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Men's Basketball

Morning After: Cats lose to Cocks on a Buzzer-Beater

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Last night was brutal all the way around. The game started at 6:30, maybe the worst time other than 11, Kentucky blew a huge lead, the refs were awful, and then Kentucky lost on a banked-in three at the buzzer.

Because of course that’s the way the game ends.

This loss was absolutely terrible. If South Carolina lost, they would’ve dropped to 0-3 in the SEC and 8-8 overall. If Kentucky won tonight, they improve to 4-0 in conference and 13-3 overall, they have a ton of momentum, and jump a few spots in the rankings.

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But no. They go to Columbia and put on a sh** show and lose in a terrible way.

Enough yapping, let’s look at what went wrong.

Kentucky’s defense allowed 56 points in the second half

HOW?

South Carolina is absolutely terrible. Hell, they lost to Stetson three games ago and they dropped 56 points in one half on a top ten team?

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The first half went fine, in fact, I thought Carolina was lucky to be down only eight. They’re shooting 43% from the field and only 27% from three.

Haven’t we seen this a lot this year?. Kentucky got up big early in the second half and then blew the lead and stalled.

The Gamecocks scored 60 points only once in the last three games, then drop 56 in one half against Kentucky and 81 for the game.

Kentucky really only has four guys

Those guys are Nick Richards, Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, and Immanuel Quickley.

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Those guys combined for 61 points. Yeah, that’s pretty good, but when the rest of the team combines for 17 points on 6-23 shooting, you aren’t going to beat many teams.

Combine that with UK’s defensive effort (we’ll get to that) you aren’t going to beat many teams and aren’t going anywhere in the tournament.

Rebounding

Simply terrible.

South Carolina out-rebounded Kentucky 43-41, which cannot happen. That is simply just effort.

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Nick Richards and Keion Brooks led the way with seven rebounds apiece. Immauel Quickley had six, EJ Montgomery had five, and Ashton Hagans and Nate Sestina had four apiece.

South Carolina had ten more offensive rebounds than Kentucky (20-10).

Immanuel Quickley

If it wasn’t for this man, Kentucky would’ve been crushed.

Clutch free throws down the stretch, a couple big three’s, and the tying bucket.

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Quickley had 20 points and six rebounds.

He’s averaging 19 points and has hit 16 three-pointers in the last five games.

I also think he was crying after the loss. After all he did they bank in a three right in his face to win.

Thanks man.

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Refs

John Calipari hasn’t had a lot of success with officials in Columbia. He’s been ejected twice down there and there have been plenty of terrible calls.

Last night was no different.

Early in the game, Pat Adams stopped the game to basically tell Cal to shut up. He also gave Cal a couple coaching box warnings. Which by the way is the dumbest rule in college sports and it’s funny how Cal gets warned multiple times every game.

Excuse me for a second. College refs this year have been terrible. They piss me off more than anything. Each year it gets worse and they have no consequences. I hate the three blind mice. They suck. They’re Terrible. Yeah, I could say a whole lot worse.

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There were 56 fouls called. Read that and let it sink in. That’s awful. In what world do you sit there as someone associated with the league or the NCAA and accept that?

What now?

Kentucky is now 12-4 overall and 3-1 in SEC play. The Cats have a lot to work on and it showed. Maybe work on stepping on their throat and blowing them out when up big?

This happens every year and this year is no different. Kentucky will have a couple very frustrating SEC games that will leave us going insane. But, it’s not the end of the world. This team will be fine when it matters.

The Cats play Arkansas on Saturday.

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That’s it. Thanks.

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.

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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”.

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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.

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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.

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Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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