LIVE BLOG: Kentucky vs. Colgate
After back-to-back road games, Kentucky is back at Rupp Arena for some midweek action. KSR’s LIVE BLOG will bring you all the sights and sounds from Rupp Arena as the No. 5 Cats host the Colgate Raiders (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Kentucky is now 8-1 and coming off a thrilling comeback win vs. Gonzaga. Colgate is 2-8, its only wins coming vs. SUNY-Canton and UNC Wilmington. The Raiders have played two power conference teams this season, losing at Syracuse (74-72) and NC State (72-49). They are the worst team left on Kentucky’s schedule in the KenPom ratings (No. 271), but tonight’s game will be played for a very special reason. Late Colgate professor Ephraim Woods of Ashland, Kentucky was a lifelong UK fan and Colgate head coach Matt Langel worked to schedule the game in his honor. I’m sure that will come up during tonight’s broadcast.
Refresh the feed below for updates and our takes on the game, from both Rupp Arena and the couch. You can also join the conversation on the KSBoard Game Thread or by texting your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
Mark Pope on SportsCenter
12/11/2024 08:57:49 PMMark Pope went live on SportsCenter after the game to share his thoughts on the season so far. He gave the Rupp crowd a shoutout for helping the Cats pull through an ugly performance, gave his wife a shoutout, and responded to clips of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Davis talking about Kentucky’s success in the Pope era. Check it out below.
FINAL: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
12/11/2024 08:48:27 PMIt sure wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. Kentucky moves to 9-1 with the 78-67 win over Colgate. After starting the game ice cold from three, the Cats warmed back up in the second half to finish 10-31 from beyond the arc, their best performance from the outside since Nov. 22.
Lots to unpack from this one. We’ll have more throughout the night and then it’s on to Louisville.
Score Update: 1:35 2H – Kentucky 73, Colgate 61
12/11/2024 08:41:54 PMColgate is on a 6-0 run but Kentucky still leads by 12 with 1:35 to go. Jaxson Robinson is up to double figures after an emphatic dunk. He’s got 11 now.
Also, never doubt Tom Hart. He found a way to work in that Ryan Lemond did “dump the sage in a puddle of water.” Legend.
Tonight’s Y? Todd Svoboda
12/11/2024 08:35:13 PMFormer Cat Todd Svoboda served as the Y tonight, striking a triumphant pose at midcourt. If you don’t recall, Svoboda had his right leg partially amputated earlier this year due to osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. Very cool to see him get what I’m sure was a huge ovation.
Score Update: 5:02 2H – Kentucky 69, Colgate 51
12/11/2024 08:33:17 PMThe Cats are cruising, now up 18 with five minutes to go. They’re now on a 23-4 run. This bucket by Otega Oweh was especially sweet.
Koby Brea is up to five threes and a dunk
12/11/2024 08:26:08 PMThe Cats are back in control, going on a 17-2 run to push the lead to 63-49 with 7:28 to go. That’s in large part thanks to Koby Brea, who now has five threes and a dunk. As they say, he is en fuego (and thank goodness).
We also got another Tom Hart KSR reference. Hart said the Cats just needed to “Burn some sage” to get over their shooting woes. Little does he know Ryan Lemond left that sage in a puddle of water in Seattle.
Score Update: 11:45 2H – Kentucky 58, Colgate 49
12/11/2024 08:17:19 PMOtega Oweh joined the party with his first three to make it a 12-0 Kentucky run. Colgate’s Kyle Carlisemo responded with a bucket on the other end to make it Kentucky 58, Colgate 49 with 11:45 to go.
The crowd at Rupp is doing what it can to help the Cats put this one away:
THREE STRAIGHT THREES!
12/11/2024 08:13:46 PMKentucky’s warming up! Jaxson Robinson just hit back-to-back threes to seize the lead and Trent Noah hit another to make it three in a row. Harlan ain’t scared! Kentucky is back on top 55-47.
