Men's Basketball

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

Published

1 year ago

December 7, 2023

The Kentucky Wildcats take on the Penn Quakers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Chet White | UK Athletics

Kentucky has entered the stretch of their schedule where they will play just three games in three weeks, all on Saturdays. While this certainly gives the team plenty of time to practice and learn more about themselves, a positive for a young team, it can also be a negative.

After losing to UNC Wilmington as an 18.5-point favorite this past Saturday, many fans have voiced their frustrations and participated in debates as we wait for the next game. Fortunately, that game is now less than 48 hours away as the Wildcats will have an opportunity to redeem themselves this Saturday as they take on the Penn Quakers in Philadelphia.

Played at the Wells Fargo Center, the home of the Philadelphia 76ers, the game will serve as a homecoming of sorts for several Wildcats including Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards, Tre Mitchell, Adou Thiero, DJ Wagner, and Kareem Watkins who are all from or grew up in the area. This will be just the second matchup between the two teams, with Kentucky winning the first, 86-62, back in 2011.

Penn has just one NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008, but historically, they are arguably the most storied program in the Ivy League. Leading the Ivy League with 39 conference titles, the Quakers went to the Final Four in 1979, and hold an overall NCAA Tournament record of 13-26.

This season, Penn is projected to finish fifth in the Ivy League and is currently just above .500 at 6-4. The Quakers have played a common opponent of UK in St. Joseph’s, losing 69-61. That said, they also beat Villanova in mid-November.

Penn is a team that Kentucky should be able to take care of business against and need to. Let’s take a look at some things to watch.

Guard Play

Saturday’s game will come down to guard play. Kentucky has one of the best backcourts in the country, when fully healthy. However, Penn has two all-conference-level guards in Tyler Perkins and Clark Slajchert, who combine to average 35 points per game, nearly half of Penn’s points.

While talented, Kentucky’s biggest issue this season has been perimeter defense, and specifically staying in front of their man. Fortunately, Penn’s guards are not as quick as UNCW’s, but they are better shooters. Kentucky’s backcourt will still be able to be aggressive in looking for steals and transition opportunities, but they need to do so with discipline.

DJ Wagner

Speaking of guards. After suffering an ankle injury toward the end of the first half of the Miami (FL) game, DJ Wagner has consistently been in a boot and receiving treatment. While the injury isn’t very severe, it is more than a simple tweak.

Sitting out of the UNCW game, it is clear that Kentucky missed him. While inconsistent at times this season, Wagner is a leader on the floor, a solid perimeter defender, and is the best on the team at taking his man off the dribble to create for himself and others. Without him, the Wildcats just looked uncomfortable.

Kentucky is a more talented team than Penn and has had more time to prepare to play without him this time around, if needed. That said, Wagner suffered his injury nine days ago and by the time of the game, 11 days. A typical sprain takes 2-3 weeks to recover and it has been announced if he will be available or not.

My prediction, knowing the type of player Wagner is and the toughness he has, I would expect him to give it a go.

Statement

Prior to Saturday’s loss, Kentucky may have been the hottest team in the country. The Wildcats had scored 95 or more points and shot nearly 60 percent from the field during that stretch, culminating in the dominant win over Miami. Then the UNCW loss provided a wake-up call, and maybe a needed one for a young team.

In his postgame press conference, Tre Mitchell talked about the disappointing performance but said the team is already looking ahead to their next game and ready to make a statement.

“I feel bad for whoever we got next, short and sweet,” Mitchell said. “These dudes are not going to take this lightly. Whoever we got next better come with everything they got. These dudes feel like they’ve got something to make up for.”

Tre Mitchell talks about about the loss.

He throws in a “I’m sorry for whoever we play next” pic.twitter.com/bukLTUTdKO— Dylan Ballard (@DylanBallard_UK) December 3, 2023

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Penn Quakers

Time: 12 pm ET on Saturday, December 9th

Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV Channel: ESPN 2

Announcers: To be announced.
Online Stream: Stream the game online with 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 | PENN
Stats to Know: UK | PENN

KenPom: UK | PENN
Odds: ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Kentucky just a 68.3% to win, which is surprising given that Penn is ranked near 200th in KenPom. Bart Torvik and EvanMiya are substantially higher at 92% and 88%.
Predictions: The projections have Kentucky winning but the margins are not very consistent. Bart Torvik projects the Wildcats to win 86-70, while Haslametrics projects a tad smaller margin of victory, 86-74. EvanMiya falls in between, projecting an 84-71 win.

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.

Published

3 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

4 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.