North Carolina has landed a major transfer portal addition with the commitment of Utah guard Terrence Brown on Tuesday, according to Joe Tipton of On3. a dynamic scoring guard who drew interest from several high-major programs, including Kentucky.
Brown was originally scheduled to visit Lexington last week to meet with Mark Pope and the Wildcats, but his trip was ultimately canceled along with other planned visits.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard is coming off a breakout season with the Utah Utes, where he averaged 19.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. Brown started all 32 games, playing over 31 minutes per contest while shooting 45.3% from the field and 32.7% from three-point range.
Before his time at Utah, Brown began his career at Fairleigh Dickinson, spending two seasons in the NEC and developing into a high-volume scorer and aggressive downhill playmaker. His game is built on athleticism, transition scoring, and attacking the rim, though shooting consistency remains an area for growth at the next level.
Kentucky had been monitoring Brown closely as it continues to rebuild its backcourt after multiple departures, including Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, Jasper Johnson, and Collin Chandler. However, the Wildcats had already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, which helped reshape roster priorities.
In other news, Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas has officially signed with the Arizona State Sun Devils, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
This had been the expectation for a bit, as Randy Bennett, Murauskas’ coach with the Gaels, took the job at Arizona State this offseason, making the Sun Devils instantly the team to beat.
Even so, schools like Kentucky and Louisville showed serious interest in the 6-8, 235-pound big man, who even had a Zoom call with Mark Pope. Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range, making him one of the best mid-major players in college basketball.
Once it was clear Arizona State was the heavy favorite, just about every school in this recruitment eventually dropped out, including the Wildcats, who then attempted to land one of Sebastian Rancik or Donnie Freeman, but we know how that went.
With all three of those names now off the board, Kentucky is focusing on James Madison transfer Justin McBride to potentially compete for the 4 spot next season, and ideally at least one other guy for depth at that position.