Vanderbilt Upsets Kentucky on Senior Night
Vanderbilt upset No. 23 Kentucky 68-66 on Senior Night at Rupp Arena. Oscar Tshiebwe had yet another double-double for Kentucky, scoring 21 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Antonio Reeves never quite found his shooting touch in the game, but he did enough to score 14 points. Cason Wallace had six points but was injured in the second half and played just 19 minutes.
Kentucky Beats Florida in SEC Tournament First Round
The Cats, who won four games in four days to claim the title last season, won their first game of the 2023 tournament on Wednesday, beating Florida 72-57 at Bon Secours Arena. Kentucky (11-18) snapped a seven-game losing streak with the victory, behind 20 points from Robyn Benton and 12 points from Jada Walker. Adebola Adeyeye had 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in the win, while Maddie Scherr had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds while battling through injuries. Kentucky advances to the second round of the SEC Tournament, where the Cats will face Alabama on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Tide won the earlier meeting between the teams 72-65 at Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 9.
Lady Toppers Host UTEP in Battle for Second Place
WKU women’s basketball will host UTEP on Thursday evening in Diddle Arena at 6:30 p.m. Both teams are tied for second place in the Conference USA standings, so Thursday’s game will serve as tiebreaker. WKU previously defeated the Miners in El Paso, 77-75, in a come-from-behind win after entering the fourth quarter down 19.
WKU Takes First Trip to UTEP Since 2020
Ending the regular season on the road, WKU Hilltopper Basketball is set to play the UTEP Miners on Thursday night. The 8 p.m. CT game will be streamed on ESPN+. This is the first time the teams have met in El Paso since 2020. Both teams are coming off a loss as the Hilltoppers fell to UAB 72-60 on Saturday and the Miners lost at Florida Atlantic 75-49. WKU and UTEP met nearly a month ago and the Tops came out victorious, 74-69. WKU leads the all-time series over UTEP 7-1, dropping a single game to the Miners in El Paso in 2016. Head coach Rick Stansbury is an undefeated 5-0 against UTEP.
Racers Ready For First Arch Madness Appearance
With the 2022-23 regular season coming to an end with the Murray State Racers securing their 33rd winning season in the last 35 and confirming a winning record in their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference, it’s on to St. Louis. The Racers meet the Valparaiso Beacons for a third time this season and in consecutive weeks. It’s a 6 p.m. tip Thursday at the Enterprise Center. The Racers are the No. 7 seed and VU is No. 10. Drake, the No. 2 seed is waiting the winner with the same 6 p.m. tip time Friday night.
Perry Earns All-MVC Honors
Murray State’s Rob Perry was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Third Team as announced Thursday at the Valley’s awards dinner at the Hyatt at the Arch Hotel in downtown St. Louis. Perry was also honored as part of the MVC All-Newcomer Team.
Racers Begin Final Road Trip at Valpo
The Murray State women’s basketball team begins its final two games of the season Thursday when it travels to Valparaiso, Indiana for a 6 p.m. clash at the Athletics-Recreation Center with Valparaiso. Two wins in their last two games would secure the sixth-seed for the Racers in next week’s Hoops in the Heartland MVC Women’s Basketball Championship in Moline, Illinois.
>>Tennessee Guard Tears ACL; Will Miss Rest of Season
(Knoxville, TN) — Tennessee is losing its starting point guard for the rest of the season. The school announced yesterday that Zakai Zeigler suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the team’s recent win over Arkansas. The point guard was averaging 10.7 points, 5.4 assists and two steals per game this season. He’s also a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. The Vols released a statement which read, “We know, beyond all doubt, that Zakai will use this challenge to author his inspiring comeback story. He’ll have our boundless backing every step of the way.”
>>College Basketball Roundup
(Undated) — Memphis is on the road playing SMU tonight.