Kentucky can go as far as rising star Kevin Knox takes it

Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY Sports Published 10:35 a.m. ET Jan. 28, 2018

SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports Lindsay Schnell and Scott Gleeson discuss what sets the Sonners freshman apart. USA TODAY Sports

With respect to the West Virginia fan who held up the sign, I have to disagree.

“1-AND-DONE AIN’T NO FUN!” read the poster and yes, I see his point. Where’s the enjoyment in welcoming in and then almost instantly saying goodbye to a new crop of talent each season?

That’s typically how things go in Lexington, where each year John Calipari stocks his roster with McDonald’s All-Americans, takes them for a run in the NCAA tournament and then wishes them luck in the NBA. Clearly the West Virginia fan holding up the sign was just trying to find a clever way to express his admiration for seniors such as Jevon Carter, the Mountaineers’ best player.

Where’s the fun in one-and-done? Saturday night, it was in the visiting locker room.

Unranked Kentucky, which at one point trailed by 17 in the first half, came clawing back on the road, pulling off a stunner by beating No. 7 West Virginia 83-76 in Morgantown. The Wildcats were led by Kevin Knox — a McDonald’s All-American, of course — who scored 34 points, 19 in the second half. Knox was 5-for-8 from three-point range and 7-for-8 from the line, and he grabbed seven rebounds in a game ESPN analyst Jay Bilas described to viewers as “one of the more improbable turnarounds that I can remember.”

MORE: Kentucky rallies to beat West Virginia in Big 12/SEC Challenge

ANALYSIS: Virginia is dominating the ACC, but what about a national title?

MORE: Alabama slows down Trae Young en route to defeat of No. 11 Oklahoma

The comeback happened because of Knox. And come March, don’t be surprised if he’s the nation’s standout of this stellar freshman class. Projected as a top-10 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, the 6-9, 215-pound forward is just starting to come into his own.

The Wildcats are loaded full of freshmen. They are, as Bilas pointed out, painfully young. That has been obvious at different points this season, most notably when Kentucky dropped two consecutive games to unranked teams, first at South Carolina on Jan. 16 (a 76-68 loss) and then Jan. 20 to Florida at Rupp Arena (a 66-64 loss). After that, Kentucky fell out of the USA TODAY coaches poll for the first time since March 10, 2014, ending a run of 79 consecutive appearances.

But those of us counting out the Wildcats should have known better.

Calipari has proved to be a master at coaching rookies. And even if this particular group is more challenging because they’re extra young, the Wildcats could be very, very good come March — if Knox continues to develop, that is. While most of us were busy anointing Trae Young Player of the Year in November and December, Knox was slowly becoming the Wildcats’ best player.

Knox averages a team-best 15.5 points a game (plus 5.7 rebounds), which seems low compared to other superstar freshmen such as Young (30.3 points, 9.6 assists), Duke’s Marvin Bagley III (21.6 points, 11.5 rebounds), Arizona’s Deandre Ayton (19.5 points, 10.7 rebounds) and Alabama’s Collin Sexton (18.5 points, 3.3 assists).

Knox scored 34 Saturday night on 17 shots. For comparison’s sake: Young also took 17 shots in Oklahoma’s game Saturday, but he finished with just 17 points and the No. 11 Sooners fell to unranked Alabama 80-73.

Most important, Knox was big in the biggest moments: He scored 12 points during Kentucky’s 21-2 run midway through the second half, and his three with 1:05 left put the Wildcats ahead for good.

In Calipari’s ideal world, six players would average double figures for Kentucky (currently the Wildcats have four). At Kentucky, no one gets the majority of the shots. If you want to play in Lexington, you have to be willing to share the ball.

But in the coming weeks, expect the other Wildcats to share with Knox more than anyone else. As he showed Saturday, he’s the freshman to watch heading into the last month of the regular season.

Alabama Crimson Tide guard Collin Sexton (2) reacts after his team defeated Oklahoma Sooners at Coleman Coliseum. Marvin Gentry, USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky can go as far as rising star Kevin Knox takes it

Posted!

Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries: