Kentucky basketball: Game preview, 3 keys vs Aggies
By Drew Koch
1. Green getting more minutes
Quade Green is back to being himself. Green missed 3 games earlier in the season due to a back injury. In fact, the Wildcats victory over the Aggies in January was the first game that he missed.
John Calipari has slowly been working Green back into the lineup. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken the reigns as the starting point guard for the Kentucky basketball team. But, as we’ve seen countless times this season, Coach Cal is not afraid to play Green and Gilgeous-Alexander together in the backcourt.
In fact, I think the Wildcats are at their best when the two freshmen guards are in the game together. Having Green, Kentucky’s best perimeter threat, on the floor allows Gilgeous-Alexander to penetrate into the teeth of the defense and have a reliable shooter to kick the ball to on the wing.
Hamidou Diallo, who played only 13 minutes in the loss to the Volunteers, has been the victim of Green’s production. Diallo was 0-of-3 from the field, including two wide open misses from downtown against Tennessee. Hami also had 2 fouls and 2 turnovers, and finished with zero points. Diallo played only 22 minutes the previous game against Missouri.
It’s obvious that Diallo’s lack of an outside shot and poor decision making have made him a liability for John Calipari. Cal is playing the guys who give the Kentucky basketball team the best chance to win. I expect to see more of the same against Texas A&M on Saturday.