Kentucky

How Nolan McCarthy made the game-winning run to push Kentucky into the College World Series

Published

6 months ago

June 10, 2024

How Nolan McCarthy made the game-winning run to push Kentucky into the College World Series

All the Kentucky Wildcats needed to do was win on Sunday night and they would advance to the College World Series for the first time ever, and that is what they did.

The game was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning against Oregon State when Nolan McCarthy came up to bat and belted a double. James McCoy then went up to bat, but after a failed sacrifice bunt to move McCarthy over another base, it led to Grant Smith batting next.

Smith went down 0-2 in the count, but due to a dropped third strike where Oregon State’s catcher did not successfully catch the ball, it led to McCarthy going all the way from second back to home to score the game-winning run. He was able to score was that Oregon State’s pitcher, Nelson Keljo, was not covering home plate.

That’s when McCarthy took off into Kentucky lore forever.

“I was on second. Coach Minge (Mingione) was telling me to be balanced on my skips. Don’t want to give that pitcher anything like that,” said McCarthy after the win. “It’s a big run. I saw it squeak by.

“I was running to third, and I immediately saw their pitcher wasn’t covering. I think I ran through a stop sign, but it ended up working out. No one was covering home, so might as well take what they’re going to give you.”

That would prove to be the deciding run, as Kentucky would on for the 3-2 victory and will now play in the program’s first trip to Omaha.

Head coach Nick Mingione was actually telling McCarthy to stop but was happy to see his player not be afraid to make the biggest play in the biggest moment.

“Nolan is the guy that wants to make the special play. I was telling him to stop verbally, okay, not physically,” said Mingione “But the game was in front of him, and I’m happy he went because he saw something. And we allow our players to make decisions on their own. I’m glad he went. He did the Superman dive. He was going to do something that it was going to be, like, it was a Nolan McCarthy moment. You know what I mean?

“I was telling him to stop, but I actually had my back…it was actually roles reversed; I saw the catcher catch it, I didn’t see the pitcher, but he (McCarthy) did. I thought it was a great play.”

Before the game, McCarthy was saying he would do the Pete Rose slide to his teammates, and that is what he did.

“I told Robert (Hogan) I was going to Pete Rose dive today, and it ended up happening,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy actually got a bit dinged up from the run and had to take himself out of the game for the final two innings.

“I give him (McCarthy) a lot of credit, too, because he kind of tweaked his hamstring on that, and he basically, during the pitching change, he said, ‘Coach, I’m getting tight; I can’t make a play,’” said Mingione.

“He took himself out, which is really smart and unselfish. He’s, like, I can’t make the plays that the game’s going to demand. I was like, okay, you want to come out. He was like, yes, I do. Ty Crittenberger was ready. He’s always ready. He was prepared for the moment and always ready. He was honest with that I was proud of him for that.”

After a memorable night at Kentucky Proud Park, the Cats now look to keep their magical season alive with a run in Omaha.

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Kentucky

Aaron Bradshaw got the last laugh against his former team

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Aaron Bradshaw got the last laugh against his former team

For the first time since November 19, Aaron Bradshaw jogged over to the scorers table for Ohio State, checking in at the 17:46 mark of the first half. As his name was announced over the loudspeakers, though, a roar of boos echoed inside Madison Square Garden. Splitting up with Kentucky seemingly on good terms this offseason during the coaching change, the reaction was a bit of a surprise, but you never know the true emotions of a fanbase until they experience it in real time.

The former Wildcat’s response? Two quick buckets in two minutes, followed by the sixth 3-pointer of his career in the final segment of the first half. Bradshaw would close out with 11 points good for third on the team, shooting 5-6 overall and 1-2 from three with two rebounds, one assist and two steals in 18 minutes.

Given the circumstances and opponent, it was one of the best performances of his career — and undoubtedly a special one for him personally.

What was it like getting Bradshaw back in the lineup for the Buckeyes?

“Missing a 7-footer is always going to hurt,” Bruce Thornton, who finished with a game-high 30 points, said of Bradshaw. “Not a lot of people who are 7-foot are able to make tough shots in the mid-range. His energy and his passion, it’s very contagious. It rubs off on us. We’re just very thankful that he’s back.”

Bradshaw is now averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22.3 minutes per contest for the Buckeyes. He returned alongside Ques Glover, who had been previously dealing with an ankle injury and had been out since Nov. 15.

Those two were different-makers in Ohio State’s win with the Buckeyes’ bench outscoring the Wildcats 26-11 on Saturday.

“I thought it was a significant boost,” Jake Diebler said. “We felt like going into this year depth was going to be a real strength for us, and we haven’t had an opportunity to play with that depth much of this year. It’s also impacted practice and building because there’s still a lot of newness in this program, new staff, new players, new system, and it’s impacted our growth a little.”

You can see just how much that one meant to Bradshaw by watching OSU’s postgame celebration from the floor at MSG.

He wanted this one bad, and to his credit, he was a big reason for the win.

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Kentucky

Aaron Bradshaw will suit up against the Kentucky Wildcats

Published

11 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Aaron Bradshaw will suit up against the Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats are in New York City about to tip off against Ohio State in Madison Square Garden, and they will be facing a former Wildcat Aaron Bradshaw, who is taking the floor for the first time in a month. The Buckeyes get some much-needed help on the glass as a team that struggles rebounding.

