Kentucky
Who will win Kentucky basketball vs Missouri in SEC game today? Our expert prediction
Which NCAA men’s teams to watch on the bubble before March Madness
USAT’s Jordan Mendoza gives his teams to keep an eye on for ‘bubble watch’ as March Madness selection Sunday approaches.
Sports Pulse
As with every game, Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope hopes his team walks away with a win in today’s regular-season finale at Missouri. Coupled with Tuesday’s senior night victory over LSU, Pope said a road win against Missouri would make him “feel good” heading into next week’s SEC Tournament.
But, win or lose today, “it won’t have any impact on our confidence overall or our belief in our guys,” Pope said.
“I think this league is really spectacular … so I think you want to get every single win you can, and you understand what it is,” Pope said. “And I think that it’s really imperative for everybody in this league that you understand how great the level of competition here is — and it shouldn’t ever affect your confidence.”
Aside from another win, Pope said his primary objective in today’s tussle with the Tigers is to “get through the game healthy.” (UK guards Kerr Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson are both out for the season with foot and wrist injuries, respectively.)
The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 15-3. But the squads have split the past four meetings.
And today’s contest between Kentucky (20-10, 9-8 SEC) and Missouri (21-9, 10-7) pits ranked foes against each other.
The Tigers are No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll and No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25, while the Wildcats are 24th in the coaches rankings and 19th in the AP poll.
Here’s what to know about Kentucky’s SEC matchup against Missouri today in Columbia:
The contest between the Wildcats and Tigers on will air on ESPN. You can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
UK and Missouri are slated to tip off at noon ET today.
- Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
- Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
- Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
- Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
- Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
- Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
- Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
- Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
- Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
- Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
- Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
- Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
- Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
- Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65
- Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Brown 54
- Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 106, Florida 100
- Jan. 7: at Georgia | SCORE: Georgia 82, Kentucky 69
- Jan. 11: at Mississippi State | SCORE: Kentucky 95, Mississippi State 90
- Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 81, Texas A&M 69
- Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Alabama 102, Kentucky 97
- Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt | SCORE: Vanderbilt 74, Kentucky 69
- Jan. 28: at Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 78, Tennessee 73
- Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas | SCORE: Arkansas 89, Kentucky 79
- Feb. 4: at Ole Miss | SCORE: Ole Miss 98, Kentucky 84
- Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina | SCORE: Kentucky 80, South Carolina 57
- Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 75, Tennessee 64
- Feb. 15: at Texas | SCORE: Texas 82, Kentucky 78
- Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt | SCORE: Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 61
- Feb. 22: at Alabama | SCORE: Alabama 96, Kentucky 83
- Feb. 26: at Oklahoma | SCORE: Kentucky 83, Oklahoma 82
- March 1: vs. Auburn | SCORE: Auburn 94, Kentucky 78
- March 4: vs. LSU | SCORE: Kentucky 95, LSU 64
- March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN
Record: 20-10 (9-8 SEC)
Missouri 88, Kentucky 81: One factor working against the Wildcats today is their lack of luck in road games; they are 3-6 in such affairs this season. And consider the Tigers’ dominance at home, winners of 18 of 19 outings at Mizzou Arena in 2024-25. (Missouri’s lone home setback: Texas A&M earned a 67-64 win last month.) While the environment won’t be friendly to the visitors, neither will the hosts be hospitable on the floor. Which is the area of greatest concern for the Wildcats. With Kriisa and Robinson sidelined the remainder of the season, it heaps even greater responsibility on the (hurt) shoulders of Lamont Butler to run the offense. As he continues to nurse himself back to health, however, he can’t play all 40 minutes. That’s where freshman Travis Perry, a more natural off-ball guard than primary distributor, has been called upon to run the point to give Butler a breather. When opponents see Perry on the floor, they’ve gone out of their way to attack him. Expect Mizzou’s opportunistic defense to also focus on making Perry’s life a nightmare: The Tigers produce the most steals per game (9.7) of any SEC team. They’ll swipe the ball away from Perry a few times this afternoon. And in a game where every possession will count, those empty trips offensively will cost Kentucky in the end. Chalk up a single-digit victory for the Tigers on the day they honor their senior class.
