On Jan. 16, the Student Government Association (SGA) opened applications for the upcoming spring elections. Three days later, SGA conducted its first information session, hosted by Elections Commissioner Jacob Keeton and Student Body Vice President Amelia Pace.
This spring, students have the opportunity to run for a variety of positions, including senator, student body president and student body vice president.
Students interested in running for Student Senate have until Jan. 30 to file for candidacy.
Polls will open Feb. 27, with polling locations in the Gatton Student Center, the Jacob Science Building and the Johnson Center. Students can also vote online. The last poll will close on BBNvolved on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m.
UKSGA will announce the official results before spring break.
UKSGA gives the Student Senate several responsibilities. These duties include approving UKSGA’s budget, enacting policy, appropriating funds and impeaching or removing any active member.
The Student Senate is also
in charge of approving the nominations of all appointed executive branch officers, election board members and supreme court justices. Keeton said senators also work with other campus organizations and create codes.
Students can register for all available positions via BBNvolved. The UKSGA requires all applicants to attend a candidates meeting and be in good standing with the university.
Students can apply to either represent their college or become an undergraduate at-large senator. Both hold important roles, but college senators carry more responsibilities and higher duties. Last year, 18 people ran for the undergraduate at-large vacancies.
Section 1 of Article 1 in the UKSGA constitution offers further information regarding the mechanics of the Senate. The legislative branch contains at least 40 senators. Each college receives one representative, then freshmen senators and senators-at-large fill the remaining seats.
Candidates can submit a platform statement for their campaign. This message enables voters to understand what goals the individual intends to fulfill if elected.
Campaigns can only begin after the student has sent their application. Keeton and Pace encouraged attendees to utilize their social media and friends to gain voters.
Many rules govern how contenders can recruit voters. For instance, no aspiring senator can hang posters in classrooms or perform door-to-door campaigning in residence halls.
The SGA Governing Codes contain all of the election codes. Students may report a candidate if they violate these policies.
On Jan. 26, SGA will host a president and vice president information session. Students
who meet the requirements can apply and, if accepted as nominees, will attend a president and vice president debate in February.
Pace said candidates should be approachable and aware of on campus issues.
“(Be) mindful of different people’s backgrounds and how you can best serve them, even if that doesn’t necessarily serve yourself,” she said.
When reflecting upon her experience of running for senator, Pace encouraged students to not be afraid of the process.
“All of these rules, campaigning and platforms and things like that can seem really intimidating.” she said. “Listen to people when they encourage you, I think is like my biggest advice, and don’t discount yourself because you can do it if you put your heart (into) it.”
This is Humans of UK, inspired by the Humans of New York Instagram series by photographer and autho Brandon Stanton. This series dives into the individuals of UK as well as their stories, strifes and passions.
Rebecca Oliphant, or as her students know her, Dr. O, hasn’t always had a passion for traveling. She didn’t go on any trips abroad in college or do much traveling at all until she was about 40 years old. Now, she loves going on adventures and being there to witness students going on their first trips.
Oliphant has a doctorate in philosophy and is a lecturer for UK’s Department of Marketing and Supply Chain. Before coming to UK, she taught digital marketing at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Vietnam, where she lived for a year.
“When I see a student who has never gone overseas before … when you see their eyes and their expressions the first time that they’ve seen the Great Wall of China … I just get such a thrill out of that, I just love seeing that and that’s why I keep doing that,” Oliphant said.
From visiting Austria and Germany, to living in Vietnam for a year, Oliphant said she has been
to a lot of interesting places but none as impactful as her time participating in the Semester at Sea program.
During her 110 days on a boat, Oliphant experienced her semester with 500 students from all over the world and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a special guest.
Oliphant said Tutu spoke his mind and had a vast amount of integrity. During their time on the boat, Tutu wasn’t very interested in spending time with the professors as much as he wanted to talk to students and be involved with them.
Tutu even sat in the front row
at talent shows, where Oliphant remembered him laughing and cheering students on.
