The two most important things are that the young players are clearly improving and that this team hasn't quit in Pitino. Morris misses the game and we play the best we have since Clemson, coincidence or addition by subtraction? Joey King is the only outside threat so he's being strongly contested and not getting the looks he was earlier in the year. Without open looks from 3, what does he bring to the table that the Freshmen don't? Buggs leads the B1G is stepping out of bounds. He should send Carlos Morris a thank you note, because without Morris' atrocious defense, Buggs' atrocious defense would be even more obvious. I really, really hope Buggs gets his degree and moves on after this season. Everyone can see now why Pitino wanted Dorsey so bad. He's an on-the-ball defender and pushes the pace. Fastest guy on the court most nights. I didn't watch the game but by all accounts he was better than Yogi and that's nothing to sneeze at. McBrayer is coming into his own. Long, aggressive slasher and defensive minded guard. Lot's to like. One thing not often mentioned about Nate Mason is that he is drawing the best defensive player on the other team every night this season, where as last year he was an unknown. There was a stretch where people started saying he was "regressing", which isn't true. He just had to figure out how to adjust to the stepped up pressure and he has. Jordan Murphy is already good, but once he learns how to position himself, he'll be much better than just out jumping people for rebounds. As good as he is right now, there is much room for improvement regarding the little things like boxing out, putting hits on opposing players under the net, etc. Bakary is getting better, figuring out how to play basketball, but it's not without ups and downs. Next year should be a really good spot for him, being able to sub for Lynch and not have to play the whole game. I'd be surprised if Gaston is back next year. He'd be behind Lynch & Bakary, plus they're all in the same graduating class. If he is back, expect a red-shirt season. Haven't seen much of Ahmad Gilbert but most accounts have him progressing and showing the skills necessary to play at a high level eventually. Lynch will be a huge upgrade in terms of physicality and rebounding, but his Achilles heel is constant foul trouble. Insiders have said that Fitzgerald is the best player on the team in practice, so that's encouraging. He may not be the best player on the team next season, but you have to think he'll be a major contributor. Not sure what to expect from the incoming Freshmen? I'm trying to temper my expectations with Coffey, as he'll be a slightly built true Freshman in the B1G, but it's possible he could have an immediate impact. Hurt should be our best shooter the second he steps on campus, but again, tempering my expectations as he may have a hard time finding open looks initially. Curry is the one I have the lowest expectations for initially. Most fans want him to be an immediate impact player at PF, but he's not a true PF and it's usually tough for young bigs to adjust to the B1G. Overall, the season is going according to plan in regards to player development & the future looks bright.
