Big Blue Dispatch
Daily Update • October 13, 2026
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Good morning, Big Blue Nation! Tuesday, October 13 — let's dive into today's news.
Ben Roberts just left the Lexington Herald-Leader after 20 years, including four as the UK men's basketball beat writer. He's launching Inside Kentucky Basketball with fellow Herald-Leader vet John Clay (USBWA Hall of Famer) and Derek Terry formerly of the Cats' Pause. The site went live today with a promise of deep analysis, mailbags, exclusive interviews, and zero AI content or clickbait. It's subscription-based (I signed up earlier today).
The Athletic's got a fun SEC power rankings piece framed around "best vibes," and somehow Kentucky sits at No. 1 following Saturday night's madness in Lexington. Kentucky's upset over No. 10 LSU in overtime has vaulted the Wildcats to the top of the feel-good rankings while Georgia, Alabama, and Texas round out the elite tier. The rankings capture the moment perfectly—this is the best atmosphere in Lexington right now, and the national media is taking notice. (Gift link so you can read the whole thing without hitting the paywall.)
Hoops season's three weeks away, and the preseason projections are rolling in. Mark Pope's squad lands 7th in the SEC preseason men's poll, a reasonable projection (?) given the roster turnover and the need to integrate new pieces alongside returning talent. Meanwhile, the women project to 5th in the conference with Clara Strack earning Preseason All-SEC First Team honors. Strack's recognition underscores the talent level Kenny Brooks has built on the women's side.
Both Mark Pope and Kenny Brooks made the short drive to Churchill Downs on Monday for the UK Alumni Association of Louisville's annual Wildcat Tipoff Luncheon, addressing a sold-out crowd about their teams' title aspirations. Brooks spoke on Clara Strack's return as a National Player of the Year candidate and the massive pickup of Ajša Sivka, who turned down the WNBA as a top-10 pick to play for Kentucky—and just learned she'll have four years of eligibility. Pope opened up about his third roster fitting his coaching style better than last year, highlighted by the potential backcourt duo of Kam Williams and Trent Noah, along with rising stars like Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic. With exhibition games starting this week, overlap season is officially here.
One more: Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman had high praise for Kenny Minchey, expressing genuine pride in seeing the former Fighting Irish QB thriving and running the show in Lexington. Freeman's words carry weight—he knows Minchey's work ethic and character intimately, and his public endorsement speaks volumes about the quarterback's trajectory since transferring to UK.
Go Cats! 🐾
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A Sea of Blue
On Monday, SEC media revealed their predicted order of finish for the 2027 conference season, with Kentucky Basketball projected to finish seventh. Florida was picked to win the league, followed by Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Vanderbilt ahead of Kentucky.
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On3 — Kentucky Wildcats
Wow. That actually happened.
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On3 — Kentucky Wildcats
The best traditions happen organically. The best example of that in Kentucky Football is “Grove Street Party,” which became the program’s anthem after the special teams danced to it during the win over South Carolina in 2014.
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Google News — UK Basketball
Where is Kentucky basketball ranked in the SEC preseason Poll? Sports Illustrated
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Google News — Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky gets prediction to land four-star 2028 receiver Yahoo Sports
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Google News — Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Defense Review: The Wildcats keep creating havoc Yahoo Sports
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On3 — Kentucky Wildcats
Kenny Minchey spent three years at Notre Dame before transferring to Kentucky, electing to enter the portal after backing CJ Carr up during his junior season. One person from Minchey’s past couldn’t be happier to see him thriving as a Wildcat: his old head coach, Marcus Freeman.
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Nation of Blue
Kentuckys Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno were named preseason All-SEC players on Monday. Momcilovic, a transfer from Iowa State, is was selected to the All-SEC Second Team while Moreno was placed on the Third Team.
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Google News — Kentucky Wildcats
Basketball Schools Kentucky And UCLA Are Thriving In Football Yahoo Sports
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Inside Kentucky Basketball
Preseason predictions for the SEC men’s basketball standings have arrived, and Kentucky did not make the top tier. The Wildcats came in at No.
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On3 — Kentucky Wildcats
A couple of Wildcats were named to Preseason All-SEC Teams on Monday. Kentucky men’s basketball wing Milan Momcilovic and center Malachi Moreno were named to the All-SEC Second and Third Teams , respectively.
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On3 — Kentucky Wildcats
With the 2026-27 college basketball season quickly approaching, the SEC has released its men’s basketball preseason poll and predicted order of finish. To no surprise, the Florida Gators sit atop the poll.
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Nation of Blue
Kentucky wide receiver/punt returner Brock Coffman and wide receiver Kenny Darby earned SEC weekly awards on Monday. Darby was named the leagues freshman of the week for the second straight week.
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Google News — Kentucky Wildcats
KenPom preseason college basketball rankings released: What it means for Kentucky Wildcats’ title hopes A Sea Of Blue
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On3 — Kentucky Wildcats
This week’s updated Kentucky high school football rankings didn’t come with much movement. The biggest mover in Week 8 was St.
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