Men's Basketball

The Best and Worst of The Wildcats Ahead of Conference Play

What must the Wildcats do to improve ahead of their rigorous conference schedule?

Published

4 months ago

December 23, 2024

Lane Mills

Mark Pope stands disappointed after Kentucky's loss to Ohio State.

Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

The state of the Southeastern Conference in men’s basketball this year is unlike any year in recent memory. With three teams in the top five (for now,) and eight in the AP top 25, the SEC accounts for about one-third of the current nationally ranked teams. The next closest conference tallies just over half that number, with five ranked teams from the Big 10. Put plainly, the SEC is the best conference in college basketball.

So how do the fourth-ranked Wildcats stack up? Well, following a 20-point loss to unranked Ohio State on a neutral floor, they’ll definitely drop out of the top five. But this loss isn’t the first, last, or only game that the Cats will play this year, although it may feel that way right now.

At 10-2 with signature wins over Duke and Gonzaga, there are significant positives and negatives on both sides of the ball that should paint a relatively clear picture regarding the upcoming conference gauntlet that the team is set to face.

Perhaps the most reassuring aspect of this year’s unit is the ability to move and, at times, score the ball. Their 18.8 assists averaged as a team is good for top 10 nationally, and when they can consistently make shots, this translates to scoring nearly 90 points per game. Their current average sits at 89.1.

Shooting Struggles

The problem is, they aren’t consistently making shots. The Cats’ 48% composite mark from the field doesn’t seem that bad, but when you factor in the seemingly ever-dwindling three-point percentage (36%,) the worries start to make more sense.

It doesn’t help that this team is supposed to rely on the perimeter to score, according to Coach Pope. On multiple occasions and as recently as this past week, Pope has expressed a desire to shoot more threes. Going into the season, he set the mark at 30 attempts per game.

Kentucky has only met that mark in three games this season, against Bucknell, Jackson St., and Colgate, all at home. In the loss to Ohio State, they shot just 4-22 from the arc, charting a season-low 18.2%. The deep ball has officially become a question mark.

Tooth and Nail

General physicality has also proven to be a serious problem for this Kentucky team. In the losses against Clemson and Ohio State, they’ve lost the turnover battles in both and, at best, tied their opposition on the glass.

This struggle to contend with muscle on either end of the floor has negatively impacted that aforementioned long-range statistic too, wherein the Cats find fewer open looks from outside as a result of defenders pushing them well past the three-point line.

And when they do find themselves on the other side of a scrap with an opportunity at the free throw line, they’re only converting about 74% of their attempts. On average, they’ll leave around six free points on the floor every game. When you consider the four-point loss to Clemson, that statistic specifically starts to sting.

Stay the Course

Even still, the rafters of Rupp aren’t falling down… at least not yet. Coach Pope and the Cats have had 10 days of downtime before their home matchup with Brown, and then another five to prepare for their first SEC bout with seventh-ranked Florida, also at home. They’ve got the time, and facilities, to fix what’s broken and double down on what works.

The SEC is a high-octane, hyper-physical conference that’ll be sure to challenge every aspect of this Kentucky team. But going forward, fans should have hope that the Cats will put it together. Consider again the gritty comebacks against Duke and Gonzaga on neutral floors, as well as the recent breakout shooting performance against Louisville, which saw Kentucky shoot 11-21 from three, or 52%.

It’s a long season and, despite two frustrating losses, the Wildcats have earned a little patience to this point. Either way, nothing can be said beyond speculation until the match with the Gators on Jan. 4th. All we can do until then is cross our arms and wait.

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.

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2025

Lane Mills

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”.

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.

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.

Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2025

Tristan Pharis

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.

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.

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.

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2025

Lane Mills

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.

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.