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CUSA Tournament Final: UTEP men’s basketball falls to Western Kentucky

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CUSA Tournament Final: UTEP men’s basketball falls to Western Kentucky


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HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — All of UTEP men’s basketball undoubted strengths — toughness, resilience, a scrappy defense, heart — lack one important attribute.

None of those positives put the ball in the basket. That’s been a recurring problem throughout the year, and at the absolute worst time, in the middle of the second half of the Conference USA title game against Western Kentucky, that was the Miners’ demise in a 78-71 loss that ended their season.

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This time the big second-half run went against them, as UTEP missed eight consecutive shots and a 53-47 lead with 13:47 to play became a 60-53 deficit with 8:51 left. This time, a Miner team that defined itself with big comebacks, including an early rally from a 17-4 hole in this game, couldn’t find its way back.

The heart and fight was there, the balance on the tightrope wasn’t and the Miners finished their remarkable run, and their five-game winning streak, with an 18-16 record that does give them some momentum into next year.

Zid Powell closed his career with 21 points, including one-man runs of 8-0 and 6-0 when UTEP was successfully digging itself out of holes, but he didn’t have enough scoring help. The Miners shot 39%, including an 0-of-10 start when they fell behind by 14 points in the first seven minutes, and had 19 turnovers.

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They’ve overcome numbers like that before, but it’s not very likely, and at the biggest moment, likely held.

Miners down 4 at the half

UTEP overcame a nightmare start to take a brief lead, but a 7-0 Western Kentucky run late in the first half gave the Toppers a 40-36 lead at the half.

The Miners missed their first 10 shots and had six turnovers as WKU ran out to a 17-4 lead, but UTEP joined the battle with a 10-0 run over 1:24, then Powell later scored eight unanswered points in 1:21. That was the start of a 10-0 run that put the Miners up 30-29.

In that first 10-point run that rescued UTEP from its awful start, freshman Trey Horton hit two 3-pointers that seemed to ease the Miners’ nerves.

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They were outshot 55%-39% in the opening half but made 5-of-12 threes (they were 6-of-16 on twos) and made 9-of-12 free throws to WKU’s 4-of-4 despite out-fouling the Hilltoppers 9-8.

Powell went to the locker room with 10 points and Otis Frazier added nine.

Up next

The NCAA tournament selection show is Sunday at 4 p.mm. Mountain time on CBS and ESPN.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.



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Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report

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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.

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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.



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Kentucky football spring game offers early look at Will Stein’s Cats

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Kentucky football spring game offers early look at Will Stein’s Cats


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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.

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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.

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“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.

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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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Kentucky has reportedly moved on from top-10 transfer Paulius Murauskas

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Kentucky has reportedly moved on from top-10 transfer Paulius Murauskas


NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Texas A&M at Saint Marys

Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Saint Mary’s (CA) Gaels forward Paulius Murauskas (23) takes a shot during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images



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