Kentucky Basketball: Picking Wildcats' Best Crunch-Time Lineup

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

If Kentucky is never tested because it blows everyone out, does it have a crunch-time lineup?

While that is clearly an exaggeration—believe it or not, the Wildcats have been challenged this season and almost certainly will be in the NCAA tournament—dealing with close games is not something head coach John Calipari’s squad has much experience with this season.

After all, the Wildcats (25-0, 12-0 SEC) destroyed Kansas, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas and Alabama, among many others, and virtually dispatched of Louisville and Florida by the time there was only a minute or two left.

The real question now is, which five players would Calipari have on the floor if the Wildcats were ever in a nail-biter with the season on the line in March?

Read on to find out what my opinion is on the best crunch-time lineup that would carry Kentucky to a national championship.

No-Brainers

Karl-Anthony Towns, Forward

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In terms of pure potential and skill set, Karl-Anthony Towns is arguably the best player on the team, which makes him a no-brainer decision.

He can score from almost anywhere on the floor and get out in transition if need be. He is also probably the best low-post threat on the roster.

I also want his defense on the floor in the closing minutes considering he is blocking 2.2 shots per game this year in a measly 20 minutes of action a night. Imagine if he played entire games for this Kentucky squad.

Throw in the fact that he is tied with Willie Cauley-Stein as the leading rebounder on the team at 6.4 boards a night, and Towns has the paint under control. 

He also demonstrated that he can come through in the clutch at LSU when he redeemed himself for a costly technical foul and hit what proved to be the game-winning shot in the final minute.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Forward

Unlike the freshmen, Cauley-Stein has been in critical March games before, and there is something to be said for experience.

Plus, he is a sparkplug—look at how his dunk fired up the team for the closing stretch of a very close, back-and-forth game at Florida—and brings critical versatility to the table.

He can control the boards (tied with Towns for the team lead) and protect the rim down low or get out in transition with the guards when the opportunity presents itself. 

Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports commented on how impressive Cauley-Stein’s unique skill set has been this season:

"

WIllie Cauley-Stein just outran every single player down the floor in transition. It’s insane how athletic he is at 7-feet tall.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 14, 2015"

That is someone you want on the floor in crunch time.

Aaron Harrison, Guard

James Crisp/Associated Press

The inclusion of Aaron Harrison in the crunch-time lineup really needs no explanation.

He carried the Wildcats in March Madness last year with clutch shot after clutch shot and knocked off Louisville, Michigan and Wisconsin in the final moments to reach the championship game.

He also has monumentally important tournament experience and is the team’s leading scorer this year (11.1 points a night).

Harrison commented on his tendency to come through when it matters most, via Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal:

"

We have obviously a great group of guys and a lot of talent on our team, but I do think sometimes the team looks to me at the end of the game, and I want to make them proud. I think it's fun to be in that situation. It's fun to be the guy that people look to, to take the big shot and make the big shot. It's exciting. 

"

It would be hard to look for him if he wasn’t on the floor in crunch time.

Close Calls

Andrew Harrison over Tyler Ulis for Point Guard

James Crisp/Associated Press

This is not a knock on Tyler Ulis at all.

In fact, he has been brilliant for the Wildcats at times this season and helped carry them in a number of games earlier in the campaign. He is a spark of energy off the bench, can hit the three-pointer and aggressively attacks the rim looking for scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Rather, this is a nod of respect to Andrew Harrison and recognition that experience matters in moments like this—especially if we are talking March Madness.

Andrew’s brother may be the one who hit all of those critical shots at the end of three tournament contests in a row last year, but both Harrisons were on the floor. Andrew has made important plays in crucial, do-or-die moments for the Wildcats before, and there is no reason to expect anything different this season.

He has also turned in some of his better individual games as of late and reached double figures in the scoring department in three of the last six contests.

Included in that span was his impressive performance against Georgia, when he scored 23 points and dished out seven assists. 

Experience matters in crunch time, which is why Andrew Harrison will be on the floor instead of Ulis down the stretch in March.

Devin Booker, Guard

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Anyone who has watched Kentucky this year understands that the inclusion of Devin Booker in this lineup isn’t necessarily the difficult part of this decision. Rather, going with three guards instead of another big man is the close call.

Ultimately, Booker’s talent and ability to stretch the floor with his lethal three-point shooting are too much to ignore.

He leads the team at 47.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc and is second with 10.8 points per game.

He has turned a number of contests in the Wildcats’ favor this season with clutch shooting and would provide the offense with another perimeter threat if the defense swarmed Aaron Harrison in the final moments.

What’s more, Towns and Cauley-Stein are more than capable of handling the rebounding duties on their own down low. We are talking about two future pros—and likely lottery picks—who have dominated opponents at times this season and don’t need a third big to do so in the tournament. 

Good luck beating this lineup when March Madness rolls around.

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