SEC Basketball

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops doesn't believe the program is the little brother to Wildcats men's basketball anymore.

Stoops pushed back against the idea expressed by men's basketball coach John Calipari that Kentucky is a "basketball school":

Basketball school? I thought we competed in the SEC? #4straightpostseasonwins https://t.co/xUoKmUeonH

— Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) August 11, 2022

In an interview with The Athletic's Kyle Tucker, Calipari campaigned for facility upgrades and argued his case by pointing toward how important basketball is toward UK's identity:

And the reason is, this is a basketball school. It’s always been that. Alabama is a football school. So is Georgia. I mean, they are. No disrespect to our football team. I hope they win 10 games and go to bowls. At the end of the day, that makes my job easier and it makes the job of all of us easier. But this is a basketball school. And so we need to keep moving in that direction and keep doing what we’re doing.

Stoops' rejoinder is understandable and reflects the relative success he has helped deliver on the gridiron. Kentucky is coming off its second 10-win season under his nine-year watch, and its streak of four straight years with a bowl victory is the longest in school history.

When laying out its budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year, the university also reported higher revenues for football ($40 million) than men's basketball ($29.6 million). Football had a higher percentage of expenses as well.

Football is big business for the University of Kentucky.

Having said that, Calipari's position still reflects the reality of the situation to a large degree, and Stoops' recent contract extension is a perfect illustration.

Stoops signed a new deal last December, one that will pay him $6.75 million starting with the 2022 season. The 55-year-old is basically bulletproof in Lexington right now despite delivering zero national titles and zero New Year's Six bowl bids.

Calipari, by contrast, has guided Kentucky to one national title and four Final Four appearances. His 365 wins are second only to Adolph Rupp in school history.

Still, the immediate reactions to the Wildcats' first-round upset to St. Peter's in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament is a testament to how past achievements—no matter how significant—only counts for so much in the eyes of fans.

The gulf between Kentucky football and men's basketball is certainly closing, but Stoops might want to consider how perceiving the Wildcats to be a "football school" means more scrutiny and higher expectations.

Life in the shadow of Kentucky basketball isn't all that bad when you think about it.

Two of the top programs in men's college basketball will face off in a home-and-home series across the upcoming two seasons.

The Kentucky Wildcats will travel to the Gonzaga Bulldogs for a Nov. 20 showdown, and the Bulldogs will complete the return trip to face the Wildcats on the road in 2023, as Kyle Tucker and Dana O'Neil of The Athletic relayed Tuesday.

Tucker and O'Neil noted Gonzaga head coach Mark Few called in to a telethon that Wildcats head coach John Calipari was participating in to raise money for those impacted by flooding in Kentucky and revealed the news.

While Kentucky and Gonzaga have played just once—a Wildcats win in 2002—the two coaches are friends and faced each other four times when Calipari was with Memphis.

"For us, Drew [Timme], Julian [Strawther], Rasir [Bolton], they all made the decision to come back," Few said. "These are the kinds of games they want to play in, so why not? It's fun for them. It's great for the sport. There are a thousand positives, and no negatives."

Marquee nonconference games are nothing new for Gonzaga, which attempts to build a strong resume before its slate is watered down by West Coast Conference play.

The Bulldogs next season will also play Michigan State, Texas, Baylor and Alabama and will participate in the PK85 tournament in a bracket that features Duke, Florida, Purdue and West Virginia, per Tucker and O'Neil.

The Wildcats will face Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA, Louisville and Kansas too.

The November showdown figures to be one of the best in college basketball during the upcoming season.

After all, Gonzaga checked in at No. 2 and Kentucky No. 4 in ESPN's Jeff Borzello's Top 25 rankings July 26. There will be no shortage of star power with Timme, Strawther and Bolton on the Bulldogs side and Oscar Tshiebwe leading the way for the Wildcats.

Kentucky will be looking to bounce back from its shocking first-round NCAA tournament loss to Saint Peter's, and a Top Five win early in the season would be a great way to do just that.

