Kentucky
What to like and what needs to improve after Kentucky’s 2 exhibition games
The Kentucky Wildcats wrapped up their second and final exhibition game Tuesday night before shifting their focus towards the regular season opener against Wright State next Monday.
The Cats were pretty much held in check by the defending Division II National Champions, Minnesota State, for the first 15 or so minutes before an offensive surge that willed the Wildcats to a 21-3 run to end the first half.
Minnesota State presented to be a much more difficult matchup for the Wildcats than Kentucky Wesleyan was in the first exhibition game, but what we learned from Tuesday night is that once this team starts cooking offensively, as well as being locked in defensively, a 2-point Kentucky lead can turn into a 20-point Kentucky lead in a matter of seconds.
As we head into the regular season, there is a lot to like about this new-look Kentucky team, and there are also some things that will have to improve as the season goes on. What was there to like, and what needs to improve after the Wildcats’ two preseason performances?
What to Like
Otega Oweh
The Oklahoma transfer was, in my opinion, the most underrated addition to this year’s Wildcats squad, and through two exhibition games, Otega Oweh was massively impressive in those two outings. He scored the Wildcats’ first seven points Tuesday night and ended with 15 on the night. His ability to finish downhill and his intensity on the defensive end was put on display in both performances. Otega scored 33 total points through his first two exhibition games and shot 14/17 from the field combined. We all know how good Otega is in transition, but if his shot starts to fall more as the season goes on, the Wildcats will be even more dangerous offensively than they are now.
Lamont Butler
The former Aztec put on a defensive clinic in his first two exhibition performances, which included nine steals combined in those two outings. Guards from opposing teams will have their hands full throughout the season trying to get around the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year due to his steady disruptiveness on that side of the ball. When it’s all said and done, Butler could be up there with the likes of former Kentucky PGs such as Rajon Rondo, Tyler Ulis, Ashton Hagans, and Cason Wallace in terms of defensive-minded Kentucky point guards.
Jaxson Robinson
Before Robinson ended up taking his name out of the draft this past summer, we talked about how significant it would be to add him to this year’s Wildcat roster, and after these two exhibition performances, now you see why. Jaxson Robinson had a total of 43 points on 15/24 shooting in his first two games and was also a combined 13/21 from three. He went on a surge from three Tuesday night (8/12) and ended with 24 points. There was so much talk this offseason about when Kentucky needs a bucket in a crucial stretch of the game, who will be able to put this Wildcats squad over in those situations? I think Robinson has put those questions to rest as of now.
A prolific offense
This Wildcats squad showed how quickly they can put up points in their first two exhibition games. They shot 21/42 (50%) from 3 in their first matchup against Kentucky Wesleyan. Although they were held in check for the first 15 or so minutes in the first half of Tuesday night’s game, Kentucky’s 2-point lead went to 20 in just a matter of minutes. We know what this offense is capable of when they are able to make shots at a consistent rate.
Defensive intensity
Last year’s Kentucky team struggled on the defensive end all season, but that seems unlikely to continue because you already have seen the disruptiveness from the Wildcats on that end through the two exhibition outings. Yes, they are playing inferior opponents, but you have to like what you see from this squad on that end, considering you have a center in Amari Williams, who is a former and reigning two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year, and a reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in Lamont Butler. If the offense can continue scoring at a high pace as well as being locked in on defense, all I have to say is look out!
What to Improve
Rebounding
Kentucky was in a dogfight in both games in the rebounding area. They were plus 12 against Kentucky Wesleyan but only plus two against Minnesota State. The thing that was worrisome through two exhibition games was the offensive rebounding. Kentucky lost the offensive rebounding battle in both matchups, which is worrisome. As the regular season sets to tip off next week, the Wildcats have to improve in that area because, going forward, you’re going to meet more teams that will be able to match up with your physicality, so that will need to be addressed.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Saturday, March 29, 2025 winning numbers for each game
Cash Ball
01-06-10-32, Cash Ball: 17
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Lucky For Life
04-08-13-18-41, Lucky Ball: 12
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 9-3-6
Midday: 4-0-2
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 9-2-5-5
Midday: 0-1-3-1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
07-11-21-53-61, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
07-11-14-26-59, Powerball: 10
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form. Our News Automation and AI team would love to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.
What’s With That? Betting superstitions at the Kentucky Derby
Courier Journal reporter Kirby Adams talks with Churchill Downs publicity manager Kevin Kerstein to answer your biggest Kentucky Derby questions.
