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Men's Basketball

Morning After: What Happened Last Night?

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Well we got used to the whole winning thing and then the Cats decided to drop a turd and lose at home to a Tennessee team that isn’t great.

Kentucky got up 17 during the second half and blew the lead. Kind of a trend this season, isn’t it? For some reason, even after the previous blown leads, Kentucky didn’t put the pedal to the floor. Instead, they played timid with no energy and Tennessee played fearless and aggressive, giving the Cats their first loss in a little over a month.

I didn’t see this coming and in fact I predicted the Cats wouldn’t lose another game all year. Maybe they saw that and wanted to prove me wrong for some reason?

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I have a lot of mixed emotions. I tweeted that Kentucky was the “best team in the country” simply because they have been playing like it and were when I tweeted it. As soon as I sent it, I said “man, I hope this ages well.” It didn’t. At all.

At least it happened before it matters

Don’t get me wrong, this loss matters, but not as much as it will in two weeks. I’m sure we would all rather blow a lead and lose knowing we’ll see them play again rather than knowing the season is over. But, this loss will definitely hurt.

Seeding

I heard people saying Kentucky was moved to the 2-line, but I’m not seeing it anywhere. But, Kentucky definitely had a shot at it if they won out. After last night, Kentucky basically threw a 2-seed out the window.

We don’t have the luxury of being Duke, so Kentucky will definitely drop at least a seed line. My guess is Kentucky will be a 4-seed come Friday.

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“Fulky”

I’ve seen this kid play twice and already don’t like him. First of all who has hair that flops that much and wears a girls headband? Second of all, who has all of that and is good at basketball? What the hell?

But, “Fulky” crushed Kentucky tonight. He had 27 points, six rebounds, and was 10-15 from the floor. He also out-hustled Nick Richards all night. Something we’ve seen quite a bit.

Ashton Hagans

I hate to be mean, but Ashton Hagans is not good. At all.

Hagans had 11 points, four assists, and three turnovers. That stat line from your point guard will not win you many games and it certainly hurt Kentucky.

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If he had about six more assists, Kentucky wins the game easily. With the way he plays, there is no way he should only have four assists.

Rebounding

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you win the rebounding battle you probably win the basketball game. Well guess what, Kentucky didn’t win the rebounding battle.

The Vols out-rebounded the Cats 31-26. That should never, ever, ever happen.

Did I say that should never happen?

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Should we lose again before the tournament starts?

Hell no. And if you seriously think losing before the postseason is a good idea, you’re an idiot.

Rick Barnes has a winning record against Cal

This is a stat that kind of blows my mind.

Since 2015, John Calipari is 5-8 against Rick Barnes and is 7-8 agains him all-time.

Yikes.

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What now?

This loss sucks and will hurt Kentucky mightily. The one thing they could do is go to Gainesville and beat Florida by about 30. It won’t happen, but it would really help.

The Cats have been trending in the right direction for a month and were the hottest/best team in the country until last night.

Crush Florida, go win the SEC Tournament, and everything is good. But, for now, this really sucks.

And what’s the deal with freakin’ Tennessee!?

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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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