Kentucky

KSR Staff Predictions: No. 9 Kentucky at Vanderbilt

Published

1 year ago

January 24, 2025

KSR Staff Predictions: No. 9 Kentucky at Vanderbilt

After a brief break, Kentucky is back in action on the road in the SEC. The ninth-ranked Wildcats will travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. EST. One week ago, Kentucky fell at home to Alabama, while Vandy students stormed the court after upsetting No. 6 Tennessee. Will the Wildcats bounce back or will Mark Byington get his second Top 10 win of the season? The KSR crew weighs in.

Adam Luckett

Kentucky wants to play with tempo and shoot threes. Vanderbilt wants to play with tempo and shoot threes. Each team will spread the floor. You could say that this game is the Spiderman meme.

The Wildcats have a better roster. That should lead to a road victory.

New Vanderbilt head coach Mary Byington is going to want to push the pace and does not have much size in the frontcourt. That should give Mark Pope’s team some advantages. Expect a fun game at Memorial Gym with buckets coming in bunches.

Vanderbilt’s three-point defense (No. 268 nationally) has been bad all season and that will matter on Saturday. Kentucky wins the three-point volume battle and controls the game even if it gets a little tight down the stretch.

Score: Kentucky 90, Vanderbilt 85

Nick Roush

Part of me is worried that Memorial Magic has returned. Not only did the Commodores get the win over the Vols, they got a put-back with less than a second left to knock off South Carolina. Here’s the thing about that gym — Kentucky hasn’t lost there since 2011.

The teams that give Kentucky fits on the road in SEC play are the ones who like to slow it down and play a knock-down, drag-em-out style. Vandy wants to play just as fast as Kentucky. They want to shoot a lot of threes. If they hit a bunch, the Cats might be in trouble, but these are similar teams with very different levels of talent. Kentucky will just be too much for Vanderbilt to handle in a high-scoring affair.

Score: Kentucky 101, Vanderbilt 90

Zack Geoghegan

Vanderbilt’s only home loss this season came against No. 14 Mississippi State. The Commodores stunned No. 6 Tennessee 11 days later in Nashville. The magic in Memorial Gym might be back with first-year head coach Mark Byington exceeding expectations, but Mark Pope won’t let the arena’s aura impact his team. Vandy has dropped three of its last five SEC games.

Byington has his team playing smart basketball. The ‘Dores rarely turn the ball over and do an excellent job of forcing opponents into mistakes. They like to play fast the same way Kentucky does but don’t shoot as often or as efficiently from deep as the Wildcats. North Texas transfer guard Jason Edwards is going to get up plenty of shots. This is a transfer-heavy group that goes nine players deep. Both teams are coming off losses to Alabama. There are plenty of similarities to Pope’s first season.

The one major difference? Talent. Kentucky has more from top to bottom. AJ Hoggard is a solid veteran guard and Devin McGlockton is a rebounding fiend (8.2 RPG) at 6-foot-7, but UK can match them and then some. Keeping Vanderbilt to under 20 free throw attempts will be key. A full week off from games will have the ‘Cats healthy as they’ve been in weeks as they cruise to a feel-good road win.

Score: Kentucky 84, Vanderbilt 77

Tyler Thompson

After upsetting No. 6 Tennessee last week, Vandy will try to recreate more Memorial Magic vs. No. 9 Kentucky, but I feel good about the Cats’ chances coming off the midweek bye and with Big Blue Nation taking over Memorial. Blue always gets into Vandy, but with this game taking place on a Saturday and excitement high under Mark Pope, I’m expecting an especially loud and proud contingent of Kentucky fans in the funky old opera house.

The ‘Dores have been impressive this season and are in the conversation for the NCAA Tournament, but the Cats are fresh and will be eager to get the taste of the loss to Alabama out of their mouths. As my coworkers have said, both teams play a similar style, which should lead to a high-scoring game; in those scenarios, take the team with more talent, and that’s Kentucky.

Vanderbilt will make some runs and give its fans chances to get loud, but ultimately, the “Go Big Blue” chants will be louder. Kentucky wins, building some momentum heading into another Tennessee road trip next week.

