Kentucky Basketball Report Card Heading Into SEC Play
Kentucky basketball has concluded its slew of games against non-Power Five opponents, ending the first chapter of the 2022-23 regular season with a polarizing 88-68 victory over Florida A&M on Wednesday.
The Wildcats will enter SEC play with an 8-3 record, having mostly squashed their inferior opponents, while seeming inferior to the other big programs they've played up to this point.
Head coach John Calipari cautioned Big Blue Nation from the get-go to be weary of his team not reaching that level for the first couple months of the season, and he was clearly right to do so.
From the collapse in the Champions Classic against Michigan State, to the slog in Spokane against Gonzaga, to the complete offensive malfunction last Saturday inside The Garden against UCLA, there have been some clear errors that have hindered the Wildcats.
Barring a dominant run in SEC play, a top seed in the NCAA Tournament appears to already be out of the window.
With 20 games remaining in the regular season, let dish out some grades during the holiday break as Kentucky gears up for the next chapter of its quest for that elusive ninth national championship:
OFFENSE: D+
There's two ways you can look at the Wildcats on offense thus far: Take into account statistics from all 12 games, or just the four games against P5 competition.
UK is currently averaging 78.7 points-per-game. Against the big four teams (Michigan State, Gonzaga, Michigan, UCLA) the number dips down 10 points to 68.75. Insert just about offensive statistic and you'll be met with a similar result. Things look pretty solid when you take into account the Howard's and South Carolina State's of the world, but not so much when you dive into the games that matter.
Free-throw shooting. It's pretty bad, no matter how many times Calipari says otherwise. The 66.5 percent mark is the 293rd-best mark in the nation. Six players are currently under the 65 percent mark individually, while just two are above 75 percent. If not fixed, missed free throws will be one of, if not the reason the Cats get knocked out of March Madness.
So many times already this season the Cats have failed to really get out of first gear. Scoring droughts occur at least once a game, preventing even most of the games against mid-majors from becoming blowouts. There is a true lack of consistency if everything from running plays successfully, to the rotations on the court, to simply putting the ball in the basket.
Good defenses have solved the puzzle rather easily thus far. Changes need to be made moving forward. We saw some in the win over Florida A&M, but they need to translate against legitimate competition.
DEFENSE: B+...ish
If not for stout defense, the season would look much, much worse for the Cats.
Opponents are averaging 64.4 PPG and shooting around 39 percent from the floor. If you take away the Gonzaga game — and whatever Florida A&M did to shoot over 50 percent on Wednesday — then you see a physical group that usually does well to limit teams in transition and in the fast break category.
UK has a total rebound margin of plus-87, which is an average of plus-7.9 per-game. It averages 13.6 turnovers forced and is top-100 in the nation in steals-per-game at 8.0. The Cats are also 32nd in the country in blocks at 5.1 a night.
Points have to be docked for the multiple defensive miscues against Sparty, as it cost Kentucky a win, which could've given this team very different mojo going into the end of November and onward. What Gonzaga was able to do came rather easily in an 88-point performance, but only those two teams have eclipsed 70 points against the Wildcats this season, and MSU need overtime to get there.
Kentucky's defense gets overlooked, simply because of how bad the offense has been. Sure, you held UCLA to 63 points, but you only managed 53 yourself. They say defense wins championships, but it appears as though that can only take this team so far.
We'll see how things hold up moving into SEC play when the real challenges start to roll in on a weekly basis.
JOHN CALIPARI: D
Going back to what I mentioned earlier, I find it somewhat hard to fully fault Calipari for the woes so far. The man made a video before the campaign started telling everyone that this was a possibility.
That doesn't mean it's a good excuse, though. What exactly is this offense that's being ran?
Dribble, dribble, dribble, a couple of passes, failed entry pass, settle for a bad shot. How many times has that happened this year? I'm not sure you have enough time to count.
Calipari is still a ways away from figuring out what that end of game rotation is going to look like come March. He still doesn't know what position he wants some of his players to play...we are a day away from Christmas.
His optimism remains at an all-time high, however. He's not panicking, he isn't budging, he has confidence in his team, you know the drill. Whether that's just blowing smoke or genuine credence, Calipari is looking at the situation through rose colored glasses.
Something needs to change with what's happening on the court, and that all starts with the hall of fame skipper on the sideline.
CASON WALLACE: A
After dropping 27 in the win over Florida A&M, Wallace solidified his gold star status up to this point.
His 11.8 PPG, 4.0 APG and 3.9 RPG have been vital to what success UK has had. The eight steals against MSU, the dagger 3-pointer in the lone big win of the season over Michigan, he's had some big moments. Who expected a 50 percent 3-point percentage thus far?
This is no dig at Sahvir Wheeler, but its clear that in end-of-game scenarios, Wallace needs to be the man running the offense with the basketball in his hands. I can't give him full marks, however, because 54 percent from the free-throw line is horrid.
Otherwise, Diaper Dandy indeed.
SAHVIR WHEELER: C+
I don't know that there's been a more polarizing player at Kentucky in quite some time.
You look at the numbers and see 8.8 PPG and 5.25 APG. Sometimes Wheeler looks like the true catalyst to UK's offense being superior, and other times you wonder what he's trying to do when the ball is around him. The reality is somewhere in the middle.
