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

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1 year ago

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


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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.

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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.

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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+.

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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?

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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

Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman has arrived in Lexington for Kentucky visit

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7 hours ago

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April 15, 2026

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Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman has arrived in Lexington for Kentucky visit


One of Kentucky’s top portal targets has arrived in the Bluegrass State.

According to The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Syracuse transfer forward Donnie Freeman made it to Lexington on Tuesday night. Kentucky was quick to reach out to Freeman once he officially entered the portal last week. That led to a Zoom call between the two sides, and now a visit to UK’s campus.

A 6-foot-9 rising junior, Freeman averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per outing last season for Syracuse while shooting 47.4 percent from the field. On3 ranks him 20th overall and the fifth-best power forward to enter the portal so far this offseason. Alabama and UConn are also after the talented forward prospect.

A former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, Freeman spent the last two seasons with the Orange under head coach Adrian Autry. Freeman averaged 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per contest on 50.4 percent shooting as a true freshman, logging six double-doubles along the way. But both his college seasons have been marred by foot injuries. He’s played just 37 college games — 14 as a freshman, 23 more as a sophomore.

Kentucky has already hosted a couple of top portal guards since the weekend. Washington’s Zoom Diallo and BYU’s Rob Wright III have both been in Lexington over the last several days, as has five-star high school wing Tyran Stokes. Freeman is the fourth known visitor of the portal season so far. Kentucky is still searching for its first new commitment for the 2026-27 roster.

It’s Transfer Portal SZN on KSR+

If you’ve ever been curious about KSR+, our premium sister site, now is the time to try it out. We’re doubling down our efforts to bring you bonus coverage of the Cats and the intel and analysis you can’t get anywhere else. Subscribe now for an inside look at a pivotal offseason for Mark Pope and Kentucky Basketball and Will Stein’s first year at the helm of Kentucky Football, along with access to KSBoard and House of Blue, the most vibrant message board communities in BBN. Join the club right now for 50% off an annual subscription.

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Kentucky

New Roster Numbers to Monitor at the Kentucky Spring Game

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19 hours ago

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April 14, 2026

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New Roster Numbers to Monitor at the Kentucky Spring Game


The Kentucky Blue-White Game is on the horizon. Saturday morning’s exhibition might be the only chance you get to see the new-look Wildcats in action before Will Stein‘s team takes the field this fall against Youngstown State. The SEC Network is not broadcasting the event, so be sure to secure your free tickets in advance.

Kentucky football fans will see plenty of new faces on the field. Stein added roughly 50 new players this offseason. Even folks like myself who cover the team regularly will struggle to figure out who is who. Before making your way to Kroger Field, do a little advanced scouting to spend less time looking at the roster during the Kentucky Spring Football Game.

Kentucky

Kentucky adds three transfers to the growing visit list this week

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1 day ago

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April 14, 2026

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Kentucky adds three transfers to the growing visit list this week


The visitor list is getting really long for Kentucky basketball this week and it’s getting clear who they are prioritizing on the roster. After getting visits from Zoom Diallo, Rob Wright, Jalen Cox, Donnie Freeman, and the #1 player in the 2026 class, a pair of guards and a big have been added. According to KSR, Furman guard Alex Wilkins, Utah’s Terrence Brown and SDSU’s Magoon Gwath are also set to visit later this week.

As for Wilkins, it seems like Kentucky is eying for him to be at the shooting guard spot, but it all depends on Diallo’s decision. The staff is open to the possibility of Diallo playing alongside Rob Wright if that does in fact end up working out, but is he? It’s clear that Kentucky is really starting to prioritize Wilkins, who is a very good scorer coming from Furman. Wilkins is also a very capable shooter. Averaging 17.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game, shooting 46.0% overall and 32.8% from three this past season, fitting into a system like Pope’s would do wonders in boosting his three-point percentage. This is one to continue keeping an eye on as decisions start to shake out.

With Gwath, he just had a zoom meeting on Sunday with Mark Pope and now, it looks like the staff is getting him on campus for a visit. Gwath would be a massive (literally) depth piece for the Wildcats at the big man position. The 7-footer averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season and was the best shot-blocker in the Mountain West. Kentucky is looking for depth at the five spot and Gwath would be an important get there.

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Brown has received a lot of North Carolina buzz as of late since their leading point guard entered the transfer portal. But, he is set to visit Kentucky on Friday, as well as Kansas before that. Brown is seen as a combo guard as well, able to play either the one or the two spots. At 6-3, he played the point guard role for the Utes this past season, averaging 19.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds, shooting 45.3% overall and 32.7% from three. It’s uclear as to how the staff would use him, but his ability to play either guard spot is intriguing. Like Wilkins, Brown is a great scorer. His best game this past season was 33-point game against Kansas State, where he added four rebounds, two assists and four steals.

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Kentucky’s visitor list is growing, but the ones later this week could change depending on the clarity the staff gets from Wright and Stokes and what their plans are. Things are moving fast, but the Kentucky staff looks to have contingency plans for whatever happens with the two sought-after players, as well as Zoom Diallo, who Kentucky is continuing to trend for.



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