Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

Four-star center prospect Malachi Moreno has committed to Kentucky, he told On3's Joe Tipton.

Moreno was previously considering joining former Kentucky head coach John Calipari at Arkansas. Iowa, Indiana, Ohio State, Louisville, UNC, and Notre Dame were his other top choices.

The Georgetown, Kentucky local said he chose the Wildcats because of head coach Mark Pope's playing style, per ESPN's Paul Biancardi.

Moreno is ranked as the No. 2 center and the No. 26 overall prospect in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Moreno announced his commitment in an event at his high school, which was streamed live by 247Sports.

Moreno told Tipton that he would compare his own playing style to NBA bigs like Anthony Davis or Karl Anthony-Towns.

"I would describe my game as a stretch-five. I can pass, shoot, and dribble the ball," Moreno told Tipton.

The commitment means Moreno, who was born and raised in Kentucky, can remain near his hometown. Moreno currently plays for Great Crossing High School, which is located just a half hour's drive away from Pope's program in Lexington.

Calipari began recruiting Moreno during his final season as Kentucky, and Pope continued those efforts after taking over the job in April, Cameron Drummond reported for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Moreno's decision marks the first commitment from a class of 2025 player for Pope. Pope has also added two class of 2024 prospects in forward Trent Noah and guard Travis Perry, both of whom are also in-state locals.

Moreno's brother, Michael Moreno, recently finished out his five-year college basketball career at Eastern Kentucky. He finished the 2023-24 season as the only EKU player to record 1,500 career points and 900 rebounds.

Pope will now hope to add another high-profile recruit as Kentucky continues the program's pursuit five-star guard prospect Jasper Johnson. That might be a longshot for the Wildcats, as Johnson listed Kentucky as one of his final contenders in July but said in August he had the program ranked as a "distant third" behind Alabama and UNC.

The ACC/SEC Challenge is one of the most fun early-season series in college basketball, and the matchups for the 2024 iteration were revealed on Wednesday.

This year's event is headlined by matchups between UNC and Alabama, Duke and Auburn, and Kentucky and Clemson, among others:

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports first reported the matchups.

The ACC/SEC Challenge was established last season to replace the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, both of which ended after the 2022 season.

Last year, neither conference established supremacy as both the ACC and SEC earned seven wins apiece in the men's series, and the result was the same on the women's side as well.

Last season, Alabama and NC State had the most success of any of the teams involved in this year's series, reaching the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

After losing to the eventual national champion UConn Huskies, the Crimson Tide are motivated to bounce back in a big way next season, so their matchup against the Tar Heels is sure to excite college basketball fans.

NC State, which lost to Purdue in the Final Four, will be facing Texas in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Wolfpack will be looking to put on a show against the Longhorns to prove last season's run was no fluke.

Duke is welcoming a star-studded recruiting class that includes No. 1 overall prospect Cooper Flagg and fellow 5-star prospects Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel. The Blue Devils are among the favorites to compete for a national title next season, so they will welcome an early test against the Tigers.

The ACC/SEC Challenge is sure to bring some early excitement for college basketball fans near the start of the 2024-25 season.

Former Kentucky standout Reed Sheppard is a "polarizing" option on NBA draft boards, according to The Athletic's Sam Vecenie.

Vecenie predicts Sheppard going to the Houston Rockets with the No. 3 pick of the upcoming draft, but noted other teams might balk at the 6-foot-2 guard's stature.

"His stock is polarizing among teams, with more analytically inclined organizations seeing him as a No. 1 pick contender and others viewing him more as a late lottery pick due to his lack of size," Vecenie wrote.

Sheppard became a key part of John Calipari's roster during his freshman 2023-24 season as he averaged 12.5 points through 33 games on 53.6 percent shooting from the field.

He led the nation shooting 52.1 percent from deep on 4.4 attempts per game, and he ranked top 10 in the nation in true shooting percentage, designed to measure a player's shooting efficiency.

Sheppard also led the team with 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals while notching 0.7 blocks per game despite his height, which made him one of the nine shortest players invited to the NBA scouting combine— although he also leapt 42.0 inches to tie for the highest max vertical leap at the event.

In addition to his high shooting efficiency, Sheppard also established himself as a playmaker in his single season at Kentucky. Vecenie wrote that he "thinks the game at an elite level and quickly moves the ball to get everyone involved."

Like Vecenie, Jonathan Wasserman projected Sheppard going to the Rockets with the No. 3 pick in his latest mock draft for Bleacher Report. Wasserman predicted he would remain on top of the draft based on his "elite shooting, passing and intangibles/character that scouts and executives praised after interviewing him at the NBA combine."

Despite what Vecenie described as some team's doubt about his ability to succeed in the NBA as an undersized guard, it seems likely that enough franchises have Sheppard positioned highly enough on their draft boards to make him one of the top players selected on June 26.

For the first time in 15 years, John Calipari will be entering Rupp Arena as the opposition.

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the new Arkansas head coach will lead his team into Lexington to face Kentucky in the lone matchup between the two schools in the 2024-25 season.

Calipari left Kentucky to take over at Arkansas last month after the Wildcats' disappointing first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament this past season. The Razorbacks had an opening after Eric Musselman departed to become head coach at USC. Mark Pope was hired to replace Calipari at Kentucky.

Borzello noted that the Wildcats and Razorbacks will look very different under their respective new head coaches, as both teams are returning zero players from last season's rosters.

Calipari signed three members of the No. 2 recruiting class he initially put together at Kentucky and also landed two transfer players from the Wildcats. The two members of Arkansas' initial recruiting class opted to follow Musselman out West. Pope retained one player from Kentucky's recruiting class and added a slew of players through the transfer portal.

While the Kentucky-Arkansas matchup is sure to draw headlines, there are other interesting storylines coming to the SEC. The conference is set to expand to 16 teams with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas this summer. Alabama, which is coming off a run to the Final Four, will enter the year as the favorite to win the conference title.

The official date and time of the Kentucky-Arkansas game and the rest of the SEC schedule will be announced at a later date. Conference play is set to begin on Jan. 4.

Mark Pope's hiring as Kentucky's new head basketball coach has now reached Vatican City.

Father Jim Sichko, a Lexington-based priest, presented Pope Francis with a customized Wildcats No. 23 jersey featuring Pope's last name.

Tyler Thompson of On3.com noted that Sichko was in Vatican City for meetings when he was able to present the Pope with a gift.

"He loved it," Sichko told KSR (h/t Thompson) of Pope Francis' reaction to the jersey.

It's unclear why No. 23 was picked, other than Nike is a Kentucky sponsor and this is a clever way to promote the Jordan Brand.

As much fun as it would be to imagine a Wildcats jersey hanging in Vatican Palace, the more likely destination for the jersey will be a museum.

Pope Francis previously donated a collection of signed shirts and pictures from the Italian and Argentinian soccer teams to Vatican museums.

Mark Pope is entering his first season as Kentucky's head coach after spending the past five seasons at BYU. He might be seeking some spiritual help because replacing John Calipari won't be an easy task.

Even though Calipari's tenure ended on a down note with no Sweet 16 appearances in his final five years, the Wildcats were often among the best teams in college basketball for 15 seasons.

Mark Pope will be looking to get Kentucky back to the top of the college basketball world for the first time since 2011-12. If he can solicit a blessing or two from Pope Francis through osmosis with the jersey to help him achieve that goal, no one in Lexington will complain.

Kerr Kriisa's search for a new home has come to an end with Kentucky landing the prized transfer.

Kriisa told ESPN's Jonathan Givony he has committed to play for the Wildcats after spending last season at West Virginia.

Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 reported on April 2 that Kriisa was entering the transfer portal.

Kriisa began his college career at Arizona in 2020. He spent three seasons with the Wildcats, starting 65 of 68 games played over his final two years.

The 23-year-old transferred to West Virginia in April 2023 but re-entered the portal three months later when head coach Bob Huggins retired in the wake of a DUI arrest.

Kriis reaffirmed his commitment to the Mountaineers and interim head coach Josh Eilert for the 2023-24 season.

Kriisa did receive a nine-game suspension prior to the start of the season after he admitted to receiving impermissible benefits. The Estonia native played every game for West Virginia after returning to the lineup on Dec. 16.

In 23 starts last season, Kriisa averaged a career-high 11.0 points on 42.4 percent three-point shooting and 4.7 assists per game.

New Wildcats head coach Mark Pope has now added seven players via the transfer portal since being hired on April 12. He is taking over for John Calipari, who left the program after 15 seasons to take over as head coach at Arkansas.

