[pjdoug]

This one should be a fun discussion, and one that we can keep going for awhile. It's also probably going to be picked apart endlessly by each school's fans and national analysts.


Arkansas:
PG - Boogie Fland
SG - Johnell Davis (formerly of FAU, may stay in draft); Billy Richmond
SF - Karter Knox
PF - Jonas Aidoo (formerly of Tennessee); Blake Lawson
C  - Zvonimir Ivisic


Kentucky:
PG - Lamont Butler; Kerr Kriisa; Travis Perry
SG - Kolby Brea; Collin Chandler
SF - Otega Oweh
PF - Andrew Carr
C   - Amari Williams; Brandon Garrison


At first glance, I think Arkansas would run away due to their combination of overall talent (Fland) and experience (Davis and Aidoo). I do think that Williams would more than hold his own against Ivisic and that Butler would be more than capable of doing the same against Fland in a one-off. Think that Carr and Aidoo would just be an awkward match-up for each & end up as somewhat of a coin-toss (Aidoo had some real clunkers to end the season). Oweh seems more than capable of physically holding his own against Knox. Right now, Kentucky seems to have more overall depth and experience, but Johnell Davis is the wild-card that's too much to overcome. Until Kentucky gets more scoring punch or a true "go to" scorer, I'll have to go with Arkansas, but I also think that Calipari probably has 85% of his scoring already rostered, whereas the 'Cats are at a much lower threshold.




As a side note, I'm really hoping that we end up with something like:

PG - Lamont Butler, Kerr Kriisa, Travis Perry
SG - Jaxson Robinson, Kolby Brea, Collin Chandler
SF - Kolby Brea, Otega Oweh
PF - Starter*, Andrew Carr
C -  Amari Williams, Brandon Garrison

Know that I named Brea twice above, but if we get someone who really steps into the #3/4 role, that seems like it could be a really, really good team if everyone meshes. That would still only account for 11 of you 13 scholarships. Of course, this assumes that Robinson is on board and someone like Williams or Carr doesn't stay in the draft, but I think that something like the above and then using your final two spots on reeling in a highly rated reclass or decommit, making a huge portal or international splash, or taking a flyer on some guys who you can stash and try to develop in the way you really want to build the roster is as much as you could ask for from a guy like Pope in the situation he was thrust into. Love that Brea committed and that Pope has a pure shooter, but he was Dayton's 6th man last season and is pretty bad defensively, so I don't know that he's going to be the savior.

Kentucky will have a huge advantage at the head coach position.