“What Archbishop Desmond Tutu taught me was, you know, don’t take yourself too seriously … laugh a lot. And I try to do that with students,” Oliphant said.
While Oliphant’s trips are all in safe places and nothing bad has happened to a student on her watch, traveling abroad isn’t always smooth sailing. About 10 years ago while on a trip to Japan, Oliphant, her husband and 13 students were enjoying their day at Tokyo Disney, when there was an earthquake.
No one was injured, but Oliph-
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ant called it a “traumatic” event.
Everyone found each other and then spent three days in an airport as Oliphant and her husband tried to get students home. She said having a positive outlook, being flexible and focusing on the fact that they were all okay got them through the event, but they share a special connection after going through that together.
Besides the one instance, Oliphant said every other trip has gone well, even if she sometimes takes students to hard places, such as The Killing Fields in Cambodia. She also said she thinks the trips she will take with UK students will only get better because of the support she has planning them.
Oliphant also started to get to know her students one on one before each trip, which she said can make for a more enjoyable trip together.
Her next trip will be this coming May for three weeks in Innsbruck, Austria. She is also creating a Facebook page for those students’ families to be able to see pictures and updates as students explore and experience life abroad.
For any student traveling soon, whether it be with her or not, Oliphant offered words of advice.
“(You) have to be flexible. You can’t swim against the tide, just float with it and sooner or later you can get off,” she said.
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9 Blazer Dining
University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506
On the front cover: PHOTOS BY BRYCE TOWLE AND JACK WEAVER| STAFF
The University of Kentucky has over 4,000 Native American remains but has not made them available for return to their rightful tribe, according to ProPublica research published on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
The research, conducted by Ash Ngu and Andrea Suozzo, shows UK to be sixth on a list of institutions that have not made the remains available for return, with 4,504 remains in hand. UK is ranked behind Indiana University and ahead of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
ProPublica published a timeline for each institution showing the percentage of remains that have been returned since 1990. Results showed that 0% of remains held by UK have been returned.
“All of these institutions have used a loophole in the law that allows them to keep Native Americans remains if they deem them as ‘culturally unidentifiable,’ meaning they can’t be culturally affiliated to a modern-day federally recognized tribe,” Ngu and Suozzo said.
The ancestral remains and items are held at the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology Research and Collections Facility, also home to the Office of State Archaeology. In a press release on Jan. 13th, UK said these facilities are in charge of various archeological tasks.
“(They are tasked with) issuing archeological site numbers and permits for archeological excavations and maintaining site records, and conducting archeological field -
work, analysis of materials and preservation of cultural heritage,” the release said.
The press release announced the College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, will be investing $889,188 to contribute to the repatriation of the Native American and Native Hawaiian remains and cultural objects. The investment will allow for more staffing and resources to support the effort.
This investment is directed by UK Arts and Sciences Dean Ana Franco-Watkins. She is aiming to continue the university’s work with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAG -
PRA) program.
NAGPRA is a federal program. It provides guidelines for how ancestral items and remains must be treated.
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton told the Kernel in an email that Franco-Watkins is aware and sensitive to the issue based on her previous work efforts at another landgrant institution.
“As she became aware of the issue, and had more information, she started to work with our NAGPRA coordinator on a plan to begin to address it more substantively and sustainably,” Blanton said.
The release said UK’s NAGPRA coordinator, Celise Chilcote-Frick -
er, has put various initiatives into place over the past several years, such as implementing NAGPRA policies and procedures, a research moratorium and osteoarchaeology lab.
Blanton said significant changes have been made over the past several years, but their repatriation efforts won’t show up immediately in NAGPRA’s database.
Upon completion of their commitments, UK will have repatriated 15% of the remains from the William S. Webb Museum.
“Currently, National NAGPRA has in their inventory that we are holding 4,476 ancestors and 7,757 associated funerary belongings. Of this number:
1. 610 ancestors and 5,628 associated funerary objects have been culturally affiliated and are in the repatriation process.
