Kentucky expected to have significant interest in Olivier Sarr

When Wake Forest fired head coach Danny Manning, Olivier Sarr instantly became one of the most intriguing college hoops players to watch in the coming weeks.

That’s because the 7-foot, 256 center would instantly become one of, if not the best Power 5 player to enter the transfer market, if he decided to do so.

Then on Friday, Sarr announced he would be entering the portal, giving Kentucky another possible option for its dangerously-thin frontcourt for next season.

Now, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reports, “Kentucky is expected to have significant interest” in the talented center. However, Sarr is not yet officially in the portal, as his paperwork isn’t expected to go through until Monday, so we probably won’t know which schools have reached out and who Sarr is favoring until then at the earliest.

This past season, Sarr averaged 14 points, nine rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while recording a 26.1 Player Efficiency Rating. That would have been the highest mark of any Wildcat scholarship player since Karl-Anthony Towns (31.4) in 2014-15.

For comparison, Nick Richards finished last season with a 25.8 PER last season. PJ Washington had a 26.0 PER in 2018-19.

Getting Sarr would instantly boost the Wildcats into the top-five range of preseason rankings for next season. They’re currently ranked in the teens of many projections (one has them ranked 23rd). He would also address what’s easily the biggest weakness on a roster that will be one of the most talented in college hoops nest season.

So yeah, getting Sarr is kind of a big deal.

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