Kentucky Kernel: December 8, 2022

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was just begging for a mural.’ Lexington’s girlsgirlsgirls Burritos gets a makeover

By Morgan Loy news@kykernel.com

Local Lexington restaurant girlsgirlsgirls Burritos hosted a mural reveal party on Nov. 30.

Sara Wood, an owner of girlsgirlsgirls, said she had been interested in finding an artist to paint the restaurant's exterior since they moved loca tions in 2018.

“We’ve had conversations with different artists from out of town and local, and no one quite saw our vision,” Wood said.

She said Lynsay Chris tensen and Hayley Harris, the sibling-artist duo and own ers of Studio Mel Designs, fit the bill.

Wood wanted the mural to be colorful and represen tative of women's bodies and the restaurant.

“We kept talking about all women; we wanted it to be representative of all women,” Harris said.

Wood said the mural will help her accurately portray her restaurant to new students moving in every semester.

“Now someone who is over stimulated and experiencing a whole new level in their life can look at it and see what we are offering, and it really ties into the safe space we have here,” she said.

Wood said she had known Christensen and Harris for over a decade and trusted their creative decisions for the mural.

The opportunity to collab orate with a familiar wom an-owned business piqued the artists’ interest. They said they thought the outside of the restaurant did not match the interior.

“It was just begging for a mural,” Harris said.

Christensen, Harris and Wood said they collaborated closely to create the mural. Wood explained her ideas, and Christensen and Harris inter preted them into designs.

Christensen said Wood wanted to display three strong women in the mural and that they incorporated them on bi cycles to honor the restaurant’s mode for food deliveries.

The artists based the three women on bicycles displayed

in the mural on women they know personally. These models are Danielle Perron, Shantai Calhoun and Theann Rivera.

Calhoun said that Harris is her co-worker and approached her about modeling for the mural.

She said the artists ex plained that they wanted bright and colorful models, and her outfit caught Harris’ eye.

Perron, Harris’ wife, said she felt nervous about model

ing for the mural at first but is excited to be a part of it now.

“I have had several people that I know ask if that's me,” she said. “I love this business, and it's cool that I’ll be up there for a long time.”

Christensen and Harris said they chose models they knew personally to ensure they could pose and photograph them. They used these pho tographs as references for the mural.

Wood explained that she wanted the Nov. 30 event to celebrate the accomplishment of the mural. She said it was a complicated process but worth it in the end.

“The front of our building now matches what you experi ence in here,” she said.

Wood said Lexington is be coming an art town, with art works like that on girlgirlsgirls becoming more popular around the city.

She wanted the mural reveal event to honor the artists and bring attention to the mural. She said the mural is unique and that she is excited for peo ple exploring Lexington to see it.

“I've not seen any others in town that are as bright and vi brant as what's here. It's really neat to add that diversity to the art that's going on in town,” she said.

‘It

BRADY SAYLOR | STAFF

Studio Mel Designs's mural is shown at girlsgirlsgirls Burritos on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, in Lexington, Ken tucky.

Humans of UK:

Dubem Anikamadu overcomes hurdles to pursue music

By Jemi Chew features@kykernel.com

This is Humans of UK, in spired by the Humans of New York Instagram series by pho tographer and autho Bran don Stanton. This series dives into the individuals of UK as well as their stories, strifes and passions.

Life took a very different turn for Dubem Anikamadu, a senior majoring in pub lic health, when he tore his Achilles tendon.

Before his injury, Anika madu had been running since his freshman year of high school. He was doing well in his athletic career and joined UK as a track and field athlete.

“It was always something I loved, because honestly, even though it's individual and a team sport, my team was winning in high school, and individually, I was hav ing successful years,” Anika madu said. “And obviously it got me to Kentucky, and I en joyed my teammates and all those things.”

He described tearing his Achilles as an eye-opening and humbling experience that has led him to his current pas sion – music.

“Looking back, I really never thought I would be able

to walk or work out again or be my normal self,” Anika madu said. “I’m happy where I’m at now, obviously, be cause it wouldn’t have gotten me into music again.”

A self-taught musician, Anikamadu started to learn how to write, produce and engineer his own music in his dorm room after tearing his Achilles. Soon, what started as a means to cure boredom became a search for talent,

whether it came in the form of singers, rappers, instru mentalists, photographers, digital designers or basically anyone who could contribute to his project: the Creative Collective Club.

He said that since the club was just recently approved, it is still small, boasting 15 stu dents. However, Anikamadu has big plans for the group.

“We're still building on it, we're still searching for those

people to reach our goal of mostly just having a diverse population,” he said.

To find talent, Anikama du talks to anyone he sees, even though he said he gets shot down 90 percent of the time. His passion for music and creating music keeps him going. It could have been an individual pursuit, but Anika madu said he wanted to push himself beyond his comfort zone and have the opportuni ty to expand his skill set.

“As I'm working on my own music, I'm building the skill set I need to work on oth er people's music. So now that I'm expanding further than not just my music, but other peo ple's music, it allows me to be more versatile and allows me to work with more genres,” Anikamadu said.

Though he is a senior, Anikamadu still plans to continue to be involved with the Creative Collective Club after he graduates and will offer his own personal re sources such as recording and studio equipment.

As for right now, gradua tion is his priority.

“I’m focused on grad uation right now. It's been a rough couple of years in terms of injury and stuff, so I’m just glad I’m graduat ing,” he said.

