2008 Kentucky Basketball Predictions & Season Preview

Written October 17, 2008 by Luke Knight

Billy Gillispie enters his second season as the Kentucky head coach after going 18-13 overall and 12-4 in the SEC in his first season. The Wildcats made the NCAA tournament, but lost in the first round to Marquette University. Gillispie and the Kentucky players will be much more comfortable around each other as there will be less unknown between both parties. The Wildcats lose guards Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, who combined to average 33.8 points per game, to graduation. Plus, Kentucky’s top returners, Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks are coming off of offseason surgeries. By all accounts Gillispie’s Wildcats had a great offseason and put in the work to be a force in the SEC, and the NCAA basketball odds on the team reflect that. BetUS has the Wildcats at +300 odds at winning the SEC East.

Patrick Patterson, the sophomore power forward, gives the team a presence in the frontcourt that Billy Gillispie loves. Patterson had offseason surgery on a stress fracture in his left ankle, but is expected to be 100%. He finished his freshman season 9th in the SEC in scoring, 7th in rebounding, and 5th in field goal percentage. Patterson will be expected to carry the load and the rest of his Wildcat teammates on his shoulders. That isn’t to say that Patterson won’t have help though. Perry Stevenson, a junior who showed marked improvement over the summer, averaged 9.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in the five games Patterson missed to injury at the end of last season. Southwestern Illinois College transfer Josh Harrelson is also a guy Gillispie expects to take some of the load off Patterson. Harrelson averaged 14.8 points per game as a freshman at Southwestern Illinois. Senior Jared Carter and sophomore A.J. Steward should also provide some additional depth in the frontcourt.

With Crawford and Bradley graduating, the bulk of the backcourt scoring is going to fall to Jodie Meeks, who missed 20 games last season with a sports hernia. Bradley handled the point guard position last season and his backup transferred to UNLV, so junior Michael Porter and incoming freshman DeAndre Liggins and junior transfer Kevin Galloway will man the point. Neither Liggins nor Galloway is a true point guard, but they have the ball-handling skills that the Wildcats need, so one will likely play the point. Liggins has the potential to emerge as Kentucky’s primary ballhandler. On the wing, freshman Darius Miller, Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky, will compete for minutes right away. He is a smooth wing player, who could add a much needed scoring punch to help replace some of the scoring of the departed guards.

Final Analysis

Gillispie’s first year had its ups and downs, particularly four player departures, including Alex Legion who fled to Illinois at the semester break, and an early loss to Gardner-Webb that left many scratching their heads. This year should get off to a smoother start, although Kentucky has a tough non-conference schedule that will not help them pad their record. Games against Miami (FL), North Carolina, and Louisville will be extremely tough. The Wildcats also came alive down the stretch in conference play going 12-4 last season, which will be difficult to match. Patterson and Meeks present a very good 1-2 punch, and the rest of the team is solid, which should put Kentucky in competition for the SEC East and send the Wildcats to their 18th straight NCAA Tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats are +3500 odds at BetUS to win the NCAA Tournament this season.

If you are ready to take your basketball betting up to another level this year then take a look at the college basketball picks offered by our expert handicappers.

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