UK Basketball Preview: Will Kentucky Return To The Final Four?

By Camden Joiner on October 27, 2014

Image via rantsports.com

Last season the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team had the best starting five in the NCAA. The clutch Harrison twins filled the guard spots, James Young was out at the wing, Julius Randle was at power forward and Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson split time at center.

UK was a heavy favorite at the beginning of the season, despite the fact that all of their starting five were freshman (when Dakari Johnson earned the start). The transition from high school was a steep curve and Kentucky struggled to find its footing early. Chemistry was certainly an issue between the starters and their offense was whittled down to Julius Randle layups in the paint.

However, as the season progressed, the Wildcats started clicking. Their starters were all 5-star recruits after all.

Andrew Harrison started creating opportunities at the point. His twin brother Aaron finally established consistent points at the two guard. Small forward James Young was knocking down threes at the wing.

Going into the March Madness tournament, UK was only an 8-seed. Their road to the Final Four was certainly the most difficult. Yet under the guidance of head coach John Calipari, the Wildcats prevailed.

Image via thebiglead.com

After defeating Kansas State, Kentucky knocked off 1-seed Wichita State. Aaron Harrison hit a three and some clutch free throws that sealed the deal against Louisville.

In the Elite Eight, Harrison hit another three ball with three seconds on the clock to beat Michigan. In the semis of the Final Four, Harrison did it yet again. Aaron drained a three in the closing seconds against Wisconsin to earn Kentucky a place in the National Championship Game.

But finally, Kentucky’s luck would run out as they lost to Shabazz Napier and UCONN in the game that really mattered.

Julius Randle would declare for the NBA Draft in the off season. He was selected as the 7th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. James Young would follow suit. Young went 17th overall to the Celtics.

But to the surprise of many, the Harrison twins decided to return to school. So did centers Dakari Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein. Combine their returning talent with the new 5-star recruits added by John Calipari and the Wildcats are this year’s pre-season No. 1 team.

Projected Starting Line-up:

PG: Andrew Harrison

SG: Aaron Harrison

SF: Alex Poythress

PF: Karl Towns

C: Willie Cauley-Stein

Image via bleacherreport.com

With many different options in front of Calipari for his starting line-up, Andrew Harrison starting at the point is as close to a sure thing as it gets.

However that’s not to say Andrew Harrison couldn’t improve. His shooting was poor last season for a player of his caliber, his field goal percentage was a much too low .376 percent. His defense left much to be desired as well and he notably struggled to slow down Shabazz Napier in the National Championship Game.

But this season Andrew will be one of the leaders of this team and his ability to create shots for his teammates will be vital to their success.

Behind Harrison at point is returning sophomore Dominique Hawkins. While Hawkins has an edge in experience, he will have to split time with incoming freshman Tyler Ulis.

Ulis is only 5-foot-9 but he was ranked as the 25th best prospect in his class by ESPN. No matter who’s at the point guard spot this season for UK, it won’t be a fun match up for any opponent.

Starting at the two guard will be a familiar face in the likes of Andrew’s twin Aaron Harrison. Harrison is the best shooter on the team and the Cats will rely heavily on him for his scoring abilities.

Aaron has always struck me as a player with a little Kobe Bryant in him: great shooter, clutch when it matters, and absolutely doesn’t play defense. Lucky enough for Harrison, Kentucky’s front court has more than enough size to back him up.

The 18th overall prospect in this year’s class, Devin Booker, will be playing behind Harrison at guard. The 5-star recruit will be an offensive weapon on UK’s second team as Booker dons the title of a lights out shooter.

This year’s Wildcat squad is big and defense minded so Harrison and Booker will be essential for putting up points on the board.

Image via rantsports.com

Beyond the two guard spots, things get a little murky. The front court of Kentucky is easily the best in the nation and Calipari’s biggest problem is choosing who to start.

Out at the wing at small forward most likely will be junior Alex Poythress. As last season’s sixth man, Poythress was a heat check player off of the bench. His lock down defense will be crucial this year at the wing, especially playing with the Harrison twins. One of the few upperclassmen on the team, Poythress will need to step up as a leader while maintaining some consistency in his play on the court.

Devin Booker’s tall frame may also warrant some playing time at SF and tournament stand out Marcus Lee could come down to the wing as well. But right now for Kentucky, I think Poythress’ defense earns him the starting job.

At the power forward position, things really get interesting. Marcus Lee stepped up substantially in last year’s March Madness tournament when Willie Cauley-Stein went down with an injury. Lee’s exciting dunks and offensive boards turned many heads in the tournament, but this is a whole new season.

Image via espn.go.com

With a brand new schedule comes young, new players and specifically for UK that’s Trey Lyles and Karl Towns. Lyles was ranked as the 6th overall player in his class by ESPN and right behind him at No. 9 was Karl Towns.

The battle for the power forward position will certainly be an exciting one this year in Kentucky and luckily for Calipari, that is a great problem to have.

Last year’s two centers surprisingly each decided to return to school. Dakari Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein split time at center last season, each earning a fair amount of starts.

Johnson is more of an offensive scorer at the rim and Cauley-Stein can block your shot to one county over. Each player will get their deserved minutes, especially considering both would be permanent starters at almost any other school.

John Calipari could also decide to play smaller with Towns or Lee at center and with a plethora of options in the front court, he assuredly will be testing different line-ups throughout the season at forward and center.

The Wildcats are the deepest team in the nation and John Calipari has admitted to even considering a complete new 5-man second unit off the bench.

With several returning starters this time around, I don’t expect Kentucky to have the same chemistry woes as they did last season. Finding consistency in the front court play could be a problem early on, but it isn’t a problem a talented coach like John Calipari couldn’t fix.

Right now, Kenucky sits atop the polls and looking at this roster it could stay that way all season.

Image via ukbasketballlive.com

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format