by Mitchell Lockhart
The Kentucky Wildcats have not lived up to the 40-0 hype that was surrounding the team this pre-season. However, their season has not been all that disappointing. A win against Louisville alone is enough to put a smile on any UK fan’s face, and Kentucky managed to actually make the tournament this year.
One reason why the Cats haven’t lived up to their expectations is lack of experience. Kentucky’s starting five players are all freshmen and sophomores. Dig deep into the depth chart and you’ll find two seniors on the whole roster, Jarrod Polson and Jon Hood. Neither play all that much, just a few minutes a game. The reason why the seniors have been pushed so far back on the depth chart is because of how talented the freshmen and sophomores are. John Calipari usually plays 11 men deep with Polson and Hood being towards the end of the rotation. Juniors could also provide vital leadership roles in teams, but UK only has three. They are all a part of what I like to call “The clean-up crew.” Basically, they get to see the court if Kentucky holds an 85-50 lead with a minute left in the fourth. This means that the freshmen and the sophomores will have to play at a maturity level above their age, which is asking a lot.
The Wildcats’ defense overall hasn’t been the best, but it is improving. Our biggest defensive blunder is steals per game. The Cats are ranked 325th in the nation, averaging only 4.7 steals a game. The young guards simply don’t have a high defensive awareness. Kentucky sits in the middle of the pack when it comes to points allowed. They rank 89th in the nation in points allowed at 66.9. However, they rank fifth in the nation in blocks averaging 6.5 and 17th in the nation in defensive rebounding, averaging 26.9. This is due in large part to their frontcourt.
The Cats’ frontcourt is extremely deep, having two legitimate starting candidates at each position. They also grab rebounds with the best of them. Julius Randle leads the way, averaging with 10.3 rebounds a game. Randle also puts up 15.7 points per game, averaging a double-double. Kentucky’s starting center has changed throughout the season, with Willie Cauley-Stein starting for the majority of the year. Lately, however, Dakari Johnson has been starting in place of Cauley-Stein due to his recent lack of production, although his numbers are picking back up. Center is an important position, and Kentucky’s recent lack of stability at the position is hurting them. UK has one of the NBA prospects based on potential at the three in James Young. Young is averaging 14.6 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Young and Randle are the leading scorers on a team that’s offense is 36th in the nation on total points scored per game. Young has a lethal jump shot, while Randle likes to bully his defenders in the post. However, it seems that at times the Cats’ half-court offense can be stagnant. Sophomore Alex Poythress adds a major spark to their half-court and fast break offense. If you’ve ever watched a UK game, it will seem that all of Poythress’s points come from empathetic dunks. He is another reason the Cats are an elite rebounding team. Kentucky rebounds 42.8 percent of all their misses on offense. That’s a crazy high number of second chance points.
The team’s biggest problem on offense is free throws. They almost always shoot more free throws than their opponent because of their style of play. However, the Cats shoot only 68 percent from the free throw line. Kentucky blew the game against Arkansas by only making 26 shots at the line on 40 attempts. That averages out to about 65 percent, a poor number.
The Cat’s backcourt contributes valuable assists and points to their offense. Starting point guard Andrew Harrison, is improving his numbers and leadership every game. His twin brother Aaron Harrison, is doing the same. Andrew is averaging 11.2 points per game, 3.5 assists per game, and 3.1 rebounds per game. Aaron is averaging 13.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game. They are both key players to UK’s success. It seems as if whenever they play well and take leadership of the team Kentucky wins games. Another key backcourt player is Polson. Again, he doesn’t get too many minutes, but provides a valuable leadership being one of the only two seniors on the roster.
This Cats’ team brings a new meaning to the phrase “The bench is the best motivator.” Kentucky’s talented bench can bring the best out of the players if the coaching staff uses the playing time threat well. UK has two or three players competing for a starting position or more playing time. Kentucky has key bench players such as Dominique Hawkins, a freshman guard that doesn’t put up a glorious stat line but provides lock down on ball defense. Hawkin’s defensive prowess is very valuable on a team lacking just that. UK’s bench is not the reason why they haven’t lived up to their 40-0 expectations.
All in all, if the Cats could get a consistent mature performance from their young team and a boost in defense efficiency, the Cats’ could make a deep and impressive run this March.
Floyd Central Visionary 