Kentucky

KSR's ten favorite things from Kentucky's win over Georgia State

Published

1 year ago

November 30, 2024

KSR's ten favorite things from Kentucky's win over Georgia State

It was a weird night inside Rupp Arena, one that included a sloppy start and a rowdy finish leading to a blowout victory for the Kentucky Wildcats over the Georgia State Panthers. There was a fight, free ice cream and everything in between.

How did Mark Pope coach his team to another win en route to a 7-0 start on the year, the team’s best since 2016-17 and one victory away from the best start since 2014-15? How about some of the other highlights? KSR’s got the ten best things from the win.

1. Clash Peters gets bullied into oblivion

You hate to punch down on a zero-star kid playing for Georgia State, but when you’re a dirty basketball player whose uncle also happens to be a Duke villain with a similarly stupid name, it happens. Cherokee Parks’ nephew, Clash Peters, became enemy No. 1 of Big Blue Nation on Friday for undercutting Amari Williams on a pass inside leading to a brouhaha resulting in technicals also called on Koby Brea, Otega Oweh and Zarique Nutter of the Panthers. Mark Pope even got out there to split players up and cool down the emotions before things got any further out of hand.

Trash Peters has been ejected. https://t.co/8BHP1iShms pic.twitter.com/rtYquPPi6Y
— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) November 30, 2024
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If the public shame wasn’t enough inside Rupp Arena, fans then proceeded to dig up old photos of young Clash rocking Duke gear with a terrible haircut next to Zion Williamson.

Oh, and Clash in a Duke sweater and jorts doing his best to look mysterious as he gazes away from the camera.

None of us knew Clash Peters existed before tonight. Now he’s hated for eternity by the most passionate fanbase in college basketball. Funny how life works.

2. Plus-21 after the fight

It was an eight-point lead with 12:37 to go when all hell broke loose, Peters leading the four-technical sequence that included a ten-minute stoppage of play. That point forward, the Wildcats went on a 44-23 run to close out the game, turning a 61-53 lead into a 105-76 win.

There wasn’t a ton to love about Kentucky’s start, Georgia State down just two points with five minutes to go in the first half. The Cats responded with a 17-1 run to lead by as many as 18 before going into the break up 48-33, only to let that lead slip away down to just six, then eight right before the scuffle and statement finish.

If we can somehow bottle that energy from the 5:06 mark to the 1:08 mark in the first half, then everything after the fight, we’d be in good shape.

3. Mark Pope gives away free ice cream

Waiting for Coach Pope’s first misstep in Lexington? It didn’t come against Georgia State.

The Cats ran away with it, plus the Kentucky head coach jumped in the thick of things when it got chippy — he joked he’s just happy he didn’t pull a hamstring jogging out there. His best moment, though, came during postgame radio when he told the crowd that while he couldn’t stay after to sign autographs, the Popes did leave the family credit card at the ice cream stand so fans could get a cone or two on their way out of Rupp Arena.

“The word on the street is, here in Rupp Arena, we have the best ice cream in the world,” Pope said. “So, Mrs. Lee Anne dropped her credit card off at the ice cream stand right up here, so it’s on me tonight. Go help yourselves. Get some ice cream on the way out. Enjoy it, and thank you guys for coming here. Let’s go Cats.”

No one else in the country is doing that.

4. Seven players in double figures

I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I doubt anyone else in the country has seven players finishing in double digits in a single game, either. Kentucky entered the matchup with five different Wildcats averaging between 10.8 and 16.5 points, plus another right behind with 9.3. Tonight, we saw seven players score between 10 and 19 points, everyone with at least 20 minutes hitting the double-figure mark.

Jaxson Robinson led the way with 19, followed by Lamont Butler with 17, Amari Williams with 14, Otega Oweh and Ansley Almonor with 12 and Andrew Carr and Koby Brea with 10. Kerr Kriisa is the only guy who played at least six minutes (16) and did not hit that barrier, yet he still managed to go for nine and did his best to add another bucket — more on that in a second.

Doesn’t get more well-rounded than that.

5. Rupp Arena was on a different planet

It feels like we talk about the crowd after every game, but my goodness, Rupp Arena was unbelievable against Georgia State. Sun Belt competition in 30-degree weather on Black Friday? No problem — the venue was packed from top to bottom.

