KSR Today: Kentucky Baseball hosts Louisville, Basketball Transfer Portal closes

Today feels like a great day to beat Louisville, doesn’t it? The Kentucky Baseball team will have that opportunity tonight at Kentucky Proud Park, one of many items on our rundown on this busy Earth Day.

We’re very anxious for the Cats to avenge their loss to the Cards, but let’s start with the other main topic of the day: the transfer portal for basketball is closing. If players want to leave their current school, they must put their names in the portal before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight. That means coaches, players, agents, insiders, and media will be scrambling to keep up with last-minute entries. Once in, players will have until the fall to commit to the program of their choosing, so the news will only slow down, not stop.

Thankfully, barring some last-minute portal craziness, Kentucky’s 2025-26 roster appears set. Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen‘s commitment on Monday brought the Cats’ portal class to No. 1 in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings. The rising senior adds versatility, athleticism, and national championship experience to an already-promising roster. Although he was guaranteed a starting spot in Gainesville, Aberdeen is leaving his home state of Florida for the Bluegrass, where he’ll play alongside Jaland Lowe and Otega Oweh. Some may argue he’s sacrificing minutes for NIL dollars, but after seeing how thin Kentucky’s backcourt got in March, the insurance is well worth the price on the Cats’ part.

Here is where Kentucky’s roster stands as of April 21. Fittingly, that’s one year to the day since Mark Pope landed his first transfer portal commitment at Kentucky, Amari Williams. The next deadline: June 15, the date by which Otega Oweh must decide if he wants to return to college or stay in the NBA Draft. He and Travis Perry are the only Cats not to confirm they are returning to Kentucky next season. Hopefully, that’s just a formality on Perry’s part.

COMMITS (6)

• Kam Williams – G – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28
• Jaland Lowe – G – Pittsburgh – 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG, 37.6% FG, 26.6% 3PT | Committed 4/5
• Mouhamed Dioubate – F – Alabama – 7.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 61.7% FG, 46.2% 3PT | Committed 4/7
• Jayden Quaintance – F – Arizona State – 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 52.5 FG% | Committed 4/8
• Andrija Jelavic – C – Mega Basket — 10.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 50.3% FG, 32.3% 3PT | – Committed 4/12
• Denzel Aberdeen – G – Florida – 7.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 41.8 FG%, 35 3PT% | Committed 4/21

RETURNING / INCOMING (7)

• Otega Oweh – G – Rising Senior – 16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 49.2% FG, 35.5% 3PT | Going through NBA Draft process
• Brandon Garrison – C – Rising Junior – 5.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.9% | Confirmed return on 4/12
• Collin Chandler – C- Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 36.1% FG, 34.7% 3PT | Confirmed return on 4/17
• Travis Perry – PG – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 31.3% FG, 32.1% 3PT
• Trent Noah – F – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 45.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT | Confirmed return on 4/18
• Malachi Moreno – C – Incoming Freshman – Great Crossing (Georgetown, KY)
• Jasper Johnson – SG – Incoming Freshman – Overtime Elite (Lexington, KY)

Denzel Aberdeen is a Cat coverage

It was a busy Monday on the site as we reacted to the news that Aberdeen is a Cat. If you missed it the first go-around, catch up on our coverage below.

• Breaking news story
• Transfer Bio Blast
• National Media reaction
• Denzel Aberdeen by the numbers
• Kentucky puts bow on 2025-26 roster with Denzel Aberdeen

Jack Pilgrim, Zack Geoghegan, and Jacob Polacheck also rapidly reacted to the news on YouTube:

Tonight, Jack Pilgrim will further break down the commitment on a new episode of Sources Say with Shawn Smith, so make sure you’re subscribed to the KSR YouTube Channel with your notifications on to get an alert when they go live.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

The football transfer portal is open until Friday

Monday was much quieter on the football front, but more chaos could be on tap, as the portal doesn’t close until Friday for spring football transfers. On Sunday, Kentucky added depth to the running back room with New Mexico State’s Seth McGowan. The former top 200 recruit and Oklahoma Sooner is Kentucky’s third addition from the portal this spring. You can learn more about him in Adam Luckett’s Bio Blast that went live on Monday.

There are still some pieces on the board. Southeast Missouri State defensive lineman Jaylon Stone will visit Kentucky later this week. New Mexico tight end Keayen Nead and BYU receiver/returner Keelan Marion are also still considering the Cats. We’ll bring you the latest news as it happens, with a new episode of 11 Personnel coming your way on Wednesday, NFL Draft eve. Speaking of, Luckett’s annual NFL Draft guide drops today on KSR+, yet another reason you should join the club.

Take advantage of our KSR+ Introductory Offer to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. $1 for a week.

Kentucky Baseball hosts Louisville

Earlier this month, Kentucky lost to Louisville 4-3 in 10 innings at Jim Patterson Stadium. Tonight, the Cats will seek revenge against the No. 19 Cards at Kentucky Proud Park.

Momentum is on Kentucky’s side. The Cats are coming off an impressive series victory at No. 4 Tennessee over the weekend, which pushed their RPI into the top 30 nationally and their record to 22-15, 8-10 in the SEC. Louisville lost two of three at No. 2 Clemson, avoiding the sweep with an 8-6 win in 12 innings on Saturday. The Cards are now 28-11, 10-8 in ACC play.

Tonight is the 117th edition of the Battle of the Bluegrass. Kentucky holds a 65-50-1 edge all-time, 35-19 in Lexington; however, Louisville has won the last three road games in the series. Even more reason to head down to Kentucky Proud Park to cheer the Cats on. They’re even giving away Viper-style sunglasses.

• First Pitch: 6:30 p.m. ET; Kentucky Proud Park (Lexington, Ky.)
• TV/Online: SEC Network+
• Radio: UK Sports Network, UKathletics.com (630 AM Lexington) 

Kentucky Softball swept by South Carolina

It wasn’t a great Monday for the Kentucky Softball team, which lost to No. 12/13 South Carolina 7-0 in Columbia, completing the series sweep for the Gamecocks. It was Kentucky’s seventh straight loss in SEC play, bringing their record in conference games to 6-12 (12th place) and 27-20 overall. The Cats’ pitching was good vs. the Gamecocks, but they just couldn’t get anything going on offense all weekend, scoring just one run during the entire series.

Tomorrow, Kentucky will look to get back on track vs. Eastern Kentucky in Richmond. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

NBA Playoffs

Last night, two Cats were in action in the NBA Playoffs, and both came up on the losing end. The Detroit Pistons beat Karl-Anthony Towns’ New York Knicks 100-94 to tie the series at 1-1. In the Western Conference, the Clippers beat Jamal Murray’s Nuggets 105-102 to also even the series at 1-1.

It was a rough night for Towns, who didn’t score a single point in the second half. Jamal Murray (whose long-sleeved tee was the butt of some jokes online) got tangled up with Norman Powell but ended up being rewarded with a free throw. He finished with 23 points.

JAMAL MURRAY & NORMAN POWELL 😳

GETTING CHIPPY IN DENVER 👀 pic.twitter.com/kYb5kvOpFD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 22, 2025

Here’s the schedule for tonight’s games. Will Memphis show any fight against Oklahoma City after Sunday’s 51-point drubbing?

Time (ET)	Matchup	TV Channel	Series Status
7:00 PM	Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston) @ Indiana Pacers (Isaiah Jackson)	NBA TV	Pacers lead 1–0
7:30 PM	Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace)	TNT	Thunder lead 1–0
10:00 PM	Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham, Julius Randle) @ Los Angeles Lakers (Jarred Vanderbilt)	TNT	Timberwolves lead 1–0