Gonzaga also lost earlier than expected in the tournament. The No. 1 overall seed reached the Sweet 16 but fell to Arkansas.

Kentucky Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Pratt died Thursday at the age of 73.

Per Jon Hale of the Louisville Courier Journal, Pratt had cancer that spread to his liver, jaw and back.

Pratt played three seasons for the Wildcats from 1967-70. He was named to the All-SEC first team in each of his final two years with the program.

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari issued a statement about Pratt in the wake of his death, via Tyler Thompson of On3.com:

"We lost a family member, a part of the Kentucky family and a friend. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting Mike Pratt, you knew what a special person he was. Mike was a dear friend to me and was an integral part in helping me become head coach here. Ellen and I will forever be grateful to him for his support and kindness. We should all be thankful that he was in our lives. Mike knew that the University and the Big Blue Nation loved him, and they never forgot what he did as a player and then later as a connection for the program. I’m going to miss him."

According to Hale, Pratt was on the coaching search committee in 2009 that eventually led to Calipari being hired by the program.

After going undrafted, Pratt spent two seasons playing in the ABA with the Kentucky Colonels. He moved into coaching at the college ranks in 1975 when Lee Rose hired him as an assistant at Charlotte.

When Rose left the 49ers to go to Purdue, Pratt was promoted to head coach. He went 56-52 in four seasons with the program before being fired after the 1981-82 campaign.

Pratt returned to his alma mater in 2001 to do color commentary for Wildcats games alongside Tom Leach on the UK Radio Network. The duo remained together even as Pratt underwent treatment when he was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019.

Snapped this picture of Mike with Chuck Hayes at UK shootaround ay Vandy in 2020. Everybody gravitated to MP for his bball knowledge and his friendship. I loved him like a brother. My heart is broken. RIP pic.twitter.com/BkdkqWqp41

— Tom Leach (@tomleachKY) June 17, 2022

Pratt was inducted into the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. He averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 81 games as a player for the Wildcats.

Jacob Toppin isn't done at Kentucky.

Toppin, who is the younger brother of New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin, announced Tuesday in a video message that he is withdrawing from the 2022 NBA draft and returning to the Wildcats for the 2022-23 campaign.

He ended his message by saying: "Let's run it back one more year. Go Big Blue."

https://twitter.com/Jtoppin0/status/1531742975407144965

It doesn't come as a massive surprise that Toppin isn't remaining in next month's draft.

After all, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman released an updated mock draft Tuesday that did not have him being selected in either of the two rounds. He also started just four games for the Wildcats last season and was more of a secondary contributor.

Toppin averaged 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.6 blocks per game in 2021-22 and shot 55.6 percent from the field.

He wasn't much of an outside shooter, but he can work in pick-and-rolls and provide interior scoring and rebounding. He may also be a bigger factor for the Wildcats during the upcoming season with more experience and the expected roster turnaround.

Toppin started his collegiate career at Rhode Island but transferred to Kentucky ahead of the 2020-21 season. He has yet to live up to his brother's college legacy considering Obi was the men's National Player of the Year in 2019-20 and a consensus All-American at Dayton.

The younger Toppin can be a matchup problem because of his athleticism, and ESPN's Jeff Borzello called him a "potential breakout candidate" for a team ranked No. 3 in the publication's early Top 25 rankings.

If that is the case, Toppin may hear his name called at the 2023 NBA draft.         

Kentucky basketball legend Reggie Warford died on Thursday at the age of 67. 

Per Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Warford had been diagnosed with numerous health problems in recent years and was surrounded by his family when he died. 

Reggie Warford passed away this morning at home surrounded by his loving family. I know how much Reggie meant to Kentucky & how he inspired others.

Reggie and I worked together at Pitt in the 80s and have remained friends.

I’m going to miss my brother, may God bless you Reggie.

— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) May 26, 2022

According to Tipton, Warford was the first Black player in Wildcats history to have a four-year basketball career and graduate from the university. 

Per Mike Fields of KHSAA.org, Warford had a heart transplant in 2014, a kidney transplant in 2017 and developed a pulmonary condition that restricted his breathing and required him to use oxygen at night. 

Joe B. Hall was named Kentucky head coach in April 1972 after Adolph Rupp retired. Hall was instrumental in fully integrating the Wildcats basketball program, with Warford being the first player who committed to the team under the first-year head coach. 

Derrick White, a professor in UK’s African American and Africana Studies program, told The Athletic's Kyle Tucker after Hall's death in January that Warford's commitment was a huge milestone for Kentucky basketball. 

"Joe B. signing Reggie Warford was so important because it signaled to Black Kentuckians and folks all over the nation that they were not going to do business the same way they had done it," White said. 

According to Tipton, Warford, Jack Givens, James Lee, Merion Haskins and Larry Johnson were the first all-Black starting five in Wildcats history during the 1974-75 season. 

Warford was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2019. He helped the Wildcats win the National Invitational Tournament as a senior during the 1975-76 season. 

In four years at Kentucky, Warford averaged 4.1 points per game over 50 appearances.     

Auburn Tigers star Jabari Smith Jr. is ready for the big stage, and the potential first overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft believes he can one day be one of the best players in league history.

"I feel like I can be one of the greatest ever," Smith told Stadium's Shams Charania (4:40 mark below). "Honestly, like, putting in my work and just how I carry myself and how I view the game and, like, I've been around basketball so long and got people around me that just know the game. It's like, the sky's the limit."

Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr., the potential top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, sits down with @Stadium: “Yes, I believe I’m No. 1.” On the values learned from an NBA dad, translating in a position-less era, much more. pic.twitter.com/5xPzvHqGaB

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 18, 2022

Smith had an incredible freshman season with the Tigers, averaging 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 42.0 percent from deep in 34 games. 

The 6'10" sharpshooter was a consensus All-American, an All-SEC first-team selection and the SEC Rookie of the Year.

Smith is considered one of the more well-rounded players in this year's draft. He's one of the best three-point shooters, rebounders and disruptive defenders available. He has excellent speed and agility, and his ceiling as a two-way star is pretty high. 

That said, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren and Duke's Paolo Banchero also have the potential be the top pick in this year's draft after also having impressive freshman seasons at their respective schools.

Holmgren, a consensus All-American and WCC Newcomer of the Year, was once considered the best player available in this year's draft before Smith's emergence. He averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 60.7 percent from the floor and 39.0 percent from deep in 32 games. 

Banchero, who was also a consensus All-American and ACC Rookie of the Year, averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from deep in 39 games.

Smith has the best odds to be selected first overall at -125, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Holmgren has the next-best odds at +150, while Banchero has the third-best odds at +500.

Whoever is selected first overall will be headed to Orlando after the Magic won the 2022 NBA draft lottery on Tuesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder will pick second and the Houston Rockets will pick third. 

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One of the biggest remaining pieces in the 2022 recruiting class came off the board Thursday after Yohan Traore committed to Auburn, per Joe Tipton of On3.com.

"I like Bruce Pearl," Traore said. "I think he's a great coach with experience with players at the 4 position, like Chuma Okeke, Isaac Okoro, JT Thor, and this year, Jabari [Smith] so I think they will be able to develop my game.

"There was a family atmosphere [at Auburn]. The players were cool too. Every day they're going to push me to be the best. I think it's going to be a great place and I trust the coaches."

The 6'10" big man is the No. 15 overall player and No. 4 center in the country, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

In March, LSU fired head coach Will Wade after the NCAA issued the school a notice of allegations. A few weeks later, the Tigers began witnessing the fallout when Traore told On3's Joe Tipton he was decommitting from the school.

"Due to the recent changes within the basketball program, my family and I have decided to reopen my recruitment," he said. "Looking forward to finding a new place I can call home."

That set off a late frenzy to secure his commitment.

After having evaluated Traore, 247Sports' Brandon Jenkins called him a "skilled, efficient, and productive big man with a good natural frame":

His efficiency comes in how he generally plays within himself offensively and does what is asked of him on the floor. Traore displays a natural shooting touch not only inside but out to 15 feet, and he always looks [to] dunk everything he possibly can while operating inside or in the dunker spot. He also has great hands, is a solid rebounder, and runs the floor with purpose. Traore has the size, mobility, and skill as a big man that high major guards would love to play with.

