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Paul Finebaum Says Kentucky “Must” Make the Sweet 16, Talks What an Early Exit Would Mean for the Program

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© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Make no question about it, there is a lot of pressure on John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats heading into this postseason. After a 9-16 season in 2021 and a first-round upset last season, Wildcat fans are growing impatient with the lack of NCAA Tournament success and the national media can feel the unrest.

SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum spoke on this earlier this week, explaining that Kentucky needs to r. “I don’t think there’s a specific end date for Kentucky… this isn’t you have to get to the championship game, you have to get to the Final Four but you better look good in the tournament,” Finebaum said.

“You better not lose in the first or second round. You have to get out of that first weekend. For Kentucky Basketball the fact that I’m saying get to the Sweet 16 is the absolute must thing, it just shows you far this program has fallen, if they’re out of this thing by the end of the weekend, it’s a bad sign.”

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This season was considered a “revenge-like” season for the Wildcats, bringing back some key returnees and adding two five-star freshmen and some talented transfers. Given the mixture of talent and experience, Kentucky was ranked fourth in the preseason rankings. Just a few weeks in, it was clear that something was off, which led to the culmination of a loss to a very bad South Carolina team at home.

Since then, Kentucky regrouped and found something, battling their way to a 6 seed in the tournament, despite injuries. Yet, as we learned last season the tournament is the beacon for success at Kentucky making this one of the most important postseasons in UK basketball history and the John Calipari era.

“Looking good” is a reasonable request, but this team has been plagued with inconsistencies and it has been hard to get a true read on them. As John Calipari said after the SEC Tournament loss to Vanderbilt, “We’ve shown who we are. We can beat anybody. But I hate to tell you, we can get beat by anybody.”

One thing is for sure, Kentucky has shown they play better with their backs against the wall and they are taking that mantra into the NCAA Tournament. When Jacob Toppin was asked if he was “pissed off” about what happened last season, he provided a fiery response.

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“Yeah 100 percent, we have a chip on our shoulder. The guys that were here last year, we’ve engraved that into the newer guys. Everyone’s in a great mindset to show what we can do tomorrow.”

This is a very strong statement by Finebaum, someone who has been critical of Kentucky in the past. However, his quote may reveal some truth.

To say Kentucky has fallen off as a program is just not true, but to say we must get to a Sweet 16, there may be some truth in there. There’s a lot of pressure on Kentucky this weekend that’s for sure. They will have to come out loose and play like they have nothing to lose.

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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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