Kentucky

Kentucky vs. Missouri: Preview, Odds, How to Watch

Published

2 years ago

January 9, 2024

Kentucky vs. Missouri: Preview, Odds, How to Watch

Kentucky‘s first SEC road test has been passed. Now it’s time for the Wildcats’ first home conference matchup of 2024 — a revenge battle against Missouri. UK opened league play with a double-digit loss in Columbia last season, the first of six SEC losses that group would go on to take. Led by Dennis Gates, the Tigers made the NCAA Tournament in year one under the 43-year-old coach, but are off to a rough 8-6 start this time around.

Can the Cats continue building momentum in the conference? Let’s preview the matchup.

How To Watch

No. 6 Kentucky (11-2) vs. Missouri (8-6)
7 p.m. ET | Tuesday, January 9 | Rupp Arena

TV: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes)
Streaming: WatchESPN
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 106 or 190
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Team Records

No. 6 Kentucky: 10-2 (KenPom: 17)

11/6: 86-46 W vs. New Mexico State
11/10: 81-61 W vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (Wildcat Challenge)
11/14: 89-84 L vs. No. 1 Kansas
11/17: 101-67 W vs. Stonehill (Wildcat Challenge)
11/20: 96-88 OT W vs. Saint Joseph’s (Wildcat Challenge)
11/24: 118-82 W vs. Marshall
11/28: 95-73 W vs. No. 8 Miami (FL)
12/2: 80-73 L vs. UNC-Wilmington
12/9: 81-66 W vs. Penn
12/16: 87-83 W vs. No. 9 North Carolina
12/21: 95-76 W at Louisville
12/29: 96-70 W vs. Illinois State
1/6: 87-85 W at Florida

Missouri: 8-6 (KenPom: 102)

11/6: 101-79 W vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
11/10: 70-55 L vs. Memphis
11/13: 68-50 W vs. SIU Edwardsville
11/16: 70-68 W at Minnesota
11/19: 73-72 L vs. Jackson State
11/22: 82-59 W vs. South Carolina State
11/25: 78-70 W vs. Loyola Maryland
11/28: 71-64 W at Pittsburgh
12/3: 82-72 W vs. Wichita State
12/9: 73-64 L at No. 2 Kansas
12/17: 93-87 L vs. Seton Hall
12/22: 97-73 L vs. No. 13 Illinois
12/30: 92-59 W vs. Central Arkansas
1/6: 75-68 L vs. Georgia

Series History

Kentucky leads the all-time series 14-3, but Missouri has won two of the past three matchups dating back to the 2020-21 season — both wins at home. Second-year coach Dennis Gates is 1-0 against John Calipari following an 89-75 upset win in Columbia last season, a matchup that saw star forward Kobe Brown go for 30 points for the Tigers. Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds while Cason Wallace added 19 points in the loss.

Overall, though, Coach Cal is an impressive 10-3 in the series, including 6-0 inside Rupp Arena.

Kentucky vs. Missouri Odds via FanDuel

Spread: Kentucky -12.5
Total: 162.5

Kentucky Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#21 – DJ Wagner
6-4 • 192 • GUARD • FRESHMAN
12.1 PPG, 3.5 APG

#12 – Antonio Reeves
6-6 • 195 • GUARD • SENIOR
19.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG

#1 – Justin Edwards
6-8 • 203 • FORWARD • FRESHMAN
9.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG

#4 – Tre Mitchell
6-9 • 231 • FORWARD • GRADUATE STUDENT
12.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.2 APG

#2 – Aaron Bradshaw
7-1 • 226 • FORWARD • FRESHMAN
7.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.2 BPG

Head Coach: John Calipari (32nd season, 15th at UK) – 843-255 overall, 398-115 at UK

Missouri Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#55 – Sean East II
6-3 • 180 • GUARD • SENIOR
17.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.9 APG

#10 – Nick Honor
5-10 • 200 • GUARD • SENIOR
10.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.1 APG

#2 – Tamar Bates
6-5 • 195 • GUARD • JUNIOR
10.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.0 APG

#35 – Noah Carter
6-6 • 235 • FORWARD • SENIOR
11.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG

#23 – Aidan Shaw
6-8 • 208 • FORWARD • SOPHOMORE
4.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG

Head Coach: Dennis Gates (2nd season at Missouri, 5th overall): 33-16 at Mizzou, 83-56 overall

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

The Wildcats rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit at Florida on Saturday. It’s the second time this season they have overcome an 11-point deficit (Texas A&M-Commerce). It marked the largest halftime deficit (8) overcome on the road since March 7, 2020 (10) at Florida.
UK is 8-0 against Missouri at home in the series’ history. The Wildcats are also 13-1 under Calipari in the first SEC home game of the season.
Kentucky ranks among the top 10 nationally in points per game, assist-to-turnover ratio, fastbreak points and 3-point percentage.

