After Kentucky’s flip-the-script 63-56 win at fifth-ranked Tennessee on Saturday, five questions for the reborn Wildcats:
1. Can Kentucky keep it going?
That’s the overriding question. Saturday’s win was as impressive as it was unexpected. Especially on defense. UK shot 35.5 percent, but forced Tennessee to miss 18 of its 21 three-point attempts. The Cats pounded UT on the boards 43-23.
One signature win does not a season make, however. Think last season. Kentucky obliterated the Vols 107-79 in Rupp Arena, then lost at Auburn two games later. Kentucky smashed eventual national champ Kansas 80-62 in January, then lost to Saint Peter’s in the first round of March Madness.
Is Kentucky the Kentucky we saw at Thompson-Boling Arena? Or is Kentucky the Kentucky we saw pre-Tennessee?
2. What changed for Kentucky defensively?
Before Saturday, Kentucky ranked 90th in adjusted defensive efficiency by Ken Pomeroy’s computer. After Saturday, the Cats ranked 66th. Before Saturday, UK ranked 62nd in the NCAA NET rankings. After Saturday, the Cats jumped to 45th.
Before Saturday, John Calipari insisted this should be a good defensive team. Saturday, we finally saw it. Cal’s strategy was to not help center Oscar Tshiebwe on the defensive end. Thus UT center Uros Plavsic scored 19 points. Plavsic’s teammates scored just 37, however. The 56 points tied Tennessee’s season low.
“There’s obviously a lot of things I’m disappointed with our guys,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “But you have to give Kentucky all the credit in the world. Coming off, obviously, a tough loss and they won the game. They won it.”
Kentucky did benefit from UT missing easy shots at the rim. Still, this was UK’s most cohesive defensive performance.
“One, it was fight,” UK’s Jacob Toppin said on Saturday. “But also we always talk about talking, but one thing with talking, you also have to listen. And we had some guys not listening on defense in previous games. Today we had collective group where we were talking and listening.”
3. How big a key is a healthy CJ Fredrick?
After missing last season with a leg injury, CJ Fredrick spent more time in the training room this campaign. A dislocated finger caused him to miss all but three minutes of UK’s loss at Missouri. He sat out the Louisville, LSU, and Alabama games while the finger healed.
Fredrick’s return has been timely and impactful. Even with a bandaged hand, Fredrick played 37 minutes. He was 4 of 11 from the floor, including 3 of 9 from three-point range. He committed just two turnovers. He was what he was before transferring from Iowa, a steady/heady player who poses a perimeter threat. Moving forward, the Cats need more of that.
4. How does UK deal with the return of Sahvir Wheeler?
Kentucky’s senior point guard, Sahvir Wheeler, missed Saturday’s game because of a shoulder injury suffered in practice. Then Kentucky went out and earned its best win of the season, on the road, over a top-5 team.
Calipari started Cason Wallace at the point in Knoxville. The freshman was limited to 22 minutes by foul and back trouble, however. Fredrick took a turn at running the offense. So did, improbably, freshman Adou Thiero.
So what happens when Wheeler returns? Is he back in the starting lineup? Will Calipari stick with the rotation that vanquished the Vols? Or will the head coach find a hybrid model that incorporates different players at the point? Stay tuned.
5. Will UK suffer a letdown against Georgia?
Georgia visits Rupp Arena on Tuesday for a 9 p.m. tipoff. The Bulldogs aren’t world-beaters, but they are 3-1 in the SEC. They own a 76-64 win over then No. 22 Auburn and earned a 62-58 victory at Ole Miss on Saturday. They’ve won six of their last seven games.
New Georgia coach Mike White is the old Florida coach. He knows Kentucky. During his Gainesville run, White was 4-10 vs. Calipari. He has a terrific player in Terry Roberts, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Bradley who is averaging 15.6 points and 4.2 assists per game. The Dawgs won’t just roll over on Tuesday.
