Kentucky faces Tennessee for a third time this season in Indianapolis on Friday night, in a Sweet 16 game that could be the biggest game in the history of a long and storied series.

The Wildcats defeated Tennessee 78-73 in Knoxville back in late January and then took down the Vols 75-64 in Rupp Arena the next month.

Here are some of the themes from those wins.

– Kentucky shot exactly 50% in both wins. They were 25/50 FG and 26/52 respectively in those wins. Kentucky didn’t attempt a huge number of shots.

– Ansley Almonor was a big factor in both games. He was 4/7 FG with 12 points in Knoxville and 4/5 with 13 points in the Lexington win.

– Oweh was okay both times. He was 4/11 from the field and averaged 13.5 points. Basically, Kentucky got as much offense from Almonor as from Oweh, and the former was more efficient.

– Trent Noah chipped in both games. He had five points in the first game and 11 points as the top bench scorer in the second game. He only missed one field goal in those two games combined.

– Tennessee didn’t turn it over much. The Vols turned it over nine times in one game and five times another. Lamont Butler wasn’t available for the game in Knoxville, when UT only turned it over five times.

– The Vols dominated second chance points and won the boards overall. Tennessee beat Kentucky in second chance points 35-11. They were +3 and +7 respectively on the boards in those two games.

– UT senior guard Jordan Gainey and didn’t shoot well. He’s only a 39.8% field goal shooter but was 4/12 and 2/9 from the floor in those two games. He took a lot of shots and wasn’t on. Chaz Lanier also didn’t shoot well (5/14 FG and 3/13 FG).

– Tennessee shot poorly from three-point range. The Vols were 11/45 from three-point range in the Knoxville game. That was a huge number of three-point shots and the Vols were only 24%. They didn’t shoot nearly as many in Lexington but were only 3/18.

– Kentucky led by 35 minutes in both games. The Wildcats set a tone early and didn’t relent. They have stayed in control through two games in the NCAA Tournament as well.

– UT finished both games cold, but credit Kentucky’s defense. UT only hit one of its last dozen field goal attempts in that 78-73 UK win in Knoxville and they missed their last four field goals in the Lexington loss.

The 2025 Kentucky legislative session is its final stretch — with more than 100 bills sent to Gov. Andy Beshear for approval.

The session entered a veto period on March 15, during which Beshear can sign bills into law, veto them or let them become law without his signature.

Wednesday marks the last day for Beshear to make his decisions. Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Thursday and Friday for the final two days of the session.

The General Assembly is dominated by Republicans, and state legislators will likely override Beshear’s vetoes — putting their bills into law with or without an OK from the Democratic governor.

Here’s are the bills Beshear has vetoed so far.

House Bill 495: Overturning conversion therapy ban

In a social media post late Saturday, Beshear said he vetoed a measure that would nullify an executive order on conversion therapy that he issued last year.

“Conversion therapy is torture, and that’s why I signed an executive order banning it in Kentucky,” Beshear said in the post on X, formerly Twitter. “Legislators seek to overturn those protections with HB 495, which I vetoed at the Fairness Dinner.”

House Bill 495 was amended just before it received final approval to also prohibit transgender Kentuckians from receiving gender-affirming care through Medicaid.

The bill passed both chambers with widespread support from Republicans and strong opposition from Democrats.

According to HB 495, sponsored by Republican Rep. David Hale, Medicaid funds can not be expended on:

• “Cross-sex hormones in amounts greater than would normally be produced endogenously in a healthy person of the same age and sex.”
• “Gender reassignment surgery to alter or remove physical or anatomical characteristics or features that are typical for and characteristics of a person’s biological sex.”

House Bill 4: DEI ban at colleges and universities

Last week, Beshear vetoed a measure that bans diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Kentucky public colleges and universities.

He said in a social media post that the bill “isn’t about love” but instead “is about hate.”

HB 4, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jennifer Decker, prohibits Kentucky colleges and universities from spending money on DEI programs. The measure also requires schools to eliminate all DEI offices and positions and prohibits them from requiring students or staff to attend DEI training sessions, among other things.

The bill has some exceptions, including for Americans with Disabilities Act and Title IX requirements. It defines DEI initiatives as policies, practices or procedures “designed or implemented to promote or provide differential treatment or benefits to individuals on the basis of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin.”

Beshear has defended DEI measures in the past and said Kentucky “should be embracing diversity, not banning it” when he announced his veto.

House Bill 216: Department of Agriculture grants

House Bill 216, sponsored by Republican Rep. Myron Dossett, would let Department of Agriculture employees apply for and receive grants and loans run by the department through the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy’s Agricultural Development Board or Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation.

In Beshear’s veto message, he said the measure allows conduct that “always has been unethical and unlawful under the Executive Branch’s Ethics Code.”

He cited two advisory opinions issued to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, where the Executive Branch Ethics Commission confirmed the state’s laws prohibit executive branch employees from accepting grants from programs “run by the agency they work for.”

“As written, House Bill 216 would even allow employees who work directly on the grant and loan programs to select themselves,” Beshear said. “This puts farmers who are not department employees at an unfair disadvantage when competing with department employees for grants and loans.”

Senate Bill 245: Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission

Under Senate Bill 245, members who are reappointed to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission would not be able to serve unless they receive Senate confirmation.

According to the bill’s language, “a member whose reappointment is not confirmed by the Senate while it is in session shall vacate his or her seat upon the date of sine die adjournment of the session in which the confirmation was declined.”

SB 245 was sponsored by Republican Sen. Brandon Smith.

Under current law, only new appointments from Beshear are subject to Senate confirmation. In his veto message, Beshear said the Senate has “refused to confirm seven members whom the sportsmen and sportswomen have nominated” the past four legislative sessions. He also pointed out the Senate still has to confirm the reappointment of the “first ever Black member of the commission.”

“The bill and the Senate’s refusal to confirm creates a scenario where there could be multiple vacancies on the Commission at one time, while the part-time General Assembly is out of session (most of the year), threatening the Commission’s ability to fill its quorum,” Beshear said in his veto message.

Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski. 

Illinois’ season came to an end against Kentucky on Sunday, as the Illini fell 84-75 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee. What the future holds for the Illini roster remains to be seen, as the NBA Draft and transfer portal will certainly be calling a variety of names.

One of those names is freshman Will Riley, who could certainly hear his name called in the first round of June’s NBA Draft.

Riley was a prized recruit from Canada whose commitment Brad Underwood and Illinois won over Alabama and Kentucky. Riley made those visits last summer before choosing the Illini and enrolling at Champaign shortly after.

Following Sunday’s game, Riley was understandably down. One of the first to console him? The Kentucky coach that didn’t ultimately land his commitment, Mark Pope.

“What an incredible season he had with a great Illinois team,” Pope said of Riley following the game, “Beautiful kid with a beautiful family.

“And he’s really smart, because he didn’t come play for me.”

Pope then went ahead to make a prediction on what’s next for the Illinois star.

“Huge future as a big-time pro.”

Brad Underwood on Illinois roster retention

For years, college basketball teams would lose in the NCAA Tournament and perhaps one or a couple would be off to the pros, while other seniors readied for the business world. Then there were the underclassmen who would certainly be back in the tournament again for their respective schools.

Today, with the transfer portal, who will remain with any given program is a question even head coaches don’t always know the answer to.

Underwood about the next steps for the Illini basketball regarding roster retention, and admitted that most of it is well out of his hands.

“It’s always about [retention],” Underwood said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of control of that.

“Last year, we were very old. I thought we had a group this year that I enjoyed coaching.”

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