Rayleigh Deaton, editor-in-chief editor@kykernel.com

Jack Weaver, managing editor

Kaci McCarthy, audience engagement editor kmccarthy@kykernel.com

Hannah Stanley, news editor news@kykernel.com

Kendall Staton, asst. news editor

Emily Girard, features editor features@kykernel.com

Cole Parke, sports editor sports@kykernel.com

Samantha Money & Ali Cetinok, asst. sports editors

Karrington Garland, opinions editor opinions@kykernel.com

Jack Weaver, photo editor photo@kykernel.com

Abbey Cutrer, asst. photo editor Akhila Nadimpalli, lead designer

Allie Hall, asst. designer Kendall Staton, newletter coor dinator

Gracie Moore, Twitter manager Savannah Kennedy, Instagram/Facebook manager Raven Rolle, TikTok manager KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICES

9 Blazer Dining University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506

MCSWAIN | STAFF

On the front cover: PHOTOS BY JACK WEAVER, ABBEY CUTRER, DAVID FALADE AND ISABEL

TRAVIS FANNON | STAFF Dubem Anikamadu poses for a photo on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

UK’s Collage holiday concert celebrates 25 years

By Paul Schlowak news@kykernel.com

The University of Kentucky’s School of Music celebrated a spe cial anniversary this past week end: the 25th annual “Collage: A Holiday Spectacular.”

Collage is a yearly concert at UK that paves the way for the holiday season, featuring cho ral groups and instrumentalists from the university and Lexing ton community. The concert was held twice on Saturday, Dec. 3, and once on Sunday, Dec. 4, in the Singletary Center for the Arts to three sold out audiences.

Before the first Saturday con cert started, audience members gathered, chatted and ate snacks.

Sister McGann of Divine Prov idence said she came to enjoy the event with friends.

“(My friends) have been here before, and they say it’s magnifi cent,” she said. “I just like music. It’s something I really enjoy very much. It’s my first time here.”

UK’s Director of Choral Activ ities Jefferson Johnson and Asso ciate Director of Choral Activities Lori Hetzel introduced the con cert, which featured around 400 performers. They asked the at tendees to raise their hands if they were seeing the concert for the first time, and roughly one third of them raised their hands. For many other spectators, the con cert is a tradition – a start into the holiday season.

“My husband and I, when we

first started dating, started com ing with his family. It’s been a kind of a holiday tradition every year,” Joey Conrad, a UK staff member, said.

The concert opened with “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and in cluded many different songs such as “Believe,” “Jingle Bells” and a bluegrass rendition of “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”

During the two-hour perfor mance, many choirs and bands

performed, including the UK Women’s Choir, UK Men’s Chorus, UK Choristers, Cho rale, UK Saxcats and other solo performances.

The entirety of the performance was dynamic and multifarious.

By adjusting and altering light ing, volume, choir, band and in struments, the concert provoked funny, powerful or melancholic moments and moods.

When “O Come All Ye Faith

ful” played, the audience sang along with the combined choirs.

To close the performance, the lights in the hall went out, leaving the audience in pitch black as “Si lent Night” was sung by all of the choral groups and performed by instrumentalists. As the choir be gan to sing, the choir periodically lit candles and lifted them up in the air.

By the end of the song and the concert, the candlelight il

luminated the choirs as the last voices evaporated.

Quickly afterwards, thunder ous applause erupted.

Luke Schlake, a member of the UK Men’s Chorus, said the choir came a long way from dress rehearsal.

“We did a dress rehearsal last night, and I think we did well, but I think we did even better today,” he said. “I think it’s one of the best UK traditions we have.”

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF Associate Director of UK Choral Activities Lorie Hetzel conducts the entire choir ensemble during the 25th annual “Collage: A Holiday Special” on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington, Kentucky.

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF

Paws

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF

Director of University of Kentucky Choral Activities Jefferson Johnson conducts Chorale.

and Listen member Katelyn Rose finishes getting ready in one of the dressing rooms before the first concert. Paws and Listen is the University of Kentucky’s women’s acapella group.

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF

Director of University of Kentucky Choral Activities Jefferson Johnson and the UK Choirs receive a standing ovation after performing on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022.

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF

Director of University of Kentucky Choral Activities Jefferson Johnson conducts the UK Choirs and Lexington Singers Children’s Choirs.

Twin sisters paint a picture of collaboration with mural business

By Olivia Walton features@kykernel.com

Twin sisters and painters Lynsay Christensen and Hay ley Harris recently finished their largest mural to date: the entire front of girlsgirlsgirls Burritos, a local restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky.

“(girlsgirlsgirls) has been there for over three years in that location,” Harris said. “Now they have an actual presence.”

Christensen and Harris have worked together as artists since they were old enough to exper iment with different mediums. Now, the Glasgow, Kentucky, natives run Studio Mel Designs, a small mural painting business. This is in addition to both sis ters being mothers and holding full-time jobs.

The twins credit their mother, Melanie Norman, with encour aging both their artistic abilities from a young age. She took them to their first art classes and has supported their growth ever since.

“Our mom, who our design business is named after, she al ways really provided us sup port to be artists growing up,” Christensen said.

Both women said that collab oration between them has always been natural.

“We’ll start a piece and pass it back and forth to each other,” Harris said. “We’re so game

at collaborating together. We always have.”

Christensen echoed her twin’s statement.

“We’ve been doing it since art studio days,” she said.

Both Christensen and Harris graduated from the University of Kentucky with degrees in inte grated strategic communication, and both went back to school for additional education. Christensen continued with graphic design, while Harris earned degrees in art education and art studio.

