Cats Illustrated's wrap-up of the 2019-20 college basketball season, and Kentucky's season in particular, will include analysis and commentary from a number of angles.
Here we begin a new series of roundtables featuring CI writers wherein we discuss a number of big topics that allow for serious and entertaining discussion of the year as a whole.
Who was Kentucky's most valuable player in '19-20?
Travis Graf: Immanuel Quickley. I went back and forth between Quickley and Richards before ultimately deciding on Quickley, who lit up the competition after the start of the new year. His 43-percent shooting from the outside was one of the most impressive shooting seasons from a Kentucky player in recent history, especially considering he shot just under five attempts per contest. It felt like every shot he lined up was going to fall, and I there was as much confidence in his shot as there was in Doron Lamb’s, Jamal Murray’s and Devin Booker’s, some very nice company. Quickley won SEC Player of the Year, and rightfully so, as he shot over 50 percent from behind the arc after the New Year. In Kentucky’s losses, Quickley shot 31-percent from the outside, and in their wins, he shot 45-percent.
David Sisk: Immanuel Quickley was the best player, but Nick Richards was the most valuable. This was clearly a different team with him on the floor, and John Calipari said as much after he got into foul trouble at Vanderbilt. The Florida comeback was based on going through him in the post. If he got it going it freed everyone else up. Also, his rim protection was invaluable on the defensive end.
Jeff Drummond: The popular choice might be Immanuel Quickley, who emerged as a true star and won SEC Player of the Year honors. I certainly wouldn't argue with that. He was spectacular, especially from January-on, and hit some incredibly clutch shots in tight league games. However, I think a strong case can be made for Nick Richards, who, from Game 1 to Game 31, was the Wildcats' most irreplaceable player and biggest difference-maker on both ends of the floor. It's a bit of a cop-out, but I think they deserve co-MVPs.
Justin Rowland: I can see a strong case for either Nick Richards or Immanuel Quickley. My choice is Richards, because Kentucky didn't need any one of its guards, Quickley included, to play especially well on any given night to win. It's totally fair to say that Quickley was Kentucky's best and most clutch player. He took over a number of games that were in doubt in the second half. Without him, their record would have been quite a bit worse. But where would the 'Cats have been without Richards? E.J. Montgomery showed slow but steady improvement to the point of being serviceable and sometimes better by the end of the season but in terms of giving scoring, defense, and rebounding, Richards was the only stable post presence on an otherwise backcourt focused team. They would have been lost without him and it's impossible to imagine what the season would have looked like with such a shaky frontcourt.
