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Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Round 2: TV/Streaming Info and Keys to the Game

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© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats are riding high after beating an NCAA Tournament-caliber Auburn team by 32 points and re-entering the Top 25 rankings this week, coming in at No. 23. On Wednesday, the Wildcats will look to carry their momentum into their last home game of the season, against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

This will be the second matchup against Vandy this season as Kentucky played one of their better games in a 69-53 victory at Memorial Gymnasium back in January.

This time around, the Commodores are playing an improved brand of basketball, winning six of their last seven games, including a win over Tennessee. It is also of importance that they have returned their leading scorer, Liam Robbins, who was out with an injury for the first matchup.

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This game is important as there are SEC Tournament implications for both teams. For Kentucky, they will lock up a 3-seed with a win. Whereas for Vanderbilt, a win would allow them to keep fighting for a 5-seed.

With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the matchup.

Limit Vandy from Deep

One of the biggest reasons for Vanderbilt’s hot stretch of late is their 3-point shooting. Over their last seven games, the Commodores have made 10 or more 3s in five games.

A big reason for this is the shooting of Myles Stute and Trey Thomas, who combine for more than 4 made 3-pointers per game. In their first matchup, Kentucky did a good job and held the duo to just 1-5 shooting from deep. However, another player, Malik Dia, made a career-high four 3-pointers despite entering the game with seven made 3s on the season.

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Kentucky will need to limit Stute and Thomas once again, staying on them through screening action. If another unproven shooter has a career shooting night from deep, that is something that you risk.

Carry Momentum, Keep Confidence High

While Kentucky’s turnaround has been impressive, John Calipari believes this team can only improve by “1-2 percent” at this point of the season. However, he has noted that there is one where they can improve, individual confidence.

Fortunately, the Wildcats are coming off a statement win where they displayed a level of confidence that had not been seen all season. Given how long it has taken to build up their confidence, the Cats can’t afford to have a letdown game in the last week of the regular season.

Therefore, Kentucky needs to show progression and prove that they consistently perform at that level. While a 32-point win can’t be expected, a 10-15 point wire-to-wire win would sustain their level of confidence going into a big-time game against Arkansas.

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Enjoy and Celebrate the Seniors

With it being the last game, it is also Senior Night and will be some Wildcats’ last game in Rupp Arena. On Monday, Kentucky announced that there will be six players participating in Senior Night activities: Brennan Canada, CJ Fredrick, Antonio Reeves, Jacob Toppin, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Sahvir Wheeler.

UK Athletics was sure to note that due to the extra COVID year, “all six still have eligibility for the 2023-24 season, decisions on the future will be made at a later date.” With that said, three of those players – Toppin, Tshiebwe, and Wheeler – are expected to leave at the end of the season. Whereas the others have more of a decision to make.

While none of these players played at Kentucky for four full seasons, they have all given their heart to this program in their time here. Rather than concentrating on what could happen, let’s enjoy these players for the remainder of this season and support them through what is hopefully a long run in March!

Kentucky Basketball (20-9) vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (16-13)

Time/Date: 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, March 1st, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: SEC Network
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: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | VU
Team SheetsUK | VU
Stats To Know: UK | VU

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Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game. ESPN’s matchup predictor favors the Wildcats heavily, giving them an 89 percent chance to win. Bart Torvik is still heavily confident in Kentucky at 80 percent, the same as KenPom.

PredictionsBart Torvik picks Kentucky to win respectably, 79-70, also the same as KenPom.

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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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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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