KSR Today: Important scheduling news for Mark Pope's Wildcats
Good morning, folks! Let’s get our Thursday morning rolling by talking about the Kentucky-Gonzaga men’s basketball series. If you haven’t already heard, the annual showdown against Mark Few‘s program has been called off.
News broke yesterday that Kentucky and Gonzaga have mutually agreed to cancel the remainder of their six-year series despite having two matchups left on the schedule. The Wildcats were set to host the Bulldogs in 2026, followed by the finale at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane in 2027. Gonzaga went 3-1 against UK in the first four meetings.
Kentucky is still set to battle the likes of Kansas, North Carolina, Indiana, and more during the non-conference. Mark Pope can now potentially add another high-profile opponent to replace Gonzaga for the 2026-27 schedule. And speaking of scheduling news…
Kentucky expected to join the “Diamond Cup”
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim broke the news yesterday that Kentucky is expected to join a high-profile annual event, which will likely begin in 2027. The Wildcats are one of eight teams expected to make up the field, along with Arizona, UConn, Gonzaga, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, and North Carolina. That’s a fun group of schools.
Not long after Jack’s reporting came out, Matt Norlander of CBS Sports provided some more details. This event is called the “Diamond Cup”, with Norlander adding that “The 2027-28 season will likely be a two-game agreement, with open discussions on potentially moving to a four-game format (one preseason, three regular season) for 2028-29, sources said. Under a two-game arrangement in 2027, schools will purportedly receive $2.25 million apiece, sources said. The format for Years 2 and 3 are supposed to bump to $3.75 million per school.”
Details are still being worked through, but it sure sounds like this is happening. These are the events Kentucky should be in.
Bat Cats on the tournament bubble?
It depends on who you ask. Head coach Nick Mingione thinks Kentucky baseball should be firmly within the NCAA Tournament. The Bat Cats (31-21) checked in at No. 36 overall in RPI and now owns a 6-6 Quad 1 record. UK’s non-conference RPI (No. 14) is also strong. The Bat Cats should have a good case for an at-large bid.
“We beat the best teams. If you look at our resumé,” Mingione said following Tuesday’s SEC Tournament loss. “In order to be considered one of the best teams, you have to beat them. There’s all kinds of numbers. I can spit them out.”
- 1Breaking
AD Search Update
Kentucky's new AD will have 2 titles
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Holiday Hoops?
UK in talks for new, high-profile MTE
- 3Hot
UK-Gonzaga series
is over
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Miles Brown
4-star CB picks UK
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Early Exit
at SECT for Bat Cats
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Kentucky did rack up some losses in SEC play (13-17), but there are five top 10 wins mixed in there, too. We’ll find out for sure if it’s enough to get Kentucky into the postseason when Selection Monday rolls around next week.
Rounding up the latest basketball offers
The first live period of the spring last weekend had college coaching staffs roaming the entire country to check out their favorite high school prospects. Mark Pope and Co. were regulars at all the major shoe company circuits, and there were plenty of players who stood out. Since last weekend began, eight 2027 recruits and one 2028 recruit have announced offers from the Wildcats. Kentucky is now up to 18 players offered in the 2027 cycle, including the entirety of the class’s top 12 and 15 of the top 20.
Below are the nine new offers from the live period. KSR’s Jack Pilgrim has even more must-read details on Kentucky’s high school recruiting approach over on KSR+.