The sisters secured full time jobs, both within their respective area of education, but still felt the

need to create.

The idea for mural painting came two years ago after both Harris and Christensen painted murals in their homes, docu mented their work and got posi tive feedback from others. From there, they saw the potential for their business.

“We’ve always done side projects, just not always to this scale,” Christensen said.

The twins said Studio Mel took off almost instantaneously.

“The moment we listed we were doing murals, we got calls to do residential stuff, pretty much immediately,” Harris said.

Their natural collaboration has been important to both sis ters. They said it makes the work more enjoyable and fun knowing that the other person is always there for support.

“We have just a lot of fun to gether hanging out,” Christensen said. “There’s a lot of dancing … lot of dancing.”

Since Studio Mel’s establish ment, the twins have completed many projects together, including murals in entryways, bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms and school hallways. They have done a few garage doors as well, and now, the face of a building.

Christensen explained that when approaching a project of any size, it is important to think about several factors.

“We usually think about the composition and how it’s going to best work on the surface,” she said. “Most of our work is more organic, colorful.”

Harris added that the process is always a developing thing.

“A lot of it you just learn as you grow,” she said.

Christensen said their job is challenging, but it is amazing to see the finished product. She took her family to see the girlsgirls girls mural when they finished it and said that her kids got a lot of happiness from her work.

Harris said she is glad to see female art in the spotlight.

“It’s important to see wom en represented,” she said. “It’s fun to see women artists do something large.”

Furthermore, Harris said that it is encouraging to see art being celebrated on a local level.

“It’s so reassuring when art is appreciated because we’ve grown up making art to tell a story about ourselves or how we feel and be expressive and when people see something that we’ve created and they find joy in the work, it just has that feeling that…” Harris said.

Christensen finished her sis ter’s sentence. “...It’s an incredi ble feeling,” she said.

BRYCE TOWLE | STAFF

Artists Lynsay Christensen, left, and Hayley Harris, right, pose for a photo in front of their newly painted mural on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at girlsgirlsgirls Burritos in Lexington, Kentucky.

Thrifting offers unique clothes on a college-friendly budget

By Amber Chaney features@kykernel.com

Thrifting has taken the fashion world by storm and has become a hub for shopping addicts.

A thrift store sells gently used clothes, shoes, jewelry and many other fashion items. Many thrift stores accept do nations and pay donors for their contribution.

Thrifting has gained more popularity in the past two years and has become a new option for people of all ages to shop.

A simple Google search for thrift stores in Lexington brings up over a dozen results. The re sults include several Goodwill locations, as well as indepen dent locations such as Sassy Fox, Lord John Vintage, POPS Resale and Vintage Therapy.

Dan Shorr, the owner of POPS Resale in Lexington, has seen an increase in the thrift store’s sales in the past few years.

“The past 3-4 years have seen large growth in thrifting in gen eral, with the biggest increases being in clothing,” Shorr said.

POPS Resale is one of Lex ington’s most popular thrift stores and has seen many differ ent ages in and out of the store.

“While we see all age groups from pre-teen to ‘Elderly,’ the largest portion right now would be middle teens through late

ILLUSTRATION BY ALLIE HALL

20’s,” Shorr said.

Thrifting has even gotten the attention of the national gov ernment. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 16–18% of Americans shop at thrift stores a year. This is a competitive statis tic when compared to trends of buying new clothes in-person. The same Census Bureau report said that 11.4% of Americans shop in factory outlet malls and 19.6% shop in apparel stores.

The Census Bureau declared

Aug. 17, 2022, to be Nation al Thrift Store Day – another piece of evidence pointing to the growth of thrifting’s popularity. However, thrifting is not a new concept. In fact, the National As sociation of Resale Profession als, an organization designed to promote resale shopping and support resale shop owners, has existed since 1984.

High school and college stu dents are the most prominent age range that are attracted to

thrifting, considering they can get name brands for low cost.

UK sophomore Sam Ross said that she has been thrifting for four years and loves to go whenever she is able to. She said she doesn’t go to a thrift store to find a specific piece of clothing, but rather looks for something she can add to her wardrobe.

“My favorite thrift store is Goodwill,” Ross said.

Junior Enoch Vaenuku said that thrifting has been a part of

his life for as long as he can re member, and he has been thrift ing since he was a child.

“I love thrifting. Every thing I am wearing I thrifted,” Vaenuku said.

His wardrobe includes many thrifted items that he has bought at multiple different resale stores.

“My favorite thing about thrifting is finding a really nice piece of clothing and learn ing about the history of it,” Vaenuku said.

PHOTOS: Fall semester at a glance

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kentucky

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kylah Spring, the victim of physical assault and racial slurs while working at Boyd Hall, speaks during the March Against Racism on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

TRAVIS FANNON | STAFF

Students

Wildcats guard Cason Wallace (22) dunks the ball during the No. 4 Kentucky vs. Mich igan State Champions Classic mens basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

participate in the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s Homecoming Step Show on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexing ton, Kentucky.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kentucky

CUTRER | STAFF

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Police work a scene after responding to reports of shots being fired at an off-campus fraternity party on University Avenue on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Lexington, Kentucky.

ABBEY

The class of 2026 forms the shape of Kentucky on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, at Kroger Field.

Wildcats wide receiver Dane Key (6) celebrates with fans af ter the No. 20 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Florida football game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

Kentucky Wildcats forward Eythor Bjorgolfsson (9) heads the ball during the No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 South Carolina soccer match in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, at the Wen dell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Kentucky.

