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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs Arkansas Round 2: TV/Streaming Info and Keys to the Game

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© Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Wednesday, the Kentucky Wildcats had the opportunity to secure the 3-seed and a double-bye in next week’s SEC Tournament. However, they lost to a hot Vanderbilt team that has now won seven of their last eight games.

The Wildcats still have that same opportunity, but this time on the road and against a tougher opponent, the Arkansas Razorbacks. The two teams faced off earlier in February, with Arkansas coming out on top after a dominant second-half performance.

The matchup will look a bit different this time as the Razorbacks have returned their highly touted freshman, Nick Smith Jr. After not playing for nearly two months due to injury, it seems that the projected lottery pick has found his footing, averaging 18 points per game over his last four games.

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With Smith back on the roster Arkansas has shown that they are one of the most talented teams in the SEC, nearly beating an Alabama team that is seen as a favorite for the National Title. A loss on Saturday doesn’t necessarily hurt Kentucky, but a win would give them another quad-one victory for their resume, helping their case for a higher tournament seed.

Let’s take a closer look.

Force Arkansas Out of the Paint

Arkansas has great athletes and because of that, they are very aggressive in trying to get to the rim. In fact, two of their three leading scorers – Anthony Black and Ricky Council – shoot 33 percent or less from three, but shoot over 50 percent from two.

While Arkansas is capable of hitting the three, they have not done so consistently, and shoot one of the worst marks in the country (32.1%). Furthermore, The Razorbacks have only made more than eight threes once this season.

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For these reasons, Kentucky will need to go under most screens – unless it is Davonte Davis – and stay in between their man and the basket, something they struggled to do in their first matchup. This will limit Arkansas’ main source of offense, if they have a season-best shooting night, that’s something you live with.

Win the Rebounding Battle

One of Kentucky’s best strengths has been their rebounding. The Wildcats have been outrebounded by their opponent only three times this season, but all resulted in losses.

While winning the rebounding battle doesn’t guarantee a win, it has been a big factor in Kentucky’s success, especially in offensive rebounding and second-chance points. Since their turnaround with the win at Tennessee, the Wildcats have outrebounded their opponent by nearly 10 rebounds per game (9.5).

In their earlier matchup, the Wildcats actually outrebounded Arkansas 31-26. However, if you look deeper, most of those rebounds came in the first half where Kentucky had a 16-10 advantage and the scoreboard displayed a close game, 41-40. In the second half, Kentucky was outrebounded 16-15, which isn’t terrible but they were limited to just five second-chance points, and Arkansas outscored Kentucky 47-33.

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To give themselves a shot to win, Kentucky must win the rebounding battle, but they also need to convert on their second-chance opportunities, especially if they shoot as badly as they did against Vanderbilt.

Transition Defense

One of the areas where Arkansas succeeded most in their first matchup against Kentucky is in their transition offense. One reason for this is their aforementioned athleticism, reminiscent of some of Kentucky teams in the past.

With that said, 15 turnovers isn’t ideal, which is how many Kentucky committed in their first matchup. These turnovers led to a good portion of their 20 fastbreak points. Therefore, taking care of the ball and taking good shots would be Kentucky’s best ‘defense’.

The Wildcats will need to do their best to sprint back on every possession, which may be difficult given Kentucky’s depth concerns.

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Kentucky Wildcats (20-10) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (19-11)

Time/Date: 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, March 2nd, 2023
Location: Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
TV Channel: CBS
Online Stream: CBSSports Online
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: Check local listings.
Rosters: UK | ARK
Team SheetsUK | ARK
Stats To Know: UK | ARK

Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to. ESPN’s matchup predictor was the Wildcats an underdog, giving them just a 30.7 % chance. However, Bart Torvik’s are similar, giving Kentucky just a 28% chance.

PredictionsBart Torvik picks the Wildcats to put up a fight, but ultimately lose 75-69.

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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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