< PreviousMike Pratt previews the Alabama game 8 @KentuckyMBB 10 @KentuckyMBB 2020 UK Sports Partnership Football Program Ad (8.5x11) 265-20801.indd 12020 UK Sports Partnership Football Program Ad (8.5x11) 265-20801.indd 111/13/20 11:01 AM11/13/20 11:01 AMWEEKNIGHTS 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY 9:00 a.m.110920 BBN Tonight RUPP Ad.indd 1110920 BBN Tonight RUPP Ad.indd 111/9/20 4:39 PM11/9/20 4:39 PMAround the SEC Around the Country 2020-21 SEC Standings Team SEC Overall Home Road Alabama 4-0 9-3 5-1 2-0 Kentucky 3-0 4-6 2-2 2-2 South Carolina 1-0 3-2 2-0 0-1 Tennessee 3-1 9-1 7-1 2-0 LSU 3-1 8-2 6-0 1-2 Mississippi State 3-1 8-4 6-1 2-0 Arkansas 2-2 10-2 9-1 1-1 Florida 2-2 5-3 2-1 1-2 Missouri 1-2 7-2 4-1 2-1 Ole Miss 1-2 6-4 5-2 1-2 Texas A&M 1-3 6-4 6-1 0-2 Georgia 0-3 7-3 7-1 0-2 Auburn 0-4 6-6 4-2 0-3 Vanderbilt 0-3 4-5 4-3 0-2 Scoring Player-Team ...................................................................PPG Cameron Thomas, LSU ..................................................22.3 Scotty Pippen Jr., VANDY ...............................................21.6 Iverson Molinar, MISS ST ...............................................19.2 D.J. Stewart Jr., MISS ST .................................................18.6 AJ Lawson, USC ............................................................17.8 Rebounding Player-Team ...................................................................RPG Dylan Disu, VANDY ........................................................8.8 Tolu Smith, MISS ST.........................................................8.8 Darius Days, LSU ............................................................8.1 Toumani Camara, UGA ...................................................7.9 Emanuel Miller, TAMU ...................................................7.8 Assists Player-Team ...................................................................APG Sahvir Wheeler, UGA ......................................................7.4 Scotty Pippen Jr., VANDY .................................................5.8 Jalen Tate, ARK ................................................................4.8 Justin Powell, AUB ...........................................................4.7 Tre Mann, UF ..................................................................4.1 Steals Player-Team ................................................................... SPG Luis Rodriguez, MISS .......................................................2.0 Justin Kier, UGA ..............................................................2.0 Jermaine Couisnard, USC ................................................2.0 Josiah-Jordan James, UT ..................................................1.9 Devontae Shuler, MISS ....................................................1.9 Blocks Player-Team ...................................................................BPG Isaiah Jackson, UK ..........................................................2.8 Yves Pons, UT .................................................................2.2 Connor Vanover, ARK ......................................................2.0 Abdul Ado, MISS ST ........................................................1.9 Scottie Lewis, UF .............................................................1.6 2020-21 Associated Press Rankings As of Jan. 11, 2021 (week 8) Team Record Points 1 Gonzaga (63) 12-0 1,599 2 Baylor (1) 11-0 1,536 3 Villanova 8-1 1,436 4 Texas 10-1 1,422 5 Iowa 11-2 1,322 6 Kansas 10-2 1,220 7 Michigan 10-0 1,161 8 Creighton 10-2 1,151 9 Wisconsin 10-2 1,110 10 Tennessee 9-1 1,093 11 Houston 10-1 993 12 Clemson 9-1 747 13 West Virginia 9-4 701 14 Illinois 9-4 694 15 Texas Tech 10-3 689 16 Louisville 8-1 464 17 Missouri 7-2 436 18 Virginia 7-2 403 19 Duke 5-2 397 20 Virginia Tech 9-2 286 21 Ohio State 9-3 280 22 Oregon 9-2 264 23 Minnesota 10-4 233 24 Saint Louis 7-1 220 25 UConn 6-1 181 14 @KentuckyMBBFrom Press Row 16 @KentuckyMBB Brooks Breaks Out in Return at Florida Just a day earlier, assistant coach Jai Lucas issued caution about Keion Brooks Jr.'s first game of the season: Don't expect too much for a player who has missed the last three months with a left leg injury and practiced full-go for the first time just two days earlier. If expectations were low before Brooks' 2020-21 debut – one in which he seemed to transform the Kentucky offense and lead the Wildcats (4-6, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) to a 76-58 win at Florida (5-3, 2-2 SEC) on Saturday at Exactech Arena – what should they be now? It was hard to find many faults with Brooks' much-anticipated return Saturday in Gainesville, Florida. From the time he entered the game just over five minutes into the action and quickly threw down a dunk, hardly a moment passed without Brooks' fin- gerprints on Saturday's 18-point win, UK's biggest in Gainesville since 1998. Brooks scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shoot- ing, grabbed six rebounds and dished out a game-high four assists in 25 efficient min- utes. More importantly, he seemed to be the missing piece