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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Marshall: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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Reed Sheppard points to the Kentucky Wildcat bench at Rupp Arena.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

It’s Thanksgiving week and one thing I am thankful for, along with the rest of the Big Blue Nation, is more Kentucky basketball. After beating beating Saint Joseph’s 96-88 in a resilient overtime win, the Wildcats will pick things back up on Black Friday against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

This will be the first time since 2012 the two teams have played against each other, when Kentucky won 82-54. Kentucky will look to improve to 13-0 in the series, and if they do so, Marshall will become the team the Wildcats have beaten the most without a loss, breaking a tie with Chattanooga and Morehead State at 12-0.

Coached by Dan D’Antoni, the older brother of former NBA Coach of the Year Mike D’Antoni, Marshall is 2-3 on the season and ranked 174th in KenPom. While maybe not quite as good as Saint Joseph’s they are a team capable of providing a test, especially phyiscally.

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That said, let’s take a closer look at the matchup.

Rebounding Battle

One of the biggest reasons for Kentucky’s struggles against Saint Joseph’s was due to being outrebounded. Marshall is also a team that crashes the boards effectively, with four players averaging five rebounds or more, highlighted by Nate Martin who is averaging more than nine rebounds per game. Meaning, each Wildcat will have to do their part and box out.

While Martin is the leading rebounder, the Herd also have another big that plays limited minutes, but averages over 13 rebounds per 40 minutes. That player is Goran Miladinovic, who stands 7’0, 244 pounds.

One positive is that Marshall takes eight less three-pointers than Saint Joseph’s, resulting in fewer long rebounds. That said, it’s still going to a battle on the boards, but Kentucky can’t allow 14 offensive rebounds again.

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Play Fast, Play Loose

Marshall plays a fast pace that Kentucky is very comfortably playing. In terms of possessions per game, they are withing half of a possessions of each other with Marshall ay 76.7 and Kentucky at 76.2. Both teams ranked in the top 60

That said, Kentucky is by far the more efficient offensively. To view that, let’s take a look at some stat comparisons.

Points Per Possession

  • Kentucky: 1.176 (18th nationally)
  • Marshall: .942 (254th nationally)

Effective Field Goal Percentage

  • Kentucky: 57.1% (25th nationally)
  • Marshall: 45.1% (286th nationally)

That said, Kentucky should be able to outscore them at the least. With just a 24.6 percent team three-point percentage, hopefully Marshall will be unable to joining the list of opposing teams that shoot absurdly well in Rupp Arena.

Will Aaron Bradshaw Play?

On Tuesday afternoon, Aaron Bradshaw posted an Instagram story with the caption, “God is great man 🤞,” seemingly hinting at return. Shortly after, reports began to surface that he would begin practicing on Wednesday, which has been confirmed.

So the natural question is, will he play against Marshall?

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Kentucky will practice just once before the Marshall game, on Wednesday, as Tuesday was a rest day following Monday’s game and Thanksgiving is Thursday. That said, it is unlikely to see Bradshaw on the court after just one practice, and unlikely that he will debut against a top 10 Miami team. That puts a return around UNC Wilmington on December 2nd, or against Penn in a Philadelphia homecoming game on December 9th.

No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (4-1) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (2-3)

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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