Savor the stupid moments: Parting words from a graduating features editor

By Emily Girard opinions@kykernel.com

I’ve been at the Kernel for four years … sort of.

In the fall of my freshman year, I de cided to join after multiple Kernel-relat ed presentations in my JOU 101 class. I officially joined that spring – spring 2020. One week later, I was reporting from home.

Fall 2020, I was back on campus, but now my dad was dead. I did not have the energy to grieve and write at the same time, so I left the paper. I was writing occasional features when I could by the spring, but I was still not officially on the staff.

I joined back in summer 2021, just in time for the Kernel’s six-year law suit against UK to end. Welcome back, friend. Read some legal paperwork that you’ve never heard of before.

My first official, in-person semester was in fall 2021, and what happens? Lofton Hazelwood dies under suspi cious circumstances, leading to anoth er debacle that lasted over a year. Then Bill Gatton dies. Then Queen Elizabeth dies. Then Anne Gieske dies.

There was just … so much death during my career.

I am very tired now. I now under stand why former editors have gone on tirades in their goodbye columns. They’re tired. We’re tired. Everyone is tired. If you went through four years of issue after issue, oftentimes discovering all the ways UK hates you, in an office that is not even wheelchair accessible, you’d be tired too.

Still, there will come a point, after the work stops, the semester ends and I’ve relaxed as much as I need to, where I’ll miss the Kernel. I already kind of do. I just got an awesome features team that I’ve come to know over the past se mester, and I’m very sad to leave them behind.

But I can’t focus on the bad things

forever. When I think of the Kernel, I think of the individual moments and people that I love.

Courtney Suber, Amber Chaney, Del aney McGuire, Olivia Walton, Lindsey Davis and Jemi Chew, you are the best features team ever. Christening this re vived desk has been so much more re warding when I’ve got a team to back

me up.

Ryan, David and Bryce, thanks for giving me an internship at the last pos sible moment after my previous intern ship efforts were for naught.

Rayleigh and Jack, thanks for trust ing me to head the new features desk, especially with no assistant editor. And Hannah, you’re a much better news edi tor than I ever was.

Rick Childress, remember when I called you in a panic after covering my first Board of Trustees meeting because I had no idea what to write about? Full disclosure, I was in the bathroom of the law building making that call, so the sit uation was probably more dire than you realized. Thanks for helping me out.

Natalie Parks, you were my biggest source of support after my dad died. I want to be as good of an editor to my writers as you were to me. I will always have good memories of you.

Jordan Prather, thanks for letting me shad ow you to take pictures of that gymnastics meet, back in February 2020. Thanks, also, for lending me your camera when I arrived with my dinky Nikon … and your memory card when I filled mine up within the first half of the meet … and your laptop when I did not own one.

Pro tip: The optimal number of hours of sleep to get before the Kentucky Press Asso ciation awards varies from person to person, but the answer should never be two. If that still ends up being the case, an awesome friend like Carter Skaggs that will drive you home before you throw up from fatigue is essential.

Another pro tip: getting stuck in an ele vator with someone else is much better than getting stuck in an elevator by yourself. I recommend Brooklyn Walters.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Emily Girard poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022.

Ryder From, thanks for not having a heart attack or murdering me when I came at you with a 1,900-word story that you then had to design a layout for.

Additional shout out to Muhammed Ma sadeh for letting me interview you about Taza Grill for my first ever story. Sorry your restaurant got replaced by a Pita Pit.

Thank you also to whoever gave the final approval to the column I wrote while having an anxiety attack in a condo in Flori da. Whoever that was, please know that you told me that my often-disjointed ramblings make good columns, providing I clean them up a little. That column is also one of the reasons I’m still here.

“My advice to everyone I’m leaving behind? Savor the stupid moments. Don’t let this world break you. It almost broke me, time and time again.”

I debated ending my career in that condo, and maybe much more. I was – and still am – geared up to run away. I’ll be slinking around Lexington for seven more months until my lease is up, and then hopefully I’ll be moving up north.

To everyone still here, especially my fel low queer and neurodivergent folks – you’re going to want to run away. You’re going to see all the reasons why some people don’t want you here. You’re going to wonder why your efforts never seem to mean anything. It’s pretty much inevitable.

But you can still have your moments. Savor the stupid little moments and the peo ple that come with them. Every overzealous gymnastics meet has a Jordan Prather. Ev ery questionable pre-KPA decision can have a Carter Skaggs that you can lean on. Some times all you have is a Brooklyn Walters to keep you company until the elevator moves again.

But sometimes, you just need proof that you’re happy. That you’re alive.We’re alive.

I hope, even if it’s just for one person, that I can be that proof.

Know where you buy A lesson learned from Balenciaga controversy

By Karrington Garland opinions@kykernel.com

Balenciaga, the trendsetter of both handbags and clothing, is under im mense scrutiny due to its most recent campaign release in early November. The ads featured children holding or around stuffed animals wearing bond age outfits; the whole campaign, to put it plainly, came across horrifyingly pe dophilic.

To make matters worse, on Nov. 21, the brand dropped an ad for their upcoming collection next year for both spring and summer, which featured a bag from the collection on top of doc uments containing the ruling of United States v. Williams, a Supreme Court case that referenced the PROTECT Act, which criminalizes promoting child pornography, even if the material itself is not a form of child pornography.

