Denzel Aberdeen had a career night vs. Louisville as one of Kentucky's few bright spots

Whatever it cost Kentucky to pull Denzel Aberdeen away from Florida in the transfer portal, it’s been worth every penny early on in the 2025-26 season.

After filling in as a role player off the bench for the Gators during their national title run a season ago, Aberdeen has been able to put all of his skills on full display for the Wildcats. He showcased just how talented he truly is during Kentucky’s 96-88 road loss to Louisville on Tuesday night.

Aberdeen wasn’t phased by the rivalry energy that boomed throughout the KFC Yum! Center. If anything, he used as motivation to continue fighting. The 6-foot-5 senior guard posted a team-high (and career-high) 26 points against the Cardinals, shooting 10-20 from the field and 4-10 from deep. He chipped in seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and just one turnover in a team-high 31 minutes. He was one of three Wildcats with a positive plus/minus.

“Denzel has been in everything, he’s been through it all,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said postgame. “I thought he was really good tonight. He’s a terrific competitor. I need him to be a more vocal leader, that’s his next step, and we definitely need him to do it, but I thought he gave great effort.”

Aberdeen was consistent throughout the night against the Cards, scoring 13 points in the first half and 13 more in the second. Despite a couple of bad airballs from deep, he mustered up the courage to keep firing — and more importantly, hitting — timely shots for the ‘Cats.

He was critical to Kentucky nearly completing a 20-point comeback in the second half. Most notably, his short jumper in the lane with 2:32 left in regulation made it just a five-point Louisville lead. He contributed eight points and a pair of assists in the final six minutes of action to keep UK alive down the stretch. It obviously wasn’t enough, but he was among the few bright spots in what was an otherwise bad night for his team.

Aberdeen has arguably been Kentucky’s best player through three regular season games. He shook off a groin injury ahead of the season-opener and has only improved ever since. Aberdeen went for 10 points and six assists (with zero turnovers) against Nicholls before dropping 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists in game two against Valparaiso. He has just two turnovers through 72 minutes so far while shooting 53.1 percent from the field.

If there were any positives to take away from Tuesday night’s loss, it would be the breakout performance of Aberdeen.

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