There are Tuesdays, and then there are Tuesdays like this, friends. It’s supposed to be a beautiful one in the Bluegrass, sunny and low 60s, perfect weather to head on down to Kentucky Proud Park for Kentucky Baseball’s home opener. Once that wraps up, make the short trip to Rupp Arena to see Kentucky Basketball host Georgia. Any time before, in between, or after should be spent eating Cajun and Creole food and drinking because it’s Mardi Gras.

The Krewe of Zulu just started making its way through Uptown New Orleans, so let’s get this party started. Keep your heads on a swivel for coconuts, Zulu’s signature throw.

Kentucky Basketball hosts Georgia

Kentucky’s loss at Florida didn’t do any damage to its NCAA Tournament resume; however, this week is critical. The Cats need to take care of business tonight vs. Georgia, a Quad 2 game, before focusing on Saturday’s game at Auburn, one of four Quad 1 games left on the schedule.

The Bulldogs are spiraling, losing five of their last six games. They’ve been without their leading scorer, Jeremiah Wilkinson, for the last two. Wilkinson is dealing with a shoulder injury and was not listed on last night’s SEC Availability Report, meaning he is good to go tonight. Of course. Other players to keep an eye on: Blue Cain, who averaged 18.5 points in Georgia’s losses to Florida and Oklahoma last week; and Somto Cyril, the one-time Kentucky commit who is averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs.

Georgia led the nation in scoring during non-conference play, averaging 98.3 points through its first 10 games; during SEC play, the Bulldogs are down to 80.9 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league. Georgia ranks 10th in the league in rebounds per game (31.3), right behind Kentucky (31.6). The Cats have been better on the glass as of late, the second half at Florida aside, so controlling the boards will be big in this matchup. Limiting the Bulldogs in transition will be too, according to Mo Dioubate and Denzel Aberdeen.

“I know that they’re pretty good in transition, they’re fast in transition, they’re good at rebounding,” Dioubate said. “They’re not a great three-point shooting team, but they are good at getting downhill, getting to the rim, and we’ve got a good game plan for them. I think we’re gonna match up pretty well.”

“They improved a lot [from last year] from the film I watched, especially Blue Cain,” Aberdeen said. He’s very aggressive, a good scoring guard, and Somto [Cyril] being aggressive, getting rebounds and dunking all the time. So, they’re a very good team overall, in general.”

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Georgia ranks third in the league at three-point attempts (27.4 per game) during SEC play, but 11th in three-point percentage (31.6%). Mark Pope said his guys will be prepared for the Bulldogs to get hot from the outside, as teams tend to do at Rupp Arena.

“They’re a really good team,” Pope said on his radio show. “Can put out a massive frontline when they want to. They can play four guards. They really, really shoot it when they want to. They’re one of the top three-point attempt teams in our league. They play faster than anybody in the league. It’s nice that we have them and Florida back-to-back, because it’s kept a really consistent focus on transition defense and how we can attack that.

“They’re a good team. They’ve had huge wins, and we expect a handful from them tomorrow night.”

Pope also recapped the loss to Florida, including the officiating, on last night’s show. Dan Issel called in during the second half. Jack Pilgrim has your recap.

Last 9 p.m. tip of the (regular) season

Bad news: Tonight’s game doesn’t tip off until 9 p.m. ET. Good news: that’s the last time I’ll have to say that in the regular season. The late tip is brutal, but at least we’ll have Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw on the call for ESPN. I counted at least eight KSR references by Hart in the Oklahoma game earlier this month. I’m eager to see if he’ll top that total tonight.

• Tipoff: 9:00 p.m. ET
  • KSR Pregame Show: 6:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN (Tom Hart, Dane Bradshaw)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 117 or 191

You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before tipoff, and join the conversation on KSBoard.

Lock in for the 2025 Kentucky Basketball season with KSR Plus! We’re giving you behind-the-scenes intel you won’t find anywhere else. Join the most passionate online community in the BBN during Mark Pope’s second season.

Odds

Kentucky opened as an 8.5-point favorite on BetMGM. That’s down to 7.5 points this morning, maybe due in part to the news that Jeremiah Wilkinson is available for Georgia. The total is 161.5 points, 84.5 for Kentucky, and 77.5 points for Georgia.

Vegas is almost spot on KenPom, which projects an 85-78 Kentucky win, giving the Cats a 72% chance of victory. BartTorvik thinks it’ll be slightly closer at 86-80 Kentucky (70%).

Kentucky Baseball hosts Morehead State in home opener

Kentucky Baseball opened the season with a sweep at UNC Greensboro. This afternoon, the No. 18 Bat Cats host Morehead State in the home opener at Kentucky Proud Park.

The Eagles are 2-1 to start the season, winning their first series vs. UMass Lowell. They were picked to finish second-to-last in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, the second under head coach Chris Rose. Last year, Kentucky beat Morehead State 8-2.

First pitch is at 4 p.m. at Kentucky Proud Park. If you can’t make it in person, you can stream it on SEC Network+.

Keeneland Spring Meet tickets are on sale NOW

Weather like this will fool you into thinking it’s spring. Unfortunately, we’ve probably got a few cold snaps left, but it’s only a matter of time before real spring is here. If you’d like to spend some of it at Keeneland, get your ducks in order right now because Spring Meet tickets just went on sale at tickets.keeneland.com.

The Spring Meet runs April 3-24 this year. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the track, but I hear that if you don’t pounce on tickets right when they go on sale these days, you’re doomed. Good luck.

Speaking of spring, we found out Monday that the Spring Game is back under Will Stein and will take place on Saturday, April 18. That’s the weekend after the Masters, the last weekend of Keeneland’s Spring Meet, and the same day as Kentucky Baseball hosts Vanderbilt (2 p.m. ET), making for a monster weekend in Lexington.

College Basketball on TV today

Our game follows No. 16 North Carolina at NC State on ESPN. The biggest game of the night is No. 1 Michigan at No. 7 Purdue, which you can stream on Peacock. The Wolverines took over the top spot in both polls on Monday after Arizona’s back-to-back losses.

SEC Standings – Feb. 17

One last look at the SEC standings before we start a new week, the third to last of the regular season. Plenty is still up in the air, especially in the race for the double bye at the SEC Tournament. Drew Franklin has more in his weekly SEC Bulletin Board.

Don’t miss Sources Say’s remote at Parlour Pizza on Wednesday

You’ve heard us talk about the great team at PARLOUR Pizza all season. Now is your chance to join us as we enjoy their delicious pizza and wings. You’re invited for a remote broadcast of Sources Say this Wednesday (2/18) at 5 p.m. at PARLOUR’s Harrodsburg Rd. location. 

Come check out PARLOUR’S signature handcrafted pizzas like Hot Honey Pepperoni and house-smoked wings. PARLOUR is perfect for everything from family dinners to game-day gatherings in their UK-themed room. 

Hope to see you at PARLOUR’s Harrodsburg Rd. location on Wednesday at 5 p.m.!

I’ll leave you with some live streams from New Orleans. There and here, it should be an awesome day.