- Adan Diggs (2027; SG) 6-4, 180 | Millennium (Peoria, AZ) | 5-star: No. 2 overall, No. 1 SG
- King Gibson (2027; CG) 6-4, 180 | SPIRE Academy (Burlington, NC) | 5-star: No. 3 overall, No. 1 CG
- Moussa Kamissoko (2027; SF) 6-8, 180 | Long Island Lutheran (Pawling, NY) | 4-star: No. 10 overall, No. 1 SF
- DeMarcus Henry (2027; SF) 6-7, 200 | Compass Prep (Charlotte, NC) | 4-star: No. 11 overall, No. 2 SF
- Cayden Daughtry (2027; PG) 6-0, 160 | Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale, FL) | 4-star: No. 18 overall, No. 5 PG
- Darius Wabbington (2027; C) 6-11, 245 | Sunnyslope (Phoenix, AZ) | 4-star: No. 20 overall, No. 2 C
- Caleb Ourigou (2027; C) 6-10, 215 | Overtime Elite (Woodmere, NY) | 4-star: No. 62 overall, No. 6 C
- Lewis Uvwo (2027; PF) 6-10, 225 | Prolific Prep (Fort Lauderdale, FL) | 3-star: No. 145 overall, No. 22 PF
- Yann Kamagate (2028; C) 7-0, 230 | St. Francis (La Canada Flintridge, CA)
Will Stein still has a top 20 recruiting class
Kentucky football currently sits on a top 20 recruiting class. Will Stein‘s first real high school cycle has been nothing short of successful thus far. Following the addition of three-star CB Miles Brown earlier this week, UK’s 2027 group ranks 19th nationally and 8th in the SEC by Rivals. Another commit could be on the way when three-star RB Mason Ball announces his decision on Saturday. Below is what the class looks like seven months away from the early signing period.
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking |
| Jake Nawrot | QB (6-4, 190) | Arlington Heights (Ill.) Hersey | 4-star (No. 60 overall) |
| Marquis Bryant | S (5-11, 185) | Rolesville (N.C.) High | 4-star (No. 284 overall) |
| Elijah Brown | iDL (6-1, 290) | Prattville (Ala.) High | 4-star (No. 296 overall) |
| Iveon Lewis | WR (6-2, 180) | Richmond (Va.) Huguenot | 4-star (No. 341 overall) |
| Tristin Hughes | S (6-1, 190) | Rocky River (Ohio) High | 4-star (No. 382 overall) |
| Ian Walker | T (6-5, 305) | Pennington (N.J.) The Pennington School | High 3-star (No. 413 overall) |
| Larron Westmoreland | S (6-5, 180) | Jeffersontown (Ky.) High | High 3-star (No. 439 overall) |
| Miles Brown | CB (6-0, 180) | Martin (Tenn.) Westview | High 3-star (No. 460 overall) |
| Antwoine Higgins Jr. | EDGE (6-2, 230) | Cincinnati (Ohio) Princeton | High 3-star (No. 474 overall) |
| Tank Proctor | TE (6-5, 220) | Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage | High 3-star (No. 575 overall) |
| Bryian Duncan Jr. | ATH (5-9, 160) | Cairo (Ga.) High | High 3-star (No. 579 overall) |
| Ty Ashley | LB (6-2, 200) | Owensboro (Ky.) High | High 3-star (No. 580 overall) |
| Brady Hull | iOL (6-1, 285) | Somerset (Ky.) Pulaski County | 3-star (No. 622 overall) |
| Matthias Burrell | iOL (6-4, 320) | Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln | 3-star (No. 701 overall) |
| Miguel Wilson | CB (5-10, 170) | Mobile (Ala.) Vigor | 3-star (No. 706 overall) |
| Conrad Hart | TE (6-5, 235) | Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy | 3-star (No. 738 overall) |
SGA helps Thunder tie WCF series
After an instant classic finish in Game 1 saw the San Antonio Spurs pull off a double-overtime win, the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back on Wednesday. Led by 30 points (12-24 FG) and nine assists from two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder controlled most of Game 2 en route to a 122-113 win. SGA missed a handful of tough jumpers down the stretch, but hit the one that OKC needed the most in the closing minute. His defense was impressive, too. Cason Wallace shot 4-6 from deep for good measure.
For the Spurs, De’Aaron Fox sat out his second straight game due to injury. San Antonio, which turned the ball over 21 times, sure could have used him. Keldon Johnson chipped in 10 points and five rebounds with plenty of hustle plays along the way. But it wasn’t enough, even with Victor Wembanyama going for 21 points and 17 rebounds. The series is now tied 1-1 as we head to Texas for the next two games.
KSR Happy Hour goes live at 4!
Another Thursday means another edition of the KSR Happy Hour Show! Today’s topics will feature plenty of Kentucky-related conversations, but this show is at its best when it goes off the rails. Apparently, last night’s episode of Survivor was a doozy. Drew Franklin, Tyler Thompson, and Nick Roush have plenty to say about it. Head on over to the KSR YouTube channel at 4:00 p.m. ET this afternoon to join the fun — and make sure you bring your favorite Country Boy along with you.
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