UK Fans of the Day Want Pregame Links

We are slowly but surely inching our way towards tonight’s 9 p.m. tip-off. Thankfully, we’ve got plenty of reading material to help pass the time. Here’s a rundown of national takes on the Cats to help stave off the yawns.

ESPN on Kentucky’s National Championship potential

Tonight’s game is ESPN’s “Sonic Blockbuster matchup,” so the Worldwide Leader’s college basketball team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway, and Joe Lunardi weighed in on the Cats vs. the Vols and Kentucky’s national championship potential. The panel was split on who wins tonight, mostly due to the uncertainty around TyTy Washington’s status. Similarly, all four agreed that if TyTy is healthy in March, the Cats are one of the top contenders to win it all.

Medcalf: “The Wildcats are legit and are fourth on my short list of national title contenders behind only Gonzaga, Auburn and Duke. Another national title in New Orleans — a decade after Anthony Davis led the Wildcats to their most recent championship in the same location — seems possible.”

Borzello: “Kentucky is probably my national champion pick if the NCAA tournament began tomorrow — assuming Washington (who hobbled off with an apparent ankle injury against Florida on Saturday) is healthy. I just think the Wildcats have a little bit of everything. Multiple playmakers, a few capable shooters, experience, a dominant big man and a defense that’s still getting better. Washington’s health is the key, though. Without him, they’re simply just another Final Four contender — if that.”

Gasaway: “I rank Kentucky alongside the likes of Purdue, Arizona, Auburn and Baylor in the ‘everyone a half step behind Gonzaga’ group of title contenders. Way up there, in other words.”

Lunardi: “If I had to bet a mortgage payment, give me the Zags against Kentucky this time. No idea who wins.”

Seth Greenberg: Kentucky has a higher ceiling than Duke

Elsewhere on ESPN, Seth Greenberg said he believes Kentucky has a higher ceiling than Duke thanks to Oscar Tshiebwe and valuable contributions from the bench.

Seth Davis puts Kentucky ahead of Auburn in his Top 25

Over at The Athletic, Seth Davis shared his Top 25 ballot, which has Gonzaga No. 1 followed by Kentucky at No. 2 and Auburn at No. 3. Here’s his reasoning behind putting the Cats above the Tigers:

Since I had Auburn at No. 2, I felt justified in sliding it down a notch. But I did that mostly because I think Kentucky is just that good. I truly believe the Wildcats were on their way to winning at Auburn before TyTy Washington left the game midway through the first half with an ankle injury. In another of Kentucky’s four losses (at LSU), the Cats also lost an important piece (Sahvir Wheeler) in the opening minutes. We’ll see how long Washington is out because of the lower leg injury he sustained against Florida on Saturday, but Kentucky is beating good teams in convincing fashion right now.

Seth Davis, The Athletic

Davis also has an article featuring anonymous coaches’ quotes on the top teams in college basketball, including Kentucky. One SEC coach called the Cats the “best team in our league,” noting how they “beat the sh*t” out of Kansas. You can read the entire thing if you have a subscription. In his weekly power rankings, Andy Katz also has Kentucky at No. 2 behind Gonzaga but put Arizona third and Auburn fourth.

Jon Rothstein on Kentucky vs. Tennessee

In his daily column, Rothstein writes that Tennessee is a “different team” than the one that lost to Kentucky by 28 at Rupp a month ago.

The Wildcats have won five SEC games in a row. The Vols have won seven SEC games in a row. Something’s gotta give tonight in Knoxville. Remember: Kentucky has yet to lose in 2022 when it’s been at full strength. One of its victories was a 28-point decimation of Tennessee on Jan. 15th at Rupp Arena. Rick Barnes’ squad appears to be a different team now versus then and has settled into a perimeter based attack that is based on speed and ball security. The Vols only turned the ball over nine times in Saturday’s win over Vanderbilt. Tennessee hasn’t been viewed up until this point as a Sweet 16 caliber team — that could change with a win tonight against Kentucky.

Jon Rothstein

Too many words?

Listen to Oscar Tshiebwe on Andy Katz’s podcast

Andy Katz named Oscar Tshiebwe his National Player of the Week yesterday and invited him on his podcast to break down Kentucky’s season so far. The interview doesn’t include much new material, but it’s always great to hear Oscar talk about how much he loves rebounding and being a Wildcat. He comes on around the 20-min mark.

35 minutes until tip…