It’s hard to evaluate UK’s team after a 74-38 win over an incredibly overmatched opponent in NAIA Campbellsville. But UK’s talent, size and depth meet the hype.
The Cats appear to have one ugly and glaring wart—a lack of perimeter marksmanship. UK’s size and athleticism in the post is something to behold so if they dominate the offensive glass, their lack of outside shooting might not be such a weakness. Even the guards are long and athletic enough to grab long rebounds off missed shots.
We’ll start by mentioning Eric Bledsoe. With John Wall sitting out due to suspension, this was Bledsoe’s team. He had two highlight reel plays that should let all the Big Blue Nation know what kind of stud he is. It will be interesting to see his role/position once Wall returns. But make no mistake, he’ll play 25-30 minutes per game this season alongside Wall.
Patrick Patterson really appeared to struggle in the DDM offense. He is having trouble adapting to being matched up with guys who are quicker and more athletic that the normal centers who have been guarding him the previous couple of seasons. He’ll be fine by January but we don’t see him lighting the world on fire with his offense facing the basket.
Darnell Dodson is instant offense. It will not surprise us if he leads UK in scoring. The guy is not afraid to put it up and he can score in multiple ways. Based on what we saw last night, he isn’t a pure shooter. He is capable of launching some bricks. But when he is in the flow and on, he can light anybody up. He is a legit 6-7 with long arms and can shoot over a zone from the wing. He will be an invaluable asset to this team this season. He appears to be a great offensive rebounder in transition due to his length.
DeMarcus “Big Cuz” Cousins scares us because he is so talented and appears to be so volatile and high strung. We’re sensing potential chemistry issues. He is not as athletic as Orton or Patterson and we see him struggling a bit down the road when he’s matched up with quality size and better athleticism in the post. He also needs some time in the weight room to work on his legs. Right now he’s getting by on his natural athleticism and talent. But there is all-world talent.
Hard to imagine this Daniel Orton still has a knee problem. He runs the court like a gazelle and finishes off everything. He led the team in rebounds in only 15 minutes. He and Bledsoe in transition are SportsCenter ready. They appear to have already developed a feel for each other when on the floor together. We can imagine both of them becoming very special players in the next two seasons.
Darius Miller’s first move to the basket in the first half was a thing of beauty with a dribble drive, spin and perfect 12 foot floating jumper in the lane. Then he disappeared for the next 30 minutes. He continues to play lock down defense and can handle the ball adequately as the third point guard. We’d love for him to become more assertive.
Ramon Harris played a bit but we don’t imagine that he will get major minutes this year. He had a couple of turnovers in the first half. Can’t dribble or pass and that is something that can’t be overcome in the DDM offense. He will likely see spot minutes all year because he is a senior and he plays good defense.
John Hood continues to play aggressively and Calipari is rewarding him with extended time. He is very athletic and due to his length will grab rebounds and make put backs around the goal. We wish he could shoot from behind the arc better. He doesn’t appear to be that kind of player. If he could shoot it from 3, he would be an impact player this year. If he knows what is good for him, he’s shooting 500 3-point shots a day for the rest of his college career.
Josh Harrellson played 9 minutes tonight and didn’t really do a whole lot as Campbellsville was so overmatched in the post. His role will steadily increase as UK continues to play teams where outside shooting becomes precious. He continues to scrap under the goal for rebounds and he is a real luxury to bring in as a 4th or 5th big man who can lure opposing centers away from the goal on defense. The perfect antidote for Wall and Bledsoe getting to the basket unimpeded.
Perry Stephenson only played the last 6 minutes of the game but he was a huge surprise scoring 11 points, hitting a 3 from the top of the key and making his free throws. Calipari even commented on him after the game saying he earned more playing time.
Liggins didn’t get in the game at all and we assume something is up with him. It appears he might be about to transfer. It might be a good thing for his career personally, because he won’t play at the guard position in front of Wall or Bledsoe this season. And with the way Calipari recruits, we can’t see him playing over the kids coming next either. It’s a shame because we loved DeAndre coming out of HS.
To recap, UK is athletic and fun to watch. They are young, inexperienced and turnover prone as they continue to exhibit growing pains learning the dribble drive. Expect more of the same for the next couple of months. We see at least 2-3 losses before January. But you’ll want to watch UK every minute this season because extraordinary plays will happen. But if you do miss them, don’t worry, we’re pretty sure ESPN won’t.
