Sunday Headlines: Justin Edwards Ascension

Greetings BBN.

The Kentucky Wildcats did just enough to win Saturday’s thrilling shootout with Arkansas to avoid what would have been a really bad loss. The Cats remained scorching hot on offense, and while the defense did struggle much of the way, they did just on that end down the stretch to pull off the 111-102 victory, their 21st of the season.

Antonio Reeves led the way with 22 points, but it was the freshmen who won the game down the stretch. DJ Wagner had 19 points in arguably his best game of the season, while Rob Dillingham had 15 and was money down the stretch offensively.

Zvonimir Ivisic had 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds, while Justin Edwards and Reed Sheppard each had 10.

For much of the game, it didn’t appear Edwards was going to do anything. With five minutes left, he hadn’t even hit a shot while notching two points on two free throws early in the first half, but he was just as important as any other Wildcat was in carrying his team to victory.

Edwards ended up with eight points and three steals in the final 4:46. It wasn’t quite his 10/10 performance in last week’s demolition of Alabama, but it was another major step forward for a guy who looked well on his way to being out of the rotation by the time the postseason arrived.

Also, that 3 he took and made was BALLSY.

Edwards deserves a world of credit for keeping his head down, shutting out the noise, and becoming a major impact player for a Kentucky team that may just be capable of making a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Tweet(s) of the Day

A great NFL Combine showing for Trevin Wallace.

Wild.

Love.

Headlines

Seven Double-Figure Scorers Lead No. 16 Kentucky Past Arkansas – UK Athletics
It was the first time that Kentucky had seven double-figure scorers since Feb. 19, 2005 in a win against Mississippi State.

Wildcats Conclude Regular Season at No. 9/7 LSU on Sunday – UK Athletics
Ajae Petty, an All-SEC caliber forward, continues to lead the team in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (10.3).

Kentucky beat Arkansas with a slew of individual player runs – KSR
In Kentucky’s win over Arkansas, just when you thought it was going to be a certain guy’s night, someone else stepped up and went on a run.

2024 Kentucky season: Aging John Calipari or his fountain of youth? – Cats Pause
With its ups and downs, is the 2023-24 season keeping John Calipari feeling young or aging him rapidly? The coach tackles it head-on.

Coffel Ties UK Home Run Record in 8-0 Run Rule Win Over Gophers – UK Athletics
Senior Erin Coffel hit her Kentucky Softball record-tying 61st-career home run as one of four homers on the day for Kentucky as the Wildcats run-ruled Minnesota 8-0 in six innings.

Trevin Walalce among early NFL Combine winners – 247
Wallace tied for the third-fastest 40-yard dash time among the linebackers with a 4.51 and posted the second-highest vertical jump at 37.5 inches, as well as the second-longest broad jump at 10 feet 7 inches.

Dom Day: Dominic Niman Shines in Kentucky’s Run-Rule Victory – UK Athletics
Dominic Niman provided the best outing of the season by a Kentucky starting pitcher and Emilien Pitre led an offensive barrage with four RBI as the Wildcats run-ruled Lipscomb 16-1 in seven innings on Saturday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park to claim the weekend series.

Transfer Jamon Dumas-Johnson Wants to Prove the Doubters Wrong – Your Sports Edge
JDJ was a finalist for the Butkus Award awarded to the nation’s top linebacker in 2022 and was named a first-team All-American by the Sporting News and ESPN.

NFL tested optical tracking devices for line-to-gain rulings during 2023 season – NFL
The league tested optical tracking in two stadiums this past season — and during Super Bowl LVIII at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium — for line-to-gain rulings, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Thursday, citing league officials.

Texas WR Xavier Worthy’s 4.21 40 fastest ever at NFL combine – ESPN
Texas receiver Xavier Worthy made NFL combine history Saturday, clocking the fastest 40-yard dash at 4.21 seconds.

Earn Credit From J. Crew by Helping Them Recycle Your Old Swimwear–Keeping Clothes Out of Landfills – GNN
J. Crew has partnered with a recycling firm called SuperCircle to help gather up and properly dispose of unwanted or broken swimwear.

Italian-Made Exoskeleton Gets Disabled Users Walking and Standing — GNN
Motors located at the knee and hip joints power normal motion based on three different modes, Walk mode, Retrain mode, and TwinCare mode.