Nike EYBL updates, a Game 7 in OKC, and Softball in the NCAAT

Good morning, folks! And a Happy Sunday to all of you, our dear readers. Did you wake up wondering about the latest recruiting efforts from Mark Pope and the Kentucky men’s basketball staff? Hey, me too! You couldn’t have picked a better time to be curious. Now that the love period is open, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Jacob Polacheck have been roaming the gyms of Memphis over the last few days to stalk follow the UK coaches and see who they’re tracking on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Our good friends Jack and Jacob will be back in the gym today as well to watch even more of Kentucky’s top recruits and gather even more need-to-know intel. It’s a good time to be a KSBoard member. Dive into the links below to read up on a handful of the Wildcats’ favorite prospects and their thoughts on UK. After that, we’ll touch on the rest of this morning’s top news and notes.

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Kentucky baseball swept, earns 13-seed in SECT

Following its 5-3 loss to No. 9 Vanderbilt in Saturday’s series finale, Kentucky will officially be the No. 13 seed in the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament with a 13-17 conference record. It is the lowest SEC Tournament seed earned in the Nick Mingione era. UK had an opportunity to earn a more favorable seed over the last few days in Nashville, but lost all three games to Vandy despite leading every one by two or more runs.

The ‘Cats will face No. 12 seed Oklahoma in the second game on Tuesday, which will likely begin around 2:30 p.m. ET. Kentucky swept the then-No. 17-ranked Sooners last weekend in Lexington. This year’s Tournament will feature all 16 SEC teams for the first time ever, and every game will be single-elimination.

Reed Sheppard helps cleanup effort in Laurel County

Tornadoes tore through southern Kentucky earlier this week, leaving another part of the state looking for as many extra hands as possible. One of the areas hit hardest was Laurel County, home of former Kentucky player Reed Sheppard, who was quick to arrive on the scene and pitch in on the early recovery efforts.

At least 27 people have died, with others in critical condition, as Laurel and Pulaski counties sift through the rubble. Sheppard was among the hundreds of people who got right to work in trying to build their community back up.

Kentucky softball avoids NCAAT elimination

After dropping the NCAA Tournament opener to Northwestern on Friday, Kentucky softball bounced back in impressive fashion to stave off elimination. The Wildcats beat USC Upstate 11-0 in six innings and got their revenge on Northwestern 8-3 to sweep Saturday’s schedule. The offense finally woke up after going back-to-back postseason games without putting up a single run.

UK has now locked up a spot in the Clemson Regional Final with a shot at the NCAA Super Regionals on the line. Kentucky will need to beat No. 11 Clemson twice today to advance. Game one begins at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ at McWhorter Stadium.

We’re going to Game 7, Baby!

If I were going to advise a non-NBA fan to watch one NBA game this season, it would be the one happening this afternoon between a pair of highly talented former Kentucky guards.

We’ve got ourselves a Game 7 in Oklahoma City as the (1) Thunder and (4) Denver Nuggets fight for the final spot in the Conference Finals. This has been about as exciting a series as anyone could have asked for so far. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP frontrunner, has been dueling with Nikola Jokic, the presumed MVP runner-up, and it’s made for some incredibly entertaining hoop.

Joining Gilgeous-Alexander for OKC is another former ‘Cat, Cason Wallace, while Jamal Murray will suit up for Denver on the other end of the floor. All three have been awesome through six games in this series. Let’s see what Game 7 holds. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Best moments from “Show Me Your Tents”

From interesting mustaches to Colonel Stoops statues, we’ve got a recap video of all the most memorable props Drew Franklin saw at Kentucky football tailgates over the last three seasons.

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