KSR Today: It's feeling like 2009 and "The Door" around here

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. Today was supposed to mark the beginning of Sweet 16/Elite Eight Week for Kentucky Basketball and its fans. It was a day to unpack and then pack for the next stop in Dallas. However, the NCAA Tournament moves on to its next weekend without our beloved Wildcats. With Kentucky’s early first-round elimination last Thursday evening and the uncertainty around John Calipari’s future because of it, it feels like we are watching “The Door” all over again.

If you were with us in 2009, you know what I am talking about. There was a lot of speculation about the possibility of John Calipari becoming the new head basketball coach in Lexington, replacing Billy Gillispie following UK’s 2009 NIT appearance. Rumors circulated about meetings between Calipari and the administration at the University of Memphis. So, a Memphis news station broadcasted a live stream of a door that Calipari was expected to walk through on Memphis’ campus once those meetings concluded. The door had hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand, viewers awaiting Calipari’s literal next step or any news regarding the future of Kentucky. It was an internet phenomenon the last time Mitch Barnhart needed a basketball coach. Today, fans don’t have a door to watch on the internet while they should be working, but they are again waiting on Mitch Barnhart’s next move–or any sighting of John Calipari.

We should know more today

Mitch Barnhart can’t stay silent on this much longer. He declined interviews last week in Pittsburgh after watching Calipari fumble over the words to explain the inexcusable first-round loss. He’s now had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to consider his next move, whether that be giving Calipari another year in the face of fan frustration or moving on from a Hall of Fame coach.

Today, Barnhart may not be ready to make that final call, but things can’t remain quiet too much longer. John Calipari is due to speak at 6 p.m. tonight on his weekly call-in radio show with Tom Leach. The assumption is there will be a conversation between Barnhart and Calipari before Calipari’s scheduled appearance to wrap up the season to the fan base Monday night. However, Matt Jones noted last night that Calipari spent the weekend in New Jersey, so the meeting has yet to occur, and things could be stretched into Tuesday, he believes. Barnhart has been very quiet on this one so far.

Tom Leach will speak with someone on the radio at 6 p.m.

Unless they turn to dead air, Tom Leach will open John Calipari’s call-in radio show tonight at 6 p.m. for the last hourlong conversation of the 2023-24 season. As things stand now, Calipari is expected to be Leach’s co-host on The John Calipari Show. If Calipari is not in his usual seat for the show, Mitch Barnhart may fill in to explain what is going on. Get ready for a weird Monday in Big Blue Nation.

The NCAA Tournament has its Sweet 16

On Sunday, eight more teams punched their tickets to the second weekend of the Big Dance. We saw three No. 1 seeds—UConn, Purdue, and Houston—survive and advance, plus Marquette, Baylor, Duke, Alabama, and San Diego State. Texas A&M nearly joined the crowd with a thrilling regulation finish against Houston, only to lose to the Cougars in overtime. A&M’s inbounds pass with a second remaining was as smooth as the 3-pointer that forced overtime.

The Sweet 16 map of counties is gross

Over on Reddit, a user made a map of all U.S. counties and their closest Sweet 16 team. Tennessee claims most of the Bluegrass.

How to watch the NCAA Sweet 16 later this week

For the fifth time in history, all No. 1 and No. 2 seeds survived the first and second rounds:

Thursday in Boston

(1) Connecticut vs. (5) San Diego State, 7:39 p.m. | TBS/truTV

(2) Iowa State vs. (3) Illinois, 10 p.m. | TBS/truTV

Thursday in Los Angeles

(2) Arizona vs. (6) Clemson, 7:09 p.m. | CBS

(1) North Carolina vs. (4) Alabama, 9:30 p.m. | CBS

Friday in Dallas

(2) Marquette vs. (11) North Carolina State, 7:09 p.m. | CBS

(1) Houston vs. (4) Duke, 9:30 p.m. | CBS

Friday in Detroit

(1) Purdue vs. (5) Gonzaga, 7:39 p.m. | TBS/truTV

(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Creighton, 10 p.m. | TBS/truTV

Now for some non-basketball matters…

Kentucky Baseball won its first SEC road series

Ranked No. 21 in the country, Kentucky Baseball stayed hot in Southeastern Conference play over the weekend, winning its first road SEC series at Mizzou. On Friday, the Wildcats won 9-4 in Columbia, then dropped Saturday’s game 1-2. On Sunday, Kentucky took the series in Game 3, winning 7-6 to improve to 20-4 (5-1) in 2024.

Read Daniel Hager’s recap of the game here.

Kentucky Softball swept at Florida

The SEC road wasn’t as kind to Kentucky Softball. No. 23 Kentucky traveled to No. 10 Florida for a weekend series but lost all three games in Gainesville. The Gators outscored the Wildcats 26-4 in the sweep, completed by a 7-1 win on Sunday. Kentucky dropped to 0-6 in SEC play with the sweep. Read more from Katelyn Perkins here.

Spring football resumes on campus

Kentucky Football will hold its second week of spring ball this week. Tomorrow, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan will answer questions after the team’s practice, plus comments from some of the players on that side of the ball. KSR will be there, so check back here for more football content to keep your mind off of the basketball disappointment.

KSR is back at KSBar and Grille

For the first time in a long time, the whole show is back at KSBar and Grille in Lexington. We haven’t been together in one place since we left for the SEC Tournament and we’re back together at KSBar way too soon. Still, we hope you’ll tune in as we try to figure all of this out.

Go Cats. Buckle up.