The Cardinals and the Cats players and fans always talk a little smack before this game, and the coaches can sometimes get involved too. When asked about Kentucky specifically, Pat Kelsey showed the ultimate respect to a team that is still building to what it can be.
"Obviously, they're very good... KenPom has them the #1 team in the country for a reason. They're very talented."
This is a team without their defensive anchor in Jayden Quaintance, a limited Jaland Lowe, a hurt Trent Noah and a whole lot of kinks to work out. Despite that, the analytics absolutely love this team. The style they play travels well, and that will be put to the test Tuesday night in the KFC YUM! Center.
Why Ken Pom loves Kentucky basketball, and how the site came to be
In case you don't follow the basketball analytical world, Ken Pom is a website that ranks teams based on advanced statistics like tempo, efficiency, strength of schedule and more. Ken Pomeroy is the man behind the numbers, and he wasn't always a college basketball statistician.
He was actually a weatherman, or meteorologist, who changed the way the game is looked at. Most coaches will tell you they use Ken's rankings a lot more than they do any other ranking. And it all started as a hobby that turned into a profession.
The site loves Kentucky because they hold teams to bad shooting percentages, they shoot high percentage shots, and they play with a tempo that carries from home to away. That all adds up to the number 1 ranking through 2 games. That is a small sample size though.
Ideally you would want to see the numbers stretched out over 10 or so games so you can really get the idea of how a team really plays and who they are. The good news is Kentucky will not have to wait too much longer, around 6 hours to be exact, to find out who they are this early in the season.
Can they knock off the Cards as a road underdog? Tune into ESPN to find out.
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