MEN’S BASKETBALL– After back-to-back close calls to start conference play, UK won by a combined 71 points in victories over Missouri and Alabama last week.- The top-ranked team in the country – and one of only two teams without a loss – started the week with an 86-37 rout of Missouri. The 49-point win was Kentucky’s largest margin of victory vs. an SEC opponent since a 62-point margin against Vanderbilt on March 5, 2003. UK held Missouri to less than 20 points in both halves, marking the second time this season Kentucky has achieved that feat (also vs. Montana State). The Cats also limited the Tigers to 27.1 percent from the floor, the ninth opponent this season held to less than 30 percent.- Kentucky followed up that effort with its first win at Alabama since 2009. In defeating the Crimson Tide by 22 (70-48), UK dealt Alabama its worst loss since Nov. 24, 2008. The victory was UK’s most lopsided in the series since the 1992 SEC Tournament and its biggest win in Tuscaloosa, Ala., since rolling Alabama 90-67 on Feb. 14, 1966.- Kentucky continues to lead the nation in scoring margin, scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and blocks, among others. UK’s offense has caught up to its stellar defense with a recent hot streak from behind the arc. The Wildcats have made 61 of 138 shots (44.2 percent) from behind the 3-point line over the last seven games. The 61 3-point field goals is the most by a UK team in a seven-game span since hitting 61 in a seven-game stretch from Dec. 22, 2012 to Jan. 15, 2010. During that span, Devin Booker has hit 20 of 28 3-pointers (71.4 percent).- Junior Willie Cauley-Stein, a national player of the year contender, continues to lead the Wildcats, averaging 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the two victories last week.- UK will return home on Tuesday for a 9 p.m. tilt vs. Vanderbilt before hitting the road for a noon showdown at South Carolina on Saturday.WOMEN’S BASKETBALL– Kentucky split games this week with a 62-56 win over Florida on Thursday and an 84-79 loss at LSU on Sunday.- Against the Gators, sophomores Makayla Epps and Linnae Harper led the way, combining for 34 points and 14 rebounds in the game. Epps led with 20 points, while Harper added 14 points, nine rebounds and career-high six steals. It marked UK’s 13th straight win at home which ranks as the sixth-longest home winning streak in school history.- On the road at LSU, the Lady Tigers forced Kentucky into 26 turnovers, the second-highest total of the season, and held on for an 84-79 win. Senior guard Jennifer O’Neill came off the bench for a team-high 19 points, while hitting three 3-pointers. Her three treys moved her up to No. 4 on UK’s all-time 3-pointers made list.- Harper recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds and freshman Alexis Jennings also came off the bench for her first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Bria Goss, in just her second game back since missing six straight with a broken left thumb, added 12 points, while Epps added 10.- UK will take advantage of a bye on Thursday before hitting the road to Missouri on Sunday.TRACK & FIELD– Dezerea Bryant opened 2015 with head-turning times in both the 60-meter and 200- meter dashes to lead the sixth-ranked Wildcats at the Kentucky Invitational inside Nutter Field House on Saturday.- Bryant ran a 2015 world-leading time of 23.12 in the 200m to open her National Title defense with a strong statement of intent.- She ran a 60M time of 7.18, .06 seconds off her personal best.- Bryant’s time was soon eclipsed by Oregon’s Jasmine Todd who ran 7.15 competing in Seattle, potentially setting up an early-season showdown next weekend in Lexington.- Transfer Javianne Oliver ran a personal best of 7.32 to finish second with a time that ranks in the national top 10.- Keffri Neal, won the mile with a time of 4:07.10, which was a solid opening salvo as he will look to lower his times as the season progresses.