Kentucky
Kentucky’s Best Performances in Memorial Gym: From Jordan Burks to Cliff Hagan
Your University of Kentucky Wildcats play in Nashville on Saturday after a rare midseason week of rest. Kentucky will face Vanderbilt in the Wildcats’ 80th game against the Commodores at historic Memorial Gymnasium, where Kentucky is 52-27 all-time as the road team.
Several outstanding individual performances were behind those 52 road wins. If you’re talking about Kentucky‘s all-time heroes at Vandy, the conversation should start with Nazr Mohammed, whose buzzer-beater in 1998 is the only walk-off in Nashville.
However, this exercise will reverse-chronologically list Kentucky’s Memorial Gym standouts, beginning with… Jordan Burks. Yes, Jordan Burks. Surely you haven’t forgotten Jordan Burks already.
Jordan Burks (2024)
Antonio Reeves was Kentucky’s leading scorer in last season’s 32-point win in Nashville, as he was in 15 of Kentucky’s 33 games in 2023-24. So, Reeves’ performance wasn’t nearly as surprising or meaningful as Jordan Burks‘ 13 points and five rebounds off the bench, a couple of career highs for the freshman who transferred to Georgetown.
Burks hit all six of his shot attempts on his career night at Vanderbilt last February. He didn’t hit another shot in the 15 other SEC games or for the rest of his time at Kentucky. Still, his impact was felt off the bench in Nashville.
Kentucky 109, Vanderbilt 77
Oscar Tshiebwe (2022)
Oscar Tshiebwe‘s 30 points at Vanderbilt in 2022 set a new career-high in scoring for Tshiebwe. And because he is Oscar, he also had 13 rebounds for his 12th double-double in 16 games. Led by Tshiebwe, the Wildcats never trailed in the win.
Tshiebwe was the first Wildcat with a 30/10 game since Patrick Patterson against Tennessee State in Rupp Arena in 2008.
Kentucky 78, Vanderbilt 66
Davion Mintz (2021)
Attendance was listed at 164 people to see Davion Mintz score 18 points, one shy of a season-high, at Vanderbilt in 2021. Mintz hit four 3-pointers against the Commodores, including the one that extended Kentucky’s lead to six with a minute and a half to go.
Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 78
Tyrese Maxey (2020)
Tyrese Maxey was the high-scorer when Kentucky won in Memorial Gym in 2020. Now the star of the Philadelphia 76ers, Maxey scored 25 points to help lead the Wildcats out of a 14-point deficit in the first half.
Kentucky 78, Vanderbilt 64
PJ Washington (2019)
PJ Washington‘s 25 points and 12 rebounds led the 2018-19 Wildcats to a 35-point win over the Commodores in Nashville. Washington had his double-double by halftime with 18 and 10 at the break, Kentucky up by 30.
Kentucky 87, Vanderbilt 52
Tayshaun Prince (2001)
Tayshaun Prince scored 11 of his 27 at the free throw line, sinking all but one of his 12 trips to the line at Vanderbilt in 2001. Prince had 14 points with 5:20 to go in the game before scoring 13 of his game-high 27 points late in the Kentucky win. Prince also had a game-high nine rebounds as he and the Wildcats fought off Vandy’s late comeback attempt.
Kentucky 79, Vanderbilt 74
Desmond Allison (2000)
Desmond Allison tied Travis Ford’s Kentucky record of six 3-pointers at Vanderbilt in 2000. Allison’s 6-of-9 shooting from outside helped him match Jamaal Magloire with 23 points each in Kentucky’s overtime win over the Commodores in 2000. It was Allison’s best game in two seasons as a Wildcat.
