Kentucky

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

Published

6 months 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

Voter registration up in June in Kentucky

Published

5 hours ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

Voter registration up in June in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WYMT) – Voter registration numbers went up in June in the Commonwealth, officials with the Secretary of State’s Office announced Tuesday.

According to Secretary of State Michael Adams’ Office, Kentucky saw 9,693 new voter registrations last month.

4,362 voter registrations were removed from the rolls.

Of the 4,362 registrations removed, 3,030 were of voters who have already died, while 603 were from those convicted of felonies. 554 had moved out of state.

Officials with the Secretary of State’s Office said Adams promised to defend from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth’s lawsuit Kentucky’s bipartisan election integrity statute.

The statute, signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear, is designed to prevent registered voters in other states from voting in Kentucky.

“Kentucky’s elections are a national success story,” Adams said. “Three years ago, Kentucky enacted a bipartisan law to prevent voting in more than one state in a presidential election. Now that a presidential election is underway, a fringe left-wing activist group is trying to undo that law and sow chaos and doubt in our elections. We believe voters should vote in only one state, and we expect to prevail in court.”

Republican registration increased by 4,947 voters, which is a 0.31% increase.

Democratic registration decreased by 1,717 voters, which is a 0.11% decrease.

Registration for those voting for a third party or “other” political affiliation went up by 1,502 voters, which is a 0.41% increase.

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Kentucky

Eastern Light Distilling breaks ground in Kentucky – The Spirits Business

Published

12 hours ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

Eastern Light Distilling breaks ground in Kentucky – The Spirits Business

Located in Morehead, Kentucky, the new distillery is expected to open in late 2025.

Eastern Light founding partners Caleb Kilburn and Cordell Lawrence at the groundbreaking ceremony on 2 July

The Kentucky Bourbon scene grows ever larger with the addition of Eastern Light Distilling, which began construction of its new distillery on 2 July with a groundbreaking ceremony.

Eastern Light comes from master distiller Caleb Kilburn and and CEO Cordell Lawrence, who previously worked together at Kentucky Peerless Distilling.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this important moment as we bring Eastern Light Distilling to life,” Kilburn said. “Being from Eastern Kentucky, I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow the industry I’m so passionate about in the region I call home.”

Eastern Light will contract distill, working with craft producers from product inception to branding.

The 230-acre campus will feature a 50,000-square-foot distillery, nine rickhouses with an average capacity of 33,000 barrels each, a full bottling facility, and a visitor experience. Once up and running, the distillery will employ more than 50 full-time staff and produce upwards of 97,000 barrels per year.

“Eastern Light will fill a tremendous need in the Bourbon industry, operating with a fully customisable solutions-based model that will help craft distillers and Bourbon brands to not only reach their goals and bring their products to market, but to flourish,” Lawrence said.

“We believe in removing barriers to entry in the spirits space so that we can share our passion with like-minded creators while prioritising quality, inspiring creativity, and investing in the state’s signature Bourbon industry and the health of the region.”

Eastern Light joins a crop of new distillery projects that are either focused on contract distilling or plan on making it a core business component. The past decade saw a rise in non-distillery producers as entrepreneurs and upstart craft brands sought a piece of the Bourbon market without the high costs of building a distillery or the long wait times for whiskey to mature.

In October 2023, the team behind Bardstown Bourbon Company pledged more than US$350 million over the next 10 years to build a new distillery for contract whiskey production in the US. Located in Kentucky, Whiskey House will be the ‘first’ distillery designed from scratch to focus entirely on large-scale, flexible, contract whiskey production.

In January 2024, Garrard County began production as the largest independently owned distillery in Kentucky, with contract distilling as a part of its model.

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Kentucky

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Biden’s upcoming meeting with Democratic governors: ‘We want to make sure he’s doing OK’

Published

20 hours ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Biden’s upcoming meeting with Democratic governors: ‘We want to make sure he’s doing OK’

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear explained Tuesday that Democratic state governors requested a meeting with President Biden because they “want to make sure he’s doing OK.”

Beshear, whose name has been floated as a possible replacement for the 81-year-old commander in chief on the Democratic presidential ticket, said during a CNN interview that Biden should be more open “about his health” in light of last week’s disastrous debate performance which the governor believes “hurt the campaign.”

“I think we’ve all got to be upfront and honest that what we saw in the debate – it was rough,” Beshear said during his appearance on “The Situation Room.”

“It [was] a rough night, and regardless of polls that you see, it’s going to hurt the campaign,” he added.

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz organized a Monday night call of his fellow Democratic state leaders – none of whom had heard directly from Biden – to discuss the concerns about the president’s debate against former President Donald Trump.

The White House has arranged a meeting between the president and Democratic governors slated for Wednesday.

“I think the governors just want a direct and candid conversation with the president,” Beshear said of the upcoming meeting. “We want to make sure he’s doing okay.”

“We all know him. He has formed a personal relationship with us, and he says he is [OK], and we take him at his word, but it’s always good to see somebody in person.”

What to know about the fallout from President Biden’s debate performance:

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first congressional Democrat to call on Biden to drop out of the race Tuesday after a debate performance in which the octogenarian president repeatedly froze up on stage and lost his train of thought.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), also on Tuesday, expressed that he had no confidence in Biden’s ability to beat Trump in November.

Beshear, 46, stopped short of calling on Biden to end his re-election effort.

“Joe Biden is our nominee, and ultimately that decision on continuing or not will fall to him and his family,” he said.

The governor, however, urged Biden to open up about his health.

“I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with asking the president to talk to the American people a little bit more about his health or that debate performance,” Beshear said.

“It’s like seeing somebody that you haven’t seen in a while and they seem a little off, and you asking how they’re doing, and then listening to their answer, is both showing concern for them but also just trying to make sure that things are OK,” he argued.

“If people have those questions,” Beshear said, referring to the president’s health, “it’d be great for him to answer them directly.”

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