- Tappan Street, a son of Into Mischief, clinched 100 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby
Louisville trainer Brad Cox picked up his first Florida Derby victory and found another contender for the Kentucky Derby.
Tappan Street made a five-wide move off the final turn and raced to a 1 ½-length victory in Saturday’s $1 million, Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.
Ridden by Luis Saez, Tappan Street covered the 1 ⅛ miles in 1:49.27 and paid $6.80 to win on a $2 wager.
“Hopefully this is a big step forward for this colt,” Cox said. “I’m proud of the performance. … He’s got a great mind, knows how to turn it on and off. I think the best is yet to come. Obviously, the Kentucky Derby is the main goal.”
Tappan Street earned 100 qualifying points for the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, virtually assuring himself in a field limited to 20 runners.
Sovereignty, the 8-5 favorite, finished second and was followed by Neoequos and Madaket Road.
Madaket Road, the Bob Baffert trainee ridden by Mike Smith, set fractions of 23.37 seconds for the quarter-mile, 47.22 seconds for the half-mile and 1:11.61 for three-quarters before fading.
A son of Into Mischief, Tappan Street improved to 2-1-0 in three career starts. He entered off a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 1.
A $1 million purchase at the 2023 New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, Tappan Street is co-owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and Cold Press Racing.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
Bill Burton: It’s time for us to take a look at the Science Behind the Forecast as I am joined by WAVE 3 meteorologist Tawana Andrew. Good morning, Tawana.
Tawana Andrew: Good morning. And today’s topic is really focused in on preparing for tornadoes, especially as we get closer to the core of the severe weather season.
BB: The tornado season is right around the corner, and unfortunately, the U.S. leads the world in tornadoes. It’s not a category you want to lead in, but we do. What do we need to know about them?
TA: Well, in terms of how many tornadoes we see in the U.S. on average, we see around 1,200 twisters per year. That’s our average.
The next country in that list is Canada, and they see on average around 60 tornadoes a year. So it is a big difference, and our geography plays a big role in why we see so many tornadoes, because you have the cold dry Canadian air meeting up with the Gulf’s warm, humid air right over what we call Tornado Alley, and that interaction creates atmospheric instability and creates the perfect conditions for us to see severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. So for tornadoes to form, you need a couple of things. You need warm, moist air near the ground, cool, drier air, about 10,000 to 30,000 ft in altitude, and you also need wind shear, which is the change in wind speed and direction with altitude. And the topography and geography of the United States helps with all of those things. There was a study that came out in 2024 that highlighted the impact of terrain. Hundreds of miles upwind of tornado formation downstream and it noted that the fact that we have that smooth flat expanse all the way from the Gulf straight on through to the plains helps to contribute to tornado potential because there’s nothing stopping the wind and really helping the wind to slow down in any of that space since it’s so flat.
BB: That makes sense.
TA: Plus you have, of course, the moisture coming off of the Gulf and in the Great Plains in the Mississippi River Valley, you also have a lot of the crops and vegetation that also puts off moisture and that helps to fuel a lot of the severe thunderstorms and tornadic storms that we see. Something else that contributes to the amount of tornado fatalities that we see in the U.S., the couple of things, of course, the topography, which we just touched on, and the time of day. That plays a big role as well.
A tornado, of course, can form at any time of the day, but specifically, we see them more often between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., which if you think about it, is also the warmest part of the day. So you have all that fuel at that point as well. Some numbers that I was looking into when I was diving into the data, I found that, of course, a lot of us know that Texas and Kansas have the highest number of tornadoes in the country. Around 135 tornadoes are seen yearly in Texas, but Alabama actually has the highest annual tornado fatalities, averaging around 14 per year. In the past decade, however, Kentucky has seen the highest number of tornado fatalities in the country, with 75 deaths in between 2014 and 2023. 57 of those 75 were just from that long track tornado that hit Mayfield and that that was a nighttime tornado.
BB: Yeah, we will all remember December 2021.
TA: Which is why you’ll always hear me say have multiple ways to get alerts. Don’t just rely on your phone, have the TV, a weather radio, whatever you need to make sure that you can get alerts day and night as we get further into the severe weather season.
BB: Yeah, when you’re sleeping, it’s, it just becomes so much more dangerous. You can’t be prepared at that point, of course, but now we have a better understanding of why the US gets as many tornadoes as it does, and we have a better understanding of it thanks to this edition of Science Behind the Forecast with WAVE 3 meteorologist Tawana Andrew. Thanks for the knowledge, Tawana.
TA: Of course.
This transcript was edited for clarity.
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