Coach John Calipari’s team was ranked No. 1 in The Sporting News preseason poll and TSN college basketball writer/analyst Mike DeCourcy knows that is a little higher than some other preseason predictions for Kentucky.
     “But Kentucky has a foundational player in Oscar (Tshiebwe) and they can surround him with the right players to be a significant team on defense,” said DeCourcy during an appearance at the Louisville Quarterback Club.
     “Gonzaga is going to be good on defense but I don’t see its defense changing games. North Carolina is not built to play defense as well as Kentucky. Houston is a terrific team on both ends of the floor but it does not have quite as much talent as Kentucky.”
     DeCourcy was one of the few national media members defending Calipari and the Kentucky program last March when it lost to Saint Peter’s in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
     “I had a lot of people yelling at me for that but I certainly think you can easily justify Kentucky as preseason No. 1 and it is certainly within the realm of possibility of winning No. 9 (national title). If some things go right, they have a great chance to win it all this year,” he said.
     The national basketball writer has Kentucky, North Carolina, Gonzaga and UCLA — Kentucky plays both Gonzaga and UCLA — in his Final Four. He thinks Houston will have a hard time getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA because of its strength of schedule and that Baylor, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas or Duke could replace one of his Final Four picks in March.
     DeCourcy says the more he watches Kentucky, the more difference he sees between UK’s defense and the defense of other top teams.
     “Kentucky can be a break you defensive team,” DeCourcy said. “Kentucky can break you down with (Daimion) Collins, (Chris) Livingston and what (Cason) Wallace provides and what Oscar cleans up.
     “They can be that type of team that just breaks opponents with defense. Then they are going to have a significant offense with (Antonio) Reeves and (CJ) Fredrick and then Oscar who can score. But I really think the big reason they have to win it all starts with defense.”

     One of the biggest surprises for the Kentucky volleyball team this season has been freshman Audrey Whitworth. She’s become an integral part of coach Craig Skinner’s team that is 16-6 overall and 11-2 in Southeastern Conference play and has a showdown at Florida this weekend that should determine the conference champion.
     Whitworth is from Breckinridge County and was the first in-state recruit outside of Lexington, Louisville or northern Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner had signed at UK. She has played in 60 sets with 99 digs and five assists
     Sophomore libero Eleanor Beavin of Louisville Mercy played against Whitworth in high school her sophomore year when Mercy beat Breckinridge in the state tournament.
     “I didn’t know who she was and I didn’t even remember we played her until she said we played after she got here,” Beavin said. “I don’t exactly remember playing against her and who she was but we did play once. I was a year ahead of her in club and stuff, too.”
     However, Beavin understands not only what it means to Whitworth to be at UK but also to be such a significant contributor as postseason play approaches.

     “I think it is so cool for her and I am extremely proud of the way she has come in this year. She is a quieter player and that comes from being at Breckinridge where there is not a ton of volleyball talent in that area,” Beavin said. “Coming here probably was overwhelming but to represent that county and home … she loves home.
     “She is very proud to be from Breckinridge County. I think that is a huge deal for her and good for the state of Kentucky. It shows it is not just northern Kentucky, Louisville and Lexington that have volleyball talent. It’s across the state and getting better and better. It’s cool for her and she is very proud to be from there.”
     Breckinridge County is not that far from Louisville even though Beavin doesn’t think she’s ever been in Breckinridge County.
     “But not being too far from Louisville she could come and train with a lot of good coaches in Louisville,” Beavin said. “It’s cool that she stayed with her roots from home and kept playing for Breckinridge but we are really glad to have her here now.”

     Speculation has already started that some of Kentucky’s star freshmen — receivers Barion Brown and Dane Key, defensive lineman Deone Walker, defensive back Alex Afari, linebacker Keaten Wade and quarterback Destin Wade — could be targeted by other schools offering more NIL money.
     Stoops hopes the “culture” at Kentucky matters when it comes to players contemplating a transfer.
     “In this day and age, it is inevitable that we are going to have turnover and going to have guys that enter the transfer portal. There’s going to be guys that we hopefully add. It just happens, it’s part of this new world, sometimes it’s for the better and sometimes it’s not,” Stoops said.
     “As coaches, we open ourselves up, we just want to continue to help people grow. Sometimes it is absolutely essential, it’s the right thing for both places. It’s the right thing for a player and the right thing for the program.
     “Other times there’s young men that you say, ‘Let me help continue to help develop you mentally, physically’ and give them the tough love that sometimes we all need.”
     However, Kentucky obviously needs more than tough love after the loss to Vanderbilt and that is a game that not only could negatively impact 2023 recruiting but also impact who stays and who goes on the current roster once the season ends.
     Kentucky hosts No. 1Georgia this week and Stoops said he had “no reason” to think his team would not bounce back from the Vandy loss.
     “I think the locker room in there was -- a lot of guys hurting in there. Emotions run deep. Disappointing for everybody. It's different. Let's just be honest, it's just different now with the way -- with the portal and just different things. It's different,” Stoops said after the Vanderbilt loss.
     “You have to continue to grind and build your culture, your team, your mentality, and I'm not doing a good enough job with it right now. I told the team that. I can't ask them to -- before they blame or talk amongst groups and things like that to take a good look at themselves and make sure they're doing things, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't do that myself, and the staff.
     “So we all have to do that, and it starts with you individually and collectively. We have to find some answers.”

