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Kentucky’s Season Ends in Round of 32, Loses To No. 2 Iowa State

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Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

Ah, March is in the air, isn’t it? You have got to love being stressed out, pulling your hair, experiencing the highs and lows and even stress drinking Coke Zero Sugar like it’s water.

Unfortunately for the bluegrass faithful, their Wildcats’ season came to a close in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

On Sunday, March 22, the No. 7 seeded Kentucky Wildcats (22-14) lost to the No. 2 seeded Iowa State Cyclones (29-7) by a score of 82-63, ending Mark Pope’s run in year two.

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To start off the game, Collin Chandler would show that last game was a fluke, sparking two early shots from deep. Denzel Aberdeen would take over the scoring load, leading the Wildcats to an 11-point lead just before the halfway mark of the first half.

At the time, Aberdeen led all teams with eight points.

Unfortunately for the blue and white fans in attendance, Kentucky would start to self destruct. The Cyclones would go on a 9-0 run in just two minutes, led by Tamin Lipsey, and the Wildcats would turn the ball over three times during that span.

Now a new ball game and only down two, Iowa State would continue to drive in and pressure the Wildcats to foul, tying the game after their seventh team foul. Odd enough, it wasn’t just one player fouling down the stretch, but seven different players had picked up a foul each.

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Aberdeen would sink a pretty shot before the next media break and show off his skills, proving to Pope that he should never leave the game, period.

From that point on, both teams would go on awful shooting skids, until Kam Williams and Otega Oweh would hit consecutive threes to put the Wildcats up 28-23 with just under three minutes left in the half.

Iowa State would continue to not get anything to fall, making only one of its last 12 field goals up to that point. Milan Momcliovic, the Cyclones’ leading scorer, only had seven points, shooting 2-6 from the field and 1-5 from deep.

He would finally get a 3-pointer to fall before the half closed out, and thanks to trips to the free throw line by his teammates, they would cut the lead to two.

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Turning the ball over for the 12th time of the game, Kentucky would let up a corner three as the buzzer sounded, trailing by a singular point at the half. Iowa State ended the half on a 8-0 run.

As the second half got underway, the Wildcats would continue to shoot themselves in the foot, starting with a turnover by Oweh and sending the star to the bench. Aberdeen and Chandler would also bring their foul total to three each, after being called for three fouls in just one possession of play.

With 16:32 remaining in the game, Iowa State was just two fouls away from the bonus.

Much of the same would occur for the next several minutes, as the Cyclones’ fans would get loud after every single positive moment. At the 12 minute mark, Iowa State held a double-digit lead over Kentucky, winning 50-40.

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As the final 10 minutes of the game approached, Kentucky hadn’t scored in nearly four minutes of play while Iowa State made everything, not to mention that the turnovers continued to pile up.

Lipsey and Momcilovic got anything they wanted from the field and took complete control of the game, combining for 36 points and putting their team up by 15 points by the nine-minute mark.

With seven minutes left, the Cyclones went up by 22, sending every single member of the Big Blue Nation, if not already, into a world of doubt and sorrow.

The final buzzer eventually sounded, with reality sinking in instantly. Pope and his team were officially eliminated, and the emotions began to flood in for the entire team. The second year of the former Wildcat’s tenure comes to a close, with fans asking more questions than he has answers.

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Here’s to the 2025-26 season for Kentucky men’s basketball.

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BB Recruiting

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

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The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

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An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

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Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

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Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

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Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

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Kentucky met with Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Muruaskas, one of the top forwards in the transfer portal, on Wednesday and is looking to schedule a visit for him to come to Lexington.
Saint Mary's Athletics

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.

Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.

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Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.

This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.

Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.

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Top 20 Transfer Donnie Freeman Meets With Kentucky on Wednesday

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The Kentucky basketball staff is meeting with Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman on Wednesday, a top 20 player in the transfer portal.
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The transfer portal has been open for less than 48 hours, but one name that has been consistently linked to Kentucky has been Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman, even going back before the portal officially opened.

Currently ranked 16th overall in this year’s portal class, the fifth-ranked forward, Freeman had a Zoom video call with Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon.

Playing for the Bahamas National Team in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying tournament, Freeman also has a connection to Kentucky assistant coach Mikhail McLean, who was an associate head coach for the team.

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One of the bigger names in the portal and for good reason, a top-15 player, McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, Freeman has been a big impact player through two seasons with the Orange. This past season, he averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.2 percent shooting from deep.

Freeman will have NBA eyes on him wherever he goes. Physically, he has the size and athleticism. That allows him to be versatile on defense, capable of defending multiple positions; having the speed to defend smaller players, and length to affect shots in the paint.

Offensively, his physical tools help him excel in transition and as a slasher, having good touch around the rim. Shooting 30+ percent from deep through two seasons, enough to keep defenses honest, his shot is inconsistent and has a slight hitch in mechanics. Though the biggest area of concern is his struggle with turnovers, having a negative assist-to-turnover ratio in both collegiate seasons.

It’s also worth noting that Freeman has suffered right foot injuries in back-to-back seasons, sidelining him for 28 games total.

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Freeman has the physical tools and skills to be an first round draft pick, but needs some refinement, and Kentucky is interested.

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