Kentucky
Aggies turn in 2nd upset of SEC quarterfinals, downing No. 9 Kentucky 97-87
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Texas A&M Aggies improved their candidacy for the NCAA Tournament at Kentucky’s expense, and coach John Calipari got another reminder that his Wildcats must defend better to finish this season in a winning fashion.
Wade Taylor IV scored 32 points as Texas A&M upset ninth-ranked Kentucky 97-87 Friday night for the second biggest upset of the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
“He just has an elite level IQ off the floor,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said of Taylor. “But he has just as high of an IQ as a player. And he understands time scoring momentum arguably as well as anybody I’ve ever been around. He obviously has the ability to score, but he kind of has a vibe for, ‘Should I score? Should I shoot?’”
Calipari noted Texas A&M’s eighth Quad 1 win, saying the Aggies are fine for an NCAA berth. Williams wouldn’t answer when asked about that prediction.
The seventh-seeded Aggies won their fifth straight to reach Saturday’s semifinals for the third time since joining the SEC and second in three seasons. The Aggies, who lost the final in 2016 and 2022, will play Florida, a 102-88 winner over No. 19 Alabama as the SEC’s top three seeds all lost their openers Friday.
Texas A&M lost the 2022 title game to Tennessee, the regular season champs who were ousted in Friday’s first game by Mississippi State.
Tyrece Radford added 23 points, Manny Obaseki had 17 and Solomon Washington 11 for Texas A&M (20-13). The Aggies beat Kentucky for the second time after needing overtime on Jan. 13.
Not Friday night.
The loss snapped Kentucky’s five-game winning streak that had been the SEC’s longest coming into this tournament. Now the Wildcats (23-9), whose 31 titles have set such a standard this event is often called the Kentucky Invitational, are going home still looking for their first tournament championship since 2018.
Calipari said his Wildcats didn’t pass the ball the way they had been doing during their streak.
“When the ball stops, we’re not the same team,” Calipari said. “Go 1-on-5, you can’t make a play that way. We haven’t for weeks. Today we kind of did. … But they deserved that game the way they played. Again, I mean, we give up 97. How many games you going to win giving up 97 points?”
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky’s leading scorer averaging 22.2 points, was limited to 18 minutes before fouling out and finishing with 13 points. Rob Dillingham led Kentucky with 27 points, and Reed Sheppard added 14.
The Aggies jumped out with eight of the first nine points to help quiet the Kentucky faithful that filled much of Bridgestone Arena. Then they kept knocking down 3s, shooting better outside the arc than inside.
Taylor led the way in a game that felt much more like a tennis match with both teams sprinting up and down the court. Texas A&M led 48-42 at halftime.
Kentucky last led when Sheppard finished off a steal with a fast-break layup for a 16-15 edge at 13:15. Washington answered with a 3, and the Aggies never trailed again.
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Even in the era of the transfer portal and NIL, fans of a team will still focus on and care about recruiting. That’s especially the case with the Kentucky Wildcats. Fans are already up in arms about Kentucky’s recruiting for the class of 2026, or, in their case, lack thereof.
Only one player is signed for the class of 2026, after 4-star point guard Mason Williams announced his commitment to play for the Cats on Friday. On the board. Still work to do.
Chris Washington Jr., an Alabama decommit and top-35 senior prospect, is a new target for Mark Pope and UK ahead of the spring signing period in mid-April. The staff reached out to his AAU coach, Bobby Maze, to gauge the athletic wing’s potential interest. This is all according to Kentucky Sports Radio.
Washington is a 6-9, 195-pound forward who originally committed to Alabama, but decommitted in November. Kentucky is now included among the likes of Tennessee, Oregon, Oklahoma State, USC, and SMU that are interested in Washington.
“It’s a good program,” Washington said of Kentucky while adding, “Honestly, I just want to go where I’m wanted — and the play style. I got to go where I fit in and where the coaches really want me. (My recruitment is) open. Whenever the time is right.”
Only four players ranked ahead of him remain available in 2026, including No. 1 Tyran Stokes. That tells you just how big of a prospect Washington will be in the spring signing period.
Kentucky has swung and missed in recruiting a lot recently. But there is still time to get things moving in the right direction this spring on both the high school front and in the transfer portal.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WKRC) — A Kentucky man was arrested Thursday after police said he was riding a horse while intoxicated, reports WBKO.
Bowling Green police said they found 48-year-old Jorge Luis Hernandez on a horse, partially slumped over, as it walked along a road. He and the horse then began traveling on a sidewalk, according to an arrest record.
Police said Hernandez had a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage” and had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and delayed movements. Hernandez said he had just left the liquor store and had a liquor store bag tied to the horse’s saddle.
Hernandez was arrested and charged with operating a non-motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants.
Kentucky
Kentucky Newsmakers 3/29: Senate Candidate Charles Booker; Kentucky League of Cities Pres. Mayor Paul Sandefur
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – On the latest edition of Kentucky Newsmakers, WKYT’s Bill Bryant talks with Kentucky Senate candidate Charles Booker and Beaver Dam Mayor and Kentucky League of Cities President Paul Sandefur.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
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