Kentucky
Saturday Headlines: Arkansas Gameday
It’s gameday for the Kentucky Wildcats, who will look to get Tuesday’s bad taste out of their mouth when they face the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville. Tipoff is set for 6 pm ET on ESPN.
Will the Cats get back on track and end their two-game losing skid on the road? Or will those road struggles continue against arguably the most disappointing team in college basketball?
Let’s hope for the former.
Tweet of the Day
“I was waiting for that game for 4 months… And then when it happened, it couldn’t be better”
More with Zvonimir “BIG Z” Ivisic coming up tonight at 7:30 #BBN pic.twitter.com/k5DxeyXiR6
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) January 26, 2024
Must love Z.
Percent of runs with a blown blocking assignment*
2023 FBS Teams vs FBS
* as charted by SIS pic.twitter.com/56hzzn9N8S
— parker fleming (@statsowar) January 25, 2024
Interesting to see in light of Kentucky making a change at offensive line coach.
Headlines
Big Blue Preview: Kentucky at Arkansas – UK Athletics
The Cats will be trying to snap a two-game road losing streak, which includes Tuesday’s 79-62 setback at South Carolina.
Resilient Wildcats Top Charlotte, Advance to ITA Kickoff Regional Final – UK Athletics
Julia Zhu clinched the 4-3 win for Kentucky at No. 5 singles.
Know Your Opponent: Arkansas Razorbacks – Cats Pause
Kentucky will look for a second straight win at Bud Walton Arena.
Men’s Tennis Begins Weekend with 4-0 Win Over Notre Dame – UK Athletics
Kentucky advances to tomorrow’s regional final.
SEC transfer portal rankings: Each team’s highest-rated newcomer – 247 Sports
This was a tough call between Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
Cats learning to adapt on the road: “We kind of got our feet wet” – On3
Kentucky has seen it all on the road this season. What’s next for the Cats as they travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas?
“That’s gonna be a blessing.” Kentucky teammates eager for Adou Thiero’s return – KSR
With Adou Thiero trending towards a return on Saturday against Arkansas, his Kentucky teammates can’t wait to see what he’ll bring.
Michigan announces Sherrone Moore as full-time head coach – ESPN
Michigan promoted Sherrone Moore to head coach on Friday, two days after Jim Harbaugh left to guide the Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL playoffs: Four things to watch for in Chiefs-Ravens in AFC Championship Game – NFL
NFL.com’s Nick Shook breaks down four things to watch for with the Kansas City Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.
Solar-Powered Mars Plane Set to Cruise Red Planet Looking for Water – GNN
NIAC has funded a variety of daring enterprises, including asteroid mining technologies and fungal house kits for Martian habitation.
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky
Kentucky football spring game offers early look at Will Stein’s Cats
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
Kentucky
Kentucky has reportedly moved on from top-10 transfer Paulius Murauskas

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