Kentucky Basketball: 10 Bold Predictions for Freshman Point Guard Marquis Teague

When John Calipari reeled in another top rated recruiting class, much of the focus immediately went to the two biggest prizes of the class, Michael Gilchrist and Anthony Davis.  However, while he wasn't hurting for attention by any means, Marquis Teague just may be the most important member of the class.

With last year's point guard Brandon Knight leaving Kentucky for the greener pastures of the NBA, Teague will be asked to step in and fill an immediate need for a team most expect to make a repeat run to next year's final four.  If he can't, a dream season for the Kentucky Wildcats could go up in smoke.

Thus, with Teague likely to be such an important part of a championship caliber team next year, it's probably appropriate to opine on just how much of an impact Teague can make for the Cats next season.  So here are 10 bold predictions for Marquis Teague and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Marquis Teague Will Break John Wall's Single-Game Assist Record

You'll see this a lot Kentucky fans.

With an abundance of talent surrounding him, and with his quickness and passing ability, it will surprise nobody that I think Teague will have an easy time racking up the assists this year.  So easy, in fact, that I expect assist records to be challenged all year.

One that I am almost certain will fall will be John Wall's single-game assist record of 16. 

Pity the poor non-conference team that comes into Rupp Arena next year and has to not only try (and fail) to keep Teague out of the paint, but also worry about who will be dunking on them when he does pass the ball.  With an endless array of high flyers such as Michael Gilchrist and Anthony Davis crashing in from the wings and sharpshooters like Doron Lamb and Darius Miller ready to fire from long range, Teague will have almost limitless amount of options to choose from.

My guess is that Teague will have at least one game with more than 16 assists, and if he really wanted to try and make the highlight reel and ESPN's big story on any particular night he could realistically have a shot at 20 assists.

Teague Will Have a Triple Double in Both Non-Conference and Conference Play

As talented and athletic as Teague's Kentucky teammates will be next year, I don't think there is much doubt that Teague will be capable of putting up multiple 10-assist games.  But it is his own speed that I think will help him reach the elusive triple double on at least one occasion, and probably twice.

My prediction is that Teague will easily have a triple double at some point in the non-conference season, something along the line of a 10-point, 12-assist and 10-steal type game.  With his great speed and extraordinary handles, Teague will be nearly unstoppable on offense for some of the cupcakes Kentucky will surely play next year.

But on defense his speed will be just as deadly.  Teague was so good defensively that he made people talented enough to be McDonald's All-Americans struggle handling the ball. 

What do you think it will be like when he's playing some poor Division III guys?  They will have never faced the type of pressure defense that Teague and Kentucky will be able to employ.  And my guess is that this will lead to steals galore, and a relatively easy triple double.

And I'm guessing that just for good measure, and after hearing all season long that he's Kentucky's fourth or fifth player at best, Teague will drop a monster game on some unsuspecting SEC foe as well.

Teague Will Approach a Quadruple Double

Now I'm just losing my mind, I know.  But I think it is entirely possible that Teague could come close to, if not get, the first ever quadruple double in Kentucky history and only the second one ever in NCAA Men's Division I Basketball (UT-Martin's Lester Hudson having the first).

The scoring and assists shouldn't be that difficult for Teague as he will simply be able to overwhelm a lot of non-conference foes with his speed and size.  And as I stated earlier, I think a triple double is not only within his reach, but is likely.

However, if things are bouncing his way, and with his excellent rebounding potential for a guard, there is a chance that Teague can do what has heretofore been nearly impossible in college basketball.  I bet he comes very close this year and might even get it done.  Don't be surprised if you see a stat line with four 10s on it next year on ESPN's bottom line.

Teague Will Not Average More Than 10 Points a Game

Considering how well most of John Calipari's point guards have scored, most probably think it is a given that Teague will also average well over 10 points a game.  And with all of my talk about possible triple and even quadruple doubles, you've got to be thinking that I expect Teague to be the team's leading scorer or something.

But I don't.  Far from it in fact.

While I expect Teague to be able to get to the basket at will and draw as many fouls as his body can handle, I think Teague and Coach Cal will be smart enough to mold Teague's game into more of a distributor next season as opposed to a scorer.  And with the likes of Miller, Gilchrist, Lamb, Davis and Terrence Jones surrounding him, they would be foolish not to do so.

There will definitely be games where Teague "gets his," but far more likely is that Teague, and by extension Kentucky, will truly excel when he is setting up his wonderfully talented teammates.  And to do that, I don't see Teague feeling the need to score much more that seven or eight points a game.

Teague Will Be a Better Point Guard Than Brandon Knight

Don't get me wrong, Knight was a phenomenal player for Kentucky and will in all likelihood be a top-five pick in this year's NBA draft.  And as far as the numbers will look, I don't expect Teague to be able to really improve a great deal over what Knight did last year.

But Knight had to carry more of the scoring load last season and I think that hurt him in terms of really being as good of a true point guard as he could have been.  He was perfect for what last year's team needed, but in terms of running an offense and getting others involved, what Knight did last year won't be close to what Teague will pull off this year.

