Kentucky
Kentucky freshman center Zvonimir Ivišić cleared to play by NCAA
LEXINGTON — The NCAA on Saturday paved the way for Zvonimir Ivišić to take the floor for Kentucky this season.
The NCAA ruled Ivišić, a 7-foot-2 Croatian who played in professional leagues overseas the last few years, still retained his amateur status, meaning he can immediately suit up for the Wildcats. And that debut could come as soon as Saturday’s SEC game versus Georgia at Rupp Arena.
Ivišić announced the news Saturday afternoon on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Hey BBN, guess what? I’m free,” Ivišić said in a video attached to his post. “See y’all tonight at the game. I thank you all for the support.”
Minutes after Ivišić’s post, Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart also posted on X, thanking the university, his department and the NCAA “for working through” the eligibility questions.
Ivišić committed to UK on Aug. 1, becoming the eighth (and final) member of the team’s 2023 recruiting class, which ranked No. 1 nationally according to the 247Sports Composite.
“I got the offer for scholarship by Coach Calipari to attend the University of Kentucky,” Ivišić said in an Instagram Stories post. “I’m excited to tell that I accepted the scholarship and I will play there next season. Go Big Blue!!”
Kentucky coach John Calipari officially announced Ivišić’s signing later that month. Calipari invoked a nickname — “Big Z” — that’s now become the coach’s go-to moniker for his newest player.
“Big Z is a dynamic and modern big who has guard-like skills but can make a major impact around the rim,” Calipari said in a statement. “Defensively, he is an elite shot blocker who moves well for being 7-foot-2 and can impact the game from the outside-in because of his ability to make 3s. As excited as he is to play for us, I’m just as excited to have the opportunity to coach him.
“We can’t wait to get him to campus to get integrated with our team and our culture.”
It took more than two months to finally get Ivišić to campus, however, as the university took its time sorting through his application. He finally was admitted to the university Oct. 4 and arrived in Lexington the next day.
While he didn’t participate in any public preseason event — the Blue-White scrimmage in Highland Heights and exhibitions versus Georgetown College and Kentucky State, respectively — and has sat out all 16 regular-season games so far, Ivišić has practiced with the team since enrolling, though he’s dealt with multiple illnesses. First, food poisoning kept him from attending the exhibition against Kentucky State. Then he missed UK’s record-setting win over Marshall, battling a 104-degree fever, according to Calipari.
What Zvonimir Ivišić addition means for 2023-24 Kentucky basketball roster
First and foremost, Ivišić boosts the Wildcats in an area that now is a strength — but lacked this summer (pick your favorite alliterative descriptor): A bonafide big man. A colossal center. A towering talent in the paint.
Because of Ivišić’s late arrival, and injuries to fellow 7-footers Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso, the Wildcats played senior forward Tre Mitchell (all 6-9 of him) out of position as an undersized 5 since their successful summer in Toronto, where they romped to a 4-0 record and a gold medal at the GLOBL JAM tournament.
Though UK has had no problem simply outscoring its opponents this season — it is leading Division I in points per game (90.8 per outing) entering Saturday — the Wildcats routinely have struggled on the boards facing foes with taller players on the floor.
Ivišić, obviously, will help in that area. He’ll also give Kentucky — despite his height seemingly implying the opposite — another perimeter threat offensively. Ivišić knocked down 43 3-pointers playing for SC Derby in the ABA League — the top league of teams from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) — the past two seasons.
But where he’ll be an even bigger help — meant literally and figuratively here — is on defense.
The Wildcats have allowed 77 points (or more) in all four conference games they’ve played. At 76.1 points permitted per outing, it far outpaces the previous-worst average by a Calipari-coached squad: the 2016-17 Wildcats gave up 71.5 points a game.
When Bradshaw and Onyenso were still working working their way back from foot ailments that sidelined them to begin the season, opponents got to the basket nearly at will with no rim protector dissuading them from venturing forward. Onyenso has combined to tally nine blocks over the past two games, however, while Bradshaw has rejected at least one shot in six of his nine appearances, tallying two (or more) on two occasions.
