Taking A Look At Kentucky's Elite 8 Players

Andrew Harrison- PG

Andrew Harrison, over sized for a point guard at 6'5", will be used to facilitate to his deadly scoring teammates. Not only is he tall, but he has a 6'8" wingspan and has ball-on-a-string handles. He is exceptional at creating offense with the ball in his hands and score at will. Although he has great handles, he overdribbles excessively and can be turnover prone. He lets mistakes get to his head on offense, and usually fails to get back on defense after a turnover. Although Harrison can burn and dunk on people, if he gets his pocket picked, it can lead to an easy fast-break dunk. Harrison will complete with Marcus Smart to be the best point guard at college basketball.

Aaron Harrison- SG

Aaron, the weaker of the Harrison twins, is still a top 30 college player. He is more of a scorer than his brother, but less of a facilitator. He is streaky, as shown in his high school stats. In a pair of two games, he had 3 and 8 points. In a second pair of games, he had 31 and then 40 points. Hopefully Coach John Calapari can get the Aaron Harrison that scored 71 points in two games rather than the Aaron Harrison that scored 11 points in two games.

Alex Poythress- F

Poythress was under a lot of heat last year for being the definition of inconsistent. On top of his game-by-game inconsistency, he shot only 69% from the free-throw line. But on top of his mediocre stats, he had a few strong points. He averaged 6 rebounds per game and shot 42.4% from beyond the arc. Although Poythress under achieved last year, he is due for a great season with the erratic play of Archie Goodwin and Ryan Harrow replaced with the Harrison twins.

Dakari Johnson- C

At 6'11", Johnson will get a lot of post work from Coach Cal this year. Johnson will have to make defensive adjustments and improve his feel for the game. Johnson's positives include his size(6'11" with a 7'0 wingspan, 263 lbs), his presence on the glass and his post game. Johnson can score off of offensive boards, make post moves, and hit right-handed jump hooks. He also has very strong hands that prevent smaller guards from stripping him of the ball. Johnson's main weakness is his ability to go left, or lack there of. Johnson should be able to get his shots, but not lead the team in scoring.

Willie Cauley-Stein- C

Cauley-Stein looks mildly upset after last years NIT loss, but he will be happy soon. Like Poythress, his game was affected negatively by Archie Goodwin. Also like Poythress, Cauley-Stein struggled mightily from the free-throw line, but Cauley-Stein was much, much worse at 37.2 percent. He stands 7 feet tall and is capable of giving opposing post defenders fits. He also gives them fits when they are on offense, as Cauley-Stein blocked 2.1 shots a game last year. He will likely start at the center position over Dakari Johnson, and he has to make an impact for the Wildcats this year.

Marcus Lee- F

Lee is uber-athletic and dunks everything in sight. At 6'10", he might play a little center if Cauley-Stein and Johnson get in foul trouble. Lee will have to worry about foul trouble as well, because Lee can block shots like crazy. Has nice hands and is a very solid passer. But at only 200 pounds, he can't back anyone down or have a strong post game. He is very raw and only an average rebounder. He is a limited scorer because he doesn't have a perimeter game. Lee looks like a poor mans Nerlens Noel for the Cats.

Julius Randle-F

Randle is easily the best player on this list. There are so many positives to the 6'10", 240 pounds stars game. Randle is lethal in transition, has an unstoppable first step, and is a rare combination of finesse and power. He has better handles than most forwards, and can draw fouls, finish, and make the free throws. His post game is unstoppable. He competes on defense and makes plays. If he can begin to hit jumpers from beyond the arc, Randle will be unstoppable. He is drawing comparisons to Chris Webber, but hopefully he knows how many timeouts he has left.

James Young-G/F

James Young is another one of those incredible two-way players. Young is 6'7", but has a 6'11" wingspan. His left-handed shot has a low but quick release, and can make shots with a hand in his face. He is a solid rebound and defender who makes the extra pass to give players open looks. Young is energetic and is a great teammate that is very, very good if he gets in rhythm. All Young has to do is hit a couple of shots and before you know it, he is weaving through the defense on his way to scoring buckets. He likely hasn't hit his peak athletically, which means he can be a top player in the NCAA. The potential is there for Young. Although Young would probably be a better player that Alex Poythress, Poythress will be starting at the small forward this season unless Young can upstage him.