Expect Teague to be much more of a floor general and have a much better assist to turnover ratio, in part because he is more of a natural point than Knight ever was, but also because Teague will have that much more talent around him than Knight did as well.  Teague will also be a better defender than Knight and will do a much better job of running a true dribble drive offense.

Knight was a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body.  Teague is just a pure point guard.  And by the end of the year Kentucky will look much smoother on offense, with less standing around, than what Kentucky fans saw a lot of the time last season.

Teague Will Be Kentucky's Most Important Freshman

He's not the highest rated member of the recruiting class, but there is little doubt that Teague will be the most important freshman at Kentucky next season.

If you take away Anthony Davis then Kentucky still has a solid post game with Terrence Jones and company.

Take away Gilchrist and you still have multiple talented wings.

Lose Kyle Wiltjer and Kentucky still has an elite freshman big in Davis and other guys that can fill it up from three-point range.

If Kentucky loses Teague, then Kentucky may not have a good enough point guard to make the final four of the SEC tournament, let alone the NCAAs.  Yeah, he's that important.

With no real solid backups for Teague, Kentucky would be stuck trying to survive the season with Doron Lamb, a transfer and a walk-on as the point guards.  And while Lamb was fine in occasional spot duty last season, he's no long-term option at the point.

So yes, Kentucky really needs Marquis Teague more than the other freshman this year.  And with the class they have coming in with Teague I am even amazed at that statement...but it's true.

Louisville Cardinals Fans Will Hate Watching Teague Outplay Peyton Siva

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

DENVER, CO - MARCH 17: Head coach Rick Pitino of the Louisville Cardinals and the teams mascot react after a play while playing against the Morehead State Eagles during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on Marc

So, this isn't really that bold of a prediction, but what the heck.  You can't find a Cardinal fan anywhere that at one time wasn't 100 percent certain that Teague would be playing for Louisville next season.  Not a one.

So when Teague not only didn't sign with Louisville, but instead chose Kentucky, he instantly became public enemy No. 1 for next season.  And things will only get worse when Teague outplays Peyton Siva and the rest of the U of L point guards all season long.

For years, the Teague to Louisville rumors really weren't rumors but were instead a coronation of the nation's top point guard coming to play for Coach Pitino.  Teague loved Louisville, his family loved Louisville and Louisville loved Teague back.

Then, for whatever reason (LeBron, World Wide Web, the Tooth Fairy), Teague spurned the Cards for their heated rival down the interstate.  And as much as they may deny it now, this one really hurt and will continue to haunt the Cardinals all year long.

Teague Will Lead Kentucky to an Undisputed SEC Title

Yep, Teague will be the catalyst that leads Kentucky to both the SEC regular season and Tournament championships.  And if you don't think that is a bold prediction, then you obviously don't understand how hard it is to incorporate new star players into a program every single year (or...you watch a lot of SEC basketball and know that Kentucky almost does this every year already).

Either way, Teague will lead Kentucky to winning both the regular season and tournament titles for two main reasons.

One—Teague is really good and could take over any tournament he plays in by himself.

And two—his teammates are even better than he is.

Really, outside of Vanderbilt, there will be nobody in the SEC even close to Kentucky in talent, coaching and somewhat unusually for a John Calipari-led Kentucky team experience.  So yes, I expect Kentucky to win both titles this year.  And I expect Marquis Teague to be a large part of why that happens as the guy who makes all of the other stars on his team better.

Teague Will Win an SEC or NCAA Regional MOP Award

At some point in tournament play, it seems like there is always a point guard that puts on a dominating performance and leads his team with his all around game and leadership.  And no matter how many other guys score a lot of points and get a lot of rebounds, people love to give awards to the smallest guy on the floor if they can.

And with Teague, my guess is that he will deserve it when he either wins the SEC Tournament MOP or the NCAA regional MOP.

I'm thinking Teague will do such a wonderful job running the team come tournament season, that even though he won't lead the team in either scoring or boards, there will be no choice but to reward him with either award.

Teague Will Lead Kentucky to Its 8th National Title

Kentucky was close last year, but had trouble once they got to the final four and couldn't find their offense.  At times they got stagnant, had no rhythm and when the shots stopped falling they didn't have that one guy who could beat his man off the dribble at will.

This year they shouldn't have either problem.

With Teague running the show, I don't anticipate any problems for Kentucky keeping the team's offense rolling.  And if shots do stop falling, Teague is the kind of explosive ball handler that can just create his own offense for a few minutes while the team gets its bearings back.

It may sound like a small thing, but with a team as talented as Kentucky will be next season at most there should only ever be a few two- or three-minute stretches where things won't be working.  But with a young team, a two- or three-minute stretch can turn confidence into panic in a hurry.

With Teague's ability to shoulder the load one on one, he can be the pressure release valve that helps younger teams survive.

I guarantee you that if Marquis Teague had been at Kentucky last year they would have gotten through their fog against UConn and won not only the game but also the national title.  This year they will complete the task and bring title No. 8 to Lexington.