Traore fits the profile of a modern-day center. Not only does he have the size to bang inside, but he also possesses the athleticism you'd associate with a smaller forward. Somebody who's nearly 7'0" tall shouldn't really be able to do this:

All across the Mediterranean! Yohan Traore with the 🌪️ coast-to-coast finish!@ffbasketball 🇫🇷 #FIBAU16Europe

📺 https://t.co/DJ48CAYwVr
📝 https://t.co/yFsW7zLxuN pic.twitter.com/RLoyZWR5O9

— FIBA Basketball (@FIBA) August 17, 2019

While not a complete unknown on the recruiting circuit, Traore's true talent level was somewhat muddled because he had been balling out in France. Upon arriving in the United States, he didn't wait long to make an impression.

Traore turned heads in July with Dream Vision at the Adidas 3SSB in Birmingham, Alabama, after averaging 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. 

Eric Bossi of 247Sports wrote he was "likely the most consistently dominant performer of the entire four days in Alabama." The Athletic's CJ Moore also named him as his player of the tournament, adding that "not many people even knew who this dude was a few months ago."

As a result of his performance, Traore climbed from 67th to ninth in 247Sports' composite rankings. His stock was seemingly only going to go up as he showcased his talent at Dream City Christian.

Traore should immediately become a key player for the Tigers upon joining the squad for the 2022-23 season and should provide plenty of highlights before he inevitably makes the jump to the next level.

And Auburn should be one of the top teams in college basketball, with 4-star small forward Chance Westry joining Traore in a very solid incoming recruiting class. 

The Miami Hurricanes are on their way to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years after their 79-61 win over the Auburn Tigers in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament on Sunday.

Miami made the tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, as head coach Jim Larranaga's team had its best regular season since 2015-16 (23-10). It had to hold off a furious second-half rally from USC in the first round to advance this weekend.

Meanwhile, Auburn looked like a potential national-title contender coming into the tournament. The Tigers earned their highest seed (No. 2) since the 1998-99 campaign after going 27-5 during the regular season. They had no problems against Jacksonville State with an 80-61 win in the first round Friday.

After a close first half, Miami outscored Auburn 46-29 in the second half to cruise to an easy win. 

Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller, Charlie Moore and Kameron McGusty combined to score 68 of the Hurricanes' points in the win. 

Auburn's offense vanished with just 61 points, its fewest in a game since Jan. 25. The Tigers' inability to put the ball in the basket offset their 17-6 offensive-rebound advantage. 

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Notable Game Stats

• Isaiah Wong (MIA): 21 points (8-of-18 FG), 6 rebounds, 2 assists
• Kameron McGusty (MIA): 20 points (10-of-18 FG), 7 rebounds, 4 assists
• Charlie Moore (MIA): 15 points (4-of-8 FG), 9 rebounds, 8 assists
• Jaylin Williams (AUB): 12 points (5-of-8 FG), 4 rebounds
• K.D. Johnson (AUB): 12 points (4-of-10 FG), 3 rebounds
• Jabari Smith (AUB): 10 points (3-of-16 FG), 15 rebounds, 4 assists

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Balanced Offense Carries Hurricanes to Sweet 16

The formula for Miami to succeed this season has been outscoring opponents. Larranaga's team finished the regular season ranked 35th in offensive rating (110.1).

Miami's offense didn't put its best foot forward against USC in the first round. It scored 68 points on 42.9 percent shooting (1-of-14 from three-point range). 

On Sunday, even though the three-point shooting still wasn't there for Miami (3-of-15), everything else for the offense was on point. 

Four of their five starters scored in double figures. Wong has been fantastic so far in the tournament, scoring 22 points against USC. The sophomore guard followed that up with 21 points against Auburn. 

Wong also had arguably the best highlight of the tournament thus far when he put Jabari Smith on a poster in the first half. 

