Kentucky

KSR Gameday: No. 12 Kentucky hosts Arkansas in John Calipari's returns to Rupp Arena

Published

1 year ago

February 1, 2025

KSR Gameday: No. 12 Kentucky hosts Arkansas in John Calipari's returns to Rupp Arena

Good morning, folks! How are we feeling today? Nervous? Excited? Ready for it to be Sunday already? I’m currently a mix of everything. We’re 11 hours away from one of the most highly anticipated Kentucky games in quite some time. John Calipari, who won a lot of basketball games during his 15 years in Lexington, will return to Rupp Arena tonight. He’ll look different tonight though, wearing a red blazer on the opposing sideline.

Calipari brings his Arkansas Razorbacks to town for a game that will feature a heavy contingency of national media. North Carolina and Duke may be getting the College Gameday treatment, but there will be plenty of eyes on Kentucky-Arkansas for this primetime ESPN showdown. The cheer/boo debate over Calipari’s introduction has officially put a hole in my brain. Do whatever you’d like, BBN. It won’t bother this writer.

I’ve gone back and forth with this being a “must-win” game for Kentucky and new head coach Mark Pope. I think I’ve safely landed on the other side though. UK has produced an excellent season already with one of the best resumes in the country. Arkansas is not playing good basketball under Calipari (12-8; 1-6 SEC) and this is a home game for the Wildcats, but dropping this one would not be the end of the world — it would just sting like hell in the short-term.

Just got this from a great friend & UK student who got up at 4a this morning— picked up 5 friends & was in line at Rupp at 5am!
Let’s go!!! pic.twitter.com/5rYLSpZoVy
— Dave Buzz Baker (@buzzbaker) February 1, 2025

Luckily, I don’t think it will matter. Kentucky is clearly the better team with better talent. FanDuel has the ‘Cats as 11.5-point favorites as of this morning. KenPom calls for an 84-73 victory. Even without Lamont Butler (who was ruled out last night) and a half-healthy Andrew Carr (probable), UK will have the edge in just about every category. Emotions could play heavily in this game, but at the same time, there are only a handful of Arkansas players (and none from Kentucky other than Travis Perry/Trent Noah) who truly know how high the stakes are for Calipari.

“Probably as we get closer to game time, I know the emotions will build. The fans should be able to do what they want,” Calipari told ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes. “If they want to boo, they can boo. If they want to cheer, they can cheer. I’m not expecting an overwhelming reaction because, at the end of the day, I’m an opposing coach. I’m not coming in here to lose this game.

“I get it. It’s a big game for the fans — ‘We’ve got to crush Cal and Arkansas,’ all of that. I’ve done this long enough. I always say, if I go to an opponent’s court, I almost expect it. I’m not looking up and seeing (who is booing), you just coach the game.”

Calipari will more than likely get some sort of tribute video on the jumbotron before the game. He’s earned that. Now let’s strap in for a long day of anxiety. Make sure you listen to Calipari’s entire 17-minute sitdown interview with Dykes from the Rupp Arena floor. After that, dive in below for the rest of this morning’s news and notes.

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Kentucky vs. Arkansas: How to Watch, Listen

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, Alyssa Lang)
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 84
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard.

Friends of Coal is dedicated to informing and educating Kentucky citizens about the coal industry and its vital role in the state’s future. We provide a united voice for an industry that has been and remains a critical economic contributor to Kentucky. By working together, we can provide good jobs and benefits for future generations. Coal is RESILIENT, RELIABLE, and AFFORDABLE.

Friends of Coal is a volunteer organization. All are invited to be a part of our organization, which consists of proud Kentuckians as well as residents from beyond our borders. Head to friendsofcoalkentucky.org to learn more.

Come to KSBar for a LIVE Sources Say

After you get done watching Seth Greenberg sit on his high horse during College Gameday, come to KSBar and Grille for some real entertainment. We’ve got a special LIVE episode of Sources Say planned to begin around 1:00 p.m. EST. As always, Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith will run point. I’ll fill in alongside them and we’ll have a rotating fourth guest (some Arkansas media members, some Kentucky) for however long we decide to talk.

So come hang out with us as we talk Kentucky-Arkansas until our lips fall off. How else are you going to pass the time for this late-night tipoff?

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

Kentucky FB All-American Herschel Turner passes away

UK announced on Friday that Herschel Turner, who was an All-America and All-SEC lineman for the Wildcats from 1961-63, died at the age of 82. He was a three-year letterman with Kentucky, playing offensive and defensive tackle along with offensive guard. Turner was coached by both Blanton Collier (1961) and Charlie Bradshaw (1962-63).

