Kentucky
Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: And then there were none
Just like that, Mark Pope has a completely clean slate entering his debut season at Kentucky. Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell were already certainties, followed by Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Ugonna Onyenso all entering the draft while Adou Thiero, Aaron Bradshaw, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic and DJ Wagner all hit the transfer portal.
That left just one player from the 2023-24 roster under John Calipari: Jordan Burks.
The former three-star recruit then made what we all expected official on Friday, entering the portal and exploring his transfer options, bringing that leftover total down to zero.
To take it a step further, Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond and Somto Cyril are all free agents again after backing away from their Kentucky commitments, Travis Perry remaining as the lone signee for Pope. You feel good about him sticking around — “There is a good chance he will not jump into the portal,” the new head coach said of the state’s all-time leading scorer at his introductory press conference — but he still technically has a decision to make on his future.
The one guarantee? 2022 four-star guard Collin Chandler, who announced his commitment to Kentucky on April 16. The former top-40 prospect is coming off a two-year mission and will make his college debut in 2024-25.
Now it’s time for Pope to fill out the rest of the roster his way, bringing in his own talent from the transfer portal. The rest of Calipari’s pool is looking elsewhere.
GONE (GRADUATED/NBA DRAFT): Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell, Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham, Ugonna Onyenso, Reed Sheppard
TRANSFER PORTAL: Adou Thiero*, Aaron Bradshaw*, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic, DJ Wagner, Jordan Burks
* Also testing NBA Draft waters
IMPORTANT DATES
- April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
- May 1: Transfer Portal Closes
- May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
- May 13-19: NBA Combine
- May 29: NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline (11:59 pm ET)
- June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
- June 26: NBA Draft 2024 First Round
- June 27: NBA Draft 2024 Second Round
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UPDATES
April 20: Kentucky contacts Duke’s Sean Stewart
- Kentucky joins Kansas State, Indiana, Arkansas, USC, Florida State, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Arizona State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Cal, Stanford, South Carolina, Washington, Howard, UCSB and Harvard to express interest
- Was the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle
- The 6-9 freshman out of Windermere, Florida averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in just 8.4 minutes per game this season for the Blue Devils
April 20: Drexel star Amari Williams begins official visit to Lexington
- The 6-10, 265-pound forward will make the trip to Lexington from April 20-22
- Kentucky is a finalist, joining St. John’s and Mississippi State
- Mark Pope met with Williams on Thursday
April 19: Jordan Burks enters the transfer portal
- Averaged 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per outing as a freshman
- Was a three-star recruit in high school out of Overtime Elite
- The 6-8 forward only saw at least 10 minutes in seven of his 20 games played
April 19: Adou Thiero cuts list to five, includes Kentucky
- Previously entering the portal on March 28, the 6-8 forward is now considering Kentucky, North Carolina, Pitt, Indiana and Arkansas
April 19: Kentucky makes final six for Villanova’s TJ Bamba
April 19: Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo hears from the Wildcats
April 18: Reed Sheppard declares or the NBA Draft
- The star guard is the No. 7 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
- He has decided to forgo the remainder of his college eligibility
- “I’m going all-in,” Sheppard told ESPN. “The opportunity I have is great. I’ve gotten really good feedback showing where I can be in the draft. I had an unbelievable year at Kentucky. It was such a fun year. It’s not easy leaving the fans and the school I dreamed of playing at. I need to do what’s best for me, and that’s heading to the NBA.”
April 18: BYU’s Aly Khalifa commits to Louisville over Kentucky
- The 6-11, 270-pound center out of Alexandria, Egypt announced three finalists on Sunday: Kentucky, Louisville and BYU
- Khalifa averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game on 38.6/31.5/62.1 shooting splits
- Originally entered portal on April 12 with a ‘do not contact’ tag, visited Louisville this week
- He will be redshirting in 2023-24 while rehabbing a knee injury
April 18: Kentucky reaches out to Texas Tech’s Pop Isaacs
April 18: Former McDonald’s All-American Brandon Garrison plans visit to Lexington
April 17: Kentucky “will be involved” for Duke’s Jeremy Roach
- Roach has appeared in 130 games throughout his career at Duke, including 108 starts. He was a team captain as a junior and senior.
