ESPN can't stop talking about Kentucky Basketball

After Tuesday and Wednesday night’s games saw upsets all over the country, Kentucky Basketball continues to hold firm. The Wildcats are 2-0 to start Southeastern Conference play and boast one of the nation’s most lethal offenses. Ranked No. 6 in the latest AP Poll, Kentucky will jump even higher if they can take care of Texas A&M on the road this weekend.

There’s a lot to love about John Calipari’s group right now. The Big Blue Nation has known this for months now. But that love is now spreading rapidly to the national level. In particular, the folks over at ESPN can’t stop talking about Kentucky.

After Jay Bilas talked up the ‘Cats on Wednesday, the worldwide leader dropped two articles on Thursday morning that showered Kentucky with even more praise. In ESPN’s “Midseason Predictions” post, panelists of analysts talked plenty about UK. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Jeff Borzello claims Kentucky will make a Final Four run this season, calling the ‘Cats his “surprise” pick come March.
• Myron Medcalf also has Kentucky making the Final Four: “Calipari with real NBA prospects usually ends with a deep run.”
• All three of Medcalf, John Gasaway, and Joe Lunardi picked freshman guard Reed Sheppard as “Newcomer of the Year”.
• Borzello, Gasaway, and Medcalf all believe the SEC will be the most competitive conference at the top. They highlighted Kentucky, Tennessee, and Auburn as teams contending for the crown.

Also on Thursday, John Gasaway wrote about the best three-point shooters in college hoops this season. As you could have guessed, it didn’t take long for Reed Sheppard’s name to come up. The rookie guard is shooting 53.6 percent from beyond the arc this season on 4.0 attempts per game.

“UK’s breakout star is posting a 3-point percentage that would of course be very good even inside the arc,” Gasaway said. “Yet in Sheppard’s hands each of these makes is worth 50% more. That adds up, and the Wildcats have reaped the benefit.”

The vibes are high in Lexington right now. If Kentucky can take care of Texas A&M on the road this Saturday, they’ll continue to go up.