After spending the 1960 season on the freshman team, Turner became an All-SEC Sophomore Team performer. He followed that up with All-SEC nods as a junior and senior, including an All-American accolade in his senior campaign. The native of Breathitt County went on to be selected in the second round of the 964 NFL Draft by St. Louis, but injuries cut his pro career short after two seasons.

Rest in Peace to a Bluegrass Star.

UK Gymnastics knocks off No. 11 Auburn on Excite Night

Memorial Coliseum was packed with over 6,000 screaming fans for last night’s Excite Night featuring No. 7 Kentucky Gymnastics (4-2) and No. 11 Auburn (8-2). With the crowd behind them, Kentucky topped 197 for the second time this month in a 197.050-196.600 victory over the Tigers. UK won four out of five individual events while adding seven team titles across three apparatus.

Up next? A first-time conference matchup with the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners next Friday in Norman.

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Kentucky

Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant

Published

5 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant

BURKESVILLE, Ky. (WSMV) – A man was arrested Friday after a search warrant was executed at a Kentucky home, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The search warrant comes after a weeks-long joint investigation between the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police.

CCSO said a search warrant was executed at a home at 4426 Glasgow Road about 1 p.m. Friday.

During the search, deputies found about one pound of methamphetamine inside the home.

Stephen Eaves, of Cumberland County, was arrested following the search, CCSO said.

“The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with all first responding agencies to keep our community as safe as possible,” CCSO said.

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Kentucky

Kentucky bill would change how alcohol, cannabis beverages are taxed

Published

18 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky bill would change how alcohol, cannabis beverages are taxed

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A bill that would change how alcohol and cannabis-infused beverages are taxed is under consideration in Frankfort.

House Bill 9 would impose a 4% state retail regulatory license fee on all sales of alcoholic beverages and cannabis-infused beverages to consumers by retailers.

The bill would also establish state wholesale regulatory license fees on those same products and, for the first time, bring kratom, hemp-derived, and cannabinoid products into the formal tax structure.

How the tax would be calculated

Annie Rouse, CEO and founder of CannaBuzz, said the tax itself is not the problem, but how it is calculated could be.

“Right now it kind of seems like nickel and diming at every part of the supply chain,” Rouse said.

Rouse said the introduction of House Bill 9 means retailers may not be able to absorb the cost of supply chain and retail taxes, eventually passing those costs on to customers. She said the tax would be applied per milligram of THC in a product, rather than on the product’s value — a structure she said mirrors a similar shift happening in the alcohol industry.

“That is also happening with alcohol — they’re moving away from the value tax and moving it to a by-alcohol-volume tax,” Rouse said.

“So kind of taxed on multiple levels. There’s still some work that needs to be done to kind of maybe move some of those taxes around so it’s just one tax,” Rouse said.

Rouse said she is working with legislators to help them understand the best way for the state to earn tax revenue from the products without harming the industries.

“We need to find that sweet spot so that people aren’t going out of state and instead they’re staying here, they’re buying it here and then we’re continuing to support the economy,” Rouse said.

What customers say

Until the bill is passed, it is unclear how much of a financial impact the tax would have on customers. Customers told WKYT that because cannabis-infused drinks and alcohol are entertainment purchases, those products would be among the first cut from their budgets.

“It’s already an expensive product and, you know, I don’t want to spend an extra four dollars on my sleep gummies or my beer,” said Will Partain, a customer who buys products in both industries.

Partain said a price increase would stop him from shopping local. He said if local companies raise their prices, he would shift to major brands and buy less overall.

What else is in the bill

Beyond the new fee structure, House Bill 9 would repeal Kentucky’s existing excise and wholesale taxes on alcoholic and cannabis-infused beverages on July 1, 2027, replacing them with the new regulatory license fee system.

The bill would also direct 0.5% of collected state retail regulatory license fees to the Alcohol Wellness and Responsibility Education Fund and create new public health laboratory and testing standards for cannabis-infused beverages, kratom, hemp, and cannabinoid products.

Under the bill, local governments in moist or wet cities and counties would gain new authority to impose their own local regulatory license fees. Existing local fees would be required to drop to 3% within four years; future fees would be capped at 1%.

The bill also includes a permanent prohibition on retail licensees using a premises where alcohol was sold to minors three or more times within 24 months.