- He averaged 14 points, 3.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 32.7 minutes per outing this season on 46.8/42.9/84.4 splits
- Jeff Goodman reports Baylor is the favorite to land his commitment
April 17: Belmont’s Cade Tyson hears from Mark Pope
- One of the top shooters in the portal
- Averaged 16.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG on 49.3% FG, 46.5% 3PT this year
- Tyson previously heard from Kentucky’s staff under John Calipari
April 16: Utah State’s Great Osobor contacted by Kentucky
- On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Osobor has been in contact with the Wildcats
- Checks in at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds. Averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 2023-24
- Was tabbed the Mountain West Player of the Year this past season
April 16: Oklahoma’s Otega Oweh hears from Pope
- Pope reached out to Oweh this week, according to KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck
- The 6-foot-4, 210-pound combo guard averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds, playing in 32 games for Oklahoma as a sophomore in 2023-24
- He started in 28 games and averaged 24.8 minutes per contest
- Oweh is set to visit Oregon on April 19 and Texas A&M on April 23
April 16: Kentucky contacts Dayton transfer Koby Brea
- Pope reaches out to Brea on Tuesday evening, the combo guard tells Jacob Polacheck of KSR+.
- 6-foot-5, 175-pound combo guard who averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 33 games as a junior in 2023-24.
- Started four games while averaging 29.1 minutes per outing. Shot 49.8 percent from deep on 201 attempts this past season.
- Also heard from the likes of Kansas, UConn, Duke, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisville, and many more.
April 16: Pope reaches out to Stanford’s Andrej Stojakovic
- The son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic has heard from Kentucky, he told KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck
- Stojakovic averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40.9% from the field and 32.7% from three as a freshman at Stanford
- He is currently scheduled to visit Cal this weekend
April 16: Collin Chandler commits to Kentucky
- The 6-4 scorer is rated as the No. 34 overall prospect and No. 6 combo guard in the final 2022 On3 Player Rankings
- Chandler spent two years on mission ahead of his college basketball debut in 2024-25
- 2022 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a senior in high school
- Committed to BYU over Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, Stanford and Utah, among others
April 15: Ugonna Onyenso declares for the NBA Draft
- “I’m ready to go to the next level,” Onyenso told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I’m not thinking about coming back to play college basketball. I’m 100% focused on the NBA.”
- Onyenso averaged 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 19 minutes per contest this past season
- The 7-foot center is the No. 47 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
- He signed with an agent, but did not officially shut the door for a return to college, despite making it clear he has no interest in coming back to school
April 15: Zvonimir Ivisic transfers to Arkansas
- “I made the lifetime decision to come to college for a few reasons,” Ivisic announced. “Main one’s to win a national championship and go to the NBA. Monumental part of that decision was Coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to Coach Cal and the Arkansas Razorbacks!”
- Ivisic racked up 15 total appearances in Lexington, averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 57.7% from the field and 37.5% from three.
April 15: Aaron Bradshaw commits to Ohio State
- Bradshaw took an official visit to Columbus over the weekend and announced his commitment to open the week on Monday.
- The former top-five recruit was the first portal entry for the Wildcats to commit elsewhere
- He originally entered the transfer portal on April 8 while also testing the draft waters
- The 7-foot-1 freshman averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season while shooting 57.6% from the field.
April 15: DJ Wagner enters transfer portal
- The 6-foot-3 former five-star recruit averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game for Kentucky this past season
- 247Sports’ Travis Branham says Wagner will consider a return to Kentucky and meet with Mark Pope while also considering entering the 2024 NBA Draft
April 15: Northern Illinois transfer David Coit hears from the Wildcats
- Kentucky joins TCU, Louisville, Utah, Washington State and Oregon State as schools to reach out, according to The Portal Report
- Averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game
- 40.7% FG, 33.7% 3PT, 88.5% FT
April 14: Kentucky schedules visit with Drexel transfer Amari Williams
- Williams is a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-CAA member in 2023-24
- He averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game as a senior, shooting 51.7% from the field and 65.5% at the line
- He is considered the 18th-best available player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings and will have one year of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer
April 14: Kentucky reaches out to Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small
- Kansas, Miami, Indiana, Texas and Louisville are other schools with mutual interest, sources tell KSR
- Averaged 15.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG, shooting 44% overall last season
- Set to take official visit to Miami this week
April 12: BYU’s Jaxson Robinson becomes name to know for Kentucky
- The 6-7 guard averaged a team-high 14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per outing.