Ivišić only can help the Wildcats’ interior defense as another basket deterrant.
While Ivišić is far from a finished product defensively, he’s shown he knows how to use his size to his advantage.
He averaged one block per game for SC Derby last season, which ranked fifth in the ABA.
Even if Ivišić has to work his way into form after missing so much time, he’ll offer the Wildcats a defensive boost from the jump. Anything he can provide beyond that, at least early on, will be a windfall.
‘I’m not changing’: Will John Calipari going all-in on freshmen pay off for UK in 2023-24?
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
Kentucky
UWM gets run off the floor in first half of 18-point loss to Northern Kentucky
Milwaukee coach Bart Lundy on state of mid-major college basketball
NIL and the transfer portal challenge mid-major basketball teams, Panthers coach Bart Lundy says, but things are tough all over.
That was rough.
An ugly first half from the Milwaukee Panthers led way to one of the most disheartening showings at home in recent memory Jan. 9, an 85-67 loss to the Northern Kentucky Norse.
Forward Kael Robinson poured in nine 3-pointers and a game-high 29 points as he and the Norse buried the Panthers with an onslaught of offense, especially early.
“We’ve got to have two things,” Panthers head coach Bart Lundy said. “We’ve got to make less mistakes and have more toughness.”
BOX SCORE: Northern Kentucky 85, UW-Milwaukee 67
No amount of positive moments from true freshmen Josh Dixon and Stevie Elam – they combined for 18 points in the second half and 30 on the night – could wash away the overall feeling of the night.
The Norse led by as many as 20 in the first half, which they ended with a 55-37 lead to ultimately handle the Panthers their worst home loss since coming up 36 points short against Northern Kentucky on Feb. 9, 2022.
Treacherous first half spells doom
The first 20 minutes may have been the worst half of the Lundy era.
Only once in the past four seasons were the Panthers outscored more in a half than the 18-point deficit they faced against the Norse – and that came on the road against the second-place finisher in the Horizon League. Their previous worst home loss under Lundy was a 13-point defeat to Longwood on Dec. 13, 2023.
Northern Kentucky had only four empty possessions in the first 11 minutes of the game, making six threes and grabbing six offensive rebounds. A putback dunk by x Dozier made it a 40-25 game and forced Lundy to use his second timeout of the game.
The Norse lead the nation in fastbreak points, averaging 18 per game and Milwaukee simply could not get back in transition, even after a made basket. The Norse had a whopping 20 points on the fastbreak in the first 20 minutes alone – and that doesn’t even include free throws courtesy of run-outs. Two of those transition trips to the foul line came in succession by Donovan Oday after made baskets for the Panthers, a rather inexcusable effort.
“A complete breakdown in our systems,” Lundy called it.
Oday had 16 points in the half – which wasn’t even a team-high as big man Kael Robinson had 17 and went 4 for 5 from three.
The Panthers went into the break down 18, but the largest lead was 20 on a Robinson triple to cap an 8-0 spurt across 59 seconds, forcing Lundy to take his third timeout.
The Norse finished with 11 offensive rebounds and generated 19 second-chance points. They scored on 23 of 34 possessions, averaging 1.618 points per possession.
“Give them all the credit,” Lundy said. “They were physical and tough and came up with every ball and outran us down the floor.”
Panthers slipping in Horizon
Milwaukee’s defense the rest of the way was solid – perhaps even good; Northern Kentucky shot 38.5% from the field percent as it scored 30 points in the final 20 minutes. It still wasn’t nearly enough to erase the disaster of the first half.
The Panthers now sit tied for sixth in the Horizon League having dropped three in a row after a 3-0 start.
Danilo Jovanovich exits game
Milwaukee’s active leading scorer Danilo Jovanovich played nearly 16 minutes in the first half, scoring only two points while appearing visibly hampered, but came out of the locker room in his warm-ups.
