Men's Basketball

Does Kentucky Struggle to Contend With Physicality, or Are They Simply Not Allowed To?

While the Wildcats stomached their third loss of the season, many spectators have called into question an uncontrollable aspect of the gam

Published

5 months ago

January 8, 2025

Lane Mills

Kentucky's Brandon Garrison and Andrew Carr go up for a rebound against Florida.

Chet White | UK Athletics

In each of their three losses this year thus far, Kentucky has faced one looming criticism following the final buzzer: the inability to contend physically with their opponents.

Rebounding is a “Major Issue”

To a certain extent, this is a fair point. In wins and losses, the Wildcats have struggled to rebound the ball all season, despite holding a slight statistical advantage in that category overall. Take the recent win against Brown as a prime example, a game in which Kentucky was out-rebounded 35-29. Regardless of the 88-54 win, many folks have still stressed the glass as one of the team’s most urgent issues. Following the 82-69 loss to Georgia, wherein the Cats lost the board-battle 41-34, Coach Mark Pope and forward Andrew Carr concurred.

“It’s back-to-back games where we gave up 15 offensive rebounds… It’s unacceptable for us,” he said. “… that’s a major, major issue for us is the glass,” said Pope.

Carr emphasized the same, saying, “We got to get more nasty, more angry when we’re playing… get better on the defensive glass.”

So it’s safe to say that those words don’t fall on deaf ears, and in no world can, or should, Kentucky escape this argument entirely. But in the same breath, it can be fairly stated that much of the physical effort the team has shown has been immediately met with a negative whistle on either end. Many will scoff at such a suggestion, but on paper, the discrepancies are painfully apparent.

The Call-Based Catalyst

At one point during the second half of the aforementioned loss to the Bulldogs, the chasm between Kentucky’s attempts at the strike and Georgia’s was an astonishing 22; 31 to 9. Even considering a last-minute string of free throws for the visiting Wildcats, the final tally of attempts was 38 to 19 in the Bulldogs’ favor. Georgia made 29 (76%,) and Kentucky 15 (79%.)

The home team’s 38 chances at the line fell only two points shy of half their average points scored per game as a team this season, at 80.

On the night as a whole, Kentucky actually scored one more field goal than Georgia and made only one less three. Both teams shot below 30% from the arc and hovered around the 40% mark from the field in total. Georgia won by 13. It doesn’t take rocket science to spot the difference.

A Sour Standard

Simply put, in their matchup, Georgia wasn’t held to the same standard as Kentucky as far as the ability to play physical basketball goes. In their last two games combined, one at home and on the road respectively, and both in the SEC, Kentucky trails their opponents’ attempted free throws 43-73.

Foul numbers and free throws won’t be exactly the same for both teams, sure, but a difference as severe as that one calls for a closer look.

It’s an odd, contradictory sort of scenario, where the SEC is hailed as the toughest conference in college basketball, yet attempting to play tough lands, certain teams, most often the visiting team (or the blue team, if you will,) in a free throw hole.

And it isn’t just Kentucky fans who’ve taken issue with the trend.

Dan Wolken, a columnist for USA Today Sports, posted on X (Twitter) multiple times during the Kentucky-Georgia game. His first read, “If what I’m seeing tonight is an accurate representation of SEC basketball officiating, road wins should count double. Home teams getting away with some stuff.” The post was sung to the chorus of nearly 2,000 likes.

“An officiating disaster class,” he said in another. “Disgraceful stuff.”

Keep The Faith

But while the problem may be relatively easy to diagnose, a potential solution seems virtually impossible to dissect. Like every other aspect of the game, officiating is a fallible piece in the larger basketball puzzle. How, or why, it often works the way it does is unclear; all that can be said at this point is that, lately, Kentucky has consistently been given the short end of that stick.

One way or another they’ll have to find a way to win in spite of these disheartening stats, and if the Big Blue Nation take comfort in anything, it should be in Mark Pope and this team working tirelessly to do so.

The Cats will have a chance to bounce back in their second consecutive road game against the Bulldogs, this time taking on 24th-ranked Mississippi State. You can catch the battle on SEC Network this coming Saturday, Jan. 11th, at 8:30 p.m.

Men's Basketball

Jasper Johnson Makes Final U19 USA Roster Under Coach Mark Pope

Jasper Johnson has advanced in the U19 USA camp for the second time alongside the nation’s best recruits, and under Mark Pope’s wing.

