North Carolina vs. Kentucky: 5 biggest storylines for 2020-21 showdown

3. Kentucky and John Calipari have – individually – endured their worst starts in nearly 20 years

Obviously, one of the marquee storylines entering this game is Kentucky’s woeful start to the season – and their need for a season-defining win after back-to-back bad losses to Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.

This was not how the 2020-21 season – the start of it, at least – was expected to playout for the Wildcats.  They entered the season ranked 10th in the preseason AP Poll, the highest SEC team in the poll – and they were picked to finish second in the preseason SEC poll, just behind Tennessee.

They returned just 7.6% of their minutes and 6.0% of their scoring from last season’s 25-6 team that outright won the SEC regular season – but they also brought in the highest-rated recruiting class in the country, headlined by four five-star recruits in BJ Boston, Terrence Clarke, Devin Askew, and Isaiah Jackson.   Additionally, they gained some necessary transfers in Creighton’s Davion Mintz, URI’s Jacob Toppin, and Wake Forest’s Olivier Sarr.

But after decimating Morehead State in their season-opener, the Wildcats have struggled to find any success.  They dropped out of the AP Poll for the first time since February 2018, and their 1-4 start is their worst start in five games since the 1984-85 season – which produced a Sweet Sixteen run.

This is not unfamiliar territory for John Calipari, who experienced a losing record in his first five games (2-3, and they dropped their next two) during the 2000-01 season while at Memphis.  However, this is uncharted ground for him while at Kentucky.  In fact, the last time Kentucky started with a losing record in their first five games was also during the 2000-01 season, when they started 2-3 – and made the Sweet Sixteen.

The truth of the matter is that this, presently, does not look like a team that can compete for an SEC regular-season championship.  They are just one of two teams in the conference to currently own a losing record (South Carolina being the other), and this group has yet to prove that they can win over a quality opponent.  Time will tell if the Wildcats improve – but they can begin by proving themselves as a dangerous team with a win over UNC.