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Men's Basketball

KY Insider Preview: Kentucky vs. Alabama In Nashville

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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BB Recruiting

Transfer Portal Target “Willing To Do Whatever” To Help Kentucky Win A Title

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There is mutual interest between Kentucky and transfer guard BJ Freeman, who says "will do whatever" to help Kentucky win another title.
MARK HOFFMAN/USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s transfer portal season and now that the season is over and players begin to make their decisions, the Kentucky staff is starting to evaluate some players in the transfer portal and reach out to them. The player Kentucky has reached out to most recently is BJ Freeman, a 6-6 guard for the Milwaukee Panthers.

It’s safe to say the interest is mutual.

“Kentucky is a historic program. You can’t play for anyone better than Coach Cal,” Freeman said recently in an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio. “Pro-wise, guard-wise, the success he’s had, it doesn’t get any better than that. I feel like my game can carry on and play his play style. If I love it there and we continue this process, maybe I could be one of the next Kentucky greats and Kentucky pros.”

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Known for his scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game last season, 16th in the nation, Freeman wants it to be known that he is doing whatever it takes to help Kentucky win.

“People underestimate my passing because they see me score the ball so well,” he said. “Being able to get my teammates involved and seeing my teammates score the ball gives me more joy than having myself score. That’s a big thing that I want to show coaches. I’m really versatile. I can also initiate the offense. I’m willing to do whatever to win and put another banner up there at Kentucky.

While Kentucky has contacted Freeman, no details of a visit have been set. He expects that to change over the next few days as he communicates with Kentucky assistant Chuck Martin.

“We should continue to talk today; we’re going to keep building the relationship and see if I can come down there and take a visit,” he said. “We’re just going to stay in touch, keep communicating to make the process go a little bit faster, and keep things going. It’s really about building a relationship.”

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While Kentucky sounds to be in a really good spot for Freeman, Arkansas is also pursuing his services. However, there have been rumors that Eric Musselman wants out of Arkansas and is showing interest in other jobs, which could change things. That said, what is Freeman looking for in a school?

“I’m big on family vibes and brotherhood. That’s exactly what Kentucky is based on,” he said. “I love everybody. I love bringing joy and putting smiles on people’s faces. I’m looking for a program that’s going to embrace me, a fanbase that’s going to embrace me through my ups and downs. I want them to still believe in me through down moments too.”

Freeman is not on any NBA Draft Boards and after talking to his mother, has decided he will not go through the draft process. Instead, he wants to make his decision on where he will play his last season of college basketball in about “three weeks”.

“I’m more than willing to contribute and be one of those key factors to bring another championship to the state of Kentucky. I want the state to be happy for me and proud of me. That’s my big goal with them. You guys are going to embrace me. You guys are going to love me and I can’t wait to get the process going. [I’m going to] come visit the campus and see what it’s all about.”

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Freeman’s comments come off very eager. If Kentucky truly wants Freeman, it sounds like they are the favorite.

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Men's Basketball

Adou Thiero Enters Transfer Portal, Keeps Options Open

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky’s first domino of the off-season has fallen. Adou Thiero has entered the transfer portal, according to On3’s Jamie Shaw. He has entered his name in the NBA Draft as well, while not ruling out a return to Kentucky, according to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim.

A big hit to Kentucky’s upcoming roster, as Thiero’s upside and growth will be missed. In the 2023-24 season, Thiero averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while missing 7 games due to injury. The 6-8 wing brought physicalness that Kentucky desperately needed this season, and something Calipari has been stressing for this upcoming season. Calipari harped on him numerous times this season, saying “He’s gotten so much better.”

Thiero has jumped in mock drafts all season, and his potential is sky high. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony even had Thiero going 27th in the 2025 NBA Draft. Now, he will get to add to his potential elsewhere.

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Now, Kentucky will look to find a good replacement for him as more things start happening throughout the off-season. Calipari is continuing to meet with players to discuss their future plans throughout the week.

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Men's Basketball

John Calipari Highlights Changes for Next Season

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John Calipari draws up a play at Kentucky's season opener. Said he made a "tweak".
UK Athletics

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein.

Many Kentucky fans have referred to this quote over the last few days, expressing a desire for a change from John Calipari. However, Calipari will be back on the sidelines for the Kentucky Wildcats next season for his 16th season, confirmed by Mitch Barnhart on Tuesday.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any changes.

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On Monday, John Calipari went on his season-ending radio show, giving his first comments to fans since Kentucky’s upset loss to Oakland last Thursday. It was easy to see why is a good recruiter, as he said all the right things.

For the better part of an hour, Calipari spoke with humility, answered some direction questions from Tom Leach, and accepted criticism. The main takeaway was that he understands that he has not met the Kentucky standard or his own standard, and changes need to take place.

“We’ve got to evaluate everything,” Calipari said. Here are some changes that have been outlined.

Getting Back to “Grinding”

Kentucky basketball offseason has often consisted of international trips to the Bahamas, or Canada last season, but not this year. Calipari emphasized a desire to get back to what his early Kentucky teams were characterized by, defense and physicality.

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“What about in the summers, instead of the Bahmas or Toronto, we’re grinding,” Calipari proposed. “We’ve got to get back to where we’ve been defensively and with physicality. Your defense steadies you.”

Those trips are good for team bonding and chemistry, but it’s clear that time can be used better for getting into the weight room and instilling defensive principles. Calipari did note that he does not want to take a step back on offense.

Getting Older

Calipari is the coach who made the “one-and-done” approach popular, relying heavily on elite freshmen. However, with college basketball getting older, he has expressed a willingness to get older.

“We’re relying on freshmen too much. In those kinds of games, you better have some vets,” Calipari said of his takeaway from Oakland. “For us, we need to get older.”

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It should be noted that Calipari relied on transfers in 2022 and 2023, albeit most not being the elite transfers, but more supporting pieces (i.e. CJ Fredrick) and developmental players (i.e. Jacob Toppin). That said, two transfers have been the leading scorer for Kentucky in three straight seasons, Oscar Tshiebwe and Antonio Reeves.

Calipari is looking more for a middle ground between young talent and transfers. “I like the combination of both. We just got to get the right transfers.”

Program Changes

When you are winning, you have more freedom, but when you have just one NCAA Tournament win in the last four seasons, you’re not going to have that luxury. This was not publicly said by Calipari, but more oversight will come as a result of his meeting with Barnhart on Tuesday afternoon.

Expect 1-2 staff changes and likely a support staff change. One of the staff changes should be filled with a defensive mind, and the support staff should be (suggestion) filled with someone in a general manager-type role. There will also be some operation changes such as having a more definitive practice schedule, rather than getting a text the day before/of, and some changes with the NIL model.

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