Men's Basketball

KY Insider Preview: Kentucky vs. Auburn

Published

6 years ago

February 22, 2019

On Saturday, for the second time this season, the Cats will face off against the Auburn Tigers who have one of the most efficient offenses in the country. This will be Kentucky’s first game without senior Reid Travis and will be interesting to see the adjustment the Cats have to make.

Auburn, who was ranked as high as 7th earlier this season has really fallen off since the start of SEC play. The Tigers are now 18-8 (7-6 SEC) on the season and are 6th in the SEC standings. Kentucky won 82-80 in a close game at Auburn last month. However, Auburn is still a tournament team that has a top-15 offense and top-30 defense and with an afternoon tip and Travis Reid out, they have all the tools to beat the Cats at Rupp. Let’s take a look at what Kentucky needs to focus on to be successful.

Guard the Perimeter

Auburn gets most of their points from the three-point line. The Tigers shoot an average of 29.4 three-pointers per game, which is the sixth highest rate in the country. They don’t just shoot them, Auburn makes them too with a top-20 three-point percentage at 38.5%. With 7 players (playing meaningful minutes) shooting over 30%, Auburn is the best shooting team that the Cats have played this year and will play until the NCAA tournament.

Auburn’s ability to shoot the three was on full display when they faced the Cats last month as they erased Kentucky’s 18-point lead in a matter of minutes and gave themselves a chance to win at the end. The good thing is that Auburn doesn’t shoot as well on the road, but on the other hand we have seen just how well opponents shoot at Rupp.

Take Care of the Ball

This year Auburn has been a pest and have forced opponents into committing turnovers on 25.9 percent of all possessions this year, the highest rate in the NCAA. In January’s matchup, Kentucky was able to take decent care of the ball with 13 turnovers but allowed 15 fast break points, all off of turnovers. It will be key for Kentucky to limit turnovers and get back in transition.

Convert from the Free Throw Line

Auburn fouls at an alarming rate, ranked as the 2nd worst in the SEC and 262nd in the country, their opponents average 20.7 free throw attempts. Kentucky was able to take advantage of this in their last matchup going 24-33 (72.7) at the line. This is the best free throw shooting team under Calipari and with the game at Rupp, Kentucky should be able to capitalize on their opportunities.

Matchups

This game won’t be like round 1 against Auburn, with Travis Reid out and their big Austin Wiley being healthy. In January, the Cats didn’t have to deal with the athletic big and that allowed for Kentucky’s frontcourt to pretty much dominate Auburn. The Cats could benefit from Reid’s absence in this game by allowing the more athletic EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards to go up against Wiley.

This will be a game decided by the guards. Auburn guards Bryce Brown (28 points last time against UK) and Jared Harper both average over 15 points and shoot 39.3% and 41.3% from three as high-volume shooters. Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro, and Jemarl Baker will have to be great defensively and be able to punch back offensively. Whichever team has the best performance from their guards will give themselves a great chance to win.

Prediction

This game will ultimately come down to how well Auburn shoots from outside and Kentucky’s perimeter defense. The Tigers are coming off a 79-56 win over Arkansas where Auburn shot 51.5% from three on 17/33 shooting. I expect the Cats to win but there will be a lot of unpredictability with Reid out.

Kentucky-78 Auburn-71

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

4 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.