Young Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team falls short vs. Kansas

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team fell short to the Kansas Jayhawks in the Champions Classic on Tuesday, but this team is very young and should improve as the season progesses.

After lackluster wins against Utah Valley and Vermont, fans were worried about how the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats basketball men’s team would handle the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic in Chicago, Ill. Although the Wildcats did fall short and were defeated 65-61, the young team did give the Jayhawks a good game.

Freshman forward Kevin Knox played a great game in the Wildcats’ first real test of the season. Knox struggled in his first two games with the Wildcats, but he did not let that stop him from scoring on one of the top five teams in the nation.

The freshman scored less than 15 points in Kentucky’s first two games against Utah Valley and Vermont. Against the Jayhawks, Knox scored 20 points and had seven rebounds. Knox was also three for six on three-pointers, while the rest of the team was zero for seven.

Kentucky struggled early in the game. The Wildcats were down by eleven at one point in the first half. However, by halftime, Kansas was leading by only one point. But turnovers ultimately ended up costing Kentucky the game. The Wildcats committed 18 turnovers.

Kentucky made mistakes, but that can be expected from a young team, especially when playing in such a big game. Kentucky started five freshmen players, and there are no seniors listed on the team roster. However, Knox did look much improved from his first two games, and as the season goes on he and the other freshmen will continue to develop.

The Wildcats do have a lot of work to do, but this early-season challenge may be exactly what they needed to realize their crucial areas of improvement. Head coach John Calipari even admitted in his postgame press conference that he has a lot to teach his young team.

Kentucky does not play another ranked team until they face the No. 23 UCLA Bruins on Dec. 23. After this close loss to Kansas and with plenty of time to work through their weaknesses, the Wildcats should be much more prepared for the Bruins next month.  

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Kentucky was not the only team in the SEC to face struggles this week. Vanderbilt lost to Belmont earlier in the week. However, the SEC did have a strong opening night with the conference going 13-0 on Friday. Overall, the conference is off to a strong start to this season.