Score: Kentucky 90, Vanderbilt 83

Jack Pilgrim

In my first trip to the Crow’s Nest, the goal is to kill any chance at Memorial Magic the Commodores hope to recreate after pulling off the upset win over Tennessee. Had they lost that in-state battle, I’d probably be a lot more nervous than I am — same vibes as the Alabama game. Just as the Crimson Tide played with heart and desperation looking to get back on track at Rupp Arena following a double-digit home loss, you’d rather Vanderbilt be coming off an emotional home upset that led to a court storming their last time in Nashville over a tough loss, hungry to make a statement.

Mark Byington is very good, constructing his debut roster from scratch following Jerry Stackhouse’s departure. It’s similar to Coach Pope’s takeover, tirelessly hitting the portal to find culture and system fits that work well together rather than the best individual talent. That’s led to the program’s best start in a decade and a half, undersized but plenty of positional versatility and skilled, and they’re probably going to the NCAA Tournament because of it.

Kentucky is a bigger, better, more talented version of that, though, and that’s going to be something Vanderbilt can’t overcome — even with a sold-out Memorial Gym working in its favor. It’s going to be a fun and entertaining game with a ton of points, maybe one that stays tight longer than one would hope, but the Wildcats will spread it out at the end and head home with a comfortable win.

Score: Kentucky 98, Vanderbilt 89

Drew Franklin

Memorial Gym has been hot lately, with two thrilling wins for Vanderbilt the last two times the Commodores played at home. However, the magic will wear off Saturday when Kentucky comes to town in a bounce-back opportunity for the Wildcats. Mark Pope’s first UK team has been good at those. Kentucky is 3-0 after a loss this season, with two top-15 wins in those three instances. I expect Pope has again collected the proper data, made the necessary adjustments, and said all of the right things to inspire his team to rebound again.

Jaxson Robinson is my predicted high scorer for the game. Robinson scored 27 points the last time he went on the road in the SEC, and I think that night in Starkville gave him the confidence to do it again. He’ll have 20+ in a Kentucky win in Memorial Gym.

Score: Kentucky 86, Vanderbilt 79

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt: How to Watch, Listen

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes)
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 160 or 191
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard.

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Kentucky

Recent $167m lottery winner arrested for allegedly stealing $12,000 in Kentucky

Published

3 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

Recent 7m lottery winner arrested for allegedly stealing ,000 in Kentucky

A man who recently won a $167m Powerball lottery jackpot stands accused of stealing the relatively paltry sum of $12,000 after breaking into a house in his home state of Kentucky on Saturday, according to authorities who arrested him.

James Farthing’s arrest on Saturday on counts of burglary and illicit marijuana possession reportedly was at least his third since winning Kentucky’s most lucrative lottery prize ever.

Farthing, 51, was allegedly captured on surveillance cameras at the side door of a woman’s home in Lexington before unlawfully entering the place, police wrote in an arrest citation that was reported by the local news outlet WKYT. The break-in victim heard a loud noise consistent with a door being busted open, and she realized $12,000 was missing from the home after Farthing broke in, officers alleged in the citation.

Police later found Farthing at a casino and harness-racing track and took him into custody in connection with the alleged burglary. Officers said they added the illegal marijuana possession count after searching his car and finding the herb along with multiple blunts, including one that had burnt out in his vehicle’s ashtray.

Farthing had spent most of his life in and out of incarceration before he, his mother and girlfriend bought the winning ticket for a $167m Powerball jackpot awarded in April 2025, according to the Smoking Gun website.

Hitting that jackpot left them with deciding whether to collect the full amount in annual increments over 29 years or immediately in a one-time, lump sum of $77.3m.

Farthing and his family said they would talk with a financial adviser before choosing the better option for them.

As Farthing put it, the win resulted from playing the odds. “I’m always buying [lottery tickets] ’cause I’m like, ‘Somebody’s gotta win,’” he later told WKYT.

It was a matter of days before he recorded another brush with the law – when officials in Florida said he hit a hotel guest in the face, kicked a deputy and violated his parole conditions by leaving Kentucky without permission.

He pleaded guilty to that case in early March as part of a deal requiring him to pay $1,000 in fines but sparing him any additional jail time, WKYT reported.

