JUSTIN ROWLAND:

My choices would be Bryce Hopkins and Kellan Grady based only on the Blue-White Game and the limited amount we know about some of these guys. But I'll be clear in saying those are my choices and I wouldn't be surprised if Cal goes with Brooks. With Grady, you've got an extremely experienced player, 17 points per game over four straight seasons at a respectable Davidson program, and he helps spread the defense out. He's a scorer who makes you a more dynamic offensive team. That one is fairly easy for me even if not for Calipari. It probably hurts that Grady hasn't played his absolute best in practice so far but I expect him to be okay.

With Hopkins, I'm a bit more out on a limb. Maybe Cal will err on the side of experience with someone like Keion Brooks, but Hopkins just looked very interesting and versatile in the B-W Game. Hopkins didn't play great on defense in that scrimmage, so that may not help his chances, but he looks pretty polished. Brooks has struggled with consistency and finding a niche as a tweener, so I'd prefer him as an energy guy off the bench.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

Justin led off with some solid choices. It's hard to argue with either of those guys. I think Grady is a safe bet to be one of the two players due to his wealth of experience and track record of being able to score during his time at Davidson. After all, that's what he was brought in here to do, provide some perimeter scoring punch for a UK team that struggled to find those points on a consistent basis last season.

I'm going to throw out a bit of an alternative path for Calipari. Go small. Go skilled. Go experienced. Davion Mintz. This would be borrowing a little bit from Bruce Pearl's 4-around-1 Auburn build from the Tigers' Final Four run. You don't see too many college teams with overwhelming size anymore, so I think you can get away with it on most nights. The ball-handling and shot-making potential could be similar to what we saw when Cal played Ulis, Murray, and Briscoe together in 2016. That team was a lot of fun to watch, they just lacked a strong 5 like Tshiebwe to play 4-around-1 effectively. I suppose the key would be how well these guys could defend and rebound with a 6-foot-3 3 and a 6-foot-5 4. Cal will never sacrifice those things, so this may be something of a stretch, but I still like the potential. It would also reward all of the (healthy) transfer guys who cast their lot with UK the last couple of years.

DAVID SISK:

My two are Kellan Grady and Keion Brooks to start out the season, with the last half of that sentence being the key. I don't think this will be the five as the season progresses. Grady is the easier pick for me of the two. With Sahvir Wheeler and Ty Ty Washington being locked in at the backcourt spots I think they need a bigger wing. Grady and Devion Mintz are the most likely options and both have ultimate experience, but a perimeter group of Wheeler, Washington, and Mintz would be extremely small. I would expect one of the two ball handlers to come out early and Mintz will come quickly into the rotation. In addition to Grady's 6-5 frame, he also has the skillset that is favorably comparable to any other Kentucky perimeter player. There are a number of options at the four spot. However, the experience of Keion Brooks will mean a lot in a marquee opening game. Bryce Hopkins and Damion Collins have created quite the stir in the preseason, and I wouldn't be surprised to see one of them enter the starting lineup after a few weeks. Their ceilings may end up being higher, but Brooks has the experience and is proven. Those intangibles will give John Caliapri comfort as the other two get acclimated.

TRAVIS GRAF:

To start the season, I expect that we’ll see Kellan Grady and Keion Brooks start at the forward spots. Both are veterans, with Grady having already scored 2,000 points in his career and this being Brooks’ third year in the system. Both are high floor guys that the staff already knows what they’ll get out of them production wise. There’s also a case to be made for Bryce Hopkins or Daimion Collins at the ‘4’ spot. Hopkins is the highest basketball IQ forward on the roster, handles the ball comfortably, and gives you an additional playmaker when he’s on the court. The case for Daimion Collins is that Cal’s best teams always have an elite rim protector, which Collins would serve as, and Oscar Tshiebwe doesn’t necessarily fill that role. He’s also a threat to step out and hit an outside jumper from time to time, so it wouldn’t kill the offensive spacing to have him alongside Tshiebwe.