The unofficial start of Kentucky basketball is almost here, with Big Blue Madness coming up on Friday night. The first game of the season is a little over a month away, and the fan base can't wait to see this team get rolling. This is the time of year when the media puts out a lot of articles previewing teams for the season.
Analytics have also become a big part of college basketball, and EvanMiya.com put out a tweet talking about the best lineups for the Wildcats this season. The lineup that this analytics site believes will be the best for Pope and the Wildcats includes Zoom Diallo, Kam Williams, Milan Momcilovic, Ousmane N'Diaye, and Malachi Moreno.
The obvious name that is missing that will shock Big Blue Nation is the Furman transfer, Alex Wilkins. Last season, as a true freshman at Furman, Wilkins put up some really impressive numbers. He led the team in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game. Wilkins added 4.7 assists and two rebounds per game for the Paladins. These numbers make it crazy to think that he isn't a part of the best five for Kentucky in the analytics.
One of the things that could go into this is the fact that Wilkins was playing at a smaller school like Furman. He has to prove that he is ready for the leap to the SEC, but he made some noise in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Furman took on UConn, who went on to lose to Michigan in the final. In this game against the Huskies, Wilkins scored 21 points to go with four assists.
Now the thing to remember here is that the five players aren't who EvanMiya.com necessarily predicts to start. These five are the players that his website believes will be the best five for Pope and the Wildcats this season. I am not shocked to see Kam Williams listed in this lineup because of what he brings as a shooter and defender.
I believe that Wilkins is going to be a superstar for the Wildcats this season, but when it comes to Kentucky's best five, he and Williams will be a part of it. Right now, I feel the best five for Pope is Diallo, Wilkins, Williams, Momcilovic, and Moreno. The good news is Big Blue Nation will find out soon, as in the month of October the Wildcats will play multiple exhibition games, with the season starting November 3rd.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as The lineup for Kentucky basketball that analytics think is the best will shock BBN.