Kentucky’s Two-Platoon System Still Needs Some Tweaking

Introduced by ESPN announcers as two platoons, the broadcast — like the presence at Rupp Arena — was an overwhelming sea of blue for the Kentucky Wildcats from the start of their engagement with the Texas Longhorns on Friday night.

Does the supposed SEC bias extend into college basketball too? Either way, it’s only December, and it’s clear that Kentucky’s two-platoon system will be the biggest storyline of the NCAA tournament.

The blue line (if you will) consists of Kentucky’s old men, and freshman Karl-Anthony Towns. The other five-man shift is comprised of three freshmen and sophomores Marcus Lee and Dakari Johnson.

The Longhorns fought Kentucky tough for 40 minutes, but fell short to Kentucky’s tall front line. Two-platoon attack or no, Texas didn’t have an answer for Willie Cauley-Stein. Texas appeared tired during stretches of the game, but also seemed to have enough left to give Kentucky trouble in the end.

The platoon style of Kentucky is amazing in theory, but it might stunt the rhythm and flow for the Wildcats in critical situations. John Calipari does override this template now and again, but it really seems both Calipari and the fan base want this system to work.

It’s pretty cool to think of two sets of five NBA-caliber players playing all-out and wearing other teams down, attacking elite teams with a perpetually fresh lineup of All-Americans at all times. But could this backfire in the tourney? What if this system ends up turning a hot hand cold?

The Wildcats could become attrition assassins, but their formula still needs some adjustment. Luckily Kentucky will be getting plenty of scholarly feedback, as they will take on the Louisville Cardinals, North Carolina Tar Heels, and UCLA Bruins in the  coming weeks.

This radical system could fold under intense scrutiny, or it could prosper under peer review. And if this two-platoon roster Chimera is anything near sustainable in December, just imagine what it will look like in March.

Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.