Kentucky Basketball is in the midst of a great season and is looking to make a deep run in March. Do the young Cats have what it takes to succeed in the postseason?
Thursday night at 7:10 PM eastern daylight time, my hometown Kentucky Wildcats will have their wits tested against Abilene Christian in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Common practice on BustingBrackets.com would be to draft a “Three keys for Kentucky to beat Abilene Christian,” but that won’t be necessary. There is only one key for the young Cats: Don’t show up blackout drunk. Look, Keldon, Ashton, Tyler, I know you all like to live it up like college freshmen. I’m on this campus too.
Saint Patrick’s day was Sunday, you can pop a few Irish Car Bombs and show up tipsy on Thursday and still coast to victory. Essentially, guys, just have a pulse by tip-off and you’ll put Abilene away. Their coach can’t even afford a new suit, for goodness’ sakes!
However, once Kentucky sweeps Abilene Christian under the rug, are these Wildcats poised to make a Final Four or Championship run? My answer–and yes this is coming from a homer–is unequivocally YES! The reasons; here they are:
Swaggy Cal
John Calipari’s attitude and outgoingness is the check-engine light of the Kentucky basketball program. When he’s sad, dormant, and pretending that losses are wins, you know dark days have befallen Lexington, Kentucky. Earlier this year, they had. Calipari was binge-watching Alaskan reality TV (a common practice of his after tough defeats), staying off twitter, and tempered his usual happy-go-lucky attitude.
Fast forward three months and Calipari has turned that frown upside down! Now, during his press conferences, Cal monologues with his normal giddiness and a sneaky smirk across his face. He knows better than anyone when his team is playing well, and his tweets about braving the Alaskan front, pooping in the woods and cutting his own hoops mixtape have me convinced Calipari is operating at 100% confidence.
The man skyped into the Selection show with a display of framed DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis jerseys. His annual smugness and fearless social media barrage is amusing but also a sign that John is very, very pleased with his team heading into the tournament. He watches them in practice every day, he knows how legit they are. Bahamas Kentucky might just be back.
Tyler Herro
He’s a bucket.
Since conference play began, Herro has donned his cape and caught fire from behind the three-point line. The most hateable Kentucky player in a long, long time is shooting a blistering 42% from three since January on five attempts per game. That’ll do. He may very well be the most complete player on this Kentucky roster. Of course, Herro’s scoring prowess is divine: he is bouncy, patient, and unpredictable off the dribble, and has a lightning-quick release on his jumper–which is reputably lethal.
His handle is improving and Tyler’s passing vision and feel for the game have been exceptional since day one. And defensively, Herro’s matured from a lackadaisical steal-chaser to a reliable on-ball defender who hits the glass as well as any guard in the country.
I’d go as far as to say that if Tyler Herro is connecting from three-point range, he can lead this Kentucky team to a national championship. Alongside side his buddy P.J. Washington of course. Speaking of P.J.
Paul Jamaine Washington Jr.
Like Tyler, since January, P.J. seriously emerged as a college basketball superstar. Washington’s scoring, passing, and post defense are as sound as any forward not named Zion since the turn of the calendar. He has understood and now fully embraced his role as team captain and Veteran In Charge of Whipping Kids Like Keldon and Ashton into Shape. P.J. is the team dad, essentially (sorry Drake), and he’s merely a sophomore. But that’s typical for Kentucky anyways. Either way, sophomore or not, I trust Washington.
When he’s on the court instead of E.J. or Nick–who both give solid contributions, but lack consistency and awareness–I’m much, much calmer. Because with him I know we can get an easy bucket if we need one: the P.J. post hook. It works like charm. Good post position, non-disastrous entry pass, catch, one dribble, and spin to the left and rise for a nifty little jump hook. E-Z-MONEY.
P.J. is an All-American-level player when he so chooses to be (which, thank God, is regularly now), and you can have 6’5 Tennessee forward who flops like a fish and tries to draw hook and holds, I’ll take Paul Jamaine in my corner, and win with him. BOOK IT.
Defense Wins Championships
According to KenPom rankings, Kentucky is 11th in the nation in defensive efficiency. And I’m telling you, the Wildcats’ defense is far above even that rating. If I could run the stats since conference play, I’d wager Calipari’s club would be top five. The development from a hapless collection of 19-year-old knuckleheads that allowed 118 points to Zion’s Duke, to a lock-down defensive-oriented ball club is incredible. There seriously isn’t a below-average defender on this roster. 1-5, these guys defend.
Ashton Hagans is a finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year, Herro is sticky on the perimeter, Keldon plays his ass off, P.J. is smart and physical, Reid Travis is a brick wall, and the bench (Baker, Quickley, Richards, Montgomery) are decidedly plus defenders. Good luck scoring on this bunch, Abilene Christian. Going to have to be more like “I believe” Christian to have any shot in that game.
The Path
Abilene Christian, Wofford, Seton Hall, Houston, Iowa State. No, that’s not the favorites to win the CBI. Instead, that is the list of foes Kentucky must overcome to reach the Elite 8. No offense to Kelvin Sampson or Fletcher Magee or Marial Shayok, y’all don’t scare me whatsoever. Kentucky should comfortably beat these clubs by 10 or more and glide to the quarterfinals (I’m really toying with my luck right here). And then, a bevy of teams Kentucky has already defeated this season await in the Elite 8.
Auburn and Kansas aren’t threatening, really. And North Carolina has admittedly been one of the hottest teams in college ball, but Kentucky is a nightmare matchup: a team who likes to slow it down, hits the glass hard, and has a point guard to wreak havoc on the turnover-prone Coby White.
Barring unforseen misfortune (like a prolonged P.J. Washington absence, Kentucky is damn near guaranteed to advance to the Elite 8, and will more than likely see the Tar Heels. I’m very high on Kentucky coming out of the SEC tournament, even though they lost. I’ll take this group over anyone in the country besides Duke. And who knows what could happen in a rematch.
Agree with me, disagree with me, have a funny comment, leave them all down below and I’ll try to respond! Always love getting feedback from the readers.