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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Kansas: Viewing Info and Keys to the Game

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© Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Kentucky Wildcats entered Allen Fieldhouse playing their best basketball of the season and walked out with an 18-point victory against the Kansas Jayhawks. This Saturday, Kentucky will once again play Kansas, and again playing their best basketball of the season.

Comparing both teams, the Wildcats most certainly have the momentum, currently riding a four-game winning streak. In their last win, coming against Vanderbilt on Tuesday, they may have played their most complete game of the year.

Whereas, the Jayhawks have lost three straight, tied for the longest losing streak under Bill Self. However, all three losses came against ranked opponents.

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With a revitalized Big Blue Nation, Rupp Arena is set to be rocking, hosting its first-ranked opponent this season. For the Wildcats, this game is a chance to prove that they have really turned the corner.

Let’s take a closer look at the game.

Get off to a Good Start

Even during their turnaround, one of Kentucky’s biggest weaknesses has been their poor starts. This is no fault for poor execution, as the Wildcats often miss open looks.

Fortunately, that has not been a strong suit of Kansas either. In many of their conference games, even their wins, the Jayhawks have gotten down double-digits early. It was inevitable that it would catch up to them and it has played a part in their losing streak.

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Over their last two games (Texas A&M and Vanderbilt), Kentucky has improved slightly in their starts, but they need to be more consistent. With that said, Kansas will not be short of motivation on Saturday, so a good start should be anticipated, and Kentucky must be ready to match them.

Win the Rebounding Battle

One of Kansas’ biggest weaknesses has been their rebounding, as in three of their four losses, the Jayhawks have been outrebounded. With no big man, they have had to rely on team rebounding to make up for being undersized.

This plays in Kentucky’s favor, as they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. With their new lineup, the team’s rebounding – especially Jacob Toppin – has been even better, averaging 38.3 rpg and outrebounding their opponent by more than 13 per contest over their four-game winning streak.

The area where Kentucky really needs to capitalize is on the offensive glass. On average, Kansas is giving up 9.1 rpg on a 73.2 defensive rebounding percentage. Even if it is an off-shooting night, Kentucky should be able to get extra scoring opportunities. It could be another big game for Oscar Tshiebwe.

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Limit Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick

Kansas may not have a true point guard or true center, but they have two of the best wings in college basketball in Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson. The two are the Jayhawks’ leading scorers and combine for 36.3 points per game.

What makes them so dangerous is their perimeter shooting, as the duo combines for five of Kansas’s eight made threes per game. However, Wilson is also an aggressive straight-line driver who could give Kentucky fits.

Against Vanderbilt, Kentucky forced their two best perimeter shooters into 1-5 from three, and that must carry over to the Kansas game. Toppin has defended well against some talented forwards, so expect him to guard Wilson – potentially Chris Livingston as well to provide some physicality – but CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves must also continue to maintain their level of defense against Gradey Dick.

Kentucky Basketball (14-6) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (16-4)

Time/Date: 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, January 28th, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: ESPN
Online Stream: WatchESPNESPN+, SEC Network+ or ESPN app
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | KU
Team SheetsUK | KU
Stats To Know: UK | KU

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Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release the game odds. This is a matchup where computer models differ greatly. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Kentucky a fair chance to win at 65.4 percent, but Bart Torvik has it at 43%, while KenPom is at 52%.

PredictionsBart Torvik picks the Wildcats to lose in a nail-biter, 71-69. KenPom has it as a 71-70 victory, Kentucky!

Also published on a Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

How a Call with Mark Pope Led Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky

After winning a national title at Florida, Denzel Aberdeen committed to Kentucky without ever visiting campus—thanks to a revealing three-hour call with head coach Mark Pope.

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Chet White | UK Athletics

As a junior, Denzel Aberdeen was a key part of Florida’s national title run. But a certain phone conversation convinced him to leave his home state and head north to Lexington in hopes of experiencing that feeling once again.

He had never set foot in Lexington before deciding to become a Kentucky Wildcat — and he didn’t need to. All it took was one phone call — three hours long, on Easter Sunday — with head coach Mark Pope to convince him that he belonged in blue and white.

“Our phone call lasted about three hours, to be honest,” Aberdeen said, meeting with the media in Lexington for the first time earlier this week. “A lot of it was just getting to know me and getting to know the school, the university, getting to know him (Pope), how their style was, a lot of film. Once I saw that, I was like this looks like a great guy to play for.”

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The two went on to discuss Aberdeen’s role at Kentucky in more depth, including how Pope envisions him fitting into Kentucky’s new system — a system that, according to Aberdeen, is very similar, if not better than the one he just left.

