Kentucky
Wildcats take down Tigers in 95-64 rout
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Otega Oweh scored 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting to lead No. 19 Kentucky to a 95-64 win over LSU on Tuesday night.
Ansley Almonor and Brandon Garrison scored 15 points each and Collin Chandler finished with 11 for Kentucky (20-10, 9-8 Southeastern Conference).
Robert Miller III led LSU (14-16, 3-14) with 15 points, followed by Cam Carter with 14 and Jordan Sears with 13.
Oweh scored 15 points in the first half as the Wildcats took a 50-23 halftime lead.
Tuesday”s game was Senior Night for Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams. They were on the team for a year, but to hear head coach Mark Pope talk about it, the year was filled with memories as if they had been at UK for four. Pope said, “They built relationships with each other. And to watch them just in that setting where the only focus was just taking them in, was actually really fun last night. Special guys”
Takeaways
LSU: The Tigers have lost four straight games since posting back-to-back wins over Oklahoma and South Carolina. Forward Daimion Collins, who played two seasons at Kentucky (2021-23), scored two points against his former team.
Kentucky: The Wildcats honored senior Almonor and graduate seniors Amari Williams, Andrew Carr, Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler before the game. Kentucky secured its fifth straight 20-win season and coach Mark Pope reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in his coaching career.
Key moment
The Wildcats missed their first three field goals but put the game away with a 15-0 run, the team’s longest scoring spree since a 13-0 run propelled the team to an 81-69 win over No. 22 Texas A&M on Jan. 14. The spurt gave the hosts a 15-2 lead.
Pope was asked about what was different with the team, especially following the Auburn loss. Pope said, “We’ve been patch-working so much that we’ve lost a couple of things over the last six weeks. We lost this desperate hunger to get better, because we were just trying to stay afloat, right? By staying afloat in some ways, I think we did get better but there were so many distractions going on. You know we kind of lost the pace of the game because we are just trying to stay afloat. We are trying to get just enough live bodies to function.”
Key stat
Kentucky made 12 3-pointers and limited the Tigers to just two second-chance opportunities. The Wildcats outrebounded LSU, 37-30.
Up next
Kentucky wraps up the regular season on Saturday at No. 15 Missouri. The game will be at noon ET on ESPN.
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.
Time is of the essence if you’re Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats right now. With the transfer portal set to close in just a few days, chaos reigns as programs and players scramble to secure their next opportunities. Among the fray is Kentucky, which finds itself navigating a tumultuous landscape in search of elite talent. With many of the Top 25 players already committed, the urgency for the Wildcats to land a game-changing recruit has never been more at the forefront following this season.
One of Pope’s primary targets is Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman. The 6-foot-9 rising junior made waves during his time at Syracuse, averaging 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 47.4 percent from the field last season. His potential is undeniable; many experts predict Freeman will be a future first-round NBA draft pick, making him a coveted asset for any program.
Freeman’s recent visit to Kentucky has sparked much-needed hope. However, despite positive feedback from his trip, he left without making a commitment to join one of college basketball’s blue bloods. The competition is fierce. The question looms: Can Kentucky outmaneuver these schools and secure his commitment?
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Well, Friday morning, the Cats were able to outlast one of their deepest competitions for now in Connecticut. Freeman was set to make his way to see the Huskies, but he has since cancelled his Friday visit, per UConn Report (subscription required). Now it appears the Huskies officially have bowed out of the race. That’s one down, and just the Alabama Crimson Tide, it appears, stands in the way for Mark Pope and Kentucky.
Mark Pope faces additional pressure following the return of Rob Wright to BYU, leaving the Wildcats in a precarious position when it comes to key portal targets. They need to act swiftly to avoid being left without significant talent as the portal closes. Freeman’s skill set would not only bolster their roster but would also complement rising star Malachi Moreno, as Freeman would be the ideal fit for the power forward.
As the clock ticks down, all eyes are on Mark Pope and his ability to close this deal. The stakes are high, and for Kentucky, landing Donnie Freeman could be the key to turning chaos into triumph, but will they be able to close perhaps the deal amidst the age of transfer portal madness? Well, they are one step closer now, it appears.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky basketball closing in on a Donnie Freeman commitment?
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