KSBar and Grille is the place in Lexington to catch University of Kentucky games (pre and postgame too) as well as other events such as the NBA Playoffs, UFC fights, the World Cup, MLB games, PGA tour events, and more.
KSBar might be known for their smoked wings but don’t miss out on the brisket platter, fried katfish, chicken and waffles, and the great assortment of burgers. Start off with the house chips loaded to the ceiling smothered with pulled pork or chicken straight off the smoker topped with the house BBQ sauce.
Head to the KSBar and Grille website ksbarandgrille.com to see a full menu and drink list.
Be on the look out for different specials and events.
KSBar and Grille is located at: 1030 South Broadway, Lexington, KY 40504
You can be a part of KSR’s Top 10 Tweets by using hashtags like #KSR #BBN or #KSRtop10. You can also nominate tweets by mentioning them with the hashtag. If we like what we see, it could be posted the next day.
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#10 Justin McDaniels
Almost that time again #BBN #GoCats https://t.co/QJ5r5sYoQi
— Justin McDaniels ™ (@FrostyRoot) October 22, 2019
It’s getting closer to the beginning of the season and I cannot wait!
#9 Ryan Williams
What a legend #BBN #KSR https://t.co/5TCiji9PoU
— Ryan Williams (@Shizel_My_Nizel) October 22, 2019
Retire Ryan’s jersey now.
#8 DDT
Congratulations @WenyenGabriel well deserved big fella #BBN
— DDT (@DDTCAL) October 21, 2019
Well deserved! Sacramento is going to love him.
#7 Dalton Vowels
Hey @DrewFranklinKSR Dude looks like you on DWTS #KSR pic.twitter.com/7ioz9io3oS
— Dalton Vowels (@Dvowels13) October 22, 2019
The resemblance is impeccable.
#6 Jonathan deShetler
There was only one championship being decided this weekend anyways, right @ryanlemond ? @KySportsRadio @DrewFranklinKSR @haydenhooper01 @BrentWainscott_ #ksr #ksrtop10 #bbn #cutthenets pic.twitter.com/KBKThFyL78
— Jonathan deShetler (@JondeShetler) October 21, 2019
Staying positive! Glad you got to get a “W” up somehow!
#5 Addie’s Dad
Idc what nobody says I’ve got @raf_tyler winning ROY ??????#BBN
— ?Addie’s Dad? (@DT_TaZ16) October 21, 2019
Start the campaign now!
#4 James Belcher
@LynnBowden_1 legendary performances the last 2weeks. Keep grinding, we're behind you #BBN
— James Belcher (@KY_Daktari) October 21, 2019
He’s working his butt off for this team!
#3 Steven Rush
I cast my Heisman ballot for #LynnBowden! Click the player you think deserves the Heisman House vote. (?@NissanUSA) #BBN
— Steven Rush (@StevenRush2000) October 21, 2019
See, this is how we get Bowden recognized.
#2 John Robic’s Hair
Where can I order my own #48 jersey??@ryanlemond is my new favorite player!!#BBN@KySportsRadio @ShannonTheDude https://t.co/EH1tHIzspX
— John Robic's Hair (@JohnRobicsHair) October 21, 2019
I second this!
#1 KY Clips
Still one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen ? pic.twitter.com/NwXa3CueHv
— KY Clips (@KY_Clips) October 21, 2019
It was amazing to see this in person!
Follow me on twitter and tag me in one of your tweets for a chance to make KSR’s top 10 tweets:
While Mark Stoops typically speaks to the media twice a week – once on Monday afternoon for a weekly press conference and another post-practice session on Thursday evening – the Kentucky head coach usually uses weekly call-in radio show on Monday evenings to kick back and relax a bit.
During the hour-long show with Tom Leach, Stoops usually opens up about his team’s performance from the previous week, previews Kentucky’s upcoming opponent, and answers questions via phone and social media from the Big Blue Nation.
This evening, Stoops went in-depth about Kentucky’s recent loss to Georgia, discussed the quarterback situation, and analyzed the Missouri Tigers, among other topics.
Here are the ten things we learned during the Mark Stoops Show this evening:
The team’s first practice post-Georgia went well
In the team’s first practice following their 21-0 loss to Georgia in Athens, the Kentucky head coach said he was happy with how his players responded.
“[Practice] went good. Got into practice before the rain hit, it was a beautiful day out there,” he said. “Always good to get the film cleaned up and work on things on the field. We definitely got some things corrected. We actually got to get into the game prep for Missouri, so that was good.”
Speaking of Georgia, Stoops said a Bulldog position coach approached him prior to their matchup on Saturday and said Kentucky leaves his players feeling the sore year after year.
Though the Bulldogs certainly returned the favor, he was happy to see his players get the respect they deserve in the trenches.
“[That game] was very physical,” he said. “I talked to their offensive line coach before the game, and he was talking about how tough this game was and how physical we were. He said this was always one of the most physical games of the year for them. It’s always a good thing to hear, especially as a defensive-minded coach, that your team [has that reputation].”
Injury updates
As he mentioned during his weekly press conference this afternoon, Stoops said his team was dealing with several minor injuries following the Georgia loss.
He started with the linebackers and pass-rushers.
“[Pass-rusher] Jordan Wright has been doing a good job, but he’s been playing a lot of snaps,” he said. “He’s one of those first-year guys, he’s not used to playing this much and got a little dinged up [on Saturday as a result]. Josh Paschal is a little nicked up, but he’s fine. We’ve been rotating three guys in there. We’re going to work in some new guys, they’ve been right on the cusp as it is.”
A few of the confirmed names being thrown in the rotation? Louisville natives JJ Weaver and Jared Casey.
“That’s the beautiful thing about that [redshirt] rule, the four game redshirt rule really helps,” he said. “Right around this time every year, people start getting hurt. It’s unbelievably physical every week, and everyone needs depth. Around this time of the season, we need some of the other guys to step up.”
