Kentucky

Kentucky vs. Missouri: Preview, Odds, How to Watch

Published

2 years ago

January 9, 2024

Kentucky vs. Missouri: Preview, Odds, How to Watch

Kentucky‘s first SEC road test has been passed. Now it’s time for the Wildcats’ first home conference matchup of 2024 — a revenge battle against Missouri. UK opened league play with a double-digit loss in Columbia last season, the first of six SEC losses that group would go on to take. Led by Dennis Gates, the Tigers made the NCAA Tournament in year one under the 43-year-old coach, but are off to a rough 8-6 start this time around.

Can the Cats continue building momentum in the conference? Let’s preview the matchup.

How To Watch

No. 6 Kentucky (11-2) vs. Missouri (8-6)
7 p.m. ET | Tuesday, January 9 | Rupp Arena

TV: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes)
Streaming: WatchESPN
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 106 or 190
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Team Records

No. 6 Kentucky: 10-2 (KenPom: 17)

11/6: 86-46 W vs. New Mexico State
11/10: 81-61 W vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (Wildcat Challenge)
11/14: 89-84 L vs. No. 1 Kansas
11/17: 101-67 W vs. Stonehill (Wildcat Challenge)
11/20: 96-88 OT W vs. Saint Joseph’s (Wildcat Challenge)
11/24: 118-82 W vs. Marshall
11/28: 95-73 W vs. No. 8 Miami (FL)
12/2: 80-73 L vs. UNC-Wilmington
12/9: 81-66 W vs. Penn
12/16: 87-83 W vs. No. 9 North Carolina
12/21: 95-76 W at Louisville
12/29: 96-70 W vs. Illinois State
1/6: 87-85 W at Florida

Missouri: 8-6 (KenPom: 102)

11/6: 101-79 W vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
11/10: 70-55 L vs. Memphis
11/13: 68-50 W vs. SIU Edwardsville
11/16: 70-68 W at Minnesota
11/19: 73-72 L vs. Jackson State
11/22: 82-59 W vs. South Carolina State
11/25: 78-70 W vs. Loyola Maryland
11/28: 71-64 W at Pittsburgh
12/3: 82-72 W vs. Wichita State
12/9: 73-64 L at No. 2 Kansas
12/17: 93-87 L vs. Seton Hall
12/22: 97-73 L vs. No. 13 Illinois
12/30: 92-59 W vs. Central Arkansas
1/6: 75-68 L vs. Georgia

Series History

Kentucky leads the all-time series 14-3, but Missouri has won two of the past three matchups dating back to the 2020-21 season — both wins at home. Second-year coach Dennis Gates is 1-0 against John Calipari following an 89-75 upset win in Columbia last season, a matchup that saw star forward Kobe Brown go for 30 points for the Tigers. Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds while Cason Wallace added 19 points in the loss.

Overall, though, Coach Cal is an impressive 10-3 in the series, including 6-0 inside Rupp Arena.

Kentucky vs. Missouri Odds via FanDuel

Spread: Kentucky -12.5
Total: 162.5

Kentucky Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#21 – DJ Wagner
6-4 • 192 • GUARD • FRESHMAN
12.1 PPG, 3.5 APG

#12 – Antonio Reeves
6-6 • 195 • GUARD • SENIOR
19.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG

#1 – Justin Edwards
6-8 • 203 • FORWARD • FRESHMAN
9.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG

#4 – Tre Mitchell
6-9 • 231 • FORWARD • GRADUATE STUDENT
12.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.2 APG

#2 – Aaron Bradshaw
7-1 • 226 • FORWARD • FRESHMAN
7.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.2 BPG

Head Coach: John Calipari (32nd season, 15th at UK) – 843-255 overall, 398-115 at UK

Missouri Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#55 – Sean East II
6-3 • 180 • GUARD • SENIOR
17.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.9 APG

#10 – Nick Honor
5-10 • 200 • GUARD • SENIOR
10.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.1 APG

#2 – Tamar Bates
6-5 • 195 • GUARD • JUNIOR
10.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.0 APG

#35 – Noah Carter
6-6 • 235 • FORWARD • SENIOR
11.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG

#23 – Aidan Shaw
6-8 • 208 • FORWARD • SOPHOMORE
4.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG

Head Coach: Dennis Gates (2nd season at Missouri, 5th overall): 33-16 at Mizzou, 83-56 overall

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

The Wildcats rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit at Florida on Saturday. It’s the second time this season they have overcome an 11-point deficit (Texas A&M-Commerce). It marked the largest halftime deficit (8) overcome on the road since March 7, 2020 (10) at Florida.
UK is 8-0 against Missouri at home in the series’ history. The Wildcats are also 13-1 under Calipari in the first SEC home game of the season.
Kentucky ranks among the top 10 nationally in points per game, assist-to-turnover ratio, fastbreak points and 3-point percentage.

