Kentucky Basketball: 4 Things Still on Wildcats' Offseason To-Do List

It comes as no surprise to anyone that the Kentucky Wildcats have been in the news for most of the college basketball offseason. 

Whether it be for last year's players making noise in the NBA Summer Leagues or through a big piece of recruiting news, head coach John Calipari has kept his program's name in the headlines for all the right reasons. 

The offseason buzz continued on Wednesday as 4-star forward Sacha Killeya-Jones committed to the Wildcats, per ESPN.com's Paul Biancardi. That announcement came hours before the team's 2015-16 SEC schedule was released. 

Believe it or not, there is still plenty for Calipari and his staff to do before the chase for a national championship begins in earnest. Below are a few things left on Calipari's offseason to-do list. 

Establish Favorite Status in Race for Harry Giles' Signature

As the summer turns into fall, the race to sign the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2016 will heat up between some of the sport's elite programs, and Kentucky is one of them. 

The Wildcats will have a chance to impress Harry Giles along with Kansas, Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest during the forward's string of visits in September and October. Kentucky will be the fourth school Giles goes to, according to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (via Rob Dauster of College Basketball Talk). 

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Despite Kentucky's recent pedigree of attracting the nation's top talent, it has plenty of things going against it in the chase for Giles. One of Giles' closest friends, Jayson Tatum, is already committed to Duke and the player is a North Carolina native, which means the three still in contention from The Triangle may be able to deliver a better sales pitch. 

Despite the adversity he will face in his attempt to bring Giles to Lexington, Calipari will fight hard to nab the top prospect's signature, and given the head coach's history, we shouldn't be too surprised if he does land Giles. 

For Calipari to enter the October visit with Giles as his top option, he must continue to sell the program on a constant basis. If he is able to put the Wildcats in pole position to land Giles, the wave of talent to follow the forward into Lexington could be endless.

Acclimate Jamal Murray to the System 

The Wildcats received some good news about one of their players on Wednesday, as TSN's Josh Lewenberg reported Jamal Murray would likely skip the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament with Canada to join the Wildcats. 

Since Murray has been playing for Canada this summer, he hasn't had a ton of time to get used his new teammates in Lexington and adjust to Calipari's specific system.

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Although there shouldn't be a lot of concern about Murray's basketball abilities, it is always nice to work on chemistry before the season begins, especially with the other incoming players in the freshman class. 

Murray, who is currently in the Canada camp, is expected to miss the tournament and link up with Kentucky once classes start on August 26. If this is the case, Murray will have a little more than two months to assimilate into the Kentucky system alongside the other stars on the roster. 

Instead of waiting to develop chemistry with others after the qualifying tournament and potentially hitting a snag in development, Murray and the rest of the Kentucky starters should be able to hit the ground running once the season begins. 

Find an Elite Replacement for Tyler Ulis 

Since there are so many players going in and out of the program on a yearly basis, it is imperative for Calipari to bring in the best talent each season so the Wildcats can remain a title contender. 

With the entire starting five from the 2015-16 season potentially entering the 2016 draft, Calipari has his work cut out for him on the recruiting trail over the next 12 months. 

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Now that Killeya-Jones has been added to the class of 2016, Calipari doesn't have to worry too much about the frontcourt since New Zealand's Tai Wynyard is already a part of the class. 

But Calipari does have work to do in the backcourt, but luckily for him, there are plenty of stellar point guards in the stacked class of 2016, including De'Aaron Fox, who recently cut his list of prospective suitors to seven teams. According to predictions from Jerry Meyer at 247 Sports, the Wildcats are the favorites to land Fox. 

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If things don't work out with Fox, Calipari could turn to Kobi Simmons or Dennis Smith Jr. Regardless of who chooses to join the Wildcats over the next year, Kentucky should have an elite point guard in position to replace Ulis. 

Back Off the Pursuit of Dennis Smith Jr., But Keep an Eye on Him

One of the top recruiting storylines to watch over the next year is the health of Dennis Smith Jr.'s health, who is a player many see as one of the class of 2016's top guards. 

Smith recently tore his ACL, and he will miss all of the high school basketball season in his home state of North Carolina, per Bret Stretlow of the Fayetteville Observer. 

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Kentucky is up against the odds with four North Carolina schools and Louisville in the guard's final list of six schools. With the potential to add healthy stars such as Fox earlier than Smith, Calipari may opt to let Smith get away, but it would be wise of him to keep in contact with the star guard just in case something weird happens in the recruitment process on both ends. 

Although going up against the likes of North Carolina, Duke, NC State and Wake Forest will be tough, especially if Smith wants to stay near home and get back to full strength, Calipari should keep Smith on his radar.

The potential game-changer in this scenario is the signing of Giles. If Calipari can lure Giles to Lexington, he might be able to land another stud from North Carolina in Smith.

Recruiting information provided courtesy of ESPN.com, unless noted otherwise.