In terms of other injuries, running back Kavosiey Smoke has an official diagnosis on his shoulder injury, though he should be okay to play moving forward.
“Yeah, Kavosiey is dealing with an AC joint sprain,” he said. “They are painful, but he can play through it. He’ll be back out there tomorrow playing in a red jersey.”
As for linebacker Kash Daniel?
“Kash is a little dinged up, we need to see how he goes throughout the week [before we know his availability this weekend,” Stoops said.
And the quarterback position? Don’t expect much.
“Nothing new to add,” he said. “Both guys are available and we’ll see where it goes this week.”
Missouri game prep has started
As mentioned in the first section, Kentucky is already moving on to Missouri.
But what has Stoops seen out of Barry Odom’s group?
“They’re a really good football team,” he said. “Didn’t play up to their standards this week, one of those games that just got away from them. They’ve been very, very explosive. Kelly Bryant has done a phenomenal job coming in as a transfer quarterback. Always a tough defensive team. It’s going to be a challenge for us this week.”
Stoops understands that the Missouri offense is going to turn things around this week and give his team all they can handle.
“Kelly can make all the throws,” Stoops said. “They always have fast wide receivers. They like to spread things out. Vandy did a really nice job, took away their bread and butter throws. Really played good in all phases, you’ve got to give it to them.”
Missed scoring opportunities stung on Saturday
As for Kentucky’s offensive unit, he knows they’ll have to play much better this weekend if they want to defeat Missouri.
A big part of that? Converting on scoring opportunities, something they failed to do against Georgia.
“It was really important [to convert on some of those scoring opportunities on Saturday],” he said. “I thought if we could’ve put some points on the board, it would have put a little more pressure on them. We were playing such a phenomenal game on defense. We continued to flip the field with [punter] Max Duffy. Our team really had great field position until that one mis-hit by Max, created a short field for them. Can’t even be too hard on him because he’s been so great all year, one of the best in the entire country.”
Stoops doesn’t feel Logan Stenberg’s penalties are an issue anymore
Senior left guard Logan Stenberg has faced criticism throughout the year for several untimely penalties of varying degrees.
After the Mississippi State game a few weeks back, Kentucky offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said that some of those penalties were “selfish” and hurt the team in crucial situations.
On a third and six to start the second half, Lynn Bowden scrambled for a tough first down, only to be erased and moved back ten yards following a holding call on Logan Stenberg.
After examining the play on film, Stoops vehemently disagreed with the call during his press conference this afternoon.
“I need an explanation,” Stoops said. “I don’t know. I mean, so it’s just very frustrating. There was some holds later that were no-brainers, they were holding. But the one early on Logan, I need an explanation. And then — because it happens to us all game.”
And then this evening, Stoops followed up on that, saying the criticism was deserved early in the year, but not anymore.
“Logan has gotten a lot of that rectified,” he said. “Some of the early fouls were inexcusable and we’ve addressed that. It’s a mentality with the offensive line, there’s a fine line there. He always wants to win. That wasn’t one of those times where he was being negligent or selfish. It was a questionable call, at best.”
Continued fan support is needed
Yesterday, Lynn Bowden called on the Big Blue Nation to support the Kentucky football program during the team’s final five games of the regular season.
Through these next 5 games I beg you guys to keep encouraging and supporting us ?
— Lynn Bowden Jr (@LynnBowden_1) October 20, 2019
Tonight, Stoops stressed that same notion again, saying he really hopes Kentucky fans come out and support the Wildcats this weekend against Missouri.
“It’s important, fun to get back home, playing in this environment,” he said. “The fans have been so great all year long. We’re going to need them again this week, and we’re going to need them again on Saturday.
Growth of the defense is evident
Following the team’s 21-0 loss on Saturday, Kentucky now holds the longest active streak among FBS schools with 21 consecutive games of 34 points allowed or less.
According to Corey Price of UK Athletics, UK’s impressive defensive outing was also the fewest points allowed (21) by the Wildcats against an AP Top 10 opponent Kentucky since October 4th, 2008 at No. 2 Alabama (17) and the fewest yards allowed (270) against an AP Top 10 opponent since November 29th, 2003 vs. No. 7 Tennessee (270).
There’s no question the defensive unit is improving by the week, and Stoops wanted to show his appreciation this evening.
“I’ve been pleased with them and the way they’re growing,” the Kentucky head coach said. “You can see they’re playing more and more confident. They’re understanding our standards on how hard we need to be playing on every snap. They’re playing physical. Now we need them to remove what Coach [Brad] White calls a “glitch play” where they miss one play here and one play there. We forced six punts and forced a turnover on downs in the first seven possessions. I don’t think they ran a play in our territory for a good portion of the game.”
The quarterback situation is tough
With Terry Wilson out for the year with a torn patellar tendon, Nik Scalzo out for the year with a torn ACL, and Sawyer Smith missing the last two weeks with multiple injuries, Stoops understands that while it’s not ideal to play a wide receiver at quarterback, he’s only playing the hands he’s dealt.
And with that disadvantage, he knows he has to throw the scent off a bit and play it coy in the lead-up to compensate for it, even if it’s inconvenient for the media and fans.
“It’s hard for anyone to be 100% [at this point in the season]. It’s hard for us,” he said. “As I tell the media during my press conferences, it’s not like we’re playing games or trying to withhold information. The quarterback situation is what it is. We have to keep our opponents [on their toes], makes things difficult for them.”
When asked why Sawyer Smith didn’t take any snaps, despite Eddie Gran saying he was “100%” in the week leading up to the game, Stoops said the situation just wasn’t right yet for him, especially given the conditions.”
“Jake Fromm, a Heisman contender going into the year, threw for 35 yards against our defense. Our quarterback threw for 17,” he said. “Given the conditions and [who we were playing] it just wasn’t the best opportunity for Sawyer, we just didn’t want him to potentially get hurt again.”