2. A Notice of Inventory Completion has been submitted for 138 ancestors and their 2,412 associated funerary objects.
3. 82% of the ancestors were disinterred as the results of depression-era WPA (Works Progress Administration) excavations at 48 separate sites,” Blanton told the Kernel.
The release said UK’s NAGPRA program is communicating with Native partners about the process of the project.
“We are committed to repatriating all Native American ancestral remains and funerary belongings, sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony to Native nations,” Chilcote-Fricker said in the press release. “This investment will help make that commitment a reality.”
When students prepare to take notes inside Sanders Hall, some notice an iridescent gleam pouring over their laptop screen, while others stare at the stained glass lining the walls of their classroom.
Located at 629 South Limestone, commuters will find a small church-like building. UK students may find themselves wandering into one of the most breathtaking lecture halls they might ever sit in.
The kaleidoscopic windows glow purple, gold, red, green and blue, flooding the room during class instruction. Intricately designed religious symbols,
such as birds, holy books, hand signs, anchors, goblets and more can be found at the peak of the glass.
The stained glass and religious scenery can be attributed to UK’s willingness to find and create more space for its students.
Built in 1950, Sanders Chapel, along with its connected buildings, originally comprised the Lexington Theological Seminary. On May 12, 2013, UK purchased the seminary’s campus for $13.5 million and renamed the chapel Sanders Hall.
The purchase was made to solve the scarcity of classrooms across campus, caused partly by a large influx of students and renovations to the Gatton
Carey Higgins-Dobney, assistant professor of media arts and studies, teaches inside of Sanders Hall.
“I really like teaching in Sanders,” she said. “I was telling a couple of colleagues how nice the space is. It was a little intimidating at first glance … but once we got settled in, it made for a great class environment.”
Higgins-Dobney said the classroom is bigger than any room she’s lectured in, and she and the students love the light and space.
“I like the stained glass. I do notice that I stand in the reflections sometimes, but I love having all of that color in the room,” Higgins-Dobney said.
Sam Noelcher, owner of Zeigler Stained Glass, a local stained glass retail location in Lexington, said stained glass lasts on average around 125 years.
However, refurbishing the stained glass may need to come sooner than the 125-year benchmark due to sunlight exposure.
“When you take exposure into effect … the south side takes the brunt of the weather and heat,” Noelcher said.
Higgins-Dobney also said she enjoys the classroom because music and video presentations aren’t going to disturb any other classes.
Disturbing another class is almost impossible in the hall, in which it is the only classroom in the entirety of the building.
Amongst such a benefit, some students who have class in Sanders Hall attribute the 73-year-old lecture hall to the culture of UK.
“I’m glad we have buildings like that on our campus … I think it adds character,” Riley Moses, a media arts and studies freshman at UK, said.
Moses said the setting revitalizes her learning, as well as being a nice change of pace from regular lecture halls.
“I like the change of pace from the regular lecture halls,” Moses said. “I like the atmosphere the stained glass windows bring, especially when the sun hits them.”
Other students, like media arts and studies freshman Genesis Pena-Lozada, found it shocking to have such an unusual classroom but ultimately welcomed it.
“It’s odd having class in a chapel, but it makes for a more vivid learning space, especially in comparison to most lecture halls at UK, which can feel sterile and lifeless,” she said.
Chaotic Good: Coffee, Comics and Games Shop opened its doors for the first time on Jan. 12, located at 561 South Broadway, suite 160.
When customers first walk in, they are greeted by a barista to their right and a tabletop for board games to their left.
The unique name and theme of the shop blends into the environment created by its three owners, Alex Camp, Marian Turner and Jim Read.
“(We want to be) a place where anybody can come in, feel welcome, warm, comforting, that kind of clean environment. So that’s kind of where the good comes from. The chaos is just from the amalgamation of all the different parts and pieces that we have going on here,” Turner said.