Fans made their presence known, too, flipping the momentum when the Panthers fought to make a push and especially when the fight broke out in the second half. They were loud from the opening tip, but the pop on Kentucky’s big plays — Kerr Kriisa’s charges, Otega Oweh’s reverse dunk and basically whenever Clash Peters even thought about touching the ball — were special.

Then a good portion of those fans stuck around afterward to listen to Pope’s postgame radio show. Little did they know, they’d be leaving with words of wisdom and free ice cream.

6. Kerr Kriisa is Mr. 997

Wondering why No. 77 launched a trio of 3-pointers in the final 1:19 with the game well out of reach? It’s because Kriisa was just one shot away from his 1000th career point in college.

The fifth-year senior entered the game with 988 total points following stops at Arizona, West Virginia and now Kentucky. Going for nine in the first 38 minutes to bring him to 997, Kriisa reentered the game with 1:44 to go in hopes of getting three more to hit the 1,000-point mark. He missed all three, but you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, right? Odds are good he would’ve taken a couple more if there was additional time on the clock.

“It was actually super fun. All our guys were cheering like crazy for him. Demanding that he shoot it,” Pope said after the game. “And the one thing about Kerr: if you tell him to shoot the ball, he’s gonna shoot it.”

7. Patrick Sparks pump-faked as the Y

Kentucky has had an all-time run of special guest appearances this season with names including Dale Brown, Jim Andrews, Travis Ford and Dicky Lyons Jr. honored as celebratory Ys. That continued in a major way against Georgia State with none other than Patrick Sparks earning a roar from BBN at mid-court.

The best part? He pump-faked at the UK logo, just as he did in the corner against Louisville inside Freedom Hall back in 2004 to pull off the road win. In the spirit of rivalry week, he recreated his signature moment with fans enjoying every second.

Welcome back, No. 22.

8. 33-41 on 2-pointers

Kentucky finished just 7-26 from three, the team’s worst shooting night of the year and the second game in a row failing to hit the double-figure mark after doing it in each of the first five.

Instead, the Wildcats found a way to win inside the arc, going an impressive 33-41 on 2-pointers for an insane 80.5 percent finish. That’s how you manage to shoot 59.7 percent from the field overall despite a 26.9 percent mark from deep.

9. A 38-point difference in the paint

When you shoot 80 percent on twos, odds are good a solid chunk of those buckets are going to come inside the paint. That was the case for Kentucky, who racked up an impressive 62 points in that area.

Even better? Georgia State only scored 24 points in the paint, a surprise considering the team entered the game shooting just 33.8 percent from deep with its best player and leading scorer, Zarique Nutter, being a non-shooter. The Panthers have size, especially up top, but it didn’t really show as the Wildcats simply dominated inside while also winning the rebounding battle by nine.

10. Ansley Almonor is emerging as a fan-favorite

Doesn’t it feel like good things happen every time the Fairleigh Dickinson transfer enters the game? He had his best performance as a Wildcat, finishing with 12 points on 4-5 shooting and 2-3 from three to go with four rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes.

Kentucky was a bit short-handed in the frontcourt with Brandon Garrison held out “more as a precaution than anything else” with “a little bit of soreness,” but Almonor once again stepped up in a major way, just as he always does — this time in an expanded role. He came in knowing he wouldn’t be playing the most minutes or taking the most shots, but his impact on the game is just as important as anyone at this point.

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Kentucky

Kentucky ‘playing with joy’ heading into volleyball championship match

Published

49 minutes ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky ‘playing with joy’ heading into volleyball championship match

KANSAS CITY, MO ― On Thursday, No.1 Kentucky punched its ticket to the NCAA volleyball championship match by winning a five-set thriller against No. 3 Wisconsin that defied logic.

“Congrats, guys. We couldn’t have played any worse,” head coach Craig Skinner told his team in the huddle after Kentucky dropped the first set, 25-12, with a .056 hitting percentage.

The Wildcats, who will play Texas A&M for the national championship on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), did not lead in a single major statistical category against the Badgers, but it didn’t matter. Kentucky clawed back and evened the match 1-1. The two teams traded blocks, kills and long rallies until late in the fourth set when two Badgers’ errors left the door open for the Wildcats. Kentucky, seemingly powered by Wisconsin’s mistakes, stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the fifth set. But, the Badgers weren’t done.

