Tag: Kentucky

Former USC assistant Jason Hart hired by Mark Pope at Kentucky

Jason Hart is a really good hire by Mark Pope. USC fans respected Hart for the work he did.

Former USC basketball assistant coaches are getting hired. This next hire could lead to a college head coaching job in the near future. Jason Hart, who went from USC to the G League and is viewed as a coach with a lot of potential, has been hired as an assistant coach at Kentucky by new Wildcat head coach Mark Pope. The former Andy Enfield assistant is back in the college game, hoping to make a significant impact and elevate his own profile.

Jason Hart is a hire who could enable Pope to thrive at Kentucky and counter the critical and negative reaction to Pope’s arrival in Lexington. His recruiting chops and energy could put Pope in a position to succeed.

When Andy Enfield left for SMU, Jason Hart wasn’t at the forefront of anyone’s list, but his name did come up occasionally. USC fans remember the positive influence he had when Enfield was coaching the Trojans. Pope made what a lot of industry experts will regard as an astute hire.

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Packers hosting Kentucky RB Ray Davis on top-30 pre-draft visit

The Green Bay Packers are hosting Kentucky running back Ray Davis on an official top 30 visit ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers are hosting Kentucky running back Ray Davis on an official top 30 visit ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, per Dane Brugler of The Athletic.

Teams are allowed to host up to 30 prospects on visits ahead of the draft. Packers Wire is tracking all the reported visits here.

Per Brugler, Davis will also visit the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. He is in Green Bay on Monday for the visit.

A transfer from Vanderbilt and Temple, Davis produced 3,626 rushing yards, 29 rushing touchdowns, 94 catches, 762 receiving yards, 12 receiving touchdowns, 4,388 total yards and 41 total touchdowns over 44 combined games with the three schools. Davis rushed for over 1,000 yards in his only season at Kentucky and actually had over 1,000 rushing yards at all three schools he attended.

Davis (5-8, 211) was an All-SEC pick after rushing for 1,129 yards and 14 touchdowns and scoring a school record 21 total touchdowns in 2023. He had 280 rushing yards and four scores during a game against Florida. Davis averaged 5.7 yards per rush, caught 32 passes and earned an elite rushing grade from Pro Football Focus last season. He forced 57 missed tackles and averaged almost 3.9 yards after first contact.

At the combine, Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, hit 35″ in the vertical leap, covered 9-11 in the broad jump and finished the short shuttle in 4.51 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score is 5.41 out of 10.0.

Davis participated during the Senior Bowl.

The Packers swapped Aaron Jones for Josh Jacobs and re-signed A.J. Dillon, but investing in the running back position is still a likely priority in the 2024 draft. Davis is PFF’s No. 102 overall prospect, so it’s possible he could be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 option for the Packers.

Reed Sheppard’s clunker in March Madness shouldn’t impact his NBA draft stock at all

Reed Sheppard is the exact same player right now that he was last week.

There is no other way to put it: Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard simply did not perform well when his team was upset by Oakland in March Madness.

Even though fans perhaps shouldn’t have been so surprised by the win, the poor performance from Sheppard was a bit more shocking. He ended with just 3 points (1-of-5 FG) and a couple turnovers in 26 minutes. It was likely his worst game played in college.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari had no match for the zone defense that Oakland played against his backcourt. It stopped Sheppard and his teammate Rob Dillingham from ever getting much momentum.

Obviously, that was a pretty lousy showing in an elimination game from a prospect who was recently projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. But even if that prediction was a bit ambitious and aggressive, this was hardly a game that should make teams reconsider their evaluation of Sheppard.

 

The reality is that evaluators have far more data points to look at than just one match when it comes to the standout Kentucky freshman.  While that was perhaps the first time that many fans caught of glimpse his game, he is someone that NBA teams have studied for a much larger sample size.

Sheppard averaged 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 3.1 steals per 36 minutes as a freshman. He shot 53.6 percent from the field, 52.1 percent on 3-pointers and 83.1 percent from the free-throw line. His versatility and productivity are undeniable.

