Men's Basketball

Breaking Down Kentucky’s Scoring Droughts

Published

4 years ago

December 28, 2020

Kentucky has lost six straight games, and the one thing that has decimated Kentucky, especially in the past two games, is scoring droughts.

In both of those games, Kentucky played decent in the first half. They were up by four points at halftime against North Carolina and were down one point at halftime against Louisville. But, you play two halves in college basketball, and the second half didn’t treat Kentucky well.

In the past two second halves of basketball, Kentucky has played 40 minutes and has gone 27 minutes without a shot falling in that time. That’s horrible.

Let’s look at the second half against North Carolina.

North Carolina

In the second half against North Carolina, Kentucky had three scoring droughts. They played the first three minutes of the second half without a basket, where they were 0/2 from the field. However, this small drought didn’t really hurt Kentucky, as UNC only hit one shot during this stretch.

In the second scoring drought, the Cats went almost three minutes without a bucket, going only 0/1 from the field. Once again though, this small drought didn’t really hurt Kentucky, as UNC only hit two shots during this stretch.

Let’s be negative though for a second. If Kentucky had a functioning offense that produced made shots, the Cats could’ve easily extended their four point halftime lead to double-digits.

The third drought really hurt Kentucky and made me turn off the TV. The Cats went almost ten minutes without a made basket. The Tar Heels went on a 20-6 run during this stretch and turned a six-point deficit into a six-point lead. The Cats were outscored 41-25 in the half.

Going even further, Kentucky went 0/6 from the field with five turnovers. The Cats also committed nine fouls during this stretch. The fact Kentucky got only six shots up in a ten minute stretch, with so many talented scorers, is mind-boggling.

In other words, Kentucky’s offense in the second half of the UNC game was almost non-existent.

Louisville

First, if we’re being positive, Kentucky actually went on a small 7-2 run at the start of the second half against Louisville to take a four-point lead. But then things went south.

Kentucky went just over eight minutes without a basket and Louisville turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead, going on a 15-7 run.

During this stretch, Kentucky was 0/6 from the field with five turnovers. Once again, in eight minutes, Kentucky only attempting six shots with so many talented scorers, is mind-boggling.

Summary

So, in 40 minutes of basketball, the Cats went 27 minutes without scoring, including missing 12 shots, and turned the ball over 11 times. YIKES!!

Kentucky’s offense is bad, but this really shows how bad it is. A talented team like this cannot go 27 out of 40 minutes without a basket and only attempt 12 shots during that time.

I hate to pull the Dontaie Allen card here, but I have to. Allen averaged over 40 points a game in his senior year of high school and can clearly shoot the ball, but Cal refuses to play him. In a failing offense, the one thing Cal hasn’t tried, he won’t try. I’m not saying Dontaie Allen is going to fix UK’s problems, because he won’t, but Kentucky has nothing except Davion Mintz and Jacob Toppin, two bench-players from non power-five schools, as reliable options on offense right now.

Yet, he’ll sit there and rely on B.J. Boston, Terrence Clarke, and Olivier Sarr to run the offense. Two guys who brick shots the entire game and the other guy hasn’t scored a point in two games.

It’s absolutely ridiculous. Until Cal decides to try something else, this team isn’t going anywhere.

Men's Basketball

CBS Sports: Kentucky Has “ended pursuits” in Transfer Portal Following Aberdeen Commitment

In the wake of yet another addition to Kentucky’s incoming roster, CBS Sports reports that Coach Pope and staff may have closed the portal.

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2025

Lane Mills

Mark Pope and staff may have everything they need from the transfer portal.

Chet White | UK Athletics

Following another flurry of transfer portal additions in his second year at the helm, it appears that Mark Pope and staff are satisfied with their sophomore haul. The portal in Lexington may be officially closed for the 2025-26′ season.