Kentucky 81, Vanderbilt 73 (OT)
Nazr Mohammed (1998)
Jeff Sheppard‘s 20 points contributed to Vandy’s first home loss of the 1997-98 season. However, it was Nazr Mohammed who decided the final score with his two-handed lob with 0.1 seconds that hit the top of the backboard and dropped in for the game-winner. Was it even a shot? It doesn’t matter. It went in a few seconds after Vandy’s Drew Maddux tied the game with a desperation 3 at the other end. Sheppard passed the ball forward to Mohammed for the unlikely winner as time expired.
Kentucky 63, Vanderbilt 61
Ron Mercer (1997)
Ron Mercer‘s Nashville homecoming was part of a hot stretch in Mercer’s sophomore season when he scored 23 points in four of five games, including three consecutive 23-point games, ending in his hometown’s Memorial Gymnasium.
Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 79
The Whole Team (1996)
Kentucky scored a record 120 points on Vandy in 1996, the national championship season. Tony Delk, another Tennessean, led the Wildcats with 22, but he wasn’t alone in lighting up the Commodores. Antoine Walker had 17, Walter McCarty 16, and another 15 each by Mark Pope and Mercer, then a freshman. Pope recently recalled chest-bumping Rick Pitino during the dunk-fest at Vandy as Kentucky moved to 19-1 that season.
Kentucky 120, Vanderbilt 81
Travis Ford (1994)
Travis Ford made seven of 11 from the field with five assists in Kentucky’s 1994 win in Nashville. Ford played even better the year before when he set a new high mark for 3s made versus Vandy (6), but it was his 22-point performance in ’94 that earned a win over the Commodores, only the second in five tries for his head coach, Rick Pitino.
Kentucky 77, Vanderbilt 69
Kenny Walker (1985)
If you thought Oscar Tshiebwe’s 30 and 15 game at Vandy was impressive, may I interest you in Kenny Walker‘s 31 and 15 game at Memorial Gym in 1985? Walker scored 31 points with 15 rebounds in Kentucky’s 68-62 win. He and Ed Davender (16) nearly matched Vanderbilt’s 62 points by themselves. Walker scored 25 in Nashville a year later.
Kentucky 68, Vanderbilt 62
Melvin Turpin (1984)
Melvin Turpin went 11 of 15 from the field in Kentucky’s 58-54 win at Vanderbilt in 1984. The 6-11 center scored 22 points, part of his All-American senior season at Kentucky.
Kentucky 58, Vanderbilt 54
Jim Master (1983)
Jim Master had the hot hand in 1983, scoring 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting in Memorial Gym. Master’s 12 made shots were a career-high, and he was three points shy of matching his career-best point total. Late in the game, Kentucky needed six free throws near the end of overtime to win the game and retake first place in the SEC with the victory.
Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 77
Derrick Hord (1982)
It was Derrick Hord who shined in 1982, scoring 26 points on a career-high 12 field goals to lead Kentucky over C.M. Newton’s Commodores in 1982. Hord was named First Team All-SEC later that season, his junior year.
Kentucky 73, Vanderbilt 69
Kyle Macy (1978)
Kyle Macy enjoyed playing in Memorial Gymnasium. He played there three times, scoring 22, 24, and 22 points in those trips to the Music City. In 1978, Macy’s 28 points led the eventual national champs to a 78-68 win. He’d win there again in 1980 by scoring 22.
Kentucky 78, Vanderbilt 68
Tom Parker (1971)
Kentucky scored 119 points against Vanderbilt in 1971, the second to last trip to Nashville under Adolph Rupp. Junior Tom Parker, Kentucky’s All-SEC forward, led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds in the Kentucky win. The Wildcats went 49 of 91 from the field for the game.
Kentucky 119, Vanderbilt 90
Louie Dampier (1966)
Louie Dampier couldn’t be stopped in the 1966 Kentucky-Vanderbilt game in Nashville. Dampier outshined Pat Riley’s 28-point night with 42 points and nine rebounds. Dampier’s 42 points are a Kentucky record against Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium. He hit 18 of 29 shots in the win.
Kentucky 105, Vanderbilt 90
Cotton Nash (1962)
Cotton Nash scored 31 points at Vanderbilt in 1962, needing only seven two-pointers to get there. Nash did most of his work at the line, where he sank 17 of 19 free throws at Memorial Gym in No. 3 Kentucky’s 77-68 win. Larry Pursiful added 19 points for the Wildcats. Nash would score another 27 on Vandy a year later.
Kentucky 77, Vanderbilt 68
Carroll Burchett (1960)
Carroll Burchett was a bucket in 1960, hitting a career-best 10 of 16 shots for a career-best 24 points. The freshman forward/center from Flat Gap, Kentucky, added 13 rebounds in Kentucky’s 76-69 win over Vandy.
Kentucky 76, Vanderbilt 59
Earl Adkins (1958)
Ashland, Kentucky’s own Earl Adkins gave Vanderbilt all it wanted in 1958, Adkins’ senior season. He set a career-high for shots made (9) in scoring a career-high 25 points against Vanderbilt. His seven free throws also were a career-best.
Kentucky 86, Vanderbilt 81
Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan (1954)
Finally, the first time Kentucky played in Memorial Gymnasium, an 85-63 win for the first-ranked Wildcats. Frank Ramsey (24) and Cliff Hagan (22) scored 46 of Kentucky’s points as UK moved to 13-0 in its undefeated 1953-54 season.
Kentucky 85, Vanderbilt 63
Will a new Wildcat join this list in 2025?
We’ll find out when Kentucky and Vanderbilt tip off in Nashville.
Kentucky
Fayette County school board chair, KEA sue to block Kentucky law that would oust current members
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Fayette County Board of Education Chair Tyler Murphy and the Kentucky Education Association have filed a lawsuit challenging a newly enacted Kentucky law that would overhaul the governance structure of Fayette County Public Schools and force all current board members out of office at the end of 2026.
The lawsuit names the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Fayette County Board of Elections and Fayette County election officials as defendants.
At the center of the legal challenge is Senate Bill 4, which lawmakers passed over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto earlier this year.
Under the law, the seven-member Fayette County Board of Education would be reduced to five district-based seats, the lawsuit reads. The terms of all current board members would end Dec. 31, 2026, and new elections would be held for the restructured board.
The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional and asks the court to block its implementation, including any election-related actions tied to the measure.
Court filings contend the legislation unlawfully targets a single school district and interferes with the terms of duly elected local officials. Plaintiffs also argue the law violates provisions of the Kentucky Constitution governing local elections and public officeholders.
Attorneys included exhibits detailing criticism of Murphy and Fayette County Public Schools leadership from state lawmakers, including a petition seeking Murphy’s removal and a letter from state Sen. Chris McDaniel calling for the resignations of Murphy and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the law is invalid and requests expedited review from the court due to upcoming election deadlines.
No hearing date had been announced as of Wednesday.
The lawsuit comes as Fayette County Public Schools continues to face scrutiny over budgeting decisions, district spending and governance issues that have drawn attention from state lawmakers over the past year.
In a statement, Representative Matt Lockett criticized Murphy as he highlighted what he stated are district failures under Murphy.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to distract from the disaster that Fayette County Public Schools is under Tyler Murphy’s leadership as board chair. Under his watch, the district has spiraled into a financial crisis so severe that it is now seeking to borrow up to $110 million simply to keep the lights on and make it through the school year. Students have been failed. Families have been failed. Teachers and staff have been failed. Taxpayers have been failed. And the Lexington community has been left paying the price for years of mismanagement and poor oversight.
Rather than taking responsibility for the district’s financial failures and focusing on what is best for students, he has chosen to file a lawsuit challenging a law that was duly passed by the General Assembly and enacted through the constitutional process. He may be emboldened by recent rulings by activist judges, but there are no legitimate grounds for overturning a duly enacted statute simply because you can’t do the right thing by this community. The General Assembly has both the authority and the responsibility to establish standards for public offices and governance structures across the Commonwealth.
