Men's Basketball

KY Insider Preview: Kentucky vs. Ole Miss

Published

6 years ago

March 5, 2019

The Cats are coming off an absolute embarrassment to Tennessee as they lost 71-52 and recorded more turnovers (17) than field goals (14). Kentucky will head down to Oxford for a late Tuesday night game against a win desperate Ole Miss Rebel team.

Ole Miss has been the surprise of the SEC this season. In the preseason, the Rebels were picked to finish 13^th in the SEC. The Rebels were at one time ranked this season and are currently in a 5-team tie for 4^th place in the SEC. After two straight losses, Ole Miss is currently projected as 10 seed in the NCAA tournament and are in need of a quality win to secure their spot. Let’s take a look at what the Wildcats need to do to hold off the Rebels and redeem themselves after Saturday’s performance.

Energy

Following a 19-point loss and in a road environment, energy shouldn’t be an issue. I’m sure Cal has made sure that the Tennessee loss has lit a fire under this team heading into the last week of the regular season. One promising sign heading into Tuesday night, Kentucky has followed every loss this season with a double-digit win.

12-point win against Southern Illinois following Loss to Duke

27-point win against Utah following loss to Seton Hall

11-point win against Texas A&M after loss to Alabama

17-point win against Tennessee after loss to LSU

Kentucky seems to have learned a lesson. On Monday afternoon Immanuel Quickley said, “We learned we have to fight every game”. Quickley went on to mention at least four more times making it apparent that its been a point of emphasis for the team. Lets see the Cats put their talk into action and come out with the sense of urgency that wasn’t seen on Saturday.

Be Better Offensively

Kentucky is coming off their worst offensive game of the season and one of the worse in the Calipari era. Kentucky recorded season lows in field goals made (14), shooting percentage (31.8%), and their lowest mark in points since the 2013 NIT team (52). The Big Blue Nation had to endure nearly 16 minutes of scoreless Kentucky basketball.

I would expect that poor of performance could not be so easily replicated and the Cats will shoot much better on Tuesday night. The Cats will make more shots but PJ Washington, Keldon Johnson specifically need to bring more production on offense.

PJ and Keldon are almost certain to enter the NBA draft this summer and are the two most talented players on the roster. Last week, neither played great in either game.

Last Week Averages

Keldon: 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 31% FG, 17% 3P

PJ: 11 points, 4.5 rebounds, 31% FG, 0% 3P

Losing Reid Travis has no doubt has forced more defensive attention to Keldon and PJ, but they simply have to be better and be the superstars they can be.

Terence Davis & Breein Tyree

The Kentucky Guards will have to be better than what they were Saturday as they gave up 27 points (11-15 FG) to Jordan Bone with little resistance. Ole Miss guards Terence Davis and Breein Tyree make up one of the best backcourt duos in the SEC, if not the country. Davis a senior, and Tyree a junior, have both played against the Cats before and last season they combined for half of their team’s point in their matchup at Rupp Arena.

Ole Miss @ Kentucky 2/28/18

Davis: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 44% FG, 33% 3P

Tyree: 13 points, 7 assists, 46% FG

In terms of defense, how do the Wildcat guards respond? Limiting the Ole Miss guards will be the the Cats’ primary defensive focus. We may see more Jemarl Baker and Immanuel Quickley if Ashton Hagans and Tyler Herro don’t respond, expect them to see a little more time on the bench than usual.

Guard the Perimeter

The Rebels are a good three-point shooting team, and one of the best in the SEC. While they shoot a balanced amount of shots from three, they make them. The Rebels play a guard heavy lineup with four guards shooting 35% from three and playing at least 24 minutes. Kentucky’s early season struggles with perimeter defense have now become a relative strength. Kentucky’s guards will need to be prepared to extend out on shooters.

Don’t Foul

While Ole Miss doesn’t get many free throw opportunities, they capitalize on them when they do. The Rebels have the best mark in the SEC and the 8^th best in the nation. Kentucky will need to stay out of foul trouble and play intelligent defense unlike Saturday against Tennessee. If the game is close enough to become a free throw shooting contest, the Cats could be in trouble.

Prediction

With a 9 p.m. ET tip-off, expect the environment in Oxford to be sold out and rowdy. Not to mention, bringing Kentucky to town will certainly bring more attention to the hate group protests by the Rebel basketball team. With what is on the line for Ole Miss, I expect this game to be a fight, especially in the first half. I believe this team will respond as they come out sharp and focused and make a statement on the road against a quality team.

Kentucky: 72

Ole Miss: 65

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.