Kentucky
Kentucky vs. Arkansas viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions
There is no sugarcoating it, Kentucky Basketball got whipped by South Carolina. As fellow coaches told John Calipari after the loss, “It didn’t even look like your team.”
After a few “roughhouse” practices — as Coach Cal put it on his call-in show — the Cats will look to make a statement as they travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas, one of the most disappointing teams in college basketball thus far this season.
The Razorbacks were picked to finish third in the SEC, yet are just one game above .500 on the season and 1-5 in SEC games, with all five losses coming by double digits. The advanced metrics have them currently rated the second-worst team in the SEC. They are 127th in the NET, signaling they are a borderline Quad III team. KenPom ranks them 105th, while Bart Torvik has them ranked 127th.
Last year, Kentucky went 1-1 against the Hogs, losing at home in blowout fashion, then scored a massive win in Fayetteville thanks to 37 points (12/17 shooting) from Antonio Reeves.
Here’s what to watch for when the Kentucky Wildcats face Arkansas.
Get Back To Ball Movement
Against South Carolina, Kentucky had just seven assists. For reference, the Wildcats rank top 10 nationally in assists per game and assist/turnover ratio, and were coming off a win against Georgia where they tied a season-high in assists with 27.
So what happened? The physicality and perimeter pressure certainly played a part, but they also weren’t following the game plan at times. After the game, Calipari said he told his team to “move the ball” at least 30 times, which one fan who sat behind the Kentucky bench confirmed to me.
There will be some 1-on-1 possessions with Arkansas, but they like to play fast as well, and it should open up the court more to push the ball ahead.
Physicality
Kentucky got punked by South Carolina, who plays a very physical brand of basketball. The Wildcats cannot allow themselves to get manhandled like that again, or it will result in another bad L.
Arkansas is another team that won’t take it easy on Kentucky and will look to play with physicality and take away easy shots at the rim. Case in point, they foul their opponents at one of the highest rates in the country, committing nearly 20 per game.
Kentucky’s guards have to look to take it to the basket with aggression and finish through contact, not around. If they can’t finish, the worst case is they get fouled or push back the defense enough for a kickout.
Lineup Consistency
Kentucky has yet to play with a full team this season, but with Zvonimir Ivisic now eligible and Adou Thiero set to return within the next week, that is expected to change.
However, Kentucky cannot play 23 different lineups as they did against South Carolina. With February just days away, it means that Kentucky needs to start hitting its stride in the coming weeks and continue to build chemistry within a stricter rotation.
minute distribution for kentucky lineups last night
lineups that played at least 3 minutes together: TWO
at least 2 minutes: 9
at least 1 minute: 19 (!!!!)— J. Kyle Mann (@jkylemann) January 24, 2024
With players being added and coming off injury, it’s understandable to experiment with lineups. However, you can’t do it at the cost of games, and you still have to find some consistency.
Opposing Players to Watch
G Tramon Mark, 6-6, 185 lbs
- 17.8 PPG (5th in SEC)
- 52.6% FG (4th in SEC)
- 40.4% 3P (14in SEC)
G Khalif Battle, 6-5, 185 lbs
- 11.5 PPG
- 38.6% 3P (19th in SEC)
F Trevon Brazile, 6-10, 220 lbs
- 8.9 PPG
- 6.5 RPG (12th in SEC)
Date: Saturday, January 27th, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Location: Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR
TV Channel: ESPN
Online Stream: Stream the game online using WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | ARK
Stats to Know: UK | ARK
KenPom: UK | ARK
Team Sheets: UK | ARK
Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for this game, so check back Friday evening. ESPN gives Kentucky a 70.7% chance of winning this road contest. EvanMiya gives the Cats a 70.5% chance of victory. Bart Torvik has it at 73%, and KenPom is at 73%.
Predictions: Bart Torvik picks Kentucky to win on the road, 89-81, with Haslametrics providing a similar score projection, 89-79. However, EvanMiya has the Cats winning just 85-79. KenPom is going with an 87-80 victory, Kentucky!
How do you see this one playing out? Sound off in the comments section!
Entering the weekend, Vanderbilt baseball had gotten swept in its only SEC series in which it hadn’t won the first game.
So the Commodores had a tough task in a series they badly needed after dropping the opener 5-2 on a walk-off grand slam after Vanderbilt’s best healthy starter, Connor Fennell, pitched well.