The fact that Balenciaga, a couple days after their initial controversial post, dropped an ad containing this case is alarming. Brands should never per petuate or promote this kind of disgust ing content, especially this boldly.

In light of this, I think a reflection is needed. With the bombardment of ce lebrities and social media influencers, adorning themselves in high end, trendy or niche brands, we as consumers feel the desire to buy in ways to emulate them.

Whether unintentionally or inten tionally, the clothes we wear, the per sonas we adopt over time, all derive from the people and idols we find our selves following. And with this follow ing comes the tiny loyalty to the brands

they promote.

Balenciaga developed a large fol lowing over the years from Kanye West’s and Kim Kardashian’s involve ment and promotion of the brand. Both

wore items from this fashion house at numerous public events over the last couple of years, and if I’m being hon est, I never knew of the brand before the Kardashians started wearing it.

However, I do not think Kim Kar dashian’s recent tweet and slight loyalty to the brand is enough to keep it afloat. This is something hard to recover from and demands a thorough re-examina tion of the brand, its leadership and the things that it stands for.

It also calls into question the trou bling ease in which Balenciaga posted this disgusting content and believed they would get away with it. This is nor malized when it isn’t and should never be, and subliminal messaging like this is dangerous, especially when children cannot speak for and defend themselves against this issue.

I think it is important to educate yourself about the brands you buy from. Especially when so many fashion brands date back years, like Balencia ga, which originated in 1917 by de signer Cristobal Balenciaga.

And although the average person is not buying from high end or luxu ry brands in their everyday lives, it is still important to be aware of the insti tutions you give support to – which, I admit is hard. None of us saw this com ing, but I am glad that the brand was hasty in its decision to take down the campaign.

I hope this incident serves as a re minder that brands that perpetuate, promote or allude to content like these campaigns or any other controversial messaging understand that it is not okay and should never be normalized.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Three takeaways from Cats’ London victory

By Ali Cetinok opinions@kykernel.com

Kentucky head coach John Calipari and the Cats earned their first win over a major conference opponent this sea son on Sunday, defeating Michigan 7369 in London.

With any result this early in the sea son, there is still plenty of room to grow and still a lot to figure out. With that said, because of how badly Kentucky needed the win against the Wolverines for the sake of the season thus far, there were a handful of answers to posed questions that can be found in the win ning effort.

Here are three things we learned from Kentucky basketball’s win over Michigan:

Cason Wallace is the most clutch player on the team

Cason Wallace left his mark against Michigan State in the Champions Clas sic earlier this season, though he was still unable to lift the Cats over Tom Iz zo’s Spartans.

Sunday, against Juwan Howard’s Wolverines, was a different story, though.

Wallace finished with 14 points, eight boards and five assists, but his most important bucket was a clutch 3-pointer with only about a minute left on the clock that put the Cats ahead 7166, a deficit Michigan was never able to recover from.

Not only was Wallace pivotal on offense, being perfect in four attempts from beyond the arc, he also made his presence felt on defense, recording a block and a steal.

With Wallace showing he can be reli able in important moments, there should be little doubt that the ball needs to be

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

in his hands with the games on the line moving forward.

Antonio Reeves should be the prima ry shooter

Starting in three of UK’s eight games so far this season, Antonio Reeves has shot 43% from the field, tied for the highest 3-point shooting percentage along with Wallace, hitting 50% from beyond the arc. Perhaps even more im pressively, Reeve has done so and hit 12 more made threes than Wallace.

With Reeves shooting four and mak ing three against the Wolverines, scor ing 11 points in the game, it is important to remember his field goal, 3-point and free-throw percentages all went up ev ery single season at Illinois State.

With CJ Fredrick only shooting around 35% with only 15 made threes on the season thus far, there should be little question as to why much of BBN may feel underwhelmed by his shooting performance; it may very well be that Reeves is the guy that many thought Fredrick was supposed to be.

Onyenso should take minutes and pressure off Tshiebwe

One of the biggest questions posed for the team this offseason and in ear ly stages of this season was whether or not the team can still function without Tshiebwe both offensively and on de fense while the big man recovered from surgery.

Luckily for Calipari and Big Blue

Nation alike, it is starting to seem like Ugonna Onyenso will be the one to fill those shoes when Tshiebwe is either in jured, tired or, as seen against Michigan State, fouling out.

During the Michigan State game, throughout regulation and overtime, when Tshiebwe fouled out or was in foul trouble, Lance Ware came in to fill his role.

Unfortunately for the Cats, this method did not end in success with Ken tucky suffering greatly against the Spar tans in the periods Tshiebwe was out of the game.

Onyenso, who would still be in high school had he not reclassified, was not re ally expected to be a big part of the team for Calipari but in just 79 minutes this sea son the Nigerian has thrown himself in the spotlight as a competent replacement for the Cats, recording totals of 32 points, 30 rebounds and 15 blocks.

With Onyenso’s performances this sea son thus far, it might simply be a case where many see the freshman be the player they thought Ware was supposed to be, and per haps the team may even be better with On yenso getting the backup role instead of the junior.

With SEC play on the doorstep, plenty of questions about the 2022-2023 Ken tucky mens basketball team have yet to be answered, but the win over Michigan was crucial for developing an understanding of the team as a whole.

With a matchup against No. 19 UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic sandwiched be tween matchups against Yale and Florida A&M before conference play kicks off, there is no shortage of opportunities for Calipari to figure out exactly who and how he wants to play, but when he comes to those conclusions, there’s a high likelihood that the Michigan matchup will influence his decisions.

