Kentucky opens the season against Utah Valley on Friday night with the youngest team ever assembled by John Calipari, an impressive fact given the coach is the king of “one-and-done” players. Eight of UK’s 11 scholarship players are freshmen; two are sophomores. Continue reading “Calipari takes freshman-laden Kentucky for opening spin”
Kentucky basketball is always reloading and never rebuilding, that thanks to John Calipari’s ability to recruit better than just about any college basketball coach in the nation. With that said, not everything is great in #BBN land as the college basketball season quickly approaches. Kentucky announced via a press release that star recruit Jarred Vanderbilt will… Continue reading “Five-star Kentucky forward to miss significant time after undergoing surgery”
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In a Final Four overrun by fresh faces, North Carolina is the one old hand that maneuvered through all the minefields to make it to Glendale, Ariz. Luke Maye’s 18-footer from the left wing with 0.3 seconds left lifted the top-seeded Tar Heels to a 75-73 win over second-seeded Kentucky for the South. Continue reading “Heels head to Final Four on Maye’s last-second hoop”
INDIANAPOLIS — De’Aaron Fox scored 19 points and Malik Monk sank four clutch free throws during the final 30.3 seconds Friday night, lifting No. 2 seed Kentucky to a 79-70 South Regional victory over No. 15 seed Northern Kentucky in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Bam Adebayo added 15 points for the Wildcats (30-5) and Monk finished with… Continue reading “Kentucky manages to get past Northern Kentucky”
A special Kentucky Men’s Basketball Practice will air on Sunday, October 11, at 7 p.m. ET from the Joe Craft Center in Lexington, Ky., featuring a two-hour look at ESPN.com’s preseason No. 3 ranked team. ESPN NBA and college basketball’s Doris Burke, college basketball analysts Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg and college basketball reporter Andy Katz will anchor the coverage, which will showcase the Wildcats participating in individual drills, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 scrimmages.
The 2015-2016 Wildcats, coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances, have six players in the top 60 of ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Top 100 2016 NBA Draft prospects:
| Top 100 Rank | Player | Position | Year |
| 2 | Skal Labissiere | C | Freshman |
| 5 | Jamal Murray | PG | Freshman |
| 19 | Isaiah Briscoe | PG | Freshman |
| 49 | Marcus Lee | PF | Junior |
| 55 | Tyler Ulis | PG | Sophomore |
| 57 | Alex Poythress | SF | Senior |
NBA scouts will be in attendance and fans can join the conversation by tagging their tweets with #UKPractice.
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic on ESPN
No. 3 Kentucky will take on No. 6 Duke (7:30 p.m. on ESPN) in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from the United Center in Chicago. The double-header from Chicago concludes ESPN’s eighth annual college hoops tip-off marathon. Both team rankings are per ESPN.com.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to air every game of the third annual Big 12/SEC Challenge Presented by Sonic – staged for the first time on a common bye date of Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, during the conference schedule. The field is headlined by four preseason top-10 teams – No. 3 Kentucky, No. 5 Kansas, No. 7 Iowa State and No. 8 Oklahoma – and matches all 10 of the Big 12 members against 10 teams from the Southeastern Conference.
Eight of the 10 games will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2 and two games will air on ESPNU with each conference hosting five games.
ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm – the Saturday morning and evening roadshow that discusses the top storylines of the college basketball season – will originate from one of the Challenge games, to be announced at a later date.
In addition to No. 3 Kentucky, No. 5 Kansas, No. 7 Iowa State and No. 8 Oklahoma, the field includes nine total teams ranked in the ESPN.com’s revised too-early top 25. No. 17 Baylor; No. 18 Vanderbilt, No. 20 West Virginia; No. 22 LSU and No. 25 Texas A&M.
Additional Challenge highlights:
All 10 games will also be available via WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The 2014 Challenge, which saw the Big 12 winning six of the matchups, was held from December 3 to December 6. The inaugural event in 2013, won by the Big 12 with seven victories, was played across various dates in November and December.
2016 SEC/Big 12 Challenge Presented by Sonic schedule (schedule subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
| Sat, Jan 30 | Noon | No. 18 Vanderbilt at Texas | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| No. 20 West Virginia at Florida | ESPN or ESPN2 | ||
| 2 p.m. | Tennessee at TCU | ESPN2 | |
| Ole Miss at Kansas State | ESPNU | ||
| 4 p.m. | Texas Tech at Arkansas | ESPNU | |
| 6 p.m. | Georgia at No. 17 Baylor | ESPN2 | |
| 8 p.m. | Oklahoma State at Auburn | ESPN2 | |
| No earlier than 2 p.m.; No later than 7 p.m. | No. 3 Kentucky at No. 5 Kansas | ESPN | |
| No earlier than 2 p.m.; No later than 7 p.m. | No. 7 Iowa State at No. 25 Texas A&M | ESPN | |
| No earlier than 2 p.m.; No later than 7 p.m. | No. 8 Oklahoma at No. 22 LSU | ESPN |
This is interesting, although no idea what it really means. According to Google, and their search data, Andrew Wiggins is the most popular player in Kentucky over the past year, or at least, the most searched for.