Customers are welcome to play a free selection of board games curated by the shop. Chaotic Good also hosts nights where newcomers can learn the ropes of games like Dungeons and Dragons or Call of Cthulhu.
Similar to the chaos of the shop is the relationship the three owners have with one another.
“Jim and Alex have been best friends since kindergarten. So they grew up together, they’re basically brothers,”
Turner said. “And Alex and I are married. We met here in Lexington about five years ago. He went to EKU, and I went to Transy (Transylvania University).”
The idea for the business came around seven years ago, when Camp had just gotten out of the Marine Corps and Read was working at a comic book shop in the Chicago area, where the two grew up.
“We could do this (the comic book shop) better,” Camp said. “But me being fresh out of the military and (Jim) being fresh out of college, we did not have the capital or the means to do anything about it.”
After Turner and Camp’s marriage, they looked at owning a coffee shop, along with a little selection of comics and games.
“As we started going through, we realized no, it shouldn’t be a little bar in the back,” Camp said. “We can do a nice (old) coffee shop and this.”
For Read, the business venture marked a return to Kentucky after a brief stint in Louisville as a youth minister.
“I’m here for good,” Read said. “Even told my girlfriend, I’m like no, no, you’re gonna have to move to Kentucky.”
The Chaotic Good Coffee Shop hopes to get involved with students as they try to partner with some of the tabletop and board game clubs
at UK. Additionally, since the shop is located under the LEX apartments, it offers a 10% discount for residents.
Read said the shop also hopes to partner with artists in the area,
particularly ones from UK.
“Any art students that you know, we have an artist spotlight here every month,” he said. “So basically every month we’ll have a new artist in here
with a bunch of their stuff to sell and we’re not looking to take anything off the top of that, it’s free to the artist of the month and whatever we sell for them is theirs to keep.”
University of Kentucky sophomore Nya Shackles takes 15 credit hours and works 36 hours a week. After her shift is over, she heads to Champions Kitchen for a meal, but the lines are out the door.
Like many other students, Shackles chooses to forgo the dining hall to eat at a campus restaurant instead. But here’s the problem. Once her Flex dollars run out, she’s left without options for meals.
Meal swipes can only be used at Champions Kitchen (Champs) and the Fresh Food Company (The 90). Flex dollars can be spent at campus restaurants and markets, such as Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Subway, Starbucks and the Wildcat Pantry.
One meal costs $11.65 at Champs and The 90, which is more expensive than many options at campus restaurants.
“I think that UK isn’t very accommodating to the students on campus that are independent students,” Shackles said. “I’m an independent student and everything comes out of my pocket. Even though I don’t eat in the dining halls, I still have a meal plan. It’s extremely expensive for no reason.”
Students living in undergraduate dorms are required to purchase one of several meal plans:
Weekly 10 10 meal swipes per week, costs $1,747 per semester and provides $75 Flex dollars.
All Access Blue Unlimited meal swipes, costs $2,249 per semester and provides $250 Flex dollars.
All Access White Unlimited meal swipes, costs $2,356 per semester and provides $400 Flex dollars.
When students run out of Flex dollars, they can add more funds to their Plus account. However, students are still paying out of pocket for Plus funds.
When senior Bryce Huff had a meal plan, he didn’t see the
value in adding more Flex dollars.
“I remember when I was a freshman, I would just ask my parents for money instead of Flex,” Huff said. “You’re paying the same amount. If I had real money, I could go to the Local Taco or McDonald’s or Chipotle. We don’t have those on campus, so the Flex really kind of limits real money.”
Not every student can afford to buy a meal plan or add Plus funds to their account. These expenses make it especially difficult for low income and financially independent students.
“There are certain things we
could put our money toward aside from meal plans,” Shackles said.
As college students, we have multiple expenses to worry about, including housing, books and transportation. Adding an expensive meal plan doesn’t help matters.
The most affordable meal plan doesn’t allow students to eat at the dining hall multiple times every day. With only 10 swipes a week and $75 Flex dollars, students must still eat at restaurants or buy groceries.
