Thoughts on Kentucky

#1

OCIVol

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#1
I watched most of Kentucky's game against Maryland. They are significantly less talented than last year's team. They will take some lumps early in the season, but as much as most of us dislike Calipari, he will have them playing better by the time SEC play rolls around. I think Kentucky ends up as a 4/5 seed in the NCAAT. Here are my thoughts on their rotation, which lacks depth:

PG - Harrow - got into early foul trouble but did not look like an impact scorer; also looks very undersized

SG - Goodwin - he's the best scorer of the freshmen but plays out-of-control for the most part; his jump shot is inconsistent but he can be effective slashing to the basket and getting to the foul line; he'll be a good one

SF - Poythress - looked like he wasn't ready to play D-I basketball; was a step behind the pace and forced things; good athlete but he's unlikely to be much of an impact player this year

PF - Wiltjer - this kid impressed me and can stretch defenses with his ability to knock down the 3; he won't score a lot going to the basket but should get plenty of open looks in the dribble-drive offense; poor-man's Nick Novak

C - Noel - impressive defender but lacks any real offensive game; terrible free throw shooter; he's athletic enough to score double-digits but most of that will come on transition baskets of drop offs; there is no comparison to Anthony Davis

B - Cauley-Stein - looked better than Noel and could be the best freshman in UK's class; high-motor for a big and had an impact on the game; long and athletic

B - Polson/Mays - these guys played really well but these are the 2nd and 3rd guys off UK's bench; they are both undersized guards (Polson more of a 1 and Mays a 2/3); will likely be inconsistent
 
#2
#2
I'm sorry who is on their team again...all these 1 and dones....can't keep up with which freshmen are there now :lol:

Kentucky Basketball's #1 rule to play there: You can not be older than 19 years of age.
 
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#3
#3
I see them being a low 3/high 4 seed by the end of the sec tourney. They'll take some losses early but I have no doubt that they will peak going into the ncaa tourney.

Noel and Stein should be fun together, hopefully add a lot to the defensive side. Offensively they will struggle against other big guys.

I completely disagree with you on Poythress. He's going to struggle early (like most freshmen on this team) but he'll be an impact player come sec time.

I'm really hoping Mays turns into a Darius Miller like player, providing key shots and time off the bench during games.

Harrow needs to slow down and focus on passing the ball and facilitating the offense, he isn't a scorer. Goodwin needs to work on his shot and slow down as well.

Wjiter could go either way. He has great height and like you said, will get plenty of chances. Hopefully he can improve on defense otherwise he's not going to play as much as he could. Btw, you meant Steve Novak. Not Nick Novak.
 
#4
#4
Agreed on Harrow. I understand that he's recovering from the flu, but it looks like he's made no real improvement from when he was at NC State.

Goodwin is probably UK's best player at this stage. His shooting ability doesn't look to be that great for his position, but he's quick and strong.

Wiltjer is a great shooter who contributes nothing else. He had a good game, but I'm not expecting his rebounding/blocking to be very good this season at all. Defensively he's a liability.

Poythress was underwhelming... He has the potential to be a beast though. He could be UK's best player by SEC play.

Noel is not Anthony Davis on either sides of the ball. He'll get pushed around by more physical bigs. His shot blocking totals could be higher than Davis', but in terms of position defense, he's nowhere close. Cauley-Stein looks athletic but raw.

When I think of "undersized guards," I think of sub-6 ft guards like Erving Walker. Not 6'2" guards like Polson and Mays, lol.
 
#5
#5
Dont be fooled. They wont be as good as last year. But Coach Cal will have them being a force come tourny time.. Their significantly more talented then everyone in the sec, expierence not there yet
 
#6
#6
I see them being a low 3/high 4 seed by the end of the sec tourney. They'll take some losses early but I have no doubt that they will peak going into the ncaa tourney.

Noel and Stein should be fun together, hopefully add a lot to the defensive side. Offensively they will struggle against other big guys.

I completely disagree with you on Poythress. He's going to struggle early (like most freshmen on this team) but he'll be an impact player come sec time.

I'm really hoping Mays turns into a Darius Miller like player, providing key shots and time off the bench during games.

Harrow needs to slow down and focus on passing the ball and facilitating the offense, he isn't a scorer. Goodwin needs to work on his shot and slow down as well.

Wjiter could go either way. He has great height and like you said, will get plenty of chances. Hopefully he can improve on defense otherwise he's not going to play as much as he could. Btw, you meant Steve Novak. Not Nick Novak.

Sorry, too much fantasy football lately. :)
 
#8
#8
I watched most of Kentucky's game against Maryland. They are significantly less talented than last year's team. They will take some lumps early in the season, but as much as most of us dislike Calipari, he will have them playing better by the time SEC play rolls around. I think Kentucky ends up as a 4/5 seed in the NCAAT. Here are my thoughts on their rotation, which lacks depth:

PG - Harrow - got into early foul trouble but did not look like an impact scorer; also looks very undersized

SG - Goodwin - he's the best scorer of the freshmen but plays out-of-control for the most part; his jump shot is inconsistent but he can be effective slashing to the basket and getting to the foul line; he'll be a good one

SF - Poythress - looked like he wasn't ready to play D-I basketball; was a step behind the pace and forced things; good athlete but he's unlikely to be much of an impact player this year

PF - Wiltjer - this kid impressed me and can stretch defenses with his ability to knock down the 3; he won't score a lot going to the basket but should get plenty of open looks in the dribble-drive offense; poor-man's Nick Novak

C - Noel - impressive defender but lacks any real offensive game; terrible free throw shooter; he's athletic enough to score double-digits but most of that will come on transition baskets of drop offs; there is no comparison to Anthony Davis

B - Cauley-Stein - looked better than Noel and could be the best freshman in UK's class; high-motor for a big and had an impact on the game; long and athletic

B - Polson/Mays - these guys played really well but these are the 2nd and 3rd guys off UK's bench; they are both undersized guards (Polson more of a 1 and Mays a 2/3); will likely be inconsistent

I hope everyone is healthy when they come to Knoxville. I really think we can take them this year will be a joy to watch if it happens.
 
