Written by Ryan Palencer at Bloguin
Tuesday night in Chicago, college basketball observers gained a lot of information on two of the superpowers in the sport. The big question is if Tuesday’s revelations will still hold true in the middle of March… and perhaps early April.
In the first heavyweight contest of the season, Kentucky showed that it is clearly better than Duke.
The Wildcats were faster, more athletic, and smoother. If not for Duke getting some putbacks and dominating on the offensive boards at times, it would have been run completely out of the United Center.
It was impossible to tell that Kentucky lost seven players from the 2014-2015 team. The game was not nearly as close as the seven-point margin indicated. Kentucky does not have the depth it owned did last season, but it is possible that no other team in NCAA history could match that level of depth, either.
Say this much: the 2015-2016 version has reloaded.
It is clear that Kentucky likes to get out and run. The Wildcats are at their best when they’re able to create a one-on-one game and beat opponents off the dribble. The backcourt trio of Tyler Ulis, Isaiah Briscoe, and Jamal Murray will be difficult to defend all season long. Against Duke, the three guards scored 18, 16, and 12 points, respectively. Moreover, each player played solid defense against the Blue Devils. Ulis is a proven commodity on that end of the floor, but the other two seem to fit as well.
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