Tonight at 8:30, the Cats will host the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a game they simply cannot lose. Having lost the first two SEC games, one at home, the Cats simply cannot afford to lose their second straight home game and third overall.
News broke last night that due to swelling in his knee, Jayden Quaintance would not be playing. And he will not play again until the swelling completely goes away. So, who can step up and give the Cats a much-needed boost? Let's break down the roster to see.
Brandon Garrison
Garrison is someone who finds himself in the doghouse an awful lot. There are effort issues, mental lapses, and turnovers that have kept him from truly taking a step forward this year. But he played well for the most part against Missouri, until the last 4 minutes when everything went horribly wrong.
Kam Williams
Much like playing Noah, you can play a small-ball lineup with Williams at the 4 and try to space the floor. His shooting touch has been bad for most of the season, but it is at least an option from deep that playing Garrison doesn't give you.
Mo Dioubate
We know what Dioubate brings; he plays the 4 behind Moreno all the time. He will give you some rebounds and some post play, but from the perimeter, he is not going to give you much.
Trent Noah and Andrija Jelavice need more time for Kentucky to be special
Trent Noah
Noah hasn't played a minute in the SEC. There are defensive concerns, sure. But he gives you what few other players give you: teamwork. He talks on defense, makes the right pass on offense, competes on the boards, and the team looks better when he is on the floor. Sliding into a small-ball 4 could be good for a team that needs more guys who just play within the system.
Andrija Jelavic
The big man played a season-high 24 minutes in the loss to North Carolina but gave the Cats a real post presence on the offensive end. That minute total has tailed off just like Noah's. He played just 7 minutes against Bellarmine and hasn't seen the court since. He offers a mid-range and low-post game but is not a perimeter player at this time.
From my perspective, this should be a time to shift totally back to a more Mark Pope style: get guys willing to move the ball and play together. Start Noah, and spell him with Jelavic in the minutes that were going to Quaintance. Dioubate can still give you the 15 or so minutes he has been, but you could also move him to the 5 and play him like Draymond Green, something that I think makes a lot of sense here.
Mark Pope needs a fresh start. We don't need more of the same. Time to switch it up.