Very little went right for Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball Tuesday night in Chicago. The Wildcats hoped to silence critics, and prove voters who dropped them from the top 25 wrong. However, theylost to Kansas 89-69, and outside of the first few minutes of the game, never looked competitive.
Coming off a disastrous season where they were blown out in games against Gonzaga, Louisville, Michigan State, and others, this year was supposed to be a redemption. Instead, Tuesday's loss just looked like more of the same.
Issues plagued Kentucky on both ends of the floor. On offense, there seemed to be no real plan. The ball didn't move, and too often it devolved into one of the guards just trying to drive and hope for the best. On defense, The Wildcats
looked lethargic. They didn't get their hands into passing lanes, and Kansas backcuts worked nearly every time. The Jayhawks got easy buckets over and over again around the rim, and had far too many wide open shots from three-point range.
So, after an embarrassing showing, whose stock is up? Whose is down? Here's a look at the Kentucky basketball stock report after a poor showing and their first loss.
Stock up: Zoom Diallo
Of all the Kentucky starters heading into the year, Diallo had the most question marks. However, he has been their most steady performer so far. On Tuesday, the veteran point guard was one of few bright spots, scoring 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Stock down: Alex Wilkins
Wilkins has clear upside, and is talented. However, against Kansas, Wilkins had a tough night. He looked out of sorts on both ends of the floor, and finished the game with 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting, 0 assists, 2 rebounds, and 5 turnovers.
Stock down: Ousmane N'Diaye
Another clearly talented athlete, N'Diaye has great length and potential. So far, though, he hasn't managed to find any sort of groove. On offense, he has been just a jump shooter, mostly from three-point range, and isn't making them. He is also pushed around in the paint, and isn't a factor as a rebounder. Kentucky isn't getting enough from the starting power forward spot.
Stock up: Malachi Moreno
Two quick fouls forced Moreno to miss most of the first half. In the second half, he showed what they had missed. Over and over, Kentucky got the ball to him one-on-one, and he couldn't be stopped. He recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in just 27 minutes of playing time.
Stock down: Mark Pope
The "Fire Mark Pope" crowd was back after a dismal performance in their first big game of the season. The offense didn't look like it had any type of coherent plan, and the defense looked lost. In a season where he's looking to prove critics wrong, he failed his first test.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Stock up, stock down for Kentucky after losing to Kansas
