Kentucky

Kentucky boasts a highly-ranked frontcourt rotation

Published

1 year ago

August 9, 2024

Kentucky boasts a highly-ranked frontcourt rotation

After starting from scratch with an entire roster overhaul this offseason, Mark Pope may have brought in an underrated squad.

Pope’s first transfer commitment at Kentucky was Drexel big man Amari Williams and that may very well end up paying dividends.

CBS Sports lists the duo of Williams and fellow big man Brandon Garrison as a top-eight big man duo in college basketball.

“Mark Pope’s sharp offensive system requires big men who can pass the rock. That’s a huge piece of Williams’ game. The fifth-year senior out of Drexel gives Pope a smart dribble handoff hub who can whip backdoor dimes or spray it out to Kentucky’s cavalry of 3-point shooters. Garrison can also do a bunch of those things, too. Williams is the vet. Garrison is the young, rising sophomore. Together, Kentucky should be able to have 40 minutes of a real playmaking big man on the floor who also has plenty of defensive chops. Williams’ durability is a real question. He only played 30+ minutes twice last season, so Garrison is clearly poised to play early and often. Don’t be surprised if this is close to a 50-50 split.”

Alongside that big man duo is Andrew Carr, a presumed starter for Mark Pope’s Wildcats. Last season at Wake Forest, Carr averaged 13.5 points and shot 37.5% from three.

247 Sports predicts that Carr will start for Pope and will be at the epicenter of Kentucky’s new-look offense.

“Carr was so good last year for Wake Forest. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound big man is a fantastic play-finisher. He can stretch the floor (37% from downtown) or kill you on the block. Carr rated in the 92nd percentile nationally in post-up efficiency, per Synergy last year. Yes, Kentucky wants to shoot 3s, but you can’t hide a small guard on Carr and expect to get away with it. He’s just too polished offensively, and Carr will chip in defensively as a useful secondary rim protector. Carr also makes his free throws at a high clip and could even get some minutes at the 5 in closing lineups. There’s so much lineup versatility on this Kentucky roster, and Carr is at the epicenter of all of it.”

The Kentucky Wildcats may very well boast one of the top big men rotations from the 4 and 5 positions in the SEC.

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Kentucky

Maverick McIvor rallies Western Kentucky to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss 27-16

Published

10 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Maverick McIvor rallies Western Kentucky to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss 27-16

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Quarterback Maverick McIvor came off the bench to lead three second-half touchdown drives and Western Kentucky rallied to beat Southern Mississippi 27-16 on Tuesday night to win the New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome.

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Kentucky

Kentucky Basketball defeats Bellarmine: 3 things to know and postgame cheers

Published

23 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky Basketball defeats Bellarmine: 3 things to know and postgame cheers

The Kentucky Wildcats will head off into the Christmas break on a winning streak after defeating Bellarmine by a final score of 99-85.

In a game Kentucky was favored to win by 35.5 points, the Knights came out strong and stayed within striking distance much of the way.

Thankfully, big days by Kam Williams (26 points) and Mo Dioubate (20) helped the Cats get to the finish line for win No. 9.

Otega Oweh flirted with a triple-double, going for 10 points, 10 assists, and eight boards.

Jaland Lowe sat out this game as Kentucky manages his shoulder injury, while Jayden Quaintance played just eight minutes as he continues to improve his conditioning following a nine-month layoff from ACL surgery.

Here’s what you need to know from Kentucky’s final game of 2025.

Kam Williams stole the show

Kentucky may have beaten Bellarmine by 14, but this game didn’t start like a runaway. It started like exactly what it was: a 1 p.m. Tuesday tip right before Christmas, with Kentucky taking a while to find its legs.

If you’re naming an MVP, it’s Kam Williams, no debate.

He buried 8 of his 10 3s and finished with 26 points, giving Kentucky the exact kind of perimeter punch that changes how defenses have to play them. Kentucky has been searching for a dependable shooter to emerge, and this was the loudest answer they’ve had in a while.

Bellarmine never let Kentucky run away

Kentucky led 46-38 at halftime, but Bellarmine made it work early by shooting well and living at the line.

Bellarmine shot 52% in the first half and went 10-for-10 on free throws. Kentucky shot even better (55%) and hit 7 threes, but the Knights were annoying in the way you don’t want a midweek opponent to be.

They cut it to three late in the half, and you could feel the “are we really doing this today?” vibe for a moment.

Thankfully, Kentucky flipped the game with a much better second-half start.

The Cats came out of the locker room sharper, built the lead to 74-56 with just over 10 minutes left, and basically removed the drama, though the Knights would stay within 12-14 points down the stretch as both teams traded score for score.

Balance shows up with 10 scorers

Kentucky had 10 different players score, which is an underrated reason the second half never got weird again. Brandon Garrison is the only player who played for the Cats who didn’t score, and he didn’t attempt a shot.

On days when the start is sluggish, balance keeps you from pressing. It also keeps your rotation engaged, which matters heading into a stretch where Kentucky is going to need everyone ready to contribute.

Bellarmine deserves credit for hanging around early, including 14 first-half points from Jack Karasinski, but Kentucky’s shooting punch and depth eventually made the gap feel inevitable even though Karasinski finished with 24.

Kentucky didn’t play a perfect game. It played a winning one. And when Kam Williams shoots like that, it’s a lot easier to look like yourself.

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Drew Holbrook has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion

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Kentucky

Is Kentucky basketball looking for a mid-year addition at backup point guard?

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Is Kentucky basketball looking for a mid-year addition at backup point guard?

It’s clear that this Kentucky team relies very heavily on its starting point guard, Jaland Lowe. It has been evident that when he’s out, Kentucky struggles to create any offense, but when he’s in, it couldn’t flow any smoother. A big part of that is the fact that the Wildcats don’t really have a backup point guard. Denzel Aberdeen isn’t really a true point guard, and Jasper Johnson has flashy moments through a bunch of struggles as a young freshmen. But, it all comes down to Lowe’s health, who could go out any second with his shoulder injury.

We’ve already seen it multiple times this season, in the last two games specifically. Lowe went out against Indiana during the first half, playing just 9 minutes before following it up with a 16-minute second half, when the Wildcats rallied down the stretch. Then, Saturday against Rick Pitino and St. John’s, Lowe hurt his shoulder again just seven seconds after checking into the game. He then returned early in the second half before his team rallied yet again. He’s a difference-maker, clearly, but is Mark Pope interested in adding a mid-year player through the transfer portal to back him up in case things go south? He addressed those swirling rumors on his radio show Monday night.

First of all, Pope fully expects Lowe to remain healthy, or at least continue playing through the pain. “I have every expectation Jaland is going to be with us the whole season,” Pope said. As far as a mid-year addition goes as a backup for Lowe, Pope has the utmost confidence in his guys to get it done, in particular Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson, who he says are getting more and more comfortable at that position. “We have a great roster. I’m not sure we’re shopping a lot right now,” Pope said when asked about a possible addition to the roster. “We have an unbelievable amount of faith in our guys, first of all, with Jaland. Jasper is going to grow into a starring role. He’s been so good. D.A. is becoming more and more and more comfortable becoming a full-time point, but also being on the move at the two. …I think we have an incredible, incredible run ahead of us. That’s what we’re thinking about with this roster right now.”

Well, there you have it. Mark Pope is comfortable with guys he has. He likely doesn’t want to also take the chance of interrupting the team chemistry either, especially right now as Kentucky is coming off back-to-back wins over quality opponents and as soon as they’ve gotten healthy.

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