Tom Crean has the solutions to Kentucky Basketball's problems

I bet you didn’t wake up wondering what Tom Crean thinks about Kentucky’s early exit from the NCAA Tournament. Even so, I have the answer.

Crean, who coached against Kentucky at Indiana and Georgia and now works as a college basketball analyst, shared his thoughts on this year’s Wildcats during an appearance on the KSR Preshow with Billy Rutledge this morning. Crean said he doesn’t believe youth was the primary issue Kentucky lost in the first round, but rather roster makeup, particularly at the four spot.

“I think it’s just all about balance,” Crean said, pointing out that Kentucky did have veterans this year in Antonio Reeves and Tre Michell. “I think the one thing John [Calipari] didn’t have that he used to have this year, that’s so good, is he didn’t have that four-man that changes the game form where he can post them, he’s a three-point threat, he’s a driver.”

“If John adds to what he has with that team now and keeps some of that team intact with the freshman that he has, adds some people that can move without the ball, adds some people that can shoot, but truly adds a four-man.”

At times, Kentucky did have that guy in Justin Edwards. The freshman wing was inconsistent, but when he played well, was a difference-maker. Kentucky was 12-2 in games in which Edwards scored in double figures. His career high of 28 points came in the Cats’ 117-95 win over Alabama, a team currently in the Final Four. Edwards scored in double figures in three of the next four games, dropping 16 points, including four threes, in Kentucky’s win at Tennessee.

Speaking of Tennessee, a player who scored 40 points in that game in Knoxville was Crean’s example of what Kentucky needed the most this season.

“You look at what Dalton Knecht did at Tennessee, right? They still had younger players. They had older players, they had younger players, they had a good mix, but he changed the game.

“Now John doesn’t necessarily need a Dalton Knecht, but he needs a four-man that can have that type of impact — not maybe average 25 points a game; it’s not necessarily about that. It’s more about, can he impact the team and make everybody better because from where I sat watching all these games, that was the one thing they didn’t have.”

From there, Crean brought up Kentucky’s abhorrent pick-and-role defense and substitution patterns as “tweaks and adjustments” that can be made. The one thing he doesn’t think Calipari should change — and we all agree on this — is the offense. Kentucky led the country in three-point shooting this past season at 40.9%, but three of the Cats’ top shooters — Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard, and Rob Dillingham, could all be playing in the NBA next fall. Crean said replacing them and finding a solid four-man will be key to success in 2024-25.

“Obviously, what you don’t want to do is you don’t want to take away the shooting that he had this year,” Crean said. “And even if you lose some guys off that team, which invariably they will to the draft, you don’t want to lose the ability to have that spacing and have that shooting. Because I think he’s really on to something with what he’s doing offensively.

“But you need that four-man. You need some veterans that you can put around those freshmen. And I think he can find a way to have a really good balance because he’s got some of the best freshmen in the country coming and he’s also at a place where he can add some of the best people from the portal in the country. So, it’s really a good place to be, I think.”

Hopefully, another Dalton Knecht is hanging around the portal. For more from Crean, who also shared his thoughts on the Final Four and the Kentucky-Indiana series returning, listen to the interview below or wherever you find your podcasts.