Men's Basketball

Round 3: Kentucky “Hungry” and Tennessee Motivated

Published

6 years ago

March 16, 2019

It’s SEC tournament time (aka The Kentucky Invitational) and Saturday will feature one of the most anticipated games in SEC tournament history as No.4 Kentucky and No. 8 Tennessee face off for a third time this season to settle the series.

Neither of the two previous match-ups have been particularly close as the Cats beat Tennessee by 17 at Rupp, and lost to the Vols by 19 in Knoxville. However, with a potential one seed in Louisville on the line, Saturdays game has much more at stake.

After a 73-55 thumping of Alabama, the Cats would not give away their hopes of plau= However, there were two Cats did have something to say, Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson.

Reid was out with a sprained right knee when the Cats played down in Knoxville and could do nothing but watch as the Vols dominated. This time around Reid is healthy and will be motivated and “excited” to for one final matchup.

“Yeah, it’d be nice. I mean, we’re excited to play whoever tomorrow. It’s going to be a semifinal game for us and it’s one more step. If it’s against them, we’ll be excited to play them and get that matchup again. If not, we’re still excited for it.”

Keldon Johnson didn’t give as much away but promised the Cats will be “ready” and “hungry”.

“Regardless of who we get, Tennessee or Mississippi State, we hungry. We’re ready to go regardless if it’s Tennessee or Mississippi State. We’re just going to come out and do what we do. We’re going to be locked in and ready to go.”

When Tennessee finally pulled away and beat Mississippi State 83-76, it was set in stone that there would be a final rubber match between the Cats and Vols.

According to Grant Williams, there was no doubt that would happen, telling reporters, “I didn’t think it, I knew it. At least one more, we’re both great teams”.

Despite playing for a potential one seed, the Vols seem to be playing for more, respect. Admiral Schofield believes that the Wildcats did not respect them despite entering the first matchup on Feb. 16 as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. When asked about the SEC semi-final matchup, Schofield had this to say.

“We just like to go out and compete. We like to be respected by being competitors. Sometimes we play certain teams and we can sense we’re not respected. I think all of us can say confidently that we didn’t feel that way. That’s why we came out and played the way we did in Knoxville because we didn’t feel that we were respected in Kentucky. And credit to them, why would you respect us? They played us hard. They pushed us around, threw us around. We didn’t fight back. Like I said, we’re on neutral ground. New site, new game. It’s 1-1. Both teams are competing for a championship, so everyone is going to go out and play hard.”

SEC Player of the Year agreed with Schofield, saying:

“They didn’t (have respect). I don’t know if they do, honestly. Just by how they acted the first game. You could tell that they were kinda confident and understand that these dudes maybe have all this hype but they’re not that good. That’s the mindset I think they had, they were even saying in on the court. Honestly, we’ve just gotta come out there and compete. Can’t get wrapped up in stuff like that because when you do it takes away from the game you love.”

I can’t respect anyone that wears that “throw up” orange and those hideous warm-ups. Both teams seem to be ready to go from the jump and one thing is for sure, today is going to be an absolute war.

With a win, Kentucky would go to their 9th SEC final in 10 years and the opportunity to win the SEC Tournament for a fifth straight time. Let’s have a fun night in Rupp Arena South!

In honor of hating Tennessee, here ya go.

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

4 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.