Regular Season Awards for Kentucky:
MVP: Amari Williams
Easily UK’s most important and consistent player throughout the season. How about that triple-double?
Breakout Player: Amari Williams
He was dominant in the CAA but it was fair to question how he’d adjust to the physical SEC. At year’s end just one big was definitively better in the league. Williams stepped up and showed out.
Defensive Player of the Year: Lamont Butler
Injured throughout the year the Wildcats look like a different team defensively when Butler is on the court.
Offensive Player of the Year: Otega Oweh
UK’s leading scorer shot better than 49 percent from the field despite just 35 percent from deep. Impressive, only Jaxson shot better from the guards/wings. Oweh had his way getting inside and scoring.
Coach of the Year: Mark Pope
The assistant coaches did not outshine the head coach in year one.
Freshman of the Year: Collin Chandler
You can make a case for Noah or Perry but recency bias gives the nod to Chandler. He’s the best defender of the freshmen and as he finds his shot he’ll certainly play an important role if the Cats make a deep run.
Win of the Year: 78-73 @ Tennessee 1/28
No Lamont Butler, no problem. Double-digit scoring from all starters helped the Cats avoid a three-game losing streak and UK pulled off its best win the off the season in rival territory.
Whoospie of the Year: 89-79 Arkansas 2/1
UK followed up its biggest win of the year with its biggest stinker. Kentucky lost to worse teams than the Hogs this season, but there was no bigger letdown. UK fans wanted that one.
Regular Season Grade: A
UK’s resume is historic. The wins are as good as gets from a resume standpoint with no awful losses, but somewhat mid against the middle. Mark Pope should truly be in the Coach of the Year discussion. Building a roster completely from scratch in the toughest league in the history of college basketball while dealing with 4 of your top 7 players being injured yet still a top 10-15 overall seed. What a start for Pope at Kentucky.
(and yes I posted this on tweeter, just curious what the fine folks here would say)
MVP: Amari Williams
Easily UK’s most important and consistent player throughout the season. How about that triple-double?
Breakout Player: Amari Williams
He was dominant in the CAA but it was fair to question how he’d adjust to the physical SEC. At year’s end just one big was definitively better in the league. Williams stepped up and showed out.
Defensive Player of the Year: Lamont Butler
Injured throughout the year the Wildcats look like a different team defensively when Butler is on the court.
Offensive Player of the Year: Otega Oweh
UK’s leading scorer shot better than 49 percent from the field despite just 35 percent from deep. Impressive, only Jaxson shot better from the guards/wings. Oweh had his way getting inside and scoring.
Coach of the Year: Mark Pope
The assistant coaches did not outshine the head coach in year one.
Freshman of the Year: Collin Chandler
You can make a case for Noah or Perry but recency bias gives the nod to Chandler. He’s the best defender of the freshmen and as he finds his shot he’ll certainly play an important role if the Cats make a deep run.
Win of the Year: 78-73 @ Tennessee 1/28
No Lamont Butler, no problem. Double-digit scoring from all starters helped the Cats avoid a three-game losing streak and UK pulled off its best win the off the season in rival territory.
Whoospie of the Year: 89-79 Arkansas 2/1
UK followed up its biggest win of the year with its biggest stinker. Kentucky lost to worse teams than the Hogs this season, but there was no bigger letdown. UK fans wanted that one.
Regular Season Grade: A
UK’s resume is historic. The wins are as good as gets from a resume standpoint with no awful losses, but somewhat mid against the middle. Mark Pope should truly be in the Coach of the Year discussion. Building a roster completely from scratch in the toughest league in the history of college basketball while dealing with 4 of your top 7 players being injured yet still a top 10-15 overall seed. What a start for Pope at Kentucky.
(and yes I posted this on tweeter, just curious what the fine folks here would say)
