Kentucky Basketball Preview: Top 10 Games to Watch in the 2011-12 Season

John Calipari has re-launched the Kentucky basketball program.

Under Calipari's leadership, the Wildcats are a sizzling 64-12 and have made it to the Elite Eight and to the Final Four.

One of the reasons why UK is back among the college hoops' elite is because of Calipari's success at being able to bring in one unbelievable recruiting class after another.

While many of these players have gone on to the NBA Draft after their freshman year (nine players have been drafted since Calipari arrived two years ago), this year's team will be a better mix of returning experience and arriving talent.

Terrence Jones (pictured), who averaged 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds last season and was named Southeastern Conference freshman of the year, is coming back to try to bring No. 8 (national championship) back to Lexington.

Darius Miller and Doron Lamb both return to campus bringing plenty of firepower.

And surprise, surprise, another No. 1 recruiting class. Four more McDonalds' All-Americans. 

It's almost mind-blowing that the Cats have added the No.1 PF (Anthony Davis), the No. 1 SF (Michael Gilchrist) and the No. 1 PG (Marquis Teague), not to mention the No. 5 PF (Kyle Wiltjer).

Oh, my goodness!

Even before their SEC schedule begins, Kentucky will take on a demanding pre-conference slate of games.

Here are the Top 10 "Must See" Wildcats games in 2011-12.

This week, we have been previewing the same kind of lists for other top college hoops programs.

Monday was Duke. Tuesday was UConn.

Tomorrow: Ohio State

November 15: Kansas in NYC

Bill Self has more holes to fill on this year's Jayhawks roster than at any time since he has been the head coach at KU.

The early departures of the Morris twins and Josh Selby mean that someone has to score almost 40 points and grab 18 rebounds just to make up the difference for these three players.

That's not taking into consideration the seniors' (Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Mario Little) production of an additional 22 points and 8 rebounds.

All together, that ends up being 77 percent of last year's scoring and 67 percent of last year's rebounding.

But before you pay the Jayhawks your last respects, Kansas will build with Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor and an excellent six-player recruiting class that will see a lot of action from the very beginning of the season.

Self may be forced to run and press more to make up for the absence of the depth of talent that the Jayhawks' faithful are used to seeing.

Kansas will have to eliminate turnovers and have exceptional shot selection to stay up with the Wildcats in this early season neutral court matchup.

December 1: St. John's in Lexington

This season, St. John's will have one of the most unique teams in college hoops history.

Steve Lavin's Red Storm roster will be filled with an amazing nine-player recruiting class, six of which are on the 2011 ESPNU Top 100 list.

This is a group that is long (six of those players are between 6'6 and 6'9") and lean, and will be ready to press and run like nobody's business.

If Lavin can harness this group's sheer athleticism and determination, St. John's will be able to make things very uncomfortable, even for an opponent like Kentucky. 

December 3: North Carolina in Lexington

Anyone else think this game could be a preview of the 2012 NCAA Championship Game in New Orleans?

That's not too far fetched when you consider that both UNC and Kentucky are in the Top Three in most pre-season rankings. In the Sporting News Top 25 Preseason Poll, they are No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.

North Carolina returns three players (Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson) who could have been NBA first-rounders if they would have declared and stayed in the draft.

The Tar Heels were the No. 1 rebounding team in the nation, and they add James McAdoo, one of the top PFs coming out of high school.

Talk about power vs. power. Terrence Ross and Kentucky's stud frontcourt freshmen will be tested early.

I am really looking forward to see the PG matchup between UK's Marquis Teague and North Carolina's Kendall Marshall (pictured).

When Marshall took the reins to the Tar Heel attack in mid-season, everything changed. Everyone played better and shot better.

If Teague does not contain and control Marshall, the Tar Heels will walk out of Rupp Arena with a big early season victory.  

December 10: At Indiana

Could this be the break-through year for Tom Crean? Or could this be the year that the Bloomington backers get fed up with waiting for things to get rebuilt?

In Crean's three years as Indiana's head coach, the Hoosiers are a substandard 28-66.

But, IU returns virtually everyone from last year's team.

Christian Watford (pictured; 6'8" and 230 lbs) was the Hoosiers' leading scorer and rebounder (16 ppg and 5.4 rpg).

Verdell Jones (12.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and 3.2 apg) and Jordan Hulls (11.0 ppg) are ready to elevate their games again this coming season.

Add 6'11" McDonald's All-American Cody Zeller (UNC's Tyler Zeller's younger brother) and you have a formidable front-line that could cause some troubles for most teams.

This Ohio River rivalry has been active off-and-on since 1924, with Kentucky leading in the series 31-24.

This game is more interesting because it is at Assembly Hall at IU. But, interesting doesn't mean that the Hoosiers have enough to take down the Wildcats.

December 31: Louisville in Lexington

UK vs UL. Wildcats vs. Cardinals. Calipari vs. Pitino...What a New Year's Eve showdown!

