NCAA Basketball: Duke, Michigan State fall in latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
16. Kentucky (2-0)
While not considered one of the major favorites in the preseason this year, Kentucky does have quite the talent on their roster. John Calipari has once again been masterful on the recruiting trail and has a young roster that hopes to gel as the season goes along. They’ve survived the early tests this season and even look like a more cohesive offensive unit than last season.
Their performance on opening night was certainly acceptable, routing New Mexico State to an 86-46 decision. Not only was it a great defensive performance for the Wildcats, Rob Dillingham had 17 points off the bench as several different Kentucky players showed promise in their debuts. Things were dicey early four days later against Texas A&M-Commerce, but Kentucky put the Lions away in the second half, ending up with an 81-61 win. Experienced senior Antonio Reeves had 21 points and 6 rebounds.
No one is Lexington is disappointed after a pair of wins to open the season but there’s a long way to go from here. The Wildcats were relatively unchallenged in the opening week and that learning curve will spike almost instantly. Next Tuesday will see the Wildcats head to Chicago, taking on Kansas as part of the Champions Classic. There’s significant young talent on this Kentucky team and they have a golden chance to show it to the nation next week.