Last year, Champions Blue LLC, the LLC created for UK Athletics, announced the plan to build an entertainment district near Kroger Field to create a new revenue stream. Earlier this week, the school made the next step before the district’s construction, choosing one of four proposals.

On Tuesday, Kevin Locke, UK’s Associate Vice President of planning, design and construction, informed the Champions Blue Board of Governors that the school is moving forward with the “Cooper Connector” plan. This proposal is based on similar districts created near arenas for Ohio State University, Arizona State University, the Green Bay Packers, and the Atlanta Braves.

As an effect of this plan, Bluegrass Community and Technical College will vacate from the school’s original home on Cooper Drive by the end of 2026, a spokesperson told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Despite BCTC still holding classes, Kentucky originally took control over the property with an agreement in 2008, after BCTC built a new campus at the former site of Eastern State Hospital, which moved to land owned by UK on the Coldstream Research campus.

The “Cooper Connector” plan includes retail and a hotel conference center, but dining will serve as the anchor, as Locke explained to the board on Tuesday.

“Food and beverage, that would serve as the anchor use for this scheme,” Locke said. “This location needs genuine energy, with multiple retail spots creating critical mass, rather than an isolated, one-off destination. And with the right mix of food, entertainment, and access, this corridor will come alive and attract private investors as well as become an asset for the university, staff, and surrounding community.”

With the plan, there are still some final decisions to be made over the coming weeks, including the precise location for the hotel conference center.

Perhaps the biggest decision will be whether to include a multi-use facility that would include a new basketball practice facility into the Kroger Field entertainment district or as part of a district to be built near Historic Memorial Coliseum that will include retail, housing, and parking. A conversation study is needed, set to be complete this summer.

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

With a beautiful evening present just down the road in Louisville, KY, the Kentucky Wildcats (26-13, 8-10 SEC) faced off against the Cardinals (23-18, 7-11 ACC) in a Tuesday evening matchup, resulting in a 14-10 win for the ugly red.

The last time we saw these two teams square up, the blue and white defended home field with a 4-2 win, led by none other than the dudes on the mound. Holding its rivals hitless through 6.1 innings and taking a three-run lead in the sixth inning, Kentucky sent Louisville back home and earned a feel-good dub for the Big Blue Nation.

Luke Lawrence and Jayce Tharnish would hit back-to-back singles to start this game, but their teammates would fail to bring them in with two outs to work with. Looking back, the Bat Cats would’ve liked to have some runs there, as Louisville would go up 2-0 in the same inning.

Nick Mingione would step in after Will Marcy attempted to make a grab near the Louisville dugout, eventually reviewed for interference and ending a bases-loaded scenario.

Freshman Braxton Van Cleave would go yard for his second big blue bomb of the season and cut the lead in half, but Kentucky would cycle through two more pitchers after Ben Cleaver, allowing another run for the Cardinals in the same inning.

All momentum would shift Kentucky’s way quickly in the top of the third, due in part to a double from Lawrence that brought in Tyler Bell and a three-run homer from Ethan Hindle, giving the Wildcats a 5-3 lead.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they would commit two costly errors in the bottom of the third, allowing the Cardinals to score three more runs and retake the lead just like that. Louisville would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth due to walk city on the mound, scoring five unanswered runs.

Mingione would get hype for Tharnish, who doubled and balked his way in for a run in the fifth, then losing his mind even more when Ryan Schwartz hit a deep left-field laser.

Now trailing 8-7 in the top of the sixth, Bell would take a bump for his team with a HBP, advance to second on a wild pitch and eventually score on a groundout, tying the game at 8-8.

From that point on, it would be nothing but the Cards, as the hits, walks and runs kept pouring like a beer mug on a Saturday night. Kentucky would attempt a late surge, but the deficit would appear to be too overwhelming in enemy territory.

Up next, Kentucky will travel down to good ole Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks (20-22, 5-13 SEC) from Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26. The first game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

Tensions are rising in Lexington.

Not only are fans growing frustrated with Kentucky basketball’s roster-building efforts, but the Governor is now publicly questioning the University’s leadership.

Andy Beshear released a sharply worded statement on Tuesday, raising concerns not only about athletics but broader governance across the institution.

“I am losing confidence and growing increasingly concerned with the management and decision-making at the University of Kentucky. My concerns include the creation of a new $1 million job that has no defined duties and the announcement that the new dean of law was the only candidate not recommended by law school faculty. I’ve been told that, despite previously saying the dean must be approved by UK’s Board of Trustees, the university has shifted and now states that approval is not needed. I worry that these actions are related to certain donors pushing partisan and undue outside influence onto the university. I hope students, faculty, trustees and the community attend this week’s board meetings and ask the tough questions that should be answered.”

While Andy Beshear did not name Mitch Barnhart directly in his statement, Barnhart is set to assume the newly created role of Executive-in-Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative, carrying a base salary of $950,000, squarely aligning with Beshear’s criticism of “a new $1 million job that has no defined duties.”

The optics of Barnhart’s move are difficult to ignore.

A 2023 contract extension gave Barnhart the option to step down as athletics director and become a “Special Assistant to the President” as early as July 1, 2026, at $800,000 a year. Now, he is stepping into a new position that was created solely by University President Eli Capilouto. The lack of clarity around the decision to create the position, and the position itself, has brought criticism from fans and even top donors. Including Longtime supporter Brett Setzer, who has formally requested the University to reverse its decision.

Until those questions are answered, the noise surrounding the program isn’t going anywhere. Beshear has encouraged people to attend the Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, April 24th.