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ESPN Commentator Says Kentucky Basketball Has “Become Irrelevant”, Calipari’s Clock Is “Ticking Loudly”

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats got the monkey off their back by winning one NCAA Tournament game, beating Providence. However, after being eliminated in a heartbreaking loss to Kansas State, that makes three straight seasons where Kentucky has failed to make the second weekend of the tournament.

The lack of recent success has been disappointing for Kentucky fans, a fanbase known for their high expectations. That frustration has been felt by the media, leading many of them to give their “bold” takes on the state of the Kentucky program.

One media personality, Paul Finebaum of ESPN/SEC Network, gave his opinion on Kentucky in a radio appearance earlier this week.

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“Kentucky has become irrelevant,” Finebaum said. “We get all excited about them every year, because they’ve got the No. 1 recruiting class coming in, which they do again. In November, they were the No. 4 team in the country. They had to fight to get into the tournament in February, which they did. Then they laid another egg. To the elite college basketball world, getting knocked out in the Round of 32 is a failure.”

The argument of failure to succeed with top recruiting classes is one that has been made by many. However, most of these people have not paid attention to Kentucky’s roster construction of late, as the lack of elite, NBA-level talent has been a real issue.

From Calipari’s first season (2009) to his last Final Four (2015), Kentucky had sixteen top-10 recruits, with 10 of those being in the top-5. Whereas since then, Kentucky has had just eight top-10 recruits, and just one top-5 recruit (excluding Shaedon Sharpe who did not play).

This isn’t to say Kentucky still hasn’t underperformed with the talent they have had, but Calipari has been most successful with elite players, and the recruiting hasn’t been at the same level.

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That will change next season, as Calipari and a renovated staff are bringing in five, five-star prospects, including four ranked in the top-10, and three in the top-5.

Not to mention, the Southeastern conference has become much more difficult to win in. While Kentucky has always been at the top, other programs are finally investing into basketball. As a result, the conference now has some of the best coaches in the country and is now bringing in the top players, from high school and the transfer portal.

Finebaum went on to note that even by “moving the goalposts,” UK had to reach the Sweet 16 because of the last few seasons of having a losing season, and last year losing to Saint Peter’s to open the NCAA Tournament.

“Just to wash away the stench of the last couple years,” Finebaum said. “… There’s no way you can look this season as anything other than a failure. And there’s no way you can look at John Calipari’s career as saying nothing but the clock is ticking loudly.”

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If you look at Calipari’s career as a whole, he has seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and a National Championship. Unfortunately, the bulk of that success came in the first half of his tenure, going on a tear of winning that few have done. If you spread that success out over his entire tenure, things are likely to be looked at much differently.

As mentioned, Calipari will have a team of NBA talent next season, will he make a run and reverse the trajectory?

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Provides Promising Injury Update on Amari Williams

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Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope provides an injury update on Amari Williams ahead of the Wildcats season opener against Wright State.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky tips off the season on Monday against Wright State, however, they could be down an important player.

Amari Williams, who is expected to be the starting big man for the Wildcats this season, suffered a hip injury just minutes into Kentucky’s exhibition against Minnesota State last week. While the injury did not look too severe at the moment, his limp to the locker room was worrisome.

“I think he’s fine,” Mark Pope said after the game. “X-rays came back solid but we’ll get some more imaging tomorrow. We’re hopeful he’ll be back soon.”

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On Friday, Pope provided another update.

“Imaging was really good, really positive. He’s day-to-day right now,” Pope said. “He won’t do anything – you know, just do free throws today. We’re hopeful that he’ll be back soon but we’ll kind of proceed with all the caution and urgency that we possibly can.”

Long term, this is a positive update. However, in the short term, Williams could be out for Kentucky’s first couple of regular season games, depending on how cautious he and team are being. We saw Kerr Kriisa sit out for the Blue-White event and Kentucky’s first exhibition following a “tweak” in practice.

The sooner the better for a return. Kentucky will certainly hope to be at 100% as they take on seventh-ranked Duke next week in the Champion’s Classic.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Wright State: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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The Kentucky Wildcats tip off their season and the first game of the Mark Pope era against the Wright State Raiders in Rupp Arena.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

After seven long, eventful months, the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is back and is ready to tip off the Mark Pope era. The Wildcats’ opponent in the season opener will be the Wright State Raiders.

Wright State comes to Rupp Arena for a payment of $90,000 to give the Wildcats a respectable test. Coached by first-year head coach Clint Sargent, the Raiders were picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League and have the league’s preseason Player of the Year in forward Brandon Noel.

This will be the fifth game of the series, with Kentucky winning the previous four games by an average of 20.25 points.

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Here’s what to watch for in Kentucky vs. Wright State to tip off the new season.

Defensive Litmus Test

Last season, Wright State had one of the nation’s best offenses, ranking fourth in points per game (86.5) and first in field goal percentage (53%). While they are under a new coach, Sargent has been at Wright State since 2016 and will play a similar style.

While they with pace, they do not rush things, and playing an inside-out game. Last season, the Raiders scored two-thirds of their points on two-point shots. That said, Sargent will likely shoot more threes than his predecessor.

This game should be a good litmus test for the Kentucky defense, which Pope says needs improvement. “We were actually dancing, recovering to the gap instead of recovering to the shooter,” he said of his preseason contests on Thursday.

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This will be a great early test for the Cats, especially since Wright State has a very good forward in Brandon Noel, who recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds in a road win over Oakland last season.

