Kentucky enjoyed a strong first season under Mark Pope, reaching the Sweet 16 before falling to SEC rival Tennessee. After Pope arrived from BYU, the Wildcats added several key players through the transfer portal. Those additions helped fuel their tournament run, but now begins the part of the offseason where programs start losing players to the portal as well.
That’s now the situation in Lexington, as guard Kerr Kriisa announced he’s entering the transfer portal, and by Sunday, it was confirmed he’s returning to the Big 12 to join Wes Miller’s squad at Cincinnati.
Kriisa appeared in just nine games for Kentucky this year, averaging 4.4 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds. In 2023–24, he was a key contributor in the Big 12 at West Virginia, where he played a much larger role with the Mountaineers.
He posted averages of 11.0 points and 4.7 assists, while hitting 42.4% from three. Like his stop in Lexington, his stint at West Virginia lasted only one season.
Kriisa’s most impactful college years came at Arizona, where he spent three seasons. Over 76 games, he averaged nearly 10 points and played a key role on Arizona teams that made deep NCAA Tournament runs.
Back in the Big 12, Kriisa will have the opportunity to face both his former schools—West Virginia and Arizona—during the upcoming season.