Men's Basketball

Round 3: Kentucky “Hungry” and Tennessee Motivated

Published

7 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.

BB Recruiting

James Madison Transfer Justin McBride to Visit Kentucky on Tuesday

Published

6 days ago

April 17, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky will host James Madison transfer James McBride for a visit on Tuesday, after communicating with Mark Pope and the staff via Zoom video call.

James Madison Athletics

While much of the attention in the transfer portal goes to the top targets, you need to build a full roster. Still with starting spots to be claimed, Kentucky also looking at depth pieces. The most recent, James Madison transfer Justin McBride.

After talking to the staff this week via Zoom video call, McBride is scheduled to take a visit to Lexington on Tuesday.

A three-star transfer, ranked 201st overall according to 247Sports, McBride is being recruited by multiple power conference teams including Baylor and Cal, as well as SEC foes Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Out of high school, McBride was a four-star recruit, ranked in the top 150 nationally.

“He is a versatile player who has that IT factor about him. You can tell by the passion he plays with that there is a huge chip on his shoulder,” 247Sports asked program director Vonzell Thomas said as he evaluated McBride out of high school. “What I like about his game is his will to win. He does whatever it takes to win and not every kid has that mentality.”

From Texas, McBride committed to Oklahoma State over the likes of Kansas and Arkansas, where he played alongside former Wildcat Bandon Garrison. There, he appeared in just 24 games, averaging just over five minutes per game.

Seeking a larger role, McBride entered the transfer portal and dropped to the mid-major level, committing to Nevada. With the Wolfpack he nearly tripled both his minutes and production, averaging 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game. His most recent stop, James Madison this past season, McBride had a breakout year, averaging 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from deep.

Entering his senior season, the 6-7, 240 pound McBride is eyeing a jump back to the power conference level, prioritizing fit at his next stop.

Will that be Kentucky?

McBride has good size and athleticism, and has an inside-out style of game. Meaning he can work his away around the paint, but can also space the floor with his shooting, grading fairly well as a catch and shoot guy. Overall, he ranks in the 97th percentile in scoring volume. That said, there is come consistency to be lacked on the defensive side.

BB Recruiting

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

BB Recruiting

Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky met with Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Muruaskas, one of the top forwards in the transfer portal, on Wednesday and is looking to schedule a visit for him to come to Lexington.

Saint Mary's Athletics

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.

Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.

Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.

This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.

Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.