Kentucky Basketball: Biggest Storylines to Watch for Wildcats in 2014-15

It's officially basketball eve in the Bluegrass State. Kentucky basketball opens up its 2014-15 season on Friday against Grand Canyon in what is one of the most anticipated seasons in Wildcats history.

This year's Kentucky team is different in the sense that it's the same.

There are true upperclassmen on the roster, as juniors Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein will join returning teammates Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee. Roles should stay relatively the same as they were last year for that core group, but an incoming batch of talented freshmen will make life a little bit easier.

Just like the depth of this roster, there are a plethora of storylines to watch for the Wildcats during the 2014-15 season. This slideshow will take a look at a couple of the biggest ones that could determine whether Kentucky will be a favorite to win the national title or slips throughout the season. 

4. The Return of Willie Cauley-Stein

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When Willie Cauley-Stein went down with an ankle injury in the Sweet 16 game against Louisville last season, many wondered if that would be the last time they'd see him in a Kentucky jersey. Many also wondered if it meant the end of the road for the Wildcats' season.

Well, everyone knows what happened. Freshmen Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee stepped up to help fuel a run to the championship game, and Cauley-Stein shocked most people by coming back for his junior year. Despite being a near-surefire first-round pick, Cauley-Stein decided another year of ball in Lexington was his best option.

Now, the storyline is seeing how he bounces back from that injury. During Kentucky's two exhibition games he's looked like his old self. Blocking shots, running the floor and finishing with flashy dunks, he's been wowing the crowd at Rupp Arena. 

Nobody has ever questioned Cauley-Stein as a teammate. But what happens if he falls to the third big man on the depth chart? What happens if his injury lingers? Does he start to press? Again, none of these are expectations, but when you're talking about millions of dollars on the line, his bounce back from the ankle injury is one to follow. 

3. Is the Roster Too Deep?

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Some will say that Kentucky head coach John Calipari is dealing with a double-edged sword. He has by far the nation's most talented roster from the starting five to the end of the bench. That will happen when you have nine McDonald's All-American's on one team.

However, people are questioning if Kentucky is too deep. Again, this is something that no one really knows much about; having a team that can legitimately go 12 deep is something college basketball hasn't seen at this level.

But the question is out there. How will Calipari and his staff keep everyone happy? Sure, there's the platoon system, but what happens in a tight game down the stretch? There are going to be hurt feelings with people not playing in crunch time or only playing 15-20 minutes a game, especially since they could play 30-plus minutes on any other team.

If there's one coach who can handle this much talent, it's Calipari. Between having experience coaching McDonald's All-Americans and getting players like John Wall and Eric Bledsoe to share a backcourt together, Calipari is well-equipped to figure this out.

2. The Continued Improvement of the New Andrew Harrison

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Andrew Harrison came into Kentucky last season as the No. 1-ranked point guard in the 2013 recruiting class. At 6'6", he is a physically imposing guard who many figured would dominate shorter guards trying to defend him. 

However, he struggled throughout his freshman year, showing signs of a freshman who was trying to live up the unimaginable hype of being the starting point guard at Kentucky. He finally found his groove late in the season though, and was the true key catalyst to the run in March. 

He developed confidence not only in his shot, but in his ability to be a leader. He began to be more vocal on the court and less demonstrative with his emotions. During the offseason he's dropped around 10-15 pounds and became quicker. 

So far his improvement has shown. During UK's exhibition games, he's looked like the clear leader of the team, the person who knows when to attack the rim and when to set up his teammates. His shot, while not great, is still enough of a threat for his defender to have to play him honestly. 

While the roster is deep, Harrison is the key for another long March run. With the experience he gained last season and his natural talent, he has the ability to be the best point guard in the country this season. 

1. The Platoon System

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There is no bigger storyline for Kentucky basketball than what the heck happens with the platoon system. It's something that hasn't been done at this level at any time in recent memory, maybe ever. Calipari is using two different teams, alternating shifts like hockey until the end of the game.

Will this work? No one has any idea. In fact, Calipari isn't even sure if it'll work.

He recently came out and said he'll re-evaluate the platoon system after 10-12 games this season, according to Ally Tucker of Kentucky Sports Radio. It's working right now because the players are allowing it to work, sharing the ball, playing with energy and not having hurt feelings. However, this is also coming in blowout games that don't matter in the standings.

There are a ton of questions heading into the season about the system. Will Calipari mix up the two teams at any point? What happens if a couple people from each team are playing well? Will he alternate during the game to mix up the two teams? When does he just put the five best players on the floor together? 

Well, we'll find out in one day. The games will matter, the storylines will become prevalent and we'll all have a front-row seat to watch it unfold.