- He shot 42.6 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from deep (6.9 attempts per game), and 90.8 percent from the free throw line.
- KSR has learned Robinson is a potential portal addition with Kentucky seen as the likely destination should he enter, following Pope to Lexington
April 9: Rob Dillingham enters the NBA Draft, forgoes remaining eligibility
- Dillingham’s time in Lexington comes to a close with a season average of 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 44.4% from three.
- He is currently the No. 4 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best-available players in the 2024 draft
April 8: Joey Hart enters the transfer portal
- The 6-5 sharpshooter out of Linton, IN plans to transfer as a redshirt freshman after playing just ten minutes in his debut season as a Wildcat.
- He scored three points in Lexington — a made 3-pointer in Kentucky’s win over Marshall back on November 24.
April 4: Justin Edwards enters the NBA Draft
- The former five-star wing becomes the first player to forgo his time at Kentucky and enter the NBA Draft
- He is currently rated as the No. 30 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available players in the draft pool, good for third on the team behind Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard
March 28: Adou Thiero enters transfer portal, will test NBA Draft Waters
Kentucky
Kentucky Volleyball set for Final Four showdown with Wisconsin
The semifinal stage is set for No. 1 seed Kentucky volleyball, as the Wildcats prepare to take on No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the NCAA Final Four on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 9:00 PM ET inside the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Kentucky has been dominant throughout the NCAA Tournament, including a 3–0 sweep of Wofford, a sweep against Cal Poly in the Sweet 16, and a sweep over Creighton in the Elite Eight. Their only dropped set came in the Round of 32 against UCLA. Outside of that brief hiccup, Kentucky has controlled matches from start to finish and remains undefeated at home this season.
Wisconsin arrives in Kansas City after a statement win over No. 1 Texas in the Elite Eight. The Badgers earned a measure of revenge against the Longhorns, who handed Wisconsin one of its four losses during the regular season. Kentucky accounted for Texas’ other two defeats, beating the Longhorns in both the regular season and the SEC Tournament championship.
Thursday’s matchup also carries historical weight for Big Blue Nation. Wisconsin was the team that ended Kentucky men’s basketball’s perfect 38–0 season in the 2015 Final Four, denying the Wildcats an undefeated national title.
Now, Kentucky volleyball has an opportunity to write a different ending against the Badgers on the sport’s biggest stage.
If the Wildcats advance, they’ll face the winner of the other national semifinal matchup, which sees No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, who actually handed Kentucky one of its regular-season losses, take on No. 3 seed Texas A&M, whom the Cats defeated in College Station.
With a spot in the national championship match on the line, the Wildcats will look to continue their dominant run and settle an old score. The national championship game is Sunday, Dec. 21, on ABC at 3:30 PM ET.
Kentucky
PREVIEW: Kentucky wraps up home-and-home series with Belmont on the road
Kentucky has had a week off following their 82-55 win over Central Michigan, and now, the Cats retake the court down in Nashville to take on the Belmont Bruins. This is the second game of a home-and-home series between the two programs. Kentucky won its contest against Belmont last season by just six points at home — an 84-78 game in which the Bruins gave Kentucky all it could handle.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Belmont squad and the upcoming game.
Bio Blast
Belmont is 4-5 on the season, but this isn’t your average 4-5 Missouri Valley Conference team. Three of those five losses came to AP ranked teams and Princeton, who they also lost to, was the first team outside of the AP Poll in the latest release. So, make that four of their five losses that have come to AP top 26 teams.
Amidst those losses came a defeat to McNeese. That’s their only real stinker on the season. For most of the game, Belmont kept it close against No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 21 Ohio State and Princeton who, again, is right outside the AP top 25.
Kentucky is 4-0 all-time against Belmont, and all of those matches have taken place since 2014. Georgia Amoore had 23 points and five assists in last year’s win over the Bruins. Amelia Hassett had a notable outing as well, scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and getting two steals as she played in all 40 minutes of the game.
