Le Journal

The run-up to the Commonwealth Games has officially begun in the Falkland Islands, with plans for a King’s Baton Relay revealed by the National Sports Council. In previous years, one baton has travelled around the whole Commonwealth but this time each nation has received their own blank baton.

Last week, we learned a lot about this Kentucky Basketball team. This is a very resilient group. Playing without Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance, the Wildcats came back from 18 and 17 points against LSU and Tennessee to win two huge, massive road games. Slow starts are still an issue, but these wins give Kentucky a shot, believe it or not, to vault to the top of the SEC. That opportunity comes this week against Texas on Wednesday night and Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon. First up, a really solid Texas team that will test the Wildcats’ defense. While this is a game that feels like the Wildcats should win, this won’t be a walk in the park. Sean Miller is a really good head coach, and the Longhorns are firmly on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. They need this game just as much as the Wildcats. Let’s look at the Longhorns, players to watch, keys to the game, and score prediction for Wednesday night. Players to watch on the Texas Longhorns 1. No. 3: Daylin Swain — 6-8, 225 lbs. Jr. Guard/Forward; Columbus, Ohio (Xavier Transfer)Stats: 15.7 pts, 7.2 rebs, 60 ast.-48 TO, 30 stl, 55.7 FG%, 26.2 3-PT FG%, 75% FT, 29.5 mpg Swain followed Sean Miller to Texas after two seasons with him at Xavier. In those two seasons, Swain played in 63 career games (36 starts) and registered totals of 505 points (8.0 ppg), 274 rebounds ( 4.3 rpg), 125 assists (2.0 apg), and 83 steals (1.3 spg) in 1,517 minutes (24.1 mpg). In his first season at Texas, Swain has scored in double figures in every game but two. He has three games with 20+ points, including 34 against Mississippi State in the Longhorns’ SEC opener. Seven times in his last nine games, Swain has shot over 50% from the field. Swain also has three double-doubles. 2. No. 8: Matas Vokietaitis — 7-0, 255 lbs. So. Center; Marijampole, Lithuania (Florida Atlantic Transfer)Stats: 15.2 pts, 6.4 rebs, 15 blk, 65.1 FG%, 68.6 FT%, 24.1 mpg Vokietaitis was. the 2025 AAC Freshman of the Year with Florida Atlantic, a season where he shot nearly 70 percent from the floor. He has two double-doubles this season at Texas, including four games with 20+ points. The key thing about Vokietaitis is his efficiency. He’s only taken 10 shots in a game just once this season. Prior to Florida Atlantic, Vokietaitis was a member of the Lithuanian Under-20 National Team that competed at the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament. He also played for Lithuania at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship and the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship.  3. No. 12: Tramon Mark — 6-5, 210 lbs. Gr. Guard; Dickinson, Texas (Dickinson HS); Arkansas TransferStats: 13.4 pts, 3.2 rebs, 48.6 FG%, 33.3 3-PT FG%, 72.4 FT%, 27.3 mpg Mark is in his sixth season playing college basketball, and he has played on several really good teams. His first season was with Houston in 2020-21, a season that ended with the Cougars playing in the Final Four. In his first season at Texas, Mark ranked fourth on the team in scoring and rebounding and third in minutes played. Taking over as the primary point guard during Texas’s three games at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Mark averaged 14.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, and 2.7 rpg in 33.4 mpg. When he scored 15+ points, the Longhorns went 7-1. Mark has multiple three-pointers in five of his last seven games, and he has three 20-point games in his last five overall. 4. No. 0: Jordan Pope — 6-1, 180 lbs. Sr. Guard; Oakley, Calif. (Oregon State Transfer)Stats: 13.2 pts, 2.1 rebs, 41.5 FG%, 37.7 3-PT FG%, 85.7 FT%, 27.9 mpg Pope led the Longhorns in steals last season, his first season in Austin. In addition, Pope ranked third in scoring and tied for third in assists, while also ranking fifth in minutes. This season, Pope has three games with 20+ points, including two with 28 points. Pope also has five games with at least four three-pointers, including a game with seven against NC State in late November. 5. No. 7: Simeon Wilcher — 6-4, 200 lbs. Jr. Guard; Plainfield, N.J. (St. John’s Transfer)Stats: 8.1 pts, 2.3 rebs,…