Kentucky basketball roster 2023-24: Starting lineup prediction, bench rotation, depth outlook

[ad_1]

One takeaway stood out above the rest after watching Kentucky’s four-game romp through the GLOBL JAM in Toronto last month: thank goodness Antonio Reeves came back. At least that must have been what UK fans were thinking as Reeves hit an absurd 56.3% of his 3-pointers while leading the Wildcats to a 4-0 record during the exhibition tour.

Reeves showed why he is so critical to Kentucky’s 2023-24 outlook as he earned MVP honors while averaging 23 points per game and spearheading UK’s series of victories over under-23 squads representing Africa, Canada and Germany. He is the only returning player who has started a game for the Wildcats, and his presence is critical for UK given the roster’s youth.

With the Aug. 1 commitment of Croatian center Zvonimir Ivisic, UK is set to have eight scholarship freshmen on its roster this season. Even by the standards of 15th-year coach John Calipari, who has built a program around freshman talent, that’s a hefty number.

And it’s coming in an era when college basketball is more veteran-oriented and less-reliant on freshmen than at any point in recent memory. Thus, Reeves’ decision to return following an offseason of flirting with leaving stands out as the most positive roster development of UK’s 2023 offseason.

As college basketball’s offseason player movement cycle comes to a crawl, it’s time to start breaking down the rosters of the sport’s top programs. For this installment, we’re taking a look at Kentucky and trying to decipher what the lineup could look like when the season begins for the Wildcats, who are ranked No. 16 in the CBS Sports early Top 25 And 1 rankings. 

John Calipari has coached at Kentucky since 2009, but this season might be the most critical. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander break down the Wildcats in our Summer Shootaround series. Subscribe to Eye on College Basketball, which is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/kentucky-basketball-roster-2023-24-starting-lineup-prediction-bench-rotation-depth-outlook/

Author : David Cobb

Publish date : 2023-08-10 17:13:04

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.