The secondary is improving
Seen as one of the major question marks going into the season, Stoops is thrilled with how much his secondary has improved from the start of the year to now.
“They did, they played good [against Georgia],” he said. “They had good coverage, they have been playing tighter coverage. They’ve been playing tighter in the pass over the last several weeks, but they’ve been even better in run support. Overall, I’m pleased with their progress. I’m very pleased with the progress of the secondary.”
More specifically, Stoops says sophomore defensive back Yusuf Corker put on a show against Georgia.
“Yusuf played really well, he was our most valuable player, internally,” he said.
Stoops is happy D’Andre Swift is likely headed to the NFL
Following his 179-yard, two-touchdown performance against Kentucky, Mark Stoops is thrilled that Georgia star running back is likely headed to the NFL after this season.
“I sought him out after the game, told him “good luck at the next level. I hope I don’t have to see you no more,” Stoops said tonight.
He also talked about this interaction during his postgame press conference on Saturday evening.
“Give (Georgia) credit— D’Andre Swift is an impressive player,” he said. “I just gave him a ‘congratulations’ after the game and wished him ‘goodbye,’ because he needs to go to the NFL. He’s an elite player.”
(Catalina Fragoso-USA TODAY Sports)
John Calipari paid a visit to 2020 No. 2 prospect Cade Cunningham on Monday evening.
According to Patrick Loney of Big Blue Banter, Calipari visited the 6-foot-7 guard in Florida tonight, just a day after returning home from his official visit to Washington.
FYI #BBN this is about Cade Cunningham and Cal visit tonight. #Kentucky fans you’ll want to read more on what this visit means. https://t.co/k9fUMS4bEk
— Patrick Loney (@PatrickLoney) October 22, 2019
KSR has confirmed this news with a source close to the Kentucky basketball program.
Long seen as Kentucky’s top guard option in the class of 2020, Cunningham is considered the consensus No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 guard among seniors.
A longtime Oklahoma State lean following the hiring of his brother, Cannen Cunningham, to the Cowboy coaching staff, momentum for both Kentucky and North Carolina has picked up over the last several weeks. After the Tar Heels picked up steam as the brief co-favorite with Oklahoma State back in late September prior to his official visit to the school, Kentucky has since surpassed UNC, with the Wildcats and Cowboys seen as the top contenders during the home stretch of Cunningham’s recruitment.
After the five-star guard’s official visit to Kentucky back on October 11 for Big Blue Madness, 247Sports Director of Recruiting Evan Daniels submitted a Crystal Ball pick in favor of the Wildcats, the first among national insiders to do so.
Since then, Kentucky has picked up two more Crystal Ball picks from recruiting experts Jerry Meyer and Chris Fisher.
Cunningham has publicly stated he will likely make a decision in late November, though sources tell KSR that the five-star guard is in the process of ramping up the process and could make an announcement sooner rather than later.
When Mark Stoops’ Kentucky Wildcats play Georgia, one loss turns into two.
Saturday’s 21-0 loss moves Stoops’ record to 0-7 against the Georgia Bulldogs. In each of the previous six seasons, Stoops has lost the following game by an average of 18 points. The closest game was an inexplicable 21-17 loss at Vanderbilt that cost UK a chance to go bowling in 2015. Three of the six losses were to Tennessee.
To snap this streak Kentucky will have to beat a Missouri team that was just knocked out of the top 25 after suffering a 21-14 loss to Vanderbilt. For the fifth straight week the Wildcats will face a team that lost their previous game. Florida is the only SEC opponent that did not enter the UK game after a loss. Kentucky’s only win in that stretch was against Arkansas.
Not all of the streaks are bad for Kentucky. By scoring only 14 points in Nashville, the nation’s second-longest streak of scoring at least 30 points ended at 11 games. Barry Odom is 2-15 as the Tigers’ head coach when they fail to score at least 30 points. Meanwhile, Kentucky has only allowed more than 30 points once in their last 21 games; that happened against Georgia in 2018.
The key to ending Stoops’ winless streak the week after falling to Georgia is clear: hold Missouri to 30 points or less.
The KSR Football Podcast is back in action after Kentucky’s 21-0 loss to Georgia. Can we consider it a moral victory? Drew Franklin certainly thinks so. Listen in to hear what Austin, Charles and Nick think. Highlights:
— Is Mizzou a must-win?
— The meat sweats on a red eye.
— Numbers prove UK’s pass defense is very, very good.
— Worst weather ever?
— This weekend in college football was stupid, but in a fun way.
— Attrition is normal, just ask the guys in Chuck’s 2014 class.
Get the podcast delivered to your phone by subscribing to “KSR Football Podcast” on iTunes. You can stream the show online or on your Android phone through Spotify.
Photo: @NBA
Wenyen Gabriel is officially a member of the Sacramento Kings.
This evening, the Kings reportedly converted Gabriel’s two-way contract into an actual team roster contract, meaning the former Wildcat officially earned a spot on the team’s final regular season roster.
Clevis Murray of The Athletic was the first to break the news.
Source: Wenyen Gabriel is having his Two-Way contract converted to an actual roster spot on the Sacramento Kings.
Gabriel was entering year two of a two-year agreement on a Two-Way deal prior to the conversion.
Gabriel was undrafted in 2018 out of Kentucky.
— Clevis Murray (@ClevisMurray) October 21, 2019
After going undrafted out of Kentucky in the 2018 NBA Draft, Gabriel signed a two-year, two-way deal with Sacramento. In his first year with the organization, the 6-foot-9 forward failed to register a single minute with the team, though he impressed during his time with Sacramento’s G-League affiliate. In 42 games with the Stockton Kings, the former Wildcat averaged 10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 20.8 minutes per contest, shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three in the process.
