Kentucky

Experts divided on Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament prospects

Published

8 months ago

March 19, 2025

Experts divided on Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament prospects

With the NCAA Tournament just around the corner, the Kentucky Wildcats’ chances of making a deep run are being hotly debated by experts and analysts. Opinions are split, as injury issues and inconsistent performances throughout the season have clouded the Wildcats’ outlook.

Second-Round Exits Predicted by Many

A significant number of analysts are predicting an early exit for Kentucky, with most projecting a loss in the second round. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has the Wildcats defeating Troy 88-74 in the first round but falling to Illinois in a nail-biter, 87-85. Similarly, The Athletic’s CJ Moore isn’t convinced Kentucky can overcome the Illini, citing injury concerns.

“Illinois has been a wild ride this year,” Moore wrote. “Every time I start to believe in the Illini, they give me good reason to jump off the bandwagon. But they have been much better with a healthy Tomislav Ivisic. Kentucky, meanwhile, is limping into the tournament and has been injury-riddled all season. If Lamont Butler were back to his usual self, I’d maybe lean Kentucky, but it doesn’t seem like his shoulder is ever going to be the same.”

Jay Williams, an ESPN analyst and former Duke star, isn’t optimistic about Kentucky’s chances either, predicting the Wildcats will lose in the Round of 32 to either Texas or Xavier. Molly Qerim, host of First Take, also doubts Kentucky’s staying power, picking them to lose to Illinois in the second round.

CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish and The Field of 68 John Fanta also share the sentiment of an early exit, while Kyle Boone of SB Nation and Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated agree that Illinois will likely end Kentucky’s run in the second round.

Sweet 16 and Elite Eight Hopes

Not everyone is predicting doom and gloom for the Wildcats, though. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander believes Kentucky can overcome Tennessee to reach the Elite Eight, though he doesn’t see them getting past Houston.

“Offense beating defense, and I’m making this pick specifically because I think if Lamont Butler is healthy enough, they’ve got the depth and the style of play,” Norlander said. “I will trust Kentucky to get it done this season.”

College basketball legend and analyst Dick Vitale, affectionately known as “Dickie V,” sees Kentucky’s journey ending in the Sweet 16 against Tennessee, along with ESPN’s Elle Duncan has the Wildcats advancing to the Sweet 16 but losing to Tennessee,

Several other analysts, including The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy and Bill Bender, have Kentucky reaching the Sweet 16 before bowing out. Pat Forde from Sports Illustrated and Rickey O’Donnell from SB Nation also picked the Wildcats to advance to the Sweet 16 but no further.

According to FanDuel, Kentucky’s odd to make it to the Final Four are +1000.

In addition, FanDuel is offering a Dog of the Day Jackpot:

What is it?

Bet the lowest-seeded team to advance that day and win a share of $1M in bonus bets!

Timing

3/20 – 3/23
This will occur every day of the first weekend of the tournament
Daily promotion (4x total, 1x each day – Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
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How to Play

Download or Log In to FanDuel Sportsbook with new or existing account
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Bet the lowest seeded team (higher number: 16, 15, 14, etc) to advance that day and win a share of $1M in bonus bets!

Lowest seed = Higher number (16, 15, 14, 13, etc.)

A Bold Final Four Prediction

In contrast to the skepticism, The Athletic’s Lindsay Schnell has made the boldest prediction by picking Kentucky to reach the Final Four. Schnell acknowledged the risk of picking a team with so many injuries but expressed confidence in head coach Mark Pope and the team’s ability to overcome adversity.

“Picking a bracket is only fun if you’re willing to take chances, and with that in mind, I present the Final Four-bound Kentucky Wildcats,” Schnell wrote. “Am I second-guessing my decision upon remembering that Jaxson Robinson is out for the season? Yes. But I’m going all in on Mark Pope, Amari Williams, and Otega Oweh.”

College Gameday Crew Skeptical

The College Gameday crew wasn’t as optimistic, with none of the panelists picking Kentucky to make the Elite Eight. Jay Bilas, in particular, cited injury concerns, despite Mark Pope’s assurance that Lamont Butler would return for the tournament.