#11
#11
Potentially, yes. Realistically, no.

Agreed. I think the talent for this basketball season is not up to the level of a lot of SEC teams. If Calipari can get this team to 25 regular season wins, he'll gain a ton of respect IMO. This is by far his worst team at UK.
 
#12
#12
Really? What other SEC teams have talent that even approaches Kentucky's?

Florida, possibly, but that's a stretch.

I think people look at it as projected talent. Of course UK's roster has more NBA-caliber players, but that potential will not be realized until a few years from now.
 
#14
#14
SF - Poythress - looked like he wasn't ready to play D-I basketball; was a step behind the pace and forced things; good athlete but he's unlikely to be much of an impact player this year

Every freshmen has some type of learning curve. I expect Poythress to be a big contributor by season's end. He was a guy I wish we could have gotten in on. He won't play that bad all year.
 
#15
#15
Calipari didn't reload to the level he has in the past. In addition, he has no upperclassmen like Miller or Liggins to come off the bench and provide quality minutes. Those two guys were under-appreciated and could play excellent defense.
 
#16
#16
Every freshmen has some type of learning curve. I expect Poythress to be a big contributor by season's end. He was a guy I wish we could have gotten in on. He won't play that bad all year.


Oh, we got in on him. But, the cloud around the program and Pearl's troubles got rid of any chance we had. Not saying that he would have been at UT if Pearl was still here, but we were recruiting him pretty hard if I remember correctly.
 
#19
#19
The UK/Duke game will be telling.

Not really. Unless by "telling", you mean as a barometer of where UK is right now. UK will be a much different team in February after moving past the growing pains. Cal is really good at meshing personalities and egos and will have this team very competitive come tourney time.

Harrow is not Rose, Evans, or Wall, but he is super athletic and will be a good PG in this offense if learns to be more vocal and leads the team.

Noel is not Davis. Never will be most likely. The sooner people realize that and stop comparing the two, the better. He is great defensively, and raw offensively. He will score in transition and on putback dunks. Guess what? 90% of Davis's points were scored in the same fashion. Davis had/has a more polished offensive game, but rarely showed it because he scored the majority of his points within two feet.

Archie Goodwin needs to grow up quick. He was out of control in that Maryland game at times.

Poythress is probably the best of the bunch.

Bottom line, this team will be Cal's toughest coaching challenge at UK in his four years because he lacks the upperclassman leadership he has had in past years. He will need to mold the skill sets of a lineup made up of mostly new players to his system. There is no Patrick Patterson, Josh Harrelson, Darius Miller, etc. They are a too 25 team right now, but talent will carry them into the top 15 by season's end and maybe higher.
 
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#20
#20
Not really. Unless by "telling", you mean as a barometer of where UK is right now. UK will be a much different team in February after moving past the growing pains. Cal is really good at meshing personalities and egos and will have this team very competitive come tourney time.

Harrow is not Rose, Evans, or Wall, but he is super athletic and will be a good PG in this offense if learns to be more vocal and leads the team.

Noel is not Davis. Never will be most likely. The sooner people realize that and stop comparing the two, the better. He is great defensively, and raw offensively. He will score in transition and on putback dunks. Guess what? 90% of Davis's points were scored in the same fashion. Davis had/has a more polished offensive game, but rarely showed it because he scored the majority of his points within two feet.

Archie Goodwin needs to grow up quick. He was out of control in that Maryland game at times.

Poythress is probably the best of the bunch.

Bottom line, this team will be Cal's toughest coaching challenge at UK in his four years because he lacks the upperclassman leadership he has had in past years. He will need to mold the skill sets of a lineup made up of mostly new players to his system. There is no Patrick Patterson, Josh Harrelson, Darius Miller, etc. They are a too 25 team right now, but talent will carry them into the top 15 by season's end and maybe higher.

I think they'll be much worse than most. We'll see.
 
#21
#21
It's really odd to see a calipari team not have excellent guard play...if harrow doesn't step up, this Kentucky team will struggle and be very inconsistent IMO.
 
#24
#24
I think they'll be much worse than most. We'll see.
According to the past 3 years that's doubtful. We'll be top 3 in the SEC without a doubt and probably top 10 team. Of course im somewhat of a homer but im sure some would agree. We'll be more than capable of getting to the final four given the right road. That's what comes down to a lot of teams getting to the final four. UT will be more than capable. All depends on how the NCAA makes the brackets.

Regardless, most UK fans view this season as a "bridge year". 2010-11 season for an example. Some guys will go pro and the ones who don't will add depth and experience to our monster 2013 class.
 
#25
#25
It's really odd to see a calipari team not have excellent guard play...if harrow doesn't step up, this Kentucky team will struggle and be very inconsistent IMO.
I think Cal saw Harrow being much better after practicing against Teague for a season. It was a logical transfer and Harrow was a highly touted recruit (i think). He just hasn't performed like many of us expected. Hell Polson looked more impressive imo
 

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