Pregame Storylines

REMATCH VS. DENNIS GATES

Kentucky’s trip to Columbia last season set the tone for the rest of conference play. It was an upset win that gave Gates an early spark as one of the hottest up-and-coming coaching names in the country, Missouri ultimately winning a tournament game for the first time since 2010. Things aren’t going as well in year two with six early losses — one a Quad 4 to Jackson State — and the Tigers are desperate for a statement win. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are looking for revenge at home to ruin the second-year coach’s undefeated start in the series.

FORCING TURNOVERS AND LAUNCHING THREES

Missouri’s all-around production won’t blow you away, scoring just 76.5 points (No. 148) while giving up 71.3 (No. 177) and shooting just 45.2% from the field. The Tigers are also abysmal on the glass, pulling down just 34 rebounds per game (No. 280) with a margin of -2.8 (No. 293). They do, however, force 14.5 turnovers per game (No. 61) with an overall margin of 3.0 (No. 51) while launching 26.5 threes per game (No. 40) with 9.1 makes (No. 55). That’s only a 34.3% clip (No. 152), but this is also Rupp Arena we’re talking about — everyone finds ways to get hot. Mizzou will get the shots up to have a chance while being disruptive on defense.

A LOUISVILLE NATIVE LEADS MIZZOU

There are some Kentucky ties at play here in the battle of Cats vs. Tigers — a homecoming of sorts for Missouri’s star player. Back for his final year of eligibility, Sean East II is originally from Louisville before closing out his high school career as a 1,000-point scorer and an Indiana All-Star selection at New Albany High School. East started his college basketball career at UMass before transferring to Bradley, then going down a level to John A. Logan Community College before bouncing back up to the high-major level at Missouri. He has scored in double figures all but two games this season, averaging 17.1 points per contest overall.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

For the first time in over a decade, KSR will be without its in-game live blogs, a longtime tradition here on the blog. Unfortunately, the company that hosted the KSR live blogs no longer exists, so we are without the machine that made it all possible.

If you still want to interact with the KSR crew, consider joining the conversation on KSBoard. New members can try 1 month for $1.

Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with Rapid Reactions live from Rupp Arena on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’ll also have wall-to-wall postgame coverage on the website, including highlights, comments from John Calipari and the players, stats, and takeaways.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

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Kentucky

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

Published

6 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.

___________________________________________________________

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

18 hours 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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Kentucky

Midwest Equipment Manufacturing invests $15M in Northern Kentucky, creating 66 jobs

Published

2 days ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Midwest Equipment Manufacturing invests M in Northern Kentucky, creating 66 jobs

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC) – Governor Andy Beshear announced a major expansion of Kentucky’s manufacturing sector as Midwest Equipment Manufacturing Inc. plans to invest $15 million to expand operations in Maysville, creating 66 skilled jobs.

“Kentucky’s thriving manufacturing sector has been an important component in our state’s recent economic momentum,” Beshear said. “We continue to see leaders in the manufacturing sector invest in the commonwealth and our communities, providing good-paying, quality job opportunities for Kentuckians, and this includes 66 new jobs being created by Midwest Equipment Manufacturing. I want to thank the company’s leaders for relocating and investing in Mason County, and I look forward to seeing their success in our New Kentucky Home.”

The project will transform the company’s Maysville facility into a new manufacturing hub, helping address labor shortages and production backlogs. Several key product lines, including the Tru-Cut Mower and the 500 Series Brown Bear Composter, will be relocated from Thorntown, Indiana, to Maysville.

Dan Kallevig, president of Tru-Cut Mowers, said the company is enthusiastic about the move. “I have been to Maysville a few times in the past few months, and I am very impressed with the kindness of the people I have met.”

“As part of the ongoing renaissance of residential and commercial activity in the city’s east end neighborhood, the city of Maysville is pleased to express its full support for the relocation of Midwest Equipment Manufacturing to Maysville. We remain committed to sustaining the positive momentum within our community and are excited to not only retain 16 valuable manufacturing jobs in our city but also welcome the creation of an additional 66 positions through Midwest Equipment Manufacturing’s expansion,” said Maysville Mayor Debra L. Cotterill.

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