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Recap and Takeaways From Kentucky’s Brutal Overtime Loss To Florida

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© Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kentucky had a wild game against Florida on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena. It was a close game throughout, with both teams essentially trading baskets. But, in the final minutes, Kentucky let a lead slip away along with bad late-game execution that led to overtime.

Florida would go on to take a lead in overtime by as much as 7. The Cats climbed back, but missed shots and poor defense led to the 94-91 loss in overtime. Reed Sheppard was Kentucky’s leading scorer with 24 points, followed by Rob Dillingham with 20 points, and Antonio Reeves with 19. Ugonna Onyenso also had an impressive career-best game, with 13 points, 16 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 2 steals.

Let’s take a look at the takeaways from the rough loss.

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Ugonna Onyenso Has Career-Best Game

Despite the loss, one of the bright spots was Ugonna Onyenso’s incredible performance. Making his first career start at Kentucky, Onyenso was a force on the defensive end. He finished with 13 points, 16 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 2 steals.

Onyenso had a career-high in his 8 blocks along with a team season-high of 16 rebounds. His stat-line of 13-6-8 is the first of that same combination in UK history. His performance though, was overshadowed by Florida escaping Rupp Arena with the win.

Injuries Hurt Kentucky’s Depth

Kentucky was shorthanded in Wednesday’s loss to Florida. After getting Rob Dillingham back from sickness, they were still unable to play at full strength yet this season. DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards both did not play on Wednesday. Calipari said pregame on the UK Sports Network that Wagner’s ankle was bothering him, which has been lingering for a lot of the season.

Justin Edwards was battling a leg injury that he suffered last week at South Carolina, which led to limited minutes against Arkansas on Saturday. With both Wagner and Edwards out, Kentucky’s rotation got smaller, which forced players to play more minutes. Five players ended up playing at least 33 minutes on Wednesday, which led to players being tired, and Calipari said that led to some of the late-game errors.”it’s kind of like we got tired out but we didn’t — there was not a whole lot of subs,” Calipari said.

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During the game on Wednesday, Adou Thiero was having back problems after just returning from a back injury last game. Calipari says he’s unsure if Kentucky will be fully healthy against Tennessee on Saturday. “I don’t know if we’ll have a full roster, but we’ve got no choice.”

Poor Late-Game Execution Costs Kentucky

Kentucky had the game in their hands, but bad late-game execution and errors led to the brutal loss. With no fresh legs on the court, Kentucky was forced to play with just a handful of players due to injuries. With a 3-point lead with 13 seconds left, Rob Dillingham went 1-2 at the line, which led to a game-tying three by Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. that ultimately led to overtime, where Florida escaped with the win.

It was in Kentucky’s hands, but the mistakes costed them in the final moments. The Cats are now 15-5 overall and 5-3 in SEC play. Kentucky will look to bounce back on Saturday when 5th ranked Tennessee comes to Rupp Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN.

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BB Recruiting

Top 25 Transfer Otega Oweh Commits to Kentucky

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Oklahoma Sooners transfer Otega Oweh has comitted to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Following Lamont Butler’s commitment to Kentucky on Friday, the Wildcats have received another commitment less than 24 hours later. This time Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh, he announced on his social media.

This comes after Oweh visited Lexington earlier this week, with reports coming out that his recruitment could be wrapped up quickly after.

Oweh is a top 25 transfer according to 247Sports, 38th by EvanMiya, and 55th by ESPN. Listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, Oweh is a strong and physical guard. His strength and athleticism have been a strength dating back to high school, which allows him to impact the game defensively, and also to get to the rim and thrive in transition opportunities.

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In two years at Oklahoma, the area that Oweh has significantly improved in has been his shooting. As a freshman, he shot just 25 percent from three, on just four attempts for the season, to 37.7 percent as a sophomore, making 20 of his 53 attempts. Most of that success comes from catch-and-shoot opportunities, where he rates in the 87th percentile. His ability to shoot off the dribble is the polar opposite, rating in just the 4th percentile.

Oweh is a two-way player with two years of eligibility remaining, while he will bring experience, there is still room for development with NBA upside. While he may not be a primary option, he’s certainly a player that can impact the game.

Oweh is now Kentucky’s third addition from the transfer portal and sixth player overall. A handful of top transfers are visiting, or currently visiting, Kentucky this weekend. The staff is hopeful a few join the roster.

