I thought Iowa State fans might appreciate a little scouting report from a UK fan, so here goes:
Starters
Marquis Teague, (6'2" FR PG) - Teague is the latest in a string of turbo-talented freshman point guards for John Calipari. However, he is a notch below the previous studs (Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall and Brandon Knight). Teague's strengths are his physical and tenacious defense, and a very quick first step. He's not a great outside shooter, but will knock down an occasional three. He's an adequate free throw shooter, and uses his quickness to attack the rim well, but isn't the best finisher once he gets there. Where Teague struggles is when he tries to do too much on his own. He's much better when he just plays the role of floor general and stays within himself. He's capable of scoring well, but we don't need him to. Of our six "starters", Teague would be considered the weakest link.
Doron Lamb (6'4" SO SG) - Lamb is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated and overlooked players in the country. Statistically, he is the best three-point shooter in the history of UK basketball (he's around 48% for his career from behind the arc). He also shoots very well from the free throw line (85%). He's our second leading scorer, but could easily score more if needed. His points come in the flow of the offense, and he rarely ever forces anything. When Teague is in foul trouble or isn't playing well, Lamb moves over to handle the point guard duties. While not a natural point, he plays it well enough to not hurt us, and at times we have looked really good with him in that role.
Anthony Davis (6'10" FR C) - Davis is, in my opinion, the most talented player to ever play at UK. We have had a long line of great players, but we've never had an Anthony Davis before. He was a little tentative early on, but once he got more comfortable he began dominating on both ends of the floor. Other than needing to get physically stronger and put on a few pounds, he really has no weaknesses. He has great quickness, jumps like superman, and runs the floor like a gazelle. He was a 6'2" point guard as a high school sophomore before growing eight inches in a year and a half, so he has the ability to handle and shoot like a player much smaller.
He wasn't overly effective on offense early in the season, but that part of his game has really grown since then. Now he uses a quick first step to take his man to the basket from outside, he shoots baby hooks with both hands, knocks down mid-range jumpers, uses spin moves and drop-steps, and has even started knocking down an occasional three. He's the total package on offense. But it's his defense that most impacts games. He's the best shot blocker I've ever seen, but it's the amount of shots he alters that really makes the difference. That stat doesn't show up in the box score, but it greatly impacts games. He's also a very intelligent player, so he rarely gets in foul trouble. When he does have to go to the bench, we are a different team.
Terrence Jones (6'9" SO PF) - Terrence could have been an NBA lottery pick last year, but he opted to return for his sophomore year. His scoring has dropped, but it's because our team is so balanced and his shot selection has improved. His PPG is down slightly, but his shooting percentage is up. He's a monster at times, as he was in our first round game against WKU, but other times Coach Cal has to light a fire under him. When TJ is playing with intensity, he's as good as any player in the country. He can score in a lot of ways, he defends well, blocks shots and rebounds aggressively. He has also become a leader this year. We are at out best when Terrence is at his best.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (6'7" FR SF) - MKG is a motor guy, and that motor never stops. He's pure intensity and will do anything and everything to win. Sometimes that aggression gets him in foul trouble, but usually it just leads to winning. He's our best defender and can match up with four different positions. While he doesn't look physically imposing, he can physically overwhelm other players with his attitude and tenacity. He's not a great jump shooter, but he's ferocious around the basket and shoots free throws well. He doesn't always look to score, but when we need him we can count on him. MKG was named a second team all-american, despite averaging only 10 PPG in conference play. That tells you how much he impacts games in other ways. He's Mr Intangibles.
Bench
Darius Miller (6'8" SR SF) - Darius is our lone Senior, or at least the only one who plays regularly. While he is officially the sixth man, he is basically our sixth starter, because when he's playing well he plays starter minutes. His value is in his leadership and versatility. He can play the SG, SF and PF spots, so we can go big or go small depending on what position Darius is playing. He's a great defender who doesn't make glaring mistakes. Offensively he's versatile as well. He's our second best three-point shooter, despite struggling a little lately, and he's also very good in the lane. When teams zone us, which is often, look for Miller to penetrate the zone. Once in the lane he's equally effective at finding open shooters, hitting runners, or throwing lob passes to Davis and Jones. The only weakness Darius has is he doesn't always play with the same intensity. For us to continue winning, we need the intense Darius.
Kyle Wiltjer (6'9" FR PF) - Wiltjer doesn't get as many minutes, but he will see the floor. He has a variety of moves offensively -- baby hooks, drop steps, runners, etc, and is also a very good three-point shooter. He's shooting over 50% from the perimeter since late February. The reason he doesn't get more playing time is his defense. He's just not physically ready to play at that level yet. He doesn't have great quickness or strength, so he tends to get pushed around a lot and beaten off the dribble. He'll be a bigtime player down the road, but he's not there yet.
Eloy Vargas (6'11" SR C) - Eloy doesn't play much. He's very limited offensively and basically only plays to give Davis a rest or when Davis is in foul trouble. Even then he won't play more than a couple minutes. He's an adequate rebounder, but doesn't finish well or defend well. A lot of games, he doesn't play at all. He's pretty much a non-factor, whether he plays or not.