During Sacramento’s four preseason games, Gabriel averaged 4.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game.
At Kentucky, Gabriel averaged a combined 5.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and nearly one block per contest over the course of two seasons.
As a sophomore, the 6-foot-9 forward improved in virtually every major statistical category, including points, rebounds, blocks, steals, 3-point field goals, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and free-throw percentage. He finished the year second on the team with 42 3-pointers, including 20 over his final 11 games.
Gabriel was also named to the Southeastern Conference All-Tournament Team in 2018 after averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks – including a 7-for-7 outing from three vs. Alabama in the SEC Tournament semifinals – during UK’s three-game run to the SEC championship.
Tipton Edits
North Carolina picked up a commitment from another guard in the class of 2020, and his name isn’t Cade Cunningham.
This morning, 2020 four-star guard R.J. Davis announced his commitment to UNC, picking the Tar Heels over Georgetown, Marquette, and Pittsburgh, among 20 total scholarship offers.
Davis, the No. 57 player overall in the 247Sports Composite Rankings for 2020, joins five-star guard Caleb Love, along with five-star big men Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe in North Carolina’s upcoming recruiting class. The Tar Heels now sit at No. 3 overall behind Duke (No. 1) and Kentucky (No. 2) in the 2020 team recruiting rankings.
So why in the heck should you care about this news?
Davis’ commitment, albeit indirectly, effectively takes North Carolina out of the running for No. 2 overall prospect and major Kentucky target Cade Cunningham.
While Cunningham is inarguably the best guard between UNC guard commits Davis and Love and would certainly start over both prospects in Chapel Hill, the significance actually involves the timing of how this recent commitment unfolded.
If you’ve been following along on the Sources Say Podcast on the KSR podcast network over the last few weeks, you’d know that after picking up significant momentum with Cunningham in late September leading up to and immediately following his official visit to UNC, the smoke died out rather quickly between both parties. Just a week into October, the Kentucky buzz started ramping up, while North Carolina momentum dropped off almost completely.
Instead of hearing of follow-up in-home or school visits with Cunningham and his family in recent weeks, UNC opted to push for an official visit from Davis on Oct. 12, the same weekend Cunningham was in Lexington for Big Blue Madness. As we discussed on the podcast last week, word soon trickled out of Chapel Hill that the UNC coaching staff felt they had fallen out of serious contention with Cunningham and opted to move on entirely.
From there, the Tar Heel coaching staff turned up the heat on a commitment from the four-star guard and solidified the commitment on Monday morning.
Sources tell KSR that while Kentucky continues to put on the full-court press for Cunningham’s commitment and Devin Askew’s reclassification to 2020, Roy Williams is happy to move forward with only Love and Davis to pair with the likely return of 2019 four-star guard signees Anthony Harris and Jeremiah Francis.
Those around Seattle and the Washington basketball program are feeling confident about how Cunningham’s official visit to UW went this past weekend, but the general consensus is that the No. 2 prospect’s decision will still ultimately come down to Oklahoma State and Kentucky.
In the third installment of The A Block, Hayley, Jacqueline and Claire dig deep to discuss mental health issues that do not get talked about enough. The trio is an open book throughout this insightful conversation. The serious talk is accompanied by plenty of laughs and…
— Life-changing pumpkin cold brew coffee.
— Who attended Jennifer Lawrence’s wedding.
— There’s a new documentary on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
— Things are not always as they seem.
— The debut of a dynamite segment: “Our Favorite Things.”
You can subscribe to The A Block podcast feed on iTunes or Spotify to have the latest episodes go directly to your phone or other listening devices.
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MARK STOOPS: Looking back to this past game, once again the game comes down to a few possessions, a few plays. That always hasn’t been the case the past few years with Georgia. I do feel like our team did some very good things in this game. Defensively, starting much faster, we certainly did that. First seven possessions, played extremely well, as good as we can play defensively with six punts and a turnover on downs, that was a big emphasis for us. So, I was pleased with the urgency to start faster. Offensively, I feel like we were plays away. That was a game that went to, obviously, what, five minutes left in the third (quarter) before there was a score? It was going to be a game of field position, taking advantage of some opportunities. I felt like we had a couple of good drives going. The penalty really hurt us in the scoring zone, inside the 30 and driving and we get the penalty that set us back. That was a huge penalty for us, cost us points and field position. A dropped touchdown, it’s going to be a close game. It’s going to come down to a few possessions. You look at their scores, the first score of the game comes off a 39-yard drive, a one play drive. Field position, off a bad punt, which doesn’t happen. We all know Max (Duffy) has been one of the best punters in the United States, if not the best. He missed one. It comes off a 39-yard drive, one play drive, that D’Andre Swift, you have to give him a lot of credit, he’s an incredible player. Made two guys miss, one play drive, that’s the way that game’s going to go. The next scoring drive, I want to say a 30- or 31-yard drive. So, it was going to be a game of field position, capitalizing on some mistakes of the other team. I thought our team did a lot of good things. Really pleased with the effort, the attitude, the preparation. Really felt like we went in there with a mentality to win the game, had a great opportunity to do that.
Looking forward to getting back out there today with our team. If we prepare and have the right mindset like we did in the past two-three weeks, I feel good about our opportunities. We know Missouri is a very good football team, very well coached. I have a lot of respect for Barry (Odom) and his staff and his program. They play extremely hard. They didn’t have the result they were looking for a week ago, like we didn’t. Be a very good game, excited to get back home and play.
Q: How encouraging it is for your program to lose everything you did in the offseason and see the defense progress the way it has?
MARK STOOPS: I’m very pleased with the progress. The way the defense is improving, certain guys are improving, that is very good to see. I feel like there were some inconsistencies at times this year with our standards as far as how hard we play. I think these guys are understanding that, playing very hard and playing more and more confident, and so I’m pleased with that progress. If we keep that mentality for the second part of the season and continue to improve, I like our chances.