behind what's been a strug- gling UK offense as the Wildcats pulled away from Florida in the second half with three different runs of 10-0 or more. "He gave us a whole different element to the game," teammate Davion Mintz said. "Keion was amazing today. It was super fun. I'm speechless, really. It was amazing." Brooks had four points, two assists, a re- bound, a steal and a block in the first four minutes of the second half to lead a charge that Florida would never recover from. It was a triumphant return for the only returning scholarship player who played last season but had not played in a game in 10 months. His last came on this very same floor, a game in which he helped engineer a magical 18-point second-half comeback victory in the 2019-20 regular-season finale. That game was supposed to the spark for a postseason run, but just days later the SEC and NCAA tournaments were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I've always believed in my ability to come back and play well," Brooks said. "I was constantly working out, staying in great shape. I have to give a huge shout out to our strength coach Rob Harris. I don't even like to call him a strength coach. He's way more than that. Not only did he do a great job of keeping me in shape but I spent a lot of time with him, so he was always in my ear making sure I was staying positive. The conversations we had, he really helped me get through what I was going through." Brooks, who averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds a season ago, seems to have taken a big leap from his freshman season. He stretched the offense with his ability to facilitate, took the Gators off the dribble and showed off his athleticism with three dunks. When Brooks soared from just inside the free-throw line for a one-handed slam with 10:54 to go, Kentucky was well on its way to the sixth 3-0 start of the 12-season John Calipari era. The dunk was part of a 13-0 run that put the game out of reach for the Gators. UK shot 55.6% and dished out a sea- son-high-tying 18 assists in Saturday's victo- ry. Brandon Boston Jr. bounced back from re- cent adversity with his best all-around game as a Wildcat: 13 points, four rebounds, and career highs with four steals and two assists. With 13 points, Mintz scored in double figures for the fourth time in five games. Oliv- ier Sarr added 10, and Devin Askew and Isa- iah Jackson each pitched in with nine points. Jackson also had four of the Wildcats' sev- en blocks to help Kentucky limit Florida to just 37.5% shooting. UK has now won five straight in the series and three straight in Gainesville for the first time since three consecutive wins from 2002 to 2004. Sole Possession of First Place on the Line With the way the nonconference season went, not a whole lot of people had this Jan. 12 game between Kentucky and Alabama circled as a marquee matchup. But with both teams undefeated in league play -- Al- abama at 4-0 and UK at 3-0 -- the matchup will determine who leaves Lexington in sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference. As promised, Alabama head coach Nate Oats has brought an up-tempo, fast-paced style of play to Tuscaloosa in his second sea- son at the helm. Through games on Jan. 10, the Crimson Tide ranked 15th in the country in tempo and fifth in average possession length, according to KenPom.com. Coupled with the 11th-most 3-point attempts in the country and it's clear Alabama can put up some points. The Tide scores 78.9 points per game. In league play, that number is up to 83.3 points. Alabama has four players averaging dou- ble figures, led by Jaden Shackelford at 13.1. Guard Jahvon Quiverly is just behind him at 13.0 points per game but has missed the last two contests with an undisclosed medical condition. UK has won 11 of the last 12 meetings and hasn't lost in Lexington since 2006. UK Named NCAA March Madness Team of the Week Kentucky's recent resurgence earned the Wildcats NCAA March Madness Team of the Week honors. UK was chosen by NCAA March Madness reporter Andy Katz as the top team in the land for games taking place last week. The Wildcats went 2-0 with victories over Van- derbilt at home and on the road at Florida. On Tuesday vs. Vanderbilt, Kentucky ral- lied from a nine-point second-half deficit and pulled out a thrilling 77-74 win when gradu- ate guard Davion Mintz hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 47 seconds left. That gave UK its first back-to-back victories of the season. The Wildcats officially made it a winning streak on Saturday at Florida with their most complete performance of the season. With sophomore forward Keion Brooks Jr. in the lineup for the first time this season, UK beat Florida by 18, 76-58. Brooks was sensational in his return with 12 points (6-of-8 shooting), six rebounds, and a game- and career-high four assists in fewer than 25 minutes. The win in Gainesville, Florida, was UK’s biggest margin of victory at Florida since 1998. It’s also UK’s first three-game winning streak at Florida since winning three straight in Gainesville from 2002 to 2004. Next >