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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Tennessee: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, & Predictions

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UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats will enter Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday coming off back-to-back historic losses. Going up against a 5th-ranked Tennessee Volunteer team, it will be a tough task to put an end to the losing streak.

Tennessee is playing their best basketball of the season, while Kentucky is playing their worst basketball of the season. This leads the Volunteers to be a heavy favorite at home, a place where Kentucky has struggled of late, holding a record of just 3-6 in their last nine games in Knoxville.

With that said, this is Kentucky basketball, and realistic or not, we believe we have a chance to win every contest. Let’s take a look at three keys for Kentucky to have a shot at the win.

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Show more effort on the boards

Under John Calipari, Kentucky has traditionally been a good rebounding team, and even more so with Oscar Tshiebwe on the team. With that said, Kentucky’s effort on the boards against South Carolina was unacceptable, largely due to effort.

Not only did the Wildcats lose the rebounding batter 32-28, but they gave up 15 offensive rebounds, their most since – ironically enough – against South Carolina last season (20). With that said, Tennessee is much better at rebounding than South Carolina, ranked 5th in the country, twenty spots ahead of Kentucky.

If Kentucky wants any shot at winning, they are going to have to show more fight on the glass. Getting extra possessions and limiting Tennessee to just one, is going to be key.

Value possessions and take care of the ball

Kentucky is not a great offensive team. While it may not look like it, analytics are showing that is improving. Case in point, the Wildcats put up 68 points in 57 possessions against South Carolina, for an impressive 1.19 points per possession.

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On Saturday, the Wildcats will be going up against the stoutest defense in the country, rated No. 1 in defensive efficiency by KenPom. Limiting their opponents to just 53,4 points per game, scoring is not going to come easy against the Volunteers. Also accounting for the fact that Tennessee forces 17.1 turnovers per game, every possession will be valuable.

To put it simply, Kentucky is going to have to make shots to space the floor, which has been a struggle for them on the road this season. If they can do that and continue to effectively run some ball screen action, the Wildcats will have scoring opportunities. That is easier than done.

Show improvement on the defensive end

Given the length and athleticism of this team, this should be “a hell of a defensive team” as Calipari has put it. Yet, that is far from the case.

Countless times this season have the Wildcats beat beaten on straight-line drives. While Kentucky has played some great guards, this ultimately comes down to a lack of focus and not executing the scouting report.

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Against power five opponents, the Wildcats are allowing more than 75 points per game and if the Wildcats want to improve, this has to be the area they grow the most. As great as Tennessee is defensively, they have only been ‘good’ offensively, well until late. It should be noted they have scored 77 points or more in four of their last five games.

The Volunteers do not rely on one player and have more of a balanced scoring attack. Therefore, all five players on the floor will need to be engaged on the defensive end.

Kentucky Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Time/Date: 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, January 14th, 2023.
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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 | UT
Team SheetsUK | UT
Stats To Know: UK | UT

Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release the odds, but they probably won’t look pretty. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Wildcats one of their worst chances to win a game for the remainder of the season at just 9.4 percent. Bart Torvik is even less confident in the Cats at 4%.

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PredictionsBart Torvik picks the Wildcats to lose in blowout fashion 74-56. 

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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