NCAA Basketball: Early preview of 2022 matchup between Gonzaga and Kentucky

2. Nolan Hickman (technically?) plays against his old team

At one point in time, Nolan Hickman was a five-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class that was originally committed to Kentucky. However, weeks into last year’s offseason, he parted ways with the program. The Seattle native ultimately stayed out west and in-state to Gonzaga, set to be potentially the next great point guard in the program.

Hickman had to wait a year behind senior Andrew Nembhard, who himself was one of the best ball-handlers in the country last season. With him off to the NBA, it’s now up to the former Kentucky commit to taking over the reins, at least to start the season. Hickman’s production dipped in the latter half of the season when the rotation was tightened up but averaged 5.1 ppg and 1.3 apg on 44% shooting from the field (31% 3PT) in 17 mpg off the bench.

For Gonzaga, they need Hickman to have a breakout sophomore campaign in order to be a national title contender. There is a Plan B (more on that later) for the team in case he struggles but the young playmaker is the key to the team’s success next season. Coach Mark Few has had great success with point guards of the last decade so the odds are good that Hickman will be the next.

Interestingly enough, there’s a reversal in terms of which type of player is running point for their respective program. Gonzaga usually has a proven veteran leading things, while Kentucky usually has a five-star freshman running the offense. However, they actually return their lead guard in Sahvir Wheeler, one of the top passers in NCAA Basketball.

The transfer from Georgia averaged 10.1 ppg and 6.9 apg (led the SEC), including five games of double-digit assists last season. Wheeler may be 5’10 but he’s a tough guard on both ends and his connection with Tshiebwe last season was second-to-none.

In a rare occurrence, Gonzaga will be at a disadvantage on paper at the point guard position. The question will be whether or not Hickman can somewhat match Wheeler’s production on the court. If that happens, the Bulldogs would be in a strong position.

Who knows how much this game matters to Hickman considering the past but it’s certainly a storyline to watch.