He's a dime machine and has a motor that's tough for defenses to keep up with. To argue that he should be relegated to bench minutes is laughable, but I don't know that having him and Wallace out on the court together late in games is the best idea.
Wheeler is in a tough spot, but I still consider him an important piece to UK moving forward. He just has to find that next level in his game. Again, the free-throw shooting is also a point-deductor.
ANTONIO REEVES: B+
Reeves came out with a bang, scoring 22 and 18 points in his first two outings as a Wildcat. That perhaps set an unrealistic expectation for what he was going to be night-in and night-out for the Cats, though it doesn't mean it isn't reachable.
He has been a microcosm of UK's season. Against mid-majors, Reeves averages 15.5 PPG. Against P5 programs, just 8.0 PPG, most recently capped off by a 2-13 shooting night against UCLA.
When he's hot, give him the basketball. The Illinois State transfer is a game-changer for UK when the three-ball is falling. Reeves has been everything as advertised and then some for the Cats so far, he just has to find consistency when it matters most.
CJ FREDRICK: D
This season has not gone the way that many envisioned for Fredrick. In the UCLA loss, he was relegated to the bench, playing just six minutes on the floor.
He found his stride a bit against FAMU, but it feels hard to put any stock in that particular game moving forward. While Reeves can still add something to the game when he isn't making shots, the same currently can't be said for Fredrick.
Five games this year have seen him make just one shot or less. That can't happen when the thing you're supposed to bring to this team is...making shots. He also started off hot, but dropped off rather quickly, especially in December.
All shooters go through slumps, and there's a very real chance that Fredrick's season comes alive when it matters most. But for now, expectations have not been met.
CHRIS LIVINGSTON: B
Livingston has already shown so much progression through 12 games as a true freshman. 6.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG are far from mind-blowing numbers, but he shined in his first real opportunity in New York City against the Bruins, dropping 14 points, trying his best to carry UK offensively.
It appears as though he won't be playing the '4' spot very much anymore, but he clearly needs to play more minutes. What exactly his role will be moving forward is a good question, but if he continues to improve in 2023, Calipari will have no choice but to involve him as much as possible.
There are still some questions defensively, but we'll find the real answers to those if he has enough time on the court to consistently show what he's capable of.
JACOB TOPPIN: D-
There's been a lot of blame passed onto Toppin for his play this season. It feels warranted, but was there too much pressure placed on the senior to "breakout"?
In the lead-up to the season, all you heard was that this was the season that he was going to elevate his game and bump up that NBA Draft stock. The opposite has happened.
10.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.5 APG is not close to the bar that was set. He's 3-20 from the 3-point line and 63 percent from the free-throw line. Not great.
Defensively, even Toppin's admitted at times this season that's been a step behind. Calipari is pushing him to reach new levels, but it's nowhere to be found. The athleticism is there, the tangibles are there, but the results aren't.
Point blank, Kentucky needs Toppin to make a big leap if it wants to continue any title aspirations.
DAIMION COLLINS: D
Collins has become an odd-man out, and it feels harsh to criticize his play this year based off what transpired before the beginning of the season.
Looking back at the exhibitions, he was landing jump shots, elevating to the rim and seemed to be someone who was going to be essential coming off the bench. Now, he looks lost when he's out on the floor, and it feels like the rest button needs to be hit.
Who knows what Calipari will get out of the sophomore moving forward.
OSCAR TSHIEBWE: B+
Oscar Tshiebwe is still a machine, but doesn't it feel like there's a little extra 'oomph' that's missing this season?
Granted, he's still averaging 15 PPG and 13 RPG, so take it all with a grain of salt, because he's doing just fine.
He showcased that National Player of the Year talent in the win over Yale, dropping 28 points, taking over in the second half. Again pointing towards games against better teams, he has faced the kitchen sink and been nullified a tad.
Maybe he's still not fully 100 percent because of the knee procedure that he had done in October, but Kentucky needs him to get back to his 2021-22 season form, as there's not much consistent offensive production going around.
LANCE WARE: B-
How about Lance?
No, seriously. Take a step back and think about Ware's role right now. Needing him to bring toughness at the '4' spot next to Tshiebwe should tell you all you need to know about where the Wildcats currently stand.
Ware is still a bit of an offensive liability, but what he's done in the last two games needs to be commended. His improvement with more minutes across conference play will be something to monitor.
UGONNA ONYENSO, ADOU THIERO: C...by default
Lumping the freshmen together here, simply because of sample size. We've seen Onyenso way more than Thiero, but there's still much to be found out about them both, and it likely won't come this season.
Onyenso made his mark in the win over Michigan, holding his own in the paint against a tough frontcourt, but he's also looked like a freshman out there at times in other games. His sheer size is unteachable and will earn him the occasional look.
As for Thiero, Calipari has consistently praised his progression, saying he'll make an impact in the world of college hoops one day. When he has gotten to play, he doesn't look lost and knows what we wants to accomplish.
The time for both will come in due time.
Kentucky will return to the hardwood on Dec. 28, taking on the 11-1 Missouri Tigers in Columbia. Tip is set for 7 p.m. EST and will air on the SEC Network.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
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