At a time when Fayette County schools are facing unprecedented financial turmoil, the focus should be on accountability, transparency, and fixing the problems that have brought the district to this point. The only filing Fayette County taxpayers should be expecting from Mr. Murphy is his resignation.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been causing fear around the world, and a Lexington doctor is preparing in the event a case is found in Kentucky.
According to the CDC, there have been 49 deaths and over 300 confirmed cases across the two countries, with more suspected cases still being investigated.
UK Healthcare is working to become a Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center through the National Special Pathogen System, which would allow the facility to treat Ebola patients in-house.
Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease physician at UK Healthcare, said the current outbreak is serious, but Kentucky residents are not at significant risk.
“Ebola scares people just because of the mortality, the death rate, associated with it and some of the long term consequences when you do survive. Fortunately, the strain that we’re seeing in Eastern (Democratic Republic of Congo) is thought to be not as deadly, but either way it’s a very serious disease. It carries a lot of stigma and fear,” Van Sickels said.
Here in Kentucky, however, is a very safe environment, Dr. Van Sickels said.
Currently, Dr. Van Sickels says UK Healthcare operates as an assessment hospital, meaning it can evaluate patients with symptoms who have traveled to regions with active outbreaks, coordinate testing with the state, and transfer patients to higher-level care centers if needed.
Once the Level 2 designation is complete, UK Healthcare will be the only facility in Kentucky with that capability.
“We’re the only facility in Kentucky that is able to have a level 2 designation once we finish this grant award and get approved,” Dr. Van Sickels said.
In January 2026, UK Healthcare received a grant from the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), the governing body of the National Special Pathogen System.
“It’s approximately half a million dollars to transform our institution,” Van Sickels said.
The funding has been used to run simulation drills in coordination with Lexington Fire, EMS, and the state health department. The grant also enabled UK Healthcare to upgrade its protective outerwear, with all seam points covered to provide additional protection. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids.
During a recent site visit and simulation, evaluators identified vulnerabilities in the facility’s previous protective suits.
“When we had our site visit and had our stimulation, for example, they said that the seams that we had on our old suits, you could pull and stretch, and that they were rather porous,” Van Sickels said.
Van Sickels had been working on the preparedness project since the beginning of the year.
Citing lessons learned from the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which spread to the U.S. and resulted in 4 cases and 1 death.
“Ebola 2014 taught a lot of hospitals in the US about high consequence infections, established what is now NETEC, the educating body for our country, uh, about high consequence pathogens,” Van Sickels said.
“We’re constantly wanting to push preparedness, uh, because that is the key to success in evading further outbreaks,” Van Sickels said.
UK Healthcare expects to complete its Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center designation by the end of summer.
The Kentucky Wildcats have had some fits with West Virginia over the past few days, as the baseball team was sent home by the Mountaineers on Monday night. Now, they have flipped a Wildcat commit.
Bryian Duncan Jr., a Cario, Georgia native, committed to the Wildcats in March and has now flipped to West Virginia. The 3-star running back had a recent visit to Morgantown, then announced his commitment to the Mountaineers.
Duncan, a 5-foot-9 player who can play out wide and at running back, is the No. 60-ranked ATH in the nation and the No. 89 player in Georgia, according to 247 Sports. He’ll play in the Big 12 with the Mountaineers, giving himself a good opportunity to become a true gadget guy with legit speed.
This isn’t a big disappointment for the Wildcats, as they’ll collect nearly 10 commitments as the summer rolls on and already have a pretty loaded RB room for the class of 2027. Kelsey Gerald and Mason Ball are two tailbacks who have already pledged their commitment to the program.
Head coach Will Stein and Co. have been stellar on the recruiting trail as they have the 13th-best class overall and the fourth-ranked class in the SEC, according to 247 Sports. Expect the Cats to pick up a few more commits here soon and rise in the rankings.
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