Timeline

The bill includes an emergency clause, meaning most provisions could take effect immediately if signed into law. The full tax overhaul — including the sunset of existing excise and wholesale taxes and the full implementation of the new regulatory license fee system — would not take effect until July 1, 2027.

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Kentucky

Kentucky Basketball vs. Florida viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

Published

2 days ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky Basketball vs. Florida viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

What an up-and-down season it has been for Kentucky Basketball, as shown by just the last two games: A dominating win over Vanderbilt, where the Wildcats led for 38+ minutes, followed by a double-digit loss to Texas A&M just 72 hours later, allowing a 27-3 run.

While locked in an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are playing for seeding, likely a 6-7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and anywhere from a 4-10 seed in the SEC Tournament. The last game of the regular season to ultimately decide the latter is the SEC regular-season champion, the Florida Gators.

Already having played once this season, Kentucky trailed by as many as 17 points in the first 10 minutes, but fought back to make it a five-point game in the second half.

Can the Wildcats put together a full 40 minutes together, avoid a season sweep for the first time since 2018, and guarantee themselves a bye in the SEC Tournament?

Here’s what to watch for in Kentucky vs. Florida, Part II.

While Florida has one of the best frontcourts in the country, one of the deciding factors in the first game was the backcourt play, as Xavian Lee and Urban Klavzar, who had two of their best performances of the season and combined for 41 points.

At this point of the season, the correlation of Kentucky’s success and the play of Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler, and Denzel Aberdeen is pretty clear. Coming off a game against Texas A&M, where they combined for 36 points, on 11-30 shooting, they need to outplay Florida’s backcourt for Kentucky to have a shot at the upset.

Given their elite frontcourt, Florida looks to give their big men plenty of touches around the basket and attack the basket for offensive rebounding opportunities. As a result, they draw fouls at one of the highest rates in the nation, nearly 20 a game.

In the first matchup, Kentucky had four players with four or more fouls, including Brandon Garrison, who fouled out. This limited Malachi Moreno to just 21 minutes, still having a team-high 11 rebounds. Backing him up, Garrison had as many fouls (5) as points, rebounds, and blocks combined.

Kentucky will likely face foul trouble again, and with a limited frontcourt, Mark Pope has the option of playing Malachi Moreno through foul trouble or hoping for better production from the other bigs. Pope has shown that he would rather go with the latter. Fortunately, Mo Dioubate is coming off his best game of the season, and Garrison had one of his better performances, albeit against a smaller Texas A&M team. They will need to sustain some level of production to give Kentucky a chance against Florida.

Kentucky played well for the final 30 minutes of the first matchup, outscoring Florida 66-60 during that span. It was the first 10 minutes that were the issue, where they turned the ball over 9 times and put themselves into a 17-point deficit.

Whether it be slow starts, as in the Florida game, or tough mid-game stretches like against Texas A&M, too often Kentucky puts itself in a hole with turnovers. Mark Pope has said it, turnovers are a great indicator for this team. When keeping turnovers in the single digits, Kentucky is 11-2; when that number rises to 10 or more, it is just 3-9 against power opponent teams.

Thomas Haugh 6-9, 215 lbs

17.1 PPG
6.0 RPG
17 points and 8 rebounds vs UK on 2/14/26

Reuben Chinyelu 6-10, 265 lbs

11.7 PPG
4.1 APG
22 points, 4-7 3P vs UK on 2/14/26

Time: 4:00 PM ET on March 7th
Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: ESPN
Announcers: Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, and Dick Vitale will call the action.
Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and the ESPN network (check local listings)
Rosters: UK | UF
Stats to Know: UK | UF
KenPom: UK | UF
Team Sheet: UK | UF

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for this game, so please check back later for those. The analytics have Kentucky as the underdog, giving them anywhere between a 1-3 and 1-4 chance. ESPN is the most positive in Kentucky’s chances, at a 37.2% chance to win. EvanMiya (32.3%), KenPom (29%), and BartTorvik (27%) trail behind, all within five percent of each other.
Predictions: The analytics show the most favorable scenario is a five-point loss, with Haslametrics (80-75) and EvanMiya (81-76) projecting that. BartTorvik and KenPom are both in agreement with a seven-point loss, 81-74. Florida is playing like a title contender, riding a 10-game win streak, while Kentucky is struggling to string back-to-back wins. With Florida’s higher level of play, I am taking them to win 85-76.

Sound off in the comments section on how you think this matchup will go.

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