Kentucky
Kentucky vs. Ole Miss opening odds and early predictions
The Kentucky Wildcats hit the road for the first time this season as they travel down to Oxford for a date with the Ole Miss Rebels.
After knocking off the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, Mark Stoop’s squad has now moved to 2-2 on the season as they look to continue making the complete turnaround from the egg they laid against South Carolina in Week 2. This week against Ole Miss will be another opportunity to do just that.
It won’t be easy, though. Lane Kiffin’s team comes into the battle ranked as a top-ten team in the country and has been as high as No. 5 in the early weeks of AP Polls. Coming into the matchup, the Rebels are 4-0 and are coming off another blow-out performance against Georgia Southern, winning 52-13.
Keeping that in mind, that will point us to likely the biggest matchup in this game, Jaxson Dart vs. Kentucky’s defense. We saw what Kentucky was able to do to slow down Carson Beck and the Georgia offense, but this Ole Miss offense is a completely different beast.
At the moment, Ole Miss is currently averaging 61 points per game while stacking up an absurd average of 670 yards per game. With most of those coming through the air, Dart is already setting himself up for a potential invitation to the Heisman ceremony with the numbers he has been posting. After throwing for 1,554 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first four weeks, Brad White’s defense will have to prepare to slow him down.
For the BBN, there is some hope coming into this matchup. To start the season, Ole Miss has squared off with Furman, Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest, and the aforementioned Georgia Southern. Despite facing one Power 5 opponent in Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons have struggled so far this season, sitting at 1-2, and have not looked great.
If the Cats can replicate some of the offensive successes we saw against Ohio and can continue to dominate on the defensive side of the ball, they will have a shot. Obviously, that is a big “if” at the moment after the first two conference performances by the offense, but the chance could be there for the Cats this week to earn that first signature win.
At the moment, the Cats are currently a 16.5-point underdog to the Rebels. That sounds about right, based on how these two teams have looked so far this season.
Let the game week begin!
How to watch Kentucky vs. Ole Miss
Date & Time: Saturday, Sep. 28 at Noon ET
Location: Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, MS
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: UK Sports Network with Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro
Rosters: UK I Ole Miss
Stats: UK I Ole Miss
Odds: Ole Miss -16.5 via FanDuel, while ESPN FPI only gives the Cats a 9.5% chance of victory.
Early Predictions: DRatings has the Rebels winning 33-21, while TeamRankings has it at 35-17 in favor of the home team.
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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