Mark Pope has definitely done a good job at getting some pale faces in the mix at Kentucky. Chandler and Noah are likely only starting due to injuries, but it is clear they will still be key pieces this year for the team, which is much more than can be said for Cal's Kentucky teams.Kentucky used to be a coal black team under Calipari. That veil of darkness has lifted under Mark Pope. Tonight they are starting sophomore guard Collin Chandler (from Utah!!! There’s where the White studs went) and sophomore forward Trent Noah (a local Kentucky native). Off the bench they are utilizing a 6’-11” freshman Croatian named Jelavic. You could do a lot worse than the #9 ranked Wildcats.
McCollum brought in a ton of new faces. in fact, it’s my understanding that the Hawkeyes only return 1 (ONE!!!) player from last season, the highly touted Cooper Koch. as such, McCollum is clearly still trying to find out what he has. it’s unlikely that his starting lineup will remain the same. additionally, although it’s obviously early, Iowa may have a deeper rotation this year than in the past. they certainly have some intriguing pieces, led by phenomenal point guard Bennett Stirtz.Iowa is actually only starting two Whites (Stirtz and Cooper Koch), but there will be plenty of Whites off the bench. I was surprised to see that Brendan Hausen (K-State transfer) wasn't starting. In addition, McCollum is recruiting lots of Whites from the high school ranks, so he is clearly a White-friendly coach, which is all we can really ask for.
