Kentucky

Mark Pope says it is 'really important' for Kentucky to stay in the 'national conversation'

Published

1 year ago

December 12, 2024

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.”

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Kentucky

Kentucky State Police looking for missing teen in Clay County

Published

6 hours ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky State Police looking for missing teen in Clay County

CLAY COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – Kentucky State Police is asking for help to find a missing teenage girl.

16-year-old Gracie Smith was last seen Tuesday night at Jacks Branch Bible Church in Manchester. Troopers believe she was picked up by an unknown person in a blue passenger car near the church.

Gracie was last seen wearing a white shirt, light pink jacket and pink pajama pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call Kentucky State Police Post 11.

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Kentucky

Former Kentucky Transfer Portal Target Magoon Gwath Re-Enters Free Agency

Published

1 day ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Former Kentucky Transfer Portal Target Magoon Gwath Re-Enters Free Agency

A familiar name will be back in the transfer portal when the official window opens at midnight. Magoon Gwath is once again testing the free agency market.

Gwath was a player BBN kept a close eye on early in the 2025 transfer portal cycle. Kentucky and Michigan were considered the top potential destinations for the 7-footer when he surprisingly announced a return to San Diego State. When the San Diego Union-Tribune reported his return to the Aztecs on April 1, the lede was “This is not an April Fool’s joke.”

The decision was so surprising because of Gwath’s resume. He arrived in San Diego as an unranked recruit. During his first season with the Aztecs, the 7-footer averaged 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.6 blocks per game, earning Mountain West Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Ahead of his return, head coach Brian Dutcher noted that Gwath was taking a pay cut to show his loyalty to the program that gave him a shot. That gamble did not pay off for either side. San Diego State missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons, as Gwath’s minutes per game slightly dipped to 19, tallying 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per contest in 2025-26.

It’s unclear if Kentucky will take another swing at the lengthy 7-footer during this transfer portal cycle. What is clear is that there will be no shortage of chaos when the free agency period officially tips off at midnight. We’ll be locked in every step of the way.

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KSR has been delivering UK Sports news in the most ridiculous manner for almost two decades. Now, you can get even more coverage of the Cats with KSR+. In the middle of a busy transfer portal season for the Kentucky basketball program, now is the perfect time to join our online community. Subscribe now for premium articles, in-depth scouting reports, inside intel, bonus recruiting coverage, and access to KSBoard, our message board featuring thousands of Kentucky fans around the globe. Come join the club right now for 50% off an annual subscription.

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Kentucky

Our top 5 Kentucky Derby contenders as Run for the Roses 2026 nears

Published

2 days ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Our top 5 Kentucky Derby contenders as Run for the Roses 2026 nears

Arkansas Derby winner Renegade tops our list of the leading contenders for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby.
Further Ado, trained by Brad Cox, joins the top five after a commanding victory in Saturday’s Blue Grass at Keeneland.

After the final weekend of major prep races, we have a projected field for the 152^nd running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Further Ado (Blue Grass), So Happy (Santa Anita Derby) and Albus (Wood Memorial) clinched their spots in the Kentucky Derby with victories on Saturday.

The top 20 horses on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard are eligible to run, though there usually are injuries and defections in the weeks leading up to the race.

Buy tickets for Kentucky Derby 152 here

Saturday’s Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland will offer 20 qualifying points to the winner, though that’s not expected to be enough for any of the competitors to jump into the Kentucky Derby field.

With four weeks to go until the Kentucky Derby, here’s our ranking of the top five contenders:

Owners: Robert and Lawana Low; Repole Stable (Mike Repole).

Trainer: Todd Pletcher.

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Sire: Into Mischief.

Road to Kentucky Derby points: 125 (No. 3)

Career earnings: $1,031,500.

Last race: Won Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 28 at Oaklawn Park.

Likely next race: Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Owner: Wathnan Racing (Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani).

Trainer: Brad Cox.

Jockey: Flavien Prat.

Sire: Into Mischief.

Road to Kentucky Derby points: 150 (No. 1).

Career earnings: $1,017,339.

Last race: Won Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Likely next race: Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Owners: OGMA Investments LLC (Gustavo Delgado); JR Ranch (Ramiro Restrepo); High Step Racing LLC (Randy Guy, Joe Noble, Kevin Avera, Jim Ferreira, Todd Perry).

Trainer: Gustavo Delgado.

Jockey: Javier Castellano.

Sire: Essential Quality.

Road to Kentucky Derby points: 106 (No. 6).

Career earnings: $442,280.

Last race: Second in Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Likely next race: Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Owner: Spendthrift Farm (Eric Gustavson).

Trainer: Brad Cox.

Jockey: TBA.

Sire: Gun Runner.

Road to Kentucky Derby points: 135 (No. 2).