Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Texas
When Kentucky point guard Jaland Lowe went down against Mississippi State, it was obvious that others would need to step up to fill that void. In that game, and the two games since, Denzel Aberdeen has done just that.
Against MSU, Aberdeen scored 16 points, including 10 in the second half, as the Cats rallied to win. Against LSU, Aberdeen was held scoreless in the first half, but exploded for 17 in the second half as UK rallied to win again.
Then on Saturday, Aberdeen scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half as Kentucky rallied to win for the third consecutive game. UK head coach Mark Pope likes how Aberdeen continues to take on a bigger role for his team.
“He’s been really big,” Pope said. “He took a giant step last week. It’s having a better sense of what we’re trying to accomplish on the court. He made huge plays. His decision making was elite, his ball protection was elite, his shot making was elite.”
Pope thought Aberdeen was as good as anyone in the Southeastern Conference last week.
“I thought he had an incredible week,” Pope said. “I don’t know who in our league probably had a better week than him. I thought he was incredible under duress. I’m really proud of him.”
However, Pope does not believe that he has seen the best of Aberdeen just yet.
“I think he’s still got a huge upside,” Pope said. “(Last week), I think he did a really good job of taking what was there. I thought his reads were elite. I thought they were really good.”
Aberdeen and the Cats return to action on Wednesday, hosting Texas at Rupp Arena (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network). Kentucky will be looking to win its fourth straight and if they do, there’s little doubt that Aberdeen will have a part in making it happen.
Know Your Opponent: Texas
Kentucky hosts Texas inside Rupp Arena for just the second time ever and the first since Dec. 5, 2014
• Kentucky leads the all-time series, 2-1, and is 1-0 against the Longhorns in Lexington
• UK won the 2014 meeting, 63-51, powered by 21 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks from Willie Cauley-Stein
• Last season, Texas edged UK, 82-78, in the first meeting between the schools as SEC opponents. Otega Oweh led the Wildcats with 20 points in the game
• Texas leads the country in free-throw attempts per game at 28.6 and is third in the nation in free throws made per outing at 20.9
• Dailyn Swain (15.7) and Matas Vokietaitis (15.2) both score over 15 points per game for the Longhorns, while Tramon Mark is averaging 18.4 points per game in SEC action
Last Time Out
The Wildcats continued their comeback ways on Saturday, rallying from 17 points down to defeat Tennessee, 80-78, in Knoxville.
• It was the third consecutive game that UK has overcome a deficit of at least 12 points, the first time that has occurred since 2017 when the Cats won three straight against Florida (down 12), Vanderbilt (down 19) and Texas A&M (down 15)
• According to ESPN, Kentucky is the first team to record consecutive road wins when trailing by 15 or more points since Florida Atlantic in 2017
• UK was down 11 at the half, marking the largest comeback win at Tennessee in program history
• Tennessee is 100-2 in their last 102 home games when leading at the half, their two losses both coming to Kentucky the last two seasons
• Five Wildcats finished in double-figures led by 22 points from Denzel Aberdeen. 17 of his 22 points game in the second half
• Kentucky led for just 34 seconds in the game
• Otega Oweh had his 21st consecutive game scoring in double figures and his 13th straight game with at least one steal
• Collin Chandler was 4 of 6 from 3-point range and had three steals, including the swipe that led to the go-ahead score with 34 seconds left
• Mo Dioubate came off the bench and led the team in +/- at +16
• Malachi Moreno sealed the win with a block on the potential game-tying shot at the buzzer
