Kentucky

Fight Like Wildcats: No. 4 Kentucky Rallies for Thrilling Victory

Published

8 months ago

May 11, 2024

Fight Like Wildcats: No. 4 Kentucky Rallies for Thrilling Victory

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 4 Kentucky battled valiantly, overcoming significant adversity to rally for a thrilling 12-11, 10-inning victory at Condron Family Ballpark in Friday afternoon’s series opener. The teams return to the field Saturday at noon ET.

The game, which was moved up from a 6:30 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. start, was delayed 92 minutes before first pitch due to storms in the Gainesville area.

Down to its final out in the ninth inning, Nick Lopez and Mitchell Daly calmly drew walks before Ryan Nicholson unloaded on a 2-0 pitch, driving it off the top of the videoboard to give UK (36-10, 19-6 SEC) the lead. Florida tied it in its half of the ninth on three two-out singles before Lopez lined a three-run double into the corner with two out in the 10^th. The Gators pulled with one on two solo home runs and had the tying run on first base with one out before Ryan Hagenow induced a double play to end the wild affair.

Nicholson homered twice and drove in five, as Lopez also did to lead the charge. Ryan Waldschmidt and Devin Burkes also each reached base three times in a return to their home state.

UK scored right out of the gate but Florida answered in its half of the first and took a 4-1 lead on a two-out home run by Colby Shelton in the third. After the Gators added a solo home run in the fourth, the Cats battled for a pair in the fifth to cut the deficit to two.

UK looked poised to tighten the gap even more in the seventh after the first two reached but a bizarre double caught stealing short-circuited the threat and allowed the Gators off the hook. Emilien Pitre broke for second on the play but Waldschmidt did not do the same for third, creating a logjam at second. Florida threw out Waldschmidt at third and then nabbed Pitre trying to scramble back to first.

The unusual lack of sharpness showed again in the bottom of the inning as the Cats dropped a two-out pop-up and failed to catch another in foul territory. A wild pitch then chased home a run after the inning should have been over.

The Cats rallied to tie the game at six in the eighth on Eli Small’s pinch hit double, his first hit since February 20, that chased James McCoy home from first. It took Florida two batters in its half of the inning to reclaim the lead after an infield single and double into the corner.

NOTES

Kentucky now is 36-10 in 2024, 19-6 in Southeastern Conference play.

Kentucky is 22-7 in day games.
Kentucky is 3-1 in May.
Kentucky is 10-3 in SEC road games.
Kentucky’s 15 road wins are the most in program history.
- Its 10 SEC road wins also are the most in program history.

Kentucky is 12-5 vs. ranked teams and 18-5 vs. Quad 1 opponents.
Kentucky owns the most Quad 1 wins in Division I.
UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 252-160 career record.
Mingione needs six victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
UK is 43-42 in the month of May under Coach Mingione.
Mingione now is 7-13 vs. Florida.

Wildcats from the state of Florida include: Devin Burkes, Ty Crittenberger, Austin Fawley, Colby Frieda, James McCoy and Ryan Waldschmidt.

Kentucky has 19 SEC wins for just the third time in school history.

- - It is the second-most in school history (19, 2017).
  - The school record for SEC wins belongs to the 2006 SEC Championship squad, who finished 20-10.

Kentucky scored three runs each of the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, the 60^th, 61^st and 62nd time this season it has scored three or more in an inning.

Junior INF Emilien Pitre extended his streak of games reaching base safely to 23.

Graduate INF Nick Lopez went 2-for-2 with two runs, five RBI, two doubles and three walks.
It was his 19th multi-hit game and 13^th multi-RBI game of the season.
He had a three-run double in the 10^th
He has 17 doubles on the season.
Junior OF Ryan Waldschmidt went 3-for-6 with a run, a double and stolen base.

- - He has a hit in 16 of his last 17 games.
  - He has 19 steals on the season.

Senior IF Ryan Nicholson went 2-for-5 with two runs, five RBI and two home runs.
- He hit a two-run shot in the eighth and three-run, two-out shot in the ninth.
Junior C Devin Burkes went 0-for-3 with three runs, a walk and two HBP.
Senior RHP Ryan Hagenow earned his second save.

ON DECK

Kentucky will face Florida at noon on Saturday. It will be televised on the SEC Network and radio coverage will be on the UK Sports Network.

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Kentucky

Kentucky's playmaking carved up Florida's defense: 'We trusted in each other.'

Published

3 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky's playmaking carved up Florida's defense: 'We trusted in each other.'

Kentucky came into Saturday’s game against Florida ranking third in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.99). Following a thrilling 106-100 win over the previously undefeated Gators, UK will likely end the day ranked at the very top.

The Wildcats dished out 25 assists to just six turnovers (4.19 ratio) in what was one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season. Kentucky has posted similar figures a handful of times this season, but none of them came against a team as talented as Florida, which had been playing like one of the nation’s top defensive teams over the last few weeks.

“The last six games, (Florida has) the number one analytical half-court defense in the entire country and our guys were 25 assists and six turnovers,” Head coach Mark Pope said postgame. “Like that number guys, I was going to say breathtaking but Lee Anne (Pope) gets mad at me when I say breathtaking. That number is insane. 25 assists, six turnovers against the number one defensive team in the half-court in the country over the last six games, that’s crazy.”