Score Update: 15:14 2H – Colgate 47, Kentucky 46
12/11/2024 08:09:21 PMColgate still leads Kentucky with 15 minutes to go in Rupp. The Cats are clearly struggling without Lamont Butler, but the Rupp Arena crowd is doing its best to inject some life back into the game. The Raiders have made 5-8 shots this half, while Kentucky remains ice cold from three, 0-3 this half and 4-18 overall.
Colgate now leads.
12/11/2024 08:06:00 PMWHAT IS HAPPENING? Kentucky now trails Colgate 45-42 after opening the game on a 17-0 run. The crowd is asleep. Shots aren’t falling. Defense non-existent. The Cats are going to have to win another game in the second half.
Where is the 3-point shooting?
12/11/2024 08:01:20 PMI’m writing this in hopes of turning things around with a KSR curse. Right now, Koby Brea is the only player making outside shots for the Wildcats. He’s 4-for-4. Everyone else is 0-11 through one half. Kentucky came into the game ranked 83rd, shooting 35.9 percent from 3. That number was padded earlier in the year. What happened? They shot below 30 percent in the last four games. Is this really a good 3-point shooting team beyond Brea? They need to show it.
HALF: Kentucky 38, Colgate 36
12/11/2024 07:45:52 PMIt’s back to a two-point game after a three by Parker Jones at the buzzer. Again, Kentucky led this game 17-0 with 13 minutes to go. The shooting woes continue, with the Cats connecting on only 13-35 (37%) from the floor, 4-15 (27%) from three. Koby Brea is responsible for all four of those treys.
Get it together, Cats. Also, we miss you, Lamont Butler.
Score Update: 40.9 1H – Kentucky 38, Colgate 33
12/11/2024 07:45:15 PMRemember when we thought Colgate was a very bad team? Well, the Raiders cut what was once a 17-point Kentucky lead to two on two occasions late in the first half. Kentucky’s lead is back up to five thanks to two free throws by Amari Williams, but this ain’t pretty.
Koby Brea is now 3-3 from three
12/11/2024 07:37:34 PMKoby Brea continues to feel it from downtown, making his third triple of the night. He’s 3-3 from downtown, while the rest of the Cats are 0-11. Woof.
Kentucky leads 31-24 with 2:46 to go in the first half.
Score Update: 6:08 1H – Kentucky 25, Colgate 16
12/11/2024 07:30:16 PMKentucky’s lead is back to nine after a Jaxson Robinson bucket off a beautiful Amari Williams assist. Robinson was fouled on the shot and will head to the line after the media timeout. Kentucky is now 9-27 from the floor and a chilly 2-11 from three. At some point, we’re gonna need someone other than Koby Brea to connect from beyond the arc.
Koby Brea hits a three to cross the 1,000-point mark in his career
12/11/2024 07:27:33 PMBrea just nailed a three to end Kentucky’s field-goal drought and take his career point total to 1,002. Unfortunately, Colgate responded with a three of its own to make it 21-16 Cats with 7:53 to go.
…and just like that, Colgate is on an 11-0 run
12/11/2024 07:25:53 PMSo, remember when Colgate couldn’t score? They just scored 11 points in about four minutes. Meanwhile, Kentucky is ice cold, missing their last 11 field goals.
Tom Hart just shared Ephraim Woods’ story
12/11/2024 07:22:54 PMBy now, you may have heard the reason why Kentucky is playing this game. Ashland, Ky. native Ephraim Woods was a lifelong UK fan and professor at Colgate. Before he passed away from brain cancer, Colgate head coach Matt Langel worked to schedule a game with Kentucky for him. He passed away before it could take place, but his family is in the stands at Rupp Arena and just got some camera time on ESPN2. Very cool.
It took Colgate almost seven minutes to score
12/11/2024 07:16:06 PMAfter going 0-10 from the field, Colgate finally got a shot to drop. Chandler Baker’s three gets the Raiders on the board, 17-3 with 13:17 to play in the first half.
On the other end, this and-one by Andrew Carr was pretty sweet. He’s up to seven points.
