Kentucky Basketball: What Each Starter Needs to Prove at Champions Classic

The Kentucky Wildcats won their first two games of the college basketball season as expected, but things are about to get a whole lot harder.

While wins over Albany and NJIT are nice, the squad is about to get its first real test of the year with a matchup against the Duke Blue Devils in the Champions Classic in Chicago. The four-team event featured a dominant 72-40 win by Kentucky over Kansas last season, although this year's version is likely to be a lot tougher.

With both teams featuring freshmen and other inexperienced players, this battle will be a litmus test for the two Top Five squads. Even with the high rankings, both Duke and Kentucky have a lot to prove at this early stage of the year. Beyond that, a lot of the players need to show they have what it takes to play at this level.

Here is a look at specific areas in which the Wildcats' key players will need to prove themselves in the highly anticipated battle against the Blue Devils.

G Tyler Ulis

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Can He Keep Turnovers Low?

Although he didn't get too many opportunities last season, one of the areas where Tyler Ulis thrived was creating for others without turning the ball over. During the regular season, he finished with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.53, which led the SEC. 

While most expected the assists to rise with full-time work, it's important to remember the challenge of avoiding turnovers with such an increased role.

This was a bit of a struggle in the first game of the season. Ulis and Jamal Murray each had five turnovers in the win over Albany, although Murray had eight assists while Ulis had just two. Fortunately, he was able to bounce back against NJIT with five assists to just one turnover.

Ulis has struggled a bit with his shooting in the early going (5-of-17), but there is little concern he can turn this around. The real question is whether he can truly run the offense and have the ball in his hands on every possession. If he struggles, the team has two other point guards ready to go.

G Jamal Murray

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Can He Be an Efficient Scorer?

Jamal Murray has a chance to be one of the top scorers in the nation. He is a tough player who can slash into the lane and get to the rim against almost any defender. In many cases, his aggressiveness with the ball is one of his strengths, although this wasn't the case Saturday.

Against NJIT, Murray finished with just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-10 from behind the arc. For a freshman playing in his second career game, there isn't much to worry about. This could easily have just been a bad game in what should be a great career for the guard. The problem is if this becomes a habit.

Murray isn't a bad outside shooter, but he is clearly at his best when going to the basket. He should still shoot open threes but look to drive when he can.

The guard needs to not only be a volume scorer, but also an efficient one with so much talent around him. If he can do this, Kentucky will be in great shape.

F Derek Willis

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Can He Defend the Wing?

Isaiah Briscoe could definitely move into the starting lineup in a three-guard look now that he is healthy, but Derek Willis certainly did enough to keep his job last game. The junior filled up the box score with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist and two blocks while going 3-of-4 from three-point range.

He certainly has earned more playing time, but if he is going to remain in the starting lineup, he will have to prove he can defend on the perimeter.

Willis has good defensive instincts to tally blocks and steals. The question is whether he has the lateral quickness to stick with small forwards who can score from the perimeter or drive into the lane. We will find this out in a hurry versus Duke with a matchup against 6'9" freshman Brandon Ingram.

Ingram will be a tough assignment for anyone at the college level as an elite outside shooter with great size. If Willis can stay with him and slow him down, though, it will be a huge boost to the Wildcats' chances of victory. Otherwise, this team might not have many other options against big lineups like Duke's.

F Marcus Lee

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Can He Rebound Against Top Competition?

Even when struggling to get playing time last season, Marcus Lee still excelled as an offensive rebounder. According to KenPom.com, he finished his sophomore year with an offensive rebounding rate of 14 percent, slightly behind Karl-Anthony Towns for the team lead and one of the best in the conference.

Lee hasn't slowed down at all now as a starter, totaling eight rebounds in each of the first two games, including 12 total on the offensive end. The challenge will be for him to keep this up against the best teams in the nation.

Duke forward Amile Jefferson averaged 11.5 rebounds in his first two games and had 466 total rebounds over the past two seasons. Like Lee, he did not have much of an offensive presence in his early career, but the senior knows his role and does a good job of grabbing boards on both ends of the court.

Kentucky will face much better big men over the course of the season, but if Lee can beat Jefferson, Marshall Plumlee and Chase Jeter for rebounds, it should give the team a lot of confidence in the junior going forward.

C Skal Labissiere

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Will He Stay Aggressive?

Skal Labissiere is going to be a go-to weapon offensively, even if John Calipari has to force him. The head coach has been vocal about making sure the freshman is aggressive in the paint, and the game plan against NJIT ensured this would happen.

"Coach Cal, obviously he is a great coach," Labissiere said after scoring 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field, per UKAthletics.com. "He talked to me before the game, told me that they gotta go to me early before the game starts. I just have to put myself in the right position to catch the ball and score."

The 26 points were a big change from his nine-point effort in the first game of the year against Albany. The problem has not been a lack of talent, but simply an unwillingness to get involved.

Labissiere has as much ability as past Kentucky centers with a polished low-post game and the skill to score in a variety of ways. The key for him will be to take at least 10 shots per game and become the dominant force he can be. In reality, there is no one at this level who can stop him.

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