Kentucky Basketball: 5 Burning Questions for Wildcats 2015-16 Season

The Kentucky Wildcats are once again among the top teams in the nation to start the season, but there is a lot more mystery than there was at this point last year.

In the first Associated Press poll, the Wildcats are rated No. 2 with 10 first-place votes. Last year's version was far and away the top team in the preseason poll with 52 of 65 first-place votes. Between a bunch of returning veterans and one of the best recruiting classes ever assembled, most knew just how good Kentucky would be over the course of the year.

This year's squad features a lot more uncertainty with no proven players at the college level and fewer "can't-miss prospects" in the 2015 class. The talent is enough to bring home a national championship, but a lot can happen to prevent this over the next few months.

Before they can be considered legitimate contenders, they will have to answer these questions over the course of the season.

Is Skal Labissiere as Good as Past Centers?

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Head coach John Calipari brought in yet another monster recruiting class this season, highlighted by Skal Labissiere. According to 247Sports, the center was the No. 2 player in the 2015 class behind only Ben Simmons of LSU. DraftExpress currently projects him to go No. 1 in the 2016 NBA draft.

The hype is certainly justified thanks to his enormous potential. The 6'11" player not only has great athleticism, but he is also very skilled for his size and position. He enters college with advanced moves in the post to score with his back to the basket, and he already has excellent timing as a shot-blocker.

Even with all this praise, it will take a lot to live up to recent Kentucky centers like DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Nerlens Noel or Karl-Anthony Towns. 

It's impossible to judge Labissiere's ability compared to the others now, but over the course of the season we will see just how good this player can be. Interestingly, one of the early problems is a lack of aggressiveness in the post.

"At this point, I would rather he be the black hole," Calipari said of Labissiere, per Alex Forkner of 247Sports. "I just want him to get comfortable scoring."

If he can be the type of go-to option offensively those high-profile centers were, the Wildcats could be in great shape this season.

Will This Team Hold Up Defensively?

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Last year Kentucky and Virginia put up historic seasons when it came to defensive efficiency. It won't be easy for the Wildcats to match that in 2015-16.

As good as Skal Labissiere can be, he won't be able to replace both Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein, rated by Sports Reference as the No. 1 and No. 2 defensive players in the nation. Towns was excellent in the post, and Cauley-Stein could guard any player at any position. Adding in the length available 1 through 5 and the Wildcats were almost impossible to score against.

This year's version certainly has potential to be another great defensive team, especially with this coaching staff. Marcus Lee could step up to be an elite shot-blocker, while Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray have the toughness and athleticism to be shut-down defenders on the perimeter.

The problem is there will be a much different style than we have seen in the past. A likely three-guard lineup will lose a lot of size, especially with the 5'9" Tyler Ulis at point guard. Arguably the most versatile defender, Alex Poythress, still doesn't appear to be 100 percent as he recovers from a knee injury.

It remains to be seen whether Kentucky will utilize the press more often or even zone, but no matter what the plan is the players have a lot to live up to this season.

Can Three Point Guards Coexist?

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky has had a lot of great point guards in the past, but rarely are three of them competing in the lineup at the same time. Based on what we have seen so far, it seems like there is a good chance for that this year.

Tyler Ulis, Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray all played point guard in high school and project as point guards in the NBA, but they will need to figure out a way to work together on the court.

John Calipari thinks it could be done thanks to some traits they all share. "They're unselfish. They're all skilled. They can attack the basket," the coach said after the recent exhibition, per UKAthletics.com.

The talent is also obviously there, with ESPN ranking all three players in their top 100 for the upcoming season, including Ulis at No. 5 overall. CBS Sports put Murray at No. 5 in its rankings.

All three know how to create off the dribble and score on their own or look for others. The question will be how they react to playing off the ball and whether any of them get frustrated by a lack of touches for a long stretch.

The actual listed positions don't really matter, but finding a way to play together is vital for the upcoming season.

How Deep Will Bench Go This Season?

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There won't be any platoon system this season. The top players are significantly better than the men who would replace them, meaning the starters should get close to 30 minutes per game as long as they are healthy.

Of course that doesn't mean the bench will be nonexistent.

It appears Ulis, Briscoe and Murray will start in a three-guard offense, which works because any of them can play point guard on a given possession. The versatility will also help in rotations as the trio slides to different positions.

Charles Matthews and Mychal Mulder will fight for minutes behind them, but neither brings enough to the table right now to keep one of the starters on the bench for long.

There will likely be more of a revolving door in the frontcourt with Labissiere the only one certain to get steady playing time. Lee, Poythress, Isaac Humphries and Derek Willis will all move in and out of the lineup likely based on how they are performing on a given night.

This marks 10 players who should be part of a regular rotation, but with a clear drop-off, it wouldn't be surprising to see only seven to eight play in bigger games. 

Will Free-Throw Shooting Be a Problem?

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Even the best teams can be undone by poor free-throw shooting. It is also impossible to know just how good players can be in this area until they step on the court and do it in games.

The Wildcats return only 109 combined free-throw attempts from last season, fewer than Andrew Harrison made on his own. Poythress and Lee have gone to the line in past years, but neither is great from the charity stripe.

This means a bunch of freshmen and inexperienced players will be asked to make some pressure shots during the season, and it is completely unknown whether they will be able to hit them. 

Kentucky went only 9-of-18 as a team from the free-throw line in the exhibition against Ottawa. This came after going 9-of-23 in the Blue-White scrimmage. It is too early to sound any alarm bells, but this type of performance will not be acceptable once the games start to count.

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