Kentucky Basketball: Predicting Wildcats' Stat Leaders for 2015-16 Season

During the 2014-15 Kentucky basketball season, it was difficult to pinpoint who would lead which stat category because of the tremendous depth on the Wildcats' roster. 

The Wildcats may not have the same amount of talent on their 2015-16 roster, but they still have plenty of players who are capable of putting up eye-popping numbers game after game. 

Because of the mass exodus from Lexington at the end of last season, there will be plenty of new names atop Kentucky's stat leaderboard. But who exactly will fill the void left by the terrific group of underclassmen? 

Continue reading to see who we think will lead the Wildcats in some of the top stat categories throughout the 2015-16 season. 

Points Per Game: Alex Poythress

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Kentucky will enter the new season without its top seven scorers from last season. Aaron Harrison, Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker all recorded over 10 points per game, while Andrew Harrison, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson and Trey Lyles all contributed in a major fashion. 

Tyler Ulis and Alex Poythress were the next two players on the points-per-game chart from last season despite Poythress playing in only eight games due to an injury. 

Those two returning players will be asked to provide a good chunk of the Wildcats' points early in the season as other players get adjusted to their new roles and a different level of basketball. 

Despite not being on the court much over the past two seasons, Poythress has been around the program enough to understand what is expected of him as a senior on a young team. 

Expect the frontcourt player to thrive down low and benefit from the guard play of Ulis and Isaiah Briscoe, who should dish out plenty of assists during the 2015-16 campaign.

Poythress, who averaged 11.2 points per game in his freshman season, should average around 11 or 12 per contest, but do not be surprised if his average is raised by a few big performances in nonconference play against weaker opposition. 

Rebounds Per Game: Skal Labissiere

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The good news for Skal Labissiere is he is not expected to be Towns or Cauley-Stein right away in the Kentucky frontcourt. 

The bad news for the incoming freshman is the shadow of the two exiting players will loom over him if he fails to produce in the rebounding department. 

Labissiere is expected to be the Wildcats' starting center, and at 6'10" he should be able to contend for almost every rebound when he is on the court. The one thing worth watching early on with Labissiere is his physical nature in the paint. 

Some freshmen are unable to deal with the nature of the collegiate game right away, but if the big man can hold his own over the first few nonconference games, he should settle into his role just fine. 

Since he doesn't have another dominant rebounder next to him in the paint like Towns and Cauley-Stein had, expect Labissiere to average around eight or nine rebounds per game and possibly more as he adapts to the next level. 

Assists Per Game: Isaiah Briscoe

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While it would've been nice to see Booker work with Ulis for one more season before leaving for the NBA, the Wildcats have a worthy successor to the departed guard in Briscoe. 

The 6'3" point guard from Roselle Catholic in New Jersey will be coming into a team that saw seven players average at least one assist per game a year ago. 

Briscoe will face some stiff competition in the assist department from Ulis, who recorded 3.6 dishes per contest in his freshman year, but the incoming freshman is expected to lead the backcourt from the point. 

Matching Ulis' total from last season should be a goal for Briscoe, who will be a part of one of the top starting backcourts in the nation next to Ulis. 

If he is able to hand out passes with ease, the Kentucky offense will run like a well-oiled machine by the time SEC play rolls around.

3-Point Percentage: Tyler Ulis

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No one in Lexington will love the addition of Briscoe to the Kentucky roster more than Ulis. 

The rising sophomore should find more freedom on the court thanks to the presence of a steady hand alongside him beyond the three-point line. 

Since opposing defenses will put themselves into difficulty by double-teaming Briscoe or Ulis, the 42.9 percent shooter from beyond the arc last season should earn plenty of chances to change the game if he beats his defender. 

Do not be surprised if Ulis' three-point percentage drops a bit because he attempted 77 shots from downtown during his freshman season. Because of his increased workload, Ulis could attempt well over 100 shots from three-point range by the time the season concludes. 

If Ulis can remain above 40 percent from the three-point line, he will be catching plenty of headlines for his offensive output.

Field-Goal Percentage: Alex Poythress

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Predicting who will be the best overall shooter on the Kentucky roster during the 2015-16 season is a bit of a difficult task due to the roles each player will fill. 

Since Poythress will be taking plenty of high-percentage shots in the paint, we gave him the nod over Briscoe and Ulis, who will take more jumpers and three-point attempts than anyone on the team.

Another factor playing into this selection is Poythress' experience. As a senior frontcourt player, he should make smart decisions when it comes to shooting down low. If the elder statesman in the squad makes wise choices in the paint, it should rub off on Marcus Lee and Labissiere at some point in the year. 

While he definitely won't reach Towns' efficient 56.6 percent from last season, Poythress has a chance to hover around 45 percent, which would put Kentucky in fine shape. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.