As a freshman with the lowest meal plan, I can confirm this. During the week, I eat two meals a day at the dining hall but am left without meals on the weekend. I usually order food from Doordash or go to restaurants off campus, which gets really expensive.
Despite having a communal kitchen in my dorm building, I choose not to cook for two reasons: we don’t have enough storage space in our fridge, and the kitchen usually isn’t kept clean.
I’ve also had multiple experiences where my meal swipes are wasted at the dining hall. Occasionally, I go into The 90 and none of the food options are appetizing, so I leave without eating. It’s frustrating since meal swipes don’t reset until Sunday.
Food insecurity is a prevalent issue on college campuses, and UK is no exception. According to an anonymous 2019 survey taken at UK, 43% out of the 2,000 stu-
dents surveyed experienced food insecurity on campus.
Junior Izzy Holloway doesn’t believe the dining halls accommodate her dietary restrictions. As a result, she chooses to eat elsewhere.
“I prefer to eat vegetarian and vegan meals, and there’s not really a lot of options. Granted, every year it has increased the options, but it’s still not enough, especially for students who are strictly on those diets,” she said.
It wasn’t always this way. According to Holloway, UK offered a meal swipe exchange option during the 2020-2021 school year. This allowed students to use one meal swipe per day at restaurants on campus.
“Because they didn’t want everybody in the dining halls all at once, they allowed kids to use their meal swipes at Chick-fil-A, Panda Express and Subway. They had food trucks all around campus. It was a lot better than what it is now,” Holloway said.
Meal swipe exchange programs are offered at other universities, including the University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University.
With the cost of meal plans, lack of options at the dining hall and high rates of food insecurity, students’ needs aren’t being met.
How many times do we have to say it? We’re tired, and most importantly, we’re hungry. The conversation isn’t over until students are no longer an afterthought.
Increasingly, celebrities are speaking out on their personal political opinions, sparking debate about the role they should play in politics. With worsening societal issues and discrimination, Hollywood stars are taking a stand and spreading awareness.
Actors have a right to share their opinion as much as anyone, but the line between politics and hate speech has become blurry. With more access to large audiences through social media and television, public figures are able to share just about any feeling they have regardless of it being hateful or offensive.
I don’t have any issue with celebrities sharing their opinions.
Whether I agree or not, it isn’t my opinion, and they have freedom of speech just like anyone else. My issue comes when public figures abuse their platforms through purposeful hate speech.
I think it’s beneficial when celebrities utilize their status to spread awareness of issues like climate change or the fight for equal rights. It’s important for their audiences to remember that these
beliefs are opinions.
Conducting personal research and developing personal beliefs is vital for every citizen, although some will take opinion as sole truth.
Some stars endorse candidates and mention political views in passing. Others have taken a public stand with protesters to fight inequality and environmental issues.
John Boyega spoke at a protest in London for the Black Lives Matter movement. Jane Fonda has fought against climate change and racial injustice for decades.
Award shows like the Oscars are home to many speeches with political warnings and concerns. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio used his acceptance speech to warn about the dangers of climate change in 2016.
Endorsing candidates and supporting movements is fine, but there’s a difference between supporting stances aimed at building equality and stances aimed at creating more division.
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West (now Ye) showed his support for former President Donald Trump throughout late 2018. He later renounced his endorsement and decided that he wanted to announce his
candidacy for the 2020 United States Presidential election.
It’s difficult for me to defend supporters of Trump, as he spreads hatred quite often. Between a multitude of offensive sexual remarks and utilizing racial language, he has created a hateful name for himself.
But the even larger issue with Ye came more recently, when he began to spread antisemitic and white supremacist ideals.
Following a series of antisemitic comments made by Ye, a group of supporters was seen on an overpass with banners saying that West was “right about the Jews” and performing the Nazi salute.
