Like it or not, Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope are tied together. The two coaches will be judged against one another for as long as each remain in the Bluegrass. Having been hired at the same time, both stepped into relative reclamation projects, and both shared similar experiences before jumping to a blue (or red) blood program.
And now, they're recruiting a lot of the same players. This time around, at least, Louisville is winning. The Cards have secured commitments from Dayton PG De'Shayne Montgomery and USC's Gabe Dynes, the latter of whom is a Kentucky native. Both were players Mark Pope had targeted.
And it isn't just mutual targets that have the red and black seemingly favored. The coach's respective rosters are at drastically different stages.
A Head-to-Head Comparison
One look at each team's projected starting lineups yields an arguably worrying gap that the Wildcats will have to find a way to close before the bitter rivalry at hand renews this fall.
Kentucky
PG: Zoom Diallo (four-star transfer)
SG: Alex Wilkins (four-star transfer)
SF: Kam Williams
PF: Ousmane N'Diaye (international recruit)
C: Malachi Moreno
The Cats are still targeting Justin McBride in the front courtas well as (at least) Joson Sanon and Jerone Morton in the backcourt. High school recruiting is a different story, as Pope remains involved in No. 1 Tyran Stokes, Miikka Muurinen, and Sayon Keita.
Kentucky, in spite of a more than workable starting bunch already signed on, are perceived to be behind in each of those aforementioned rookie recruitments. As of now, perimeter scoring and depth are serious and demanding concerns.
Louisville
Jackson Shelstad (four-star transfer)
Adrian Wooley
Karter Knox (four-star transfer)
Alvaro Folgueiras (four-star transfer)
Flory Bidunga (five-star, No. 2 overall transfer)
The Cards have both more depth and, for the most part, higher-ranked prospects. Having stolen both Montgomery and Dynes, too, their haul has directly impacted the strength of Kentucky's.
You can argue Diallo and Shelstad or Wooley and Wilkins all day long, but Bidunga stands out as a clear "argue with a wall" piece, the sort that the Wildcats are still trying to land.
Stokes Could be the Catalyst
That sort, of course, would be the aforementioned Stokes. Stokes, for his part, has reportedly leaned toward Kansas and Bill Self for a while now, but Pope hasn't lost hope in Kentucky's chances just yet. He's essentially put most every one of his recruiting eggs in that basket.
If Pope manages to net Stokes, his sheer impact may tilt the rival rosters entirely into the blue and white's favor. If he doesn't, well, it'll look like a long-lost attempt at landing a national star that left the Wildcats between a rock and a hard place with little time remaining to piece together a great team.
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