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Men's Basketball

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

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The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes at Rupp Arena on November 27th.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a fun weekend for Kentucky fans. The basketball team put up a historic offensive performance on Friday, scoring 118 points. That was followed on Saturday by the football team taking down a 10th-ranked Louisville team with a last-minute touchdown.

Then, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Mark Stoops announced he would be staying at Kentucky, and the volleyball team earned the 8th overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That positive momentum carries into a big-time game at Rupp Arena on Tuesday against a Top 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes team coming off a Final Four appearance. Coached by Jim Larrañaga, the Hurricanes look to have the personnel to make another deep tournament run this season.

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This year’s Miami team, while they haven’t played a difficult schedule, is undefeated and one of the best offensive teams in the country. That said, this Kentucky team has the potential to be John Calipari’s best offensive team at Kentucky.

With two high-powered offensive teams, it’s sure to be an exciting game. Let’s break it down.

Crash the Offensive Glass

Without a true big man, Kentucky has not been great on the boards, as they usually are under John Calipari. That said, they haven’t been terrible either, averaging 38.5 rebounds per game.

That leads to Miami’s biggest weakness, which is rebounding. Averaging 36 rebounds per game, they are not far off from Kentucky’s. However, they give up the second most offensive rebounds of any Power Five team, giving up nine or more offensive rebounds in every game this season, including 12 or more in three games.

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Kentucky hasn’t been great at crashing the offensive glass this season, but the opportunities should be there.

Defend the 3

As good as Kentucky has been at shooting and making the 3 this season, they have also given up plenty of 3-point attempts to their opponents, an average of 28.3 to be exact. A large part of that is the style of play Kentucky’s opponents have played.

That said, Miami doesn’t shoot the 3 at an extremely high rate, but they shoot the best percentage in the nation, at 45.6 percent, which number could be more like fifty with the “Rupp Arena opponent shooting bump.”

That is highlighted by their talented backcourt of Wooga Poplar and Nijel Pack, who shoot more than ten 3s combined.

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DJ Wagner, Rod Dillingham, and Reed Sheppard will have a lot of defensive responsibility on Tuesday night, and they cannot afford to go under the screen and allow threes, as they did with Kansas.

Make Shots

Scoring more than your opponent. It sounds simple and is the basis of nearly every sport, including basketball. With two teams ranked top 10 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency ratings, there is almost certainly going to be a lot of scoring.

In terms of points, Kentucky averages more than 94 points per game, while Miami averages 89 points, both top ten amongst Power Five teams. Both are efficient as well, ranking top 20 in field goal percentage and points per possession. So what’s going to give?

With neither team great defensively, it is going to be a shootout, but Kentucky certainly cannot afford a cold night from the field.

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#16 Kentucky Wildcats (4-1) vs. #10 Miami Hurricanes (5-0)

  • Date: Tuesday, November 28th, 2023
  • Time: 7:30 pm ET
  • Location: Central Bank Center at Rupp Arena.
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Announcers: Mike Morgan and Pat Bradley will call the action.
  • Online Stream: Stream the game online using WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | UM
  • Stats to Know: UK | UM
  • KenPom: UK | UM
  • Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game. ESPN’s matchup predictor has a surprisingly high level of confidence in the Cats at 79%. Bart Torvik is slightly less confident at 74%, while KenPom is at 72%.
  • PredictionsBart Torvik is going with an 83-76 victory for the Cats. EvanMiya and Haslametrics both project Kentucky to win by very similar margins, 83-76 and 83-77. KenPom went with an 85-79 victory, Kentucky!

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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