West later shared his admiration for Adolf Hitler in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his radio show by saying he “sees good things in Hitler.” Additionally, West was seen wearing a shirt with the “White Lives Matter” slogan on the back in 2022, supporting white supremacy and mocking the BLM movement.
It’s very simple to share an opinion without being offensive. Everyone should be allowed a say in politics, but hate speech doesn’t belong anywhere. With audiences as impressionable as they are,
it’s vital to spread awareness to create positivity and to build a better future rather than tearing others down for personal gain.
It’s perfectly fine to utilize freedom of speech, but hate speech shouldn’t be protected. It’s very easy to be respectful of others’ social identities while pursuing personal politics. It’s no different for celebrities.
The more exposure to hate, the more likely it is that people will start to pick up
on hateful behavior. People are impressionable, especially by those who they admire.
It’s important that platforms with large audiences work to inform, educate and work towards a better future. But it’s equally as important to remember that Hollywood stars are people before they are actors.
We aren’t going to always agree with the opinions of others, but we can use that to build our own beliefs and educate ourselves further.
As celebrities take a stand, the line between opinion and fact blurs
Just over two weeks ago, Kentucky basketball suffered a devastating loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, which led some students on campus to demand a change in the head coaching position.
Fans were fed up with head coach John Calipari, with many stating they wanted him gone.
That said, four days after the alarming loss, Coach Calipari and the Cats stormed into the territory of the No. 5 ranked Tennesee Volunteers and beat them on their own court.
While one win could be a fluke, Kentucky then went on to win its next three straight, defeating Texas A&M and Georgia at home and Vanderbilt in Nashville.
While not all wins are created equal, the four-game winning streak and the huge 63-56 win in Knoxville leaves fans with a number of lingering questions, most of all: are the Cats back?
Kentucky student and basketball fan Jack Powell seemed to think so.
“I think the Tennessee game was a major turning point in the season,” he said.“This recent win streak really makes me think Coach Cal has got this.”
The four-game winning streak tied the largest streak of the season for the Wildcats, leading many fans to feel optimistic about the future ahead of another top 10 matchup, this time against No. 9 Kansas.
“I think it (the win streak) has brought light back into how legendary of a coach he is,” UK student Max Brainard said. “Even in the midst of people doubting him, back against the wall, he is able to turn around and inspire a lot of confidence in his players.”
While students like Powell and Brainard are quick to believe the prestigious Kentucky Wildcats are back, others are less convinced in Calipari and his team.
“Four games in a row is good,” UK student Omar Fakhoury said. “But if they can push it to six or seven, then I’ll be more sure about them.”
For some students, Fakhoury included, it’s unlikely anything short of a national title this season will be enough to properly redeem Calipari in their eyes.
Many fans have reached their breaking point regardless of the recent success after the team has hardly had NCAA Tournament basketball participation in the last three years, with the tournament being postponed in 2020, the 2021 team missing the “big dance” entirely and the 2022 team be-
ing stunned in the first round by No. 15 seeded Saint Peter’s.
“There have been multiple instances where we’ve (Kentucky) gotten very far in the NCAA tournament (and lost) and there’s always been a coaching error,” Fakhoury said. Fakhoury was not the only one who felt that way, though.
“It’s not even just this season, it’s his mindset (that I hate),” Kentucky senior Jake Maynard said. “It’s been this
idea of, ‘Kentucky fans are crazy.’ When you’re winning that comes across as a joke and we give him the benefit of the doubt, but it’s been a decade since he’s won anything of merit so that benefit of the doubt is gone.”
Regardless of whether or not the entire fanbase could come around to be on Calipari’s side once again, one thing remains certain: if there’s anyone uncertain about Kentucky
after the recent win streak, the Cats will have an opportunity to truly prove themselves on Saturday.
With the reigning national champions scheduled to take the court inside Rupp Arena, Kentucky will have a huge opportunity to sway some of its doubters with a win. Kentucky and Kansas are set to tipoff at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 28, inside Rupp Arena. The game can be watched live on ESPN.
