Author: successsport360
Kentucky turned a tight contest into a dominant second-half performance, defeating No. 22 St. John’s 78–66 Saturday in Atlanta. The game was historic on multiple levels: Rick Pitino faced his former program for the first time since 2016, and Jayden Quaintance made his long-awaited debut for the Wildcats. Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 20 points, but the real story was the Wildcats’ defensive lockdown in the second half. After St. John’s (7–4) held a 41–33 lead with 16:07 remaining, Kentucky (8–4) went on a 14–0 run, holding the Red Storm without a made field goal for nearly nine minutes. Oziyah…
Jayden Quaintance had been out of sight for months, rehabbing a torn ACL and waiting for the right moment to return. It took less than one half of basketball for NBA scouts to come to a shared conclusion. The injury didn’t change who he is. In his long-awaited season debut for Kentucky, Quaintance logged just 17 minutes in a 78–66 win over St. John’s at the CBS Sports Classic. He finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks — efficient numbers, but hardly the full story. What mattered most to scouts wasn’t the stat line. It was how he…
Jayden Quaintance didn’t need a full workload to remind everyone why his name already carries NBA Draft weight. Making his long-awaited season debut Saturday, the Kentucky big man delivered an immediate impact in the Wildcats’ 78–66 win over St. John’s in the CBS Sports Classic. Playing just 17 minutes as he eases back from a torn ACL, Quaintance finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks — a stat line that undersold how much his presence changed the feel of the game. For Kentucky, this wasn’t just a return. It was a glimpse of what the roster was missing.…
Rick Pitino insisted there were no extra emotions attached to seeing Kentucky on the other sideline, even with the memories, the banners, and a former championship captain standing across from him. For the first time in nearly a decade, Pitino faced the Wildcats he once led to national prominence, this time as the head coach of St. John’s. Kentucky rallied in the second half to pull away for a 78-66 victory Saturday in the opening game of a college basketball doubleheader in Atlanta. “It was no big deal,” Pitino said afterward. “If this was at Rupp Arena, I think I’d…
In a game that pitted Mark Pope against his former coach Rick Pitino in the CBS Sports Classic on December 20, 2025, Kentucky looked shaky early but found the key adjustment after halftime: unleashing their full, healthy roster. The result? A dominant second-half surge that turned a seven-point deficit into a convincing 78-66 victory over St. John’s in Atlanta The first half was a struggle for the Wildcats. They shot a dismal 36% from the field, 17% from three, and turned the ball over 11 times, allowing St. John’s to score 16 points off those mistakes. An early injury scare…
A scary moment turned into a resilient performance for the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, as point guard Jaland Lowe re-aggravated his nagging right shoulder injury just seconds after checking into the game against No. 22 St. John’s. Despite the early setback, Lowe returned in the second half and contributed to Kentucky’s impressive 78-66 victory in the CBS Sports Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Lowe, the veteran transfer from Pittsburgh, entered the game with about 16 minutes left in the first half. On his first defensive possession, he appeared to tweak his shoulder while contesting a shot, immediately grabbing…
Kentucky coach Mark Pope isn’t selling slick offense or high-octane pace right now. He’s selling survival. Yes, Kentucky still wants to run a modern, fast-paced offense. Yes, Pope still believes in the long-term vision of spacing and threes. But for now? He’s embracing a grittier, more physical style. “The game is a little more mucked up, which I don’t love aesthetically,” Pope admitted. “But I love it in a very spiritual way. It’s really physical, and intense, and combative. And I think we can exist in that type of game too.” That’s the pivot: from sleek, spread-and-spray basketball to “gross,…
The whispers began earlier this week. Then Jeff Goodman said it out loud. Now, it feels official. Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance is expected to make his long-awaited debut against St. John’s — the former five-star and projected NBA lottery pick finally ready to take the floor after missing the entire season while recovering from a torn ACL. This isn’t just encouraging news. It’s the kind of development that instantly tightens the stakes around everything Kentucky does next. Kentucky gets its most talented piece back — just as the pressure spikes Getting Quaintance back before Christmas matters. It gives Mark…
Kentucky doesn’t enter Saturday’s matchup against St. John’s with much room to breathe — and that may be the most important storyline of the afternoon. At 7–4 and fresh off a brutal non-conference stretch, the Wildcats are no longer in the phase of the season where moral victories or “good losses” carry much weight. Every possession, every rotation mistake, and every missed assignment against Rick Pitino’s Red Storm comes with consequences. This is the type of game that can either stabilize Kentucky’s season — or deepen the unease surrounding it. Why the Pressure Is Squarely on Kentucky Advanced metrics still…
The moment Kentucky fans have been counting down to may finally be here — but it’s arriving with more intrigue than expected. According to a report from KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, Jayden Quaintance is expected to make his Kentucky Basketball debut Saturday when the Wildcats face Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm in Atlanta. If true, it would mark the end of a months-long wait for one of the most anticipated additions to Kentucky’s roster this season. The twist? Quaintance’s return comes far sooner — and with far more uncertainty — than anyone initially imagined. After undergoing ACL surgery…