Online Home of the Big Blue Nation: Kentucky Wildcats Sports for the Discerning Fan
The biggest talk of college athletics over the last few weeks has been around the possibility of the NCAA moving to a 5-in-5 rule, meaning five years to play five years of your college sport. There is plenty of momentum for this to go through, as redshirt years have practically become non-existent, but will the […]
Even though the transfer portal deadline has passed, we’ve seen several major entries announced as late as Thursday, one being former Kentucky Basketball player Jordan Burks. Burks, a 3-star prospect in the class of 2023, signed with Kentucky out of high school when John Calipari was still running the show. After sparingly playing as a […]
It’s been a busy month of April at the University of Kentucky as the basketball transfer portal is in full swing, spring football is winding down, Mitch Barnhart’s departure, and the search for the next UK Athletic Director. With the school in search of a new AD after Barnahrt steps down on June 30, Justin […]
Back when Kentucky Basketball lost assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart, rumors began to circulate that Mark Pope was making a push for Jamal Crawford as a potential replacement. However, nothing came of it, and it appeared that ship had sailed. Now, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Matt Jones are reporting that there’s still […]
Kentucky Wildcats fans and media took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon to discuss the developing news: UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart will no longer step into his new role, as he will fully depart on June 30th. Barnhart was still going to be involved with the program, with the addition of nearly a $1 million […]
Mitch Barnhart appears to be leaving the University of Kentucky for good. The school announced on Thursday that Barnhart will retire from his position as UK Athletics Director at the end of June and will no longer transition into the role of Executive in Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative, a job that […]
If you thought this college basketball portal season has been crazy, we might be on the verge of it getting even crazier. A new report indicates NCAA President Charlie Baker is making a push to vote on the 5-year eligibility proposal — aka the 5 in 5 rule — next month, with implementation in June. […]
Kentucky is continuing to explore options in the transfer portal, with the Wildcats now involved with De’Shayne Montgomery, according to Jacob Polacheck of KSR. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard is coming off a strong junior season at Dayton Flyers, where he averaged 13.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Montgomery shot an efficient 49% […]
A former Kentucky Wildcat was awarded with the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year Award. Keldon Johnson received the award after a season in which he averaged 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the San Antonio Spurs, while shooting just shy of 52 percent from the floor and about 36 percent from beyond […]
One of the names to keep an eye on in the transfer portal is Justin McBride. The James Madison transfer made his visit to Lexington yesterday, and by all accounts, the visit has gone well and Kentucky is in a good spot with his recruitment. The 6’7, 240 lb forward really broke out last year […]
Did Kentucky miss out on Caleb Holt and maybe other high-level prospects by targeting Tyran Stokes? One college basketball analyst seems to think that is a possibility. This week, 247 Sports’ Travis Branham said that had Kentucky not gone all in on Tyran Stokes and focused more on Caleb Holt, the latter would likely have […]
Will Stein and Nick Mingione have been working in tandem to map out just how 4-star quarterback Matt Ponatoski can play baseball and football at Kentucky. There is just one massive, unavoidable hurdle standing in the way of getting Ponatoski, who has already signed, to campus: the MLB Draft. The generational profile of Matt Ponatoski […]
Kentucky Basketball’s bid to bolster its roster with Donnie Freeman was undone by St. John’s. Could that help lead to a former Red Storm player making his way to Lexington? According to Sam Kayser, Kentucky has reached out to St. John’s transfer Joson Sanon. Other schools in the mix include Kansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Texas, […]
The news of Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls parting ways recently made some headlines, but the bigger question was: Where is Donovan heading next? Well, many have speculated that Donovan is very interested in the Orlando Magic. That should bring back some nostalgia for basketball fans, as Donovan was hired as the coach of […]
Kentucky football continued its strong momentum in the Class of 2027 on Wednesday with the addition of three-star linebacker Antwoine Higgins, according to 247Sports, further strengthening a rapidly growing recruiting class under head coach Will Stein’s staff. Higgins, a 6-foot-2.5, 223-pound standout from Cincinnati, Ohio, announced his commitment after holding offers from programs such as […]
Good morning BBN! The transfer portal and offseason roster building are still in full swing despite some recent misses for the Kentucky Wildcats and Mark Pope. The recruiting will kick back off on campus today as the Cats host several transfers as they look to fill out their roster. In Lexington today will be James […]
Former Tounde Yessoufou has officially entered the transfer portal, doing so late Tuesday night just before the 11:59 p.m. deadline, according to Pete Nakos of On3. The move comes after weeks of speculation surrounding the standout guard’s future. Earlier this month, on April 10, Yessoufou announced he would test the NBA Draft waters, with many […]
North Carolina has landed a major transfer portal addition with the commitment of Utah guard Terrence Brown on Tuesday, according to Joe Tipton of On3. a dynamic scoring guard who drew interest from several high-major programs, including Kentucky. Brown was originally scheduled to visit Lexington last week to meet with Mark Pope and the Wildcats, […]
Kentucky Basketball has made a surprise addition to the roster, landing a commitment from Zyon Hawthorne, the brother of Braydon Hawthorne, who just announced his return on Tuesday. The news of Zyon’s commitment came about an hour after Braydon made his announcement, as the two brothers are now slated to suit up together in Lexington. […]
Braydon Hawthorne has officially signed on for his return to Kentucky Basketball, he announced on Tuesday via Instagram. A 4-star recruit in the class of 2025, Hawthorne redshirted this past season, though there was a time his redshirt was almost pulled while Kentucky was battling an assortment of injuries. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound wing was ranked […]
It seems like everyone is upset with the University of Kentucky over the golden parachute deal it handed Mitch Barnhart. From fans to local media to even national media, UK caught a lot of heat over the deal, and now, you can add Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to the list. On Tuesday, Beshaer released a […]
On Tuesday, it was announced by Shams Charania of ESPN that Billy Donovan would be stepping down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons. The decision was surprising, as Bulls management reportedly wanted Donovan to return. Before his time in Chicago, Donovan became the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder after […]
Good morning, BBN! This weekend was a wild one on the recruiting trail as the Kentucky Wildcats failed to lock up two of their primary options at power forward. Sebastian Rancik chose to head to Tallahassee to play for Florida State, while Mark Pope and the staff waited out Donnie Freeman, who is now committed […]
Donnie Freeman picked St. John’s over Kentucky. The Wildcats felt confident this one was heading to Lexington. Instead, Rick Pitino stepped in late and flipped the script, landing a priority target that Mark Pope had spent significant time recruiting. And that’s where this loss stings the most. Jeff Goodman believes it is down to mentality. […]
Kentucky Basketball’s pursuit of a frontcourt centerpiece took a major hit this week, and the fallout is drawing sharp criticism from the fanbase and national media. After Sebastian Rancik committed to Florida State on Sunday and Donnie Freeman followed by choosing St. John’s on Monday, Kentucky was left empty-handed despite being heavily involved with both […]