The “Across the (By)Line” series gives Kentucky basketball fans an indepth look at their opponent for this week — from the mind of the opposing school’s sports editor.
This week: The University Daily Kansan, Joe Blake, Kansas
By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.comSeeing Kansas lose three straight games was a surprise. What do you think went wrong for the Jayhawks?
I think one of the biggest things is that they haven’t found a consistent second scorer. Jalen Wilson has obviously (done well) the last three games during this losing streak. He had 38 against Kansas State and 31 against TCU. He’s putting on good performances and then the secondary scorers aren’t really showing up the way that they should be. I also think not having a presence inside
– KJ Adams had a streak of at least 10 games where he was scoring in double figures and that went away at the start of this losing streak. Not having him being a scoring threat has really diminished a lot of what this offense is doing. Then also I think their energy has run low. They had a lot of close games that ran really close together. Coach (Bill) Self even said that they weren’t playing defense with the same urgency that they had been earlier in the year and earlier in Big 12 play. So this five day break will (make it) interesting to see what kind of energy they come out with on Saturday.
Do you believe in the superstition that ‘Blue Bloods’ never lose four in a row?
Yeah, it was the 88-89 season, which was the first season under Roy Williams straight after the national championship, that was the last time they lost four in a row. Bill Self has been ultra consistent throughout (his tenure). I can remember –I’ve been watching Kansas basketball my whole life –where I was the first time I witnessed the Jayhawks lose three straight so it doesn’t happen very often. Bill Self has been a pillar of consistency since 2008 and even throughout his entire tenure the Jayhawks haven’t been
any lower than a No. 4 seed in the (NCAA) Tournament. He’s always been able to provide great regular seasons so when they do lose three like this it does raise some concern around Lawrence, but at the end of the day they have Bill Self at the helm. The panic is there but nobody is calling for his job or anything like that. There’s still complete trust in the Jayhawks.
Is Kansas coming to Kentucky with revenge on the mind after the blowout in Lawrence last year?
I think to an extent, yes. Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris (Jr.) were both integral parts of that team (last
year) and are going to want revenge. It was definitely a low point in the season. But I think at the end of the day it’s just another big game on Kansas’ schedule. They’ve been playing in big games all year and the revenge factor is there, but it’s not the driving point of the game.
What do you think the final result will be when these teams face off?
I see this game going 8277 for the Jayhawks. I think they get back on track. I think Bill Self has got an incredible road record against very good teams and I think Kentucky is starting to prove that they’re a really good team.
Kentucky womens basketball will look to earn its second SEC win of the season when it hosts the Auburn Tigers on Thursday.
The game marks a homecoming for the Wildcats, who haven’t played inside Memorial Coliseum in over a week, with the most recent home performance being the 95-66 loss to No. 1 South Carolina.
Since that loss, the Cats have been on an extended road trip that saw them find their first SEC victory of the season against Florida, winning with a final score of 81-75 in Gainesville.
The Florida matchup saw several highs for Kentucky as Robyn Benton reached a career-high 29 points while the team as a whole shot 82% from the free-throw line.
Unfortunately for Kentucky, the SEC victory was only briefly celebrated as the Cats quickly picked up another conference loss against Mississippi State (77-76) in Starkville.
Overall, the Wildcats have struggled since the start of conference play
and will be taking the court against the Tigers with a 9-10 overall record and a 1-6 conference record.
As for Auburn, the Tigers are currently in a similar position, sitting at 1-6 in conference play with their first SEC win of the season coming just last week in a
77-76 overtime win over Ole Miss.
The Tigers are led by Aicha Coulibaly, who has continued to be the team’s top performer, averaging 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Following right behind Coulibaly is Hones -
ty Scott-Grayson, who is shooting 44% from the field and averaging 14.1 points per game.
On Kentucky’s side, Benton has consistently led the Cats in scoring, averaging 17.1 points while sophomore point guard Jada Walker puts up an average
of 13.5 points, being relied on for her aggressive energy that she brings to the court.
