Kentucky’s loss at Louisville wasn’t short on frustration. Two disastrous stretches, one in each half, saw the Cards build leads of 18 and 20 before Kentucky rallied late. There were flashes of life, but the problems were familiar.
Here’s who helped themselves, and who may be losing ground in the rotation going forward.
Who is trending up and who is trending down?
Risers
- Andrija Jelavic: The “Croatian Sensation” only played 10 minutes but made them count. He went 3-for-3, defended well on switches, and even kept Mikel Brown Jr. in check on two key possessions.
- Collin Chandler: Another strong night for the sophomore guard, who hit four more threes and continues to look like Kentucky’s best scoring option. His confidence is through the roof.
- Kam Williams: The breakthrough finally came. Williams found energy in the final 12 minutes, delivering a block, a deep three, and a putback dunk that sparked the Cats’ late push.
Fallers
- Mo Dioubate: Teams are daring him to shoot, and right now, it’s working. Dioubate is just 1-for-6 from three. A move to the five could be in his future if the shooting doesn’t improve.
- Jasper Johnson: The freshman guard got six minutes, went 0-for-4, and grabbed just one rebound. With Kentucky’s guard depth, he can’t afford off nights.
- Brandon Garrison: His lack of a jumper is compressing the offense. Defenses sag off him, clogging the lane. Until he finds a consistent interior role, his minutes could slide.
Rotation clarity is starting to form, and right now, the players who move the ball, space the floor, and defend with energy are the ones trending up. The guys who are having trouble finding their footing may slip. And with 10 players getting minutes, Trent Noah and Jayden Quantaince headed for recovery, that playing time is going to be harder to come by.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion