Kentucky basketball: 5 bold predictions for the 2018 SEC tournament

By Drew Koch | Mar 4, 2018

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 09: The Kentucky Wildcats take the court against the Monmouth Hawks at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2017 in New York City. This photo is part of a photo essay on three sporting events in a fifteen hour time span at Madison Square Garden. The three sports were an NCAA college basketball game between The University of Kentucky vs Monmouth College, followed by an NHL hockey game between the New York Rangers against the New Jersey Devils, followed by a boxing match for the WBO Lightweight Title between Vasiliy Lomachenko against Guillermo Rigondeaux. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

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LEXINGTON, KY – FEBRUARY 17: Hamidou Diallo /

2. Hamidou Diallo will miss every three-pointer he attempts

Hamidou Diallo seemed like he had it figured out. Before the Florida game, Diallo put together solid back-to-back performances against Missouri and Ole Miss. Big Blue Nation was ecstatic to see Diallo show his potential. The Kentucky basketball fans don’t want Hami to struggle, but it was becoming an obvious problem.

His play in the games against the Tigers and the Rebels were a reminder of how good he could be. Then came this weekend’s game against Florida. Diallo was 0-of-7 from the field, including 0-of-3 from downtown. Diallo was 5-of-6 from three-point land in the previous 2 games. When is Hami, and to a greater extent Calipari, going to understand that he’s NOT a three-point shooter.

Diallo is a slasher, plain and simple. Hami plays his best basketball in transition. When the Cats are running the floor, only Vanderbilt is in the same class as Diallo athletically. In fact, a 2-on-1 fast break with those two would be a thing of beauty.

So, whether it’s by design or lack of playing time, I don’t foresee many opportunities for Diallo to even attempt many three-point shots. In 7 of the previous 10 games the Cats have played, Diallo has missed every one of his shots from downtown. I expect that trend to continue and Hami will be scoreless from outside the arc during the SEC Tournament.

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