LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball‘s Ansley Almonor said he and his teammates learned something about themselves in last week’s overtime win against Gonzaga, which saw UK overcome a 16-point halftime deficit.
“We’re tough,” said Almonor, a senior who transferred to Kentucky after spending three seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson. “We’re a really resilient group. Being down 16 (points at halftime), 18 in the second half, most teams would just crumble and give up at that point. But we’re a veteran team and we knew we were better and we just had to go out there and execute the game plan.
“And that’s what we did.”
That’s not all the Wildcats proved in Brandon Garrison‘s mind.
“(We) just keep showing that Kentucky basketball is back,” said Garrison, a sophomore forward, “and just keep shocking everybody in the world who doubted us from the jump.”
Kentucky, which now is ranked No. 5 in both major polls in Mark Pope‘s first season, likely won’t be able silence any remaining doubters tonight, as they host a Colgate club that is just 2-8.
But that’s not the point, Almonor said.
“Coach tries to preach us every day, ‘We’re not about wins or losses. We’re about getting better every day, so as long as we get better every day, we’ll end up where we want to end up,'” Almonor said. “Obviously (last) week was a big week for us. (We got a) big win.
“But each day we’re just trying to get better and today is another part of it.”
Follow along below with live updates from Rupp Arena:
The contest between the Wildcats and Raiders will air on ESPN2. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) will have the call.
Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN2 via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
You also can stream ESPN2 on Fubo.
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 30 ½-point home favorite (-110) on BetMGM, which set the over/under at 157 ½ points (-115).
- 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), 8 p.m., ESPN2
- Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena), 5:15 p.m., ESPN
- 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: 8-1
- 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)
Colgate went 25-10 overall last season, posting a 16-2 mark in Patriot League play. Its season ended in a 92-67 loss to Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Raiders are 2-8 this season. Their only victories are against SUNY Canton and UNC Wilmington, respectively; their losses are to Drexel, Syracuse, NC State, Harvard, Appalachian State, Sam Houston State, Cornell and Northeastern.
Click here to see the Raiders’ full 2024-25 schedule.
Want to learn the Raiders’ roster?
Click here for player bios and more.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