- Rebecca Famurewa won the weight throw with a school-record mark of 67-feet, 11.5 inches/70.21 meters, which is in the No. 4 weight throw mark in the NCAA this year.RIFLE– The sixth-ranked Kentucky rifle team continued its winning ways when it squeaked out a 4670-4654 win at ninth-ranked Memphis on Sunday.- Kentucky scored its season high in a win over No. 17 Ole Miss by a margin of 4688-4580 on Saturday at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center in Oxford, Mississippi.- With the 2-0 weekend, Kentucky improved to 9-1 this season.- The Wildcats are 5-0 in Great American Rifle Conference competition.- Jonathan Pinkel and Connor Davis led the Wildcats in smallbore on Sunday with scores of 585.- Heather Kirby posted a 594 in air rifle.MEN’S TENNIS– Kentucky opened the season 2-1 last week, with a 7-0 win over Dayton and a 7-0 win over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels to open the season on Thursday afternoon before falling to the No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-3 on Saturday afternoon to round out the week.- The Wildcats got wins on all three doubles courts in both the matches against Dayton and Eastern Kentucky and only dropped one set in singles all day on Thursday, completing the 2-0 day and winning UK’s season opener for the third straight year under head coach Cedric Kauffmann.- UK fell to No. 14 Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon, after playing its best doubles point of the year, but only managing to win two of its singles matches to fall 4-3. The Fighting Irish and the Wildcats have played four times the last three years, with all four matches coming in 4-3 decisions.- UK hosts the annual ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Wildcats will be hosting a regional for the sixth straight season beginning with Penn State on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. The winners of the two semifinals will meet on Saturday for the championship.GYMNASTICS– The No. 14 Kentucky gymnastics team opened the 2015 season with a win at Washington on Jan. 12 and a second-place finish on Excite Night on Jan. 16 in Memorial Coliseum. In Seattle, UK earned a 194.975-194.325 win to defeat then-No. 24 Washington, while a 195.600 in front of 5,105 in Memorial Coliseum put the Wildcats ahead of No. 24 Arizona State and behind No. 2 LSU.- Monday at Washington, UK used a strong team performance on all events and responded to adversity to record the season-opening win. The Wildcats counted a fall on their first event, uneven bars, and trailed 48.700-48.500 after the first rotation, but they quickly responded on vault, the second event. UK’s 48.900 on vault chipped away at Washington’s already-slim lead. Kentucky trailed by 0.050 points at the halfway point, but a 48.825 on floor gave the Wildcats a lead that wouldn’t go away. On balance beam, the final event, UK sealed the victory with a 48.750. Kentucky had one fall on beam, but like the two falls and an early deficit to open the competition on bars, the Wildcats responded with two strong routines by sophomore Taylor Puryear and senior Kayla Hartley to close the meet. Hartley led UK on bars and floor, both with a 9.825. Junior Khadijah Hudson and freshman Sydney Waltz posted team-best scores of 9.825 on vault, while freshman Cori Rechenmacher earned a 9.825 on balance beam to lead the Wildcats.- Competing for the second time in five days to open the season, UK recorded a season-high score by over 0.600 points with a 195.600 Friday on Excite Night. UK improved to 7-2 on Excite Night in head coach Tim Garrison’s four seasons. The 195.600 marks the first time in program history UK has recorded a score higher than 195.500 in the month of January. Senior Shannon Mitchell and freshman Sydney Waltz each recorded two team-best scores and each tied for the meet high on one event. Mitchell was one of two gymnasts to score a 9.900 on balance beam, while Waltz posted a career-high 9.850 on vault for a meet-high-tying score. Waltz also led UK on uneven bars with a career-best 9.875, while Mitchell was one of three Wildcats to post a 9.775 on floor. It