Kentucky
Mark Pope recaps Kentucky vs. Georgia, plus postgame notes
The Kentucky Wildcats took another tough loss on the road and now stand at 0-2 in true road games after falling to the Georgia Bulldogs, 82-69.
The Cats also struggled to score, managing only 69 points and seeing only three players in double figures after putting up 106 against a top-10 Florida team and having six players with 14 or more points. Kentucky also shot just 27% from 3-point range, making it hard to win in any venue for a team that relies so heavily on shooting from deep.
Georgia’s increased physicality added to Kentucky’s troubles, with foul trouble being a constant issue throughout the game for the Cats. They were outrebounded 43-34.
Despite being 3-0 against top-10 teams this season, Kentucky now has three unranked losses. They’ll have a chance to bounce back as they travel to No. 14 Mississippi State, aiming for their first road win of the season.
And here are the postgame notes via UK Athletics.
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is now 12-3, 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia is 13-2 overall, 1-1 in league play.
- Kentucky leads the series 132-29, including 44-20 in Athens.
- Mark Pope is 199-111 as head coach, including 12-3 at Kentucky.
- Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats stay on the road Saturday at Mississippi State. Game time is 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. in Starkville) and it will be televised on the SEC Network.
Team Notes
- Kentucky made 15 of 19 free throws (78.9 percent), the fourth straight game the Wildcats have made at least 75 percent at the foul line.
Player Notes
- Lamont Butler led the Wildcats with 20 points, his eighth double-figure game of the season and second game with at least 20.
- He also had a season-high four steals, his third straight game with at least three thefts.
- Playing a season-high 27 minutes, Brandon Garrison had a season-high 13 points and collected five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
- Otega Oweh had 12 points and has scored in double figures in every game this season. He also led UK in rebounds with seven, the first time this season he has paced the Wildcats in the boardwork.
In the First Half
- Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams. UK has a 10-3 record with this lineup.
- Koby Brea and Travis Perry were the first substitutions at 16:18.
- Kentucky was ahead 23-19 but Georgia closed the half with a 28-11 run and took a 47-34 lead into the locker room. UK is 2-3 this season when trailing at halftime.
In the Second Half
- Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
- The Wildcats chipped away, cutting the margin to 55-50, coaxing a Georgia timeout at 12:02.
- Kentucky got no closer as Georgia held steady for the win.
Hallmark has revealed it is teaming up with Churchill Downs to make a Kentucky Derby-inspired movie filmed at the historic racetrack.
The network shared exclusively with TODAY that its new original film, “Kentucky Roses,” will honor the “pageantry, tradition, and enduring spirit of the Kentucky Derby.” The movie will premiere on Hallmark Saturday, May 2, the same day of the 2026 Kentucky Derby. The sporting event is famously held the first Saturday in May every year at Churchill Downs.
“Kentucky Roses,” which will also stream the next day on Hallmark+, will star Andrew Walker and Odette Annable, as well as Ally Ledford, Peyton Meyer, Brynn Thayer and Gregg Henry.
The film’s storyline will take place across two timelines. Sadie Moore, played by Annable, will be at the center of the story in present day. She works at a Churchill Downs greenhouse and dreams of becoming a florist and following in her great-grandmother’s (Ledford) footsteps by supplying the Derby with a display of roses. Sadie then meets Ash Taylor, Walker’s character, who is the son of the Churchill Downs CEO (Henry). Ash has to repair one of the racetrack’s iconic Twin Spires after it is damaged in a storm.
Sadie and Ash develop a connection, but it could be cut short after they discover “a bittersweet love story from the past that threatens to repeat itself.”
Speaking about the collaboration between Hallmark and Churchill Downs, Jessica Callahan, vice president at Hallmark Media, said in part, “Together, we’re thrilled to bring audiences an inspiring story of community, courage and time-honored traditions.”
Along with the romantic flick, Hallmark and Churchill Downs are also partnering to release a collection of jewelry inspired by “Kentucky Roses.” The jewelry will be sold in Hallmark Gold Crown stores.
UK basketball writer Ryan Black explains Wildcats’ win over Ole Miss
Kentucky beat writer Ryan Black credits Otega Oweh in the team’s victory versus Ole Miss Saturday at Rupp Arena. The Cats have now won five straight.
NASHVILLE — The phrase, “The only constant is change” aptly describes Kentucky basketball’s starting lineup this season.
In 20 games since the 2025-26 campaign began, the Wildcats have sported nine different starting fives — an altered look nearly every other outing. The reason for the fluidity has been the story of Mark Pope’s two seasons as coach: UK simply can’t avoid injuries.
In 56 games since taking over at his alma mater, Pope has had his full complement of scholarship players available just 10 times — and only five occasions in 41 matchups versus high-major foes.
Stream Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt
But UK forges on.
Another SEC showdown awaits tonight, squaring off with Vanderbilt in Nashville.
“It feels like we’ve been having to adapt every game to (a new roster) and new rotations,” said Kentucky sophomore guard Collin Chandler, who has started 15 times this season. “So, I think it’s just a credit … to everybody in finding roles, finding ways to win.
