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Kentucky aims to finish strong in Kenny Brooks’ first season in Lexington

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Kentucky aims to finish strong in Kenny Brooks’ first season in Lexington


It’s fair to say Kenny Brooks made a major splash in his first season as the Kentucky Wildcats women’s head basketball coach.

From the beginning, it was clear that Brooks had a plan to get talented players to join him in Lexington.

Centered around superstar Georgia Amoore, Kentucky’s roster is littered with talent at each position in Year 1 of the Brooks era.

Sure, it’s Georgia Amoore who leads the team in scoring at nearly 20 ppg, but sophomore Clara Strack is a powerful force in the middle, averaging just under a double-double with 14.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

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Sitting at 20-4 on the season, Brooks has already proven that he’s the right man for the job, but in college basketball, nothing is more important than the results you put up in March.

The Cats have four games remaining this season and can count on being underdogs in three of those.

  • 2/20 @ Missouri
  • 2/23 #7 LSU
  • 2/27 #15 Tennessee
  • 3/2 @ #6 South Carolina

We’ve heard all season long about how good the SEC is in men’s basketball, but the remaining schedule illustrates that the league is extremely difficult for them as well.

Currently, Kentucky is 9-3 in conference play, landing them in fourth place, trailing the Texas Longhorns by 2.5 games.

There is still a lot of basketball to be played, and UK could see their SEC tournament seed rise or fall depending on league results these last two weeks.

Regardless of where they’re seeded, I don’t believe any team in America wants to see Kentucky in their path to a Final Four.

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Georgia Amoore appears poised to make a statement in what will be her final season as a collegiate athlete.

With her ability to score 30+ on any night, you can never count these Cats out.



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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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