By the time last March rolled around, Kentucky freshman point guard Tyler Ulis had only logged thirty of more minutes twice on the season. Backing up Andrew Harrison at the position, this didn’t come as much of a surprise.
But what many had started to notice was that the UK offense moved a bit more smoothly, with a bit more rhythm, when Ulis was manning the lead guard role. Things just moved a bit quicker, and became more efficient. People around the country started to ask whether or not he deserved more of a chance than he was being given.
John Calipari must have seen something as well, playing Ulis more than thirty minutes three times in the final two weeks of the regular season, then again in the Wildcats’ dismantling of West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament.
In Kentucky’s final two games, a three point win over Notre Dame in the Elite Eight and the loss to Wisconsin in the Final Four, Ulis played just forty one combined minutes.
This season, though, Ulis seems primed for a position with which he can lead a UK team with the typical mix of youth and spotty veteran experience. Sure, he will need to hold off five-star freshman point guard Isaiah Briscoe, but Ulis should not be underestimated like he was so often in the high school ranks. His ability to defend, distribute, and lead is just the recipe for Kentucky’s hopes of rebounding after one of the most heartbreaking, disappointing ends to a season that we can remember in recent years.
