Connect with us

Men's Basketball

KY Insider Preview: Kentucky vs. Alabama In Nashville

Published

on

Coming into the SEC Tournament Alabama was firmly on the bubble and listed as one of the “first teams out” by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

Last night, after trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide fought back to win 62-57. The win placed Alabama as the “first team out”. A win on Friday would certainly lock up a NCAA bid and I expect Alabama to come out with that urgency.

Alabama head coach Avery Johnson is 0-3 against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, compared to a 6-0 record against the rest of the SEC. However, Kentucky is the King of the SEC tournament and will certainly be motivated to avenge a loss to Alabama back in January.

Advertisement

Lets take a look at the Cats’ points of emphasis for tonight’s game.

Reid Travis

HE IS BACK.

After missing nearly a month with a sprained right knee, Reid Travis will be in uniform and ready to play against Alabama.

Advertisement

John Calipari had said earlier in the week that if Travis were to play in the SEC Tournament, he would off the bench and see limited minutes on the court. However, when it was reported Thursday night that Travis was cleared to play, Calipari backed off those comments saying, “I don’t know. We’ll let him see. He’s farther along than I thought.”


Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery may even be more effective against the length and athleticism of Alabama. However, Reid will be another big man that can bang inside with Crimson Tide big Donta Hall. Whether Reid plays significant minutes or not it will be good to see him on the floor and getting his game feet under him.

Perimeter Defense

At the beginning of the season one of the most glaring weaknesses of this Kentucky team was it’s poor perimeter defense, even allowing an 11-21 VMI team to shoot 50% (19-38) from three.

Advertisement

As the season has gone on, Kentucky has turned perimeter defense from a weakness to a strength and have held opponents to 29.3 in the last three games.

In January’s match-up, the Crimson Tide were able to shoot a 43.5% (10-23) from three, including 6-8 from junior guard Tevin Mack. The performance ranks as Alabama’s third-best three point shooting game of the season.

That game was an outlier as Alabama has not shot great from outside this season, ranking as the 201st in season 3P percentage. However, just like in January they have shown they can get streaky and shoot a high clip from three, the Cats will need to extend out and contest.

Rebounding and Toughness

Advertisement

Alabama out rebounded Ole Miss 50-30 for 22 second chance points on Thursday. In January, Alabama out-rebounded Kentucky 40-32 just due to effort and scored 32 points in the paint.

Since that game Kentucky has grown up and is a much better team. This team has shown just how physical and gritty they can be on the biggest stage. This season, Kentucky has out-rebounded a North Carolina team that ranks No. 1 in the country in rebounds per game and out-toughed a very physical Tennessee team.

Kentucky has done it all season but they need to dominate the boards and limit Alabama’s second chance opportunities. If the Cats are able to do that, it should be a fun night.

Prediction

Advertisement

With Reid Travis returning and the Cats having not played for a nearly a week, I think the Cats will come out and assert their dominance from the start. However, if they don’t and the Tide come out with more effort, they are more than capable of making this a ballgame.

Kentucky: 72

Alabama: 59

Advertisement
Advertisement

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

on

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”.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

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

on

Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky.
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. 

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending