Men's Basketball

Why Kentucky is The Most Resilient Team in College Basketball

In spite of constant troubles and challenges, this year’s Kentucky team always manage to respond in overwhelming fashion.

Published

3 months ago

January 13, 2025

Lane Mills

Chet White | UK Athletics

On paper, Kentucky’s resume bears three rather dire losses. A single-digit drop (albeit on the road) to Clemson, a 20-point loss to Ohio State on a neutral floor, and a 13-point loss at conference opponent Georgia; each opponent was unranked, and unfavored, going in.

And there truly is no way around it: those are bad losses, indeed. But the Wildcats’ subsequent response after each of the three has done more to define the team and their identity going forward than any loss ever could have. It’s not about the boys in blue and white falling, it’s about the manner in which they get up.

Battling Adversity

The first instance came directly after the aforementioned Clemson game. Kentucky found themselves traveling once more to a “neutral” (only technically so) floor against Gonzaga in their home state of Seattle, down 16 at halftime. Not to mention they were missing their starting floor general, Lamont Butler.

Not long into the second half, Kerr Kriisa, Butler’s backup, went down too, with Kentucky still down double digits at the time. For a lot of teams, that’d be where you cut your losses and warm up the bus.

But the battered ‘Cats pressed on, made multiple runs, and beat the Bulldogs 90-89 in an instant overtime classic. Undoubtedly a signature win, though one that many discarded when Kentucky dropped the Ohio State game in a blowout shortly after.

That is, until they topped then sixth-ranked Florida at home, 106-100, in a shootout just two games later.

Then… well, you get the picture. Bad loss to Georgia, big win over Mississippi State. The only pattern with this team is their unpredictability, but three of Kentucky’s four ranked wins (they’re 4-0 in such games) have come off their losses, and two of them have been away from home.

Come Together

In the press conference following the Florida win, Mark Pope was asked what it takes for the Wildcats to be able to string together multiple, lengthy unanswered scoring runs, the likes of which have kept them alive game-in and game-out with their backs against the wall.

“This is gonna sound soft, but I’m a big believer that all my guys snuck into Kerr Kriisa’s apartment, after celebrating his birthday, to go scare him and surprise him… my guy is struggling right now because he can’t play right now, and it’s killing him.”

He continued, “They all snuck into his apartment, like little kids, to go surprise him, and I actually think those runs come from a group like that.”

“I think it comes from being together.”

“Together” is an understatement. The team currently sits at seventh in the country in assists per game (18.6,) second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9,) and third in scoring offense (89.2 ppg.) Togetherness off the floor translates to cohesion on it, which translates to level heads and steely reactions to strong efforts from the opposition.

The Cohesive Cats, if you will.

One More Round

Every time they’re knocked down, the team resurfaces with a vengeance, notching one Quad 1A win after another, erasing (most of) the negativity left behind by their falling short in previous duels.

As a result, Kentucky has built one of the most impressive resumes in the nation. Would the team like to have the missed chances back? Undoubtedly, but if those losses bore lessons that translated to wins that will simply mean more in the long run, perhaps they were worth it all along.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a team with more grit than the Wildcats going forward, and in a conference and brutal and demanding as the SEC, there are few qualities worth more. The Big Blue Nation should take confidence in a team that trades patience for payoff time and time again.

Will they fall once more? You bet. But just as surely, they’ll ring that bell and be ready for the next round every time. As ironic as it is in the wake of their previous coaching regime, the 24-25′ Kentucky Wildcats are built for March in every conceivable way. Only now, we don’t have to wait until then for them to prove it.

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

19 hours 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

2 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

2 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.