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Men's Basketball

NBA Draft Analyst Blames Oscar Tshiebwe For Kentucky’s Problems

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

There were many ups and downs for Kentucky Basketball this past season. After being on the bubble for a couple of months, Kentucky found their footing, but ultimately struggled in March with a 1-2 postseason record for the second year in a row.

People have been trying to figure out what the main problem was for the Cats all season with many opinions. Fingers have been pointed to the defense and shot selection, and a lot has been put on John Calipari as well. However, NBA insider Sam Vecenie from the Athletic had a different theory as to what went wrong for Kentucky this past season.

He went on the Game Theory Podcast and gave his thoughts on Kentucky’s problems. “The problem for Kentucky is that this roster is too flawed to win a national title,” he said.

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The roster flaws that he is referring to is largely due to roster construction. “It’s not gonna hate on a lot of these individual players. It’s just the fit together does not work in a manner that helps you win basketball games at the highest level,” Vecenie said.

One of the players he puts some blame on is Oscar Thsiebwe. Yes, the same Oscar Tshiebwe that averaged 21 points and 19.7 rebounds in his three NCAA tournament games.

“This is a roster that can be successful in the regular season, not the NCAA tournament, and the reason for that is kinda Oscar Tshiebwe,” Vecenie claims.

He then went on to say “I can win six games in a row in the NCAA tournament with Oscar Tshiebwe as your center. I don’t think you can win six straight games against coaching staffs that are trying to exploit every single thing you do poorly.”

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Does he have a point?

Tshiebwe is a historically great rebounder and had moments where he absolutely dominated opposing teams on offense with his strength. However, he struggled mightily on the defensive end, and teams found ways to exploit those issues.

With that said, Tshiebwe was historically good, which made up for his weaknesses. One could argue a bigger issue is that Tshiebwe never had a healthy backcourt at the end of either of his two seasons at Kentucky, which stunted the development of the team and allowed opponents to put more focus on Tshiebwe.

At the end of the day, this roster was not talented enough to win a national championship and that falls on the coach. The new rules of college basketball have led to a more level playing field, with talent much more spread out.

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Case in point, the Final Four consists of (three first-time participants): Florida Atlantic, Miami (FL), San Diego State, and UConn. Of those schools, three are ranked top 25 in offensive efficiency.

In today’s era of college basketball, you can’t rely on two to three players every game which Kentucky has done in recent seasons. Instead, you must take advantage of the hybrid recruiting strategy of high school and the transfer portal, and add many dynamic scorers as possible.

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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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