With predictions all over the map, one thing is clear: Kentucky’s potential run in March Madness will depend heavily on their health and ability to perform under pressure. The Wildcats open tournament play as the No. 3 seed against No. 14 seed Troy on Friday night.

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Kentucky

Addictive kratom byproduct could become a Schedule I drug in Kentucky

Published

1 day ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Addictive kratom byproduct could become a Schedule I drug in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration is taking steps to classify a form of kratom, a popular legal stimulant known to possess opioid-like qualities in low doses, as a Schedule I narcotic.

According to a press release on Nov. 5 from Beshear’s office, leaders are targeting the 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) byproduct, making it illegal to sell, possess, or distribute in any isolated or concentrated form.

“We have marked three straight years of declines in overdose deaths in Kentucky, and that is progress we’re committed to building on as we work to protect more lives in the fight against addiction,” said Gov. Beshear. “Deadly and addictive drugs like 7-OH have no place in our communities, and this step will help us get these drugs off the streets and provide us more tools to keep Kentuckians safe.”

Officials wrote that while 7-OH is a naturally occurring component in the kratom plant, it’s only found in small amounts. Highly concentrated forms of it are put in shots, powders, and capsules at dosages that make it highly addictive and dangerous.

State leaders said that back in August, Beshear issued an emergency designation of bromazolam, also known as “designer Xanax,” as a Schedule 1 drug. The Cabinet of Health and Family Services is reportedly working to put 7-OH kratom in the same category alongside heroin, LSD, and fentanyl.

More information about the Beshear administration’s work to ban 7-OH in Kentucky can be found here.

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Kentucky

Cutter Boley and the Cats are Rallying behind Mark Stoops

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Cutter Boley and the Cats are Rallying behind Mark Stoops

The temperature of Mark Stoops‘ seat has been toasty. Criticism for the Kentucky head coach has not been hard to find, and it was amplified after the Wildcats dropped consecutive SEC games at Kroger Field.

Players and coaches will say they don’t pay attention to the noise, but let’s be real. They’re human. It’s unavoidable. As Big Blue Nation debated on Stoops’ future at Kentucky, his players rallied behind him.

“We hate it. We’re kind of taking it on our shoulders and putting it on ourselves,” Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley said after the game.

Even though Stoops may have lost some fans in recent weeks, he never lost the locker room. Win or loss, they showed up to work because that’s the approaches every single day.

“He’s a players’ coach. All the guys in here love him. All the guys want to fight for him, want to win for him, everything like that. We have a really good thing going in the locker room. You can see our heartbeat that we had tonight,” said Boley.

“Everybody loves Coach Stoops, what he does, and what he stands for, and how he addresses the team in every situation, loss, win, no matter what it is. He’s always the same guy. Loss, win, whatever it is. He’s always the same guy in the locker room. He’s always the same guy talking to us on Mondays, no matter the outcome. And I think every guy respects that and really wants to play for him.”

That feeling has manifested in exceptional play from this Kentucky football team, especially at quarterback. Over Boley’s last three starts at Kroger Field, the redshirt freshman has completed 75-97 (77.3%) passes for 756 yards (252 per game) and seven touchdowns. His play has elevated his teammates, giving Kentucky a shocking amount of late-season momentum.

For years, Kentucky relied on transfer portal players to start under center. For the first time in a long time, the Wildcats have a proficient passer they recruited from the high school ranks. Stoops is proud to see Boley develop into the player they believed he could become.

“I’ve believed in Cutter for a long time, for many years, three, four years. I’m really proud of him, the growth that he’s making, and the improvement that he’s making each and every week,” said Stoops. “It gives everybody some hope.”

Hope. That was hard to find around this Kentucky football team, but inside the locker room, it never wavered. That hope turned into unshakable confidence in a dominant victory over Florida.

“To be honest, this whole week, this whole day, we came with juice,” Boely said. “Everybody was excited, and everybody was ready to play. We had felt, not that we had won this game before we came out here, but we were so confident. We had a heartbeat tonight.”

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