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Kentucky/Arkansas preview and some other things

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After the second half collapse on Wednesday night against South Carolina, the Kentucky Wildcats travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Today’s game is a must win, I know I am stating the obvious there, but it really is. Kentucky has four losses, drop this one, and you have five losses with three of them being terrible, with your best wins being Michigan State and Louisville. We all know the committee isn’t nice to Kentucky, so if the Cats walk into March Madness with 8-9 losses, you can expect a rough road to get to Atlanta.

Here is what needs to happen for Kentucky to win.

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Get to 71 first

If ya know ya know.

South Carolina’s first lead Wednesday night just happened to be a three-pointer that also won them the race to 71.

The bigs have to play well

Rebounding, blocking shots, scoring in the post. That’s what Nick Richards, EJ Montgomery, Nate Sestina, and Keion Brooks need to do. Well, they need to do that every game, but even more so today.

The reason is Arkansas plays a ton of guards. Sometimes even five guards at once. Adrio Bailey is the only “big man” that averages over 20 minutes per game and he’s 6-foot-6.

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Kentucky’s bigs should dominate today. If they do, Kentucky wins easily.

Limit their guards

This one will be difficult. Arkansa’s four guards all average over 10 points a game. The two most lethal being Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe, who both average about 18 points per game.

But, the most lethal of the two is Isaiah Joe. He has already hit 63 three-pointers this year, and while he’s only shooting 35% from behind-the-arc, he will be jacking them up from all over. If he gets hot, the Cats are in trouble.

If this game is close down-the-stretch, you better make sure he has a guy on him at all times.

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In other news…..

North Carolina lost…….again

Roy Williams called his squad this years squad “the least gifted he’s ever coached” and boy was he right.

The Tar Heels dropped their second game in a row to Pitt and their fourth game in their last five.

Yikes.

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College basketball isn’t great this year and the Tar Heels are even worse.

How about that Astro’s scandal?

When I first heard the news about the Houston Astro’s stealing signs in the 2017 World Series I kind of laughed and didn’t give it much thought. Well, the whole thing really has sparked in the past week and really is crazy.

I went down a worm hole myself today and there is plenty of evidence to say that they did.

Here’s a video in case you’re interested:

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South Carolina won today

After the Gamecocks lost their minds, scoring 56 points in the second half Wednesday night, I wasn’t going to be surprised if they lost today by about 30.

Well, I was shocked to see that they beat Texas A&M, 81-67, and didn’t really play that bad. In fact, they scored 81 points again.

A&M is terrible, by the way.

Alright, enough of that.

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I’m an LSU fan now

Go Cats.

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.

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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”.

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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.

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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.

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Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky.
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. 

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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.

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