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Men's Basketball

Rob Dillingham Responds After Summer Struggles

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Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham (0) handles the ball during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

The GLOBL JAM event that took place in Toronto this past July served as a time for a lot of Kentucky Wildcats to show off what they can do on the court. A lot of players saw great success that gave them momentum heading into the rest of the summer. Rob Dillingham was not one of those players, however. After averaging just 5.5 points per contest while shooting 31% from the field, Dillingham decided to get to work in the gym and the weight room, and his work has clearly paid off.

Gaining Over Twenty Pounds of Muscle

One of the issues with Dillingham when he came in was that he lacked much of a frame physically. Being 6’1, he already lacked the stature that some of his competition will have. Then, at 155 lbs, Dillingham was set up to be bullied around, especially by those tough SEC guards.

Around the beginning of September, the BBN got an update from Strength and Condition Coach Brady Welsh on Dillingham’s physical transformation. He had added 17 lbs of muscle, putting him at 172 lbs.

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However, after the Blue-White game, John Calipari said, “He’s gained 22 pounds because he got beat up in Toronto. Was he making layups in Toronto? No, because he got bumped and now all the sudden he’s the one creating the bump and playing through.” If that number is accurate, that would mean Dillingham is up to 177 lbs.

Impressive Showing at UK Pro Day

When all eyes were on Dillingham at GLOBL JAM, he struggled, but that wasn’t the case when he took that the floor at UK Pro Day. Dillingham saw improvement in basically every aspect of his game. With 52 scouts from all 30 NBA teams in attendance, Dillingham shined bright.

Throughout summer practice, Dillingham’s name was the one that received the most praise, and we saw why at UK Pro Day. Dillingham was stronger, faster, and even more shiftier than he was even as recent as GLOBL JAM.

His on-ball defense has also taken a huge leap. He caused a good amount of disruption, no matter who he was matched up against. Dillingham proved that he has a ton of versatility on defense, which will be invaluable for this team.

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Scoring Forty Points in the Blue-White Game

The Blue-White game was yet another chance for Rob Dillingham to show why he was brought to Kentucky. Five players managed to score twenty points of more, and Dillingham took it to another level by doubling that. He had forty points on 14-23 shooting.

Buckets weren’t the only way that Dillingham made in impact on the floor either. He filled up the stat sheet across the board. Along with his forty points, he also had five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals on the night.

If there was a Blue-White game MVP award, it would have gone to Dillingham without any doubt. All game long, he was a difference maker. It didn’t matter if it was offense or defense, he was always doing something positive on the floor.


Rob Dillingham is a completely different person and player from July, when the Cats went to Toronto and won GLOBL JAM gold. He has not only revamped his game on the floor, but he has remade himself physically and mentally. The Rob Dillingham of old was one of the best guards in high school ball, but the new Rob Dillingham has the potential to be one of the best guards in college basketball.

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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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