Reid Travis, an All-Pac-12 player last season at Stanford and the most coveted graduate transfer on the market, announced Wednesday that he's transferring to Kentucky, where he'll be eligible to compete in the 2018-19 season.
Travis, a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 19.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG last season, graduated from Stanford on Sunday and visited Kentucky on Monday and Tuesday.
"I'm looking forward to a fresh start and continuing to pursue my dreams," Travis said in a video he released on Twitter. "Looking for a school, the biggest thing that I wanted was to align both my academic and my athletic interests. After getting to know the staff and the players, it became very clear to me that there was no better place to continue this next step in the journey. I'm excited to work hard every day and give everything of myself to this program so that we can compete for a national championship. Big Blue Nation? Are we ready?"
The return of PJ Washington, who withdrew from the NBA draft before the May 30 deadline for underclassmen seeking to retain their eligibility, and the addition of a recruiting class ranked No. 2 by ESPN.com had already positioned Kentucky to secure a top-five ranking entering the season. But Travis and Washington, arguably, form America's best frontcourt, a potent duo who could help John Calipari win his second national championship.
On Wednesday, Kentucky's odds of winning the national championship started at 7-1. Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook moved those odds to 5-1 after Travis' announcement, according to ESPN's Doug Kezirian. Duke remains the favorite.