The Travis Perry return game that never got going

Travis Perry‘s Kentucky homecoming did not go his way. When the former Wildcat played the game out in his head in the days leading up to it, he likely didn’t dream up a scoreless performance in Rupp Arena, with boos raining down nearly every time he touched the ball. But that was the reality for the state’s all-time leading high school scorer, who transferred from Lexington to Oxford last spring.

Chris Beard tried to set Perry up for success. He re-inserted him into the starting lineup for the meeting with his old team and drew up a play to get him the game’s first shot. However, things unraveled quickly for Perry, who seemed rattled in the building where he won his state championship and started four games at point guard for the Wildcats last season.

Let’s break down Perry’s return.

The boos

Boos were expected for Perry in enemy colors. Still, there was more participation than many anticipated. Perry’s supporters fought the boos with cheers.

Travis Perry returns to Kentucky!

Rupp Arena reacts. pic.twitter.com/PCq2iiDPBh

— Mario A Maitland (@MarioMaitland_3) January 24, 2026

The boos did not end after Perry’s pregame introduction. Many in Rupp Arena stayed on him every time he touched the ball. Now, let’s talk about the first time he touched the ball.

The airball

Right away, Perry got a clean look from three up top on the first possession of the game. Beard set him up perfectly with a pick-and-pop, only for Perry to airball the open look. It came up well short of the rim, landing inbounds in the paint and triggering early “AIR-BALL” chants in the opening seconds of the game. He checked out two minutes later.

Perry would get two more looks from three in the first half, missing both while nearly airballing another. He finished 0-for-3 for the game.

The benching

After Perry missed his third three-pointer before halftime, Beard benched him for the rest of the half and most of the rest of the game. Perry started the second half and played a couple of minutes, then didn’t return to the court until Ole Miss needed threes with 34 seconds left in the game. He was credited with 10 minutes played in the loss.