“We had a lot of great players at Florida, especially the tall bigs. Bigs that love to run there, and we have just as much here; our bigs love to run, they play defense, and they play at a fast pace. So I think the things that we’ve got here are just as good, or even better,” Aberdeen said.

Averaging 7.7 points and nearly 20 minutes per game off the bench for the Gators last year, it’s clear to see what Aberdeen brings to the team: experience, versatility, calmness in the backcourt, and championship pedigree. Pope’s phone conversation with Aberdeen wasn’t just impactful on the court — it also speaks volumes to what he is doing off the court in pursuit of the goal he laid out in his introductory press conference: to hang banners.

This phone call wasn’t just about Denzel Aberdeen. It was a glimpse into Pope’s player-first, transparent coaching approach, which could define his era at Kentucky — and potentially make this season a special one, with Aberdeen playing another key role in a deep NCAA Tournament run.

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“I know the goal is to win No. 9,” he said. “I know the fans want that, we want that, all the staff and coaches want that. That pushes us. We know what we gotta do when we come here and put on that Kentucky jersey. Just playing for the University of Kentucky is a big thing. Being here is a blessing, and I can’t look back.”

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Men's Basketball

La Familia’s Lexington Regional Bracket Revealed

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Israel Schill | KY Insider

Kentucky’s alumni team, La Familia, has officially unveiled the bracket for The Basketball Tournament’s (TBT) Lexington Regional.

The No. 1 seeded alumni will face off against Stroh’s Squad (Bowling Green) in the opening round on Friday, July 18 with a late 9:00 p.m. ET tip time.

The Lexington Regional will take place at Memorial Coliseum from July 18-22, where Kentucky will host a plethora of teams looking to grab some gold.

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Familiar teams, such as Eberlein Drive, who former Wildcat Archie Goodwin used to play for and who have been around since the beginning of TBT, will lead the bottom of the bracket. In the second round, Big Blue Nation may see a way-too-early SEC matchup, technically, with the Auburn Tigers’ alumni team, War Ready.

The name is definitely fitting, obviously a play on Auburn’s “War Eagle” call, but as a whole defines the type of play that the TBT unleashes against every competitor.

When asked about who the “alpha dog” will be on this year’s team, someone who is going to be ready to go to war, general manager Twany Beckham admitted he emphasized finding guys like that during the offseason.

“That was one thing, you know when we lost last year, I feel like that Ohio State team, I’m not gonna say punked us because our guys played extremely hard,” said Beckham before head coach Sean Woods budded in and said “they were more physical.”

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“When I sat down after the season was over last year I sad to myself, ‘I want nine to 10 dogs’, and I think we did that with this roster,” Beckham added.

The winner of the Lexington Regional will play the winner of the Louisville Regional in the quarterfinals on Monday, July 28, at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, the team also announced recently.

Below is the entire bracket for the 2025 tournament:

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Men's Basketball

Top Guard Prospect Taylen Kinney Takes Official Visit to Kentucky

Perhaps the most highly touted guard in the 2026-27 class, Taylen Kinney has begun his visit to Kentucky – Mark Pope is on the clock.

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Taylen Kinney takes his official visit to Kentucky.
USA TODAY NETWORK

Directly following his involvement with Mark Pope and Jasper Johnson at the USA U19 basketball camp, Taylen Kinney has taken an official visit to Kentucky.

One of the top guards in the nation, Kinney is a native of Newport, Kentucky. As a result, naturally, both Louisville and Kentucky are in strong pursuit — among pulls on both sides, one potential advantage Kentucky has over their in-state rivals is Kinney’s extensive past ties to the aforementioned Jasper Johnson.

The two blue bloods manned the backcourt together for the Overtime Elite RWE team during the 2024-25 season. With Johnson being the first to pull the trigger in taking on the blue and white, the onus is on Kinney to potentially rekindle the duo’s dominant guard play in a new setting.

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Given Jasper’s potential for multiple years in Lexington, the likelihood that he could impact Kinney’s recruitment is all the more tangible.

The 6-foot-2 floor general stayed firmly put in the 2026-27 class, despite rumors of a reclassification, ranking atop national lists across the board as arguably the best available at his position. And while a timetable for Kinney’s ultimate decision hasn’t yet shaken out, it’s clear that the blue and red rivals each hold a powerful stake in his recruitment.

Regardless of the rumors, if Mark Pope gets a guy on campus, there’s a solid shot the Cats can capitalize on a commitment. When one battle ends for Kentucky’s staff, the next begins — if nothing else, it’s clear that the team has already started working towards as solid a roster next season as they put together for the one that’s about to begin.

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