Of course, that’s not really the point of the article, which lists Lebron James as the most-search/popular, but it’s just an interesting nugget about college basketball and fans of one of the biggest programs.
Other interesting nuggets include Kobe Bryant being #2 on the list despite barely seeing the court this year, and tennis star Serena Williams being the only woman in the current top 10.
One thing that surprises no one: football still reigns supreme as America’s sport.
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Harry Giles (PF, 6’9″, 2016) and PJ Dozier (CG, 6’4″, 2015) are two of the top basketball recruits in the nation, with Dozier holding offers from North Carolina, Kansas (among many others) and Giles holding offers from Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Georgetown and pretty much everyone else.
But the recruiting world hasn’t seen them in a while; both had serious injuries that have kept them off of the court for some time. That will change this weekend, as both are participating in the Phenom Hoops Challenge with their respective AAU teams in Greensboro, NC.
While it’s just their first time back in uniform, with such sought-after recruits, there is a lot of interest in how their recovery has gone thus far and how they look on the court.
For fans of Kentucky, Duke, UNC, Kansas or any of the other far-flung schools that are actively recruiting the two players (among several other high profile recruits), many of the games on the final day of the event (Sunday) will be broadcast online at NetCastSports.com.
Full schedule of the day’s broadcast coming soon, and we’ll have more information about the broadcast times – the games being broadcast on Sunday are several of the playoff games for the 17U teams at the tournament, so the final matchups won’t be set until the teams finish pool play. But we’ll work to keep everyone updated. You can also follow @NetCastSports on Twitter for more updates.
ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected the Kentucky forward Julius Randleas its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 23. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and is announced exclusively on SiriusXM Radio’s “Inside College Basketball.”
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| Randle |
As the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, Randle was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week. Randle was also named the USBWA’s Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week.
Randle, a 6-9 freshman from Dallas, Texas, averaged 16.5 points and 14.0 rebounds in conference wins over Ole Miss and LSU. He began the week last Tuesday by notching his 14th double-double of the season with 25 points and 13 rebounds at Ole Miss. Randle shot 13-14 from the free-throw line and scored six of UK’s final 11 points to help preserve the 84-70 victory. On Saturday, he then helped lead the Cats in dramatic fashion at home in a 77-76 overtime win against LSU. He hit the game-winning put back with 3.9 seconds remaining in overtime en route to an eight-point, 15-rebound performance.
This is the fifth season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week will be considered for the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list, which will be released at mid-season.
Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation’s oldest award and the only one named after a former player.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy will be presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at theDevon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Awardwill also be presented at the gala to be held annually the Monday following the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 33rd season, bigger and better in 2013-14. Blue Ribbon – long-known as “The Bible of College Basketball” – gives its readers the most thorough, up-to-date and timely evaluations of every Division I team in the country. For more information about Blue Ribbon Yearbooks, visit blueribbonyearbookonline.com.
2013-14 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
• Week of Dec. 8: Dustin Hogue, Iowa State (Big 12 Conference)
• Week of Dec. 15: Marcus Paige, North Carolina (Atlantic Coast Conference)
• Week of Dec. 22: Aaric Murray, Texas Southern (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Week of Dec. 29: DeAndre Kane, Iowa State (Big 12 Conference)
• Week of Jan. 5: Willis Hall, College of Charleston (Colonial Athletic Association)
• Week of Jan. 12: Doug McDermott, Creighton (Big East Conference)
• Week of Jan. 19: Naadir Tharpe, Kansas (Big 12 Conference)
• Week of Jan. 26: Nik Stauskas, Michigan (Big Ten Conference)
• Week of Feb. 2: Drew Crawford, Northwestern (Big Ten Conference)
• Week of Feb. 9: Melvin Ejim, Iowa State (Big 12 Conference)
• Week of Feb. 16: Doug McDermott, Creighton (Big East Conference)
• Week of Feb. 23: Julius Randle, Kentucky (Southeastern Conference)
By James Blackburn
Kentucky wins 67- 59
Starters
Kentucky: Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd- Gilchrist, Anthony Davis, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague
Kansas: Thomas Robinson, Jeff Withey, Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford
1st Half
Kansas wins the jump
Taylor with the first basket of the game with a driving lay-in- great sign for Kansas to get him started off well.
Withey, probably the second best shot blocker in the nation, with an early block on T. Jones that sent a statement.