The Wildcats have the third-ranked transfer class in the nation, behind Indiana and Kansas.

After being hired to replace John Calipari as Kentucky head coach, Mark Pope has landed one of the best players remaining in the transfer portal.

Dayton transfer guard Koby Brea announced on Wednesday that he has committed to play for Pope and Kentucky:

Brea is coming off a historic shooting season for the Flyers. Per ESPN's Jonathan Givony, he became the fourth player in college basketball history to make 100 three-pointers while connecting on 50 percent of his attempts, joining Salim Stoudamire (2005), Mike Iuzzolino (1991) and Steve Kerr (1988).

Givony noted that Brea chose the Wildcats over a long list of suitors that included Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and back-to-back reigning national champion UConn.

"Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I'd say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky," Brea said. "I feel like God does everything for a reason, and He has put me in a position where I'm able to play for my dream school in my last year of college, while playing for something bigger than myself."

Brea added that playing for Pope, whose BYU team ranked third in three-point attempts this past season, was a big reason for his decision.

"His style of play complements my strengths as a basketball player," Brea said. "He's proven to be one of the best when it comes to utilizing the 3-pointer. There's nobody in college basketball who can shoot off the catch, off the bounce and off the move all together the way I do."

Brea had declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal, and he ultimately decided to return for his senior season. He's now the sixth transfer to commit to Kentucky, joining fifth-year seniors Amari Williams (Drexel), Lamont Butler (San Diego State) and Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) junior Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and sophomore Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State).

Former Wake Forest forward Andrew Carr announced his commitment to Kentucky on Sunday night.

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Carr chose to join the Wildcats over Texas Tech and Villanova.

The 6'10" forward was the third player to recently commit to new head coach Mark Pope's team, as San Diego State guard Lamont Butler joined Kentucky on Friday while Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh chose the Wildcats on Saturday (h/t Borzello).

Carr spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Delaware before transferring to Wake Forest ahead of the 2022-23 season. He's currently coming off his highest-scoring year yet, averaging 13.5 points in 32.5 minutes per game.

The 22-year-old also averaged 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks each night while maintaining his efficiency both inside and outside the arc. Carr connected on 37.1 percent of his 2.8 three-point attempts per game, shooting 52.6 percent from the field overall. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

"Andrew understands what it means to wear this jersey and he understands the assignment and why he is coming to Lexington," Pope said, per the school's official website. "He's been a captain of every team he's ever been associated with. He's a steadying force and a great leader who Kentucky fans are going to love."

After the former BYU head coach took over at Kentucky following the departure of the legendary John Calipari, he inherited a roster of zero scholarship players. Following Carr's decision, Pope now has six players.

As Pope looks to round out the roster, Borzello noted that Kentucky is "in heavy pursuit" of former Utah State forward Great Osobor, who entered the portal on April 3 after averaging 17.7 points per game in his junior season with the Aggies.

After initially being very sure about his intention to turn pro, Ugonna Onyenso is going to keep his college options open.

According to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, Onyenso will enter the transfer portal after playing two seasons at the University of Kentucky.

The sophomore forward told ESPN's Jonathan Givony earlier this month he was declaring for the 2024 NBA draft and was "not thinking about coming back to play college basketball."

Onyenso's initial decision to turn pro came on April 15, six days after John Calipari confirmed he was leaving Kentucky to become the head coach at Arkansas.

The 19-year-old Onyenso was part of the Wildcats' 2022 recruiting class that was ranked as the third-best in the nation, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He was a 4-star prospect and ninth-ranked center.

After playing sparingly as a freshman, Onyenso took on a more prominent role last season. He averaged 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in 24 appearances (14 starts).

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman didn't have Onyenso included in his most recent mock draft.

When Onyenso originally committed to Kentucky in August 2022, he was also considering Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tennessee.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Onyenso decides to follow Calipari to Arkansas. The Razorbacks have already landed Zvonimir Ivisic from the transfer portal after he spent last season with Kentucky.

Onyenso also has the ability to explore various schools that will be intrigued by the possibility of adding a seven-footer with a wingspan of 7'5" who showed tremendous shot-blocking ability last season.

It's also possible Onyenso gets positive feedback from NBA teams and elects to remain in the draft.

There's plenty of time for Onyenso to go through the process before making a decision. The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility is May 29.