Fueled by massive nights from Mimi Colyer and Carter Booth, Wisconsin kept coming and pushed Kentucky to the brink. It took a colossal push from outside hitter Eva Hudson (29 kills on .455 hitting, seven digs), freshmen Kassie O’Brien and Trinity Ward, libero Molly Tuozzo (17 digs) and Brooklyn DeLeye (15 kills, 14 digs) to fight off the Badgers. Hudson slammed the door on Wisconsin’s title hopes with two final kills, but it was DeLeye’s defense in the fifth set (six digs) that made the difference.

“The cool thing about this team, I thought we’d done it all, and I thought we found every possible way to win, and tonight was a different way,” Skinner said after the Wildcats beat Wisconsin. “The way they played, the heart that they show is immeasurable. I keep telling them they’re transformational leaders in the way they go about it, what they’ve done for the sport.

” Proud of them. But the job isn’t finished.”

The Wildcats said they knew from the first practice in January that they would be playing for a national championship. Hudson revealed this week she didn’t think any growing (from the beginning of the season until now) was needed. She said she knows Kentucky is ready. In her opinion, it’s just a matter of soaking in the environment.

Deleye echoed Hudson’s sentiment about taking it all in. Yet, the junior did admit an underlying thought; none of the players on the Wildcats’ roster have been to a Final Four. Only Skinner has been to the national championship stage and won. He was an assistant on the 2020 team that brought a trophy back to Lexington.

Deleye shared that all year long, the Wildcats have been talking about their “why.” She says there’s a lot of pressure that comes with volleyball, especially in the SEC tournament and NCAA tournament, where they earned wins over UCLA, Creighton and Wisconsin. Yet, Deleye and Hudson both agreed the Wildcats are just out there to have fun and “play with joy.”

“In the last few games, have drawn smiley faces on our hands or somewhere where we can see it to remind us to play with joy,” Hudson said. “Some of the best times in volleyball, and when we’re really playing well, is when we’re all playing with joy and bouncing off one another. Kind of have those reminders in those pressure situations, too, is a really good thing.”

Kentucky said in the midst of their joy and between sets, they look one another in the eyes. Everything is moving at such a fast pace that the Wildcats want to take the time to connect and say “I got you” to each other to promote unity. They needed that same reminder deep in the match against Wisconsin when the season and a possible championship were on the line.

In a sequence that seemingly went unnoticed, DeLeye and Tuozzo took a brief moment to look at each other and nearly simultaneously make a “mask on” gesture. However, Tuozzo later explained that it wasn’t a “mask” she and Deleye were proverbially putting on. It was a helmet.

“Helmet on, ready to dig,” Tuozzo said matter-of-factly.

Deleye added when there’s an open hole or the block is not there, someone will typically step up into the seam, and “whatever happens happens.” Kentucky will live with the results, knowing it put its “body on the line.” With two losses this season and an impressive 28-match winning streak that also includes an October victory over the Aggies, Kentucky has maintained its composure throughout the NCAA tournament.

The Wildcats have taken multiple moments during the Final Four to talk about how their “accountability partners” have helped them. Players on the roster have someone who can pick them up on days when they may struggle and remind them not to get caught up in what they aren’t doing. That collective support and belief in one another started at the beginning of the season and has translated into joy at the highest levels of volleyball, something that has even impressed Skinner, who is in his 21st year of coaching.

“Because they play with such joy, I want to coach more players like that. I want players that you don’t really have to coach body language and enthusiasm,” Skinner said. “If you do, you’re spending all your effort on the wrong things. We can spend our energy on how do we put the pieces togetherand form a system to go around that.”

“(It’s) trying to find those people that are driven internally, and have an enthusiasm, infectious enthusiasm for life. Those guys, being around them every day, I look forward to that.”

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Kentucky

No. 12/13 Kentucky Tops Wright State on Friday

Published

13 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

No. 12/13 Kentucky Tops Wright State on Friday

Clara Strack scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds as No. 12/13 Kentucky thumped Wright State 96-53 on Friday night inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.

Three other Cats also scored in double figures. Tonie Morgan had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Freshman Kaelyn Carroll made six threes on her way to a career-high 18 points. Asia Boone hit five threes en route to a 17-point night.

Wright State scored first on a three, but Kentucky got baskets from Strack and Morgan to lead 4-3. After WSU scored, Amelia Hassett drained a three and the Cats led 7-5. Wright State tied the game at 7-7 before Morgan and Strack scored to give UK an 11-7 lead. However, Wright State scored the next four to tie the game again.