     Kentucky always limits access to UK athletes, but especially when it comes to John Calipari’s players. Obviously, the demand would be non-stop if there were no limitations but one player who often ignores the restrictions is All-American center Oscar Tshiebwe.
     Last season he was often the last player to leave Rupp Arena after games because he was signing autographs and/or posing for pictures. Fans lined up as soon as the game ended many times last year just hoping Tshiebwe would show up to greet them — and most games he did.
     Other UK athletes have capitalized on the new name, image and likeness possibilities to sell autographs/pictures. Tshiebwe is still old school and likes to accommodate fans as much as possible.
     “Sometimes it’s not about money. Sometimes it’s about the love you can share. Love is much more powerful than money,” Tshiebwe said. “When you do things just for love, God will always pay you back.”
     Tshiebwe says his success at UK after transferring from West Virginia is proof of God more than paying him back for his good deeds.
     “God is doing it because of what I’ve been giving, so that’s why I always take time for fans if I can. I will do whatever they want,” he said. “I know fans love me but I also love fans, especially little kids.
     “I will do anything for little kids. I want to be able to teach them about God. That’s what I love to do and really what I want to do.”

     It’s no secret that quarterback Will Levis has been playing injured most of the season. He missed one game with a foot injury, hurt his shoulder in another game, has had issues with both hands and has been sacked over 30 times.
     “Will’s not reckless, just because he’s tough and physical, and fights through things. He’s not a reckless person. He’s very intelligent. There’s nothing that we would let him play with that we felt like could get worse – that’s not the case. There’s a difference between hurting and being injured, and we would never let him play injured,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.
     “He’s hurting but if you ask 95 percent of our football team right now, they’re hurting. I’d a tough game. It doesn’t surprise me with Will. Yes, the mobility is unfortunate for himself and for us because we’ve seen what he’s done in the past with his mobility.”
     Stoops is a defensive-minded coach who has always wanted his defense “affecting the quarterback” every game.
     “That doesn’t mean it’s always sacks. When you’re getting that kind of pressure and mixing things up it affects the play, can’t help but not,” Stoops said.
     Stoops said he’s had to grab Levis coming off the field several times this year and say, “Hang in there we’re going to need you, we’re going to need you to be you.”
     The coach says the quarterback has done that over and over and that says “a lot about his character and his mental toughness, trusting and

     Kentucky coach John Calipari said at SEC Media Day in mid-October that UK and Indiana had agreed in principle to renew an annual series starting with the 2025-26 season. The two one-time rivals have not played in the regular season since Indiana beat Kentucky in Bloomington in 2011 and fans stormed the court.
     “Well, Cal and I are very good friends. We've been very good friends for very many years, back when we were both in the NBA, and he's had a long run at the college level,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said.
     “We always have shared ideals about basketball, from an X's and O's standpoint over the years. My thing is I can't say a whole lot until there's a contract inked, but yes, I would love to see the game back in play. I know he's for it and I'm for it, too, so until a contract is executed it's kind of a moot point right now.”
     So is he not optimistic about a future UK-Indiana series?
     “We’re hoping something here in the near future will be executed and then we can really talk about the series once it's done. But right now, it's still in the talking stages,” Woodson said.

  Quotes of the Week

Quote of the Week 1:

     “He’s a guard is what he is. The best players I’ve had have been guards. They can play on the ball and they can play off the ball and they are tough as nails and he is tough. He’s fun to be around. He’s a competitor … He’s special,” Kentucky coach John Calipari on freshman guard Cason Wallace.

Quote of the Week 2:

     “No one deserves to have more success than him and what he has been able to endure. The kid has stayed positive and has had incredible dedication to his rehab and he is a great teammate. Those attributes make you root like hell for him to have success. We are glad he is on our team,” Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua on guard CJ Fredrick.

Quote of the Week 3:

     “I learned that the game is way faster (than I thought). When you are actually in the game, the game is so much faster. I like a fast game where it’s high possessions and (you can) get everybody involved (on offense),” UK point guard Sahvir Wheeler on what he learned while he was injured and could not play.