Kentucky Basketball: 5 Things That Should Worry Fans in 2015-16

With the college basketball season rapidly racing toward us, it is time to start worrying about the flaws each team has entering the 2015-16 campaign. 

For the Kentucky Wildcats, youth and depth could be the two main issues than plague John Calipari's squad all season long. Although he has plenty of talent on the roster, Calipari will be under pressure to mold his young group into one that can contend for a national championship despite the drop-off from last year's team. 

On top of dealing with some key internal issues, the Wildcats will face a grueling nonconference schedule and a potentially challenging SEC slate depending on how the new faces in the league adapt to the landscape.

With that in mind, we decided to take a look at the five things that should worry Kentucky fans the most this season. 

A Slow Start

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Kentucky fans have high expectations for their basketball team no matter what part of the season it is. 

The Wildcats should be able to defeat Albany and NJIT on successive nights in Lexington to open the season, but a potential roadblock to the young core's hot start comes on November 17 against Duke. 

If Kentucky barely gets past one of its first two foes, a wake-up call could await it in the form of a highly talented Duke team. A loss at the Champions Classic and two unconvincing wins could shake the confidence of the freshman-laden starting lineup. 

If that is the case, the string of games in December could hurt the Wildcats' record even further. The first big road trip of the season comes on December 3 against UCLA before Arizona State, Ohio State and Louisville face the Wildcats on the final three Saturdays of 2015. 

If the Wildcats are unable to make a good impression during that stretch of games, the rest of the SEC could see them as a vulnerable team instead of a dominant one as they have been the last few years. 

We're not saying Kentucky will fully regress to the mean this season, but there could be some growing pains during nonconference play. 

The Rebirth of the SEC

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We've touched on the possibility of the SEC being a potential powerhouse as a conference throughout the offseason, and if everything clicks for the new group of coaches in the league, it could provide us with plenty of intrigue during conference action. 

The team that sticks out right away as Kentucky's main contender is LSU because of Ben Simmons' presence on the court, but the league could be deeper than usual if Tennessee, Mississippi State and Alabama take a step forward under new coaches Rick Barnes, Ben Howland and Avery Johnson.

Add in Bruce Pearl's Auburn, Ole Miss and Arkansas and the SEC has the potential to be a deep conference with plenty of teams ready to challenge Kentucky, who will undoubtedly get the best shot from every conference opponent. 

Since they do have a target on their back as the top dog in the conference, the Wildcats will have to be at their best for most of conference play, and John Calipari should be able to get the maximum effort out of his players. 

However, there is also a chance Kentucky will slip up early at home against Ole Miss and in Baton Rouge to LSU to take away the aura of invincibility that has shrouded the program in recent years. 

If the rest of the SEC sees Kentucky as a team susceptible to mistakes, Kentucky's record and reputation could be much worse than last year. 

The Lack of Bench Contributors

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There are a lot of unknowns about the Kentucky squad entering the season, but the biggest one could be who the bench contributors will be. 

The starting five of Tyler Ulis, Isaiah Briscoe, Jamal Murray, Alex Poythress and Skal Labissiere are expected to produce from their respective spots on the floor, but after those five, things are a bit gray. 

Marcus Lee should receive the most playing time off the bench as he rotates with Poythress and Labissiere in the paint, but who will spell the backcourt trio successfully is a bit puzzling at the moment. 

Junior Mychal Mulder and freshman Charles Matthews should shoulder the majority of the responsibilities off the bench at the guard position, but they are not as talented as the three starters. 

Finding a niche, whether it be from beyond the arc or as a defensive stalwart, may be the best way for one of the bench players to earn respect early in the season. But until they actually hit the floor in place of the starters, we aren't exactly sure what the Wildcats will get out of their reserves. 

Alex Poythress' Health

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When healthy, Alex Poythress has the potential to be one of the top forwards in the country.

However, the senior forward was the opposite of that last season as he tore his ACL in a December practice while going up for a breakaway layup. Last season's edition of the Wildcats was able to shake off the injury because there was so much talent throughout the squad. 

If Poythress goes down for any stretch during the 2015-16 season, the Wildcats could turn into an average team in the frontcourt with Labissiere isolated against an opponent's top big man. 

As it is with any star returning from a serious injury, we shouldn't expect massive numbers out of Poythress over the first few weeks of the season. But if he can't mentally recover from the injury by December, the Wildcats could be in for a long second month of nonconference play.

If Poythress begins the season without a hitch, the Wildcats could be headed toward another dominant season. 

Jamal Murray's Youth

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Everything you see and hear about Jamal Murray says he is going to be the breakout star of the 2015-16 Kentucky Wildcats. 

However, Murray is still young, and his rapid rise to success can be halted at any moment by a coach with a solid game plan focused around him.

Sure, Murray thrived during the summer with the Canadian national team, but now he has to go through the long haul of the college basketball season with the NBA staring him straight in the face as a potential big reward for a terrific freshman year. 

Murray's first test will come against Duke on November 17, a matchup that could see him go up against the tenacious Grayson Allen on both sides of the court. If he passes that one and the challenges posed to him by Thad Matta, Steve Alford and Rick Pitino's teams, Murray could be on the path to superstardom.

But we do have to take into consideration that up until June, Murray was considered a member of the highly touted class of 2016. If his youth shows and he is unable to adjust to the defensive game plans thrown at him, he could be in for a long freshman campaign.