Kentucky
Brea, Kriisa spark Cats off bench in win over Bucknell
LEXINGTON, Ky. — After No. 23 Kentucky delivered another impressive offensive performance on Saturday in a 100-72 win over Bucknell, John Griffin joined the ranks of opposing coaches who have expressed admiration for what Mark Pope has done in very short order with the Wildcats.
“Mark Pope has done an excellent job of assembling a roster of very good basketball players, very good college basketball players, and they’ve quickly — through hard work, I can only imagine — found the magic wand of unselfishness,” said the Bison head coach. “It’s impressive.”
Kentucky (2-0) topped the century mark for the second time in two games under its new head coach. The Wildcats knocked down 13 3-pointers, including six by grad senior guard Koby Brea, and dished out 23 assists on 38 made baskets, including 12 by senior point guard Kerr Kriisa.
Pope called Brea, the Dayton transfer who has opened his UK career 10-of-12 from the arc, an offensive efficiency “maestro” on the floor.
Added Griffin: “Having scouted Koby Brea before, I have not seen him miss twice in a row… he’s a professional shooter, make no mistake about it. I think they recruited him knowing he’s the best shooter in the nation from a 3-point percentage standpoint.”
As for Kriisa, who made his way to Lexington after stops at Arizona and West Virginia, Pope said he’s bringing energy to the Cats with a goal of being the nation’s top “pace guy.”
“For him to kind of bring that kind of juice and panache and skill and excitement and unselfishness and kind of magic to the floor (is a big key for UK),” Pope said.
Even more impressively, both of UK’s standouts came off the bench to spark the Cats.
“It’s been a lot of fun, especially with (Kriisa),” Brea said. “Just seeing how we’re able to come in, and the energy of the game just changes with his speed and everything. Sometimes we kinda need that.”
Kentucky also got a double-double from grad senior center Amari Williams (13 points, 14 rebounds), 14 points from grad senior wing Jaxson Robinson, 11 points from grad senior forward Andrew Carr, and 10 points from junior guard Otega Oweh.
What Pope liked even more than another offensive explosion, however, was the Cats’ attention to a point of emphasis this week in practice. UK pulled down 57 rebounds, including 22 on the offensive end of the floor leading to 19 second-chance points.
“It’s a gift as a coach to have guys that are curious and guys that are humble and guys that want to get better,” the UK boss said. “We don’t use the words curious very often and we don’t talk about humility very often. But we have a ton of that on our team.
“For these guys to respond to a challenge — we have been kind of sitting on this for maybe 10 days… we are just not getting to where we need to get on the glass — and for these guys to come up and put up almost 60 rebounds today is incredibly gratifying as a coach. It’s a really important step for us as a team.”
The Cats’ big men — Williams, Carr, Brandon Garrison, and Ansley Almonor — combined for 15 offensive rebounds.
“We had four guys that are playing the bulk of the minutes (at) the four and the five,” Pope said. “They all have three or more offensive rebounds. And that’s pretty cool. Really a tremendous effort by those guys.”
Kentucky also put in a strong effort on the defensive end of the floor, holding the Bison to 39.7% shooting from the field and turning 14 turnovers into 22 points.
Bucknell (2-1) was led by senior forward Ian Motta with 18 points. Senior guard Josh Bascoe chipped in with 15 for the Bison.
*****
In this “Rapid Recap” feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
KEY MOMENT:
Bucknell hung within 14 points of the Cats at the 17:21 mark of the second half, but just over two minutes later, Kentucky was back ahead by 20 after 3-pointers by Koby Brea, Kerr Kriisa, and Jaxson Robinson. UK continued to grind the Bison down and led by as many 29 points down the stretch.
GAME BALL:
Koby Brea, Kentucky — The transfer guard has been as good as advertised after leading the nation in 3-point percentage last year at Dayton. He is now 10-of-12 (83%) from the arc in two games for the Cats. He is the second player in program history to hit at least four 3-pointers in each of his first two games at UK, joining Antonio Reeves.
BY THE NUMBERS:
3rd – Time since 1980 that Kentucky has won both of its first two games by 28 or more points. The other two were 1998-1999 and 2013-2014.
4th – Player in UK program history, Amari Williams, to have 13-plus rebounds in his first two games. He joins Dan Issel, Julius Randle, and Oscar Tshiebwe in that exclusive club.
21 – Minutes played were the fewest for a UK player who recorded 12 or more assists, Kerr Kriisa, in the last 20 seasons.
26 – Career double-doubles for Amari Williams, who has recorded one in each of his first two games as a Wildcat.
68.8% – Assist rate for UK in its first two games of the season.
1978-79 – The last time Kentucky opened the season with back-to-back games scoring more than 100 points.
QUOTABLE:
“We’re playing good basketball right now, and we’ve got a chance to grow into a great team. Now we’ve got to earn it. We’ve got to work on it every day.” — UK head coach Mark Pope
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday night in Atlanta against No. 7 Duke in the Champions Classic. The Cats and Blue Devils (2-0) will tip off in the second game of the doubleheader following Kansas and Michigan State. The broadcast is slated for approximately 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Wednesday, June 3, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
06-07-14-21, Cash Ball: 11
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 7-0-9
Midday: 8-9-3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 2-2-9-3
Midday: 7-8-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
14-16-38-55-64, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
26-28-31-56-64, Powerball: 13
Millionaire for Life
04-13-32-51-55, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
Kentucky
Fayette County school board chair, KEA sue to block Kentucky law that would oust current members
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Fayette County Board of Education Chair Tyler Murphy and the Kentucky Education Association have filed a lawsuit challenging a newly enacted Kentucky law that would overhaul the governance structure of Fayette County Public Schools and force all current board members out of office at the end of 2026.
