A player who would be a perfect fit for Mark Pope at Kentucky intends to enter the transfer portal

Mark Pope and this Kentucky coaching staff have to knock the transfer portal out of the park.

Drake's Andrew Alia tips the ball from Belmont's Tyler Lundblade during a game at Knapp Center on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 in Des Moines. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The transfer portal in college basketball has changed, as it is now open from April 7th until April 21st. This will give college players two weeks to put their name in the portal, but after their name is in the portal, they can wait as long as they want to pick a new school.

Players who didn’t make the NCAA Tournament are starting to announce that they plan to enter the transfer portal. This does not mean that they are in the portal; it means when it opens on the 7th of April, these guys will put their names in the portal.

One of these announcements was just made as former Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade announced that he intends to hit the portal once it is open. This season at Belmont Lundblade averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.

The reason Lundblade would be such a good get for Coach Mark Pope is his ability to shoot the three-ball. This season, Lundblade shot 40.6% from deep on 8.8 attempts per game. The previous season at Belmont, he shot 48.1% on 6.5 attempts per game. This ability to shoot the three-ball is a big reason why Lundblade will be a player coaches want.

Drake's Andrew Alia steals the ball from Belmont's Tyler Lundblade during a game at Knapp Center on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 in Des Moines. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lundblade was the Player of the Year in the MVC, so he was the best player in the entire conference. Pairing Lundblade with Collin Chandler next season would give Coach Pope some elite three-point shooting that he hasn’t had a ton of this year.

For Pope’s offense to work at a really high level, he needs players who can shoot the ball at an elite clip, and the 6’5 guard Lundblade can be that guy for Coach Pope. Next season will be a make-or-break year for Coach Pope in Lexington, so he has to knock the transfer portal out of the park.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope works the sideline against Florida during their quarterfinal game of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 13, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The guarantee is that the Wildcats will be replacing Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen. A sharpshooting veteran guard like Lundblade would be the perfect player to add to next season's roster to replace these guys. He is obviously a two guard, so Pope would still need another point guard (perhaps two depending on what happens with Jaland Lowe), and he will be getting that from the portal.

Obviously, Pope and this staff have not had any kind of contact with Lundblade, and it is still to be seen if they will pursue him, but the 6’5 shooter seems like a fit that makes a lot of sense. This is a name for BBN to pay attention when the portal opens on April 7th.