The blame game is about to start in Lexington. Three losses in four games, a lopsided defeat in Florida, and looking up at South Carolina in the SEC wasn’t the plan for this mega-talented freshman class.
There are problems at Kentucky. A No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is a fantasy. A No. 2 seed may be out of the question, too, for the Wildcats (18-5). But don’t blame the freshmen. If anything, too much is being asked of Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, Edrice “Bam” Adebayo and Wenyen Gabriel.
Calipari’s best teams in his eight seasons with the Wildcats have been littered with one-and-done prospects, players so talented and yet poised they make the jump to the NBA after one year in Lexington. But the common denominator with those teams was experienced non-freshmen who could ease the pressure on the newcomers, there to lift them up in times like these.
When Kentucky won the national championship in 2011-12, sophomores Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones were a key part of the star-studded group that was led by freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The 2014-15 team that started 38-0 was remembered for first-year stars Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles and Devin Booker, but sophomores Aaron and Andrew Harrison and junior Willie Cauley-Stein were the glue. The 2013-14 runner-up had Cauley-Stein and sophomore forward Alex Poythress.
Those types of players were supposed to be on this season’s roster, in the form of sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe and senior forward Derek Willis. Yet Briscoe’s shooting issues limit him, and he struggled in Kentucky’s last three losses, averaging 9.6 points, five below his average, on 38 percent shooting. Willis, Kentucky’s second best 3-point shooter, also was a non-factor in the losses to Tennessee and Florida. Neither played well in the two earlier defeats.
In the Wildcats’ best win, over No. 12 North Carolina, Briscoe was one of the best players on the floor. In Tuesday’s overtime win over Georgia, he nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. In a win over South Carolina, Willis was instrumental, scoring 12 points along with seven rebounds.
Barring a collapse, the Wildcats still will get a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have the pieces to reach the Final Four, possessing skill inside and out few teams can match. But only if the freshmen get more help.
X Macks the spot
It’s not supposed to be this seamless. When you lose your best player and starting point guard, an adjustment period usually takes place. Only for Xavier — which lost point guard Edmond Sumner, a highly regarded NBA prospect, to a torn ACL last Sunday in a win at St. John’s — has thrived in the face of adversity, responding with gutty wins over Seton Hall and on the road at Creighton.
Freshman Quentin Goodin has been a revelation, a little used reserve-turned-starter who averaged 11.5 points, six assists and three steals in the two victories. Credit coach Chris Mack for making sure the youngster was ready. Remember, it’s not just Sumner whom Xavier doesn’t have. Senior Myles Davis was supposed to start alongside Sumner in the backcourt, but he played just three games after he was suspended following his arrest on domestic violence charges involving his ex-girlfriend and then left the team for good in late January.
Mack remade this team, from one relying on an elite frontcourt, to more of a perimeter-oriented group, after James Farr graduated and Jalen Reynolds turned pro. Mack adjusted to his talent, just like he adjusted to the Sumner injury, and has Xavier just a game behind Villanova in the loss column for the top spot in the Big East.
Still doubting Duke
The Duke-is-back narrative has begun after three wins in a row and four victories in five games. It’s too early. Sure, the Blue Devils won at No. 20 Notre Dame, but the other victories were over cellar-dweller Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Miami. And the Irish have slipped considerably, dropping four in a row. Let’s see what happens in Durham on Thursday night when conference leader North Carolina pays Duke a visit. That will be a true barometer.
No. 13 Oregon at No. 11 UCLA, Thursday, 10 p.m.
The first matchup was a classic, a track meet Oregon won on Dillon Brooks’ 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left. At the time, the Pac-12 opener for both teams, it was considered an upset, the Ducks coming off an underwhelming non-conference season. While they have surged, tied atop the conference after Saturday’s shellacking of Arizona, UCLA has struggled, its defense exposed in recent losses. The Bruins could regain their swagger they had prior to the first meeting with a victory over Oregon.
Up
Syracuse
The Orange’s abrupt turnaround, winning their last four games and upsetting No. 9 Virginia on Saturday, has caused a stir in college basketball, surprising many pundits. It shouldn’t. Jim Boeheim wasn’t creating unneeded pressure on his players when he said “this is the best team we’ve had in a long time” in the preseason. But too much was expected too soon. Graduate transfers Andrew White and John Gillon needed time to adjust to their new teammates, new surroundings and a new system. Freshman Tyus Battle had to find himself. Three of Boeheim’s best players entered the season with a combined zero minutes in Orange jerseys. They clicked later than expected, but the talent was always in place.
Angel Delgado
In a must-win game, with his team on the verge of falling out of the NCAA Tournament picture, the junior carried Seton Hall to an overtime victory at Georgetown, producing 26 points and 17 rebounds. The NCAA leader on the glass, averaging 13.1 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-9 forward should be an All-Big East first-team lock.
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Eventually, he has to address the rash of off-court issues within his program. At some point, Self has to explain forward Carlton Bragg getting busted for possession of drug paraphernalia, guard Lagerald Vick being the subject of school investigation that ruled he likely hit a female student in the arm multiple times and kicked her in the face late in 2015, and Vick and freshman Josh Jackson being looked at as a “person of interest” in the vandalism of the same woman’s car.
DePaul
While the new Big East has soared, DePaul has wilted, arguably the worst power conference team in the nation this year. The Blue Demons are 1-9 in the league and have dropped 27 of their last 31 conference games. At least a new arena is being built on campus, which should help recruiting. It can’t get any worse than the depressing vibe of Allstate Arena.
Projecting the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament:
1: Villanova, Gonzaga, Kansas, North Carolina
2: Baylor, Louisville, Oregon, UCLA
3: Kentucky, Cincinnati, Virginia, Purdue
4: West Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida, Florida State
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