By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
There was hardly talk of a perfect season, although the question came up once during Kentucky’s annual media day outing Wednesday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum.
Believe it or not, Las Vegas has the odds already placed on the chances of the Wildcats putting together an undefeated campaign after running the table during the regular season last year. The Wildcats ended with a 38-1 record and one game shy of reaching the NCAA national championship game for the second year in a row.
“Someone came up to me when I was out there and said, ‘you know, you’re 30-1 to go 40-0,’” Calipari said. “‘What? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.’”
At least for now, Calipari isn’t placing any bets on his seventh team emulating the same success his sixth Wildcat squad enjoyed a year ago. The Kentucky coach has already experienced a few bumps in the road, with preseason injuries to veterans Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis. Both players were on track to play a role on this year’s squad considering the overflow of newcomers, compared to the mixture of freshmen and sophomores on last year’s team.
Along with the preseason injuries to two of his most experienced players, it’s not known if freshman Skal Labissiere will play this season. Labissiere’s amateur career is under review by the NCAA. Calipari wasn’t in the mood to talk about Labissiere’s status and preferred not to discuss the situation. Calipari did say it’s not unusual for players to be reviewed by the college governing body.
“Every year we’ve been here, players go through the review,” said Calipari, adding that five players faced the same scenario a year ago. “You won’t believe this. It’s always the best players who go through the review.”
Until he gets a handle on his team, the Kentucky coach predicts the first month of the season won’t be an easy task. The non-conference slate features Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago, Ohio State, UCLA and Louisville.
“In November it’s going to be kind of ugly,” he said.
Don’t expect this team to be so deep it will have to be split into platoon rotation. Although the system was a success last year, it wasn’t as simple as it appeared.
“It’s very hard to coach that way – there’s a balance between making sure everyone eats and winning,” Calipari said. “We kind of figured it out but it was really hard. That the players really have to trust you as a coach … it was really difficult, it was really difficult.”
For a team that relied heavily on post play and Karl-Anthony Towns last year, things could be much different this season, considering the squad is loaded with talent on the perimeter. Don’t be surprised if the offense, especially early, is of the three-guard variety.
“Our guard play is really, really good,” Calipari said. “Then I just have to make a decision at some point do we play three, how much do we play three guards, how do we play if we’re playing three guards, how do we defend if we’re playing three guards? I mean, there’s a lot of things that we have to come to grips with.”
It’s so early in the game, Calipari isn’t sure who will be in the rotation, but has three to four guys in mind who will be part of the starting cast. One of those players is 5-foot-9 point guard Tyler Ulis, whom the Kentucky coach called his team’s “floor general.”
“He really — he may be the best floor general — I’m not saying the best guard but the best floor general I’ve ever coached,” Calipari said. “And I’m not saying he’s Derek Rose, and he’s John Wall and he’s Brandon Knight and he’s — you could go on and on, all the point guards I’ve had. Tyreke Evans. They’re all different. This kid is a floor general.”
Although it’s uncertain what to expect from the Wildcats this season, the expectations haven’t changed and carry over year to year. The only thing different is the faces on the team, adding to new challenges.
“I’m going to have to build up guys,” Calipari said. “I’m not going to be in a mode like I was last year where I could really, really ride a guy. This is a different team.”
Although it’s a different team, it’s still the same expectations.
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports reporter who covers UK sports for the NKyTribune