Without Jarred Vanderbilt, role players have elevated their game, with Wenyen Gabriel turning into a three-point specialist and Sacha Killeya-Jones coming alive in the paint. Even Hamidou Diallo has broken through, putting up 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks vs. Buffalo, the most he’s scored in a game since December 9.
Kentucky’s improvement is clear when you see them play, but it’s even more apparent when you look at the numbers. Although the biggest changes have happened in the postseason, some of the trends go back to the end of the Cats’ notorious four-game losing streak (we’ll treat the loss at Florida as an anomaly):
• In the last four games, Kentucky has shot over 50% from the field.