Right after Kentucky received the surprising commitment of Denzel Aberdeen, Matt Norlander, an analyst for CBS Sports, posted the following on X (Twitter):

“Barring any portal defections, Kentucky has ended its pursuits of all other portal targets, sources told CBS Sports. Getting Aberdeen today [April 21] meant they’ve moved off Andrej Stojakovic, Rylan Griffen, etc. Otega Oweh going through pre-draft process-but I expect him back in Lex”.

With the addition of Aberdeen, the Wildcats’ roster ballooned to near-max capacity for next season. Seeing two of the team’s walk-on players, Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, enter the transfer portal seemed to all but confirm this suspicion, too.

Losing One of Our Own

That is, until last night. With less than two hours remaining for players to do so, Travis Perry shocked much of the Big Blue Nation by throwing his name into the hat. This came just weeks after a string of comments from the Kentucky-native point guard seemed to confirm his return for a sophomore season.

Though all the same, given Kentucky’s bulk of back-court additions this offseason, his departure makes sense for the sake of playing time alone. The Lyon King will be sorely missed.

So while the Kentucky staff may still be very much content with their current roster, with hundreds of players remaining in the portal and an unexpected spot on the roster coming open, another grab is far from out of the question.

Who Coach Pope and company would go after is entirely unclear, as that potential player would likely have to accept a minimized role off the bench for a stretch of his time in Lexington. If anything, the logical replacement would be a direct fill-in at the PG2/PG3 spot in Perry’s absence.

Either way, the ‘Cats are set to come into next season as one of the most exciting teams in college basketball with a ceiling far out of view. Mark Pope continues to prove his prowess in the transfer market, too, easing the worries of Wildcats fans and closing the door on many supposed “insiders” who’ve spent the last month suggesting otherwise.

Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2025

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky basketball Travis Perry talks about growing more comfortable on the court.

Jordan Prather | IMAGN

The transfer portal has been kind to Kentucky in the Mark Pope era. Last season, the staff was able to build a Sweet Sixteen roster almost exclusively from the portal, and this offseason have put together a top-five portal class.

While the portal giveth, it also taketh. Just hours before the deadline to enter, Kentucky native and fan favorite Travis Perry has entered the transfer portal, per multiple reports.

Coming to Kentucky as the state’s all-time high-school scoring record holder, fans were excited to see how his career would unfold in Lexington.

Not expecting to play much freshman, he was called upon due to injuries and played some key minutes for the Wildcats into the postseason. He averaged 2.7 PPG and .6 APG on 32% shooting from three.

Looking at the depth chart, it was difficult to see where Perry would get much playing time next season, leading to his decision to enter the portal.

Perry has yet to release an official statement, but all the best to him in his future.

Men's Basketball

Top Transfer Guard Denzel Aberdeen Commits to Kentucky

Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky, likely closing the transfer portal for next year’s roster.

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2025

Lane Mills

UF Athletics

Another day, another “boom.” Denzel Aberdeen has officially committed to Kentucky for the 2025-26’ season.

A soon-to-be senior guard fresh off his championship win with Florida, Aberdeen spent his first three years of eligibility in Gainesville. Now, following an apparent conflict in the Gators’ rotation, he’s swapped teams in the southeast.

At 6 ‘5”, 190, Aberdeen spent much of this past season beating defenders off the dribble and making them pay at the rim. His speed and size made him a nightmare off the bench for opposing teams, and for the short stretch of play that he started during the year, Florida didn’t miss a beat.

In 19 minutes, Aberdeen averaged 8 points, two rebounds and one assist per game. His consistent contribution to the Gators’ title run made him one of the most coveted transfers in the cycle this season, and given his big blue commitment just days after entering the portal, Mark Pope clearly wasted no time in Kentucky’s pursuit.

Aberdeen slots in as yet another addition to what was already one of the strongest portal classes going into next season. His SEC experience and combo-guard intangibles make Aberdeen one of the most exciting portal players to come through Lexington in a long while, reinforcing Kentucky’s back court to what may be the final degree.

Whether or not Mark Pope is officially done for next season, nobody is sure, but this commitment only further cements the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Just like the fanbase behind him, Coach Pope seems to never sleep.