Kentucky
Tuesday Headlines: Jack Gohlke picks Troy to upset Kentucky Basketball
You won’t find many Kentucky basketball games that aren’t ready to forget and move on from Jack Gohlke.
The former Oakland guard torched John Calipari and Kentucky in the opening round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, scoring 32 points via a layup and 10 made 3-pointers.
Kentucky simply didn’t have an answer for the lethal shooter and paid the price as they were massively upset and bounced from the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
Fans had not heard much — if anything at all — from Gohlke since his efforts sent Kentucky packing last spring. However, he did manage to make headlines with his upset pick for this weekend.
Gohlke is going with No. 14 seed Troy to beat No. 3 seed Kentucky on Friday night in Milwaukee.
Oakland legend Jack Gohlke’s bracket!
Drake makes a Sweet 16 run
Kentucky out first round
Houston cuts down the nets ✂️#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/H2zLh9dVn1— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2025
Given the injuries Kentucky is dealing with — especially in their backcourt — the analytics are showing that an upset by Troy wouldn’t be farfetched.
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index is giving Kentucky an 89% chance to pull off the victory, with the point spread set at 11.5 in favor of the Wildcats.
Though the odds appear to be rather stacked against Troy, don’t rule them out just yet. Despite the oddsmakers not putting much into Troy being a first-weekend upset team, both teams still have to go out and play 40 minutes of very good-to-great basketball.
Tip-off for Friday night’s game is scheduled for 7:10 PM ET with TV coverage on CBS.
Tweet of the Day
Congratulations, @malachimoreno24. 2025 Kentucky Mr. Basketball. https://t.co/qfzLC3awZD pic.twitter.com/Tndga7598g
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 17, 2025
Incredible honor.
Headlines
Okay, It’s Time To Dance – Vaught’s Views
Can’t wait for Friday.
Trashawn Ruffin flips from Texas A&M to North Carolina – ESPN
Big move by Belichick.
Pope loves potential St. John’s vs. Arkansas matchup – KSR
We all do.
76ers’ Paul George shut down for rest of regular season – ESPN
Ouch.
NCAA Tournament East Region Preview – KSR
Duke or Bama?
Expert picks for Tuesday’s First Four – CBS Sports
It all starts today.
NCAA Tournament South Region Preview – KSR
Will Auburn roll through?
Knicks-Heat delayed after Tracy Morgan vomits on MSG court – CBS SPorts
Rather wild.
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
Kentucky football spring game offers early look at Will Stein’s Cats
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.
Kentucky
Kentucky has reportedly moved on from top-10 transfer Paulius Murauskas

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