Kentucky still looking for perfect lineup in crunch time

It has been no secret that John Calipari has been experimenting with different lineups through the first five games of the 2020-21 season. In fact, the Kentucky head coach has used 54 different combinations on the floor this season. When diving into the numbers, it felt only necessary to break down each of the 54 different lineups to see which has had the most success. [table id=613 /] As the graphic shows, the lineup of Devin Askew, Brandon Boston, Terrence Clarke, Isaiah Jackson, and Olivier Sarr has been used the most. They have appeared on the floor together 18 times. During those 18 appearances, their plus/minus is only +5 and they average just 0.27 points per appearance, meaning that the group as a whole adds just, on average, 0.27 points to the scoring margin every time they play a stretch together. The grouping that has the highest positive point total is Askew, Clarke, Jackson, Sarr, and Davion Mintz. When playing together, the game has swung in a +15 margin; the only group with a margin in double digits. At the same time, there have been three combos that have allowed -7 points across their appearances, tied for the worst overall plus/minus. In the season opener against Morehead State, Calipari used 21 different lineups and only used the same lineup three times. Against Richmond, there were only five new combinations, but the Kansas game saw 22 new groupings. The Georgia Tech game had seven new lineups while only one different lineup was used in yesterday's loss to Notre Dame. So what does all of this mean? Well, it shows which lineups have had the most success and which haven't had any success, but it also shows Calipari is beginning to finalize his rotations and has his favorite groups. Which one will be the best come March? Only time will tell.