Published

18 hours ago

June 20, 2025

Lane Mills

Instagram: @bruhjasperj (UK Athletics)

In a surprisingly relevant development smack dab in the middle of the offseason, Jasper Johnson has yet again advanced in the pool of players participating in the USA U19 camp.

The program, which could be a described as a sort of extension of the Team USA that just took home the gold in 2024, is comprised of some of the nation’s most anticipated talents set to take collegiate courts in the next couple of seasons.

Blue Gets In

Among them is Kentucky native and commit Johnson, and was also incoming Cat Malachi Moreno, before the latter was cut as a result of a mild injury he obtained throughout the camp’s course. Despite Moreno’s exit, his future teammate continues to impress.

Under the wing of Coach Mark Pope, who’s helmed the team in the camp up to this point, Johnson has now made the final cut after multiple roster slashes – he and only 11 other players remain in the minority that will go forward to actually compete for the team in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which will take place June 28 through July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The pre-competition camp serves not only as a trial of play before these athletes disperse to their own respective rosters this fall and next, but for Johnson, as a preview of what it’s like to play under Coach Pope. If his current success is any indicator, Kentucky fans may be in for something special when the pair tackle opposing teams together for the blue and white.

In similar noteworthy news, also attending the event are Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes, two Kentucky-born athletes with ties to Kentucky that the program is heavily recruiting. Jasper’s strong performance, combined with Coach Pope’s presence, can only help the Wildcats’ chances on that front, too.

To say the least, Mark Pope has found a way to facilitate Kentucky’s influence far beyond the boundaries of Lexington. He and Johnson, for the time being, will continue to press turn heads on the national stage, and it’s very likely that fans aren’t the only ones paying attention.

Men's Basketball

Archie Goodwin and Kahlil Whitney Set to Join La Familia This Summer

La Familia continues to add more firepower to the 2025 roster.

Published

2 days ago

June 19, 2025

Kai McClelland

James Crisp (Left), Adam Hunger (Right) | Associated Press

As the start of the 2025 TBT Tournament inches closer, La Familia has been slowly but surely adding star Wildcats to the roster.

Usually, we see announcements for new additions to the squad roll out on social media in some form, whether it be a post from La Familia’s official accounts or in form of Ansley Almonor’s announcement, which took place on BBN Tonight.

However, this time, Archie Goodwin and Kahlil “The Dragon” Whitney were added to the roster on the TBT website without any announcement, surprising Big Blue Nation as the news leaked and began to circulate.

They were removed from the website afterwards, but as of Thursday, June 19, appear on the website as listed members of the roster.

Goodwin has been an active member for years, highlighted by his semifinals appearance last year where he averaged 13.8 points per game en route.

Whitney is a name that may cause some to shed a tear, with so much potential surrounding the former five-star leading up to his debut. Ultimately, he left the program after appearing in just 18 games for Kentucky.

La Familia is competitive as all get out, shown by chippy play with guys who have nothing to lose but everything to win for the place they call home. Goodwin and Whitney, now added to that list of guys, will look to redeem themselves with one goal in mind. Win.

The official La Familia roster as of June 19:

– Willie Cauley-Stein (2012-15)

– Doron Lamb (2010-12)

– DeAndre Liggins (2008-11)

– Aaron Harrison (2013-15)

– Andrew Harrison (2013-15)

– Ansley Almonor (2024-25)

– Archie Goodwin (2012-13)

– Kahlil Whitney (2019-20)

Men's Basketball

Former Kentucky Star, 10-year NBA Veteran Eric Bledsoe Arrested and Charged with Felony Domestic Violence

Published

2 days ago

June 19, 2025

Tristan Pharis

Former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe has been arrested and charged with felony domestic violence.

Scott Utterback | Courier Journal

Eric Bledsoe, a key part of the 2009-10 Kentucky team that reinvigorated the Big Blue Nation following the Billy Gillispie era, was arrested on Wednesday morning.

According to reports, the California Highway Patrol investigated a report of domestic violence. The investigators were led to a gas station on a Los Angeles-area freeway where they discovered Bledsoe with a woman who was suffering from “bruising and swelling” to her face, and who said that Bledsoe allegedly hit her. Bledsoe was booked on a felony domestic violence charge and held on $55,000 bail.

Bledsoe was previously arrested on a similar charge back in 2022, but that case was later dropped when prosecutors said the alleged victim gave “inconsistent statements about whether there was a physical altercation.”

Bledsoe was part of Kentucky’s La Familia team last year in the TBT, and was announced to return again this season.