Along with returning most of the players other than Preston Knowles and Rakeem Buckles off of last year's team, Pitino may have pulled in his best recruiting class (two McDonald's All-Americans: Wayne Blackshear and Chane Behanan, five players overall) since arriving in Louisville.

Peyton Siva (pictured) is the one who makes it all happen for the Cardinals on the court. He very well could emerge as one of the top PGs in the country...Another big test for Teague.

One of the big factors of this game is to see who can control the tempo. To compete in this game, Louisville will need to work hard on the boards and be patient with their shot selection.

Kentucky needs to defend the three-point stripe well. Louisville averages 24 three's per game.

If not, the Cardinals have the firepower to make it a miserable New Year's Day for Coach Cal and the Cats.

January 21: Alabama in Lexington

Anthony Grant has the Crimson Tide hoops program on a roll.

Grant's first two-years' record is a respectable 42-27. This past season, Bama won the SEC West Division and went to the NIT Championship Game before losing to Wichita State.

JaMychal Green (pictured), Alabama's top scorer (16 ppg) and leading rebounder (7.8 rpg) last year, returns to lead the charge in 2011-12.

Tony Mitchell, right behind Green in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg), gives Bama an effective one-two frontcourt punch.  

Grant also welcomes an exciting six-player recruiting class to provide added talent and depth to the Alabama line-up.

Last year, the Crimson Tide took down Kentucky in Tuscaloosa for Grant's first Bama signature win, 68-66.

One of the keys in that game was that Alabama out-rebounded UK 41-34.

They will have to do at least the same this year, along with holding the Wildcats to sub-forty percent shooting (which they also did last year).

Not easy tasks, but they did both in last year's game, and look what happened.

February 7: Florida in Lexington

As important as the first three months of this season will be, the final thirty days will make or break things for the Wildcats in terms of the SEC East.

This is where they will face their closest competitors in the conference.

The Florida Gators will present as much challenge for the Wildcats as anyone in the SEC.

Last year, these two teams split their home-and-home series, with each team winning on their own court.

But the Wildcats took apart the Gators in the SEC Tournament Final, which may have served as a wake-up call for Billy Donovan's crew.

They regathered and made a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

The strength of the Gators will definitely be in their backcourt. With Erving Walker (14.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, and 3.4 apg) and Kenny Boynton (14.2 ppg) returning, plus the addition of McDonald's All American super-freshman Brad Beal, the Florida will be able to play an exciting three-guard line-up.

If Florida does go this route, the match-up with Teague, Lamb and Miller will be tasty.

Where the Wildcats will have a definite advantage against the Gators is in frontcourt talent and depth.

The graduation of Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin creates a huge void in the middle of the Gators line-up.

Even with the emergence of UF big man, Patric Young, the Wildcats should take care of business in Lexington.

February 11: Vanderbilt in Nashville

In terms of talent and experience, very few teams can match Vanderbilt. This Commodores team is built for 2011-12 success

All nine players that played at least double-figure minutes return for head coach Kevin Stallings.

John Jenkins, the SEC's leading scorer from last year (19.5 ppg) is back for his junior year after playing with Team USA at the World University Games this summer.

Most of the rest of the players who do the scoring and work on the boards are seniors.

Jeffery Taylor (14.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 2.4 apg), Festus Ezeli (13 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Brad Tinsley (10.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 4.6 apg) and Lance Goulbourne (6.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg) all are back for the final Vandy season.

Stallings has also added his backcourt of the future, two Top 100 players (Dai-Jon Parker and Kendren Johnson). They will provide immediate energy and punch off of the bench.

Kentucky and Vanderbilt squared off twice last year with the home team winning both times in very close games.

Even though the Wildcats are, on paper, significantly more talented than Vandy, the Commodores are fully capable of beating Kentucky. 

Being able to pick up a "W" in this game would help either team as they move towards a stretch run in the SEC regular season, the conference tournament and the Dance.

February 25: Vanderbilt in Lexington

Two weeks later, Vandy and the 'Cats meet again, this time in Lexington. To say Kentucky is tough at home is a complete understatement.

The Wildcats last home loss was March 3, 2009 against Georgia.

In last year's contest between UK and Vandy at Rupp Arena, the Commodores were down eleven points at half and came back. Festus Ezeli mishandled a lob pass in the closing seconds that could have tied the game and put it into overtime.

This senior group from Vanderbilt has never beaten the Wildcats in Lexington.

Think they will be very focused for this late February game? 

March 4: Florida in Gainsville, FL

I love this last game of the season match-up!

One way or another, this could very well determine the SEC East winner.

Kentucky is 6-9 in its last fifteen games against Florida.

The Wildcats have split the two contests that they have played in Gainsville since Calipari has been their head coach.

Last season, Florida won the SEC East but the Wildcats won the SEC Tournament.

Think that the Rowdy Reptiles (UF student section) at the O'Dome are going to be just a little jacked up for this one?