Today on KSR: Juzang, Quickley lead Cats to Road Win Against Tennessee

[caption id="attachment_284258" align="aligncenter" width="600"] © Randy Sartin | USATSI[/caption] For the first time in five years, the Kentucky basketball team picked up a win against Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena. A total team effort sealed the victory as five players reached double digits in the 77-64 win. Immanuel Quickley and Nick Richards played efficient games to lead the Cats to an impressive 13-point road win. The victory improves Kentucky's record to 18-5 (8-2 in SEC) and puts the Cats in a tie for first place in the conference with LSU and Auburn.

The Johnny Juzang Game

Johnny Juzang played the best game of his young Kentucky career, finishing with a career-high 13 points on 4-4 shooting including 3-3 from long range. The freshman guard is starting to feel comfortable in his role, and it showed on Saturday as he played a career-high 24 minutes. Coach Calipari is proud of Juzang for the attitude he kept when times got tough this year.

“I’m proud of you, Johnny.” pic.twitter.com/YqQ0a4SavW

— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) February 8, 2020

"He's building my confidence in him. You guys are saying, where did this come from? I'm watching it and I haven't seen it, kind of a little bit. You've got to own your performance if you want to change. You have to come every day and know there's no easy way to do what I'm trying to do." Keep it up, Johnny.

Strong Performances from Quickley and Richards

Immanuel Quickley and Nick Richards are playing at a high level as the pair continues to provide consistent production for each game. Quickley provided the dagger:

Immanuel Quickley puts this game to bed. pic.twitter.com/KS8eq3piz7

— Not Scott Charlton (@Scott_Charlton2) February 8, 2020

He finished with a quiet 18 points (5-9 shooting, 6-7 FT) while Richards finished with 15 points (5-5 shooting, 5-6 FT) and 7 rebounds. The dramatic improvement from both players is incredible to watch as the confidence each has is becoming increasingly clear.

UK Hoops Travels To Arkansas for Top-25 Matchup

The 15th ranked Kentucky Women's basketball team faces a difficult test as they travel to Bud Walton Arena to face the 25th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. The game is set to tip-off at 4 P.M. and will air on ESPN2 with Pam Ward and Steffi Sorensen on the call. The Wildcats have been without leading scorer Rhnye Howard the past three games as the star guard recovers from a fractured finger. The team is 2-1 without Howard as guards Sabrina Haines and Jaida Roper have played well in the absence of their star teammate. Matthew Mitchell is 14-1 against Arkansas in his career as UK's head coach.

Austin MacGinnis and Jeff Badet Debut in XFL

The Dallas Renegades are set to begin their season this afternoon as they face the St. Louis BattleHawks in Globe Life Park. Two former Kentucky Wildcats will be playing in the game as kicking legend Austin MacGinnis and receiver Jeff Badet are both on the Renegades. Former Oklahoma legend, and brother of Mark, Bob Stoops, is the head coach for Dallas. The Renegades are Vegas' favorite to win the inaugural championship at +350 odds. Early returns from the XFL have been positive as the league is positioned to stay around for at least a year or two. For players like MacGinnis and Badet, the goal is to use the opportunity as a stepping-stone to the NFL, and I highly doubt either of them take that for granted. Tune into ESPN at 5 P.M. for the game.