The stark contrast between the program that John Calipari ran at Kentucky and the one that Mark Pope appears to be running is evident. Just off the top of my head:

1. Style of Play
2. Coach Interactions with Fans
3. Recruiting Strategy

But I think as we now have seen the team in game action, there is another that I think might be the most opposite of what we saw under Cal and maybe the most refreshing for this fanbase:

TEAM DEVELOPMENT

I think we already know, after just one exhibition game against an overmatched opponent, what this team will be. This team will rely heavily on the three-point shot and will likely live and die by their ability to shoot the ball well. They are not overly athletic and probably will face some teams that will be a mismatch for this group. They will have a fairly deep bench. It’s hard for me to see this team playing more than one style this year.

This is opposed to the past 14 years, where the UK team was rarely settled before January. In fact, it was a key talking point always for Cal to tell us he was simply prepping for March. And over the last half-decade, we’ve seen that inability to have his team ready early in the season result in loss after loss after loss in big non-conference games. I have a gut feeling that the biggest difference we are going to see from Mark Pope’s teams is going to be competitiveness and/or wins in big games in November and December.

BUT IS THAT ENOUGH?

OK, so maybe we beat Duke in a couple of weeks. Maybe we take out Clemson, Louisville, and Gonzaga. But if at the end of the day, this ends up being a Sweet 16 team, that’s not really worth it. The issue with Calipari teams wasn’t that they sucked in November and December, it’s that they also started to suck in March too. It will be nice for Mark Pope to have a team that is sharp from the beginning of the year. To have a team that can run an offense and defense in November. It will be nice to have a team that can win a Champions Classic game. But ultimately, I would lose each and every game in November against Duke and even lose occasionally to Louisville if it also means we are going to the Final Four.

And that gets to my ultimate point. I think we know what this UK basketball team is and will continue to be this year. That will be refreshing in the upcoming two months and I think an advantage many teams won’t have. But are they good enough in March if this is still the team we have? Because I am trying to rack my brain on where I see massive improvement with this squad and come up empty. Could the interior offensively and defensively develop some? I guess. But shooters are shooters. I don’t think we’re going to get any better or worse in that regard this year. Guys who can defend the perimeter or not will not change that fact.

So the question is, do you think the team we saw from Mark Pope Wednesday is the team we’ll see in March? And if so, is that good enough?