KSR Today: KAT takes Game 1 of the Finals, big weekend awaits Kentucky football

Good morning, folks! The basketball sure was fun last night. Let’s talk about it and everything else you need to know in the world of UK Athletics.

For starters, shoutout to Karl-Anthony Towns. He wasn’t phased by Victor Wembanyama. Where Chet Holmgren peed down his leg against Wemby in the Western Conference Finals, KAT thrived to kick off the NBA Finals. The former ‘Cat dropped 18 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists as the New York Knicks took Game 1, 105-95, over the San Antonio Spurs. He was tough, aggressive, and necessary to a thrilling road victory for the Knicks. He outplayed Wemby, who still managed 26 points and 12 rebounds, but on 6-21 shooting.

The other Wildcats had brief moments, too. Keldon Johnson banged home a big three for the Spurs, while De’Aaron Fox added seven points, five assists, and four rebounds. Fox is doing a little bit of everything for San Antonio — expect shoot the ball well. He was 3-13 last night. He needs to knock down some shots.

Game 2 on Friday night is going to be a banger. And oh yeah, a fan ran onto the floor in an attempt to record himself with Wemby.

POV of the fan who ran on the court in Game 1

Wemby was too tall to fit in the video 😭 pic.twitter.com/ZHAgSdEObB

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) June 4, 2026

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BIG official visit weekend for Will Stein

June is here, which means it’s official visit SZN for top 2027 high school football prospects. Will Stein has a big opening weekend of OVs on deck, headlined by a top 50 national recruit, five offensive linemen, and a handful of current commits. Prized QB commit Jake Nawrot, coming off a good stretch at the Elite 11 Finals, will also be in town for an unofficial visit before returning for his official later this month.

A big group of players ranked by the Rivals Industry Ranking is expected to spend the weekend in Lexington beginning on Friday. Here’s who we got:

• IOL Caden Moss (No. 41 overall)
• OT Antonio Berry (No. 86 overall)
• IOL Dominic Black (No. 245 overall)
• S Marquis Bryant (No. 287 overall), Kentucky commit
• LB Sean Fox (No. 298 overall)
• OT Li’Marcus Jones (No. 366 overall), Colorado commit
• S Tristin Hughes (No. 388 overall), Kentucky commit
• S Larron Westmoreland (No. 449 overall), Kentucky commit
• CB Emerson Lewis (No. 476 overall)
• RB Asa Barnes (No. 497 overall)
• LB Aston Whiteside (No. 499 overall)
• IOL Tre Warren III (No. 600 overall)
• LB Ty Ashley (No. 611 overall), Kentucky commit
• WR Austin Coles (No. 645 overall)
• RB Mason Ball (No. 652 overall), Kentucky commit
• EDGE Griff Galloway (No. 661 overall), Kentucky commit
• CB Joshua Vilmael (No. 682 overall)
• WR Julian Cromartie (No. 753 overall)
• TE Conrad Hart (No. 800 overall), Kentucky commit

Stein’s first recruiting class at Kentucky is already shaping up nicely. His group of 18 commits is ranked 23rd nationally and 8th in the SEC. The Wildcats are trending to land even more top-end talent, too.

Milan Momcilovic boosting Kentucky’s stock

The addition of Milan Momcilovic has quickly vaulted Kentucky into the national conversation ahead of the 2026-27 season. Adding the top-ranked player in the portal will do that. Below are the latest preseason rankings for Kentucky with Momcilovic now on board. The 16-23 range is the consensus right now.

• EvanMiya: No. 8-13 range
• FanDuel (Jon Rothstein): No. 16
• ESPN (Jeff Borzello): No. 17
• The Field of 68 (Rob Dauster): No. 17
• CBS Sports (Gary Parrish): No. 17
• The Athletic (CJ Moore): No. 20
• Sports Illustrated (Kevin Sweeny): No. 23
• BartTorvik: No. 23

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Another Bat Cat hits the portal

A fourth Kentucky baseball player with college eligibility remaining has elected to look for a new home. Ryan Schwartz has gone two-and-done at Kentucky. The utility player who played catcher, corner outfield, and pitched in one game is on the move with two years of college ball left to play at his next stop.

The Indian Trail (N.C.) High product played in 23 games with 18 starting assignments as a true freshman for Kentucky in 2025. Schwartz slashed .317/.461/.500 with seven extra-base hits and 15 RBI across 76 plate appearances. Expectations were high for the returnee as a sophomore. Schwartz was expected to be a full-time starter and key bat in the middle of Kentucky’s lineup. That never really occurred in 2026. He appeared in 41 games, where he slashed .243/.348/.400 with six doubles, four home runs, and 19 RBI.

He joins three other Bat Cats in the portal. Schwartz is easily the best of the group to defect thus far.

• OF Ryan Schwartz (So.)
• RHP Lucas Hail (Fr.)
• INF Michael Gardner (Fr.)
• INF Maxime Boies (Fr.)

Moreno re-committed to UK while watching Messi

Malachi Moreno is coming back for a sophomore season in Lexington. How he told his head coach is now one of my favorite stories. In an interview with Maggie Davis on “BBN Tonight,” Moreno said he called Mark Pope from Nu Stadium in Miami, where he was watching Lionel Messi and Inter Miami take on Philadelphia Union. It was so loud that he had to plug one ear to hear Pope’s reaction.

“It was a little hard to FaceTime just because it was so loud in the Inter Miami CF stadium, because there were so many people, music playing all game long. So, all I did was, I just called him and I had my phone in one hand, and I was plugging my ear on the other end so I could hear him. I just told him, I said, ‘I’m coming back, and I’m ready to work.’ He was super excited. He was just like, ‘I’m ready to work too, and we’re going to be dangerous, and we’re going to change a lot.’”

With Moreno and Momcilovic on board, I’m ready for next season to start right now.

KSR Happy Hour live at 4!

Looking for the perfect way to close out the work day? KSR’s weekly Happy Hour show has you covered. Drew Franklin, Tyler Thompson, and Nick Roush will go live on the KSR YouTube around 4:00 p.m. ET to talk Kentucky sports and much more. Make sure to bring a Country Boy. Let’s have a great day, BBN.