The Mark Mitchell saga is officially over for Kentucky Basketball, for better or for worse. That mess is now in Dennis Gates’ and Missouri’s hands at this point, and the Tigers will continue the fight to get Mitchell another year of college basketball, back where he played his junior and senior seasons.

Now, Kentucky will pivot to try to complete the roster without Mitchell. Mark Pope and Kentucky still have a list of options, even though a few of the top names we became familiar with have found new homes—Jaxon Kohler to BYU, Keyshawn Hall to St. John’s, and now Mitchell back to Missouri.

Some of the names that are still available for the potential fifth year are Minnesota transfer Cade Tyson, BYU transfer Keba Keita, Jacksonville State transfer Mostapha El Moutaouakkil, and Arizona State transfer Moe Odum.

Tyson has had a true roller coaster career. He started his college career at Belmont under coach Casey Alexander, who has now moved to Kansas State. Then, added to his journey by moving to play for coach Hubert Davis at North Carolina, and then played his final year at Minnesota under coach Niko Medved.

Years one and two at Belmont went extremely well for Tyson. He averaged 13.6 points per game with just under five rebounds his freshman year, then went up to 16.2 points per game with six rebounds and two assists. He was also pretty efficient in his time there, shooting 49% from the field both years, 42% from 3-point range his freshman season, and 46.5% his sophomore season.

Then came the move to North Carolina in 2024-25. A year that, on the stat sheets, everyone involved was shocked by, and not in a good way. Tyson’s numbers plummeted in Chapel Hill, scoring 2.6 points per game and just one rebound per game. Shooting numbers went way down as well, averaging 40% from the field and 29% from three-point range.

After that year, some viewed Tyson as used goods, but Minnesota took a chance on him. Everything went back up for him with his move to play for the Gophers. He would end his season averaging 19.6 points per game and grabbing five rebounds a game with a couple of assists as well. Shooting numbers also rose, and he finished the season shooting 50% from the field and 41% from 3-point range.

When you think about this Kentucky team, many people point out that its frontcourt depth isn’t the strongest, especially given Franck Kepnang’s injury history. A room led by sophomore Malachi Moreno could use some help, especially on the physicality side of things. Pope even went to the lengths of saying, “Everybody’s gotten so big and physical. That’s not us right now. We are long, fast, and skilled, which are the teams that I love to coach.”

Well, a man who would certainly help with that is Keba Keita, a fifth-year option from BYU.

Keita played and started every game for the Cougars over the last two years under Kevin Young. Before his days at BYU, he played for the bitter in-state rival, Utah.

His freshman year at Utah brought only a little over 10 minutes per game and zero starts; then, in year two, Keita began to show his potential, averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Then, made his way to Provo and averaged 7.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game his junior year, then 6.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game his senior season.

Physical might as well be Keita’s middle name when you look at his frame. He also brings rim protection the team could use, averaging 1.1, 1.2, and 1.8 blocks per game over his last three seasons.

Moutaouakkil is a 6-foot-6 guard from Jacksonville State who can score the ball with the best of them. Last year with the Gamecocks, he averaged 19.5 points per game, which ranked 45th in all of college basketball. He wasn’t the most efficient player in the world, but not awful, shooting 45.3% from the field, 34.6% from 3PT range, and 65.7% from the line.

His game also brings very solid rebounding for a guard, grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game last season, and adding 1.3 assists per game as well.

Moutaouakkil is a player who would primarily be viewed as a depth guy for this upcoming roster. It would be a fun addition to throw on a guy who averaged just south of 20 points per game last season and was First Team All-CUSA.

A veteran guard who has started in 114 games over his four seasons of his collegiate career, with stops at Pacific, Pepperdine, and Arizona State.

When it comes to scoring, Odum can do it with the best of them—a 6-foot-2 guard from the Bronx who can score on all three levels. Last year at Arizona State, Odum averaged 16.4 points per game, 5.7 assists, while shooting 41% from the field, 38% from 3PT range, and 83% from the charity stripe.

Kentucky has its backcourt set already with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, but a depth/veteran guard wouldn’t be a bad idea if other options aren’t available. Mason Williams and Jerone Morton will provide solid minutes, but adding Odum would improve the overall room.

Overall, the staff has prioritized the forward position with this last roster spot. Not that the staff doesn’t trust Justin McBride or Ousmane N’Diaye, but maybe they believe that that’s the position that could improve the quickest with a big-time pickup. Cade Tyson makes the most sense for the shooting role that fits what Pope loves to do; Keita would bring some physicality and depth to the frontcourt; and Odum would bring a veteran presence to a backcourt that could use more outside scoring.

With the 15th roster spot, the staff can do a lot of different things with it: a project piece, a veteran fifth-year transfer, or an overseas player.

It should be sooner rather than later, with basketball right around the corner.