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Kentucky And 4 Other SEC Teams in Preseason Top 25: What You Need To Know

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UK Athletics

The Wildcats being preseason ranked by the Associated Press isn’t something that is too unfamiliar to Cats fans, specifically this year being the #4 team in the country.

Yet, the SEC continues to improve and is as good as ever with 5 teams in the Top 25, tied for the most of any conference.

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With that said, let’s talk about Kentucky’s competition for the SEC and some players we need to know about each team.

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Eric Musselman has shown out with his impressive recruiting tactics in recent years, which has led him and the Razorbacks to two straight tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight last year. Yet, this year he is bringing in his best class.

According to 247 Sports, Arkansas’s incoming class is ranked 2nd overall, led by 6 incoming freshmen (three Top 25 commits) and 5 transfers. Nick Smith is the name to remember, a top 5 recruit anywhere you look, who will be paired with junior guard Davonte Davis, who averaged a little under 9 points a year ago.

Arkansas has as deep a team as anyone in the country and has the talent to be a national title threat.

Tennessee Volunteers

Right behind the Razorbacks, the Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 11 in the preseason AP poll. Unlike Arkansas, Tennessee will rely on its experience this year.

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Returnees Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, and Zakai Zeigler, were all three named on All-SEC teams, with Vescovi as one of the guard spots on the first team.

Rick Barnes will experience some offensive drop-off after losing Kennedy Chandler to the NBA Draft last year, but not as much as other teams in the SEC would hope. The Vols will pair their three preseason All-SEC shot creators with senior big men Uros Plasvic and Olivier Nkahhoua to put them in a spot to contend for a Final Four this season.

Auburn Tigers

The defending SEC regular season champs are ranked as the No. 15 team coming into this season, but lost star players Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler to the NBA Draft.

The Tigers don’t bring in a lot of freshman talent but do have five-star big, Yohan Traore, coming in. The bigger news for Auburn this basketball offseason was the commit by Morehead State Forward Johni Broome, who will be a double-double machine.

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Returnees K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green will most likely lead the front court, but what stood out the most in Bruce Pearls’ eyes during the Israel trip Auburn took this past summer is Allen Flanigan.

Pearl has Flanigan, who is coming off of an Achilles injury, in an escalated role this season. A Tiger team led by Broome and company should have Bruce Pearl ecstatic for the upcoming year.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Rounding out the Top 25, Alabama is placed as the No. 20 team this year. Nate Oats has brought success to the basketball program in his tenure in Tuscaloosa and doesn’t plan on stopping.

Jahvon Quinerly, who is entering his fourth year of college ball, is the perfect floor general to lead what is the third-best recruiting class coming into this year according to 247 Sports.

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The name leading that recruiting class is Brandon Miller, a top-ten recruit. The 6-foot-8 forward is as versatile and efficient on offense as any player in the league. The Crimson Tide are also bringing in former Kentucky target, Jaden Bradley.

Nate Oats and his team have the talent and may have one of the highest ceilings in the conference if everything falls correctly. If so, the Crimson tide could cause some damage in the SEC.


The SEC is as competitive as ever. Even outside the five teams ranked in the Top 25, the SEC has teams like Texas A&M, Florida, and Missouri that could make a push for an NCAA Tournament appearance

In addition to a difficult non-conference schedule, the league as a whole will give the Cats nothing but good experiences and tough matchups that will prepare them enough in order to succeed in March.

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BB Recruiting

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

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The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

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An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

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Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

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Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

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Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

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Kentucky met with Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Muruaskas, one of the top forwards in the transfer portal, on Wednesday and is looking to schedule a visit for him to come to Lexington.
Saint Mary's Athletics

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.

Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.

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Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.

This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.

Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.

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Top 20 Transfer Donnie Freeman Meets With Kentucky on Wednesday

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The Kentucky basketball staff is meeting with Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman on Wednesday, a top 20 player in the transfer portal.
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The transfer portal has been open for less than 48 hours, but one name that has been consistently linked to Kentucky has been Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman, even going back before the portal officially opened.

Currently ranked 16th overall in this year’s portal class, the fifth-ranked forward, Freeman had a Zoom video call with Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon.

Playing for the Bahamas National Team in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying tournament, Freeman also has a connection to Kentucky assistant coach Mikhail McLean, who was an associate head coach for the team.

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One of the bigger names in the portal and for good reason, a top-15 player, McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, Freeman has been a big impact player through two seasons with the Orange. This past season, he averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.2 percent shooting from deep.

Freeman will have NBA eyes on him wherever he goes. Physically, he has the size and athleticism. That allows him to be versatile on defense, capable of defending multiple positions; having the speed to defend smaller players, and length to affect shots in the paint.

Offensively, his physical tools help him excel in transition and as a slasher, having good touch around the rim. Shooting 30+ percent from deep through two seasons, enough to keep defenses honest, his shot is inconsistent and has a slight hitch in mechanics. Though the biggest area of concern is his struggle with turnovers, having a negative assist-to-turnover ratio in both collegiate seasons.

It’s also worth noting that Freeman has suffered right foot injuries in back-to-back seasons, sidelining him for 28 games total.

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Freeman has the physical tools and skills to be an first round draft pick, but needs some refinement, and Kentucky is interested.

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