Pregame Storylines

REMATCH VS. DENNIS GATES

Kentucky’s trip to Columbia last season set the tone for the rest of conference play. It was an upset win that gave Gates an early spark as one of the hottest up-and-coming coaching names in the country, Missouri ultimately winning a tournament game for the first time since 2010. Things aren’t going as well in year two with six early losses — one a Quad 4 to Jackson State — and the Tigers are desperate for a statement win. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are looking for revenge at home to ruin the second-year coach’s undefeated start in the series.

FORCING TURNOVERS AND LAUNCHING THREES

Missouri’s all-around production won’t blow you away, scoring just 76.5 points (No. 148) while giving up 71.3 (No. 177) and shooting just 45.2% from the field. The Tigers are also abysmal on the glass, pulling down just 34 rebounds per game (No. 280) with a margin of -2.8 (No. 293). They do, however, force 14.5 turnovers per game (No. 61) with an overall margin of 3.0 (No. 51) while launching 26.5 threes per game (No. 40) with 9.1 makes (No. 55). That’s only a 34.3% clip (No. 152), but this is also Rupp Arena we’re talking about — everyone finds ways to get hot. Mizzou will get the shots up to have a chance while being disruptive on defense.

A LOUISVILLE NATIVE LEADS MIZZOU

There are some Kentucky ties at play here in the battle of Cats vs. Tigers — a homecoming of sorts for Missouri’s star player. Back for his final year of eligibility, Sean East II is originally from Louisville before closing out his high school career as a 1,000-point scorer and an Indiana All-Star selection at New Albany High School. East started his college basketball career at UMass before transferring to Bradley, then going down a level to John A. Logan Community College before bouncing back up to the high-major level at Missouri. He has scored in double figures all but two games this season, averaging 17.1 points per contest overall.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

For the first time in over a decade, KSR will be without its in-game live blogs, a longtime tradition here on the blog. Unfortunately, the company that hosted the KSR live blogs no longer exists, so we are without the machine that made it all possible.

If you still want to interact with the KSR crew, consider joining the conversation on KSBoard. New members can try 1 month for $1.

Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with Rapid Reactions live from Rupp Arena on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’ll also have wall-to-wall postgame coverage on the website, including highlights, comments from John Calipari and the players, stats, and takeaways.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

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Kentucky

Missing on this PF in the transfer portal could be a good thing for Kentucky

Published

7 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Missing on this PF in the transfer portal could be a good thing for Kentucky

Power forward has been one of the positions that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have to fill with Andrija Jelavic and Mo Dioubate gone. The two players that Pope has had on campus at the power forward position are Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman and Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik. Both are really good players, but Freeman is better by a wide margin.

It has felt that entire time that Kentucky wanted Rancik as the backup to Freeman or a backup plan if they weren’t able to land Freeman. Well, Rancik just picked Florida State, so perhaps this is a sign that the Wildcats will land Freeman.

Feb 11, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Sebastian Rancik (7) looks to pass the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Big Blue Nation was torn on Rancik, but I do believe he would have been a really solid backup power forward. I personally didn’t want him to be the starting four for this team. It is clear that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the guy at the four, so he will be heading to the ACC to play for FSU.

Now that Kentucky has missed on Rancik, it is very important that the Wildcats land Freeman soon. The problem with waiting on some of these players is the fact that the portal isn’t slowing down. If Pope targets two power forwards and misses on both of them, most of the good fours in the portal will be gone.

There will be some panic in Lexington if the Wildcats are not able to land Freeman, but I do believe the Wildcats are in a good spot to land the elite power forward. From the beginning, Freeman has been my top player for Kentucky in the portal, as he, plus Malachi Moreno, will give the Wildcats an elite frontcourt.

Mar 7, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman (1) warms up prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

If Pope is able to land Freeman and Tyran Stokes to pair with Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Moreno, and Kam Williams, this could be the start of a really good team in Lexington. Hopefully, an announcement for where Freeman will transfer comes soon, and hopefully, this will be to play for Pope at Kentucky.

Fans of rival teams will say Pope “whiffed” on Rancik, but if this whiff was because the Wildcats are set to land Freeman soon, then it was more than worth it for Kentucky. If the Wildcats are able to land Freeman, it will officially be time for Big Blue Nation to start getting excited about the 2026-27 season. I expect a decision from Freeman to come within the next day or two.

Rancik would have been a solid backup four in Lexington but Freeman has been the guy from the beggining for this staff so if Kentucky lands him all is well. If the staff misses on Freeman not landing Rancik will look bad.

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Kentucky

Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report

Published

20 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report

Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.

One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.

Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.

The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.

Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.

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Kentucky

Kentucky football spring game offers early look at Will Stein’s Cats

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky football spring game offers early look at Will Stein’s Cats

LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.

The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.

Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.

Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.

“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”

While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.

“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.

“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”

New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.

And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.

This story will be updated.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

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