Q: Re: the defensive line and the possession that was stopped on downs
MARK STOOPS: Absolutely. That was a big stand and Georgia is as big and as physical as an offensive line, and well coached, as any offensive line you’re going to play. I thought it was a really good job there. We weren’t perfect, there was a lot of things, even when they did get some plays, you heard me mention it a week ago – with Georgia you have to contend with their pinch sets and they way they crack and get the ball on the perimeter and make some of your small guys tackle some elite running backs, some elite players, makes it tough. We were really good at times and we missed a few.
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We didn’t learn much more about Kentucky’s quarterback situation from Mark Stoops’ comments on Monday. The updated depth chart named Lynn Bowden or Sawyer Smith as QB1; other than that, the first day of Missouri week hasn’t provided any new insight.
In his opening remarks, Stoops simply said Kentucky will “look at the best options, all options to help us move the football and hopefully Sawyer will be back to near a hundred percent.”
He also said Kentucky’s situation, “is what it is,” a line he continues to repeat as his program continues to fight for wins despite multiple injuries at the quarterback position. “I come in here every Monday and I’m going to say it, it is what it is.”
Last week we heard Sawyer Smith was getting close — offensive coordinator Eddie Gran spoke of the “zip” back on Smith’s passing — but Stoops did not give the grad transfer a look down in Athens when Kentucky was desperate for a passing element in its offense.
Stoops said of that decision, “It’s tough on a cold, rainy, miserable night to put him in when he’s just there or getting close to getting ready to play. He would go. You saw him go in the South Carolina game. He would play if his arm is falling off. But I can’t do that to him again. It was a tough night and I knew it was going to be a tough grind, so we gave ourselves the best option we felt like we had at that point.”
Stoops concluded Monday’s press conference by saying he will eventually move Lynn Bowden back out to wide receiver. “When the time’s right, when we can get him back at receiver,” said Stoops. “We will welcome him back there as well, because he’s an impact guy, he runs well. We’ll see what direction the game plan goes with this week with who is playing quarterback.”
ESPN commentator Dan Dakich has been suspended from his afternoon sports talk show.
Emmis Communications, which owns ESPN affiliate WFNI The Fan, said Dakich has been suspended five days due to “a failure last year on Dan’s part to adhere to the journalistic principles valued by Emmis.”
Dakich, who played basketball at Indiana from 1981-85 under Bob Knight and coached at Bowling Green from 1997-2007, is the host of “The Dan Dakich Show” on 1070 The Fan, along with joining ESPN as a college basketball color commentator and studio analyst in November 2010.
According to a report by the Indy Star, Emmis “declined to further elaborate on the cause for the disciplinary action taken against Dakich,” adding that the 57-year old radio host did not respond to a text message from the outlet asking for comment.
This afternoon, a statement was made on Dakich’s show – which airs noon to 3 p.m. weekdays on 1070 AM – to address his absence.
“Dan Dakich will not be appearing on his show this week. Dan and Emmis have mutually agreed to a suspension period of five days due to a failure last year on Dan’s part to adhere to the journalistic principles valued by Emmis,” the statement read, via Indy Star.
Central Kentuckians have the opportunity to provide help to the people of the Bahamas’ Great Abaco Island, which was ravaged by Hurricane Dorian last month. bdG Sports, a Lexington-based sports marketing agency, are now accepting donations of supplies and new apparel at a tractor trailer, donated by Longship, from Oct. 21-27 in the parking lot of the Landsdowne Shoppes in Lexington. The donations are being accepted as part of the “Bluegrass for the Bahamas” fundraiser, also which will include a charity event on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Malone’s Prime Events.
bdG Sports, which manages numerous college basketball tournaments and professional golf events across North America, has been organizing the fundraising efforts and has already received more than 2,500 pieces of donated apparel, with more on the way. For the past three years, bdG Sports has managed the Great Abaco Classic, a professional golf tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour played each January in Abaco. The PGA TOUR announced this week that this year’s edition of the Great Abaco Classic will be moved to Nassau, while Abaco begins recovery efforts.
“The support for ‘Bluegrass for the Bahamas’ from our networks in college basketball, the professional golf community and right here in Central Kentucky has been humbling,” said Brooks Downing, President and CEO of bdG Sports. “Longship has graciously donated a semitruck for us to collect supplies which we will then transport to South Florida for shipment to the Bahamas. We have thousands of pieces of apparel for those Abaconians that have lost everything due to this storm. We also are starting to collect building supplies, which also can be delivered to the truck. There are thousands of Bahamians who lost everything due to Hurricane Dorian and we want to help them rebuild so that Abaco can be rebuilt.”
As a Category 5 hurricane, Dorian is on record as the worst storm in the history of the Bahamas, with sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts to 225 mph when it made landfall on Sept. 1 in Abaco. More than 56 people died in Abaco and Grand Bahama, the two northern-most islands which suffered a direct hit, and more than 600 are still missing. Marsh Harbour, the main city on Great Abaco, lost 70% of its homes, and the power grid on the island was rendered inoperable. Damage is estimated to exceed $7.5 billion.
Donations will be accepted each day from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. at the truck which will be located in front of The MouseTrap. A full list of needed supplies can be found atwww.BluegrassForTheBahamas.com with building supplies (sheetrock, plywood, roofing materials, tools, etc.) being among the biggest need at this time. All clothing donations should be new.
Malone’s Prime Events will play host to the “Bluegrass for the Bahamas” charity event on Wednesday from 7-10 p.m. Tickets for the event are $100 and includes a sampling of favorite menu items from Bluegrass Hospitality Group, open bar and charity auction. Live auction items include:
- A 5-day/4-night golf vacation for two at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, including accommodations in one of the club’s luxurious cabana suites and unlimited golf on its Scottish-style tropical links golf course, rated No. 1 in The Bahamas.
