Tag: kentucky wildcats basketball

Everything Texas A&M HC Buzz Williams had to say after the loss to Kentucky

Head coach Buzz Williams praises Kentucky after tough road loss

After a hot start, Texas A&M has been roaming in no man’s land the past two weeks, dropping back-to-back games against Alabama and Kentucky after narrowly escaping Oklahoma.

Defensively, the Aggies have not been playing poorly and are giving up the regular shots they always have. So, when you are playing some of the top-scoring teams in the nation, they are going to get their looks.

The same goes for A&M. They could easily be an 85-point-a-night team if they were more efficient.

Texas A&M has been getting some great looks from the three-point line but can’t convert, and they have missed over 30 free throws over the last two games. In what turned out to be an emotionally charged game against Kentucky, the offense looked like a completely different team than what they have put on the court over the last month.

“I think you have to play with great emotion in order for it to be a game you just can’t be emotional”
A&M needs to get Wade Taylor back on the court as soon as possible to structure the flow of the game because right now, the Aggies seem lost.

Below, you can watch the entire post-game conference.

Texas A&M will return to face LSU at Reed Arena on Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. CST. The game can be watched on SEC Network.

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Here are the best photos from No. 10 Texas A&M’s 81-69 loss to No. 8 Kentucky

View some best photos from Texas A&M’s rough 81-69 road loss to Kentucky

Tuesday night was one of the worst Texas A&M basketball performances I have ever seen this year. The loss drops the Aggies to 2-2 in conference play and will need to return to the drawing board to get back on track.

The biggest issue has been at the free throw line and because of how A&M plays offense they get numerous opportunities at the line. For the second consecutive game, the Aggies shot under 65%, and if they had just shot their average of 70% it would have been a much different game.

They also have to find an offensive identity while they are waiting for Wade Taylor to return from injury. Outside of Pharrel Payne, they are struggling to score and relying too much on one-on-one ball.

Here are the best photos from Saturday night’s game.

Texas A&M will return to face LSU at Reed Arena on Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. CST. The game can be watched on SEC Network.

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Texas A&M Basketball vs Kentucky: Channel, time, streaming info

Watch Texas A&M vs Kentucky game today. Here’s how to watch, time, TV schedule, live streaming info, and game odds.

No. 11 Texas A&M (13-3, 2-1 SEC) will go on the road to face No. 8 Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 SEC) at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.    

Week 11 is pivotal for the Aggies if they want to keep pace early with the conference leaders. The loss to Alabama was a heartbreaker, but it did show that even on one of their worst shooting nights of the season, they can still hang in there with the best. But those nights have to be few and far between if they plan on making a run late in the season.

Kentucky is finding its stride and mirrors A&M’s need for a victory to maintain momentum following their tough win against Mississippi State on Saturday. Despite Wade Taylor’s absence, this matchup should remain competitive on the Wildcats’ home court.

Below is all the information on how to follow the game.

What channel is Texas A&M vs Kentucky game on today? Time, TV schedule

TV Channel: ESPN2

Start time: 6:00 p.m. CST

Texas A&M vs. Kentucky will be broadcast and streamed on ESPN on Week 11 of the 2024-25 NCAA basketball season.

Texas A&M vs Kentucky predictions, picks, odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, 1/13

Prediction: Texas A&M 84 – Kentucky 88

Odds: Kentucky by 6.5

O/U: 151.5

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UCLA men’s and women’s hoops both in AP Top 25 rankings

The UCLA men and women are balling.

The UCLA men’s and women’s basketball teams have gotten off to a hot start in the 2024-2025 season.

The UCLA women’s basketball team is the nation’s top-ranked team, with a perfect 11-0 record, while the men’s team ranks No. 18, with a 10-1 record.

In a post on X by Fox College Hoops, the Bruins are one of nine NCAA programs with AP Top 25 men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Joining college basketball powerhouses Connecticut, Duke, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and Kentucky on the list, the Bruins are seeing success with both programs.

After a 2023-2024 season where both programs fell short of their early-season aspirations, things are looking up in Westwood. Despite moving to the Big Ten from the Pac-12, the men’s and women’s teams are competing at a high level.

Though the season is only just getting started, if the men’s and women’s teams continue to play this way, they both enjoy long runs in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments in March.

Meet Mark Pope, the Kentucky men’s basketball coach who replaced John Calipari

Mark Pope won a championship while playing for Kentucky.

College basketball fans will see someone new on the sidelines coaching the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team this season.

After a decade and a half with Kentucky, former Wildcats head coach John Calipari is no longer leading the program. Now the head coach at Arkansas, the longtime face of the team brought a few of his former players to a new school in the SEC.

In his absence, former BYU head coach Mark Pope is now running the show for Kentucky.

OTHER NEW COACHES: The men’s NCAA basketball coaching carousel’s biggest moves, including John Calipari to Arkansas

Pope is originally from Washington and played college basketball for the Washington Huskies, where he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1992.

He eventually transferred to Kentucky, where he played from 1994 until 1996. As a forward, he was team captain for the Wildcats when they won the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1996.

Selected in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft, he played professionally both overseas and in the NBA. After his playing career concluded, he began coaching.

Pope served as an assistant coach at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU before becoming head coach at Utah Valley in 2015. Pope took over as head coach for the Cougars in 2019 and was able to take the team to the March Madness tournament last season.

Now the head coach of his alma mater, fans will have high hopes for Pope’s first season. While several players left the team for the NBA or the transfer portal, he will bring former BYU top scorer Jaxson Robinson with him to the Wilcats.

