Between Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and MI State-three of the four made the 2015 Final Four-a lot of talent consistently flows throughout each program. In the race to replace a flotilla of first-round draft picks, the ‘Cats are way ahead. A Chicago product who didn’t start a game last season, Ulis played all 40 minutes, scored a career-high 18 points with six assists, zero turnovers and four rebounds to lead Kentucky’s balanced offense. Murray kicked it off with a layup and a dunk, and Skal Labissiere’s layup made it 49-38 with 14:48 left. He was ranked 28 overall by Rivals, and he was simply overshadowed by others in what proved to be one of the best recruiting classes ever. Kentucky does not have the depth it owned did last season, but it is possible that no other team in NCAA history could match that level of depth, either.
Advertisement
Calipari wins that one.
While a majority of the success of Kentucky’s 74-63 win over Duke in Chicago on Tuesday was because of the fantastic guard play by Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe, the Wildcats’ big men played well too. He might be evolving into the go-to guy for the Dukies this season, though they do have five guys averaging double figures, including freshmen Brandon Ingram and Luke Kennard.
Marcus Lee had 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots for Kentucky, and Alex Poythress finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
“Well I played pretty well previous year when I went home”. Kentucky scored 17 points off turnovers.
“I think the road is a blessing to us”, Wiggins said, according to the AP. “The gene-pool was good, (God) didn’t give him height, but gave him a heart that’s five times bigger than most people”. Duke’s most explosive driver attacked the basket the same way he did last weekend against Siena and Bryant-when he combined to score 54 points-but Kentucky’s length was waiting for him every time, ready to turn away his shot with a forceful rejection or alter his release just enough to send the ball bouncing harmlessly off the rim. “He’s got great balance”. Even though he’s short he’s got long arms. And he’s got poise. “We have five really good perimeter players and you should just be strong with the ball”.
“It doesn’t look like he gets exhausted. He’s in complete control of his team”. Competing against him, I admired his presence throughout the game and his face throughout the game. “They’re good, really good”.
With skilled running mates, Ulis could be an entertaining blur leading the break this season.
“We’re going to be trouble in a fast-paced game like this”, Ulis said.
Duke will take on Kentucky as part of the Champions Classic on Tuesday night. He finished with 12 points, 10 boards and six blocks, a performance that was eerily reminiscent of Brian Zoubek, the senior center that came out of nowhere to arguably be the MVP of the 2010 national title team. “The game is slower for him”.
A master of intelligent basketball, Krzyzewski’s great focus on guidance and young professionalism at Duke is now the flawless priming point for emerging stars.
The best is definitely yet to come however as this week’s action features a pair of big-time matchups for college hoops fans to salivate over. But so, too, have the Cavaliers, which have struggled all year to make timely stops and money plays. That’s a very good sign for Duke moving forward. This team clearly will operate on a different time frame – or simply won’t be that good. “We have to play hard and go from there”.
“We’ve been together for a month and a half, and it’s a brand new team”. “That’s what we’re trying to do”.
But if we’re going to call it like it is, if we’re going to really be honest here, than the fact of the matter is this: Duke was overrated entering the season. “We’re playing hard out there but we have to play hard together, not just as a bunch of individuals”.
Advertisement
And so, now that the envelope has been opened, if you’re Kentucky, what you’ve got is quite a lot. The Wildcats are way out in front early.