But the Commodores (24-17, 9-9 SEC) rebounded to take the series with an 8-7 win in the second game and a 13-6 win in the finale April 19. They did that despite not having any pitcher go more than three innings in either game. Though the pitching was still shaky at times — they issued more free passes than strikeouts in both of the wins — they worked out of enough jams to let the offense go to work.
Here’s what we learned from the series.
Will Hampton proves an unlikely hero for the offense
Vanderbilt got strong performances from a few of its typical top performers, including Braden Holcomb (6-for-13, four doubles) and Brodie Johnston (4-for-12, two home runs, three walks). But one of the biggest hits of the series came from the unlikeliest of sources.
Logan Johnstone was held out of the finale after colliding with Mike Mancini in Game 2, and in his place coach Tim Corbin opted to go with redshirt freshman Will Hampton in left field. Hampton had recorded just six college plate appearances, all of which were in nonconference games.
But Hampton reached in all three of his plate appearances against Kentucky, first on a single, then a walk. In the sixth inning, with the score tied, he came up with the bases loaded and two outs and blasted a grand slam, giving Vanderbilt its first lead.
Tyler Baird learns the ups and downs of being a closer
Freshman Tyler Baird has been Vanderbilt’s closer for the past three weeks, recording his first save April 2 against Texas A&M. But he learned the pitfalls that can come with that role in Game 1 against Kentucky. Summoned for an eight-out save with the Commodores leading 2-1, he retired the first five batters, but loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth. He struck out the next two batters but then gave up the walk-off grand slam.
Baird returned for Game 3, this time attempting a five-out save and coming in with runners on first and second and one out with a three-run lead in the eighth inning. He allowed both inherited runners to score, but kept the lead and then had a scoreless ninth inning after Vanderbilt scored three runs in the top of the inning.
Baird’s emergence has been key for the Commodores, and the Game 3 bounce-back was especially important.
Vanderbilt’s RPI shows improvement
On April 15, Vanderbilt was 95th in RPI, a mark that wasn’t going to cut it for NCAA Tournament selection. But with a road series win against a Kentucky team that started the week in the top 20 of RPI, the Commodores moved all the way up to 75th, according to Warren Nolan.
While Vanderbilt will need to keep moving up — a top-50 mark would be ideal — the series win did a lot. In the next two weeks, it will face two top-five RPI teams in Alabama and Texas, giving more opportunity to improve its standing.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
Power forward has been one of the positions that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have to fill with Andrija Jelavic and Mo Dioubate gone. The two players that Pope has had on campus at the power forward position are Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman and Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik. Both are really good players, but Freeman is better by a wide margin.
It has felt that entire time that Kentucky wanted Rancik as the backup to Freeman or a backup plan if they weren’t able to land Freeman. Well, Rancik just picked Florida State, so perhaps this is a sign that the Wildcats will land Freeman.
Big Blue Nation was torn on Rancik, but I do believe he would have been a really solid backup power forward. I personally didn’t want him to be the starting four for this team. It is clear that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the guy at the four, so he will be heading to the ACC to play for FSU.
Now that Kentucky has missed on Rancik, it is very important that the Wildcats land Freeman soon. The problem with waiting on some of these players is the fact that the portal isn’t slowing down. If Pope targets two power forwards and misses on both of them, most of the good fours in the portal will be gone.
There will be some panic in Lexington if the Wildcats are not able to land Freeman, but I do believe the Wildcats are in a good spot to land the elite power forward. From the beginning, Freeman has been my top player for Kentucky in the portal, as he, plus Malachi Moreno, will give the Wildcats an elite frontcourt.
If Pope is able to land Freeman and Tyran Stokes to pair with Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Moreno, and Kam Williams, this could be the start of a really good team in Lexington. Hopefully, an announcement for where Freeman will transfer comes soon, and hopefully, this will be to play for Pope at Kentucky.
Fans of rival teams will say Pope “whiffed” on Rancik, but if this whiff was because the Wildcats are set to land Freeman soon, then it was more than worth it for Kentucky. If the Wildcats are able to land Freeman, it will officially be time for Big Blue Nation to start getting excited about the 2026-27 season. I expect a decision from Freeman to come within the next day or two.
Rancik would have been a solid backup four in Lexington but Freeman has been the guy from the beggining for this staff so if Kentucky lands him all is well. If the staff misses on Freeman not landing Rancik will look bad.
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Kentucky
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.
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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