Latest news and updates about the Kentucky
Kentucky added another piece to its roster last week, as Zyon Hawthorne, the younger brother of Braydon Hawthorne, officially joined the program following Braydon’s return announcement. Zyon, a 6-foot-2 combo guard out of Huntington Prep, averaged 11.2 points, seven assists, and three rebounds per game as a senior, drawing interest from programs like Wichita State, […]
As Mark Pope works frantically to build the 2026-27 Kentucky Basketball roster, we now have a high school reclassification candidate to monitor. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Pope is set to have an in-home visit with 5-star wing Ryan Hampton. Tipton also notes that Hampton is a reclass candidate, which he almost has to be […]
As Kentucky Basketball continues to fill out its roster, one of its top remaining recruits is set to make a college decision on Monday, and another could follow suit. On Saturday, 5-star forward Miikka Muurinen revealed that he will make his college choice on Monday, April 27. The 6-foot-10 big man is ranked 55th overall […]
Pat Kelsey’s commitment to getting bigger in 2026-27 took another (very) sizable step forward Saturday with the commitment of 7’5 USC transfer center Gabe Dynes. Dynes, a Kentucky native who played his high school basketball at Simon Kenton in Independence, picked U of L over Kentucky. Before transferring to USC, Dynes spent two seasons at […]
UNC basketball made waves in the transfer portal on Tuesday, signing a pair of highly sought after guards. Terrence Brown had long been rumored to be a top target for the Heels, but UNC had stiff competition in wooing him to North Carolina from Kansas and Kentucky. Matt Able also committed, jumping from N.C. State […]
Donnie Freeman is an elite talent, the kind of player who immediately raises the ceiling of any roster he joins. His skill set stands out, but so too does his game-to-game availability. The big caveat with Freeman is his health, as his now-surgically repaired toe has limited him to just 37 games over two seasons […]
The commitment of Ousmane N’Diaye has sparked plenty of conversation across Big Blue Nation, with Kentucky Basketball fans offering a mix of excitement and curiosity following the addition. Shortly after the news broke, social media lit up with reactions ranging from optimism about N’Diaye’s size and potential to how he fits into Mark Pope’s overall […]
Kentucky Basketball is once again under the microscope, and according to Kyle Tucker, that scrutiny is extending across college basketball. Appearing on Uninterrupted by Matt Jones, hosted by Jones on Thursday, Tucker revealed that other programs and executives around college basketball are mocking head coach Mark Pope and Kentucky. “They are,” Tucker says on Uninterrupted […]
Even though the transfer portal deadline has passed, we’ve seen several major entries announced as late as Thursday, one being former Kentucky Basketball player Jordan Burks. Burks, a 3-star prospect in the class of 2023, signed with Kentucky out of high school when John Calipari was still running the show. After sparingly playing as a […]
It’s been a busy month of April at the University of Kentucky as the basketball transfer portal is in full swing, spring football is winding down, Mitch Barnhart’s departure, and the search for the next UK Athletic Director. With the school in search of a new AD after Barnahrt steps down on June 30, Justin […]
Back when Kentucky Basketball lost assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart, rumors began to circulate that Mark Pope was making a push for Jamal Crawford as a potential replacement. However, nothing came of it, and it appeared that ship had sailed. Now, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Matt Jones are reporting that there’s still […]
Did Kentucky miss out on Caleb Holt and maybe other high-level prospects by targeting Tyran Stokes? One college basketball analyst seems to think that is a possibility. This week, 247 Sports’ Travis Branham said that had Kentucky not gone all in on Tyran Stokes and focused more on Caleb Holt, the latter would likely have […]
Yesterday was a busy day for UNC basketball. Michael Malone had three players publicly commit to come to Chapel Hill next year in roughly an eight-hour span. First, Utah point guard Terrence Brown chose UNC over fellow blueblood contenders Kansas and Kentucky. Shortly afterwards, N.C. State freshman guard Matt Able chose to play at UNC […]
Former Tounde Yessoufou has officially entered the transfer portal, doing so late Tuesday night just before the 11:59 p.m. deadline, according to Pete Nakos of On3. The move comes after weeks of speculation surrounding the standout guard’s future. Earlier this month, on April 10, Yessoufou announced he would test the NBA Draft waters, with many […]
North Carolina has landed a major transfer portal addition with the commitment of Utah guard Terrence Brown on Tuesday, according to Joe Tipton of On3. a dynamic scoring guard who drew interest from several high-major programs, including Kentucky. Brown was originally scheduled to visit Lexington last week to meet with Mark Pope and the Wildcats, […]
Kentucky Basketball has made a surprise addition to the roster, landing a commitment from Zyon Hawthorne, the brother of Braydon Hawthorne, who just announced his return on Tuesday. The news of Zyon’s commitment came about an hour after Braydon made his announcement, as the two brothers are now slated to suit up together in Lexington. […]
Braydon Hawthorne has officially signed on for his return to Kentucky Basketball, he announced on Tuesday via Instagram. A 4-star recruit in the class of 2025, Hawthorne redshirted this past season, though there was a time his redshirt was almost pulled while Kentucky was battling an assortment of injuries. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound wing was ranked […]
It seems like everyone is upset with the University of Kentucky over the golden parachute deal it handed Mitch Barnhart. From fans to local media to even national media, UK caught a lot of heat over the deal, and now, you can add Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to the list. On Tuesday, Beshaer released a […]
Kentucky Basketball’s pursuit of a frontcourt centerpiece took a major hit this week, and the fallout is drawing sharp criticism from the fanbase and national media. After Sebastian Rancik committed to Florida State on Sunday and Donnie Freeman followed by choosing St. John’s on Monday, Kentucky was left empty-handed despite being heavily involved with both […]
The portal continues spinning, and Kentucky has swung and missed on another prospect, as Donnie Freeman has committed to Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm. 247 Sports’ Sydney Cuillier broke the news first. Kentucky recently hosted Freeman for a visit and was thought to be close to securing his commitment, but a late […]
The transfer portal is whirling at the moment as the Kentucky Basketball staff looks to lock in and finish up their roster. At the moment, Donnie Freeman is the most popular name among the BBN. However, the fanbase will now need to focus on another recruitment that could become quite important depending on how the […]
Mark Pope has openly joked about the group chat he shares with his 1996 national championship teammates, claiming they keep him grounded. But according to former Kentucky star Derek Anderson, that chat is a lot more intense than Pope has let on. During a recent appearance on KSR, Anderson pulled back the curtain on the […]
As the transfer portal continues to shape the college basketball landscape, Kentucky Basketball still remains heavily involved with a wide range of prospects to round out its 2026-27 roster. From adding size in the frontcourt to securing scoring and playmaking in the backcourt, they are aggressively evaluating options as they look to build a complete […]
The transfer portal window is incredibly unforgiving. When it became clear that top-tier target Paulius Murauskas was likely heading to Arizona State, Mark Pope quickly pivoted, bringing Colorado transfer Sebastian Rancik to Lexington for an under-the-radar visit. Unfortunately for the coaching staff, that stealth mission did not result in a signature. Rancik has officially committed […]
The Laettner era was amazing for Duke fans in many ways. Obviously, Christian Laettner’s competitive flame burned incredibly bright. He developed a mystique like no one else in college basketball history: other fan bases truly hated him, but they also feared him, because Laettner was absolutely ruthless. He gutted everyone: UNC, Connecticut, Kentucky. They all […]