Kentucky Basketball: 3 things to watch for upcoming GLOBL JAM Games

We’re set to get our first looks at the 2023-24 Kentucky Basketball roster in this week’s GLOBL JAM Games. What should we be looking out for specifically?

We’re halfway through the NCAA Basketball offseason and 98% of rosters have been filled out. That includes Kentucky Basketball, which was under more scrutiny than any other program this offseason when it came to roster building. But after landing some freshmen and retaining Antonio Reeves, the Wildcats are set to represent Team USA in the GLOBL JAM Games.

Kentucky will be playing against Germany, Africa, and Canada this upcoming week, potentially playing in the Gold Medal Game on the 16th. It’s effectively an exhibition game but there are still going to be plenty of eyes on this set of games. Here are some specific storylines I’ll be watching for.

Wagner/Dillingham duo

In what might be one of the biggest storylines in all of college hoops next season, it’s going to be very interesting to see how effective these two are in the backcourt. Both DJ Wagner and Robert Dillingham are five-star prospects and likely one-and-done players off to the pros. But both are also viewed as ball-dominant players that need to ball to succeed. In a sport where there’s a lot of older competition, including in this event, let’s see how they look.

Ugonna Onyenso’s play in extended minutes

With Somto Cyril staying in the 2024 class, the center position is down to just Onyenso, as Aaron Bradshaw is out with a foot injury. The former top-40 prospect didn’t play much as a freshman behind Oscar Tshiebwe but Onyenso has a reputation of being a dominant rim protector and physical presence inside. He’ll get a big opportunity to showcase it this week.

Do any of the newcomers stand out besides Mitchell?

We already know what Mitchell and Reeves are capable of doing but everyone else is a big question mark. How does five-star wing Justin Edwards look along with those guards? Reed Sheppard flies under the radar in this recruiting class but he’s a top-30 prospect as well. There are also recent pickups, Jordan Burks and Joey Hart as well.

And don’t forget Adou Thiero, who’ll likely get minutes at the four-spot behind Mitchell. The pecking order of this roster will be fascinating to see, especially with the backcourt players. And while you can’t take too much away from this week’s games in determining how viable this team will be next season, it’ll at least give us a couple of hints into how rotations could ultimately work out.