I am having a somewhat difficult time getting going today; after all, we are returning from a long holiday weekend, making me feel just a bit rusty. We also endured our first real “snowstorm” of the winter overnight, and if you don’t already know, in my opinion, the only thing worse than snow is brutally cold temperatures, and they’re eminent as well.

Another reason (excuse?) is there is currently a veritable plethora of happenings in the sports world. That makes today’s ultimate challenge a likely futile attempt to hit on a few current items without droning on and on and boring you to tears.

Stein takes over reins at Kentucky

The official announcement from the University of Kentucky came Tuesday morning. After letting head football coach Mark Stoops go over the weekend, the new sheriff in town is 36-year-old Will Stein, who has been the offensive coordinator at Oregon for the past three seasons.

Before delving into Stein and his qualifications, a few words about the outgoing coach. Stoops seemingly lost his winning touch upon the advent of the transfer portal and NIL, but that isn’t to say he didn’t serve the school well for most of his 13-year tenure, the longest in the Southeastern Conference.

When the Youngstown, Ohio native took over the program, it had reached rock bottom. It took some time, but Stoops eventually turned things around in Lexington. Coaching football at Kentucky is no easy task, and he was able to get the program to a respectable level. Stoops took the Cats to numerous bowl games, and became the winningest coach in program history, despite playing in the always formidable SEC. His conference record (33-68) is nothing to write home about, but that is still the most SEC victories for a Kentucky coach in program history.

Like many coaches who remain in one place for more than a decade, it was simply time for a change. Over his last two seasons, Stoops had a difficult time getting his team to perform at a highly competitive level. Some of his comments to the media drew sharp criticism, and his popularity waned among the majority of the fanbase.

That brings us to the former Louisville quarterback. Stein is reputedly one of the hottest names in all of college football, and his rise to the head coaching ranks has been nothing short of impressive. He has coached three outstanding quarterbacks at Oregon, and the immediate plan is for him to help the current Kentucky QB to reach his potential. Cutter Boley, like Stein, is a native Kentuckian, and his love for UK is unquestioned. Even though Stein played at UofL, he grew up a huge Kentucky fan, and his father played for the Wildcats.

Stein will also be tutoring one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks next season, when Matt Posnanski heads to Lexington. Posnanski played at perennial power Moeller in Cincinnati, and he’s also an outstanding baseball prospect.

That’s not to say Stein will not have his work cut out for him. Coaching football at Kentucky is still an immense challenge, and he has never been a collegiate head coach. Stein will also have to get the big money boosters to step up, which was part of Stoops’ downfall. Money speaks loudly these days in collegiate sports, and without it, succeeding on a high level in the SEC is nearly impossible.

Cats face Zags in Nashville

With this being written before the North Carolina game, it remains a mystery as to just how good this Kentucky basketball team is at the moment. Sure, they are adept at blowing out lesser foes, but playing well against quality opponents has been a different story.

This week, the Cats are faced with back-to-back opportunities to show they’re on the rise. Following the battle versus UNC, Kentucky will meet 11th-ranked Gonzaga on Friday in a 7 p.m. contest to be televised on ESPN2. The Zags laid an enormous egg last Wednesday in Las Vegas, getting manhandled by Michigan 101-61. That game has to be an aberration, however; Gonzaga is still an extremely talented team, with wins over Oklahoma, Creghton and Alabama, a team UK plays in its SEC opener on Jan. 3 in Tuscaloosa.

A pair of nonconference wins against quality foes would give Kentucky a much-needed boost in confidence and give head coach Mark Pope a better idea on his rotation heading into conference play. Improving the team in more than just a few areas would also go a long way, especially the assist-to-turnover ratio. This team still needs to figure out its offense, which has looked lost against top-flight competition.

Crosstown Shootout set for Friday

Another college basketball game sure to draw a lot of interest locally will be played Friday in Cincinnati. That would be the annual Crosstown Shootout, which will be played at the Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier University and televised on TNT, tipping at 7:30.

(Perhaps you haven’t noticed yet, but TNT and TruTV are stepping up their college hoops coverage this year, and not waiting for March Madness to do so.)

Earlier in the still-young season, it appeared that the Cincinnati Bearcats had the clear advantage, despite the game being played in front of a hostile XU crowd. The way things have evolved recently, however, this one looks like a flip of the coin. UC (6-2) has not performed up to expectations, with the low being a loss at home to Eastern Michigan.

Meanwhile, 6-3 Xavier has played the tougher overall schedule, and first-year coach Richard Pitino has his mix of transfers playing fairly well. The Muskies have the potential to get hot from beyond the 3-point arc, and Pitino seems to have settled on a rotation.

Cincinnati fans are clamoring for a change from the Wes Miller era, and if the fifth-year head coach loses to their despised rival, that will only get louder.

Burrow’s mere presence makes huge difference

We will discuss in more detail about the Cincinnati Bengals’ upcoming game on Sunday in possibly snowy Buffalo in the Saturday column, but first, I have to say it looks like I was dead wrong.

Previously, I intimated that the Men in Stripes were dead in the water, with absolutely no chance of reaching the postseason. Well, as former Louisville football coach and ESPN commentator Lee Corso was known to exclaim, “Not so fast, my friend.”

Even if the Bengals lose in lovely Orchard Park, N.Y., they could still finish with an 8-9 record, and that may be good enough to win the dismal AFC North this season. On the other hand, a win would keep the hope alive more realistically. A six-game win streak to end the strange season would propel Cincy to 9-8, and with Joe Burrow leading the charge, it is quite possible. His leadership is unquestioned; not only is the offense getting a significant boost, but the defense is even playing better.

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“Shut the door. Not that it lets in the cold but it lets out the coziness.” – Mark Twain