Kentucky
Mark Pope says it is 'really important' for Kentucky to stay in the 'national conversation'
Is the NCAA Tournament field decided in December? No. Do rankings and advanced analytics really matter at this stage? Of course not — although the last 20 national champions have been ranked inside the top 12 of the Week 6 AP Poll, so there is some correlation there. In the grand scheme of things, though, anybody can play their way into title contention status just as easily as they can play their way out and the conference schedule is when things get really serious.
That doesn’t mean power rankings and national perception are irrelevant, though. In fact, Kentucky‘s standing in all aspects — recruiting, home advantage, fan passion, winningest tradition, everything — is important to Mark Pope.
No matter how big or small, the king of college basketball is supposed to win everything. And that’s the kind of program Pope wants to lead in Lexington. So while the Wildcats’ status as the No. 5 team in the AP Poll, Coaches Poll and the NET on Dec. 12 won’t impact what they’ll be in March, it’s still important.
“Listen, I’m glad we are in the conversation and I’m glad we are in the national conversation,” Pope said. “That’s where we are supposed to be, it’s Kentucky, right? I’m really happy with all of that. More importantly, I just want us to be a great team, right? And we want to keep getting better.”
He didn’t like how Kentucky played after going up 17-0 against Colgate, but he did like the resolve and end result of a win to move to 9-1 on the year.
“We had some runs tonight where we got better. We started the game better and then we just — the energy just turned a little bit on us. But we will learn from this and we will get better,” Pope said. “Right now it’s a race to get better. It’s Kentucky, we have to win every game along the way. That’s a beautiful thing and I’m not complaining, I think that’s why Kentucky is special. All of the things matter, everything matters.
“The metrics matter, the analytics matter, the efficiencies matter. All of those things are really important to us. We would like to be the flagship program in every single category that we grade and rank and evaluate as a team. That’s our goal. It’s all really important.”
Kentucky
June unemployment rate shows slight increase in Kentucky Center for Statistics latest report
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Recent heavy rainfall has left soil across the state completely soaked, contributing to localized flooding in some areas.
When rain falls, some water soaks into the ground through a process called percolation.
Soil can only hold a limited amount of water. Once the small air spaces within the soil fill with water, the ground becomes saturated and additional rainfall has nowhere to go.
Soil type plays a role in how quickly water drains.
Much of Kentucky has clay-heavy soil, which is made up of very small, flat particles packed tightly together.
That composition makes it harder for water to move through. In clay soil, water may drain at a rate of only 0.02 to 0.17 inches per hour.
When rainfall comes down faster than the ground can absorb it and water cannot drain into a stream or storm drain quickly enough, it begins to build up.
That buildup is what leads to localized flooding.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Cyclosporiasis is a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food and water — is making people sick across several states, including Kentucky.
Dr. Patricia Tellez-Watson said, the illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis and spreads when someone ingests contaminated food or water. “It is an intestinal infection caused by this water-borne, food-borne microscopic parasite,” she said.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Tellez-Watson said, cases are often sporadic, but outbreaks can happen — especially during hot, wet months, when the parasite can survive in the environment long enough to become infectious.
Health experts recommend taking extra precautions with food and water. Washing hands and thoroughly rinsing produce before eating or cooking can reduce risk.
Watson also urged people to be cautious with fresh produce, particularly pre-packaged items, and to consider using bottled water.
Officials have confirmed cases in Bowling Green, though it’s unclear how many.
Copyright 2026 WBKO. All rights reserved.
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