Size Advantage

Wright State does not have a player in the rotation taller than 6’8, giving the Wildcats a clear size advantage with the trio of Andrew Carr, Brandon Garrison, and Amari Williams.

This should also create pressure inside the paint, allowing for shooters to be open. Also, this should help Kentucky on the boards, especially on the offensive glass. Mark Pope prioritizes this in his offense and wants to see his team improve on that from the preseason.

“I haven’t been super excited about us on the glass right now,” Pope said in his pregame presser. “We haven’t had the presence on the offensive glass, which is vitally important. How we play, we have got to have a presence on the offensive glass. And I think there were some times we got lackadaisical on the defensive glass. So I’d like to get much, much better there, much more sure there.”

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Let’s see if Kentucky can assert itself now that the games are real, even if the team potentially does not have one of its best frontcourt players…

Amari Williams Injury

Early in Kentucky’s second exhibition game, Amari Williams suffered a leg injury, which forced him to miss the rest of the game. Thankfully, it sounds like it’s only a minor issue, but it does have Williams’ status in doubt for Monday night.

“Imaging was really good, really positive,” Pope said of Williams during a Thursday press conference. “He’s day-to-day right now. He won’t do anything — just free throws today, and we’re hopeful he’ll be back soon. But we’ll kinda proceed with all the caution and urgency that we possibly can.”

If Williams can’t go, it means Brandon Garrison will be the starting center after a solid showing in the exhibition season. While Garrison is more than capable of holding down the fort, Williams is the better overall big man. He’s also a better fit for Kentucky’s offense since he’s a good passer and can take the ball up the floor after grabbing a rebound.

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Crowd/Energy

The Kentucky fanbase has been juiced with Mark Pope’s infectious energy since he was hired in April. That excitement has carried through the offseason and the first preseason exhibition game against Kentucky Wesleyan. However, for Minnesota State, the crowd was quite pitiful.

What will the crowd look like for Monday’s season opener? There will likely not be 100% attendance, but it will be interesting to see the turnout. There are several tickets still available online.

Opposing Players to Watch

F Brandon Noel, 6-8, 240 lbs

  • 14.5 PPG
  • 8.0 RPG
  • Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year

*Stats from 2023-24 season

G Alex Huibregtse, 6-3, 205 lbs

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  • 12.3 PPG
  • 3.3 APG
  • Preseason Horizon League Second Team

*Stats from 2023-24 season

F Michael Imariagbe, 6-7, 220 lbs

  • 11.4 PPG
  • 8.5 RPG

*Stats from 2023-24 season

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Wright State Raiders

Time: 7:00 PM EST on November 4th
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: ESPNU
Announcers: Tom Hart and Jimmy Dykes
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | WSU
Stats to Know: UK | WSU
KenPom: UK | WSU
Team Sheet: UK | WSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky as a 21.5-point favorite with an over/under of 157.5. EvanMiya gives the Cats a 92.9% chance to win. Bart Torvik and KenPom are slightly higher at 95% and 94%, respectively, while DRatings is at 93.1%.

PredictionsBart Torvik and Haslametrics have Kentucky winning 91-71 and 93-73, respectively. EvanMiya and KenPom both predict an 86-69 win for the Wildcats. DRatings has Kentucky winning 96-81.

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Send us your score predictions in the comments section!

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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BB Recruiting

BREAKING: Four-Star PG Acaden Lewis Commits to Kentucky over Duke and UConn, “You Can’t Beat What They Are Doing”

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2025 four-star point guard prospect Acaden Lewis has announced his commitment to Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats.
UK Athletics

It’s a good start to the weekend as Kentucky basketball has picked up a commitment. 2025 four-star point guard Acaden Lewis from Washington, D.C., announced his commitment to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, picking the Wildcats over Duke and Connecticut.

Funny enough, during an unofficial visit in Lexington back in June, Mark Pope joked with fans that Lewis was committing to Kentucky. While Lewis didn’t commit that day, Pope was able to seal the deal a few months later.

Why Kentucky?

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“It felt like a community. Pope, he was in the hood with me. He came to my barber shop and everything. It felt like a home. Felt like somewhere I should be. The system is great.”

Lewis joins five-star commits Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson in Kentucky’s class, and helps bolster the Wildcats’ class ranking up to second, only behind Duke. Both players recruited Lewis to join them, with Moreno joining him for part of his official visit to Kentucky back in October, including being featured in his photoshoot. Shortly after the visit, Lewis said in an interview about Kentucky, “You can’t beat what they were doing.”

While Moreno and Johnson were big recruiting victories, they were both players from Kentucky. This is Pope’s commitment from outside of the state, and he went up against the bluest of blue bloods in Duke, UConn, and North Carolina.

Now, can Lewis help Kentucky close the deal on consensus top 10 wing Caleb Wilson? The two have expressed a lot of interest in playing together, and Wilson is aiming to make a decision by December, with Kentucky as one of the two leaders.

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Scouting Report

Lewis is a lefty lead guard who is extremely talented with the ball. He has soft hands and natural touch that are the foundation of a very advanced skill set. His handle is tight, he’s a lay-up maker with both hands, and he has soft floaters and tough pull-ups alike in the mid-range area. While Lewis connected on just 31% of his threes during EYBL play, he’s a much better shooter than those numbers indicate. He made 83% of his free throws, attempted nearly 7 threes per game, and projects as someone who not only has gravity spotting up but can be a movement shooter as well.

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