The Kentucky Wildcats’ rise back into the top 10 of every major poll has come in large part due to the emergence of Ashton Hagans.
Kentucky got off to a sluggish start this season, going 7-2 and nearly falling out of the top 25 polls. However, Hagans slowly but surely began taking his game to another level, and it’s made a dramatic impact on the 2018-19 Wildcats, who have won seven of their last eight games, including three wins over teams currently in the top 25 polls.
Now, Hagans has been nominated for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.