is serious, and he was still able to go out there and compete, get on the boards, block shots, play defense, it just shows what kind of character he is.”

Hopefully, Carr receives ample treatment and the most comfortable accommodations on the plane, bus, and anywhere else he travels in the next three days as Kentucky prepares to host No. 10 Texas A&M.

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