KSR Today: Kentucky Survives Test from the Tops
It took five games for Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats to receive a true test at Rupp Arena. They might’ve broken some pencils and had to use the eraser a few times, but when the dust settled, the Cats aced the test vs. the Tops, taking down WKU with an 87-68 win.
Kentucky went on a three-minute scoring drought near the midway point of the first half, allowing Western Kentucky to cut the deficit to three points. The Cats quickly responded, but couldn’t put the Tops away for good. That cycle repeated multiple times — at one point getting within 6 points with 12 minutes to go — but Kentucky found enough answers to keep the instate opponent at bay.
Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr helped the Cats weather the storm by scoring 18 points apiece. The 6-foot-10 Wake Forest transfer grabbed 10 boards for his first double-double in a Kentucky uniform. Lamont Butler was the only other Cat in double-figures, scoring eight of his 14 points from the free throw line.
The victory gave Kentucky a coveted title in the BBN Invitational. They’ll get just two days off before returning to Rupp Arena to take on Georgia State. More from the win over WKU…
Cold Kentucky Shooting Night
The shots weren’t falling for the Wildcats against Western Kentucky. Mark Pope’s squad was 8-29 from three (27.9%) and only shot 40% from the field. The amount of fouls (49 combined between the teams) made the game feel even uglier. According to Corey Price, it was Kentucky’s largest margin of victory in a game in which they shot worse than 41% from the field, worse than 28% from 3, and worse than 70% at the free-throw line (19 points) since they defeated Morehead State by 31 back in Dec. 2004.
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Andrew Carr needed to demand the ball and he did just that vs. WKU
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Box Score: Kentucky was efficient, despite bad shooting numbers
Everything Mark Pope said after the win
Highlights from the Kentucky win over WKU
Jasper Johnson Attended the Kentucky Game
The future Kentucky Wildcat is taking a Thanksgiving break from his time at OTE in Atlanta. Jasper Johnson enjoyed watching the Wildcats take down WKU from the stands. The hometown kid received a nice ovation when he was introduced to the Rupp Arena crowd.
Reed and Rob Reunion
Reed and Rob were on the jobs in the same city on Tuesday night. One of the most beloved Kentucky combos in recent years shared the hardwood when Houston traveled to Minnesota for an NBA Cup game. Reed Sheppard was scoreless in only nine minutes of action, but Rob Dillingham is starting to find a groove. He had a dozen points, seven assists, and five boards in the T’Wolves’ 6-point overtime loss.
Kentucky WBB Wins, Again
Just like Mark Pope, Kenny Brooks’ squad continued its winning ways, this time away from home. In the first of two games at the Music City Classic in Nashville, two Wildcats tallied double-doubles en route to a 77-61 win over Arizona State.
Clara Strack had 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Teonni Key chipped in 16 and 13. Georgia Amoore led all scorers with 22. They’re running it back and leveling up, facing No. 19 Illinois in a battle of Top 20 teams. The action begins at 8 pm EST on BallerTV.
UConn Lost, Again
The Feast Week has been good and we’re only halfway through the college basketball craziness. UConn followed up an overtime loss to Memphis with a 1-point loss to Colorado. Dan Hurley was once again whiny in the postgame presser. You love to see it.
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Dayton-Iowa State delivered some drama in the Maui loser’s bracket as well. Memphis will meet Auburn in the Maui Invitational final tonight at 5 pm EST on ESPN after the Tigers put it on North Carolina.
It was a crazy Tuesday of Feast Week. Hunter Dickinson got ejected for kicking someone in the face. Kansas still won in Kon Knueppel missed a game-tying three at the horn. Alabama almost won a basketball game with this three-quarter court prayer, but survived to defeat Houston in overtime. Elsewhere in the Players First NIL event, Rutgers outlasted Notre Dame in overtime.
Today might be the best college basketball slate until March. Allow me to highlight one matchup with intriguing implications for our neighbors. Indiana and Louisville will meet in the first round of the Battle for Atlantis. This game could end up meaning a lot to both teams when they’re on the NCAA Tournament bubble in a few months. The action begins in the Bahamas at Noon on ESPN.
Kentucky Football Picks Up a Commit
The 2025 Kentucky football recruiting class recently lost a Top 500 wide receiver from Texas. They responded by adding a similar big-bodied Top 500 talent from East St. Louis.
Dejerrian Miller announced his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday, choosing the Wildcats over Tennessee and Ole Miss. The 6-foot-3 outside receiver will give the Cats some much-needed size at the position. When you take a closer look at the film, it’s not hard to find vertical playmaking ability.
“The way they get the ball to their players and the opportunity I have there, I could be SEC Freshman of the Year,” he told On3’s Chad Simmons. “I just trust the coaches will put me in a position to make plays right away.”
Kentucky Football Talk for your Road Trip
Today is one of the busiest travel days of the year. Please, get wherever you need to go safely. To help you stay entertained, we cooked up a new 11 Personnel a day earlier than normal. In addition to all of the Governor’s Cup talk, today you’ll get a new edition of Pigskin Preview to make sure you’re completely prepared for Rivalry Week.
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