Kentucky

Kentucky basketball exhibition score: UK vs Minnesota State Mankato updates, highlights

Published

2 years ago

October 29, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky basketball exhibition score: UK vs Minnesota State Mankato updates, highlights

LEXINGTON — Just one more outing separates Kentucky basketball from the 2024-25 regular season.

UK and first-year coach Mark Pope host their second Division II team in as many weeks at 7 p.m. today. The opponent for tonight’s exhibition: Minnesota State Mankato. The Mavericks went 35-2 last season, capped by the first national championship in program history.

In their exhibition opener week, the Wildcats walloped Kentucky Wesleyan, winning by 71 points at Rupp Arena.

Kentucky’s new roster was on full display in the dominant outing, as every scholarship player who saw minutes finished with at least two points. Senior guard Kerr Kriisa didn’t play against Kentucky Wesleyan as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Minnesota State Mankato was picked to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in the league’s preseason coaches poll.

Senior Kyreese Willingham, the NSIC preseason player of the year, leads the way for the Mavericks. Willingham returns after appearing in all 37 games last season, averaging 14.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. He sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining in last season’s national title game against Nova Southeastern.

The Mavericks also have a coach with decades of experience in Matt Margenthaler. In 23 years at the helm, Margenthaler has compiled a 488-211 record (.698 winning percentage), collecting eight conference titles and earning 14 NCAA Tournament bids to go along with last season’s national championship.

Follow along below with live updates from Rupp Arena:

The exhibition between the Wildcats and Mavericks will not air on a traditional TV channel.

Instead, it will stream live on SEC Network+. Darren Headrick (play-by-play) and Cameron Mills (analyst) will have the call.

Authenticated subscribers to SEC Network+ can watch the exhibition contest on WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.

Those without access to SEC Network+ can access coverage via a subscription to ESPN+. (To sign up for ESPN+, click here.)

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPNU
Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m., SEC Network+
Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta), 9 p.m., ESPN
Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena), 6:30 p.m., ESPNU
Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle), Time TBA
Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena), 8 p.m., ESPN2
Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena), 5:15 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York), 5:30 p.m., CBS
Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m., ESPNU
Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena), 11 a.m., ESPN
Jan. 7: at Georgia, 7 p.m., SEC Network
Jan. 11: at Mississippi State, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN
Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/2
Jan. 28: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network

Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
Walker Horn (guard, junior)
Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
Zach Tow (forward, junior)
Amari Williams (center, graduate)

Minnesota State Mankato went 35-2 overall last season, posting a 20-2 mark in conference play. The Mavericks won the NSIC regular-season and tournament titles on their way to capturing the Division II national championship for the first time in program history.

Click here to see the Mavericks’ full 2024-25 schedule.

Want to learn the Mavericks’ roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

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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

Cyclospora parasite cases in Kentucky, health officials warn

Published

41 minutes ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Cyclospora parasite cases in Kentucky, health officials warn

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Health officials are warning residents about a rise in Cyclospora cases, a parasite that causes an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis and can leave people sick for weeks.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health reported 67 cases between June 14 and July 2 — nearly double the approximately 35 cases the state typically sees in an entire year. While cases normally rise in the spring and summer months, Kentucky is among several states seeing a larger-than-typical increase.

Cases likely undercounted, health official says

Cassie Prather of the Woodford County Health Department said the reported numbers are likely an undercount.

“At this point, we have an underreported number of cases because a lot of people will deal with this and their immune system can kick it in a few days,” Prather said. “For those with a suppressed immune system it can lead to quick dehydration or even a hospital visits if they’re dealing with symptoms that don’t go away for 3-5 days.”

How the parasite spreads

People can become infected after eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Fresh produce has been linked to outbreaks in the United States, but the CDC says it is still working to pinpoint the cause of the current increase.

Symptoms and timeline

Symptoms often begin about a week after exposure but can appear as soon as two days or more than two weeks later. The most common symptom is watery diarrhea. People may also experience stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, bloating, and weight loss. Symptoms can last weeks and sometimes return after improving.

“You’re going to endure stomach cramps, nausea, sometimes you can have a low-grade fever with that,” Prather said.

Prevention guidance

Public health experts urge people to follow food-safety guidelines to reduce the risk of cyclosporiasis and other intestinal illnesses. That includes washing hands with soap and water before and after handling raw fruits and vegetables, and refrigerating cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables within two hours.

Health officials say people whose symptoms last more than a few days, keep returning, or cause signs of dehydration should contact a healthcare provider for evaluation and possible testing.

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Kentucky

Kentuckians deserve honesty about McConnell’s health | Letters

Published

11 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Kentuckians deserve honesty about McConnell’s health | Letters

Letter to the Editor
| Louisville Courier Journal

Like many Kentuckians, I have been following the recent questions surrounding Senator Mitch McConnell’s health and ability to carry out the responsibilities of his office. Every elected official deserves privacy regarding personal medical matters. But when legitimate questions arise about an officeholder’s ability to serve, the public deserves transparency.

Unlike the presidency, the Constitution provides no mechanism for addressing the incapacity of a sitting member of Congress. That makes accountability even more important. At a time when every vote and committee decision can have significant consequences, Kentucky cannot afford uncertainty about whether one of its two senators is fully able to represent the Commonwealth.

Governor Beshear, Senator Rand Paul and Kentucky’s six members of the U.S. House should insist on transparency on behalf of their constituents. Kentuckians deserve an honest assessment of whether Senator McConnell is able to fulfill the duties of the office to which he was elected.

If he is well enough to continue serving, that should be communicated clearly. Weeks of unanswered questions are not fair to Senator McConnell, nor are they fair to the people he was elected to serve. I hope my fellow Kentuckians will join me in urging our elected officials to be transparent and put the interests of Kentucky first.

— Kate Caverno, 40245

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Kentucky

US 51 Cairo bridge to remain closed for period of time

Published

21 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

US 51 Cairo bridge to remain closed for period of time

By West Kentucky Star staff

Jul. 07, 2026 | 10:07 PM
| PADUCAH

The US 51/Cairo Bridge will remain closed for a period of time.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Tuesday the connector between Wickliffe and Cairo was closed Monday as crews conducted a special inspection and identified a problem with a bearing pad on the Kentucky approach.

A bearing pad shifted out of place, causing the bridge deck to become misaligned by approximately two to three inches at an expansion joint. A repair is needed.

Bearing pads function like cartilage between joints, supporting steel beams while accommodating the bridge’s natural expansion and contraction.

There are no concerns about the bridge’s overall structural integrity.

The repair will require crews to lift a heavy section of the bridge deck to replace the bearing pad. State engineers are working with the contractor and design team to finalize a repair plan as quickly as possible.

There is currently no estimated timeline for reopening the bridge. Motorists should continue to use alternate routes and expect the bridge to remain closed until the necessary repairs have been completed.

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