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No. 9 Kentucky Eliminated From SEC Tournament by No. 1 Florida

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UK Athletics

For the third time this season, the Kentucky Wildcats fell to the Florida Gators, this time when it mattered most.

On Friday, March 13, the No. 9 seeded Kentucky Wildcats (21-13, 10-8 SEC) didn’t last against the No. 1 seeded Florida Gators (26-6, 16-2 SEC) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, losing by a score of 71-63.

Coming into this one, the Wildcats had already played two games in two days, taking down the No. 16 LSU Tigers and the No. 8 Missouri Tigers, while the Gators enjoyed their double-bye.

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Starting off, it seemed like Kentucky was a little tired from its previous time in Nashville, turning the ball over three times by the first media timeout and allowing Florida to get out to a 10-4 start.

The same trend would continue, as Florida would score with ease at the rim, even shoving players on the ground on loose balls – a call from the referee was nowhere to be found.

(Kam Williams thankfully got up by the way).

Kentucky didn’t show any signs of quit however, going on an 8-0 run in just 44 seconds of play, due in part to stellar outside shooting from Mo Dioubate. Yes, that sentence is true. No, I can’t believe I wrote it.

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Florida would answer with its own 6-0 run while Kentucky would miss its next five goals, quickly shifting the entire vibe of the game back in favor of the chompers.

That run would indeed not end, as the Gators would go up by 11 with three minutes left in the first half. At the time, they were out-stating Kentucky by double digits in rebounds, second chance points and points in the paint.

At the half, Mark Pope’s Wildcats trailed 37-28, missing 16 out of their 18 field goals. Did I mention that Collin Chandler had a bloody nose but was called for the foul?

The second half got out to an extremely slow start for both teams, but Alex Condon would continue to dominate in the paint for the Gators, dunking the ball aggressively on back-to-back plays and taking his point total to 20.

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Down 17 in Nashville with just under 13 minutes left in the game, the odds that Kentucky could pull off one of those crazy comebacks seemed distant.

At one point, Florida actually didn’t make a field goal in over five minutes, but that didn’t really matter considering the Wildcats did nothing to eat away at the lead.

Trent Noah would check in around the seven-minute mark, earning his first minutes of the tourney. He missed a wide-open three, but came up with a steal on the defensive end, leading to an open dunk for Otega Oweh and cutting the lead to ten.

As a last desperation, Chandler would be fouled on a 3-pointer, giving him an opportunity to cut the lead to single digits. Making all three, with Denzel Aberdeen drawing a charge the next play, Kentucky indeed had life.

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Ending the 8-2 run, Flordia’s Thomas Haugh would sink two freebies, putting Florida up by eight with 2:35 remaining.

Aberdeen would cut the lead to six with a layup, putting Kentucky fans on their feet, but Haugh would again answer with a tough fadeaway. Aberdeen, with a got ya moment, would answer with a pocket three after the timeout.

Down five, Xavien Lee would hit a stepback jumper, lacing it with ease. He then stole the ball for Florida, sealing his team’s first game of the tournament.

Up next, Pope and the Wildcats will await to hear their name called during Selection Sunday on March 15. KY Insider will be on site and will provide coverage during the event.

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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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BB Recruiting

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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