Strack made two free throws, and Morgan made one, to give the Cats a three-point lead. A Boone three extended the lead to 17-11. Strack scored two more buckets and the Cats had a double-digit advantage. A Morgan three-point play capped the 13-0 run that gave UK a 24-11 lead. Kentucky would lead 31-13 after one quarter.

Wright State opened the second quarter with an 11-4 run to cut the Kentucky lead to 35-24. However, the Cats responded in a big way. Threes from Josie Gilvin and Boone gave UK a 17-point lead. A Morgan layup, two Strack free throws, and threes from Strack and Carroll (three times) compiled a 22-0 run that ended the half. Kentucky led 57-24 at the break and Strack led all scorers with 18 in the first 20 minutes.

In the third quarter, WSU scored first on a free throw but a Strack basket gave the Cats a 59-25 lead. After three Wright State points, UK got layups from Morgan and Jordan Obi to lead 63-28. After a Raiders’ three, Kentucky went on an 11-4 run, sparked by another three from Carroll, to lead 74-35. The Cats would lead 74-37 after three quarters.

Kentucky scored first in the final stanza on a Strack basket. After WSU scored twice, Carroll hit another three to make it 79-41. Kentucky would build the lead to as many as 46 (96-50) before settling for the 43-point victory.

The Cats now take a break for the holidays before hosting Hofstra on December 28. Tipoff for that game is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.

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Kentucky

Kentucky will have Flexible Recruiting Operation in New Territories

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky will have Flexible Recruiting Operation in New Territories

Will Stein‘s play-calling mantra is simple: Feed the Studs. It only works if you have studs. Kentucky must acquire talent to be competitive. It starts in the upcoming transfer portal, but there are long-term deficits that must be remedied by high school recruiting. Stein is building a staff that has cut its teeth on the trail.

One of the first things we learned about Joe Price, the new Kentucky wide receivers coach, is that he is known in the Lone Star State as East Side Joe. That is a reference to his hometown of Houston, a talent hotbed in the state of Texas. Safeties coach Josh Christian-Young just spent a couple of years at Houston after four years in New Orleans at Tulane.

New offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich first called Denton, Texas, home. He played college football in Louisiana at McNeese State, and spent time coaching at UTSA and North Texas. Kentucky’s two new coordinators each cultivated reputations as excellent recruiters and are coming to Lexington via the state of Texas and Louisiana.

Are you picking up the geographical theme yet?

Texas and Louisiana produce some of the most talented football players in America, not only in terms of quality, but quantity. In the 2025 On300 rankings, Texas led the way with 42 players, while Louisiana contributed a dozen, tied for the sixth-most. The issue is that Kentucky hasn’t gotten a lot of those players over the years. Might a tide finally be turning?

Sloan has Adaptable Recruiting Pitch

Within his first 24 hours on the job, Joe Sloan flipped four-star wide receiver Kenny Darby from LSU to Kentucky. Sloan’s connections in the state of Louisiana quickly paid dividends. He cultivated those connections for more than a decade in the Boot, but those weren’t always there for the former East Carolina quarterback from Virginia.

“I was 26 years old when Skip Holtz hired me at Louisiana Tech, and I had never been to Louisiana. He said, ‘Hey, what do you think about recruiting Baton Rouge?’ I said, ‘All right, that sounds good to me,’” Sloan recalled on Wednesday.

“He gave me, it was really nice a Crown Vic. The first one, it was a light baby blue. The second one was red, cherry red. It was nice; rolled down there and we started just developing relationships.”

You can expect Stein’s staff to lean on prior relationships to bring players to Kentucky. Jay Bateman has plenty of those in the DMV, the same region where the Wildcats recruited Josh Paschal. However, Kentucky can’t just rely on Texas, Louisiana, and the DMV to build a roster. Sloan believes this staff has the tools to adapt and find the best players from near and far to suit up in Kentucky blue.

“Recruiting it’s a people business. Coaches, mentors, and family members, they want to know that you have a plan for their son, on and off the field, to develop them to their fullest potential. What I look forward to is the opportunity to develop relationships right in all the areas that we’re going to recruit. I think that’s what it’s going to be,” said Sloan.

“That’s what it’s about, having open doors, answering the phone, creating relationships, and developing a trust with the people around the players that we’re going to recruit, that we’re going to take care of those young men. That’s what I’m going to do, that’s what I’ll continue to do, and that’s what we’ll do here at Kentucky as an entire program. So in terms of, I don’t know that it’s just one area, it’s more about the ability to develop those relationships and the excitement to do that, and I’m fired up.”