Kentucky
Thursday Headlines: How high should Kentucky rise in next college hoops rankings?
The Kentucky Wildcats have a full week off following Tuesday night’s big victory in the Champions Classic over the Duke Blue Devils. With no games for a few days, we’re looking ahead to the release of the next college basketball rankings on Monday.
Kentucky will undoubtedly rise in the rankings from their #19 spot in the AP and #18 spot in the Coaches Poll.
The question becomes, how high should the Wildcats rise in the rankings?
Obviously, a major factor in the ratings would be how the teams ahead of Kentucky perform. There are some matchups to keep an eye on this weekend in that regard: (2) Alabama plays at (13) Purdue, (15) Marquette plays at Maryland, (9) Arizona plays at Wisconsin, and (16) Indiana hosts South Carolina.
Regardless of any other outcomes, it would be hard to keep Kentucky out of the top 15 after taking down Duke. We recently saw Auburn jump six spots in the AP Poll after defeating previously 4th-ranked Houston, so if I had to guess, we’d see Kentucky rise 4-6 spots.
Where do you think Kentucky should be ranked when the new polls are released? Let us know in the comments section!
Tweet of the Day
Five-star commit Jasper Johnson officially signs to Kentucky!
“I am excited to officially be a Kentucky Wildcat. Go Big Blue Nation!”
Adds, “big-time win” over Duke last night.
via @OvertimeElite pic.twitter.com/CMwuodaYKB
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) November 13, 2024
Excited for Jasper to be in Blue & White.
Headlines
Pope making the right moves even after the game ends – Vaughts Views
A cool gesture by Pope.
Brad White wants to see pride in performance from UK Defense – KSR
The defense will face some challenges in the last three games.
UK Football loses its first commitment of the ‘25 class – Cats Pause
Ja’kayden Ferguson is opening things up after visiting LSU.
Georgia Amoore named to Wade Trophy watchlist – UK Athletics
She’s been off to a great start this season.
Ansley Almoner ready to prove he belongs in the SEC – Courier Journal
He’s already shown some good things with his shooting ability.
New UK WBB commitment is a “deadly shooter” – Herald Leader
Big get for Kenny Brooks.
Mark Pope sparks Kentucky revival with win over Duke – CBS Sports
Some praise for Mark Pope.
NCAA President says there’s room for tournament expansion – Bleacher Report
Expanding to 72 or 76 seems likely.
Aaron Rodgers thinks he’ll play again next year – ESPN
He’ll soon be 41 years old.
Colts going back to Anthony Richardson – Yahoo
The 2nd-year QB was benched in favor of Joe Flacco the last two games.
Popovich expected to make full recovery after suffering stroke earlier this month – CBS Sports
Hopefully a full and quick recovery for Pop.
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 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.
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