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REPORT: San Diego State Transfer Lamont Butler Commits to Kentucky

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San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler has committed to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Amidst anxiety from many of the Big Blue Nation, the Kentucky basketball program has added another player to the roster. On Friday Lamont Butler, a consensus top-60 transfer from San Diego State, committed to Kentucky, reported by On3.

Kentucky has been in contact with Butler since he entered the portal earlier this week. On Friday morning, four members of the Kentucky staff took a visit to Las Vegas, which we know now was to see Butler. It was enough to secure his commitment.

Coming out of a high school as a three-star prospect, Butler has been a true case of development. In four seasons with San Diego State, he improved his numbers year after year. As a three-year starter for the Aztecs, Butler averaged 7.7 points (41.2% FG), 2.6 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. He also received Mountain West All-Defense honors three straight seasons, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this past year.

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Butler was a star for the San Diego State team that made it to the National Championship game in 2023, even hitting the buzzer-beater to send them to the title game. He will provide Kentucky with proven experience and the knowledge of what it takes to win.

As his defensive accolades show, Butler makes his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball. However, he plays well within a system and is a really good passer for a guard who plays primarily off the ball, with a 21 percent assist rate. He also grades fairly well analytically on spot-up shots and in pick-and-roll situations as the ball handler.

With Butler on the roster, there are still many spots to fill, especially some spots for “dudes”. Fortunately, many big names are expected to be in Lexington this weekend for the visit.

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Kentucky to Host Multiple Top Transfers This Weekend

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Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are hosting multiple top transfers this weekend for visits, looking to add to their roster.

With the deadline for players to enter the portal coming up on May 1st, Kentucky nearly has all their options on the table. Now two weeks since taking the job, Mark Pope has expressed interest in nearly two dozen names and has been keying in on some top names in the portal.

As of writing this article, top 25 transfer Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), is currently on a visit to Lexington, with three more players set to visit this weekend. There’s a good chance that some of those visits turn into commitments.

Let’s take a look at those names.

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Deivon Smith – Guard, Utah

Physicals: 6’0, 173 lbs
Stats: 13.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, 6.3 RPG, 46.% FG, 40.8% 3P
Ranking: 10th (Evan Miya), 38rd (247Sports)

Kentucky has had just three players record a triple-double in program history. Deivon Smith recorded five triple-doubles this past season alone, the second-most all-time for a single season in NCAA history.

While undersized, he is one of the best all-around guards in the country, as his numbers show. It’s still early, but Kentucky getting the first visit is significant. St. John’s and Texas Tech have also been mentioned here.

Andrej Stojaković – Guard, Stanford

Physicals: 6’7, 190 lbs
Stats: 7.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 40.9% FG, 32.7% 3P
Ranking: 183rd (Evan Miya), 51st (247Sports)

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Stojakovic is the son of former NBA All-Star, Peja Stojakovic. A familiar name for Kentucky fans from his high school recruitment. Stojakovic is a terrific shooter, and a top-25 recruit in the 2023 class.

On Thursday, Stojakovic cut his list to just three schools: California, UNC, and Kentucky. As a West Coast product, California was a school that showed interest when he was in high school, and so did Mark Pope when he was at BYU. Pope has made Stojakovic a priority, he could seal the deal this weekend.

Aidan Mahaney – Guard, Saint Mary’s

Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.6 APG, 38.6% FG, 35.5% 3P
Ranking: 96th (Evan Miya), 14th (247Sports)

One of the best guards in the portal. As a lead guard for Saint Mary’s, he displayed a good sense of playing under control, setting himself up and others. That said, his numbers were rather inefficient as the primary scoring option for the Gaels and shooting more than half of his shots from three. There are concerns about his playing against bigger guards.

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Mahaney visited UConn Thursday and it looks to be a race between Creighton, Virginia, UConn, and Kentucky.

Andrew Carr – Forward, Wake Forest

Physicals: 6-11, 230 lbs
Stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 52.6% FG, 37.1% 3P
Ranking: 33rd (Evan Miya), Not Listed (247Sports)

A near 7-footer who is efficient and can stretch the floor, shooting over 37 percent from three, is a player that Mark Pope would love to add to his roster. That describes Andrew Carr who has played two years at each Delaware and Wake Forest and is looking to go elsewhere for his last season of eligibility.

Carr is coming off a visit to Texas Tech and will visit Villanova after he visits Lexington this weekend.

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