Kentucky’s Mark Pope wants to be a part of things bigger than himself
Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope says he wants to be a part of things bigger than himself — like becoming the head coach — because it’s meaningful.
Coverage from the game:
Kentucky basketball needs to learn new way to win. How about winning ugly? | C.L. Brown
Kentucky basketball bullied in paint as defense exposed in lopsided loss to Ohio State
Coverage during the game:
NEW YORK — In its most recent matchup against a power conference opponent, Ohio State was thoroughly outclassed. And embarrassed. Auburn obliterated OSU, 91-53, last week at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
By the slimmest of margins, the Buckeyes avoided losing a game by 40 (or more) for the first time in nearly six decades, when they fell to BYU, 112-71, on Dec. 22, 1965.
But Kentucky coach Mark Pope couldn’t care less about Ohio State’s lopsided loss to Auburn. Nor OSU’s other three defeats (Maryland, Pittsburgh and Texas A&M) this season.
“They’re a formidable opponent,” Pope said of the Buckeyes, whom the Wildcats face today in a CBS Sports Classic contest in New York. “It’s a really, really, really good team. They’ve had some great success, and then a couple games I think they would have liked to take back.”
In Ohio State, Pope saw similarities to his own squad.
“(It is) a really, really good, talented team that’s going to continue to get better and better,” Pope said, “and it’s going to be an epic clash.”
The biggest question mark entering the game that connects both teams: Buckeyes forward Aaron Bradshaw, who spent last season with the Wildcats before transferring. Per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Ohio State will determine Bradshaw’s status for today’s game after shootaround.
The 7-foot-1, 215-pound Bradshaw hasn’t played since Nov. 19. He’s averaging 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in four appearances this season.
Can No. 4 Kentucky keep up its winning ways today?
Follow along below with live updates from Madison Square Garden:
Here’s a look at the final box score:
A lethargic opening 20 minutes for UK, which had its last lead (21-20) with exactly nine minutes remaining.
Kentucky is shooting 34.8% (8 for 23) from the field, and is just 2 of 11 (18.2%) behind the 3-point line.
Ohio State is 17 of 27 (63%) from the field.
Andrew Carr has nine points to lead the Wildcats, while Aaron Bradshaw has nine for the Buckeyes.
At the under-8 timeout, Kentucky trails Ohio State, 22-21.
UK is 7 for 15 (47%) from the field whole OSU is 10 of 18 (56%).
There’s 7:32 left in the first half.
Here are Kentucky’s starters vs. Ohio State:
It’s the same starting five UK has trotted out for its two preseason exhibitions (versus Kentucky Wesleyan and Minnesota State Mankato, respectively) and its first eight regular-season games (Wright State, Bucknell, Duke, Lipscomb, Jackson State, Western Kentucky, Georgia State and Clemson) before Butler suffered an injury in the second half of the loss to Clemson. He sat out the next two outings (Gonzaga ande Colgate) before returning with a 33-point outburst in last week’s win over Louisville.
And here’s Ohio State’s lineup:
Aaron Bradshaw, a five-star signee in Kentucky’s top-ranked 2023 class, now is at Ohio State after transferring once UK’s 2023-24 season concluded.
He hasn’t played in more than a month. His last appearance for the Buckeyes was Nov. 19. But he’s missed OSU’s last seven games as the university investigated an alleged domestic incident at his off-campus apartment.
According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Bradshaw will dress for this evening’s game. But he’s still questionable to play, per Rothstein.
He’s averaging 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in four appearances for the Buckeyes this season.
The contest between the Wildcats and Buckeyes will air on CBS. Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline) will have the call.
Authenticated subscribers can access CBS via TV-connected devices or can livestream the game at CBSSports.com or via the CBS Sports app.
You also can stream CBS on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
Betting odds: Kentucky is a 7 ½-point favorite (-120) on BetMGM, which set the over/under at 159 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are Kentucky -350, Ohio State +280.
- Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
- Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
- Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
- Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
- Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
- Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
- Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
- Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
- Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
- Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
- Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
- Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
- Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
- Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York), 5:30 p.m., CBS
- Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m., ESPNU
- Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena), 11 a.m., ESPN
- Jan. 7: at Georgia, 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 11: at Mississippi State, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
- Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN
- Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
- Jan. 28: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
- Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
- March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
- March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
- March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network
Record: 10-1
- Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
- Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
- Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
- Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
- Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
- Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
- Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
- Walker Horn (guard, junior)
- Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
- Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
- Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
- Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
- Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
- Zach Tow (forward, junior)
- Amari Williams (center, graduate)
Ohio State went 22-14 overall last season, posting a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play. Its season ended in a 79-77 loss to Georgia in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
The Buckeyes are 7-4 this season, with a 1-1 record in conference competition. They own victories over Texas, Youngstown State, Evansville, Campbell, Green Bay, Rutgers and Valparaiso; their losses are to Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Maryland and Auburn.
Click here to see the Buckeyes’ full 2024-25 schedule.
Want to learn the Buckeyes’ roster?
Click here for player bios and more.
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
