Kentucky's season-opening loss to Duke sparks optimism, not concern

John Calipari constructed a roster this past offseason unlike anything he has built in his time at Kentucky. It’s one that includes 13,385 minutes, 5,203 points, 1,917 rebounds, 1,132 assists and 543 3-pointers in total college basketball production. He only signed three high school recruits — two being five-stars — compared to four incoming transfers.

The unprecedented roster presented different and new expectations. The team lacked top-end superstar talent — Kentucky missed on the likes of Paolo Banchero, Jaden Hardy and Jalen Duren — but added four highly-productive transfers, all juniors or older. It also returned three key pieces from last year’s roster, Davion Mintz, Keion Brooks Jr. and Jacob Toppin, one sixth-year graduate and two juniors. Where it fell short in future top-5 draft selections and star power, the Wildcats made up for it with depth, skill and veteran leadership.

That was the expectation, at least.

Duke’s freshmen outplay Kentucky’s veterans

In a battle of star freshmen vs. veteran production, it was the young talent that won out under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden in the Champions Classic. Duke‘s Banchero and Trevor Keels combined for an absurd 47 points on 17-29 shooting, both scoring at will against Kentucky’s older pieces. It was the Wildcats who played out of control, took bad shots and struggled defensively throughout the night. The poise wasn’t what you’d imagine for a team combining for 13,385 minutes of past Division I production.

Sahvir Wheeler finished with seven turnovers, including five in the second half. Keion Brooks Jr. played just 17 minutes after struggling to guard Banchero. Grady gave Kentucky three major 3-pointers to keep the Wildcats in the game at various points, but struggled to do much outside of those catch-and-shoot opportunities. Mintz finished just 2-7 from the field with a team-low -8 in plus/minus. Lance War contributed just two points and two rebounds in nine minutes of action. Toppin impressed defensively and rebounded well (six), but added just four points on 2-6 shooting.

Wheeler had his standout moments — he still finished with 16 points and 10 assists — but Oscar Tshiebwe was the only consistent veteran piece on the roster from start to finish. Ending with 17 points (8-14 FG, 1-1 FT), 19 rebounds (12 offensive), two blocks, one assist, one steal and just three fouls, the 6-foot-9 center was better than advertised and truly a game-changer inside. Without his presence on the glass and in clean-up scoring opportunities, Kentucky wouldn’t have stood a chance.

But he did. And they did.

Wildcats make a run

With Kentucky leading 48-47 with 16:33 to go in the game, Duke went on a 22-6 run to turn the one point deficit into a 15 point lead in just over seven minutes. From there, though, UK clawed back to make it a four point game with 6:07 to go, an 11-0 run of its own.

The Blue Devils responded with some tough makes on the other end to hold off the Wildcats’ comeback efforts, but UK showed they had it in them during that stretch. They built on momentum and made big shots when they needed to without letting go of the rope, a common Calipari talking point turned reality.

It’s why there was a clear level of confidence when the UK head coach took the podium after the loss. There was no defeat in his mannerisms or voice. Instead, he was throwing jokes, embracing his players with one arm on each shoulder, poking jabs at himself and telling old stories. He wasn’t happy with the loss, but he clearly wasn’t mad, hurt or even disappointed.

“This was a moment kind of game and for us to be in that game when our better players did not play well and their two really good players played really well and we had a chance to win,” said Calipari. “That’s crazy.”

Competing through adversity

And you know what? It is pretty crazy. Kentucky didn’t really play well and the team’s flaws were exposed on the national stage. Interior depth and defense is an issue, the four spot is far too inconsistent and rotations are still a major work in progress. But through the struggles, they were right in the thick of things when it mattered most.

TyTy Washington is among the very few players on this roster with upper-tier star potential and likely the lone lottery pick on the team. If you were to tell me before tip he would shoot 3-14 from the field in 28 minutes in a game Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels combined for 47 points, I would’ve anticipated a repeat of Kentucky’s blowout loss to Duke in 2018. But UK proved it doesn’t always need Washington to go nuts from three to compete. The same can be said about the team’s other core pieces and their biggest strengths.

With the team’s ridiculous amount of depth — CJ Fredrick and Dontaie Allen didn’t even get to play — there’s no one player on the roster you have to rely on to will this team to victory. On any given night, someone is going to give you something, likely at least a few someones and somethings.

Kentucky has the pieces

Tshiebwe is going to deal with foul trouble at times, Wheeler is going to turn the ball over, Washington, Grady and Mintz are going to miss shots. Every player on the roster will struggle at times. But when you have as many solid pieces as Kentucky has, the odds of everyone having an off night are slim to none.

Last night was the perfect example of that scenario unfolding. On college basketball’s biggest and brightest stage, Kentucky played poorly in most areas. They shot just 38% from the field, turned the ball over 13 times and struggled defensively. It was the perfect storm of individual miscues and team errors. Even Calipari admitted he made some coaching mistakes that contributed to the loss.

But through it all, Kentucky had a shot to win late, a positive sign for the remainder of the season.

“I like this team.”

“Be patient with these kids,” Calipari wrote on social media. “I made some errors last night that cost us, but our effort was off the charts. I loved our fight and our competitive spirit. We’ve got some guys that will have to learn from last night, but I am confident they will! I like this team!”

UK won’t play a tougher frontcourt the rest of the season than the one it faced Tuesday evening. They won’t play in a bigger spotlight than the one they played under at Madison Square Garden in Coach K’s first game of his farewell tour. Shooting will improve and issues with the rotation will work themselves out.

If there’s nowhere to go but up from here, that’s a pretty high floor for this team. The season-opening loss stings, but it’s one that should spark optimism, not doubt.