Kentucky Wildcats forward Jacob Toppin (0) drives toward the basket during the Ken tucky vs. North Florida mens basketball game on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, at Rupp Arena.

A look back on fall 2022 semester for UK Athletics

By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com

With finals week on the doorstep and the fall semester all but finished, many UK fans have begun setting their sights on the future: spring 2023.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and glam that is next year, it’s also important to look back on all that occurred in the fall as well.

Here’s every UK Athletics team’s fall 2022 retrospective:

Football:

What can’t be said about football? It was a year that had highs and quite a bit of lows.

Kicking off with a Twitter spat between head coach Mark Stoops and basketball coach John Calipari, the pressure was on for the foot ball team to live up to the hopes of the portion of the fanbase calling Kentucky a “football school.”

Ultimately though, it was unable to do this.

After starting off a promising 4-0 and be ing ranked as high as No. 7, Kentucky shot itself in the foot in Oxford against Ole Miss, suffering its first loss of the season.

This was compounded with a second-con secutive loss, this time to a then unranked South Carolina, and, while the Cats were able to bounce back with a ranked win of Missis sippi State, the doubts were there.

These doubts would then be confirmed when the Cats were dismantled 44-6 at Ten nessee, proving the team was not in the upper echelon of the SEC like some thought it was.

The team then picked up an ugly win in Missouri before doing the unthinkable: giving the Vanderbilt Commodores their first SEC win in 26-straight attempts.

Following the Vanderbilt loss the disap pointment from the fans turned to vitriol in several directions, though nobody caught more of the hate than offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

With Kentucky’s offense looking flat in a

Kentucky

STAFF

16-6 loss against No. 1 Georgia and not great in UK’s final regular season game against Louisville, which UK won 26-13, the OC was sacked after just one season in Lexington.

Finishing 7-5, the team was given a ticket to the Music City Bowl, though starting quar terback Will Levis has already announced he does not plan to take part in the game.

Overall, it was a disappointing season for Kentucky football. Certainly a fall to forget.

Mens basketball:

Another team that hasn’t entirely met ex pectations, Kentucky mens basketball current ly stand at 6-2 on the season thus far.

The Cats kicked off their season with dom inant victories over Howard and Duquesne before traveling to Indianapolis for their big gest game of the season up to that point: the Champions Classic against Michigan State.

Unfortunately for the Cats, this trip would not be a good one as the team was defeated in double overtime, though it did feature the

season debut of fan-favorite Oscar Tshiebwe, who had missed the first two games after a mi nor knee surgery.

The Cats then defeated South Carolina State before being dismantled in a 88-72 loss to Gonzaga in Spokane, the main source of disappointment for fans thus far.

That said, while the team was unconvinc ing against Bellarmine, the Cats picked up their first major victory of the season in Lon don, defeating Michigan 73-69.

Now looking to take the court against Yale on Dec. 10, the mens basketball team is one with plenty left to prove.

Volleyball:

Kentucky volleyball has been on a roller coaster this fall.

The team started out unconvincing, suffer ing losses to Marquette and getting swept by Wisconsin and Nebraska on their home court.

That said, all three of those teams earned seeds in the NCAA Tournament and, since

being swept by Florida on Nov. 19, the Cats haven’t lost a set, getting sweeping revenge against UF and earning the right to call them selves co-SEC champions, earning a share of their sixth consecutive conference title.

The Cats earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and swept their way through the first two rounds over Loyola Chicago and No. 6 Western Kentucky.

Now faced with the Regional Finals in Palo Alto, California, the Wildcats are hoping to make it to the Final Four for the first time since winning the National Championship in early 2021.

Mens soccer:

Now that the season has concluded, many fans feel disappointed by the mens soccer team, though this is hardly fair considering all that the team accomplished.

The men finished their first ever undefeat ed regular season, winning the Sun Belt Tour nament Championship in their first year in the conference, and earning the first No. 1 seed in program history heading into the NCAA Tournament.

While that journey may have been cut short by a stunning goal within the last few minutes by Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16, Ken tucky mens soccer truly put the program on the map this season.

For insight into the rest of what UK Ath letics had to offer, scan the QR code to read the full story:

JACK WEAVER |

Wildcats running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (24) runs the ball during the Ken tucky vs. No. 1 Georgia football game on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

UK sports to watch over winter break

By Samantha Money sports@kykernel.com

Finals week is just around the corner, and the student body is ea gerly awaiting the end of the fall semester, but for UK Athletics, the winter season is not a stopping point.

With mens and womens bas ketball entering the heart of their respective seasons, volleyball pro gressing through the 2022 NCAA Tournament, gymnastics taking the floor for its first meet this season and much more, UK Athletics has plenty of noteworthy events taking place over the break while most students relax at home and away from campus.

With that said, whether students are traveling to the beaches of Flor ida, hitting the snowy slopes in Colorado or just surfing their living room couch over the holidays, here are the Kentucky sports matchups they won’t want to miss this break:

1. Mens basketball vs. No. 8 Ala bama (Jan. 7, 2023)

The mens basketball team has several games over the break, but the one against Alabama will no doubt be the toughest matchup of the period for Kentucky.

The game is set to take place early on into the conference sched ule for the Cats and will play a huge role in setting the tone for fu ture conference opponents.

The Wildcats took home their first power-five victory of the sea son against Michigan 73-69 at the Hall of Fame game in London this past weekend and, with the first domino knocked over, hope to con tinue to rack up wins that can truly

build a postseason resume.