Among all freshmen listed at 6-foot-5 or shorter since 2008, per Bart Torik, here are the only players to perform better in the catch-all metric box plus-minus: James Harden and D’Angelo Russell.

When playing in a set offense, Sheppard was still one of the most efficient players in all of college basketball. His catch-and-shoot jumper makes him an elite threat when playing off the ball and he also manages ways to fill the stat sheet in other meaningful ways as well.

Sheppard probably doesn’t have the size or the athletic burst to make a real case as one of the first few names called in the 2024 NBA Draft. But he can shoot from NBA distance as well as any prospect in the nation.

Perhaps a team is more weary about selecting Sheppard with one of the first few picks in this class. But especially in a draft full of uncertainty, virtually every prospect will have some negative traits in their scouting report.

If he decides to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft and remain in, which he likely will and should, the trajectory looks about the same for Sheppard as it did before the dud against Oakland. Remember: This is the same player who was torching Tennessee for 27 points earlier this month.

He generally fared well against top opponents and while March Madness didn’t go well, his resumé is still strong enough to earn lottery consideration.

So long as he does well in the pre-draft process and impresses during interviews and workouts and measurements, Sheppard’s draft stock should look exactly the same as it did last week. Now, he has added motivation and a chip on his shoulder.

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Oakland’s upset win over Kentucky helped Wisconsin’s Final Four path

Reaction to Oakland’s incredible win over Kentucky?

No. 14 seed Oakland’s 80-76 upset win over No. 3 Kentucky electrified the nation on Thursday night.

Fifth-year senior Jack Gohlke became an overnight sensation, scoring 32 points on 10 of 20 shooting — all from 3-point range — and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers vs. James Madison Dukes: Preview and prediction for NCAA Tournament round of 64

The loss is yet another disappointment for John Calipari’s program. The Wildcats’ Sweet 16 drought has grown to five years, and the program has  won only one NCAA Tournament game in that span.

The story of the night was Gohlke and the fun of a classic March Madness upset. But one sub-plot: Wisconsin’s potential Final Four path just grew a bit easier.

The Badgers start play Friday night against No. 12 James Madison. The winner advances to play No. 4 Duke. The potential Sweet 16 opponent, in all likelihood, is going to be No. 1 Houston.

That brings us to the other side of the South Region, where No. 2 Marquette is the highest-ranked team. The next-highest was Kentucky, which is eliminated.

This upset doesn’t have the impact a Houston loss would have. But with the No. 3 seed in the Badgers region is now eliminated, Greg Gard’s team now just has to navigate No. 12, No. 4, No. 2 and No. 1.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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NBA Mock Draft sees Spurs take Kentucky guard with No. 3 pick

A recent NBA Mock Draft sees the San Antonio Spurs pick Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.

As the San Antonio Spurs look to build around Victor Wembanyama moving forward, this summer will be crucial. Not only will the Spurs have a chance to add talent in free agency, but they’re also slated to have one of the top picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, meaning they could draft another young star to pair with Wembanyama.

There is no consensus top pick in this year’s draft like there was last season, meaning the Spurs could go in a bunch of different directions. However, a recent NBA Mock Draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has the Spurs addressing their guard position.

Wasserman mocked Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard to the Spurs with the third pick.

“We’ve reached the NCAA tournament, and Reed Sheppard is still over 50.0 percent on 4.4 three-point attempts per game,” Wasserman wrote.

“A 24.1 assist percentage highlight combo-guard playmaking at the least, though his proficiency in ball-screen situations (1.1 points per possessions) suggests he could handle more creation reps.

“While generating rim pressure isn’t a strength, he’s still shown enough burst and floater touch for NBA teams to consider the possibility that he can be effective for stretches in a lead-guard role.

