The Kentucky Wildcats are now getting prepared for one of their hardest games on the schedule as they travel to Austin for a date with the Texas Longhorns.

This disappointing season has also been riddled with injuries across the board for the Cats. Whether it has been offense or defense, Mark Stoops’ squad has not been close to full strength, really, one time this season.

That will be the case again in Austin, as the first injury report of the week has been released.

With D’Eryk Jackson and Gerald Mincey out alongside DJ Waller, it’s Courtland Ford and Kahlil Saunders who carry questionable designations as of Wednesday.

For some good news, however, JJ Weaver seems likely to play, as he is listed as probable.

In addition, Deone Walker, Barion Brown, and Jamon Dumas-Johnson are no longer on the injury report, so they’re set to return this week.

Going to be an interesting afternoon in Austin. Let’s see if any more names pop up on this report as the week continues.

In Kentucky’s win over Purdue Fort Wayne, Cassidy Rowe played a huge part in giving the Cats the edge. For over 28 minutes, Kentucky played from behind, but Rowe made key shots and got momentum-swinging stops on defense to sway the game in Kentucky’s favor.

Kenny Brooks was quick to acknowledge the guard in his postgame press conference, pointing out just how proud he is of her.

“I’m really proud of Cassidy —not just for tonight,” Brooks said following the win over Purdue Fort Wayne. “Cassidy is Kentucky’s favorite child, and we got here, and we understand that, and her popularity is well-deserved. She’s a great kid.”

Brooks continued, “The way she’s handled everything, it has been tremendous because I think she played like, what, two minutes the other night [against Louisville], and she came back the next day, and we had practice, the starters didn’t play at all in practice, and she led her team. She is really trying to learn me. She’s really trying to learn me, and she’s trying to do it on the fly, and she’s doing it the right way.”

Part of what is contributing to Rowe’s overall growth is that she’s able to watch and learn from Georgia Amoore, one of the best guards in the country.

“She’s watching Georgia, she’s asking questions, and she’s catching on very quickly,” Brooks explained. She doesn’t hang her head whether she gets two minutes or 30 or 29 minutes — she’s got the same reaction. I think she likes what’s going on here. She’s enjoying playing basketball, and it’s just really fun. This is what you do it for. So, I coach college basketball because of opportunities. Like both of these young ladies right here, they just want to work hard. They just want to win, and you have one play 40 minutes, one and play two minutes, and they both came to practice with the same energy the next day.”

“Cassidy is waiting for her time, and Cassidy is building trust with me,” Brooks added. “She’s building a lot of trust with me. I could probably play her two minutes the next game, and she’s still going to come to practice and work her butt off to do what she can for the team, and that’s why we really relied on her tonight. So, both of them, I trust them, and their energy was fantastic.”

Rowe spoke to that — having her number called and being ready to contribute and bring the energy that the team needs to get over the hump.

“I know personally when you hear your number called, you have got to be ready,” Rowe said. “I felt like before the game, I was ready and locked in. Building off of your teammates too, if we are not all bringing the energy, then we are not in a good spot. So, just doing a better job encouraging the teammates to bring it, if somebody looks down, I say, ‘Lets bring it back up’.”

From last season to this season, Rowe is a completely different player. Now, as a junior, she’s one of the leaders of this team.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot, even the confidence side of things,” Rowe mentioned. “Last year was the first time I was getting playing time, I felt like I was still timid. I was playing not to make a mistake, rather than playing to help my team win. This year, the coaching staff has helped me build that confidence and play more physically. I feel like my teammates have helped a lot in that too. It’s just my teammates having trust in me, and I have trust in them. It built my confidence a lot.”

And as for her relationship with Georgia Amoore, it was interesting to see how that would unfold before the season. Rowe elected to not transfer out, even when she knew Amoore would come in and be the starting point guard, but why?

Well, for one, she’s a Wildcat through and through, but she’s also very appreciative of the opportunity to learn from one of the best guards there is.

“It means everything that I am still at Kentucky, it has always been a dream to play here,” Rowe noted. “Even when I heard that Georgia was coming in, that thought [of transferring] never crossed my mind. Georgia is one of the best point guards in the country, and the fact that I get to learn from her and pick her brain it’s truly been a blessing for me even building my own game.”