was a close battle between UK and the second-ranked Tigers. LSU held a 0.125-point lead after one event, but a meet-best 49.150 on uneven bars gave the Wildcats a 98.100-98.050 lead at the halfway point. Tied for the ninth-highest bars total in program history, it was one of three events where UK gymnasts recorded four season- or career-best totals. LSU regained its lead on the third event, after a 49.300 on floor and Kentucky scored a season-high 48.825 on balance beam. UK closed with a 48.675 on floor and LSU ended the night with a 49.250 on vault. The Wildcats opened the competition with a 2015-best 48.950 on vault.- Kentucky returns to the road for a dual meet at Georgia on Jan. 24 at 4 p.m. ET. The contest between the two SEC foes will air live on the SEC Network + in addition to airing on ESPN2 the following day at 7 p.m. Bart Conner, Kathy Johnson-Clarke & Amanda Plufgard will be on the call from Athens, Ga.WOMEN’S TENNIS– The No. 29 Kentucky women’s tennis team opened the season with a 4-3 loss at Hawaii on Tuesday before a 6-1 win over College of Charleston and a 7-0 win over Belmont Sunday in its home opener. Sunday, nine Wildcats recorded at least one victory in the doubleheader. Freshman Mami Adachi, junior Nadia Ravita and sophomore Aldila Sutjiadi each had three victories. Two of Ravita and Sutjiadi’s wins came paired together as the Wildcats’ No. 1 doubles pair.- In the first match of the day, UK downed Charleston, 6-1. UK earned the doubles point thanks to 6-2 wins by both Ravita and Sutjiadi and the No. 2 pair of Adachi and senior Kelsey Dieters. In singles competition against the Cougars, Adachi earned a 6-2, 6-1 win on court No. 4 and Ravita posted a 6-3, 6-1 win on court No. 1 to give Kentucky a 3-0 lead. Sutjiadi’s 6-1, 6-2 win on court No. 2 clinched the match. The two teams continued playing, where freshman Caterina Brunamonti won 6-2, 6-0 on court six and junior Kirsten Lewis earned a 7-5, 6-2 win on court five to close the match.- In the day’s second match, the Wildcats returned right where they left off, with a 6-0 win by senior Kate Lanier and senior Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff on court No. 3 and a 6-2 win by Ravita and Sutjiadi. Winning the doubles point allowed UK to show off its depth in singles, as Ravita and Sutjiadi did not compete and the rest of the Wildcats moved up two courts. Kentucky didn’t miss a beat though, and that started with a 6-1, 6-0 win by Morin-Kougoucheff on court No. 4. Adachi’s 6-1, 6-0 win on court No. 2 and Brunamonti’s 6-0, 6-1 victory on court No. 2 sealed the victory over the Bruins for the Wildcats. Dieters put UK ahead 5-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 win on the first court, and senior Stephanie Fox posted a 6-2, 6-1 win on court six. The toughest battle came on court five, as senior Kate Lanier lost the first set, 7-5 before she bounced back to win set No. 2, 6-2 and the tiebreaker, 1-0.- UK is back on the road next weekend, when the Wildcats face Rice on Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. ET in Evanston, Ill. Kentucky will play either Northwestern or Arizona State on Sunday.UPCOMING SCHEDULE (All Times Eastern)TUESDAY, JANUARY 20Men’s Basketball vs. Vanderbilt – 9 p.m. ETLexington, Ky. (Rupp Arena)FRIDAY, JANUARY 23Track & Field – Rod McCravy Indoor Meet – 10 a.m.Lexington, Ky. (Nutter Fieldhouse)Men’s Tennis vs. Penn State (ITA Kick-Off) – 1 p.m.Lexington, Ky. (Boone Tennis Center)Rifle at Withrow Invitational – All Day Murray, Ky.SATURDAY, JANUARY 24Track & Field – Rod McCravy Indoor Meet – 10 a.m.Lexington, Ky. (Nutter Fieldhouse)Men’s Basketball at South Carolina – Noon ETColumbia, S.C.Swimming and Diving vs. Louisville – 1 p.m.Lexington, Ky. (Lancaster Aquatic Center)Men’s Tennis – ITA Kick-Off Weekend – TBALexington, Ky. (Boone Tennis Center)Women’s Tennis vs. Rice – 3 p.m.Evanston, Ill.Gymnastics at Georgia – 4 p.m.Athens, Ga.SUNDAY, JANUARY 25Women’s Basketball at Missouri – 7 p.m.Columbia, Mo.Women’s Tennis – ITA Kick-Off Weekend – TBAEvanston, Ill.