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

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Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham (0) celebrates from the bench at Rupp Arena.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

After making a national statement on Tuesday, beating No. 8 Miami by 22 points, the Kentucky Wildcats take the court again this Saturday against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks, where John Calipari played two years before transferring to Clarion.

When Calipari played there from 1978 to 1980, the Seahawks had just moved to Division 1. More than forty years later, they have arguably become the best team in their conference, the Coastal Athletic Association, winning the most regular season championships and winning the conference tournament six times since 2000. This season, they will make another run as they are projected to finish second in their conference.

Based on their KenPom rating, at 133rd, UNCW will be the fourth most difficult opponent Kentucky has faced this season. Kentucky should still control this game, but they will faced with a different look.

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Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Speed the Game Up

As John Calipari said in his postgame press conference after the Miami game, he doesn’t have to yell at this Kentucky team to “GO!”. Averaging 76.7 possessions per game, the Wildcats play at the 34th-fastest pace in the country. In comparison, UNC Wilmington averages 69.7 possessions per game, which is below average for 262nd in the country.

Through seven games, the Wildcats have been fortunate to mostly play teams that like to play a similar, up-and-down style. That said, UNCW will look to slow it down, which is easier to do than speeding a game up. This is why many projections have Kentucky scoring one of their lowest point totals of the season.

UNCW doesn’t turn the ball over, so Kentucky will need to take advantage when they do and create transition opportunities off of rebounds.

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Rebounding

Even after beating Miami 95-73, Calipari’s first comment in the postgame press conference was “got outrebounded again”. That has been the case in two straight games, including giving up 10+ offensive rebounds in three straight. UNCW is one of the worst rebounding teams Kentucky has played this season, averaging 33.3 per game, 270th nationally.

When Bradshaw returns, he will certainly aid significantly in that, but the team needs to do a better job as a whole. A game will come when the shots aren’t falling and having a rebounding advatange can be the difference in winning or losing a game.

Aaron Bradshaw

Speaking of Bradshaw, on Monday, he participated in his first full-contact practice at Kentucky, returning from an offseason foot injury that he had surgery on. Bradshaw followed that up on Tuesday by going through his first full pre-game warmup, looking as impressive as you can in a warm-up, as the seven-footer was hitting contested shots from all three levels.

The plan is for Bradshaw to make his Kentucky debut this Saturday against UNCW, likely in limited minutes. Bradshaw’s return will address Kentucky’s concerns of size, rebounding, and rim protection. With his perimeter skillset, Calipari reiterated on Tuesday that he will not change the way Kentucky will play.

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No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats (6-1) vs. UNC Wilmington (5-1)

  • Time: 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, December 2nd
  • Location: Central Bank Center at Rupp Arena
  • TV Channel: SEC Network
  • Announcers: Mark Neely and Daymeon Fishback will call the action.
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | UNCW
  • Stats to Know: UK | UNCW
  • KenPom: UK | UNCW
  • Odds: ESPN’s matchup predictor has a high level of confidence in the Cats at 86.1%, with Bart Torvik slightly more confident at 88%.
  • PredictionsBart Torvik projects Kentucky to score its lowest point total this season, but to win 80-67. EvanMiya and Haslametrics both project Kentucky to win by very similar margins, 83-67 and 82-66.

How do you see tonight’s game playing out?

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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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