“That’s the biggest thing — we’re just finding ways to win.”
That’s all the Wildcats (14-6, 5-2 SEC) have done the past few weeks; after a 73-68 home loss to Missouri on Jan. 7, UK has won five straight. The Commodores (17-3, 4-3) are no stranger to winning streaks this season, either, as they started 16-0.
Despite its recent run of success, Kentucky remains unranked in both the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25. A victory over Vanderbilt (No. 15 coaches, No. 18 AP) might do the trick for UK when the newest rankings are released next week.
Courier Journal sports reporter Ryan Black is at Memorial Gymnasium and will have live updates throughout the game — here and on X, formerly known as Twitter — and complete coverage after. You can follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
Follow along with live updates from today’s game between the Wildcats and Commodores below:
Kentucky has the same starting five for the second straight outing.
Here’s the lineup:
- TV channel: ESPN
- Livestream: Fubo (free trial)
The game between the Wildcats and Commodores will air nationally on ESPN.
Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.
Those without cable can access ESPN via streaming services, with Fubo offering a free trial.
Stream Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt on ESPN
Betting odds: Kentucky is a 6½-point underdog (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 159½ points (-110).
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
- Oct. 17: Blue-White game (Click here to read takeaways from the intrasquad scrimmage.)
- Oct. 24: exhibition vs. Purdue (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Purdue 65
- Oct. 30: exhibition vs. Georgetown University (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Georgetown 84, Kentucky 70
- Nov. 4: Nicholls (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Nicholls 51
- Nov. 7: Valparaiso (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 107, Valparaiso 59
- Nov. 11: at Louisville (KFC Yum! Center) | SCORE: Louisville 96, Kentucky 88
- Nov. 14: Eastern Illinois (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 99, Eastern Illinois 53
- Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Michigan State 83, Kentucky 66
- Nov. 21: Loyola University Maryland (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Loyola Maryland 46
- Nov. 26: Tennessee Tech (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 104, Tennessee Tech 54
- Dec. 2: North Carolina (Rupp Arena; ACC/SEC Challenge) | SCORE: North Carolina 67, Kentucky 64
- Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga (Bridgestone Arena; Nashville) | SCORE: Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59
- Dec. 9: North Carolina Central (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 103, North Carolina Central 67
- Dec. 13: Indiana (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 72, Indiana 60
- Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s (CBS Sports Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) | SCORE: Kentucky 78, St. John’s 66
- Dec. 23: Bellarmine (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 99, Bellarmine 85
- Jan. 3: at Alabama | SCORE: Alabama 89, Kentucky 74
- Jan. 7: Missouri (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Missouri 73, Kentucky 68
- Jan. 10: Mississippi State (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 92, Mississippi State 68
- Jan. 14: at LSU | SCORE: Kentucky 75, LSU 74
- Jan. 17: at Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 80, Tennessee 78
- Jan. 21: Texas (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 85, Texas 80
- Jan. 24: Ole Miss (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 72, Ole Miss 63
- Jan. 27: at Vanderbilt, 9 p.m.
- Jan. 31: at Arkansas, 6:30 p.m.
- Feb. 4: Oklahoma (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
- Feb. 7: Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
- Feb. 14: at Florida, 3 p.m.
- Feb. 17: Georgia (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
- Feb. 21: at Auburn, 8:30 p.m.
- Feb. 24: at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 28: Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m.
- March 3: at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
- March 7: Florida (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m.
Record: 14-6 (5-2 SEC)
- Denzel Aberdeen (guard, senior)
- Collin Chandler (guard, sophomore)
- Mouhamed Dioubate (forward, junior)
- Brandon Garrison (forward, junior)
- Braydon Hawthorne (forward, freshman)
- Walker Horn (guard, senior)
- Andrija Jelavić (forward, sophomore)
- Jasper Johnson (guard, freshman)
- Jaland Lowe (guard, junior)
- Malachi Moreno (center, freshman)
- Trent Noah (forward, sophomore)
- Otega Oweh (guard, senior)
- Reece Potter (forward, junior)
- Jayden Quaintance (forward, sophomore)
- Zach Tow (forward, senior)
- Kam Williams (guard, sophomore)
Click here to view the Commodores’ complete schedule.
Want to learn the Commodores’ roster?
Click here for player bios and more.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
Bear Branch, KY (January 24, 2026) – On Friday, January 23, 2026, at approximately 6:58 p.m., Kentucky State Police Post 13, Hazard, was notified of a structure fire on Turkey Foot Road in the Bear Branch community of Leslie County.
Kentucky State Police, along with Leslie County Fire Services and the Leslie County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the scene. After the fire was extinguished, the body of a deceased individual was discovered inside the residence. Detectives were notified and initiated an investigation. Preliminary findings indicate the deceased is believed to be the resident, Rex Smallwood, 68, of Bear Branch. Mr. Smallwood was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Leslie County Coroner’s Office.
At this time, no foul play is suspected. The remains have been transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. This incident remains under investigation by Detective Darrell Hicks.
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