MKG goes down awkwardly on a hard foul on Kansas in first minute and half- got up and knocked in his first FT.
Kansas better figure out a way to stop Kentucky in transition or its going to be a long night for the Jayhawks.
Teague starting to get hot.
Jones is letting Robinson establish way too deep position multiple times.
Fast pace for both teams- looking for a break in the action.
The officials are letting them play this game- physical play both ways.
Withey answers a 14-4 run by UK with 3-point way.
Kentucky is finishing with scores in the lane and Kansas is not- UK with the 23- 14 lead with 10 minutes left.
Kansas must improve its help defense- no one is helping but Withey.
This game might become a blowout if Kansas can’t get to 35 points by half.
Kentucky is starting to heat up from the 3 point line- bad news for Kansas.
Kansas is clearly frustrated- UK winning the rebound battle big- UK is giving up anything easy.
Good finish to the half for Kansas but heads into the break down 14.
2nd Half
Sloppy start to the second half for both teams.
Kansas is settling offensively- not converting inside- missing opportunities.
TO’s are starting to hurt Kansas.
Freshman mistakes are hurting UK- KU only down 10.
UK hitting the 3- pushing the lead back to 16.
Back to back 3 point plays for KU after the block on Davis. Taylor has played a solid game and has kept Kansas in the game. Kansas down 7 – pressure on Kentucky- how will the freshman handle this?
A huge 3 for Teague- thought it sealed it till Kansas hit a 3 to answer.
UK is looking shaky- Did the officials miss the walk?
That’s twice now that Kansas has turned the ball over in the end, once without even getting a shot- cant do that and expect to win.
Too much time spent on last possession and then the walk….Game over.
Kentucky wins 67-59
Established deep post position several times tonight- very strong player- defensive rebounder- rebounds the ball hard. Showed a high release and good footwork on an early 1 dribble pull-up from top of key. Takes the ball up strong with 2 hands. Showed solid post footwork and a nice hook shot. Good P/R player. Nice FT stroke- flicks wrist, good rotation. Has a solid base and good body control in air. Beast in the paint- fights for rebounds and positioning. Clutch- wants the ball in crunch time- knocked down 2 huge FT’s with a minute and a half to go to pull with in 5.
Slow lateral movement guarding perimeter- struggled to stay in front of Jones. Even though he was getting very deep in the post- struggled to finish because of lack of athleticism and length. Glued to man on the defensive end- needs to improve defensive positioning and shot blocking. Gets in a hurry when performing his post moves and doesn’t finish like he should- rushes. Has a tendency to pick up cheap fouls.
Struggled for the most part this game. Matched up with Terrence Jones on each end tonight and struggled to guard and score throughout. Physically he is ready for the pounding and grind of an 82- game NBA season, but he is a tweener position wise. Not long or athletic enough to play the center position- cant guard or score over a taller and stronger player- and is not quick enough to guard a PF away from the rim. I saw glimpses tonight of perimeter offensive play, but for the most part he likes to bully his way inside for easy scores. Plays hard and competes throughout the game. Could be a player similar to a DeJuan Blair for San Antonio or a Glenn Davis- a player who can step out and hit the midrange jump shot and is strong enough to play inside. He should be a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft- will be a solid role player for a long time in the L.
Extremely long and athletic. Tremendous rebounder- rebounds ball with 2 hands and at rim level or above. Excellent weak side shot blocker- good timing- keeps the ball in play and creates transition opportunities for team. Does a great job with the dribble hand-off. Influences shots he doesn’t block. Active on the offensive glass. Loves to go baseline on offensive end in the post. Has the ability to face the basket and make a move, whether it be the up and under or the hook shot- still could stand to improve offensively- shows the ability to be a solid offensive player. Nice shooting stroke out to about 18’. Very good body language- stoic facial expression.
Will need to work on shading out on screens- didn’t see him do it this game. Must get stronger in the upper body- got the ball taken from him on a couple of rebounds b/c of lack of strength. Struggled offensively- had a handful of solid offensive possessions and moves, but otherwise struggled with balance and finishing.
Well played game tonight for Davis, who solidified his rank as the number 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Even though he struggled to score tonight- he was still a threat and drew players away from the help side to keep a body on him and to keep him from catching lobs and tipping in missed shots. He makes a difference even when is not scoring- draws so much attention. A player that coaches have to change and make new game plans because of him. He is active on the glass on both ends and is unselfish and plays team basketball. Game changer on the defensive end- blocks shots and alters those he does not block. It is tough to compare his game to an NBA player- DeAndre Jordan might be the best comparison as a player who makes a difference on both ends. Other shot blockers do not have the offensive repertoire that Davis has. He will need to add another 30 lbs. or so to his frame and once he does he will be an All-Star player for years to come.