Scouting Report
Speaking of last year’s game, guard Jailyn Banks had 23 points against the Wildcats, and she could very well put up a similar number this time around. As a junior, Banks is averaging 14.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures in all of Belmont’s games this season except for one, when she put up seven points against the Buckeyes.
Avery Strickland has been a big contributor for them as well, averaging 11.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game this season. Tuti Jones, who had 11 against Kentucky a year ago, is putting up 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.2 steals per game.
Hilary Fuller is another name to watch for Belmont. She’s currently averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 37.5% from deep. As a team, Belmont is shooting just 30.6% from three-point range, but she’s one of their players that can get hot in a hurry from the perimeter.
Belmont Bruins roster
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Projected Kentucky Starters
#5 – Tonie Morgan
5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – SENIOR
12.4 PPG – 8.5 APG – 2.9 RPG
#0 – Jordan Obi
6-FOOT-1 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
12.2 PPG – 6.2 RPG – 1 APG
#32 – Amelia Hassett
6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – SENIOR
9.7 PPG – 6.1 RPG – 2 BPG
#7 – Teonni Key
6-FOOT-5 – FORWARD – SENIOR
11.5 PPG – 5.7 RPG – 1.6 BPG
#13 – Clara Strack
6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – JUNIOR
15.2 PPG – 10.2 RPG – 2.7 BPG
Phoenix’s Prediction
Score: 76-60, Kentucky
MVP: Amelia Hassett
Belmont’s 4-5 record is deceiving, and I would expect them to give Kentucky some trouble on the road. I don’t think they’ll ever truly threaten to win the game, but at the same time, I don’t think Kentucky is going to blow this team out to the point Gabby Brooks gets any PT. Give me Amelia Hassett to put up a team-high 20 points in the win.
How to Watch/Listen
Join The Discussion on KSBoard
Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).
Kentucky
Even Indiana-Kentucky basketball rivalry couldn’t resist HeisMendoza chants
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman Trophy triumph made noise as far afield as Rupp Arena on Saturday night.
Indiana could not claim too many fans in the building, in the Hoosiers’ first regular-season game against Kentucky in 14 years, unsurprising given the venue. But the ones who made the trip east on I-64 made themselves heard more than once during a 72-60 loss.
That included what has become a familiar chant among IU fans, one that broke out not long into the game and yet owing absolutely nothing to what was happening on the floor.
As news filtered through the arena that Mendoza had won his program’s first Heisman Trophy, fans seated in small clusters — including one group just a few feet away from the media seating area — began loudly chanting “Heis-Mendoza!” at the news.
It was the latest reminder of IU’s brave new world, with football and basketball co-existing so significantly, so late into the calendar. Curt Cignetti’s team, the No. 1 seed in this year’s College Football Playoff, will next play in the Rose Bowl, on New Year’s Day in Los Angeles.
The Hoosiers await the winner of the 8/9 game between Oklahoma and Alabama, in Norman.
In the meantime, they’ve spent the pre-Christmas period resting on the field, while cleaning up off it. Mendoza and Cignetti were named Big Ten offensive player and coach of the year, respectively, while Carter Smith won the conference’s lineman-of-the-year award.
Cignetti has also won multiple national coach-of-the-year awards, with more potentially on the way.
Mendoza added a clutch of trophies to his mantle this weekend in New York, including not just the Heisman Trophy but the Davey O’Brien Award for nation’s best quarterback and the Maxwell Award for nation’s best player. Mendoza is also the first Hoosier to win the O’Brien Award, and the second (after Anthony Thompson) to win the Maxwell.
More than a dozen Hoosiers have landed All-Big Ten and/or All-America honors since their Big Ten championship game triumph a week ago. A handful — including Smith, Aiden Fisher, Riley Nowakowski, Pat Coogan, Isaiah Jones and others — traveled to New York to celebrate with their quarterback.
Alberto Mendoza, Fernando Mendoza’s backup and younger brother, also made the trip. Both brothers became visibly emotional when Fernando referenced his younger brother during his acceptance speech.
The Hoosiers ultimately left Rupp Arena empty handed Saturday. But their football program once again left them celebrating, nonetheless.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
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