Photo by Vicki Graff
Big Blue Nation won’t have heartache much longer following Kentucky’s 34-17 football loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday. On Tuesday night, the men’s basketball team will tip-off their season against their historic-rival Duke Blue Devils.
Head Coach John Calipari has assembled a team unlike Kentucky fans have ever seen during his decade of a tenure in Lexington, KY.
The nation’s second-ranked recruiting class joins three returning sophomores that started a majority of Kentucky’s games a season ago. A graduate transfer, who may indeed be the strongest player in the country, is the cherry-on-top for Calipari’s ball club.
There hasn’t been an official starting lineup released, but expect freshman guard Immanuel Quickley to take the reigns at point guard. At shooting guard, Calipari will mostly likely start returning-sophomore Quade Green. The front-court becomes tricky, as Kentucky is as talented as anyone in the country.
Freshman Keldon Johnson seems the most logical decision at small forward on Tuesday, though returning-sophomore PJ Washington could see some run there later in the season if Johnson slides to SG. Washington will most likely start at power forward with fellow returning-sophomore Nick Richards at center.
Grad-transfer Reid Travis is the wild card when it comes to the starting front court, as he’s becoming more comfortable in Calipari’s system as the days pass. There’s arguably not a harder working basketball player in college basketball, so expect Travis to land his handful of starts as well.
Off the bench, reclassifying-freshman Ashton Hagans should attain the backup PG position. Freshman Tyler Herro will most likely find himself as the backup SG, too. Jemarl Baker, who missed all of last season due to nagging injuries, has yet to be clarified if he’ll see action or not. That leaves Travis, who can play both PF & C.
For the Blue Devils, the trio of Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson headlined the top-three overall recruits that made up the top-overall recruiting class.
All three will surely start with Duke’s inexperienced veterans surrounding them.
In what is expected to potentially be the game of the season on opening night, jitters will most likely effect both sides. However, Kentucky’s veterans that made their Sweet Sixteen run a season ago should be fully prepared for the atmosphere they’ll face.
With both teams’ focal points being in their front-courts, foul trouble could become a reality throughout the contest. If so, Kentucky will have the upper-hand over Duke due to their extreme amount of depth across the board.
Kentucky has opened as a one-point favorite, with the last three matchups averaging a decision that is less than a point. Expect Tuesday night’s game to be a close battle with the Wildcats having the edge due to depth, experience and shooting from the outside.
Tip-off is set for 9:30 EDT on CBS in Indianapolis, IN.