Currently Alabama would be quite the resume builder, boasting a 7-1 record that includes a win over former No. 1 North Carolina, and standing at No. 8 in the current AP Poll, so Kentucky is sure to be meeting a formidable team in Tus caloosa.

The game is set to tipoff at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, and will air live on ESPN.

2. Football vs. Iowa in the 2022 Music City Bowl (Dec. 31, 2022)

It was just announced this week that Kentucky will travel to Nash ville, Tennessee, for the Music City Bowl on New Year’s Eve to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

If this matchup sounds familiar it’s because it also occurred in the 2022 Vrbo Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1 of this year. Teams meeting for the second year in a row, even if it’s technically in the same year, in bowl games is something that is quite uncommon in college foot ball, but clearly not impossible.

At that Citrus Bowl, Kentucky left with a 20-17 win over Iowa, so the Cats are surely hoping to repeat that magic this season.

Both the Wildcats and the Hawkeyes finished their respective seasons with a 7-5 record with sub par offenses, something that may come into play even more with UK quarterback Will Levis forgoing the matchup, and reliable defenses.

Kentucky football’s 2022 fi nale is set to kickoff at noon EST on Saturday, Dec. 31, and will be streamed live on ABC.

3. Womens basketball vs. No. 11 LSU (Jan. 8, 2023)

Kentucky womens basketball

| STAFF

will have arguably its biggest game of the season thus far over break, facing off against the No. 11 LSU Tigers.

The game will be played at home for the Cats with the bonus of it being on the court at Rupp Arena, as opposed to their usual home are na in Memorial Coliseum.

Kentucky has only taken on one ranked opponent thus far, No. 14 Virginia Tech, in which it came up short 82-74.

With Louisville falling out of the top 25, LSU will provide an opportunity for the Cats to secure their first ranked win of the sea son, depending on the success of UK’s prior matchup against current No. 21 Arkansas, if they’re able to bring their best to the court and de

feat the Tigers.

Even if a potential win does not go down as the first ranked victory, assuming both teams hold form, the win could very likely be the first top 15 win of the season and potentially even a ranked matchup.

The much-anticipated game is set to tipoff at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan. 8, inside Rupp Arena and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF WINTER BREAK SPORTS

Volleyball

No. 3 seeded Kentucky volley ball is set to take on No. 2 San Di ego in the Regional Semi-Finals of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, Dec. 8.

If the Cats win, they will continue to play on Dec. 10 against the winner

of No. 5 Houston and No. 1 Stanford. Again, assuming the Cats are victorious, the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament is scheduled to begin on Dec. 15 with the NCAA Championship to be played on Dec 17.

Gymnastics

The 2023 season for Kentucky gymnastics will begin over the break, all starting with the BlueWhite meet this Sunday, Dec. 11.

The team’s first official meet of the season will take place on Jan. 8 against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

Mens basketball

Mens basketball is set to have several matchups over the break starting with Yale on Saturday, Dec. 10, inside Rupp Arena.

JACK WEAVER

Kentucky Wildcats guard Cason Wallace (22) shoots the ball during the No. 4 Kentucky vs. Michigan State Champi ons Classic mens basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Cats will then travel to New York City to take on No. 19 UCLA on Dec. 17 in Madison Square Garden for the CBS Sports Classic.

After that highly anticipat ed matchup, Kentucky will play Florida A&M on Dec. 21 in the second annual Unity Series, fol lowed by Missouri on Dec. 28 to kick off SEC play.

Kentucky’s in-state rival Lou isville will then meet the Cats inside Rupp Arena on Dec. 31 to kiss 2022 goodbye with a bang.

Kicking off 2023, Kentucky will play LSU on Jan. 3 before traveling to Tuscaloosa to face Al abama on Jan. 6, its final matchup before the spring semester begins.

Womens basketball

Womens basketball will tip off against Losuiville on Dec. 11 in side Rupp Arena to start the win ter break schedule before return ing to Memorial Coliseum to face Murray State on Dec. 16.

The Cats will have an ex tended stay at home in their next couple of games, hosting Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 18 and Ohio University on Dec. 21.

Then, on Dec. 29, the team will travel to Columbia, Missou ri, to take on the Mizzou Tigers to kickoff conference play, followed by a return to Lexington on New Year’s Day to face No. 21 Arkan sas.

Closing out the break, Ken tucky will travel to Athens, Geor gia, to take on the Bulldogs on Jan. 5, before the much anticipat ed matchup against No. 11 LSU on Jan. 8.

Swimming and diving

Finally, Kentucky swim and dive will have a single meet over the break at home, taking on the Georgia Bulldogs on Dec. 19.

Womens basketball squares off against Cardinals inside Rupp Arena

but only 31% from beyond the arc.

Hailey Van Lith is currently the Cards’ leading scorer with 19.9 points per game, shooting 39% from the field and 25% from three.

Louisville’s second biggest offensive threat is Chrislyn Carr, who’s field goal percentage is 42% from two-point range and 44% from beyond the arc, good for an average of 10 points per game.

On the other end of the court, expect to see Olivia Cochran be Louisville’s biggest threat in the paint with the 6-foot-3-inch for ward averaging 7.2 rebounds per game.

Despite the Wildcats boasting a one-loss record and Louisville seeming to have a down year thus far, the rivalry game can not be underestimated by the Wildcats.

