The Kentucky Wildcats Basketball 40-0 talk begins

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Although the four game losing streak has been frustrating, Mark Stoops and his Kentucky Wildcats are way ahead of schedule in season number two.  That includes on the field play, recruiting, and the general culture at Kentucky.  ESPN took a look at the recruiting process which has been so successful.    As of right now, ESPN has Kentucky ranked #25 in their 2015 class rankings.  And looking at the state-wide wars, Louisville is not ranked in the top forty.

"The process began by taking a pro personnel approach to recruiting when it came to prioritizing staff meeting times and evaluation by coaches and support staff. In other words, the evaluation process of all prospects is a 365-day-a-year requirement when coaches and staff are not on the road. This is the approach he brought over from Florida State after working under Jimbo Fisher. Secondly, Kentucky needed to expand its footprint which is why Stoops was the perfect choice to lead this change. The state of Kentucky does not produce enough top-tier talent to support an 85-man roster which forces the staff to go outside its borders. Traditionally this would mean going south, and UK still will, but now the movement has moved north into Ohio where Stoops has roots. In 2014, Kentucky signed 11 players from Ohio, and currently has seven players committed in the 2015 class from Ohio. Their home state will always be the top priority and the Wildcats have won that battle as of late with the signing of QB Drew Barker, DE Jason Hatcher and DT Matt Elam, but the roster needs support from a net that more widely cast. There is renewed enthusiasm and leadership under Stoops, a renovated stadium and millions of dollars being devoted to facilities enhancements which could make for a bright future in Lexington."

Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The key to a Kentucky Wildcats win on Saturday is going to be stopping the run.  Recently, Mark Stoops gave Tennessee running back some of the highest praise, comparing him to Adrian Peterson.  Welp.

"Thursday, Stoops compared Hurd to one of the most talented running backs of all time in former Oklahoma superstar Adrian Peterson, who happens to have been coached by another Stoops brother — Bob Stoops — in college. “He’s just a complete running back,” Stoops said after practice, according to the Courier-Journal. “Just physically if you look at him, he reminds me of Adrian Peterson a little bit. Just that big tall, good-looking running back. Very dynamic player. He’s going to be a heck of a player. They do a nice job of trying to get him the ball in space in a lot of different ways. He looks like he has very good top-end speed and he has that way with some big backs to just be very elusive. Maybe doesn’t look as flashy as the little guys sometimes, but he’s always running away from people, running through people. He’s a very good player.” Hurd, a 6-foot-3, 220 pound true freshman, has 134 carries for 598 yards and two touchdowns, along with 26 receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns through nine games this season."