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Kentucky vs. UCLA: Postgame Recap and Three Things to Know

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UK Athletics

On Saturday, the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats traveled to Madison Square Garden to play the No. 16 UCLA Bruins in the annual CBS Sports Classic. The contest offered a chance for redemption for the Wildcats, as they played their first-ranked opponent since a demoralizing loss to Gonzaga back in November.

Through the first five minutes, both teams traded baskets, and it seemed pretty even. Cason Wallace even got off to another quick start, scoring 5 points in the opening 90 seconds for the Wildcats.

However, Kentucky was forced into difficult shots for much of the half and played uncharacteristic defense as the Bruins’ steadily built a 13-point lead with more than six minutes to go in the half. Thanks to the energy of Chris Livingston and Lance Ware, Kentucky was able to chip the lead down to eight going into halftime, 35-27.

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Their energy earned them the right to start the second half. Ware immediately answered as he fought for an offensive board and kicked it out for a Sahvir Wheeler three, which was followed by three straight baskets by Chris Livingston to tie up the game at 38.

UCLA quickly responded to go up 46-40, but the Wildcats kept fighting keeping the lead within reach. In the end, the Wildcats made far too many mistakes to beat a legit top-25 team, falling by a final score of 63-53.

Up next, Kentucky returns home next Wednesday to host Florida A&M.

Now, here are three things to know from the game.

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Sluggish State, Offensive Woes Spell Doom

Coming into the contest, KenPom had UCLA ranked in the top 10 in offensive efficiency and Kentucky top 10 in defensive efficiency. However, in the battle of strengths, the UCLA offense reigned supreme.

In the first half alone, the Bruins shot just five threes and that was because they were not forced to take them. The Wildcat defense allowed UCLA to shoot 50 percent from the field, getting nearly anything they wanted.

When the defense isn’t up to par, the offense needs to step up, and that was the real issue for the Wildcats. Yet, down just 55-53 with 4:31 to go, Kentucky still had the chance to win but they didn’t score for the remainder of the game. 53 points in a regulation game vs. anyone is awful.

On the game, they were abysmal in nearly by nearly every offensive metric, shooting below 35% from the field for the game while having more turnovers (18) than assists (14). This offense is a major problem. And until it gets solved, Kentucky will keep losing to quality foes.

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Who Steps Up?

In the first half, Kentucky only had three players hit more than one field goal: Oscar Tshiebwe, Cason Wallace, and Sahvir Wheeler. To add insult to injury, the rest of the team was less than lackluster, shooting a combined 3/15 from the field. This put the Wildcats in a hole early.

Oscar Tshiebwe had a bad game by his standards with eight points on 4/12 shooting but did grab 16 rebounds. Other than that, Sahvir Wheeler had 11 points, and Chris Livingston had 14, but Jacob Toppin, Cason Wallace, and Antonio Reeves combined for 18 points on 6/35 shooting.

Yikes.

If this team wants to reach its full potential, then they have to receive consistent contributions from key players, something that has yet to happen.

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How About Lance? And Livingston?

While the Wildcats didn’t receive a lot of help outside of Tshiebwe-Wallace-Wheeler, there were two players that stepped up, Chris Livingston and Lance Ware, giving the Wildcats a fighting chance.

For weeks, John Calipari has been quoted that he needs to play Livingston more. On Saturday night, one of the biggest stages in basketball, Livingston made his case for more playing time. In his best game of the season, Livingston recorded 14 points on 5/9 shooting.

As for Lance Ware, he has been another player that has received inconsistent playing time, but has carved himself out a role on the roster in his three seasons.

That role? A high-energy player off the bench, which he provided again on Saturday.

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Recording just two points and five rebounds, Ware’s value beyond the box score was on display. As proof, he led the team in plus/minus, with +8. This ultimately helped Kentucky make this a game when all hope seemed lost.


At this point, the Wildcats have lost all three of their ranked matchups in the non-conference and will kick off an even more challenging SEC schedule at the end of this month.

Personally, I don’t like to be negative. Yet, it is now fair to question, when or even if this team will start to click.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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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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