Head coach John Calipari and his Kentucky Wildcats will seek their sixth-straight victory this season as they take on a winless Monmouth Hawks team on Wednesday night.
While the Wildcats have been the beneficiaries of playing five straight games against lesser competition, the team itself has surprisingly yet to put together a consistent 40-minutes of basketball.
Other than an expected 38-point win over North Dakota, Kentucky has played their other four wins much closer than they probably should have. In their most recent win, 15 points over Tennessee State, Kentucky was favored by 28.5 points.
Underwhelming performances to start the season aren’t necessarily a negative sign, though, as Calipari has yet another year of high-roster turnover which comes with multiple new pieces to incorporate into one of the tougher systems in basketball.
Many are on record saying Calipari at Kentucky was the toughest test in college basketball, which is what these current players are facing to begin the season. While the “Bahamas” charisma has yet to resurface, it’s comforting to know that level is at-least reachable via this group.
Reigning SEC freshman of the week Keldon Johnson and sophomore PJ Washington are two of the more consistent names that come to mind through the team’s first six games. Freshman Tyler Herro, sophomore Quade Green and graduate transfer Reid Travis have also played quality basketball.
The Wildcats are now searching for the full-emergence of freshmen EJ Montgomery and Immanuel Quickley, as well as consistent play from sophomore Nick Richards. Freshman Ashton Hagans may take time to develop into the collegiate game, but his time will surely come sooner or later.
Against a Monmouth team that has yet to taste success in the fall of 2018, Kentucky has another premiere opportunity for a momentum-building game before they travel to Manhattan next Saturday for a matchup with Seton Hall in the Citi Hoops Classic.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 PM EDT on SEC Network.