The vacation season rolls ahead on the planet of UK Athletics, with the Kentucky soccer and basketball groups bringing within the new 12 months with two large matchups to shut out 2022 on December 31.

Kicking and tipping off at the very same time at midday ET, the soccer crew will tackle Iowa within the Music Metropolis Bowl down in Nashville, whereas the basketball crew is ready to face off in opposition to in-state rival Louisville in Lexington.

It’s a vital sport for each applications, with soccer looking for its eighth win of the season and fifth straight victory in bowl matchups. As for basketball, the Wildcats are determined for a win after getting run out of the gymnasium to open SEC play this week at Missouri. Issue within the Kenny Payne connection and the bitter rivalry the 2 applications share, and it’s clear the stakes are excessive.

Friday is the ultimate day of sport prep for each groups. How are the soccer and basketball squads getting ready?

It’s been a busy week of festivities for the Wildcats down on the bowl website, with Thursday being a day of labor and enjoyable. It began with apply, the place Kentucky is getting ready for a number of unknowns on Iowa’s aspect, particularly at quarterback. Third-string QB Joe Labas is predicted to get the beginning for the Hawkeyes, which means movie is restricted and the Wildcats must suppose big-picture on the subject of sport prep.

“Base-wise, nearly all of what they do is similar, however you’ve at all times obtained to be aware — it’s a bowl sport. There are going to be twists and wrinkles. We’ve obtained to be ready,” Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White stated Thursday. “With the (Iowa) quarterback scenario, there’s some unknown there, so we’ve obtained to be prepared. It comes right down to who they’re, they usually win within the trenches. That’s the place it begins.”

Like Kentucky, Iowa performs a bodily model on the opposite aspect of the soccer, and the Hawkeyes are well-coached below head coach Kirk Ferentz.

“Iowa’s good in loads of methods,” Mark Stoops stated Wednesday. “They very a lot perceive themselves. They perceive every name. What the power is, what the weak spot is, and the place they possibly getting attacked in that individual protection. Their soccer IQ is extraordinarily excessive which as a defensive man — a defensive coordinator for a very long time — I’ve an incredible respect for that. What they do and the way arduous they play. They play extraordinarily arduous. Very bodily, very well-coached, and I like that. I like the best way they play.”

It’s not all enterprise in Nashville, with the Wildcats additionally having enjoyable with the Hawkeyes within the Music Metropolis, as nicely. In a metropolis identified for its scorching hen, why not have a wing-eating contest?

Kentucky obtained the most effective of Iowa within the head-to-head battle off the sector earlier than issues get heated on it on Saturday. The Wildcats ate 50 wings in comparison with 49 for the Hawkeyes, led by Grant Bingham with 13 wings whole.

After which there’s the water park contained in the lodge, with the Wildcats benefiting from the enjoyable throughout their downtime.

What’s on the schedule at the moment for the soccer crew? Mark Stoops and Kirk Ferentz, together with each groups’ offensive and defensive coordinators are set to take part in a information convention beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET. Then at 7 p.m. ET, the groups will take part in a Battle of the Bands on Broadway.

That can deliver us to Saturday, with kickoff scheduled at Nissan Stadium at midday ET, dwell on ABC.

Males’s basketball prepares for Louisville

It’s not all enjoyable and video games for the lads’s basketball program because it prepares for its weekend matchup. Coming off an embarrassing efficiency in Columbia on Wednesday, the crew’s resume is atrocious and followers have grown to be apathetic not even midway by means of the season. Kentucky has no offensive id, defensive effort was horrendous at Mizzou, crew chemistry is down and even physique language is poor.

There isn’t an instantaneous repair to the crew’s woes, and it doesn’t assist that Kentucky’s subsequent opponent is horrible.

Kenny Payne and the Louisville Cardinals are set to journey to Lexington on Saturday, bringing one of many worst groups in school basketball to Rupp Enviornment. UofL sits at 2-11 on the season, with the crew’s lone victories coming vs. Western Kentucky and Florida A&M. Losses embrace Bellarmine, Wright State, Appalachian State and Lipscomb, amongst others.

A feel-good alternative for Kentucky — on paper, no less than — in opposition to its greatest rivalry, the sport will tip off at midday ET on CBS.

John Calipari will converse to the media at the moment at 1:45 p.m. ET. to preview the matchup and hopefully present solutions to the lengthy record of questions followers have concerning his program.

KSR can have all the protection you want proper right here on the web site all through the afternoon.

Playing cards to debut retro uniforms vs. Cats

ESPN’s matchup predictor offers Louisville a 1.6% likelihood to tug off the upset at Rupp Enviornment. The official line hasn’t been set fairly but, nevertheless it’s anticipated to closely favor the Wildcats.

Seeking to make some magic, the Cardinals are rolling out a retro uniform, a traditional crimson look because the crew enters a sea of blue.

Admittedly, it’s a stable uniform.

Will it assist? That is still to be seen. They’re attempting, no less than.

Kentucky WBB drops SEC opener at Mizzou

First it was the lads’s basketball crew dropping its convention opener at Missouri on Wednesday. Only a day later, it was the ladies doing the identical, falling to the Tigers in Columbia to open SEC play.

In contrast to Calipari’s group — blown out from begin to end — Kyra Elzy’s squad fell in a nailbiter by a closing rating of 74-71. That’s after outscoring Mizzou in three of 4 quarters, led by Robyn Benton with a team-high 22 factors on 5-14 capturing and 10-11 from the road. She has scored in double figures each sport this season and leads the Wildcats with 16.5 factors per contest.

As a crew, Kentucky knocked down simply 24 of its 60 shot makes an attempt and 10 of 26 seems to be from deep. The Wildcats compelled 25 turnovers and turned these into 36 factors the opposite route, however execution to shut out the primary and second halves killed the crew’s probabilities for a press release victory in Columbia.

With the loss, UK has now fallen in 4 of their final 5 video games to maneuver to a disappointing 8-5 on the season.