“Sheppard’s measurements will be the most anticipated and scrutinized at the NBA combine. There are sure to be teams that nitpick at each inch when assessing height, wingspan and standing verticals. But there will also be teams who simply buy his effectiveness against top NCAA competition, the translation of elite shooting, finishing craft, skill set for on/off-ball offense and IQ for passing and defense.”

Adding Reed’s shooting at the guard position would be huge for the Spurs.

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March Madness: NCAA Tournament South Region odds, picks and predictions

Looking at March Madness futures odds to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament South Region, with expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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March Madness is upon us, and the South Region bracket features an interesting mix of former national No. 1s, blueblood programs and big-conference contenders that did not win league titles last week.

Below, we look at FanDuel Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament South Region futures odds and and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

The Houston Cougars (30-4) and Marquette Golden Eagles (25-9) have the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, in the South. Both have some injury and/or return-from-injury continuity issues to overcome, so the betting value in this region may come from further down the ballot.

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South Region futures odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 2 p.m. ET.

1 seed: Houston +140 (bet $100 to win $140)

2 seed: Marquette +500 (bet $100 to win $500)

3 seed: Kentucky +700 (bet $100 to win $700)

4 seed: Duke +650 (bet $100 to win $550)

5 seed: Wisconsin +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200)

6 seed: Texas Tech +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)

7 seed: Florida +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)

8 seed: Nebraska +2900 (bet $100 to win $2,900)

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9 seed: Texas A&M +3400 (bet $100 to win $3,400)

10 seed-*: Boise State +6000 (bet $100 to win $6,000)

10 seed-*: Colorado +3400 (bet $100 to win $3,400)

11 seed: NC State +4200 (bet $100 to win $4,200)

12 seed: James Madison +7000 (bet $100 to win $7,000)

13 seed: Vermont +23000 (bet $100 to win $23,000)

14 seed: Oakland +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

15 seed: Western Kentucky +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

16 seed: Longwood +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

*-Play in a Wednesday First Four matchup

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South Region expert pick and prediction

Houston Cougars (+140)

Houston got blown out 69-41 by Iowa State in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game. But the Cougars had previously been 6-0 with impressive defensive analytics in neutral-site contests.

UH won 11 in a row before Saturday, and its ball-hawking, shot-swatting defense should travel well just about anywhere in the brackets. Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Cougar teams have made 3 straight Sweet 16s, and Houston gets a fair return here (although consider holding off to see if the Cougars drift up toward +160 or so).

Top 25: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

South Region contenders

Kentucky Wildcats (+700)

UK (23-9) had an early exit in the SEC Tournament, but the Wildcats won 7 of 8 games from Feb. 13-March 9, beating a trio of KenPom top-15 squads along the way.

Appropriately enough, Kentucky is the speedy colt in this South Region field. The Wildcats play an up-tempo, high-scoring brand of basketball. They are a relatively young team that appears to have grown since an off-kilter mid-winter stretch that saw the team lose 5 times between Jan. 13-Feb. 10. If UK can be responsible in defending the 3 and keep making improvements on the offensive glass, it will be a value at +500, let alone the current figure.

Wisconsin Badgers (+1200)

UW (22-13) made it to the Big Ten title game before being ousted by Illinois. But the Badgers led that championship game by 9 inside the 15-minute mark before failing to close against an Illini 5 that went 26-of-30 at the foul line.

Wisconsin beat No. 3-ranked Purdue in a Saturday Big Ten semifinal, and the Badgers had played the Boilermakers tough in an earlier loss.

South Region long shots

NC State Wolfpack (+4200)

NC State (22-14) has the hot hand. The Wolfpack beat both Duke and North Carolina en route to winning the ACC Tournament. And that tourney run came after NCSU had lost 4 straight games from Feb. 27-March 9.

North Carolina State has a slew of veteran players and is putting together better defensive performances of late. The Wolfpack are certainly not odds-on favorites but are worth a flier at this level of return.

