A sample of 187 possessions isn’t huge, but it’s not nothing, either – that’s nearly the equivalent of three full games. For context, the highest offensive rebound rate in the KenPom era (since 2002) is 44.9%, by 2011 Old Dominion – and Kentucky blew that number away with Richards and Montgomery roaming the floor together. Of course, there’s a fairly straight line to be drawn between that rebound rate and the atrocious eFG%, which will also normalize over a larger sample size, but it illustrates just how potent those two are on the boards.

That number won’t sustain, but when you consider the athleticism that Kentucky can play on the wing alongside those two, the reality becomes a little more terrifying. Whitney and Keion Brooks are both long wing/combo forwards with above-the-rim games, and Whitney especially will be positively lethal in transition. Last year was one of Cal’s slowest teams in his Kentucky tenure, but with a speedster at point guard (Ashton Hagans) and a more wing-heavy roster, expect the tempo to tick up a few notches.

Hagans will be the primary ball-handler, but Maxey should be fed a heavy dosage of touches on the perimeter, as well. He’s an electrifying offensive player, capable of pulling up from distance right in an opponent’s face, scoring in the midrange with a deft floater, or finishing all the way at the rim against size. He’s currently more of a “combo” guard, and although his professional future likely lies at the point, he may be used somewhat similarly to how Jamal Murray was while at UK (run him off screens, get him the ball on the move, put him against backpedaling/shuffling defenders whenever possible).

As ever in Lexington, shooting will be the glaring question mark. Maxey is a purebred scorer from anywhere, and reclassified wing Johnny Juzang has a smooth stroke of his own, but the rest of the rotation won’t instill fear in opponents. They aren’t fully bricky: Whitney and Brooks were at least semi-competent in EYBL play, and Immanuel Quickley did hit 34.5% from deep last year. Even so, opponents will be comfortable letting them fire away, knowing it’s better than the alternative of exposing themselves in the paint. For this reason, Juzang will get plenty of playing time, and Sestina will also be a key figure. He blossomed as a shooter in his final season with the Bison, and if he gives the offense a “stretch big” element (or if Montgomery’s stroke shows up), the Wildcats become significantly harder to guard.

And you’ll need to guard them, because scoring against this team may end up as difficult as robbing a Vegas casino. Hagans is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country, and although his off-ball awareness and decision-making were often befuddling in his freshman campaign, he is a tone-setter with his ability to generate mayhem. Last year’s Hagans brought plenty of positive contributions with his speed and quick hands: