Kentucky
Saturday Headlines: Kentucky vs. Illinois Gameday Edition
Kentucky baseball began their NCAA Tournament with a 10-8 victory over Western Michigan on Friday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington. The No. 2 overall seed Wildcats scored eight runs in four innings to pretty much put the game out of reach.
While Western Michigan battled back with a valiant effort of eight runs themselves, Kentucky was able to add two more of their own to ice the game.
James McCoy was the big bat of the day, dialing up a two-run homer along with a RBI double to lead the team’s offense.
Kentucky had seven players log a RBI, three steal a base and as many be hit by a pitch.
Kentucky will play Illinois at 6 p.m. tomorrow in the Winners Bracket Game.
️ https://t.co/qG02ENNNUk#WeAreUK x #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/OCPheWNwJp
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 1, 2024
Next up for the Wildcats will be Illinois who defeated Indiana State 4-1 late Friday night. These two will face off at 6 PM today for the right to play in Game Five on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Western Michigan and Indiana State will play in the losers bracket at noon today with the loser being the first team eliminated from the Lexington Regional.
Tweet of the Day
Something about postseason baseball in Lexington…#WeAreUK x #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/IKsxMlPItj
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 31, 2024
Kentucky Proud Park was a vibe on Friday.
Headlines
Kentucky Baseball Holds Off Western Michigan – Vaught’s Views
Nail biter towards the end.
Pels to defer Lakers’ first-round draft pick to ‘25 – ESPN
Interesting strategy.
Get to Know Ansley Almoner – Vaught’s Views
He’s bringing a lot of good things to UK.
Troy Weaver out as GM of Pistons amid shakeup – ESPN
NBA news drop from Friday.
4 takeaways from SEC Spring Meetings – KSR
Change is coming.
College basketball transfer portal rankings 2024 – CBS Sports
Jaxson Robinson is big on this list.
Vince Marrow shares his recruiting secret sauce – KSR
Best in the business.
Mike Tyson facing health risks as he trains with an ulcer – USA Today
Too old for this.
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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