College Hoops Viewing Guide: Potential Cavs to watch in UK-Kansas

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Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky Wildcats. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

What to watch for from Kentucky

John Calipari was very clear when asked about playing star guard TyTy Washington Jr. yesterday, via Gary Parrish of CBS Sports:

"“This isn’t a game you play a guy at 80%,” Calipari said. “It’s just not.”"

The Kentucky program has given the NBA a lot of talent over the years, so I expect Calipari to stay true to his word. It also helps him with other recruits, in the sense that he won’t risk their careers for one college basketball game. With that being said, it’s pretty hard to imagine Kentucky beating Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse without their star guard.

Wheeler has the stamina to play nearly the entire game, but with the Jayhawk defense keying on him, it could be very difficult. For Kentucky to keep this one close, center Oscar Tshiebwe needs to play great. He’s being looked at right now as a late lottery pick, and his stock could rise. With the Cavs having one of the tallest rosters in the NBA, I would doubt that they would be interested.

You never know, it can’t hurt to have too much talent. If Washington Jr. is on the court, he excels in the open floor, while getting to the rim with ease. He’s very explosive, and can be a great on-ball defender at times, but he also has mental lapses on that side of the ball.

If Kentucky’s able to pull out this massive road victory without Washington jr. being 100 percent, look for the star guard himself, Wheeler, and Tshiebwe’s draft stock to go through the roof.