- A five-bottle collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon (10-, 12-, 15-, 20- and 23-year bottles).
- A trip for two to Las Vegas for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball games vs. Utah on Dec. 18 and Ohio State on Dec. 21 with accommodations at Aria.
- A 4-day/3-night stay for two at any Sandals Resorts property.
Silent auction items will include a weekend stay at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Fla., golf opportunities at Southern Highlands in Las Vegas and TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, a year-long membership at Lexington Tennis Club, a Kentucky Castle gift package and a speciality bottle from Makers Mark. There’s even a chrome football helmet donated by the Kentucky football team.
Tickets for the evening can be purchased at www.bluegrassforthebahamas.com. The website also features #AbacoStrong tumblers and shirts with proceeds from all sales being donated to the cause. For those from outside the Central Kentucky area that wish to donate supplies, an Amazon Wish List can be found on the website with automatic shipping to bdG Sports.
All funds raised by bdG Sports will be donated to the Abaco-Winding Bay Relief Fund, a charitable organization created expressly for this effort with active 501(c)3 status in the United States. All funds received will be used to provide assistance specifically to the people of Abaco in the form of food, shelter, medical aid and supplies, and assistance in the island’s clean-up and rebuilding efforts.
One play completely crushed Kentucky’s offensive momentum and changed the direction of their duel with Georgia at soggy Sanford Stadium.
After recording only two first downs in the first half, Lynn Bowden rushed for three first downs on consecutive plays to start the second half, putting the Wildcats in field goal range. Two plays later on third and six, Bowden scrambled, fought and clawed to get a first down. His heroic effort was all for not as a yellow flag flew from an official’s hand.
Logan Stenberg was penalized for holding. The ten-yard penalty erased the first down run and pushed Kentucky out of field goal range, eliminating the best scoring opportunity for either team to that point. After examining the play on film, Mark Stoops vehemently disagrees with the call.
“I need an explanation,” UK’s coach said at his weekly press conference. “I don’t know. I mean, so it’s just very frustrating. There was some holds later that were no-brainers, they were holding. But the one early on Logan, I need an explanation. And then — because it happens to us all game.”
It was not the only comment Stoops had about SEC officials during his 20-minute press conference.
“I could say some things right now that wouldn’t be good,” he said through a clinched jaw. “I’m worried about us getting a call.”
The SEC office probably could reprimand Stoops for questioning the conference’s officials, but they’re too busy dealing with Will Muschamp and the “gutless” officiating in South Carolina’s loss to Florida.
WATCH: Here's Will Muschamp's full answer when asked about the unsportsmanlike penalty thrown against him in the 4th quarter today.
"Drop it on my feet next time… gutless." pic.twitter.com/V0K0qjm58y
— Cam Gaskins (@CamGaskinsTV) October 19, 2019
On Monday we got another sign that college basketball is right around the corner – with the release of the first AP Poll of the season. In the least surprising news of all-time, Michigan State is ranked No. 1, and the Spartans are then followed by Kentucky at No. 2, Kansas at No. 3 and Duke at No. 4.
So yes, we will have the top four teams in the country at the Champion’s Classic to open the season on November 5th. Yet despite mostly agreement from me at the top of the poll (I have an almost identical Top 6) there is plenty that I disagree with.
No, this article isn’t about where Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State or Louisville is ranked – the pollsters got that right. But instead, it’s about everyone else.
If you missed my preseason Top 25 a few weeks ago, here are my picks. And below, are seven teams that voters got completely wrong.
No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs (Too High): Yes, Gonzaga beat preseason No. 1 Michigan State in a closed scrimmage on Saturday, so they have that going for them. Still, a spot at No. 8 feels way, WAY too high for a team that lost two first round picks (Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke), a fifth-year senior point guard (Josh Perkins) and just found out their best player, Killian Tillie, will miss the start of the season following surgery.
What’s left is a team whose best player (Corey Kispert) will be asked to go from “fifth starter” to star this year. Meanwhile the rest of the roster is filled with grad transfers and good, but not elite freshmen.
The Zags will figure things out by the end of the season. But they aren’t a Top 10 team right now.
No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels (Too High): North Carolina has won at least 24 games in nine straight seasons, so I understand the optimism on them heading into the season. But I don’t think people realize just how much they lost off last year’s team. It included two lottery picks (Coby White and Cam Johnson), another first rounder (Nassir Little) and one of the program’s most consistent players in Luke Maye. Overall, their top five scorers are gone.
And unlike Kentucky, Duke and Memphis, they’re not replacing those guys with elite talent outside of Cole Anthony (who might just mess around and win ACC Player of the Year). Instead, North Carolina will be heavily reliant on two grad transfers (Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce) and honestly, I’m just not a believer in the ability of grad transfers to go from low major schools to a place like North Carolina and have immediate success. The jump is way bigger than most realize.
Point being that with so many new pieces and an early schedule that includes an opener against Notre Dame, the Battle 4 Atlantis (which features Seton Hall, Oregon and Alabama among others), Ohio State and Gonzaga, this team could struggle out of the gate.
No. 11 Villanova Wildcats (Too High): Like Michigan State, Villanova lost a preseason exhibition over the weekend. In the case of the Wildcats they have an excuse for losing at USC however: They were without two key players, starting point guard Collin Gillespie and McDonald’s All-American Bryan Antoine.
Still, Antoine isn’t expected to play much to start the season as he recovers from shoulder surgery, which highlights the reality for Nova right now: They’ve lost a ton of talent over the last few years, and the guys that they expected to replace them may or may not be ready right now. In total, Villanova has had five players drafted in the last two drafts and a sixth player (Phil Booth) sign with an NBA team this off-season. And of the recruits they brought in to replace them over the past two off-seasons, one (Jahvon Quinerly) transferred and another (Antoine) will miss time injury.