Starters
Marquis Teague, (6'2" FR PG) - Teague is the latest in a string of turbo-talented freshman point guards for John Calipari. However, he is a notch below the previous studs (Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall and Brandon Knight). Teague's strengths are his physical and tenacious defense, and a very quick first step. He's not a great outside shooter, but will knock down an occasional three. He's an adequate free throw shooter, and uses his quickness to attack the rim well, but isn't the best finisher once he gets there. Where Teague struggles is when he tries to do too much on his own. He's much better when he just plays the role of floor general and stays within himself. He's capable of scoring well, but we don't need him to. Of our six "starters", Teague would be considered the weakest link.
Doron Lamb (6'4" SO SG) - Lamb is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated and overlooked players in the country. Statistically, he is the best three-point shooter in the history of UK basketball (he's around 48% for his career from behind the arc). He also shoots very well from the free throw line (85%). He's our second leading scorer, but could easily score more if needed. His points come in the flow of the offense, and he rarely ever forces anything. When Teague is in foul trouble or isn't playing well, Lamb moves over to handle the point guard duties. While not a natural point, he plays it well enough to not hurt us, and at times we have looked really good with him in that role.
Anthony Davis (6'10" FR C) - Davis is, in my opinion, the most talented player to ever play at UK. We have had a long line of great players, but we've never had an Anthony Davis before. He was a little tentative early on, but once he got more comfortable he began dominating on both ends of the floor. Other than needing to get physically stronger and put on a few pounds, he really has no weaknesses. He has great quickness, jumps like superman, and runs the floor like a gazelle. He was a 6'2" point guard as a high school sophomore before growing eight inches in a year and a half, so he has the ability to handle and shoot like a player much smaller.
He wasn't overly effective on offense early in the season, but that part of his game has really grown since then. Now he uses a quick first step to take his man to the basket from outside, he shoots baby hooks with both hands, knocks down mid-range jumpers, uses spin moves and drop-steps, and has even started knocking down an occasional three. He's the total package on offense. But it's his defense that most impacts games. He's the best shot blocker I've ever seen, but it's the amount of shots he alters that really makes the difference. That stat doesn't show up in the box score, but it greatly impacts games. He's also a very intelligent player, so he rarely gets in foul trouble. When he does have to go to the bench, we are a different team.
Terrence Jones (6'9" SO PF) - Terrence could have been an NBA lottery pick last year, but he opted to return for his sophomore year. His scoring has dropped, but it's because our team is so balanced and his shot selection has improved. His PPG is down slightly, but his shooting percentage is up. He's a monster at times, as he was in our first round game against WKU, but other times Coach Cal has to light a fire under him. When TJ is playing with intensity, he's as good as any player in the country. He can score in a lot of ways, he defends well, blocks shots and rebounds aggressively. He has also become a leader this year. We are at out best when Terrence is at his best.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (6'7" FR SF) - MKG is a motor guy, and that motor never stops. He's pure intensity and will do anything and everything to win. Sometimes that aggression gets him in foul trouble, but usually it just leads to winning. He's our best defender and can match up with four different positions. While he doesn't look physically imposing, he can physically overwhelm other players with his attitude and tenacity. He's not a great jump shooter, but he's ferocious around the basket and shoots free throws well. He doesn't always look to score, but when we need him we can count on him. MKG was named a second team all-american, despite averaging only 10 PPG in conference play. That tells you how much he impacts games in other ways. He's Mr Intangibles.
Bench
Darius Miller (6'8" SR SF) - Darius is our lone Senior, or at least the only one who plays regularly. While he is officially the sixth man, he is basically our sixth starter, because when he's playing well he plays starter minutes. His value is in his leadership and versatility. He can play the SG, SF and PF spots, so we can go big or go small depending on what position Darius is playing. He's a great defender who doesn't make glaring mistakes. Offensively he's versatile as well. He's our second best three-point shooter, despite struggling a little lately, and he's also very good in the lane. When teams zone us, which is often, look for Miller to penetrate the zone. Once in the lane he's equally effective at finding open shooters, hitting runners, or throwing lob passes to Davis and Jones. The only weakness Darius has is he doesn't always play with the same intensity. For us to continue winning, we need the intense Darius.
Kyle Wiltjer (6'9" FR PF) - Wiltjer doesn't get as many minutes, but he will see the floor. He has a variety of moves offensively -- baby hooks, drop steps, runners, etc, and is also a very good three-point shooter. He's shooting over 50% from the perimeter since late February. The reason he doesn't get more playing time is his defense. He's just not physically ready to play at that level yet. He doesn't have great quickness or strength, so he tends to get pushed around a lot and beaten off the dribble. He'll be a bigtime player down the road, but he's not there yet.
Eloy Vargas (6'11" SR C) - Eloy doesn't play much. He's very limited offensively and basically only plays to give Davis a rest or when Davis is in foul trouble. Even then he won't play more than a couple minutes. He's an adequate rebounder, but doesn't finish well or defend well. A lot of games, he doesn't play at all. He's pretty much a non-factor, whether he plays or not.
