Kentucky Basketball: Biggest Takeaways from Wildcats' Postseason so Far

Kentucky basketball is in the Sweet 16 to the surprise of no one. The Wildcats easily beat No. 16 Hampton before pulling away from No. 8 Cincinnati in the second half. Up next for the Wildcats is a familiar tournament foe in No. 5 West Virginia.

Kentucky has looked the part of the No. 1 overall seed, as it will face a ton of different types of game plans due to teams trying to figure out the secret recipe to handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season. Cincinnati tried beating Kentucky up, getting physical in the paint and making Kentucky work for its shots. 

We'll take a look at the biggest takeaways from the Wildcats' postseason so far. This can be anything from what opposing teams will be doing to Kentucky, to how head coach John Calipari has his team playing.

Going to a Seven-Man Rotation

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After preaching the platoon system all season, Calipari seems to be limiting his rotation to a seven-man unit during the postseason. That's not to say he won't play the nine guys he has all year, but when it comes down to it, he's sticking with seven.

Dakari Johnson, a bruising center who was made to play in a physical game like Cincinnati, played just eight minutes against the Bearcats and wasn't even in foul trouble. In the blowout against Hampton, he played just 12 minutes, the lowest of the nine guys who commonly play.

The other odd man out is Marcus Lee, who saw just two minutes against Cincinnati.

It shouldn't be surprising to see Calipari go to a limited rotation in NCAA tournament play, as it's more common. On top of that, the team seems to be better off without Johnson on the floor.

When Johnson is in the game, there's more of an effort to get him the ball in the paint and try to let him force a shot up—opposed to getting open shots with the other guys.

Johnson and Lee will still get some minutes going forward, but don't expect to see the platoon system that was in play during the entire season.

Andrew Harrison Is a Great Point Guard

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It's time to take a step back and truly appreciate just how great of a point guard Andrew Harrison has become. That's right. He's not just good—he's a great point guard.

After this past weekend, Harrison completed his third straight game without a turnover and his fourth in five games without a turnover. At the same time, he's recorded 11 assists and scored in double digits three times.

He brings a completely different element to the point guard position. At 6'6", he has the ability to overpower other guards while also sharing the court with Tyler Ulis.

The combination of Ulis and Harrison has been the go-to backcourt, thanks to the ability to break any sort of press with two ball-handlers and two guys who can drive into the lane and get teammates open.

Karl-Anthony Towns Is the Key to a Title

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There is a bright-shining star on this team full of stars, and his name is Karl-Anthony Towns. While Jahlil Okafor seemed to be the unanimous decision to be the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Towns is making a legitimate case for his name to be called first.

Towns is showing how polished he is on the offensive side of the ball while also protecting the rim defensively. Kentucky is making an effort to get the ball to Towns in the post and working to have the offense run through him.

The New Jersey native is an exceptional passer, so when he gets the ball in the post, defenders have to play the pass as well.

Going forward, teams will have to start planning to stop Towns, which can make life easier for players like Trey Lyles and Devin Booker.

Towns is off to a great start in this tournament, recording 21 points and 11 rebounds against Hampton—his first 20-point, 10-rebound game of his collegiate career.