In the end, that is a lot of talent for any program to lose, and I’m just not quite sure the replacements are ready to step up in their place. Villanova is good. But not “No. 11 in the country” good.
No. 15 Oregon Ducks (Too High): Last year I was hesitant to put Oregon in my preseason Top 25 because I thought it would be a process to blend elite high school talent (at the time, Bol Bol and Louis King) with a veteran core who had all established defined roles within the program.
And for the most part, I was right. The Ducks struggled out of the gate, and at one point were 13-9 before rallying late to win the Pac-12 Tournament and eventually make the Sweet 16.
So what happened this off-season? Well, something pretty similar to last year. A bunch of guys departed either via the NBA Draft or transfer, and what’s left is a weird hodgepodge of like one guy who has played major minutes at Oregon (Payton Pritchard), and a bunch of highly-touted freshmen and grad transfers.
While Oregon probably does have the most talented team in the Pac-12, I’ll believe that Dana Altman can blend them all together when I see it.
No. 21 Arizona Wildcats (Too Low): Then there is Arizona, which, one year after watching the bottom fall out following the FBI investigation into its program, has stability, talent and I believe the best “team” in the Pac-12.
By now we all know the story, but McDonald’s All-Americans Nico Mannion and Josh Green (both with Arizona roots) committed to this program to help the rebuild, and they’ll be joined by veterans who fit what Arizona wants to do, specifically Chase Jeter (yes, he’s still playing college hoops) and Dylan Smith. Grad transfer Stone Gettings gives this team exactly what they need (a big guy who can shoot) and the early buzz out of camp is that sophomore Devonaire Doutrive has been a surprise star.
The loss of guard Brandon Williams to a season-ending injury hurts, but the Wildcats are woefully undervalued at No. 21 in these polls.
No. 22 LSU Tigers (Too Low): The Bad Boys of College Basketball lost quite a bit off last year’s team, but what most don’t realize is just how much they return. Remember that when Tremont Waters got hurt late last season, Javonte Smart stepped up, including a 29-point game against Tennessee, which helped the Tigers clinch the SEC regular season title.
Add in Emmitt Williams, Darius Days, Marlon Taylor and freshman Trendon Watford and this to me, is clearly the third best team in the SEC (behind Kentucky and Florida), and a Top 20 team nationally.
Colorado Buffaloes (Too Low): The Buffaloes are unranked in the preseason AP Poll, and in defense of pollsters it’s hard to blame them since, well, we’re talking about Colorado basketball here. Still, this is a team which returns its top seven scorers off a 23-win club a season ago, a group which finished fifth in the Pac-12. They also return two All-Pac-12 first team members in Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright.
If you’re looking for a program to go from “unranked” to “spending most of the year in the Top 15” Colorado is probably your best bet.
Matthew Mitchell is bringing his talents back to Kroger Field. UK just announced that Mitchell and his band, the Nashville All-Stars, will perform a concert before the Missouri game on Saturday. They will take the stage outside Gate 12 immediately following the Cat Walk, which will begin at approximately 5:15 p.m.
Mitchell is coming off the success of his “Old Town Road” performance at Big Blue Madness. In 2015, he and the Nashville All-Stars performed at a pregame concert celebrating the opening of the renovated Kroger Field.
Off stage, Mitchell is entering his entering his 13th season as the head coach of the Kentucky Women’s Basketball team. The Cats won 25 games last season and Mitchell was named the Co-SEC Coach of the Year. This year, Kentucky returns three starters, including unanimous national freshman of the year Rhyne Howard.
If you’d like to see Mitchell in person, tickets for Saturday’s game against Missouri are still available at Ticketmaster.com. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Injuries and absences have created a mess on the edge of Kentucky’s defense.
Arguably the most important position in UK’s 3-4 scheme, Kentucky has exclusively used outside linebackers Boogie Watson, Jordan Wright and Josh Paschal to this point in the season. Entering the Missouri game, Mark Stoops said Paschal and Wright are both “dinged up.” The next outside linebacker with college football experience on the edge is Xavier Peters.
“Xavier didn’t make the trip with us this past week. I left him at home,” Stoops said at Monday’s press conference. “It’s our job to teach Xavier what our expectations are and how to handle your business here. He has a hard time getting to things on time and doing things we ask him to do. Until he gets that straightened out, he won’t play.”
Without Peters, Paschal or Wright, Kentucky must turn to a pair of true freshmen to contain Kelly Bryant.
“We have to look at the redshirt guys and see if there’s somebody that can help us. I think at outside backer with Jared (Casey) and J.J. (Weaver), we have to look at those two and continue to bring them along.”
The four-star 2019 recruits from the city of Louisville have yet to play a snap for the Wildcats. Using the season to redshirt, they can play in up to four games and retain a year of eligibility.
“They both have some really good talent. Just like most freshmen, they probably get a little discouraged because they’re not playing so the consistency isn’t there, the urgency in practice all the time. But you see the flashes of it and the ability. We have to continue to — with young people you can’t take away their hope. They gotta have some hope and that’s where this rule and having them able to play four games helps them down the stretch. We need them because we’re starting to get banged up. I’ve seen them do some really good things, but I’ve all seen them be inconsistent at times like most freshmen.”
Two weeks ago Brad White described exactly what Casey, Weaver and KD McDaniel can bring to UK’s defense.
“Coming from high school to college, there’s just so much difference there, so much of a transition,” White said. “Each one of those guys brings something a little bit different. If all three of them now were one body, you might be able to have them in a game rolling. But they’re all sort of developing different parts of their game and they each do something a little bit different, which is exciting for me because down the line we’re going to have three really good players.”
The freshmen could not ask for a more difficult debut. Bryant carried Clemson into the College Football Playoff primarily with his legs, rushing for 665 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2017. At Missouri Barry Odom has not asked Bryant to run as much, but he can still make an opposing defense pay for playing too aggressively.
