This is a huge offseason for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. After last season's disappointment, Pope needs a big year, or his time in Lexington could be over. To do that, he needs a talent infusion from the transfer portal, but it has been slow going so far.

They landed a pair of backcourt additions in Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, but need more. Forward Donnie Freeman was set to be their biggest commitment yet, but that may now happen now.Freeman visited the Wildcats last week, and then canceled a visit to Connecticut, which many took as a sign he was close to signing with Kentucky. However, On3's Pete Nakos is reporting (subscription required) that St.

John's entered the mix with a bigger offer, and is now the favorite to land him.Injuries have dogged the former five-star recruit so far, but the talent is undeniable. He missed a lot of games in his first two seasons, but when he was on the court, he averaged more than 16 points and 7 rebounds per game.A decision hasn't been made yet, but it would be another huge swing and miss from Pope. Kentucky has some very good pieces, but right now have a huge hole at power forward, and lack depth up front overall. With the top players in the portal coming off the board, losing Freeman would be a huge blow.We will update this story as it continues to develop.This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky basketball could miss on transfer portal star Donnie Freeman