BRADY SAYLOR | STAFF

By Ali Cetinok sports@kykernel.com

After a convincing 82-56 win over UNC Greensboro on Sun day, which saw a great defensive game from the Cats, and a date in Minneapolis against Minne sota on Wednesday, Kentucky womens basketball is set to face Louisville on Sunday, Dec. 11, inside Rupp Arena.

Having lost their first match up against a ranked opponent in the form of now No. 7 Virginia Tech, the Wildcats have won two

in a row with convincing scores of 70-44 against Dayton and the aforementioned win over UNC Greensboro.

Now turning their sights to a formerly ranked squad, Elzy and the team have their eyes glued to Louisville, with the pair fac ing off in one of two games the womens team plays inside Rupp Arena every season.

Jeff Walz’s Cardinals squad currently sit at 6-4, despite start ing the season 3-0, having been ranked No. 18 just one week ago with a win over then No.3 Texas.

Unfortunately for Walz, while the win was impressive, the team also has some not-so-impressive losses such as its first against Gonzaga in overtime, though the Bulldogs currently sit at No. 22 in the rankings, South Da kota State by double digits, No. 3 Ohio State and most recently at Middle Tennessee, with the 18-point loss finally leaving the Cards unranked.

Louisville is currently aver aging 73.9 points per game with an average scoring margin of 6.5, shooting 43% from the field

The Cardinals are more than capable of claiming victory with the game serving as a vital mea suring stick of where Kyra Elzy’s squad is at before it begins SEC play.

With the power-five match up against Minnesota set to take place before the matchup inside Rupp, the Cats can’t focus entire ly on the Cardinals just yet as the team hopes to continue playing complementary basketball and improve more and more with each game.

Tipoff against the Cardinals is set for Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. EST inside Rupp Arena and can be watched live on ESPN.

Kentucky womens basketball head coach Kyra Elzy coaches her team from the sideline during the Kentucky vs. UNC Greensboro game on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

UK volleyball fights for Final Four spot

By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com

Following its sweeping victo ry over No. 6 Western Kentucky on Dec. 2, Kentucky volleyball is set to travel to Palo Alto for the Regional Finals hosted by Stan ford, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

The Wildcats entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed, being crowned co-SEC champions after sweeping South Carolina to wrap up the regular season. In fact, since suffering a defeat against Florida in Gaines ville on Nov. 19, the Wildcats have yet to concede a single set, recording a revenge sweep against Florida, two sweeps over South Carolina and sweeping both Loyola Chicago and the aforementioned Hilltoppers in the NCAA Tournament.

Now into the Regional Finals, the Wildcats first have a date against No. 2 San Diego while the No. 1 seed, Stanford, faces off against No. 5 Houston.

Similar to how the matchups worked in Lexington, the winners of both matches will have a short turnaround with just one day of rest before the official Regional Final match.

Looking deeper at Kentucky’s first regional opponent, No. 2 San Diego, the Toreros earned a No. 2 seed with a 27-1 record, only losing at No. 1 seed Louisville in five sets back in early September.

San Diego conquered North ern Colorado 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before taking down No. 7 seeded Wash

ington State in the second round.

The Wildcats and Toreros only have one mutual opponent in the form of Louisville, with both re sults being the same as Kentucky also came up short in five sets just under two weeks after the Cardi nals gave San Diego the same treatment.

Looking at how San Diego’s other NCAA Tournament-level opponents fared, fellow WCC schools No. 7 BYU, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine all found themselves knocked out in the first two rounds.

Both LMU and Pepperdine bowed out in the first round, with Loyola being swept by No. 3 Or egon and the Waves being taken down in four four sets by No. 1 Stanford.

Looking at San Diego’s oth er tournament-level opponents, three of the four remain active in the tournament, including Louis ville.

No. 2 Pittsburgh, who San Di ego defeated 3-2, is set to square off against No. 3 Florida after sweeping Colgate and BYU in the prior rounds.

Similarly, No. 3 Ohio State, which the Toreros swept, is set to face off against No. 2 Minne sota after sweeping Tennessee State and No. 6 USC in the prior rounds.

Looking further ahead past San Diego to a potential Region al Final matchup, the Wildcats have several mutual opponents with both Stanford and Houston.

The Cardinal of Stanford have a combined record of 5-1 against opponents that UK holds

ISABEL MCSWAIN | STAFF

a record of 3-4 against. Stanford defeated Florida, which Ken tucky finished the season 1-1 against, both teams fell short to Louisville, the Cardinal defeated Nebraska while Kentucky was swept by the Cornhuskers, both teams defeated USC, though Stanford did it twice and the host team swept LSU in the postsea son, a team that UK finished 1-1 against.

Moving over to Houston, the Cougars hold a record of 4-0

against teams that Kentucky finished 5-1 against. The Cou gars defeated LSU, similar to Stanford, swept Alabama, which Kentucky defeated in four sets, conquered Mississippi State and defeated Auburn in the NCAA Tournament, a team in which UK recorded consecutive sweeps over.

Regardless of which two teams Kentucky faces off against assuming it advances, as more and more teams are knocked out

of the postseason the harder and harder the competition level be comes.

Whether or not UK will punch its ticket into the Final Four for the first time since win ning the National Championship in early 2021 is yet to be seen, but the path there continues this Thursday.

The matchup against No. 2 San Diego is set to begin at 8 p.m. EST on Dec. 8 and will air live on ESPNU.

Kentucky players celebrate during the No. 3 Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky University volleyball match in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at Memorial Coliseum.