Lamont Butler led the way for Kentucky with eight dimes while a pair of big men, Amari Williams and Andrew Carr, both chipped in five assists each. Seven Wildcats recorded at least one assist. No one had more than two turnovers. Kentucky shot 58 percent from the field as a team and 48 percent from deep.

“I think we trusted in each other, trusted in ourselves, played off two feet, wasn’t going in there wild,” Butler, who turned the ball over just twice, said postgame. “I know I have to continue to work on my turnovers, I think I had some careless ones tonight. It’s a big point of emphasis for us all. We continue to try to be good in that category.”

Respectfully, Lamont, 25 assists to six turnovers is better than just good. That’s a pretty damn impressive stat.

Six turnovers are the second-fewest of the season for Kentucky. 25 assists rank third-most. Including Brandon Garrison, over half (13) of UK’s assists came via the frontcourt — that might be the craziest part about these passing numbers. There were stretches in the second half when Williams was personally carving up the Gators with aggressive (and instinctual) playmaking. Backdoor cuts were easily accessible.

“They were pressing up at first and we found the passes,” Williams said. “We got great cutters, I feel like that’s the best thing about our team. Lamont had a lot of backdoors, Otega (Oweh), Koby (Brea), Jaxson (Robinson). Guys like that cutting, it makes our job a lot easier.”

Pope has emphasized more off-ball movement as of late. His players listened against Florida. The result was a near-flawless offensive performance against a tough SEC defense.

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Kentucky

Florida vs. Kentucky odds: Current line, win probability, final score prediction, how to watch

Published

14 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Florida vs. Kentucky odds: Current line, win probability, final score prediction, how to watch

Florida and Kentucky are ready for an important SEC matchup in January Saturday and the odds and predictions are in for the Gators and Wildcats.

Both teams have yet to play an SEC team, but are hot right now. At 13-0, Florida is ranked No. 6 in the country while Kentucky is ranked No. 10 and sports an 11-2 record.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the latest odds and predictions for Florida and Kentucky.

Odds for Florida vs. Kentucky

Coming into the game, Florida is a 3.5 point underdog to Kentucky going to Lexington, per FanDuel. The total is set at 166.5 points.

If you want to bet the moneyline, the Gators are listed at +138 while the Wildcats are listed at -166.

Final score predictions for Florida vs. Kentucky

BPI Predicted winner: Kentucky
BPI Predicted point differential: 3.1
BPI Win probability (for Kentucky): 62.1%
BPI Matchup Quality: 91.8

ESPN’s BPI is a model designed to provide a statistical comparison between two teams and predict future success. Here, the Gators are projected to lose to the Wildcats by a little over three points, so it’s very similar to the Vegas line.

Despite that, this is a highly rated matchup, per ESPN’s BPI. It’s the third highest ranked game of the Saturday slate and the highest ranked SEC matchup.

KenPom Predicted final score: Florida 83, Kentucky 82
KenPom Win probability (for Florida): 52%

KenPom flipped the prediction and picked Florida to win a tight game on the road but one point. The percentage at just over 50% doesn’t inspire much confidence, so this is pretty much a pick ‘em from a betting standpoint.

KenPom is another predictive system for college basketball. It’s designed to show how strong a team is at a given time, without taking factors like injuries into account.

How to watch Florida vs. Kentucky

Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Location: Lexington, Kentucky

Florida and Kentucky are set for a Saturday morning tipoff, so make sure to get your coffee and breakfast done, or ready, and strap in for a high quality basketball matchup. Big Blue will be on display welcoming the Gators.

The game can be found on ESPN nationwide.

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Kentucky

Kentucky offers Yale transfer WR David Pantelis

Published

22 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky offers Yale transfer WR David Pantelis

Kentucky has some reloading to do in the wide receiver room for 2025. New position coach L’Damian Washington has his eyes on a talented pass-catcher from the Ivy League.

Yale transfer WR David Pantelis announced an offer from the Wildcats on Friday. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound slot receiver is coming off a First-Team All-Ivy League selection that saw him haul in 69 receptions for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns across 11 games played in 2024. For reference, Kentucky as a team had just 15 receiving touchdowns in 2024.

After spending the last four seasons at the FCS level, Pantelis is garnering plenty of Power 4 interest now that he’s exhausted his Ivy League eligibility. He’s also announced offers from the likes of Stanford, Missouri, Michigan, West Virginia, and California. He’s scheduled to visit Michigan soon, according to The Wolverine’s EJ Holland, and could very well make a trip to Lexington as well.

Pantelis has one year of college eligibility remaining.

An All-State wide receiver at Upper St. Clair High School in Pennsylvania (the same school attended by Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz), Pantelis received some light Division I interest before choosing Yale. He was productive right away as a true freshman in 2021, recording three touchdowns on six receptions while filling on special teams. His play continued to improve as a sophomore with 39 catches for 518 yards and a pair of scores.

An injury in 2023 limited Pantelis to just five games played, but he still managed to produce 13 receptions, 125 yards, and a touchdown when healthy. His breakout season would follow as a senior with career-highs across the board. Could he bring those skills to Kroger Field in 2025?

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