Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Missouri: Postgame Recap and Things to Know

Published

2 years ago

December 29, 2022

UK Athletics

After the Christmas break, the Kentucky Wildcats kicked off their SEC schedule on Wednesday, taking on the Missouri Tigers in Columbia. Coming in, Kentucky looked to have made some offensive changes for the better against Florida A&M, and Missouri beat a ranked Illinois team by 20+.

From the jump, Kentucky looked ill-prepared and dysfunctional. Just five minutes in, the Wildcats were already facing a double-digit deficit, 15-5. With little offensive production and poor defense, Kentucky continued to play one of their worst halves of the season as the Tigers entered the half up 42-30.

Coming out of the second half, Missouri threw the first punch and connected on an and-one to push the lead to 15. Yet, Kentucky stayed in it with an unusual lineup of Wheeler-Wallace-Thiero-Ware-Tshiebwe. That five was able to go on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to just 9 and put Kentucky within striking distance.

However, that was as close as the Wildcats got for the remainder of the game as Missouri quickly responded with back-to-back threes. In the end, the Wildcats performed embarrassingly bad in their SEC opener, losing by a final score of 89-75.

Let’s take a closer look at the loss.

Offensive Struggles Continue

In the first half, Kentucky could not buy a bucket, shooting 40 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three. This was far from ideal given the looks that they had received on offense, but they couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities and made several key errors.

While improved in the second half, it was far too late for the Wildcat offense to force a comeback.

In the end, three players made a three, but none of them were named CJ Fredrick or Antonio Reeves. To be fair, Fredrick played just four minutes before suffering a dislocated finger. Combine this with the failure of getting Oscar Tshiebwe paint touches, and that is a recipe for the putrid offense that was seen for much of the game.

Twelve games into the season, practically a third, Kentucky has no offensive identity and has not figured out their rotations. This is concerning for any team, let alone a team with preseason top 5 talent.

Defensive Woes

Once a strength that this Kentucky team could rely on to keep them in games, their defense, has regressed as of late.

Against Florida A&M, one of the worst teams in the country, Kentucky allowed them to record a season-high in points (68) and a shooting percentage (52%). On Wednesday, the Wildcats’ performance wasn’t any better.

Coming in, the Missouri offense was ranked top two in the country in scoring and shooting percentage, but had played one of the country’s easiest schedules. Yet, Kentucky even looked subpar as they gave up 89 points and allowed the Tigers to score at will.

This team has the length and ability to be an elite defensive team. If they want to reach their potential, it has to start on the defensive end, which could also be another way to generate offense.

Morale

There’s no hiding from it, this is the most negative the Big Blue Nation has been during the John Calipari era. While it is a culmination of things, the biggest piece is the product that is on the court. To put it simply, it is not good nor fun to watch.

As others have thought, this team has plenty of talent, and it was assumed that they would play their way out of their struggles. Now through a third of the season, that has yet to happen and there is no clear answer.

Technically, the opportunity is still there for this team to turn this around, but there is not a lot of reason to believe that will happen. A convincing win over Louisville on Saturday is a must for the team and the fanbase.

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

1 day ago

April 23, 2025

Lane Mills

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”.

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.

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.

Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2025

Tristan Pharis

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.

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.

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

2 days ago

April 22, 2025

Lane Mills

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.

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.