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The Worst and Best Seeding Possibilities for Kentucky Five Days before Selection Sunday

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Kentucky’s run at another SEC Tournament title starts Friday and Selection Sunday is only five days away.

Us Kentucky fans have debated seeding and stalked bracketology sites for the past several weeks along with everyone else.

Joe Lunardi said late last night on SportsCenter that Kentucky could get as high as a 2-seed (where Lunardi has Kentucky right now) and they could drop as low as a 5-seed. I heard that and I couldn’t believe it.

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I used to care a lot about where Lunardi had Kentucky, but these past few years I haven’t as much. I’ve realized that most of his stuff is click-bait and what he said last night was too. That’s absurd.

No one really knows as of right now where Kentucky will end up, which is nerve-wracking and exciting. Kentucky’s fate will really be decided by what plays out the next few days in Nashville.

Here are the worst and best seedings Kentucky could get and what needs to happen for them to get it.

Two Seed

I’ll best honest, after Kentucky lost to Tennessee, I thought a 2-seed was out the window. I was surprised that Lunardi had Kentucky as one just days after that loss. In Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, he currently has Kentucky as a 2-seed in the East region with Dayton a the 1-seed, Villanova as the 3-seed, and Maryland as the 4-seed.

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Sign me up for that all day long.

I still don’t think the committee will give Kentucky a 2-seed by just winning the SEC Tournament. The past has proven that the Sunday SEC Championship game doesn’t matter, unless it hurts Kentucky.

Winning it would definitely help boost Kentucky’s resume, but I still think the Cats would need some help from the teams around them to get one.

Three Seed

I think a 3-seed is pretty likely if the Cats win the SEC Tournament. I wouldn’t be shocked if the committee has Kentucky as one right now. The three line right now from Lunardi is Duke, Villanova, Michigan State, and Seton Hall. I think if Duke wins the ACC Tournament, they get a 2-seed because that might be the strongest conference tournament this year.

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If Kentucky wants a 3-seed I think all they have to do is win the SEC Tournament. Like I said, I think the committee has them as a 3-seed right now and they can’t give them a reason to drop them.

Four Seed

As crazy as it might sound, a 4-seed is still very likely for Kentucky. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, it all just depends on the draw they get. I’m afraid that if the Cats get a 4-seed, they’ll get Kansas as the 1-seed. They don’t scare me, I just don’t care to play the best team in the country in the Sweet 16. That seems more like a Elite 8 or Final Four Matchup.

Kentucky would have to lose in the finals of the SEC Tournament to drop to a 4-seed. Like I said above, the SEC Tournament doesn’t matter for Kentucky unless it can hurt them. If they win they stay, if they lose, they drop.

Five Seed

I don’t think a 5-seed is going to happen. Kentucky hasn’t been that low for awhile and I cannot imagine they drop that far by just losing one game.

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However, if they were to get a 5-seed, it would be because they lost Friday. I don’t see them losing in the semifinals and dropping that far. It’s unlikely, but it could happen.

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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