Good morning, BBN!

Well, that was not the news we were expecting before the portal closed last night.

Travis Perry pulled a near buzzer-beater, putting his name into the transfer portal around 10:00, just two hours before the portal closed.

While it hurts BBN to see, you can’t blame Perry for this decision. He was likely to ride the bench next year after the additions of Jaland Lowe, Kam Williams, and Denzel Aberdeen, along with Jasper Johnson’s arrival, making the competition for playing time at guard very intense.

Additionally, it was somewhat unusual that Perry never tweeted an “I’m back” message, unlike Collin Chandler and Trent Noah. Now we know why.

I hope nothing but the best for Perry. While he can still find his way back to the UK, it’s unlikely. WKU would be a cool spot to see him go and shine.

Now that we know about Perry, there’s even more uncertainty regarding the final spots for UK’s roster, particularly in light of the proposed House settlement that could cap rosters at 15 total players, including walk-ons.​

Currently, Kentucky has 11 scholarship players. If Otega Oweh, who declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining College eligibility, returns as anticipated, that number would rise to 12.

The lone remaining walk-on is Junior forward Zach Tow, following the recent departures of walk-ons Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn via the transfer portal. ​Tow would bring the roster to 13 total players if he remains with the program.

The Wildcats may have room for two or three additional players. These spots could be filled by another walk-on or a late addition, depending on how the situation evolves.

With that being said, Mark Pope has assembled an extremely impressive roster to this point, which will likely be among the top five preseason teams.

As the offseason progresses, Kentucky’s coaching staff will continue to monitor the roster dynamics, ensuring compliance with any new regulations while striving to assemble a team poised for a championship in the 2025-26 season.

Let us know what you think this team’s record will be next year in the comments!

Tweet of the Day:

An absolute beatdown of Louisville last night for Kentucky Baseball!

Headlines:

Guard Denzel Aberdeen Commits to Kentucky for 2025-26 – UK Athletics

Get to know Kentucky’s newest guard.

Kentucky Men’s Golf Eyes Crucial SEC Championship – UK Athletics

Good luck to Men’s Golf!

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard named NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year – ESPN

I thought Malik Beasley would’ve snuck in there, but Pritchard deserved it.

Arkansas puts departed QB Madden Iamaleava in its crosshairs by encouraging NIL collective to recoup buyout – CBS Sports

This is a very interesting story, and could be a huge turn for NIL.

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum doubtful for Wednesday’s Game 2 vs. Magic with bone bruise in right wrist – Yahoo Sports

Hope Tatum gets better, but they don’t need him to beat the Magic.

Sean McVay: You’d never rule out the possibility of reuniting with Jalen Ramsey – NBC Sports

This could be fun.

Jerry Jones says Cowboys working on ‘pretty substantive trades’ – ESPN

Is he, though?…

Kirk Cousins landing spots: Where could Falcons quarterback end up during NFL Draft? – CBS Sports

As a backup… right?

New Pelicans executive Joe Dumars denies he has a mandate from ownership to trade Zion Williamson – Yahoo Sports

Finally, they have someone who knows ball.

Anthony Edwards fined $50,000 for ‘inappropriate language’ while trash talking Lakers fans – NBC Sports

Was it inappropriate? Yes. Was it hilarious? Yes. Did he deserve a $50,000 fine? Ehh.

Kentucky picked up the final piece to their 2025-26 roster on Monday when Florida transfer guard Denzel Aberdeen committed to the Wildcats not too long after it looked like Aberdeen was emerging as one of their top options. Before Aberdeen committed, Kentucky’s backcourt constisted of athelticism, playmaking, and a little bit of shooting. Now, they have every category checked in the backcourt with Aberdeen in the fold.

Aberdeen, a 6-5 guard, is very versatile and can play both the one or the two spot on the court. Kentucky was looking for a shooter to round out the roster with, and Aberdeen brings that, too. Last season with Florida, Aberdeen averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, shooting 41.8 percent overall and 35 percent from three-point range. Above all that, it was really his performance throughout SEC play that makes him so intriguing and why he was so vital to Florida, helping lead them to a Natiional Championship. In SEC play, Aberdeen started five of his 18 conference games played, where in those he averaged 14.4 points, but the most staggering stat being his three-point percentage, as he shot 41.4 percent in those games.

He was impressive all throughout conference play last season, not just in those games he started. Aberdeen had six games in double figures in SEC play, including a 22-point game against South Carolina, where he shot 8-12 overall and an impressive 5-7 from deep. Aberdeen may be seen more as a versatile athletic guard in many people’s eyes, but his shooting in SEC play, especially in the five games he started, should be praised a lot more.

Aberdeen is the perfect final piece to a Kentucky roster filled with defense, playmaking, a lot of athleticism, as well as shooting. Mark Pope checked all of the boxes with next season’s roster, capped off with a veteran SEC guard.

The transfer portal is portaling as hard as it has ever portaled. Easter Sunday served as an unofficial signing day for so many college football and basketball players looking for their next destination. One former Kentucky Wildcat resurfaced in the Sun Belt.

Izayah Cummings was a significant recruiting win for Kentucky when Vince Marrow signed the three-star talent from Louisville Male High School in the class of 2020. A tweener, he initially planned to play wide receiver at Kentucky. Following a rash of injuries, he made the move to tight end and thrived.

As a redshirt freshman, Cummings became a sort of an X-factor for Will Levis in Liam Coen‘s offense. More explosive than most tight ends, Coen created mismatches for the Louisville native who caught 14 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.

It looked like the beginning of a burgeoning career. Unfortunately, Coen left and seemingly left Cummings behind. His 2021 season was a career-high. He did not catch a pass in 2022 and after the 2023 season, decided to seek greener pastures in the transfer portal.

Cummings went back to his roots and transferred to Louisville for the 2024 season. He played sparingly, catching three passes for 33 yards.

Looking for a larger role in his final season of college football, the Louisville native hit the transfer portal one more time. Pete Nakos reports he will play for Appalachian State in 2025. It connects a triangle between Kentucky, Louisville, and a former Louisville coach, Scott Satterfield, who parlayed his position at Appalachian State to become the Cards’ head coach ahead of the 2019 season, Cummings’ senior year at Male.

You never know where the transfer portal is going to take a player. Even though things didn’t work out well for Cummings closer to home, hopefully he lands on his feet in Boone, North Carolina.

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