Kentucky
Mountaineers beat Kentucky for first time, advance to Sun Belt title game – WV MetroNews
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia isn’t striving to play from behind, but that method has done nothing to harm the Mountaineers through a pair of matches in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
On Wednesday, the top seed Mountaineers allowed No. 4 seed Kentucky to score 2:15 into the contest at Dick Dlesk Stadium, creating an early deficit for the home team.
Less than 3 minutes later, Sergio Ors Navarro provided the equalizer, and the WVU defense buckled down the rest of the way, while Carlos Hernando scored what proved to be the winning goal less than 10 minutes into the second half as the Mountaineers picked up the program’s first win over Kentucky in six tries, 2-1.
“The goal didn’t phase us and we got the equalizer very quickly, but incredibly proud with the quality of performance tonight. Really professional and mature at times and some really nice football at times and felt we were dominant the entire way through,” WVU head coach Dan Stratford said. “The way the guys approached the game and the quality and brand of football the guys played, we very much deserved to win this.”
The result allows West Virginia (12-1-6) to welcome Marshall for Sunday’s Sun Belt title game. It’s a rematch of last year’s final, which the Herd won, 3-2. Marshall blanked James Madison 1-0 in the other Sun Belt semifinal Wednesday.
“It’s the game we wanted,” Stratford said. “It’s the best RPI game and the best chance of us squeaking us into the top 8 from a RPI perspective and hopefully having as many home games as possible in the NCAA Tournament. It’s the type of game you want to play in.”
After rallying from a 2-0 first-half deficit for a 3-2 victory over Georgia Southern in Sunday’s Sun Belt quarterfinal, West Virginia was again forced to play from behind after UK’s Logan Dorsey made the most of extended space after receiving a pass, maneuvered around the Mountaineer defense and blasted a shot with his right foot that got by Marc Bonnaire.
WVU got even 4:55 into the match following a corner kick taken by Frederik Jorgensen that was initially touched by teammate Felix Ewald and wound up off the head of Sergio Ors Navarro and into the back of the net.
It was the 14th goal this season for both Dorsey and Ors Navarro.
“We started the game well and it helps to have such a mature group that has been in this position before,” Stratford said. “It’s something that hasn’t phased us. I assure you it’s not the game plan, but this group has shown time and time again they’re capable of showing really good resilience and coming through adverse moments like this.”
Neither team scored again for the remainder of the first half, though the Mountaineers generated more quality chances.
“We felt like we were the better team. We felt like we had played well. I didn’t feel like a great deal needed to change,” Stratford said. “There were some minor details and the alertness and awareness in some of our communication to nullify their capacity to get behind us or nullify moments where we would lose territory and we’re defending a long throw with a difficult wind. Those details are really important against a team with Kentucky’s athleticism and size. The message was kind of stay the course and continue to trust that the longer the game goes on, the more our depth and energy levels will kick in and we’ll be the team that finishes stronger.”
Jorgensen delivered another gem off a set piece to give WVU its first lead less than 9 minutes into the second half. This time, Jorgensen sent a ball into the box on a free kick and it found the head of Carlos Hernando, who made the most of the golden opportunity and sent it past UK goalkeeper Casper Mols.
“We’ve never beat Kentucky as we talked about,” Jorgensen said. “You could tell from everybody today we wanted to beat Kentucky and be in that final Sunday. It’s a little sweet that it’s against Marshall. We want to beat Marshall at home in the final and get that revenge from last year.”
It marked WVU’s second goal off a set piece in the match and its third goal off a set piece over its last two games.
“Two games ago, we ripped up everything we were doing and started again,” Stratford said of the team’s approach to set pieces. “Sometimes you just have to give a fresh pair of eyes to it and for the players to see it that way as well.”
Bonnaire stopped one shot and Mols made two saves.
The Wildcats fell to 6-6-6. They entered the match 3-0-2 all-time against the Mountaineers.
Kentucky
Kentucky vs. Jackson State viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions
The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Friday to face the Jackson State Tigers in the second game of the BBN Invitational.
To put it simply, Jackson State is bad, very bad. Sitting at 0-5 and ranked 321st in KenPom, the Tigers will likely be the worst opponent Kentucky will play all season.
Coached by Mo Williams, one of LeBron James’ old teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tigers have only finished above .500 twice in the last decade. This season, Jackson State is predicted to finish fourth in the SWAC.
Mark Pope recently said he wanted to build a standard, regardless of opponent and, and that will be tested on Friday.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
More 3-Point Attempts
Admittedly nitpicking, one of the things that Mark Pope was not happy with in Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb was the amount of three-point attempts. While they shot nearly 50 percent from deep, going 12-25, Pope wants to see the number of attempts closer to 35.
The Tigers have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in the country. Pope and the staff will certainly generate a game plan to take advantage of this. Expect to see 30+ attempts.
Ball Movement
Despite beating Lipscomb by 29 points, the Wildcats had a season-low in assists with just ten. For context, Kentucky had averaged more than 23 assists per game entering the matchup.
“That’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Pope said after the game.
While there wasn’t a lot of selfishness, the ball just wasn’t ‘flying’ as it has been early this season. This is a priority for the staff and this mature group, and they will aim for 25+ assists.
Keep JSU off Free-Throw Line
Jackson State ranks in the top 100 nationally in one area: Free throws made per game. So, Kentucky, defend without fouling.
Kentucky’s offense makes headlines, but the defense has played very well to start the season, holding all four opponents to under 73 points. Let’s see if they can get down in a stance and defend well for 40 minutes vs. a team that stresses contact and drawing fouls.
Opposing Players to Watch
C Shannon Grant 6-11, 290 lbs
- 7.5 PPG
- 4.8
- Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection
G Jayme Mitchell Jr 6-5, 190 lbs
- 15.0 PPG
- 3.8 RPG
- 44.4% 3P
F Romelle Mansel 6-9, 220 lbs
- 10.8 PPG
- 5.8 RPG
- 31.7% FG (second most FG attempts on the team)
Time: 7 PM ET on November 22nd
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,
Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | JSU
Stats to Know: UK | JSU
KenPom: UK | JSU
Team Sheet: UK | JSU
Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check Thursday afternoon for an official spread. Multiple projections give Kentucky a 99% chance of winning: Bart Torvik (99%), EvanMiya (99.9%), and ESPN (99.0%). The exception is KenPom (92%).
Predictions: KenPom (93-63), Haslametrics (96-63), Bart Torvik (95-61), and EvanMiya (96-59) all are going with a 30+ point victory, Kentucky!
Be sure to send us your Kentucky vs. Jackson State score predictions! And Go CATS!!
Kentucky
Kentucky vs. Texas Injury Report: Deone Walker, JJ Weaver and others set to return
The Kentucky Wildcats are now getting prepared for one of their hardest games on the schedule as they travel to Austin for a date with the Texas Longhorns.
This disappointing season has also been riddled with injuries across the board for the Cats. Whether it has been offense or defense, Mark Stoops’ squad has not been close to full strength, really, one time this season.
That will be the case again in Austin, as the first injury report of the week has been released.
With D’Eryk Jackson and Gerald Mincey out alongside DJ Waller, it’s Courtland Ford and Kahlil Saunders who carry questionable designations as of Wednesday.
For some good news, however, JJ Weaver seems likely to play, as he is listed as probable.
In addition, Deone Walker, Barion Brown, and Jamon Dumas-Johnson are no longer on the injury report, so they’re set to return this week.
Going to be an interesting afternoon in Austin. Let’s see if any more names pop up on this report as the week continues.
Kentucky
Cassidy Rowe is 'Kentucky's favorite child', and Kenny Brooks is starting to see why
In Kentucky’s win over Purdue Fort Wayne, Cassidy Rowe played a huge part in giving the Cats the edge. For over 28 minutes, Kentucky played from behind, but Rowe made key shots and got momentum-swinging stops on defense to sway the game in Kentucky’s favor.
Kenny Brooks was quick to acknowledge the guard in his postgame press conference, pointing out just how proud he is of her.
“I’m really proud of Cassidy —not just for tonight,” Brooks said following the win over Purdue Fort Wayne. “Cassidy is Kentucky’s favorite child, and we got here, and we understand that, and her popularity is well-deserved. She’s a great kid.”
Brooks continued, “The way she’s handled everything, it has been tremendous because I think she played like, what, two minutes the other night [against Louisville], and she came back the next day, and we had practice, the starters didn’t play at all in practice, and she led her team. She is really trying to learn me. She’s really trying to learn me, and she’s trying to do it on the fly, and she’s doing it the right way.”
Part of what is contributing to Rowe’s overall growth is that she’s able to watch and learn from Georgia Amoore, one of the best guards in the country.
“She’s watching Georgia, she’s asking questions, and she’s catching on very quickly,” Brooks explained. She doesn’t hang her head whether she gets two minutes or 30 or 29 minutes — she’s got the same reaction. I think she likes what’s going on here. She’s enjoying playing basketball, and it’s just really fun. This is what you do it for. So, I coach college basketball because of opportunities. Like both of these young ladies right here, they just want to work hard. They just want to win, and you have one play 40 minutes, one and play two minutes, and they both came to practice with the same energy the next day.”
“Cassidy is waiting for her time, and Cassidy is building trust with me,” Brooks added. “She’s building a lot of trust with me. I could probably play her two minutes the next game, and she’s still going to come to practice and work her butt off to do what she can for the team, and that’s why we really relied on her tonight. So, both of them, I trust them, and their energy was fantastic.”
Rowe spoke to that — having her number called and being ready to contribute and bring the energy that the team needs to get over the hump.
“I know personally when you hear your number called, you have got to be ready,” Rowe said. “I felt like before the game, I was ready and locked in. Building off of your teammates too, if we are not all bringing the energy, then we are not in a good spot. So, just doing a better job encouraging the teammates to bring it, if somebody looks down, I say, ‘Lets bring it back up’.”
From last season to this season, Rowe is a completely different player. Now, as a junior, she’s one of the leaders of this team.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot, even the confidence side of things,” Rowe mentioned. “Last year was the first time I was getting playing time, I felt like I was still timid. I was playing not to make a mistake, rather than playing to help my team win. This year, the coaching staff has helped me build that confidence and play more physically. I feel like my teammates have helped a lot in that too. It’s just my teammates having trust in me, and I have trust in them. It built my confidence a lot.”
And as for her relationship with Georgia Amoore, it was interesting to see how that would unfold before the season. Rowe elected to not transfer out, even when she knew Amoore would come in and be the starting point guard, but why?
Well, for one, she’s a Wildcat through and through, but she’s also very appreciative of the opportunity to learn from one of the best guards there is.
“It means everything that I am still at Kentucky, it has always been a dream to play here,” Rowe noted. “Even when I heard that Georgia was coming in, that thought [of transferring] never crossed my mind. Georgia is one of the best point guards in the country, and the fact that I get to learn from her and pick her brain it’s truly been a blessing for me even building my own game.”
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