Also worth noting is Oregon transfer Maddie Scherr, who, in spite of Kentucky’s struggles in the conference, has stepped up in SEC play.
Scherr has recorded a double-digit point total in every game since Kentucky’s matchup against Georgia on Jan. 5, including a career-high 25 points against the No. 1 Gamecocks.
While the Wildcats have not quite seen the wins they would like to in conference play thus far, the added points that Scherr brings on the court has the potential to carry Kentucky just the few points further that it needs to come out on top.
When looking at the numbers, Kentucky and Auburn suit each other well, with both teams looking to prove themselves and earn a second conference win, ensuring that it’s likely to be an evenly matched contest.
Kentucky and Auburn are set to tip off inside Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. EST in Lexington, Kentucky. The game can be streamed live on the SEC Network.
Kentucky mens basketball defeated Vanderbilt 69-53 inside Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday.
As is the case with any sporting event, the win brought a plethora of interesting statistical tidbits that all come together to form an interesting pattern.
Case in point: by the numbers, Kentucky secured its victory over Vanderbilt twice, and both points came with over 19 minutes left to play.
How could this be?
The first time Kentucky “called game” was at halftime, when the Cats took a 36-27 lead into the break after a designed play led to UK forward Jacob Toppin having an easy layup down low.
Kentucky entered the game standing at a perfect 10-0 on the season when leading at halftime and 1-0 when tied at halftime. The win over Vanderbilt ensured that Kentucky will enter its next matchup standing at an unwavering 12-0 on the season when not trailing at halftime.
The second time Kentucky seemed to clinch victory before the whistle came less than 30 seconds into the second half when freshman point guard Cason Wallace drained a 3-pointer that gave Kentucky a 39-27 lead.
Since Kentucky head coach John Calipari arrived in Lexington in 2009, the Cats have won 96.1% of the time when leading by 10 points at any point in the game.
For an actual record, with the win over the Commodores, Kentucky is now 321-13 when holding a 10-point lead at any time under Calipari.
Kentucky also secured its victory in another way as well, though the third sealing factor wouldn’t be official until the final whistle, with the Cats entering the game 85-0
when holding opponents to 55 points or less.
Keeping the Commodores to just 53 points in the game, Kentucky improved to 86-0. The patterns don’t stop there, though.
Kentucky also held the Commodores to shooting just 33% from the field, with the Wildcats winning 90.5% (228-24) of the time when holding opponents below 40%.
All that said, Kentucky already had a high chance of winning the game heading in purely based on the opponent,
with the win in Nashville marking the 14th consecutive victory over the Commodores, with Vandy’s most recent win over Kentucky taking place on Feb. 27, 2016.
Looking at numbers, the win was also significant for several individual reasons, with the win getting Calipari within one win of surpassing the late former LSU basketball coach Harry Rabenhorst for sixth in the all-time SEC wins category.
For the team as a whole, the win marked the fourth consecutive victory, which
tied the largest winning streak of the season, and, in combination with No. 9 Kansas’s recent losing streak, got the Cats back within six games of once again becoming the highest-winning college basketball program of all time.
For individual players, reigning consensus National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe recorded 13 rebounds in the win over Vandy, which saw him jump three spots up to No. 18 in the all-time Kentucky career rebounding list.
Tshiebwe surpassed Jamal Mashburn (760), Tayshaun Prince (757) and Mike Phillips (755) on the list.
Point guard Sahvir Wheeler’s five assists also saw him get within two assists of surpassing Keith Bogans (314) to take the No. 16 spot in the all-time Kentucky assist leader list.
With the Wildcats set to face off against No. 9 Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 28, inside Rupp Arena, the team will have a pivotal chance to gain more ground in once again becoming the winningest college basketball program, while Calipari, Tshiebwe and Wheeler will all individually have chances to further improve their own person records as well.
Tipoff against the Jayhawks is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. EST and will air live on ESPN.