Travis Perry checks in
12/11/2024 07:12:22 PMWe knew Travis Perry would get some run tonight, but he’s already checking in with 15:41 to go in the first half. As you might imagine, that drew a big cheer from the Rupp Arena crowd.
Score Update: 15:54 1H – Kentucky 12, Colgate 0
12/11/2024 07:08:05 PMColgate is not a very good basketball team, folks. A dunk by Andrew Carr took Kentucky’s lead to 12-0, prompting the Raiders to call a timeout. They are 0-6 from the floor with two turnovers so far.
Meanwhile, Kentucky has its first three of the game thanks to Koby Brea. Brea is just one point away from 1,000 in his career. I think he’ll hit it tonight.
Score Update: 17:22 1H – Kentucky 5, Colgate 0
12/11/2024 07:05:39 PMKentucky leads 5-0 early at Rupp thanks to two buckets by Amari Williams and a free throw by Otega Oweh, but the Cats are only 2-6 from the floor. Not exactly a hot shooting start.
Koby Brea enters the starting lineup
12/11/2024 06:52:58 PMWith Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa out, Jaxson Robinson will start at point guard for Kentucky. Koby Brea will take his spot in the lineup, his first start of the season.
00 Otega Oweh
02 Jaxson Robinson
04 Koby Brea
07 Andrew Carr
22 Amari Williams
BTW, Kentucky Football’s 2025 schedule is complete
12/11/2024 06:44:50 PMIf you don’t already have your TV on ESPN2 or the SEC Network, you may have missed the 2025 SEC schedule reveal. We knew Kentucky’s opponents for the 2025 season, but now we have the dates. Kentucky’s schedule is daunting, to say the least.
Aug. 30: vs. Toledo – Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Sept 6: vs. Ole Miss – Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Sep. 13: vs. Eastern Michigan – Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Sept. 20: OPEN
Sept. 27: at South Carolina – Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, SC)
Oct. 4: at Georgia – Sanford Stadium (Athens, GA)
Oct. 11: OPEN
Oct. 18: vs. Texas – Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Oct. 25: vs. Tennessee – Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Nov. 1: at Auburn- Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, AL)
Nov. 8: vs. Florida – Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Nov. 15: vs. Tennessee Tech – Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Nov. 22: at Vanderbilt – FirstBank Stadium (Nashville, TN)
Nov. 29: at Louisville – L&N Stadium (Louisville, KY)
Tom Hart is on the call
12/11/2024 06:28:48 PMIt’s shaping up to be a fun night of Kentucky Basketball, both at Rupp and for those of us watching at home. Tom Hart will call tonight’s game alongside Dane Bradshaw on ESPN2, meaning we could get some KSR Easter eggs. Will he mention cowboy hats? Curse-breaking candles? Ryan’s inconsistency? I’ll share the best ones with you as they happen.
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN2 (Tom Hart, Dane Bradshaw)
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 106 or 190
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Mark Pope confirms Lamont Butler is out
12/11/2024 06:23:39 PMDuring his pregame conversation with Tom Leach, Mark Pope confirmed that Butler will be out tonight.
“Lamont is doing good, he’s getting better. We’re going to hold him out tonight. He’s got some work on the court, which we’re feeling really positive about. We’re optimistic he’ll be back soon.”
Without Butler, Jaxson Robinson will likely handle primary point guard duties, with Travis Perry providing relief. When Leach asked how difficult it is to swap out point guards in his system, Pope said it was a “mixed bag.”
“In some ways, we have a lot of press releases, a lot of ways to get the ball out of our point guard’s hands, and in some ways, it’s massively complicated and it’s the most important position we have on the floor so it’s a little bit of both.”
It looks like Lamont Butler is out
12/11/2024 06:01:04 PMButler is wearing sweats during warm-ups, suggesting he will miss his second straight game due to the ankle injury he suffered vs. Clemson. The Cats will presumably go with Jaxson Robinson at point guard with plenty of minutes for Travis Perry and Collin Chandler.
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