Connect with us

Men's Basketball

Recap and Takeaways from 2023 Blue-White Game

Published

on

Reed Sheppard goes up for a layup at Kentucky basketball's Blue-White game.
UK Athletics | Chet White

Following the Big Blue Madness festivities, it was once again time to see the Kentucky Wildcats in a game-like setting for the first time in the Blue-White game. In 2022, the team traveled to Pikeville, KY to raise money for eastern Kentucky flood relief. This year, John Calipari and his guys made way to Truist Arena at NKU to raise funding for the same cause, as well as western Kentucky tornado relief. On top of that, it was an overall positive night of basketball with much to take away, so let’s get to it.

No Big Z

One of the few negatives from the event was that the BBN did not get to see the debut of Zvonimir Ivisic. Many wondered what the reason may be. Some speculated eligibility issues while some thought Ivisic may be suffering from an injury.

Coach Cal clarified why Big Z didn’t play in Saturday’s scrimmage, however. “(Ivisic) goes three hard practices. Hard. After the ramp-up, after a 30-hour flight, after all the tests and needles and everything he had to have.”

Advertisement

Calipari added, “He was cramping. His calves, his hamstring, his groin, his knee. I mean, he had everything going, ‘my ankle’. I just said ‘Stop’. We can have him for here and then I’d be a man of my word. Or we can worry about the season, and I’m worried about the season. So I want to give him some time to see what this body can take.” It seems like Ivisic is still adjusting to the rigor of college basketball, and this doesn’t seem like a long-term issue.

DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards Prove Their Value

In the first half of the scrimmage, DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards were both in double digits in the scoring column, but they were struggling with efficiency and finding good shots. Both players were shooting well below 50% from the field. It’s easy to see that the lack of depth for each team had a role, considering there were practically no substitutions made throughout the scrimmage.

After the halftime break, however, Wagner and Edwards found their stride. Suddenly, it became very clear as to why both players were top-five recruits coming out of high school. Wagner finished with 25 points on 9-20 shooting, and Edwards had 26 on 11-18 shooting.

They also had significant impacts on other aspects of the game. Wagner had seven rebounds, six assists, and even two blocks to go along with his 25 points. Edwards had ten rebounds and a block of his own to add to the stat sheet.

Advertisement

Rob Dillingham Cooks, Scoring 40 Points

Even after scoring 20+ points and filling up the stat sheet across the board, Wagner nor Edwards were the best player on the floor. That honor would belong to Rob Dillingham. It goes without saying, Dillingham had himself a special night.

Dillingham had FORTY POINTS on the night on 14-23 shooting, as well as making 42.9% of his shots from three-point range (3-7). He also had five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals on the night.

The Hickory, North Carolina native has the potential to be one of the best players on this team. If he can improve his shot selection and overall decision-making on offense, then it will be very hard to maintain Dillingham when he’s on the floor.

Role Players Shine Under Spotlight

The production on offense didn’t end with Wagner, Edwards, and Dillingham. Antonio Reeves, who is heavily favored to be the team’s leading scorer, had 17 points. Reeves struggled with knocking shots down, but it’s still nice to see him in double digits.

Advertisement

Someone whose effort will go overlooked is Tre Mitchell, but he had an excellent all-around game too. Mitchell recorded 14 points and a team-leading 14 rebounds to give himself a double-double. His contributions will be vital as all three big men are currently out due to injury.

Then, Adou Thiero (26) and Jordan Burks (20) also joined the 20+ point club with their efforts. Thiero also had nine rebounds and two assists to add, and Burks had five rebounds as well. Burks also finished with NINE personal fouls, but that’s basically a non-factor given that it was 40 minutes of 5-on-5 with almost no subs.


If you had doubts about how good this team can be, hopefully, some of your questions were answered Saturday night. DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards are going to be the studs we thought they would be. Rob Dillingham is a DAWG, and Adou Thiero and Jordan Burks were lights out.

The only real negatives to take away are Antonio Reeves’ poor shooting and no sight of Big Z. However, Reeves still managed 17 points, and as Cal said, Big Z was held out for “precautionary reasons”. He should be just fine. There is a lot to be excited about this team as we get closer and closer to the season.

Advertisement

You can view the box score from the Blue-White game here.

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

on

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”.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

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

on

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. 

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending