Ranking the 10 best players in the South Region that Kentucky could face on the way to the Final Four

John Calipari and the Wildcats will have a tough road to the Final Four out of the South Region in the NCAA Tournament, and these are the players in the way of the Wildcats and Final Four No. 19.

Houston Cougars guard Jamal Shead (1)
Houston Cougars guard Jamal Shead (1) | William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
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Walter Clayton Jr. is the Gators leading scorer, averaging 17.1 points, and in Florida’s regular season OT win over Kentucky led the way with 23 points, but Zyon Pullin dominated that game. He finished with 21 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds in a team-high 41 minutes. Todd Goldin has built an impressive team through the transfer portal, but Pullin, his fifth-year point guard from UC Riverside is the best of the bunch. 

With good size for the position, Pullin has more than held his own in SEC play, earning First-Team honors. He’s a playmaker more than a scorer, but has impressive 45/45/85 shooting splits and is incredibly reliable late in games with the ball in his hands. He’s the type of point guard that will fill whatever gap your team needs, if it’s rebounding, he’ll great six or seven, if it’s playmaking, he’ll dish out eight assists, and if you need extra scoring or shot-making, Pullin can get an efficient 20. 

Kentucky has dynamic guards but lacks positional size and strength on the perimeter. Clayton Jr. and Pullin both take advantage of that, by slashing to the rim or backing down smaller guards. If Kentucky meets Florida in the Sweet 16, it’ll certainly be another shootout, and I’d have a really hard time betting on the Cats.