The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team fell nine spots to No. 16 in the latest AP poll. While such a tumble in the polls may seem a bit excessive, it’s exactly where the Wildcats belong.
After Kentucky was defeated by UCLA 83-75 in the CBS Sports Classic, the Wildcats took a tumble in the polls. While falling nine spots from No. 7 to No. 16 in the latest AP poll seems a little harsh, it’s exactly where this Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team should be.
Kentucky and UCLA were tied at the half last Saturday in New Orleans. The Cats were outplayed on both ends of the floor in the Bruins and it showed up in the box score. The Bruins shot 47.5% from the field and shot 40% from beyond the arc. UCLA also outrebounded Kentucky 37 to 36. And while the Cats forced 14 UCLA turnovers, the Bruins forced 14 turnovers of their own including 12 steals.
The loss to UCLA was Kentucky’s second of the year. The Wildcats were No. 5 in the preseason AP poll and only fell one spot after their early-season loss to Kansas. In the last two seasons, both of which saw Kentucky exit the NCAA tournament before reaching the Final Four, the Cats were preseason No. 2. John Calipari and the Kentucky basketball program are no strangers to heightened expectations, but so much of what the pundits rely on is the level of talent that Kentucky typically possesses.
This season is no different as players like Kevin Knox (No.10), PJ Washington (No. 12), Nick Richards (No. 17), Jarred Vanderbilt (No. 19) and Quade Green (No. 24) were all 5-star recruits according to ESPN. However, without the benefits of players like Darius Miller in 2011-12 or Willie Cauley-Stein in 2014-15, the Cats are extremely reliant upon their freshmen.
If this team plays up to it’s potential, these Cats will claw their way back into the Top 10. Friday’s match up against Louisville followed by a clash with Georgia two days later will tell us a lot about this year’s Kentucky basketball team.