We are just over halfway through the college basketball season, as the Kentucky Wildcats look to make some noise in the final stretch of conference play.

With an impressive resume thus far, the Cats are surpassing expectations that the fanbase or the national media had for Mark Pope’s first team, especially since it was built within three weeks from the transfer portal while also battling injuries throughout the season.

Across the country, plenty of transfers are making major impacts for their teams, which has led to Travis Branham of 247 Sports re-ranking the top 10 transfers from the 2024 signing class.

Luckily for the Cats, they have two players included in these new top 10, with Otega Oweh leading the way at No. 4 and Lamont Butler checking in at No. 8 overall.

Let’s start with Oweh. Originally ranked by 247 at No. 31, this is a major jump for the junior transfer. That’s why Branham gives him a ton of praise in his first season in Lexington.

“Oweh has been a reliable and formidable force for Kentucky this season. His strength, athleticism, toughness, and intangibles have made him one of the top transfers in 2024. Oweh’s a premier defender who can slash, cut, and make some spot-up jumpers. Even in some of his quietest games, he has a knack for coming through in the clutch.”

For Butler, he also made a major jump in the rankings from No. 44 to No. 8 in the transfer class.

“There aren’t many more reliable point guards in the country than Kentucky’s Lamont Butler. The former San Diego State star is a dog and a winner on both sides of the ball. He’s been critical to Kentucky’s success this season,” Branham writes. “Butler is not the flashiest but he takes care of the ball, makes others around him better, has improved as a shooter, and remains one of the top on-ball defenders in the country.”

The Cats found a few gems in the transfer portal. Now, let’s hope that correlates into a deep March run.