Once again the CI Basketball Stock Report is updated to reflect the latest developments, trends, team, and player performance for the Wildcats.
This time the stock report is factoring UK's 73-66 win against Auburn.
| 📈 | Immanuel Quickley's NBA stock. Perhaps it's now completely unrealistic to expect him to return to Kentucky. It's probably not impossible or crazy to imagine a return, and there are reasons for him to consider it, but almost every time out Quickley does things that have to thrill scouts. In UK's two previous games those scouts watched Quickley confidently weave around screens and search for soft spots in perimeter defense before coolly knocking down dagger after dagger to carry Kentucky. Before that, they saw a player shooting a full 25-percent higher from the field in the last eight minutes of games. On Saturday, Quickley didn't have his shot. So he went to the line 11 times, hit all of them, and chipped in with as good a rebounding game as you'll see from a guard - essential with Richards saddled with fouls. He could be Kentucky's second best NBA prospect - if, and a big if - he can answer a couple of questions. He may be showing enough to offset any uncertain parts of his game. |
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↔️ | Nick Richards. This probably seems like picking on Richards because he's trending down in a second straight stock report. But for the third straight game, for a different reason, his contributions were limited. Against Florida he had a quiet performance, but he was solid. Against Texas A&M he was quiet but seemed to accept a backseat to the Immanuel Quickley show. Against Auburn, Richards had 14 points but fouls resurfaced as a problem and only allowed him to play 21 minutes. Fortunately, others stepped up in various ways. But that's an ominous reminder that Kentucky's only consistent frontcourt piece has sometimes -- often -- struggled with foul issues. However, his statistical contributions when he played were outstanding and a step back in a very productive direction. |
📈 | Nate Sestina. There isn't always a rhyme or reason to Sestina's scoring flurries and better games. He's done it in games with seemingly favorable matchups for him. He's done it once or twice when maybe you wouldn't expect it. The important thing Saturday was that he rose to the occasion when Kentucky needed him, just as he did in Baton Rouge. He did on a big stage earlier this season against Ohio State. On the whole, Sestina has had an average season. Fairly productive on offense with serious defensive struggles. But the biggest positive has been that he has tended to play some of his best basketball against some of Kentucky's best opponents. Against Michigan State, Ohio State, LSU, and Auburn, Sestina has been much better than his average game other times out. |
↔️ | Ashton Hagans. As touched on in the Report Card and clearly evident in any box score, there was good and bad: 5-1 assist to turnover ratio was a big step in the right direction, but 2/13 from the field was not good. If you dig into the analytics provided by Synergy, Hagans is a well below average offensive player in terms of his efficiency marks, but more because of a high turnover rate than shooting lines like that. This game was a reminder that Hagans is more limited offensively than either of his starting backcourt counterparts. He has to realize when he is not feeling it and to avoid low percentage shots. However, for a player whose main issue has been turnovers, today had a silver lining. |
📈 | Kentucky's NCAA Tournament resume. There were not many big resume-padding games remaining for the Wildcats so this one was big. It's a Quadrant 1 win with Auburn inside the Top-30 of the NET (at No. 27, so right on the cusp -- TBD). Kentucky is now up to No. 18 in the NET rankings, is one of the hottest teams in the country, will win the SEC regular season championship, and avenged one of its two SEC losses from earlier in conference play. While UK hasn't had the sudden jolts up the rankings or in the eyes of bracketologists, the 'Cats have slowly forced themselves into the conversation for a No. 2 seed. Evansville was bad, but as the body of work grows that becomes more of a distant outlier with less relevance. |
📈 | Protecting home court. Kentucky fans and writers covering the program have frequently noted this season that the 'Cats have seemed to often play better on the road than at Rupp Arena. Perhaps there is truth to that. Perhaps the reason for UK's unblemished home mark has more to do with opponents playing worse on the road than Kentucky playing well at home. Nonetheless, in a year during which we've all asked, "What's wrong with Kentucky at Rupp?" it bears mentioning that John Calipari's team is now 16-1 in Lexington this year with the lone blemish being an historic upset by Evansville. |
