D’Angelo Russell ain’t walking through that door. Without the #2 pick in the NBA Draft at point guard, the Buckeyes are a shadow of their former selves. Currently, they’re 5-5 with wins over Mount St. Mary’s, Grambling, VMI, Air Force, and Northern Illinois. Their losses? UT-Arlington, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, #10 Virginia, and UConn. To put it in more glaring terms, they’ve lost to every top-150 team they’ve faced. Woof.
They’re currently ranked 175th in the RPI
For perspective, here are where UK’s other opponents rank this season (the Cats are 9th):
- Albany: 104
- NJIT: 119
- Duke: 23
- Wright State: 254
- Boston University: 161
- South Florida: 246
- Illinois State: 180
- UCLA: 44
- Eastern Kentucky: 196
- Arizona State: 26
So, if you trust the RPI, slightly better than Illinois State, a team the Cats beat by 12 at home without Tyler Ulis.