JOE COX: Roundball Cats Finally Open Their COVID-19 Campaign
The Kentucky Wildcats have an intriguing mixture of young standouts and a few crafty veterans. John Calipari’s Cats will begin the season 10th in the AP poll and 9th in the Coaches’ Poll. In a season where college basketball lacks a traditional powerhouse, Kentucky is poised to make a deep March run… if we have any kind of “regular” season and if we end up having an NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats return sophomore forward Keion Brooks Jr., who is battling a leg injury and might be a little slow to return to action. In addition to Brooks, the Wildcats add a trio of transfers, mostly notably senior Wake Forest seven-footer Olivier Sarr and senior Creighton guard Davion Mintz. Sarr averaged over 13 points and 9 rebounds per game last year in the ACC, and Mintz is a proven veteran scorer and defender.
To the old-timers, Kentucky adds (yawn) another top-ranked recruiting class, this one centered around outstanding guards B.J. Boston and Terrence Clarke. Six-foot-9 post player Isaiah Jackson has also impressed with his athleticism. Forward Lance Ware, guard Devin Askew, and forward Cam’Ron Fletcher round out the class.
It’s become almost a cliche, but Kentucky has a team that is versatile and athletic. Boston and Clarke are the kind of long guards (6-foot-6 and 6-7) that Calipari loves to coach, and with Brooks, Sarr, and Jackson playing down low, Kentucky should be able to match up physically with just about anyone they play.
The Wildcats are basically going back to an old Joe B. Hall-era pre-conference schedule, with a pair of easy foes to open in Morehead State and Richmond. From there, the non-conference schedule includes Kansas, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, UCLA, and Louisville, as well as a January 30 matchup with Texas is the Big 12/SEC showdown.
Kentucky’s path in the SEC is blocked by old foes like Tennessee (boasting a talented returning corps and the nation’s No. 4 recruiting class, per 247sports), Florida (led by returnees Keyontae Johnson and Scotty Lewis), and LSU, which has done a great job reloading on talent despite the NCAA hammer hanging over its collective head.
In light of Kentucky’s deep and talented team, there’s no reason to think the Wildcats won’t have as good of a season as any team in the nation. Gonzaga likely does have an advantage in that its conference schedule will be much lighter than, say, Kansas’s or Duke’s or Kentucky’s. The Wildcats are likely to take a half-dozen or so losses, but if the young players and the transfers gel well by March, UK is in great position to make its annual March run.
The question in Lexington is when Calipari can get Kentucky back to the Final Four. After doing so in four of his first six seasons in Lexington, Coach Cal was 0-for-4 before last year’s COVID-19 cancellations. Given the nation’s ongoing struggle with the pandemic, who is to say how many of the scheduled games get played or what (or when) an NCAA Tournament might look like.
If there is a Final Four and if the path there is something approaching normal, there’s no reason to think Kentucky can’t get there. Of course, given the last eight months, as much of the story will be dedicated to HOW Kentucky gets there as whether they get there. In a normal season, the questions about UK basketball center more around personnel and development of players. While this season’s questions may center around controlling a global pandemic, hopefully the hardwood activity will provide a welcome respite to a troubled time. For Big Blue Nation, title No. 9 would go a long way to making 2021 much better than the year before.
Joe Cox is contributing editor for KySportsStyle.com Magazine. He grew up in Letcher County and Bell County and has written or co-written nine books. His most recent, "A Fine Team Man: Jackie Robinson and the Lives He Changed," was released in February 2019 and can be ordered on Amazon or at many local bookstores. Joe is an attorney and lives in Logan County with his wife and children. You can reach him at jrcox004@gmail.com.
