Kentucky at Florida: 2020-21 storylines for SEC matchup

Olivier Sarr’s touches

Over seventy four-star players entered the transfer portal prior to the 2020-21 season. Whether it was because he is a seven-footer, or because of the time he waited to choose, or even because he averaged almost 14 points for Wake Forest Basketball last season, at one point Olivier Sarr was the most sought after transfer whose decision was anticipated by everybody.

Sarr was precisely what Coach Calipari was in desperate need of and Sarr thought it was a good fit as well.  Without Sarr, the Wildcats would be starting 6’10 freshman Isaiah Jackson (5.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) with no viable option at backup. Sarr, in addition to Creighton transfer Davion Mintz (9.9 ppg), are the two seniors on the Wildcats. By way of their experience, combined with their ability, they have a leadership role.

This leadership role was promptly put on display versus Notre Dame when  Coach Calipari had Sarr fade to the short corner, where his game-winning shot would hit the rim and bounce away.  Coach Calipari then had Sarr attempt a similar shot down by one versus Louisville from almost an identical spot, which had the identical result.

Even with Coach Calipari identifying Sarr as important, bookending his 11 for 15 performance versus Notre Dame, was a 1 for 4 performance versus Georgia Tech and a North Carolina game where he logged 19 minutes but did not attempt a field goal. Although he went 6 for 16 in order to score 14 points versus Mississipi State and went 5-10 with 17 free-throws in their win versus Vanderbilt, how many shots  Olivier Sarr takes will continue to be a story.