4 players to watch in State Farm Champions Classic Tuesday night

4 of 4

LEXINGTON, KY – NOVEMBER 10: Hamidou Diallo #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates in the game against the Utah Valley Wolverines at Rupp Arena on November 10, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 73-63 (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Kentucky – Hamidou Diallo

I bought a ticket on the Hamidou Diallo bandwagon in the offseason, but my goodness has it gotten crowded in here. Advanced seating really did me no favors.

Eh, I digress …

Diallo came to Kentucky, per Big Blue Nation rules, with all the hype. A Queens, NY product, he’s been one of the few Wildcats players who has played well in the team’s first two games of the season.

Of course, it is worth noting that Kentucky has struggled mightily with basic pick-and-roll situations on the defensive end of the floor, however, we can easily chalk that up to youth figuring things out on the fly.

As for Diallo, he’s been a bucket-making marvel. Shooting 48 percent from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc, he’s averaging 17.0 points per game. Kansas, knowing this, will likely hurl a few junk defenses toward him at the Champions Classic.

What you should want to keep an eye on for, isn’t exactly just Diallo’s ability to score and his development on the defensive side of the ball. A 6-foot-5 combo-ish guard, it remains to be seen if he can consistently create offensive for his teammates.

While fully expecting Self to counter Diallo’s stroke with fancy defensive strategies, also expect Calipari to counter by asking the freshman to be slightly more dynamic with his playmaking for others. It isn’t a given that Diallo will need to adjust, but seeing if he can could help people figure out if the Wildcats will be fun and good this year, or if youth can be an issue during their entire non-conference schedule.