Friday Headlines: Stonehill Gameday Edition

Kentucky should bounce back in a big way tonight.

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Nov 17, 2023, 6:40am EST

NCAA Basketball: Champions Classic-Kansas at Kentucky

Kentucky men’s basketball returns to their home court this evening to host Stonehill. It will be the Wildcats’ first game back on the court since their tough loss to No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night and you have to sense head coach John Calipari is craving a big win tonight.

Though currently ranked at No. 17, Calipari’s Wildcats played like a top-10 team against Kansas — especially when you consider Kentucky was missing their three 7-foot big men to go up against Kansas transfer Hunter Dickinson. The Wildcats were able to utilize their small, four-guard lineup to both create penetration and spread the floor for outside shots.

Kentucky may have lost the game to Kansas, but (if you’re a believer) you can confidently say they had a moral victory. Playing that well in their first big TV game, against the team that’s currently viewed as the best in the country and with such good chemistry was overly promising for the season that’s starting to unfold. It’s been a few years since you had a “relaxed” or “fun” atmosphere in the Kentucky locker room, but it seems to be there now.

Kentucky will look to rebound from their loss on Tuesday with tonight’s game against Stonehill, where the Wildcats are 32.5-point favorites according to Draftkings Sportsbook.

Tip off is set for 7PM ET with coverage on ESPN+ or SECN+. You can also listen LIVE on your local UK Sports Network radio station and follow along here for postgame coverage.

Tweet of the Day

Sometimes your life changes without you even knowing it. @MartySmithESPN and his message and acts of kindness did that four our guys. Thank you, Marty.

And @ESPNMcGee, there is video evidence of him hitting 90+ in the cages! #TrueStory pic.twitter.com/8Ua1aDipP2
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) November 16, 2023