It’s Cats vs. Norse: UK, Northern Kentucky University paired in NCAA tourney first round

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward managing editor
John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, fresh off an SEC tournament championship win over Arkansas, will meet Northern Kentucky University Friday in first-round NCAA tournament play in Indianapolis.
The Norse are making their first appearance in the NCAA tourney in their first year of eligibility.
The No. 8 Wildcats, winners of the SEC regular season and...
WKU head men’s basketball coach Harper resigns unexpectedly following suspension of three players

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward sports editor
In a surprise announcement Thursday night, Western Kentucky University head men’s basketball coach Ray Harper issued a statement that he was resigning from the post he’s held since 2011-12.
Harper’s announcement came shortly after Western Kentucky athletics director Todd Stewart issued a statement saying three members of the Hilltoppers’...
Wildcats assigned No. 4 seed in East Region, could face Indiana in second-round showdown

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward sports editor
Despite sharing the Southeastern Conference regular season championship with Texas A&M, then knocking off the Aggies in the finals of the conference tournament Sunday, Kentucky received a No.4 seed in the East Region for this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and will have to travel west to Iowa for first-round play.
The Wildcats will...
Sports Notes: Calipari says freshman Labissiere may be showing signs of breaking out of funk

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward sports editor
It didn’t take Skal Labissiere long to remind Kentucky Wildcat fans what all the excitement was about when he joined the program this year as one of the nation’s top recruits.
The 6-11 freshman, who tallied just four points in his previous three games, entered the contest Saturday against Ole Miss six minutes into the first half. He grabbed the first...
Sports Notes: By any definition, Pitino’s exiting salute to UK fans took some shine off a great game

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward sports editor
A few leftover ramblings from a great rivalry game that lived up to the hype …
Louisville coach Rick Pitino criticized the officiating at halftime of Saturday’s Kentucky game to CBS sideline reporter Dana Jacobson. He was later called for a technical, then capped his day by allegedly flipping off some rowdy fans on his way out of the gym after the...
Sports Notes: Calipari breathed sigh of relief after surviving latest Poythress injury scare

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward sports editor
For John Calipari, the key moment in Kentucky’s 72-58 win over Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State team Saturday came just before the start of the second half.
Senior forward Alex Poythress had gone out of the game with what ESPN’s game announcers were calling a hyper-extended right knee. They expressed skepticism about whether he would return in...
Sports Notes: Even in a year that saw teams with losing records rewarded, UK left out of bowl mix

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward sports editor
Let’s just call it adding insult to injury, the announcement of the various bowl matchups coming on the heels of another disheartening Kentucky football season.
This is all you need to know: In a year in which three teams with losing records (Nebraska, Minnesota and San Jose State) were rewarded with bowl spots, the Wildcats are once again sitting on the...
Sports Notes: Big time game atmosphere not matched by Wildcats’ performance on the field

By Glenn Osborne
KyForward sports editor
The stage was set for a spectacular end to an historic weekeend.
With the buzz about American Pharoah’s “grand slam” win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland still electric, attention shifted to the New Commonwealth Stadium. The crowd, while not a sell out, was large and enthusiastic, ready to witness something special.
Young (and...