Furthermore, in February, Kentucky authorities arrested Farthing on allegations that he tried to intimidate a participant of a legal process. Investigators said the alleged victim in that case reported meeting Farthing and being pressured into ingesting a marijuana edible. The woman later reportedly called police and reported that people with a weapon wanted to hurt her.

Officers who responded to the scene alleged that they found marijuana and a gun. And as the alleged victim was being questioned, police accused Farthing of sending her a text message which read, “Why would you do this to me? Unreal. I’d never hurt you.”

Farthing was tentatively due in court in the burglary case on Monday and on the intimidation charge on Thursday. He also reportedly has an separate hit-and-run case pending.

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Kentucky

Mark Pope can’t gamble on three-point shooters in the transfer portal

Published

15 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Mark Pope can’t gamble on three-point shooters in the transfer portal

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats will be looking to replace a lot in the transfer portal, and one thing that Pope will need a ton of is three-point shooting. The three-point shooting this season for Kentucky outside of Collin Chandler was rough. Otega Oweh, Kam Williams, and Denzel Aberdeen all had a solid shooting season, but Chandler was the only true, reliable three-point shooter.

Williams is a player that fans expect to get much better from three next season if he is back in Lexington, but Pope is still going to need a lot of shooting.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

When Pope took the job at Kentucky, he wanted to shoot over 30, perhaps even 35 threes per game, but in his two seasons, this has not happened. Coach Pope needs to get back to this for his offense to work at a high level, but he will need the roster to get it done.

While the portal is not technically open yet, some players have announced that they plan to enter the portal when it does open on April 7th. Some Kentucky fans have already started to list players whom Pope should reach out to in the portal. Many of the guard’s BBN wants look good on paper, but don’t have elite three-point shooting percentages.

The point of this article is to make the case that Coach Pope can’t gamble with the players he brings in via the portal to be shooters. A great example of this is Jaland Lowe, as he came over from Pitt with a bad three-point shooting percentage. He didn’t play enough this year to really judge him as a shooter, but Pope doesn’t need projects like this.

Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope speaks during an interview at the practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

He shouldn’t take guards who shot 31% from three. Pope needs to take players who are true knockdown shooters from deep, so the Wildcats offense next season will have a handful of players who are all capable of making threes.

There are some guards and forwards in the portal right now who had great seasons shooting the ball from deep and more will enter when it officially opens on the 7th. Coach Pope needs a bunch of players who shot 35% or better from deep, so the Wildcats are an elite team from beyond the arc.

If Kentucky isn’t a good shooting team, we will see a season similar to this one next year, so shooting is a top priority for the staff when the portal opens here in about a week.

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Kentucky

2026 top-50 recruit Chris Washington Jr. drawing interest from Kentucky Basketball

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

2026 top-50 recruit Chris Washington Jr. drawing interest from Kentucky Basketball

Even in the era of the transfer portal and NIL, fans of a team will still focus on and care about recruiting. That’s especially the case with the Kentucky Wildcats. Fans are already up in arms about Kentucky’s recruiting for the class of 2026, or, in their case, lack thereof.

Only one player is signed for the class of 2026, after 4-star point guard Mason Williams announced his commitment to play for the Cats on Friday. On the board. Still work to do.

Chris Washington Jr., an Alabama decommit and top-35 senior prospect, is a new target for Mark Pope and UK ahead of the spring signing period in mid-April. The staff reached out to his AAU coach, Bobby Maze, to gauge the athletic wing’s potential interest. This is all according to Kentucky Sports Radio.

Washington is a 6-9, 195-pound forward who originally committed to Alabama, but decommitted in November. Kentucky is now included among the likes of Tennessee, Oregon, Oklahoma State, USC, and SMU that are interested in Washington.

“It’s a good program,” Washington said of Kentucky while adding, “Honestly, I just want to go where I’m wanted — and the play style. I got to go where I fit in and where the coaches really want me. (My recruitment is) open. Whenever the time is right.”

Only four players ranked ahead of him remain available in 2026, including No. 1 Tyran Stokes. That tells you just how big of a prospect Washington will be in the spring signing period.

Kentucky has swung and missed in recruiting a lot recently. But there is still time to get things moving in the right direction this spring on both the high school front and in the transfer portal.

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