The Buckeyes are a great shooting team, and getting Bradshaw back on the floor really helps compliment that by adding some size. Bradshaw has been held out since November 19 due to personal reasons. The Wildcats will still be without backup guard Kerr Kriisa, but last game out, a boost from starting point guard Lamont Butler in his return really helped.

Bradshaw will be coming off the bench for the Buckeyes, and may even play limited minutes given it will be his first game back. Kentucky will need to keep playing good defense against the threes on Saturday, as that and rebounding will be major keys. If the Buckeyes want to hang around, they will need to knock down shots.

It will be interesting to see how Bradshaw meshes in his first game back in month, and it’s clear they have been a little off without him. Mark Pope and the Wildcats will look to get a win on a big stage in Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Bradshaw will look to give Ohio State a major boost down low on the glass.

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Kentucky

KSR Gameday: No. 4 Kentucky vs. Ohio State in Madison Square Garden

Published

18 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

KSR Gameday: No. 4 Kentucky vs. Ohio State in Madison Square Garden

Good morning, folks! It’s Gameday once again for the Kentucky men’s basketball team. On today’s schedule? A matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-4) up in Madison Square Garden as part of the CBS Sports Classic. The No. 4 ranked Wildcats opened as a 5.5-point favorite on Friday but have since been bet up to an 8.5-point favorite. Considering Ohio State fans have a football team playing at home in the College Football Playoff this evening, MSG should be nothing but a sea of blue.

A key for Kentucky will be running Ohio State off the three-point line. The Buckeyes are 4-1 this season when hitting 10 or more made triples (the lone loss in overtime) and just 3-3 when under that mark. OSU hasn’t made at least 10 threes since Nov. 29. Freshman John Mobley Jr. is one of the best outside shooters in the country (53.6% on 5.1 three-point attempts per game) though. Bruce Thornton (14.8 PPG) and Devin Royal (15.6 PPG) will be tough to slow down.

But Ohio State is without Meechie Johnson (9.1 PPG) and Aaron Bradshaw‘s status is still uncertain as of this morning. The former Wildcat hasn’t played since Nov. 19. Kentucky will be the better team regardless of whether he plays or not though. Our Staff Predictions are nothing but double-digit wins for the ‘Cats across the board. Lamont Butler‘s ankle had another full week of good rest.

Make sure to enjoy this game a little bit more, BBN. Kentucky won’t play again for another 10 days after this one. Let Kerr Kriisa get you excited for what should be a fun night of hoops “in Big Apple”.

Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Television: CBS (Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery, Jenny Dell)
Streaming: Paramount+
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 158 or 191
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tipoff, or join the conversation on KSBoard.

3 new portal commits

It was another busy day in the world of the transfer portal. Kentucky football received three commitments yesterday, two of them happening back-to-back. Alabama WR Kendrick Law (1 year of eligibility), Nebraska RB Dante Dowdell (2 years), and Wyoming DT Jaden Williams (1 year) will all join the program in 2025.

All three are quality additions to the roster. Law is a former Top 100 high school recruit with track athlete speed, Dowdell ran for 614 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season as a sophomore, and Williams committed to UK despite having a Georgia visit lined up for this weekend. Not a bad Friday haul in the portal for the staff.

That puts Kentucky at 11 committed transfer prospects so far this offseason, a group that ranks 12th in the country and fifth in the SEC, per On3.

OG Josh Braun
OT Alex Wollschlaeger
OL Wallace Unamba
LB Landyn Watson
EDGE Sam Greene
WR J.J. Hester
QB Zach Calzada
TE Henry Boyer
WR Kendrick Law
RB Dante Dowdell
DT Jaden Williams

Belmont gives Kentucky WBB a scare

It was a Christmas-themed night in Memorial Coliseum on Friday, but Belmont was trying to bring some coal to Kentucky women’s basketball this holiday season. Belmont even led 39-33 at the break. But a 20-point second half from star point guard Georgia Amoore fueled the No. 16 Wildcats (10-1) past the Bruins 84-78. She finished with 23 points, five assists, and five rebounds while shooting 7-13 from deep.

Amelia Hassett (16 points, 11 rebounds), Dazia Lawrence (15 points, five assists, five rebounds), Teonni Key (12 points, five rebounds), and Clara Strack (12 points, five rebounds) all finished in double-figures for the ‘Cats. UK shot 49.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep, both the second-highest marks of the season.

Click here for a full recap. Make sure to check out KSR’s Rapid Reaction from the win while you’re at it.

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Andrew Carr gets a New York slice

One of my favorite bits from The Office is early on in the show when Michael Scott visits New York. He hypes up his favorite “local” pizza joint, only for the camera to pan to him running towards a Sbarro. A classic moment. Kentucky forward Andrew Carr recreated that hilarious scene while in New York with his teammates.

Flawlessly executed, Andrew.

After Notre Dame took care of Indiana 27-17 last night in the first-ever College Football Playoff game, we’ve got three more on the schedule today. The FCS Championship semifinals are also on the docket if you’re a true football sicko. But the CFP is all any will be talking about today (other than a big Kentucky basketball win, of course).