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Sooners absent from preseason AP Top 25, nine SEC teams featured

Oklahoma Sooners absent from preseason men’s basketball AP Top 25 poll.

Much of the dialogue surrounding Oklahoma and Texas’ move to the SEC centered on each school’s football program and the benefits it would receive. Oklahoma boasts a deep and well-rounded athletic program that would fit in with any conference landscape. OU men’s basketball will also get a bump as it enters the SEC.

Oklahoma’s move to the nation’s premiere basketball conference is set to begin in less than a month. The excitement for the season will soon reach a fever pitch.

On Monday, the preseason AP Top 25 debuted, and unsurprisingly, Porter Moser’s squad was left off.

The Sooners bring back a few players from last year’s team that just missed the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners retooled via the portal in a big way but still have a lot to prove on the hardwood.

Their new conference mates make up 36 percent of the top 25 as nine SEC teams made the poll.

The Sooners will take on eight of those nine schools at some point in their first year in the SEC. The only one they won’t play is the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have an incredible challenge ahead of them as they attempt to brave the grind of the SEC schedule. Porter Moser is looking for his first trip to the NCAA tournament since arriving in 2021.

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Pair of Kentucky basketball legends traded for each other in NBA blockbuster

A pair of NBA All-Stars and former Kentucky Wildcats were traded for each other in a blockbuster deal Friday evening.

A stunning blockbuster trade late in the NBA offseason involves a pair of Kentucky Wildcats, with the New York Knicks sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.

Minnesota also receives a protected first round pick, while the Charlotte Hornets are a third party in the trade, receiving draft compensation to help make the financial aspects of the trade even out.

Towns and Randle are two of the seven NBA All-Stars from last season who played college basketball at Kentucky, alongside Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Bam Adebayo.

Towns was a consensus All-American at Kentucky in the 2014-15 season, averaging 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game while leading the Wildcats to the Final Four. He became the first player selected in the 2015 NBA draft and averaged 22.9 points and 10.8 rebounds across his career in Minnesota, and now joins a Knicks team desperately in need of a true center.

Meanwhile, Randle was at Kentucky just one season before Towns, also earning All-American honors while averaging 15 points and 10.4 rebounds for coach John Calipari’s club. The forward was picked seventh in the 20214 NBA draft, and has made three All-Star appearances while with the Knicks.

The trade unfortunately ends the “Villanova Knicks” dream. The Knicks rostered DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart last season – all Villanova alumni – and over the offseason acquired another Nova star in Mikal Bridges. With DiVincenzo heading to Minnesota in the trade, all four former Wildcats won’t get to suit up together in the Big Apple after all.

Texas A&M baseball rises in newest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Ahead of the SEC Tournament next week, Texas A&M has risen in the newest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll

Texas A&M (44-11, 19-11 SEC) finished the regular season strong after losing two consecutive conference series against LSU and Ole Miss, but rebounded last weekend in impressive fashion against the visiting Arkansas Razorbacks, winning the series including a 14-4 run-rule victory in Game 3.

The SEC Tournament will begin on Tuesday. The Aggies are a 4-seed with a double-bye and will play on Wednesday night, facing off against either 5-seed Mississippi State or 12-seed Ole Miss. Familiar with both teams, the competition only heightens no matter the seeding.

As the NCAA Tournament draws near, the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll witnessed some significant changes in the Top 5 rankings. The Aggies made a notable climb, moving up one spot to No. 3. Arkansas, on the other hand, experienced a slight dip, falling two spots to No. 4. Kentucky also saw a rise, moving up one spot to No. 2, just behind the No. 1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

However, Wake Forest represented the most significant decline, dropping from 9th to 19th after a series loss to NC State to finish out the regular season.

Here is the complete list.

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Texas’ initial SEC basketball schedule revealed for 2024-25

The Longhorns know their opponents in first SEC basketball season.

The SEC basketball schedule is out. The Texas Longhorns know who they will face in their first season in the new conference.

Texas faithful will get to see the Longhorns host the Arkansas Razorbacks, Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies at home and on the road in the upcoming season. The rivalry selections are a credit to the SEC in giving home-and-home matchups for rivals within the league.

Interestingly enough, the Longhorns will get to host the both the Kentucky Wildcats and Alabama Crimson Tide. Kentucky, arguably a Top 3 college basketball program, has never played against Texas in Austin. Alabama reached the Final Four last season.

Former Texas head coach Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers battle Texas in Austin after the Volunteers eliminated the Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament.

Another former head coach Chris Beard will not return to Moody with the Ole Miss Rebels. The Longhorns will play Ole Miss in Oxford. Even so, with Texas seeing most of its most anticipated opponents at home, there’s plenty to be excited about in a first season in the SEC.

Oklahoma men’s basketball announces SEC opponents for 2024-2025

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball program released their conference opponents for the 2024-2025 season and a blue blood is coming to Norman.

The 2024-2025 college basketball season is a pivotal one for the Oklahoma Sooners. Despite an improved season in 2023-2024, the Sooners failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the third season in a row.

They have to work to get back into March Madness against a whole new batch of opponents. On Monday, the OU men’s basketball program released its conference opponents for their maiden voyage in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

The Sooners will play home and home against former Big 12 counterparts Texas, Texas A&M and Missouri. The Sooners will go on the road to face Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss. Making their way to the Lloyd Noble Center are Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

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