I was confident in Kentucky’s chances against Tennessee and they won by 17. A big factor being Tennessee not playing a ranked team since Dec 10th. Since Tennessee’s win over Gonzaga that day, Vols have zero KenPom top-25 wins, Cats now have seven in that same span (including UT). Let’s take a look and analyze Kentucky’s statement win over the #1 team in the country.
PJ Washington has a shot at SEC Player of the Year
Anyone watching the game could see that PJ Washington was the best player on the floor and exposed Grant Williams who was pegged preseason SEC player of the year. In 7 of the last 8 games, Washington has scored 20 or more points and is averaging 21.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, and 1.3 bpg on 55.4% FG and 50% 3P. PJ Washington’s recent performances are proof that he made the best decision to come back for his sophomore year. PJ is playing like one of the best bigs in the country and his performance against #1 Tennessee definitely improved his case for national awards.
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This is NOT the Typical Calipari Team
Coming into the season and we knew this was a team that had a chance to be special and they showed that on the biggest stage against the #1 team in the country. Most Cal teams are stereotyped as “young and soft”. However, this team has experienced bigs that were not afraid of Tennessee’s physicality. From the tip, Kentucky was prepared to bully Tennessee and did just that outrebounding Tennessee by 13.
Ashton Hagans Broke Through the Freshman Wall
Calipari has talked about the metaphorical Freshman wall that many freshmen at Kentucky hit during the season. Hagans appeared to hit that wall three games ago as he was averaging 4.7 ppg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 rpg, and 3 TOpg along with 38.5% FG and 20% 3P. Hagans regained his aggressiveness against Tennessee with a 9 pts, 7 ast, 2 reb, 1 TO, and 50% FG performance. For this team to reach its peak performance, Hagans needs to be a leader that can defend the perimeter and is aggressive and efficient on the offensive end, and that’s just what Hagans was last night.
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Tyler Herro Showcases He Is More Than a Shooter
Coming into the season we anticipated Tyler Herro to be one of the premier shooters on this years team. While that has been the case (35.5% 3P, 45.5% FG, 91.8% FT) he has shown that he is much more than a shooter. Herro is second on the team in assists and steals with 2.3 apg and 1.0 spg, showing that he is able to distribute the ball and although not amazingly quick, he has the ability to get into passing lanes. As a 6-5 guard he rebounds and gets after it on the boards, averaging 4.0 rpg on the season, Herro finished the game with a quiet double-double with 15 pts and 13 reb.
This Team Still Has Room to Grow
Although more experienced than most Kentucky teams under Calipari, this team is still young with five freshmen (six if you count Baker as a redshirt freshman). Since losing to Duke by 34 points on opening night, Kentucky has clawed their way back into the national championship conversation, and deservingly so. Kentucky is currently ranked 14th in offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency (only 6 teams ranked in top-20 in each category). Kentucky looked very impressive and received positive contributions from each player. However, Kentucky still showed room for improvement when allowing Tennessee to go on a 13-0 run in 2 1/2 min to cut the lead to 10 as they made plenty of mental mistakes and showed a struggle with the zone. Trust in Cal as he always has his best product on the floor come March!
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Team Stats
Box Score
Beating the #1 team in the country by 17 points, it has been a great weekend for the Big Blue Nation. GO C-A-Y-T-S!
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.
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.
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.