The Weekend BBQ, Volume 2 (ft. Briscoe vs. Mulder and Kentucky Football)

In this week’s edition of The Weekend BBQ, our Big Blue Questions came from the realm of Facebook.

Kentucky Basketball as well as Kentucky Football are on the docket today as we received a couple of interesting questions from a couple of fans via Facebook. With the start of the SEC Tournament on the horizon, so is Spring Football and other football related events. As things start to heat up in the world of Kentucky Athletics, We have two great questions from True Blue Fans from the heart of Eastern Kentucky.

Question No. 1:

The first question comes from Chris Rogers.

Question:

With Briscoe having problems with turnovers, should Mychal Mulder get the start?

Answer:

Briscoe can make you irritated at times, but also shows flashes of greatness. Similarly, Mychal Mulder comes of the bench for about 8-10 minutes a game and gives you an added three point threat in relationship to Malik Monk and sometimes Derek Willis. Briscoe has 74 turnovers on the year, and that number will only rise. Mulder has hit 31 of 79 three point shots on the year which is equivalent to a 39.2 percent from beyond the arc.

With that said, Briscoe is by far the superior athlete. Without the turnover problem and the questionable decision making, its believable that Briscoe may be the key to the Kentucky Wildcats’ success in the post-season. Essentially, Briscoe gives the Cats an added rebounder. On this team, rebounding has taken a back seat. Late in the season, Kentucky will need Briscoe on the floor. He would make up for Malik Monk’s lack of rebounds.

Ultimately, Kentucky has to limit teams in the NCAA Tournament to one possession. If not, the Wildcats’ run at championship number nine will have to wait until next year.

The Decision

Isaiah Briscoe can be reckless with the basketball. He might make you want to pull your hair out, but he gives you more than Mychal Mulder would give you with the same amount of minutes. What we would like to see is Mulder get more minutes per game. That would make it easy to gauge whether or not we are correct in that statement.

I would like to think an added 3-4 three point makes per game is the most you would get out of Mulder with anything under 15 minutes per game. Briscoe is able to get to the rim and drive the basketball to create other opportunities. Mulder just doesn’t give you enough in the rebound and assist department as Briscoe does.

Related Story: 2016 Kentucky Basketball Player Report Cards

Question No. 2:

This weeks final question comes from Justin Spencer.

Question:

Has Kentucky taken the next step to having a successful football program? What are the strong points and what do we need to improve on going into next season. Who will the Quarterback be?

Answer:

Mark Stoops and company have been working hard to ensure the future success of the Kentucky Football program. Recruiting coordinator and Tight Ends coach, Vince Marrow is running with the big dogs, so to speak, to pull in top talent to Lexington. You can look at recruiting rankings each season that Stoops has been here and the trend is always rising.

With that said, nothing matters in recruiting if you cannot develop the talent. It seems as though the base of the 2016 season depended on underclassmen. If you scroll through out Top Performers of 2016 slide show, you’ll notice that many of the key contributors of 2016 are returning next season. A large majority of them will just be juniors. A solid base of consecutive recruiting classes, gives you the opportunity to build depth and that is where Kentucky is right now.

Added depth at multiple positions, mainly defensive line, linebacker, and wide receiver will only help the Cats in the near future. We are now seeing the success of Marrow and Stoops as they have had their recruits on campus for two years. Fans can see the development of former three star athletes into top players in the Conference (ie. Jordan Jones).

The Quarterback Conundrum

The questions surrounding the Quarterback situation will only escalate as the Cats enter Spring Practice. Drew Barker is coming off of intense back surgery, while Senior-to-be Stephen Johnson carried Kentucky to their first Bowl Game since 2010. Of course, he did have the help of Benny Snell and Boom Williams.

Next: Kentucky Football's Top 10 Performers of 2016

All’s well that ends well. Stephen Johnson will be the man under center until Barker can prove that he is worthy.

"The Weekend BBQ is a column for The Big Blue Nation to ask us their burning questions about our beloved Kentucky Wildcats. Anyone wanting their Big Blue Questions answered can contact us on Twitter @WildcatBlueNatn or leave a comment on our Facebook Page."