Kentucky
Kentucky vs. Auburn game glance, odds and early predictions
The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off an embarrassing performance in Gainesville on Saturday night. Their three-game win streak against the Florida Gators came to a screeching halt. Despite the loss, the Cats still have five games remaining, and each one will play a huge role in their hope to become a bowl-eligible team.
First up on the docket for Kentucky will be a return to Kroger Field and a date with the Auburn Tigers.
Hugh Freeze’s squad rolls into Lexington at 2-5 (0-4) on the season and is coming off a heartbreaking loss at Missouri on Saturday afternoon to kick off college football Saturday. What are the struggles that the BBN has talked about with their offense? Well, the Tigers really have the same problem.
After switching starting quarterbacks back and forth, Auburn will roll in with Michigan State transfer QB Payton Thorne under center. A dual-threat quarterback, Thorne is the type of player who has given the UK defense fits over the last several weeks. Just see what Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Florida’s DJ Lagway did to the Cats. Will Brad White’s squad have an answer this week?
However, it will be an even more important outing for this Kentucky offense. After another tough performance in The Swamp, this unit has more question marks than answers over halfway through the season. Those problems have caused a major issue overall. One thing they do well, though, is run the football. The trio of running backs have shown flashes throughout the season. As they square off with an Auburn defense that is giving up 118 yards per game, hopefully, it will be a matchup that Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, Jamarion Wilcox, and Chip Trayanum can take advantage of.
The opening line does favor the Cats as Kentucky has opened as a 3-point favorite according to DraftKings. It will be interesting to see what way the line swings over the next few days.
Saturday has become a must-win game for the Cats if they hope to reach bowl eligibility this season. Let’s see if this team can respond.
Kentucky Wildcats vs Auburn Tigers
Date & Time: Saturday, October 26th at 7:45 PM EST
Location: Kroger Field
TV: SEC Network
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: UK Sports Network with Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro
Rosters: UK I AU
Stats: UK I AU
Odds: FanDuel has Kentucky favored by 2.5 points with an over/under of 42.5 points.
Early Predictions: Dimers projects a 24-21 win for the Cats. TeamRankings has them winning 23-20. DRatings has Kentucky winning 25-22.
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.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
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.
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.
“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.
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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