He continues to be bothered by a balky right shoulder, an injury that limited him to no contact in practice this week.
Jovanovich is day-to-day going forward, which could leave the Panthers without four projected senior starters at the beginning of the season: Jovanovich, Faizon Fields, John Lovelace and Seth Hubbard.
“I look down on that bench and I see all them dudes on crutches that are older and wish they were pretty available,” Lundy said. “…If you have Johnny Lovelace or Seth, that’s a whole different story. You’ve got length, athleticism, Faizon corrects a lot of things. What we have now on the floor, they’re talented but most of those guys have never seen Division-I basketball.”
(This story was updated to change or add a photo or video.)
Kentucky
Virginia woman arrested 30 years after newborn was found in a Kentucky landfill
More than three decades after a newborn’s remains were discovered in a Kentucky landfill, investigators say advances in forensic science have finally led to an arrest.
Jennifer Cummins of Fairfax County, Virginia, was taken into custody on January 6 in connection with the death of an infant known for decades only as “Baby Jane Doe,” Kentucky State Police announced this week.
The case dates to 1991, when a sanitation worker discovered the remains of a baby girl at the former Richmond Landfill in Madison County, near Eastern Kentucky University.
Despite early investigative efforts, authorities were unable to identify the baby or determine who was responsible, and the case eventually went cold.
Kentucky State Police detectives recently reopened the investigation using modern forensic tools and updated investigative techniques. With assistance from the State Medical Examiner, it was determined that the infant was born alive and healthy before being placed in a dumpster on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
The new information ultimately identified Cummins as a person of interest. In late 2025, the case was presented to a Madison County grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Cummins with murder.
“Even after decades of time that has passed, with the collaboration of new technologies, advancements, and persistence, we’ve been able to discover new leads in this case,” said Kentucky State Police Trooper Justin Kearney. “That’s why it’s so important for people to know these cases never go cold to us.”
Authorities have not released details about Cummins’ relationship to the child or the specific circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.
Kentucky State Police say the investigation remains active, and that investigators say they are still seeking the public’s help to resolve some unanswered questions.
Cummins is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Kentucky.
Kentucky
Kentucky Transfer WR Hardley Gilmore IV Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Montavin Quisenberry isn’t the only former Kentucky wide receiver to switch out blue for red this offseason.
Hardley Gilmore IV announced Thursday that he has committed to the Louisville football program.
He’s the fifth Wildcat to transfer to the Cardinals in this cycle, following Quisenberry, who committed earlier in the day, cornerback D.J. Waller plus defensive ends Jerod Smith II and Jacob Smith.
Gilmore is also the 11th portal pickup for UofL in the last three days, and their 15th transfer commitment overall in this cycle, beginning to offset 23 portal defections that UofL has seen so far. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up this past Friday, and is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.
Despite Kentucky’s instability at quarterback this past season, Gilmore put together a productive 2025 campaign. Playing in all 12 games while starting five, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound receiver caught 28 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown. His reception and yardage total was second on the team to Kendrick Law.
The Belle Glade, Fla. native got immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2024. Appearing in seven games, Gilmore was able to haul in six passes for 153 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown vs. Murray State.
While Gilmore has shown high end potential on the field, he comes with some off-the-field baggage from last offseason. Last January after opting to transfer to Nebraska following his true freshman season, he was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching someone in the face at a storage facility in Lexington. Then this past April, he was dismissed from the Huskers for unknown reasons, and wound up returning to Kentucky.
“Nothing outside the program, nothing criminal or anything like that,” Huskers head coach Matt Rhule said at the time regarding Gilmore’s dismissal. “Just won’t be with us anymore.”
Gilmore and Quisenberry are the first of likely multiple transfer pieces that Louisville will add to their wide receiver room. Between graduation and the portal, the Cardinals are losing six receivers – including Chris Bell & Caullin Lacy.
In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.
More Cardinals Stories
(Photo of Hardley Gilmore IV: Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)
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