UK Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh knocked down four free throws in the final 10.3 seconds and No. 19 Kentucky claimed the first big win of Mark Pope’s coaching tenure, knocking off No. 6 Duke 77-72 in the Champions Classic onTuesday night.

Koby Brea came off the bench to score 20 points, including six three-pointers, and Jaxson Robinson added 14 as No. 23 Kentucky overwhelmed Bucknell 100-72 Saturday.

Kenny Walker earned All-American honors in basketball at the University of Kentucky. He is the second leading all-time scorer in men’s basketball with 2,080 points, behind only Dan Issel who had 2,138. A native of Roberta, Georgia (2020 population: 813), Kenny was a McDonald’s All-American in high school before coming to UK in 1982. He is a member of the charter class of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. He was the fifth overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, and played in the NBA for the Knicks and the Washington Bullets. He also played professionally in Spain, Italy and Japan. We talked about his coming to UK from Roberta, his development into a college star and some of the teammates who were a big part of his success, as well as his relationships with coaches Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton and later in the NBA, Rick Pitino. His professional experience, both in the NBA and internationally, are also part of the conversation.

Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson made 8 of 12 from three-point range on his way to a game-high 24 points as Kentucky cruised past the defending Division II national champions 98-67.

Jerry Tipton covered University of Kentucky basketball for the Lexington Herald-Leader for 41 seasons before retiring in 2022. He was known for his straightforward questioning of UK coaches, from Joe B. Hall to John Calipari. A native of Hamtramck, Michigan, Jerry graduated from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and worked for the Huntington Herald-Dispatch before coming to Lexington.He was inducted into the U.S, Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2005, the Marshall University Journalism Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2020. He has recently written a memoir titled Deja Blue: A Sportswriter Reflects on 41 Seasons of Kentucky Basketball, published by Acclaim Press. In this interview, he talks about his start in journalism, his working relationships with coaches, including some of the memorable dialogue involved, and many of the highlights of his 41-year tenure on the UK basketball beat.

For the first time since the 2019-2020 season, before the COVID-19 pandemic, season ticket prices for the games in Rupp Arena are going up. UK announced that 87% of season ticket holders will see a price increase.

Antonio Reeves found an NBA home on Thursday as the Kentucky standout was selected No. 47 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in round two of the 2024 NBA draft. Meanwhile, UK’s Justin Edwards has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Houston Rockets selected Reed Sheppard with the third overall pick in the NBA draft, adding a elite long-range shooter to their young team. A few picks later the San Antonio Spurs selected Robert Dillingham in the first round then traded him to Minnesota.

Players move up and down every year based on workouts and interviews in the weeks leading up to the NBA draft. This year’s draft, which starts with Wednesday’s first round, has no consensus No. 1 pick and could be the weakest in recent memory, but at least one former Kentucky Wildcat could learn his fate in relative short order.

Mark Pope won a national championship as a Kentucky player and is using that knowledge for the more challenging task of coaching Kentucky afterJohn Calipari.