It can be hard to keep up with everything going on in the University of Kentucky’s 22 varsity sports. With that in mind, we will highlight the best from around Kentucky sports each week. We’ll recognize the best performances from Wildcat teams and players, we’ll show you the coolest videos and photos that you may have missed and we’ll mix in some new stuff along the way. Here are your award winners for this week:
Team of the Week: Men’s basketball advances to Final Four
With an impressive 82-70 win over Baylor, the Kentucky men’s basketball team has advanced to their second consecutive Final Four. Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led the way for UK with 19 points while Anthony Davis notched his 19th double-double of the season with an 18-point, 11-rebound performance. They are averaging a scorching 88 points per game in their first four games of the NCAA Tournament. Davis and Doron Lamb were announced to the NCAA Tournament South Regional All-Tournament Team, while Kidd-Gilchrist was named Most Outstanding Player of the South Regional. Kentucky advances to face in-state rival Louisville next Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET in New Orleans, La.
Honorable mention: Baseball takes two of three at Tennessee
The Kentucky baseball team dropped their its game of the season Friday night in Knoxville, Tenn., but came back Sunday to win both games of a double header, which included the completion of Saturday’s weather-delayed game. UK took the first game 6-2 then shut out Tennessee 6-0 in series finale to win the three-game. Kentucky (24-1, 5-1) also defeated Cincinnati in a mid-week tilt on the road before their second conference series of the season. Monday, the Wildcats moved up in the Baseball America poll all the way up to No. 10, which marks just the second time in program history that they’ve appeared in the top 10 of the poll.
Player of the Week: Samarie Walker steps up on the big stage
The women’s basketball team advanced to the Elite Eight Sunday evening, and they can thank Samarie Walker for much of that. With Kentucky shooting lights out from the perimeter in the Sweet 16 matchup with Gonzaga, Walker owned the paint. She scored 16 points and grabbed 12 boards for a double-double to propel UK into an Elite Eight battle with Connecticut, Walker’s former team. Walker has been huge for the Wildcats throughout the tournament and is averaging 13 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2 steals through the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament.Game of the week: Softball completes Friday comebackDown 4-0 through four innings on the road against No. 18 Auburn, the Wildcats appeared headed toward a fourth straight loss to open SEC play. They had other ideas. UK scored three runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth to tie the game and send it to extra innings. With Chanda Bell pitching shutout inning after shutout inning, Alice O’Brien plated the first of four runs in the top of the eighth inning to lift the Cats to an 8-4 win. UK would go on to win on Saturday as well for just the fourth series victory over Auburn in school history.
Video of the Week: Fans great Final Four-bound Cats at airport
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Alumnus/alumnae of the week: Jacob Tamme, Kelenna Azubuike sign pro contracts
It was a big week for a couple of former Wildcats on the professional level. Former Kentucky tight end Jacob Tamme will be reunited with his old quarterback in Indianapolis, Peyton Manning, after signing a three-year deal with the Denver Broncos. Tamme considered returning to Indianapolis, but felt that following Manning was a better opportunity. Tamme, 27, has appeared in 60 games in four seasons, with 14 starts. He has 92 receptions for 855 yards and five touchdowns, all with Indianapolis.
Former Wildcat basketball player Kelenna Azubuike is looking to make a comeback after a knee injury in the 2009-10 season. Azubuike signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks last week for the remainder of the season, with an option for next year. He was immediately assigned to Dallas’s D-League affiliate the Texas Legends to get him back up to speed and knock off some rust. In his career year in 2008-09, the 6-foot-5 swingman averaged 14.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 74 games.