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If you thought there might be a hangover from the Duke win, think again. Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats were buzzing like a bee in a 97-68 victory over Lipscomb at Rupp Arena.

The Cats shot 54.8% from the field and sank a dozen three-pointers, becoming the first team in Kentucky basketball history to make 10+ three-pointers in the first four games of a season. Not too shabby.

Four Wildcats scored in double-figures. Lamont Butler and Koby Brea were each 3-3 from three-point land. Brea has only missed four of his 19 attempts this season, shooting a blistering 78.9% from behind the arc. Neither of those players was the biggest story of the game.

Jaxson Robinson Bounces Back

As great as the Duke win was, you couldn’t say that about Jaxson Robinson‘s performance. The only Kentucky Wildcat to earn preseason All-SEC honors did not make a field goal in Atlanta. He made quite a few against Lipscomb, knocking down three trey-balls and making 6-10 from the field to finish with a team-high 20 points for his highest-scoring game as a Wildcat.

“The Duke win was great,” Robinson said on the SECN+ broadcast after the win. “I felt like for me personally, I let my team down with my body language last game, so I felt like tonight, I just wanted to make sure I was aggressive and a great teammate and let everything else take care of itself.”

The Kentucky Defense was On Point

This probably won’t be the last you see from Lipscomb. They are potentially an NCAA Tournament team as one of the best in the ASUN and they love to shoot the long ball. Kentucky made it a point to give them nothing easy from behind the three-point line and executed that plan to perfection.

The Bisons were just 5-29 from three, eliminating any chance of pulling off an upset at Rupp Arena. Mark Pope had his eyes on another number. Kentucky’s goal is to hold opponents below 39% from the field and the Cats hit that mark with Lipscomb sinking 38.8% of their shots.

Links from the Kentucky Win

10 Things We Learned from the Kentucky Win
Kentucky off to historic start from three-point line, but Mark Pope wants more
Duke hangover? Pope doesn’t believe in trap games
Lamont Butler is an “elite-level” shooter
Robinson Bounced Back
Lipscomb coach blown away by Kentucky offense
PRESS CONFERENCES: Mark Pope, Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson, Lamont Butler
RECAP: Jaxson Robinson goes for 20 as Kentucky Cruises
HIGHLIGHTS: You gotta see Collin Chandler’s swipe and dish
BOX SCORE: Robinson Fills It Up
Intro and Starting Lineups at Rupp Arena

She Said Yes!

It was a fun night at Rupp Arena. It was extra special for two Kentucky fans. During the under-12 media timeout in the first half, the Hunt Brothers Pizza “Hunk Cam” panned to Ryan, who got down on one knee and asked Adrianne, “Will you marry me?” After a pause, she said yes, sending Rupp Arena into an ovation for the happy couple.

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Trivia with Matt Jones at KSBar and Grille

Don’t have plans for your Hump Day? Join Matt Jones for a challenging night of trivia at KSBar and Grille. Not only will you give your brain some exercise, but you’ll also get to enjoy $1 traditional wings and .70 boneless for Wingsday. The action starts at 7 pm EST.

In addition to the trivia and wings, we’ll have all of the sports at KSBar and Grille, which means MACtion. Toledo is a 2-point favorite over Ohio and Eastern Michigan is a 1-point favorite at The Factory against Buffalo.

Q&A with a Texas Reporter

Three members of the KSR crew will be departing for Austin on Thursday. If you’re a part of the traveling caravan to watch Kentucky vs. Texas and have any questions, Joe Cook has the answers for you. The veteran Longhorns’ reporter from Inside Texas will be answering BBN’s questions on KSBoard starting around 11 am EST.

Not a KSR+ member? Now is the perfect time to give it a try. Join the chat while we’re having fun watching Mark Pope’s Cats and stay locked in with all of the impending football roster moves this December.

We’re back at it again with another big night on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’re talking Kentucky football, women’s, and men’s basketball with three LIVE shows, starting at 6 pm EST. Come join the fun.

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New CFB Playoff Rankings

If you enjoy getting involved in the most chaotic discourse in sports, then Tuesday nights are a blast online. The final games of the regular season will filter out most of the spiciest takes, but don’t let that get in the way of a little fun. Georgia fans are mad for not climbing higher and others can’t believe Boise State is seeded above BYU. It’s good old-fashioned fun.