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Three Things To Watch For and TV Info for Kentucky’s Exhibition vs. Kentucky State

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Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics

We are now less than a week away from the start of the college basketball regular season, but the Kentucky Wildcats have one more exhibition game to prepare themselves for one of the toughest schedules in the country.

This time against in-state school, Kentucky State. The Thorobreds (yes, that is how the school spells it) are a Division II school located in Frankfort, KY.

The Thorobreds have played Kentucky in two preseason exhibitions in the Calipari era, most recently in 2019 (losing by 32) and in 2015 (losing by 53) before that.

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Kentucky State is coached by alum Jamaal Jackson, who is in his seventh season as head coach. In his time with the Thorobreds, they have become one of the best up-tempo in their conference, averaging 84.5 points per game in his first season.

Let’s look at some things to watch for on Thursday night.

Will the offense have a better performance?

Scoring 56 points is not an ideal performance for modern-day college basketball, let alone against D-II Missouri Western State. With that said, the Wildcat’s offense may not be much better on Thursday.

The Wildcats will be without Oscar Tshiebwe as he continues to sit out as a precaution from a minor knee procedure – should be ready for the season opener – but will probably be without Sahvir Wheeler due to a minor knee injury from Sunday’s exhibition.

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While neither of these losses should carry over into the regular season, it will keep Kentucky’s two biggest offensive pieces from a season ago off the floor.

On Sunday night, Jacob Toppin and CJ Fredrick were the only two players to score in double figures. While both will be key pieces on offense, others need to step up including Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston, and Antonio Reeves, who combined for just 16 points.

Who will step up at point guard?

As previously mentioned, Sahvir Wheeler sustained a minor knee injury in Kentucky’s last exhibition game on Sunday, the same knee that he injured prior to the Blue-White scrimmage that caused him to miss the scrimmage and a few days of practice.

Multiple reports have since come out and Wheeler is expected to be “fine” but it is probable that he will miss Thursday’s exhibition as a precaution. If that is case, who will step up at point guard?

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The obvious answer is Cason Wallace. Kentucky’s highest-ranked incoming freshman got plenty of run on Sunday and performed well finishing with nine points, seven rebounds (leading rebounder), two assists, two blocks, and two steals.

With Calipari still experimenting with lineups, don’t be surprised to see Antonio Reeves play some point as well. Reeves played the position at Illinois State and averaged 20.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game last season.

If Calipari calls on Reeves, he told Kentucky Sports Radio on Tuesday, he would be ready for it.

“I’m comfortable, knowing I played point guard last year at Illinois State. I have a lot of experience with it, so yeah, if he does put me at that position, I’ll be ready.”

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The Sky Is NOT Falling

Prior to the game, John Calipari tweeted this.

In hindsight, you could see there was not a lot of premium put on offense and that was shown in the performance. It is okay to be disappointed in the way the team performed against Missouri Western State, but the sky is not falling.

The Wildcats were experimenting with lineups and were without the reigning National Player of the Year, who will attract attention and open up the floor for the rest of the team. Not to mention, there was some good to see. Notably, CJ Fredrick’s three-point shooting, Jacob Toppin’s much-improved offense, and a good defensive performance.

On Thursday, I would expect to see more of the same with two starters sitting out due to injury and with the team helping Damion Collins grieve the loss of his father.

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When the season starts, expect this team to look much more reminiscent of the team from the Bahamas.

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Kentucky State Thorobreds

Time/Date: 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, November 3rd, 2022
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
Online Stream: WatchESPNESPN+, SEC Network+, or the ESPN app
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the UK radio network call on WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1, and the UK Sports Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | KS
Live Stats

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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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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