OMG ISAIAH WONG JUST DROPPED A HAMMER ON JABARI SMITH @CanesHoops pic.twitter.com/aB1AwuS4XS

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2022

ISAIAH WONG POSTER 😤

10-seed @CanesHoops leads 2-seed Auburn at halftime 👀 pic.twitter.com/D36aTF60Qo

— ESPN (@espn) March 21, 2022

McGusty had a solid bounceback game after a 5-of-18 performance against the Trojans. He had 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting vs. Auburn. 

The duo of Wong and McGusty scored Miami's first eight points to start the second half when the team opened up a 41-32 lead. 

In addition to their efficiency on two-point attempts, the Hurricanes were great at protecting the ball and creating additional opportunities. They had 19 assists to 4 turnovers in the win. 

Consistency hasn't been there for Miami throughout the season. It went from beating Duke on Jan. 8 to losing to Florida State in its next game. It needed overtime to beat a 13-20 Boston College team in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. 

If Larranaga and his staff can harness this performance going forward, though, the Hurricanes will continue to be a major factor in the tournament with their offensive upside. 

Shooting Lets Tigers Down in Loss

A matchup with Miami seemed like it was designed to highlight a lot of the things that Auburn does well.

The Tigers ranked in the top 50 in offensive (108.9) and defensive efficiency (92.4), per Basketball Reference. Miami's defense was 227th in points allowed (70.9) and 281st in efficiency (104.6).

Instead, everything that could go wrong for Auburn pretty much did across the board. The team's 30.4 field-goal percentage matched its performance in a 67-62 loss against Texas A&M in the SEC tournament quarterfinals.

Miami nearly pitched a shutout on fast-break points in the game:

Fast break points:
Miami-30
Auburn-1

That is the stat of the game. https://t.co/1ljU1NYxZZ

— Caroline Darney (@cwdarney) March 21, 2022

Walker Kessler, who was fourth on the Tigers with 11.7 points per game during the regular season, scored two points and didn't make a field goal Sunday.

Jabari Smith did have a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds, but he only made three of his 16 shot attempts. Smith and K.D. Johnson were the only Auburn starters to score in double figures.

Auburn been so awful. I know Jabari and Kessler both massive struggles, but going away from them and jackin contested 35 footers aint the way.

— Chris Vernon (@ChrisVernonShow) March 21, 2022

Jaylin Williams was the only Auburn player who can legitimately claim to have played a good game. The junior forward scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench, as he tried to provide a spark.

But nothing was working for head coach Bruce Pearl's team. He didn't have any way to stop the slide once it started, leading to a blowout loss and a frustrating end to what was one of the best seasons in program history.

Auburn's 28 wins are the third-most in school history. It reached No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time ever Jan. 24 and remained there for three weeks.

Pearl has done a fantastic job of making the Tigers into an annual title contender. He will almost certainly be able to reload for next season, but this loss will likely linger for some time because of how high the expectations were coming into the tournament.     

What's Next?

Miami will play Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

 

The better the opponent, the better the victory looks to the NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes understands that and wants his team's fans to as well.

"Wherever I have been, when fans start doing that, I am like, 'Stop,'" Barnes said while explaining why he signaled for fans to stop chanting "overrated" during the closing moments of Saturday's 67-62 win over No. 3 Auburn, per Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News Sentinel. "Give us credit. Don't demean what we just did. We just beat an outstanding basketball team."

He continued: "You just had a great, quality win against a team that first of all is not (overrated). Your fans are acting like you beat nobody. Well, we did. We just beat a top-five team."

The win was part of a wild day in college basketball when No. 23 Saint Mary's defeated No. 1 Gonzaga, Colorado beat No. 2 Arizona, Michigan State won against No. 4 Purdue, No. 10 Baylor toppled No. 5 Kansas, No. 18 Arkansas outlasted No. 6 Kentucky and TCU handled No. 9 Texas Tech.

Santiago Vescovi led the way for the Volunteers with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

They are now 7-1 in their last eight as they continue to play their way up the seed line with Selection Sunday approaching.