Kentucky
Kentucky Falls at South Carolina on Tuesday
Rob Dillingham came off the bench to score 16 points, but No. 6 Kentucky fell at South Carolina 79-62 on Tuesday night.
Antonio Reeves scored 15 for the Cats, despite hitting just 6 of 18 from the floor. Tre Mitchell had 13 points and five rebounds for UK. Kentucky’s 62 points are the fewest for the Cats in a game all season.
Kentucky scored the first four points of the game, but South Carolina answered with the next seven to take a 7-4 lead.
The Gamecocks would lead 10-6 before Kentucky went on an 11-2 run, sparked by Dillingham, to lead 17-12. After South Carolina got a three from Jacobi Wright, Dillingham hit a three to give UK a 20-15 advantage with 9:04 left in the half.
A Zvonimir Ivisic free throw gave the Cats a 21-16 lead, but the Gamecocks went on an 11-2 run to take a 27-23 lead with 3:21 remaining in the first half. Kentucky would get a Dillingham jumper to get within two, 27-25, but the Cats did not score for the remainder of the half and South Carolina took a 33-25 lead into the break. The 25 points marked Kentucky’s lowest scoring half of the season. Dillingham led all scorers with 11 points in the first half.
Reeves scored the first four points of the second half to get the Cats within four, 33-29. But B.J. Mack answered with a three and South Carolina led 36-29.
The Gamecocks would lead 38-31 before the Cats got a three from Reeves to cut the deficit to four. After a South Carolina basket, Mitchell scored four in a row to get UK within two, 40-38. However, the Gamecocks scored the next five points to re-establish a seven-point lead, 45-38. That was part of a 13-2 run that gave South Carolina a 53-40 advantage with 11:32 to play.
The South Carolina run continued. After a D.J. Wagner basket, the Gamecocks went on a 9-2 run to take a 62-44 lead with 7:49 remaining. South Carolina would lead by as many as 20 in the second half.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, visiting Bud Walton Arena to face Arkansas. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN.
Kentucky
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.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
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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