Colorado Buffaloes (+3400)

Colorado (24-10) is a bit of a live wire. The Buffs will have to earn the 10-seed in a First Four contest (against Boise State) in Dayton, but they have some NBA-type talent and present some value at this number.

The Buffaloes are 8-1 in their last 9 games, and their defense has been considerably improved over that stretch. CU presents a tough at-the-rim and beyond-the-arc challenge for defenses. If Marquette or Kentucky were to falter in Colorado’s section of the South bracket, the Buffs could very well be the team there to pick up the pieces.

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Kentucky defeats Vols in regular-season finale

Kentucky basketball defeats Tennessee in regular-season finale.

No. 13 Kentucky (23-8, 13-5 SEC) defeated Tennessee (24-7, 14-4 SEC), 85-81, Saturday at Food City Center in the regular-season finale for both schools.

The Wildcats led, 33-29, at halftime.

Saturday’s loss ended Tennessee’s seven-game win streak. Tennessee entered the contest as Southeastern Conference regular-season champions, while Kentucky was in a four-way tie for second place.

Dalton Knecht led all scorers with 40 points, a career high.

Zakai Zeigler totaled 17 points and nine assists for the Vols, while Jonas Aidoo finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

The Wildcats led by as many as 14 points during the second half.

Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard each scored 27 points for Kentucky, while Justin Edwards finished with 16 points.

Lady Vols defeat Kentucky, advance to SEC Tournament quarterfinals

SEC Tournament: Lady Vols defeat Kentucky and advance to quarterfinals

No. 5 seed Tennessee (18-11) defeated No. 12 seed Kentucky (12-20), 76-62, Thursday in the SEC Tournament second-round at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

Tennessee advances to play No. 4 seed Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST.

Sara Puckett scored 22 points, including 10 points during the first quarter, for the Lady Vols. She also recorded eight rebounds and three assists.

Jewel Spear totaled 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Tess Darby recorded her first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) for Tennessee.

Jasmine Powell and Rickea Jackson scored eight points each for the Lady Vols. Jackson also recorded nine rebounds.

Saniah Tyler led Kentucky with 17 points.

PHOTOS: A look at Kellie Harper through the years

SEC Tournament: How to watch Lady Vols-Kentucky basketball game

SEC Tournament: How to watch Lady Vols-Kentucky basketball game

No. 5 seed Tennessee (17-11, 10-6 SEC)  will play No. 12 seed Kentucky (12-19, 4-12 SEC) in the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday.

Tipoff between the Lady Vols and Wildcats is slated for 2:15 p.m. EST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

Thursday’s contest can be watched on SEC Network. Eric Frede (play-by-play), Tamika Catchings (analyst) and Brooke Weisbrod (reporter) will be on the call.

The Tennessee-Kentucky game can also be listened to on Lady Vol Network stations.

Live stream on Fubo TV

Tennessee is 8-3 all time against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. The Lady Vols defeated Kentucky, 87-69, during the regular-season on Jan. 7 at Food City Center.

PHOTOS: A look at Kellie Harper through the years

Lady Vols lose regular-season finale at South Carolina

Tennessee falls to No. 1 and undefeated South Carolina in regular-season finale.

No. 1 South Carolina (29-0, 16-0 SEC) defeated Tennessee (17-11, 10-6 SEC), 76-68, Sunday in the regular-season finale for both schools at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Gamecocks led, 40-32, at halftime.

Rickea Jackson scored a game-high 29 points for the Lady Vols. She also totaled eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal. Jackson was one of three Tennessee players to score 10-plus points in the contest.

Jasmine Powell and Jewel Spear scored 12 points each for Tennessee.

Tennessee will next play in the SEC Tournament on Thursday against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game between No. 12 seed Georgia and No. 13 Kentucky.

Tennessee is the No. 5 seed and is scheduled to play at 2:10 p.m. EST in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Lady Vols defeated Georgia, 95-73, on Feb. 1. Tennessee also defeated the Wildcats, 87-69, on Jan. 7.