The lawsuit names the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Fayette County Board of Elections and Fayette County election officials as defendants.
At the center of the legal challenge is Senate Bill 4, which lawmakers passed over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto earlier this year.
Under the law, the seven-member Fayette County Board of Education would be reduced to five district-based seats, the lawsuit reads. The terms of all current board members would end Dec. 31, 2026, and new elections would be held for the restructured board.
The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional and asks the court to block its implementation, including any election-related actions tied to the measure.
Court filings contend the legislation unlawfully targets a single school district and interferes with the terms of duly elected local officials. Plaintiffs also argue the law violates provisions of the Kentucky Constitution governing local elections and public officeholders.
Attorneys included exhibits detailing criticism of Murphy and Fayette County Public Schools leadership from state lawmakers, including a petition seeking Murphy’s removal and a letter from state Sen. Chris McDaniel calling for the resignations of Murphy and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the law is invalid and requests expedited review from the court due to upcoming election deadlines.
No hearing date had been announced as of Wednesday.
The lawsuit comes as Fayette County Public Schools continues to face scrutiny over budgeting decisions, district spending and governance issues that have drawn attention from state lawmakers over the past year.
In a statement, Representative Matt Lockett criticized Murphy as he highlighted what he stated are district failures under Murphy.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to distract from the disaster that Fayette County Public Schools is under Tyler Murphy’s leadership as board chair. Under his watch, the district has spiraled into a financial crisis so severe that it is now seeking to borrow up to $110 million simply to keep the lights on and make it through the school year. Students have been failed. Families have been failed. Teachers and staff have been failed. Taxpayers have been failed. And the Lexington community has been left paying the price for years of mismanagement and poor oversight.
Rather than taking responsibility for the district’s financial failures and focusing on what is best for students, he has chosen to file a lawsuit challenging a law that was duly passed by the General Assembly and enacted through the constitutional process. He may be emboldened by recent rulings by activist judges, but there are no legitimate grounds for overturning a duly enacted statute simply because you can’t do the right thing by this community. The General Assembly has both the authority and the responsibility to establish standards for public offices and governance structures across the Commonwealth.
At a time when Fayette County schools are facing unprecedented financial turmoil, the focus should be on accountability, transparency, and fixing the problems that have brought the district to this point. The only filing Fayette County taxpayers should be expecting from Mr. Murphy is his resignation.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been causing fear around the world, and a Lexington doctor is preparing in the event a case is found in Kentucky.
According to the CDC, there have been 49 deaths and over 300 confirmed cases across the two countries, with more suspected cases still being investigated.
UK Healthcare is working to become a Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center through the National Special Pathogen System, which would allow the facility to treat Ebola patients in-house.
Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease physician at UK Healthcare, said the current outbreak is serious, but Kentucky residents are not at significant risk.
“Ebola scares people just because of the mortality, the death rate, associated with it and some of the long term consequences when you do survive. Fortunately, the strain that we’re seeing in Eastern (Democratic Republic of Congo) is thought to be not as deadly, but either way it’s a very serious disease. It carries a lot of stigma and fear,” Van Sickels said.
Here in Kentucky, however, is a very safe environment, Dr. Van Sickels said.
Currently, Dr. Van Sickels says UK Healthcare operates as an assessment hospital, meaning it can evaluate patients with symptoms who have traveled to regions with active outbreaks, coordinate testing with the state, and transfer patients to higher-level care centers if needed.
Once the Level 2 designation is complete, UK Healthcare will be the only facility in Kentucky with that capability.
“We’re the only facility in Kentucky that is able to have a level 2 designation once we finish this grant award and get approved,” Dr. Van Sickels said.
In January 2026, UK Healthcare received a grant from the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), the governing body of the National Special Pathogen System.
“It’s approximately half a million dollars to transform our institution,” Van Sickels said.
The funding has been used to run simulation drills in coordination with Lexington Fire, EMS, and the state health department. The grant also enabled UK Healthcare to upgrade its protective outerwear, with all seam points covered to provide additional protection. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids.
During a recent site visit and simulation, evaluators identified vulnerabilities in the facility’s previous protective suits.
“When we had our site visit and had our stimulation, for example, they said that the seams that we had on our old suits, you could pull and stretch, and that they were rather porous,” Van Sickels said.
Van Sickels had been working on the preparedness project since the beginning of the year.
Citing lessons learned from the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which spread to the U.S. and resulted in 4 cases and 1 death.
“Ebola 2014 taught a lot of hospitals in the US about high consequence infections, established what is now NETEC, the educating body for our country, uh, about high consequence pathogens,” Van Sickels said.
“We’re constantly wanting to push preparedness, uh, because that is the key to success in evading further outbreaks,” Van Sickels said.
UK Healthcare expects to complete its Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center designation by the end of summer.
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