Kentucky Basketball: 5 Things We Learned in the Non-Conference Season

Heading into the season, the question was not whether or not Kentucky would be good this year. The questions were how great would this Kentucky team be by the end of the year and would anyone be able to keep them from winning the school's eighth national title.

And to be perfectly honest, that is still an open question.

At times, Kentucky has looked like an unstoppable force ready to pummel all of college basketball into oblivion (or Bolivian if you are Mike Tyson). At other times, Kentucky has shown its lack of experience and been maddeningly frustrating for Kentucky fans to watch. 

And, unfortunately for Kentucky, it has often looked like both things in the very same game. See: Louisville.

Still, Kentucky fans and all of college basketball can glean several truths about this team from what we have seen so far in Kentucky's non-conference slate. Some good, some bad and some right smack dab in the middle.

Because you all look to me for guidance, though, and probably haven't picked up on these yourselves yet, here are five things we have learned about the Kentucky Wildcats so far this season.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Is Kentucky's Best Player

Though he got surpassed as the No. 1 guy in his class by the end of his high school career, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has shown so far this season that his No. 1 ranking at one time was well deserved. And as far as play on the court this year goes, he should have never lost that rank.

If you just look at the numbers, it might be hard to argue that Kidd-Gilchrist is even the best freshman on his team. He doesn't lead in any meaningful statistical category and doesn't have the same wide array of highlight plays as some of his teammates. But dig deeper into the stats, and you find that he is almost always ranked second on the team in stats.

Furthermore, Kidd-Gilchrist is the undisputed leader of this team, and he's the youngest guy on the squad. He plays harder than anyone else on a nightly basis and he just has the immeasurable yet completely real it factor that just sets him apart.

And then just look at what he has done in the biggest games for Kentucky this year. Against North Carolina, he thoroughly outplayed Harrison Barnes and followed that up against Louisville with a ridiculous 24-point and 19-rebound game.

Trust me, by the end of the year, there will be no doubt that Kidd-Gilchrist is UK's best player...and there may not be any doubt that he is the best player in America.

Anthony Davis Is Worth the Hype

He was the consensus No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft entering this season, and Anthony Davis has done nothing but solidify his stock as the best prospect in the country. Mind you, he's not the best player in the country, or even his own team as I just told you, but he is the best prospect.

With his arms that are roughly five miles long, Davis has become the premier shot blocker in all of college basketball and is already on the verge of setting the Kentucky record for blocked shots in a season. However, unlike some players of his build that have struggled to score and rebound in the college game, Davis has also dominated in other ways than just by blocking shots.

Currently averaging a double-double in points and rebounds, Davis is an incrediby agile and quick-footed big man that is still only scratching the surface of what he will one day become. The Kevin Durant comparisons appear way off right about now, but Davis is still a unique talent that will make some NBA GM look like a genius some day.

Marquis Teague Is Playing Like A...Freshman

Blame it on John Wall. Or Brandon Knight for that matter. Or, just blame it on Kentucky fans for expecting too much out of our latest "one-and-done" point guard.

Either way, don't blame it on Marquis Teague if you think he has underperformed this year. Because the reality of the situation is that Teague is playing just fine. Averaging more than 10 points and 4.5 assists per game should be lauded as a great achievement for a freshman point guard, but when you are in the Coach Cal assembly line of guards, it is suddenly cause for concern.

And that's just not fair.

Mea culpa time. I have to admit that I too thought Teague would be great; heck, even better than Knight. I said as much in a previous column. And I expected too much. So I'm partly to blame as well.

Still, it can be said that Teague needs to improve his play if Kentucky is going to be as good as they can be. Because for as good as Teague has been this year, he has been woefully inconsistent at times and has really had moments where he almost killed Kentucky. North Carolina game, anyone?

So has he been a disappointment this year? Compared to the hype...yes. Compared to how freshman point guards usually play...absolutely not.

Darius Miller Has Regressed

As much as I would love for Darius Miller to become an All-American and lead Kentucky to a title with a great senior season, it just isn't going to happen. In fact, he's even less of a factor this year than he has been in the past.

Maybe this year's freshmen in addition to the return of Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones just put too much talent on the floor for Darius to have a big part to play for the team. And that is fine with me. He can lead in other ways.

But it isn't just that he isn't aggressive, which he never has been and never will be; he's just not as good as he used to be. He isn't the same rebounder he once was, and his confidence is completely shot. He nearly lost the Louisville game single handed with his eight turnovers and has been a non-factor too many times to count in this young season. Even his stroke from the three seems to have disappeared.

I hate it for him and hope he can turn it around as the season goes on. But right now, Miller is hurting Kentucky more than he helps.

Kentucky Is Far and Away the Most Talented Team in the Nation

Of this there can be absolutely no doubt. While they may not win the national title this year, Kentucky is the most talented team in the land...and Jay-Z agrees with me, or he wouldn't have spent New Year's Eve in Lexington watching college basketball.

Almost everyone thought this would be the case, but until games are played, you can't be sure who is talented and who is overrated. Well, now we know Kentucky is loaded.

Kidd-Gilchrist and Davis are both going to be top three picks in the next NBA draft. Doron Lamb can flat out score almost at will. Terrence Jones, as much as he has struggled this year, is undeniably talented and will eventually get his head on straight. And even Darius Miller, as bad as he has been this year, is talented enough to start for almost anyone in the nation.

Yeah, they lost to Indiana at Indiana, but that's not a bad loss at all, and truth be told, as bad as they played early in that game, they gave it away at the end or they are undefeated right now. They beat North Carolina and Louisville while still learning how to play, and by the end of the year, will be the clear favorites to cut down this nets next April.

Everyone may not like it, and they definitely don't want to see Calipari get his title, but this Kentucky team just looks different from any other college team in the nation. They physically look like an NBA team right now from guys 1-7...something unheard of in today's game. And they can play.

Boy, can they play.

A Brief Personal Note

It's been around three months or so since I last wrote, and I got some emails and tweets and the like asking where I had been. Well, as you can see, I've become a father now and was dealing with some personal stuff these past few months relating to the little guy in the picture.

I had surprisingly gotten a good number of fans through my previous writings, and to all of those that had gotten in touch and asked about me and what was going on, I just want to say thanks and that I am back. If I'm a new name to those of you reading this, then feel free to go through my archives...you'll get a good feel of where I'm coming from and what I am about.

And a special thank you to Sean Swaby and Adam Hirshfield for being so understanding and for being some really kind and cool guys while I went away. I have never had the pleasure of meeting these guys, but I can tell you that they are two really good dudes and have done an amazing job with B/R, and it's no surprise the site is as successful as it is with people like them working for it.

Oh, one more thing. Duke is overrated...again.

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