Pages

▼

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Pope Update

Cats win their fifth conference game in a row, beating Ole Miss 72-63 in a game that tipped off at 10 A.M. Central Time at Rupp in order to beat the snowstorm.  It's UK's longest winning streak in the SEC since they won the last five games of the 2024 regular season.  The Cats are now 5-2 in the SEC and 14-6 overall.  They are ranked 26th on Ken Pom, and their Luck score is up to 189.

But now the road gets much tougher.  On Tuesday, the Cats go to Memorial Gym to play Vandy, and the Commodores throttled Mississippi State in Starkville today by the score of 88 to 56.  This will be the biggest UK/Vandy game in many years -- probably the biggest since they played in the final of the 2012 SEC Tournament.  Ken Pom has Vandy winning 83 to 76.  Then, next Saturday, the Cats go to Arkansas, where the Razorbacks have been hammering everyone.  Ken Pom is calling the Hogs by 85 to 79 in that game.  He still thinks UK will finish 10-8 in the SEC, and 19-12 overall -- and that record would almost certainly lead to a Nine Seed.  So if the Cats want to beat those expectations, they will need to pull at least one upset next week.
at

16 comments:

  1. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 4:23:00 PM EST

    Still, I must admit I would never have believed that this team could win five SEC games in a row.

    ReplyDelete
  2. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 4:23:00 PM EST

    The Kentucky Oaks Mall is closing at 4 P.M. Central today because of the storm.

    ReplyDelete
  3. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 4:26:00 PM EST

    In Lubbock, Texas Tech knocks off Houston 90-86 in a Classic Southwest matchup.

    ReplyDelete
  4. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 4:34:00 PM EST

    Texas drubs Georgia 87-67 in Austin. As Vandy learned, the Horns are tough at home.

    ReplyDelete
  5. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:05:00 PM EST

    Auburn leads Florida 43-28 (!) at the half in Gainesville.

    ReplyDelete
  6. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:06:00 PM EST

    In a Classic Big 8 matchup, Mizzou makes a buzzer beater to send their game with Oklahoma into overtime, then makes another buzzer beater to win 88-87 in OT. Huge day in Columbia.

    ReplyDelete
  7. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:10:00 PM EST

    Freshman Keaton Wagler scores 46 points and leads Illinois to an 88-82 win at Purdue.

    ReplyDelete
  8. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:35:00 PM EST

    Florida 41 - 48 Auburn (14:12 left)

    ReplyDelete
  9. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:43:00 PM EST

    Florida 48 - 52 Auburn (11:14 left)

    ReplyDelete
  10. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:46:00 PM EST

    Auburn hasn't won in Gainesville since 1996.

    ReplyDelete
  11. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:53:00 PM EST

    Florida 56 - 56 Auburn (7:51 left)

    ReplyDelete
  12. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 5:56:00 PM EST

    Louisville pounds Virginia Tech 85-71 in Freedom Hall, or wherever they play now. Cards are now 4-3 in the ACC, 14-5 overall, and 15 on Ken Pom.

    ReplyDelete
  13. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 6:09:00 PM EST

    Florida 58 - 62 Auburn (3:51 left)

    ReplyDelete
  14. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 6:31:00 PM EST

    Florida has one of those days. The Gators go 7-27 from three, and 16-27 from the line, and lose 76-67 to Auburn at home.

    ReplyDelete
  15. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 6:31:00 PM EST

    Florida (5-2) now has the same SEC record as Kentucky (5-2). I did not have that on my Bingo card.

    ReplyDelete
  16. GoHeathJanuary 24, 2026 at 6:35:00 PM EST

    Auburn moves up to 25 on Ken Pom. UK falls to 27.

    ReplyDelete