“When you have a guy that can escape, you have to be disciplined in your rushing lanes,” Stoops said. “It makes a big difference because you have to play with some discipline. Sometimes guys want to come up and under and make a sack. When he can’t run away from you, it doesn’t hurt you, but he (Bryant) certainly can. And then you tie in them spreading out, how they like to spread the field and throw the ball, and then you add in some designed Q-run, that puts some stress on you.”
The pass rushing burden will not completely fall on the shoulders of the true freshmen. Phil Hoskins is expected to return Saturday night to join forces with Boogie, Calvin Taylor and T.J. Carter.
Over the last two weeks the Louisville kids on UK’s roster have been the subject of transfer speculation. The Weaver rumor was shut down quickly, but Shawn’kel Knight-Goff’s departure has added fuel to the fire. Stoops has tried to “give them hope” with affirmation on the practice field and in the locker room. This Saturday Stoops is upping the ante by providing them an opportunity to play.
ESports are coming to the University of Kentucky. According to Bloomberg, UK is partnering with professional esports franchise Gen.G to create a competitive video-gaming program. While several colleges across the country have embraced esports, UK is the first to partner with a major professional franchise.
UK will have classes on gaming, gaming teams, and a dedicated space on campus for gamers to train; however, esports will operate outside of the school’s athletic budget since it’s not considered an NCAA sport. Several departments will be involved with esports, including the colleges of communication, engineering, education, and even medicine.
Eric Monday, UK’s executive vice president for finance and administration, said the school hopes the new program will help attract students and create opportunities.
“We go into a lot of high schools, a lot of communities, and one of the biggest questions they’re asking is, ‘What’s your esports strategy at UK? So this is a huge market opportunity.”
Gen.G has offices in Seoul, Los Angeles, and Shanghai. Last month, they announced they were launching a China-based team in the NBA’s esports league. Earlier this month, the UK Basketball team played the new Call of Duty Team vs. the UK Esports Team:
.@KentuckyMBB vs. @UKYeSports
Which gamers reigned #supreme ??? pic.twitter.com/oY7wkwIQJb
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 3, 2019
I can’t wait to hear Ryan Lemond’s reaction to this.
@itskeltime1
Mark Stoops confirmed the departure of true freshman Shawnkel Knight-Goff, one of the Cats’ prized recruits from the city of Louisville in last spring’s recruiting class. There are rumors that Knight-Goff plans to transfer to the University of Louisville, but as Mark Stoops tells it, Knight-Goff simply fell out of love with the game of football.
“Shawnkel checked out, maybe two or three weeks ago or so,” Stoops explained on Monday. “He told me is he was very much not interested in playing football anymore. He lost the motivation and desire to play the game.
“I really like Shawnkel. He’s a great person, really good kid, great family. I want him to be successful. He told me he just wanted to go to school. I have to try to help motivate him in that area too, but he was not interested in pursuing football anymore.”
It will be interesting with Knight-Goff falls back in love with football soon.
It will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 to start the season. The AP Preseason Top 25 poll was just released and Kentucky came in at No. 2, right behind No. 1 Michigan State.
The Cats got two first-place votes, while the Spartans got 60. Kansas, Duke, and Louisville round out the top five, with Florida lurking at No. 6. Also representing the SEC are LSU at No. 22 and Auburn at No. 24. Texas Tech, Kentucky’s opponent in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, is No. 13 and Ohio State, Kentucky’s opponent in the CBS Sports Classic, is No. 18.
The Champions Classic will be No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 4 Duke. Talk about a big night for college basketball. Hard to believe it’s only two weeks away.
| Rank | Team | Conference | Record | Points |
| 1 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 32-7 | 1,619(60) |
| 2 | Kentucky | SEC | 30-7 | 1,497(2) |
| 3 | Kansas | Big 12 | 26-10 | 1,457(3) |
| 4 | Duke | ACC | 32-6 | 1,399 |
| 5 | Louisville | ACC | 20-14 | 1,386 |
| 6 | Florida | SEC | 20-16 | 1,313 |
| 7 | Maryland | Big Ten | 23-11 | 1,134 |
| 8 | Gonzaga | West Coast | 33-4 | 1,096 |
| 9 | North Carolina | ACC | 29-7 | 1,060 |
| 10 | Villanova | Big East | 26-10 | 1,048 |
| 11 | Virginia | ACC | 35-3 | 1,007 |
| 12 | Seton Hall | Big East | 20-14 | 863 |
| 13 | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 31-7 | 837 |
| 14 | Memphis | American Athletic Conference (AAC) | 22-14 | 773 |
| 15 | Oregon | Pac-12 | 25-13 | 742 |
| 16 | Baylor | Big 12 | 20-14 | 523 |
| 17 | Utah State | Mountain West | 28-7 | 491 |
| 18 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 20-15 | 407 |
| 19 | Xavier | Big East | 19-16 | 356 |
| 20 | Saint Mary’s (Cal) | West Coast | 22-12 | 330 |
| 21 | Arizona | Pac-12 | 17-15 | 265 |
| 22 | LSU | SEC | 28-7 | 234 |
| 23 | Purdue | Big Ten | 26-10 | 230 |
| 24 | Auburn | SEC | 30-10 | 210 |
| 25 | VCU | Atlantic 10 | 25-8 | 193 |
Others receiving votes: Washington 164, Colorado 152, Tennessee 78, Marquette 68, Florida St. 36, Davidson 34, Harvard 24, Illinois 14, Missouri 13, Mississippi St. 12, Houston 11, Georgetown 11, Cincinnati 8, Notre Dame 7, Creighton 4, Syracuse 3, NC State 3, Vermont 2, Alabama 2, Southern Cal 2, Liberty 2, Michigan 2, Dayton 1, Colgate 1, Providence 1.