A big night for both the basketball and football programs
Yesterday was a big day for both the Kentucky men’s basketball and football programs.
On the basketball court, Mark Pope’s squad bounced back from that loss to Missouri in a huge way, with a 24-point win at Rupp Arena over the visiting Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 92-68.
The Cats started slow, falling behind 18-6 early. However, from there, it was all Kentucky, as the Wildcats put together one of their best performances of the season.
The Wildcats moved the ball well, finishing with 21 assists on 37 made field goals. Those 21 assists are the highest total for Kentucky against a power conference opponent this season.
It was a game where pretty much every player on the floor played well, but particularly so for Otega Oweh, who finished with a team-high 22 points and looked a lot like the Oweh we saw last year. Kam Williams showed how much of an impact player he can be with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Malachi Moreno had a great night too with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.
All in all, it was a feel-good win for Kentucky at a much-needed time. Now, the key will be keeping that momentum going with some big games coming up.
But it wasn’t just a big night for the UK Basketball program last night.
Will Stein and the UK Football program had a great day yesterday, too, with four portal commitments.
Early in the day, the Cats landed a commitment from Tennessee offensive tackle Lance Heard. The Cats were looking pretty thin at the tackle position, and while they still need to be shopping for another tackle, landing Heard was massive.
Heard was one of the top tackles in the SEC last year at Tennessee after starting his career at LSU. Between his time in Baton Rouge and Knoxville, Heard has 25 career starts and was named Third Team All-SEC last fall.
Kentucky also picked up a commitment from Texas transfer linebacker Elijah “Bo” Barnes. Barnes saw limited action for the Longhorns this past season, but played in the bowl game against Michigan, finishing with 3 tackles and a sack.
Barnes was one of the top linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class, so there is plenty of potential to work with there.
The Cats also picked up commitments from Mississippi State safety Cyrus Reyes and South Florida kicker Adam Zouagui.
Will Stein and Co. still have some needs to address in the portal, namely the wide receiver position, but yesterday’s portal haul included some big pieces.
Tweet of the Day
Big game for Malachi last night.
Headlines
5 things to know from Kentucky’s win over Mississippi State – Herald Leader
The Cats really dominated after that slow start.
Pope says all options on the table with Jaland Lowe – Cats Pause
Hopefully we learn more today.
Martels Carter expected to return to Kentucky – KSR
Carter could be a key piece in the secondary.
Former Cat Ray Davis named First Team All-Pro for special teams – UK Athletics
Congrats to Ray!
Harbaugh will limit interviews to just a few teams – ESPN
Where will Harbaugh be coaching next season?
Dennis Schroder suspended for reported confrontation with Luka – Bleacher Report
He apparently tried to hit Luka after the game.
Bregman reportedly agrees to $175M deal with Cubs – Yahoo
The Cubs are making some big moves.
Bears rally past Packers – CBS Sports
A major collapse for the Packers.
Rams hold off Panthers’ comeback bid – SI
An exciting day of NFL playoffs yesterday.
Wisconsin hands Michigan first loss – ESPN
Wisconsin entered as a 19-point underdog.
Amazon wants to change how people watch the NFL – NBC
This is an interesting read for today.
Category: General Sports