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
As we continue to go position group by position group and project what each unit will look like for the 2026 Kentucky Wildcats, we will now look at the safety room. This position is led by two of the most experienced safeties in the conference with Ty Bryant and Florida transfer Jordan Castell. The safety position is heavily relied upon in defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s scheme. Having experience is paramount for this group, as Coach Bateman will call creative looks for disguised coverages which will create plenty of safety rotations pre-snap and post-snap.
Starters
I think it is safe to assume that the new staff made it a priority to retain Ty Bryant and Willie Rodriguez more than any other returning players on the roster. Bryant was voted second team All-SEC by coaches last season and is one of the best safeties in the conference. He was the team’s leading tackler a year ago with 76 total and led the SEC with four interceptions. Bryant is a do-it-all safety that has a nose for the football and is expected to be the leader of the defense this fall.
Jordan Castell transferred over from the Florida Gators, where he started over 30 games in his career. Castell is a long, rangy safety that knows what it takes to play at an SEC level. He started as a true freshman at Florida and earned freshman All-SEC honors in 2023. Over his three seasons with the Gators, Castell has totaled 169 tackles, 13 pass breakups and three interceptions.
If things go as planned, these two will rarely come off the field this season. Bryant has natural playmaking ability on the back end as a ball hawking safety and is coming off the best season of his career. Castell has ideal length for the position and has shown the ability to make big time plays in this conference. Bryant and Castell form one of the best safety tandems in the SEC and will be a key to the defensive success in 2026.
Backups
- Dyllon Williams
- Jesse Anderson
Dyllon Williams is a 6’2, 191-pound redshirt freshman that got his feet wet last season in limited snaps. Williams only saw action against Eastern Michigan, Florida and Vanderbilt a year ago. Ideally, I don’t expect him to see much of an increase in playing time this season but it will be interesting to see how he progresses when he does get on the field. Coach Bateman does like to throw three safety looks at opposing offenses, but that will likely be manned by the slot corner position group.
Jesse Anderson is a transfer from Pitt that brings some experience to the depth of this room. In three seasons at Pitt, he has received snaps in 23 games as a rotational safety. I wouldn’t expect his role to change, he will be a rotational guy in this group as well and brings much needed experience in a backup role. Anderson is on the smaller side at 6’0, 186-pounds.
Like I previously mentioned, Coach Bateman likes to keep offenses off balance with three safety looks in coverage. However, I expect the slot corners to be heavily involved in those formations, which will be Aaron Gates and Jaden Smith. We will group the slot corners in with the cornerbacks when we preview that position group. Overall, this safety room is a strength of the team although it is hinged on the experienced duo of Bryant and Castell.
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, May 9, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
08-15-20-35, Cash Ball: 21
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 4-1-5
Midday: 3-6-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 9-6-4-3
Midday: 5-1-4-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
06-27-58-61-65, Powerball: 14
Millionaire for Life
08-11-17-29-49, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
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.
Top headlines of the week, May 8 2026
Here are some stories you may have missed this week in central Ohio.
Authorities said a body recovered May 4 from the Ohio River in northeast Kentucky has been identified as a Columbus man, Dispatch news partner NBC4/WMCH-TV reported.
Lewis County Sheriff Johnny Bivens said the body has been identified as Jason D. Frisbie, 38, of Columbus. Bivens said authorities in Kentucky worked with Ohio officials to identify Frisbie this week.
Bivens said Lewis County took a call around 4:30 p.m. May 4 about a body in the river in Vanceburg, Kentucky, a few miles south of Ohio’s Shawnee State Park. Bivens said responding agencies took the body to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office.
Lewis County authorities asked for public help identifying the body. On May 9, Bivens confirmed Frisbie’s identity after working with Ohio officials and local responders.
Bivens said the death remains under investigation, and authorities did not offer information about a suspected cause.
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