Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff are running out of options in the portal to go find quality depth peices and try their hardest to land a top player. They found their first international target last week in Marcios Santos, a Brazilian big man who has been playing in the best Euro league for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. Mark Pope flew to see him play last week, giving Kentucky momentum, but since, things have changed. Kentucky was seen as the clear frontrunner, so much so that after the game his coach was asked about the speculation that Santos may be headed to Lexington. "We're very happy that we're some kind of platform for players; it's a huge compliment that players make a step-up with us. We're happy for Marcio that they came to see him - it wasn't a reflective game for him. He had a very good season for us. We'll always want him to stay, but we wish him the best of luck." Mar 22, 2026; St.…