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KSR Today: MBB heads to Philly, FB hosts high-profile visitors, VB falls

Jack PIlgrimby:Jack Pilgrim•12/08/23
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@KentuckyMBB

If you were hoping for an easy-going weekend without hitting your refresh rate limit on Twitter, prepare to be disappointed. Or happy if you wanted an endless supply of news and updates in the world of UK Athletics.

The headliner is Kentucky basketball’s trip to Philadelphia to take on the Penn Quakers, an opportunity to get back in the win column following a mind-boggling loss to UNCW last weekend. It’s a homecoming matchup for Philly native Justin Edwards, along with DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw, who played a few miles across state lines at Camden High School in New Jersey. They’ll be playing in the Wells Fargo Center, home of the Philadelphia 76ers, while also practicing in the NBA franchise’s practice facility ahead of the matchup.

The Cats hit the road on Thursday and made it to the City of Brotherly Love later in the evening.

What can we expect from Penn? Well, they just smacked around Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham, a DIII program out of New Jersey. The Quakers broke a school record with 21 made 3-pointers, topping the previous record of 17 set in 2019. Nine different players hit a three in the 111-57 victory, one shy of the program’s D1 record of ten set back in 2019. They’re now 45-84 from deep in their last three matchups and are now shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc overall, with eight different players shooting at least 40% from three.

Sounds about right.

Penn sits at 6-4 on the year with losses to Saint Joseph’s, Maryland Eastern Shore, Belmont and La Salle. Three of those losses, though, came in overtime — one on a half-court buzzer-beater. And they have a top-25 win under their belt vs. No. 21 Villanova back in November.

It’ll be another test for the Cats — one they desperately need to ace to get the bad taste of UNCW out of their mouths.

Ray Davis will play in the Gator Bowl

As the basketball team prepares for Penn, Ray Davis is preparing for Kentucky football’s matchup vs. Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

The star running back announced his journey in Lexington would come to a close on Dec. 29, 2023 — the day of the bowl.

“To the Big Blue Nation, I want to say thank you for showing me the best parts of what college football can be,” Davis said.

Davis will not return for his final season of eligibility, but he will still suit up as a Wildcat one final time in Jacksonville.

Kentucky to host big-name transfers on visits

The Cats still have business to take care of this season, but they’re already looking for reinforcements ahead of next season. A few will be on campus this weekend.

They’re all big names, but the biggest surprise is Indiana wide receiver transfer Donaven McCulley — previously a toss-up. As his recruitment heated up and more suitors threw their hats in the ring, there was concern the former four-star recruit and 6-5 pass-catcher would not make the trip to Lexington.

He crushed that doubt with a late-night announcement that he would be on campus this weekend.

From there, Ohio State running back transfer Chip Trayanum will also be in Lexington after entering the portal on Wednesday. A standout athlete with two years of eligibility remaining, the two-way threat started his career at Arizona State, where he compiled 692 yards and 10 touchdowns over two seasons. The Akron native then transferred closer to home to OSU, starting at linebacker before transitioning back to running back this past season. He recorded 373 yards and three touchdowns on 85 carries in ’23.

And then to close out big-name visitors, former Texas A&M receiver Raymond Cottrell will also be touring the Kentucky campus. A four-star recruit out of high school, he originally committed to Florida, then flipped to Georgia before signing with the Aggies. He’ll have four years of eligibility remaining at his next stop.

Big, big weekend.

Jordan Dingle goes portaling

And then for the bad news on Thursday. As Kentucky prepared its recruiting pitches for potential incoming transfers, it lost one of its own in Jordan Dingle.

The 6-4, 238-pound redshirt sophomore decided to hit the portal on Thursday, a massive hit to the tight end room this upcoming season.

Dingle recorded 11 catches for 198 yards in 2023, highlighted by an 89-yard effort vs. Akron and a 61-yard performance vs. Tennessee. He has racked up 472 career receiving yards and three touchdowns across three seasons in Lexington.

His departure leaves only Josh Kattus, Khamari Anderson and incoming freshman Willie Rodriguez in the tight end room.

UKVB’s run comes to an end in the Sweet 16

Kentucky volleyball’s magical run has come to an unfortunate close. After racking up a nation’s-best 18 consecutive victories, the Cats fell to the No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, ending their season.

The loss came in five sets (25-22, 22-25, 15-25, 25-22, 10-15) inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. It is the second consecutive season Kentucky’s season has ended in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Cats totaled 31 hitting errors as a team and hit just .184 for the matchup.

Let’s have a weekend, Big Blue Nation. Go Cats. Beat Penn. Get some portal additions, Stoops.

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